A/N: I do not own Twilight. Thank you to everyone reading my story, I am so moved by your support and especially your wonderful reviews. There's lots more fun to come…. so let's go shall we.

Chapter 16 - sour and bitter

"Mr Cullen…. Mr Cullen, I need you to move so I can check your wife's vitals…. Mr Cullen."

"My wife?" I was half asleep but I could feel someone tapping my shoulder and why were they whispering?

"Yes, Mr Cullen," the voice giggled. "You're in hospital curled around your wife and little girl so tight I can't take your wife's blood pressure." More giggles.

My eyes shot open and it was true I had completely enveloped my sweet girls.

"Oh… sorry," I mumbled as I extricated myself from around Bella and Lil Bit. I slid out from the bed, careful not to disturb Lil Bit.

"Sorry," I said again as I sat back into the chair while the nurse ran her tests. Bella barely moved and Lil Bit was tucked against Bella's chest and breathing deeply.

"I won't be long Mr Cullen and then you can climb back in with your lovely family," she said warmly.

"I thought you'd frown on my being in there with them." I gave her a sheepish look.

"Well, if I told you not to you'd probably do it anyway," she had her eyebrow raised at me. She was right, I was itching to climb back into the warmth of that hug.

"Anyway, your wife is only in her for observation and so long as I can kick you out when we need to take her obs, I don't mind. She's probably sleeping better having you here with her after her ordeal. Poor girl." The nurse worked quietly and efficiently writing everything on the chart.

"Good night Mr Cullen. Her vitals are all in the normal range so we'll leave her be until the morning", she smiled and then left the room.

I climbed back into the bed and brought my two angels close to my chest again. I was awake now so I just lay there watching them. Bella was a little more restless and when she opened her eyes she smiled at me.

"Are you watching me sleep?" she asked, her voice full of sleep.

"Yes. You're both so beautiful."

I reached my hand over to tuck her hair behind her ear so I could see her face more clearly.

"I'm sorry about his week. I was an idiot. I jumped to conclusions and I caused this terrible thing to happen to you." I was so angry with myself for being so stupid.

"You didn't do this to me. You saved me from worse than this." She was emphatic but she was wrong.

"I did cause this. I wouldn't see you or listen to you. I was furious and petulant. I behaved worse than a child all week. I didn't know Jacob was a friend … a married, reverend friend." I needed to get this out, be honest and apologise for my behaviour.

"I was so awful to everyone at work that finally Jess had enough and sent me home," I chuckled. Bella smiled at me with so much understanding on her face.

"Anyway, Emmett and Rosalie concocted a plan to get me to talk with you. So he told me to meet him in the park and Rosalie told you to go to the park.

"Don't you see, you wouldn't even have been there if I hadn't been acting like an immature asshole," I whispered asshole as I didn't like to swear in front of Lil Bit, even if she was sleeping.

"I'm sorry my sweet one. Really I am. I hope you can forgive me." I sounded desperate and pathetic, I knew that. I wanted to be strong for her and to be someone she could count on and here I was whining like a whimp. I was furious with myself.

Bella smiled and reached her hand up to my cheek. "Bring your face down here so I can kiss you," she demanded. I chuckled and did as she asked. She kissed me softly and gently, all the while holding my cheek. She was so warm, so delicious. I couldn't help it, I licked her bottom lip as we parted.

"It wasn't your fault," she stated. "I take Elizabeth to the park every Friday. That's probably where Emmett and Rosalie got the idea to suggest the park in the first place."

She looked up at me again with a guilty pout on her face. "I was pretty awful all week too. I was confused and didn't know why you were so angry. I was going to skip the park this week but Rosalie insisted. That's probably why she was being a little odd earlier. Knowing Rosie she probably feels guilty, just like you. But just like you it wasn't her fault."

She chuckled softly, "I thought she pushed me to go to the park because she was sick of my being so cranky and out of sorts but now I realise she wanted us to make up. I think she likes me being with you."

