Chapter 33: First Birthday

Unfortunately, my two and a half days with Bella had passed quickly. I had my meeting with Dr. James on Sunday morning, and it went great. I was so fucking excited to start working at Forks. The board had recently put a shitload of money into remodeling and updating the hospital, so the surgical floor was much better than I excepted. There were only two surgical suites, but both were outfitted with the latest technology, and with me coming on board, Dr. James promised to try and acquire anything that I thought was missing. The hospital was small, and he said I'd be spending a lot of time in the ER. He went over his dreams for it, and I was just sold. They had often sent patients who needed emergency surgeries to Port Angeles, and he was determined to cut down on that and put more money into the hospital by performing procedures here.

I saw what kind of difference I'd be making and realized how much I was needed. He made me an offer to start at the beginning of April — just over two months from now — and I took it, signing the contract without a second thought. I just hoped the house would be closed on by then.

We had put the offer in that Monday and it was accepted, so now we were just waiting on the paperwork to go through. It had been almost two weeks since I last saw Bella, since I had worked this past weekend. Thankfully, Little One's birthday was in two days and she and Charlie were coming for it. Since I had tonight off, Jasper and I finally got together for drinks while Sofia was at my parents' house.

"This is so fucking insane," I said, laughing. "You just set a wedding date and I'm buying a house for my family. What the fuck happened to us?"

"Women," Jasper said, smirking. "It's hard to believe, isn't it? Dude, I'm getting married in December! Holy shit."

"And I'm going to throw you the best damn bachelor party possible."

He lifted his beer, clanking it against mine. "Damn straight. So, when are you leaving OMC?"

"March thirty-first is my last day, and then I start at Forks on the ninth."

After a few beers and wings, Jasper and I left the bar at ten. Yeah . . . I left a bar at ten. Times had really fucking changed. It was good to hang with him again, though. With how much our lives had changed, we basically only saw each other at work or when we went out with Alice and Bella, which hadn't happened much. Little One certainly made it hard to have free time, but I didn't mind. I'd rather have spent an evening with her and Bella than been out.

When I got back to my apartment and walked toward my room, I noticed that the light was on. "What the fuck?" I asked.

I knew I had shut it off this morning, so I stood back and pushed the door open, peering in. I certainly didn't expect what I saw. On my bed, in some lace thing, was Bella. She quickly tossed the book in her hands onto the floor and smiled when she noticed me.

"So, uh . . . surprise," she said.

I dropped my keys on the dresser and chuckled. "Yeah, what are you doing here?"

"I'm pretty sure that Dad will be okay for one night, so I decided to come back. I've missed you and I wanted to surprise you. What do you think?" She played with the tiny material covering her as her cheeks flushed.

Jesus Christ, had I mentioned I loved this woman?

I quickly pulled my scrub top over my head, took off my shoes and walked over to the bed, laying down next to her. "I think it'd look better on the floor, to be honest," I said, ghosting my lips against hers before nibbling on her bottom lips and kissing her.

Fuck, I didn't even want to think about how long it had been since I'd been with her. Too long, let's just say. My hand slid under the lace thing, feeling her soft, warm skin. Her perfect fucking body was here, next to me, and I was so glad she had done this.

"You're amazing," I said, pulling back slightly. "I've missed you, too, and not just like this. You're staying tonight, right? Fuck, Bella, please don't go."

She laid her hand against my face, smiling. "I'm not leaving until tomorrow. I'm here, just make it last, please?"

I moved my lips along her jaw. "I will, baby. I'm going to take my time. Do you even know how good you taste?"

She moaned as I kissed behind her ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

After touching and tasting every inch of her as I took the tiny material off of her, I kicked my pants off and moved back down her body. I relished each moment with her, taking my time as I moved my fingers into her, sucking on her clit as she came, screaming my name. We had all night, but I . . . fuck, I needed to be in her. I moved slowly, loving how fucking good she felt wrapped around my dick. Her pussy was perfect, just like every other inch of her.

"Oh, God," she moaned as I pushed her leg higher, moving faster.

I was so fucking close. I sucked on her neck, rubbing her clit as she suddenly came. I loved hearing my name fall from her lips, and I came soon after she did, collapsing next to her. She moved over my chest, panting softly as I did. We were far from done, but for the moment, I just held her close, wishing I never had to let her go.

. . . . .

I wasn't ready for Bella to leave the next morning, even though I'd see her again tomorrow. I woke up with her beside me again, and I just looked at her. She was so damn beautiful, and what she had done last night was one of the best surprises of my life. She missed me too, and came here just so we could spend a night together.

I probably should have felt bad that she left Charlie alone, but I knew she wouldn't have done it if she wasn't sure he'd be all right. I looked at the clock, knowing she needed to leave soon. When I kissed her shoulder, her head turned back toward me as she smiled sleepily.

"Hi," she whispered.

I smiled. "Hi, it's almost eight."

She sighed, nodding. "I told Dad I'd be back around nine, but I don't want to leave."

I kissed her softly, holding her tightly. "I don't want you to leave either, but he needs you, and I need to go get Little One."

"I miss her so much, you know? The video calls are nice and all, but it's not the same. Not even close, actually. She's learning and growing every day, and I hate missing it."

"I hate it too, but we'll all be together soon. I'm sure Charlie will be okay on his own here in a few weeks, so maybe you can move back until we get the house."

She smiled, nodding. "Our house."

I kissed her again, and then said, "I can't fucking wait, Nibbles."

Once we had finally gotten out of bed, she put her things back in her small bag and changed as I started coffee. She had called Charlie, letting him know she might not be back until closer to ten and stayed to have a few cups with me as we talked. She had finally let her school know that she wouldn't be coming back after her leave of absence was up. She hadn't found a job in Forks yet, but decided to just let hers go instead of making the drive each day. We