That took me by surprise, I had thought Rosalie's mood towards me earlier was because she didn't like me. Maybe Rose has less thorns than I thought.

Bella looked at me as though she was thinking about something and then she asked softly, "Why did you jump to the wrong conclusions, Edward?"

I sighed and dropped my head back on the pillow. I turned a little more on my side so I could lie back and continue talking with her. Time to come clean, Cullen. She deserved to know how screwed up I really was.

"When I was in high school I was a pretty popular guy. Star Quarterback, school smart, money in my pocket, not bad looking and well dressed thanks to Alice. Hey, I can even dance old school thanks to Esme insisting we all take ballroom dance classes." I laughed lightly and Bella smiled up at me.

"All the things a boy needs to be popular in school. I even had the perfect girlfriend," I sighed. "Well, I thought she was perfect. She was gorgeous - tall, blond, built for fuc… " I looked over at her and saw her eyes widened. "I mean, she had a really good figure."

I ran my free hand through my hair, nervously.

"But Irina was far from perfect. She liked my money. She liked having the status of being my girlfriend. She liked to be seen with me. She even liked having sex with me but she also really liked was having sex with other guys… lots of other guys."

I looked over at Bella who had a sympathetic look on her face. I really hated telling her this and I really hated remembering all this but after this past week I owed Bella an explanation.

"Like the idiot that I am, I didn't even know. I thought she loved me. She always said she loved me, she was always clinging on to me, shoo'ing other girls away from me and talking about going to the same college with me.

"Anyway, it turned out she'd had sex with most of my teammates on the football team, given my football coach a blowjob to get me out of a practice so I could take her to some party and I heard she'd been with a couple of her teachers to improve her grades."

"When I finally found out about all her sleeping around I broke up with her and to get back at her I stupidly slept with as many girls in our year as I could, especially her friends."

I was ashamed to admit to my sweet innocent girl that I'd slept around so cruelly in high school.

"I am not proud of sleeping around Bella. I could tell you that all those girls knew I wasn't in it for a relationship or for love and that they were okay with it just being sex. But that wouldn't be true. I used them. I was young, hurt and and humiliated. I wanted to get my male pride back but I was wrong."

Bella just kept watching me. She didn't say anything. I guess she knew I had more to tell.

"Soooo, after high school my nasty ways continued and to be honest got worse when I first got to Dartmouth. So many girls, so little time." I grimaced as I looked over at Bella knowing that I'd have to tell her about Kate.

"Everything changed when I met Kate," I stated. "She was beautiful and smart as hell. We were in a lot of the same classes and I fell in love with her. She didn't take any of my shit. Kate came from a successful, rich and powerful family. She didn't need me for status or money the way Irina did. She had it all on her own."

"When I first met Kate at a frat house party, I tried all my usual lines and pick up tricks and she shut me down flat. She wasn't going to let herself be the next notch on my bedpost.

"Her rejection stung but it also made me want her all the more. She made me chase her though. I can't remember how many times I asked her out but it was all for nought. She wouldn't have a bar of me.

"Finally she agreed to a coffee date. Coffee turned into lunch, which turned into dinner, which turned into breakfast. We were together and we were going to stay that way."

I smiled as I remembered how proud I was when Kate finally showed an interest in me.

"How long were you together?" Bella asked quietly.

"Almost four years. I met Kate just after I'd started at Dartmouth and she broke up with me in the last few weeks of our final year." I remember that day so well.

"I thought we were okay. I thought she loved me. I was wrong." I was trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. "She was smart, ambitious and sort of bossy, which I hated but I put up with it because she said she loved me.

"We'd been sharing an apartment off campus since halfway through our second year. I thought we were going to go to grad school together, get married, have a family of our own and live happily ever after. She'd met my folks and I'd met hers. I thought our future was all set."

As I said the word family, that old familiar ache threatened to tear my heart again. I pursed my lips as I mentally wrestled with my memories to try and stop the pain from overtaking me. I took a deep breath to settle my voice.

"One day, towards the end of our final semester, Kate asked me not to go to class but to stay and talk because she had some important things to say. I knew something was wrong but I had no idea what it was." I sighed out a soft laugh with absolutely no humour, shaking my head incredulous at my own stupidity. "I actually thought maybe she was pregnant and I was sitting there preparing myself so I wouldn't react badly to the news, wanting to be supportive."

What a fool I was.

"But she completely knocked the wind out of me, she told me that she was leaving me. She told me that she'd fallen in love with one of our professors, that they were going to be married and that she was wanted to start a family with him as soon as she could. I was in shock. Not only did we have plans but we had a really healthy sex life, even after almost four years together we were always hungry for each other. We'd made love that damned morning."

Bella reached up and brushed away a tear from my cheek that I hadn't even realised I had shed but I wasn't surprised, the pain of this particular memory was acute.

"But that wasn't even the worst of it. Kate then told me she wanted to leave me with a clean conscious and that she wanted to confess to me that she'd been pregnant to me the year before but because she wanted to get her degree and didn't wanted to get bogged down with a baby, she'd had an abortion."

I sobbed the last word and more tears fell. I pulled Lil Bit just a little closer to me and stroked Bella's hair. Lil Bit's warm little body between Bella and I just made the loss of my own child all the more acute.

Bella put her hand over her mouth as she gasped in shock at the word abortion. Her eyes glistened with tears.

I looked at her with a sad smile. "Yeah. She'd aborted my child and never even told me she'd been pregnant. She'd stayed with me a whole year after that and never once hinted at what she'd done. Don't get me wrong Bella. I'm not against abortion when the circumstances make it impossible for a woman to have a baby. But Kate had money. She had a loving family….. she had me," I whispered the last part because I knew that this was in fact the problem. I was not what Kate wanted. I wasn't enough.

"I am so sorry I didn't get to be part of that decision. I would've begged her to have my child. I would've done whatever I could to support her. But she gave me no choice. It was done.

"To add insult to cruel injury she then told me that she wasn't going to go to grad school after all because she and her professor wanted children straight away. She was going to have his kids. She aborted my child but she was having his."

I squeezed my eyes closed and covered them with my free arm. I took some deep breaths trying to fight back the deep buried sorrow of this horrible memory.

My tone became sour and bitter but I couldn't help it, the pain was still so raw.

"After dropping all that on me I simply sat there, unable to say or do anything. She calmly got up from the table, told me she'd booked a removalist to come and get her things, that she hoped I'd be okay. Then she just left."

"Oh Edward, my sweet darling Edward. How cruel she was to you. How wrong she was. I am so so sorry that happened to you, baby. So sorry. You would make such a wonderful father." Bella reached up and was kissing me in between her sweet words.

We both had tears in our eyes. We both held each other tight. She was so warm, holding her was like being wrapped in a loving blanket.

I took a shaky breath. I wasn't done. I would get through the rest of my confession and hope that she still wanted me when I was done.

"After Kate. I didn't go back to my womanising ways. I actually went to the other extreme and became celibate. I didn't trust that any woman could be truthful and certainly not faithful."

"After finishing at Dartmouth, I went straight on to Harvard where I completed my MBA in half the usual time. I started Cullen & Masen and devoted myself to building the business. I was determined that no woman would betray me again.

"That's when I met Tanya Denali. She was a model at one of Alice's fashion shindigs. Tanya was beautiful but she was shallow, obsequious and so appallingly obvious about what she wanted. She wanted the prestige and invitations my name attracted, she wanted my money and she was prepared to do anything to have them.

"Honestly, I thought that at least she was being upfront about it." I was nervous to tell Bella the next part, what would she think of me?

"Sooo, I offered Tanya a deal," I explained.

"A deal? What kind of a deal?" she eyed me suspiciously.

"Well," I started nervously, "I offered her the use of an apartment, some spending money as well as a budget for clothes and trinkets. I also agreed to take her to some of the fancy parties and events I received invitations for but never went to."

"And… what was her part of the deal?" Bella asked but I suspect she'd already guessed.

"Well, she was to be my …. escort… guest… at the functions I attended." I said. Bella looked at me like she knew there was more. "And she'd … entertain me, when I … needed … entertainment." It sounded so dirty now telling my sweet girl about basically hiring Tanya for sex.

"So you paid her for sex," Bella said bluntly.

"Well, no, I didn't pay her… really… I mean I gave her a living allowance, plus paid for her apartment, her clothes… okay, yes I suppose I did pay her for sex."

Bella looked at me seriously for a long time. I didn't dare say anything.

Finally, she spoke. "I suppose you thought that with this… arrangement… that at least you'd have control of this situation and that you'd be safe from more heartache."

Yeah, Bella is pretty smart. She understood exactly what I'd been trying to do with Tanya. I wanted the sex and I wanted someone to go out with but I didn't want to risk my heart again.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. I didn't want to get hurt again so I thought if it was all on my terms that I'd be safe."

"You do know that was wrong, don't you Edward? To pay her for sex and expect it to be safe and give you control, you know that's not right…. right?"

I nodded. There really wasn't much I could say in my own defence. Honestly I thought it was the best I could do. Now that I knew Bella and could see what we could have, if she forgives me of course, I realised that what I was doing with Tanya was borderline self-abuse.

Bella looked at me shyly and then asked, "Are you still in this …. arrangement… with Tanya?"

"No sweet one, I'm not. A little before I asked you to go out with me I found out that Tanya had cheated on me with my cousin James. They were both working with my other cousin Caius to do some dirty business dealings using my information."

Bella was shaking her head. "So when you saw me with Jacob, coming downstairs from my apartment you thought I was cheating on you. Just like Irina, Kate and Tanya, right?"

"Right," I replied. "But Bella I was wrong to jump to conclusions. You told me you were innocent. You trusted me and I let you down. Whether or not I've had a bad time with previous women in my life, it doesn't mean I should assume the same about you. I was wrong and although I hope you understand now just why I have trust issues, I also hope you know that I will try very hard not to jump to conclusions again.

"You've taught me something important this week. Love always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, " I reached down to cup her cheek with my hand and I looked directly into her beautiful rich brown eyes, "… that's what this is Bella. This is love. I love you. I trust you." I reached down and placed a chaste but loving, lingering kiss on her soft full lips.

As I pulled away from her she smiled the most amazing smile at me, "I love you too Edward. I know this is quick but I know this is right. I love you so much."

A wave of pure joy flowed over me to hear her words spoken so softly. He words went straight to my heart and released the tightness I didn't even know was there. She reached her hand up to the back of my head to pull me down to her once again. We kissed a deep slow loving kiss full of passion but not manic or urgent.

"I love you, my darling sweet one," I whispered in her ear and placed a soft kiss on her neck.

"I would never treat you the way those other girls treated you. Believe me please. You are worth loving and I do. I do love you my beautiful Edward."

We kissed again softly and sweetly. We pulled away just far enough to see each other's faces. We looked at each other silently for a long while just taking each other in. Bella's eyes started to drift and I could see she was fighting sleep.

"Sleep now my Bella, my love. We'll talk more tomorrow." I smiled down at her.

"… mmm… okay, tomorrow… good night my Edward…" She went back to sleep and I lay there watching her and counting my blessings. How did I manage to win the heart of this sweet woman. How could I deserve her?

I must have fallen asleep again because the next thing I was aware of was the sweet sounds of Lil Bit giggling as someone sang to her.

"Incy wincy spider went up the waterspout."

Lil Bit giggled.

"Down came the rain and washed poor incy out."

Another giggle.

"Out came the sun and dried up all the rain."

"wat hap den?" she asked.

And the singing started again, "theeeeen incy wincy spider went up the spout again."

"Oh Look, sweetie, Edward's awake."

I stretched and opened my eyes to see a tiny little face with huge sparkling blue eyes staring at me.

"Mor-ning Eh-wed", Lil Bit laughed, reached her face down and kissed my cheek.

"Good morning my little love," I reached my arms around her and hugged her tightly. "How long have you been awake?"

"aaaaages," she giggled and patted my chest, "oo needs wakes up Eh-wed."

"Yes, Eh-wed. Oo needs to wakes up!" Alice teased.

"Good morning my darling sister and what, pray tell, are you doing here?" I asked her as snuggled my face into Lil Bit's hair making her giggle again.

"I came to make sure Isabella was okay. She's sleeping well. You looked so cute when I came in. I took oodles of photos and have sent them to everyone I know," she teased again.

"Well so long as I wasn't drooling and you sent some to me that's fine."

"I also called Tyler for you to let him know what was going on. He offered to pick you all up some breakfast and real coffee on his way over," she said. "I didn't bring it over myself since I didn't know if you'd be awake yet and I didn't want it to get cold waiting for you."

"That's actually great Alley Cat. Thank you." The thought of real coffee made me sincerely grateful.

"Awwey Cat?" Lil Bit asked as she sat up.

"Yes, little love. This is Alice, she's my sister and I like to call her Alley Cat." I explained.

"Alice. This is Elizabeth. Isabella's daughter." I introduced them.

"Daughter?" Alice couldn't hide her shock.

"Mmm. Long story and this isn't the right time," I said looking down at Lil Bit, "But yes… daughter."

"Well, it is lovely to meet you Elizabeth." Alice put her hand out to Lil Bit for a handshake.

Lil Bit took Alice's hand and shook it in an exaggerated dramatic way, "I Lil Bit. Momma's Lil Bit."

Adorable.

"Yes, you are… and you look so much like your beautiful Momma!" I squeezed her.

"Eh-wed I go potty pweese?" she said starting her climb off the stairs.

"I'll take you Lil Bit. Now that we are friends can I take you to the bathroom?" Alice reached her hands out to help Elizabeth down off the bed.

"Wes Awwy cat. Oo sing da spider song as I tinkle?" Lil Bit led Alice to the bathroom.

They looked so cute chatting to each other.

Alice laughed, "Yes sweetie, I'll sing the song while you tinkle."

Alice looked back over her shoulder and mouthed to me, "Oh my god, she's so cute."

I nodded and laughed.

I turned to my sleeping angel and gently stroked her hair. "Sweetheart. Are you ready to wake up and see a new day? I promise it will be better than yesterday."

She mumbled into her pillow. "Better be. I don't want anyone to hit me today."

I chuckled, "Okay, that's a deal. No one hits you and hopefully we can leave this hospital soon too. Tyler is on his way with some breakfast and Alec will be here soon to help us give our statements to the Police." I leaned over and started tickling her, "So you might want to wake up and get dressed before we have visitors."

"Stop it, Edward. Don't tickle me, please." She rolled over with a huge smile on her poor bruised face.

"Do I look hideous?" she asked suddenly bashful.

"No actually the swelling seems to be going down. But you are a lovely shade of blue this morning. Does it hurt?" The area around her eye was black and her cheek was an angry mottled blue.

"Thank you for sleeping with me last night," she said quietly and then she blushed when she realised what she said.

"Women usually tell me they enjoyed it but no one has ever thanked me for sleeping with them before. It is rather nice," I teased.

She hit me in the arm and tried to push me off the bed. "Get off my bed if you're going to tease me like that… you know what I meant. I felt safer with you here holding me."

"I know sweet one, I'm only teasing. I slept well knowing you and Lil Bit were safe in my arms."

"I love you," I said quietly.

She smiled a gorgeous beaming smile, "I love you too, baby." I like it when she called me baby, no one has ever said it that way before, it's so tender. Fuck I am a lost cause, this woman has my heart in her hands.

Alice and Lil Bit came back into the room so I headed into the bathroom to 'tinkle' myself.

"Morning Alice. It's nice of you to visit. I see you've met my Lil Bit." Bella reached her hands out for Lil Bit and Alice helped her up onto the bed.

When I walked back into the room Alice was grabbing her bag to leave.

"Well, I am glad you're okay Isabella. I'm delighted to have met your beautiful daughter," she turned and pointed to me, "I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye Alley. Thanks for coming to see us." I blew her a kiss and she giggled as she left the room.

"I'll just change into my day clothes. Then I'll get the nurse to help you in bathroom, okay love?" I grabbed my bag and headed back into the ensuite to change quickly.

I stripped down and gave myself a quick wash before putting on my clean clothes. I sent up silent thanks again to Emmett for my clean clothes and my toiletries. I brushed my teeth and tried to tame my hair. Fail. I threw my dirty clothes back in my bag and headed back to Bella.

A nurse was there taking her obs and offering to help Bella in the bathroom. So I reached over to grab Lil Bit and with her on my lap I sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"Shall we see what Rose packed in the bag for you to wear today little love?" I pulled the bag over closer to us and we both peeked inside.

"Yay…," Lil Bit started bouncing and clapping her hands, "my horsies dwess."

I reached in and sure enough there was a brown dress with a horse design on it, there was even a little shaggy bit at the top of the dress for the horse's mane. So fucking cute.

"There are tights and undershirt too, Lil Bit. When momma goes to the bathroom, I will help you dress, okay?"

"Ok Eh-wed." She was holding her horse dress and playing with the buttons on the front.

"Will you two be okay while I'm in the bathroom?" Bella asked.

"I have an MBA from Harvard, Bella, I think I can dress a toddler." I was perhaps being a little overconfident, given I needed my surgeon father's help to get her changed last night.

Bella cocked her eyebrow at me, "Well Harvard let's see how you do."

Challenge accepted.

"C'mon Lil Bit." I picked her up and placed her on the bed.

This was definitely harder than I thought and I thought I might have to get some help.

Lil Bit giggled, "I dwess I self, Eh-wed, seee?"

She stood up on the bed and started to undress. I was grateful she understood the mechanics because I was lost. I helped with the tights and getting her arms through the sleeves of her undershirt. I'm sure there was probably a better way to do it but we managed. Once we got her dress on, I sat her on the edge of the bed so I could put her shoes on her.

I took out the hair brush and gently brushed her hair.

"Oo a good momma, Eh-wed," she smiled up at me.

"I'm not a momma, little love, men are daddies," I explained softly.

"I not has a daddee, Eh-wed. I has a momma. I has wots o fam-wee. I has fwends at pay goop. Sef is I speshal fwend. I has oo too, huh, Eh-wed?" she told me as I buckled up her little shoes.

I leaned down and kissed her cute little nose, "Yes little love. You have me too."

So fucking adorable.

"There ... all done." I stood up and we looked at each other proudly. "We're a great team, little love."

She smiled the most amazing smile, just like Bella's.

"You look like the cat that got the cream, Edward. Well done, she looks lovely." Bella congratulated me.

"Oh, Lil Bit. Rosie packed your horsey dress. That's one of your favourites. Rosie loves you very much, doesn't she." Bella sat up on the bed and reached out to hug Lil Bit.

Bella was all changed into clean fresh clothes. She looked much better.

"Mr Cullen?" Tyler was at the door carrying a large box and a tray of drinks. I jumped up to help him and welcome him into the room.

"You are a God-send, Tyler. Thank you." I nodded towards a chair for him to sit in.

Everything had been labelled by Rosalie no doubt. There was coffee for me and for him, tea for Bella and a hot chocolate for Lil Bit.

"Tea? Bella?" I asked while handing it to her.

"Yes, I like coffee sometimes but I don't really handle caffeine very well. There's less caffeine in tea and I like it more. Especially in the mornings."

I smiled realising this was a new thing I knew about her. I loved learning her likes and dislikes.

"And a hot chocolate for you little love." I was about to hand it to her but I looked to Bella for permission. Not sure if I should just give her the cup. Do three year olds hold a cup like this?

Bella put her tea on her bedside table and took Lil Bit's drink. She opened the lid and tasted it. "Not too hot," she said relieved. She took a gulp and then put the lid back on securely. "Not too full." She was looking at me, she was teaching me. I smiled gratefully to her.

She handed it to Lil Bit, "Now hold it with two hands, okay Lil Bit."

"Ok, momma"

"Momma?" Tyler looked to me.

I nodded.

"Tyler, this is Bella's daughter Elizabeth. Lil Bit this is my friend Tyler."

Tyler stood up and shook Lil Bit's hand, "Lovely to meet you, Miss Elizabeth."

Lil Bit giggled, "wov to meet oo iler."

Tyler's face broke out in a warm smile and he looked over to Bella. "She looks just like you Bella," he said.

Bella? Huh, I can't get him to call me Edward but he's calling her Bella. Interesting.

Bella smiled at him shyly.

"Bella, I'm sorry to hear about the attack yesterday. I hope you're feeling better," he said with a genuine tone of concern.

"Thanks Tyler, I am feeling alot better. Edward's taking such good care of us," she looked over to me and smiled.

"Okay, enough sappy stuff. Let's see what we've got to eat." I threw open the lid to the large catering box and found four plates inside all wrapped in heavy duty foil and each with our names on it. There was even cutlery.

I pulled the bedside food table across the bed and placed Bella's and Lil Bit's food on it. I handed Tyler's tray to him and I took mine as I sat back down in my chair.

I opened my plate and found a delicious stack of crepes, with strawberry compote and a scoop of cream all lightly dusted with vanilla icing sugar. I leaned in and breathed in the enticing smell. Also on my plate separately wrapped was a chocolate croissant and the wrapper had a huge smiley face on it.

Tyler's plate had a large slice of quiche and a brioche separately wrapped.

Lil Bit had crepes like mine, with a brioche on the side.

Bella had a croissant and a small cup of fresh berries.

"Eh-wed, oo has cwapes jes wike lil bit," she clapped her hands excitedly.

"Well, crepes are my second favourite breakfast," I told her.

"What's your favourite Edward?" Bella asked obviously curious to learn about me too.

"Your chocolate croissants, of course," I told her honestly. "I have a growing addiction to them."

My phone pinged with a new text. I took the phone from beside Bella's bed and laughed out loud when I saw the message and the picture:

'Aren't you adorable … Mr and Mrs Cullen with baby Cullen…. Em

The image must've been one of the photos Alice took this morning. Bella, Lil Bit and I were fast asleep snuggled closely together on the tiny bed with me curled around my girls like I wanted to protect them from the whole world.

I showed Bella and Tyler the text and they laughed with me.

"I see, too Eh-wed… I see," Lil Bit reached for the phone. I showed her the picture and she smiled. "Ooo, wee a famwee!"

Bella blushed bright red, coughed and pulled Lil Bit back down to sit on the bed. "Okay, Lil Bit, sit down now and eat the lovely crepes that Rosie and Zafrina packed for you."

I chuckled and went back to my delicious crepes.

Tyler looked after to Bella with a shy look on his face, "Bella? ...um…. do you happen to know if Zafrina is … single?"

A/N: Okay, so Edward has shared his most intimate saddest secrets with Bella… sad. So how about Tyler? So what do you think about that?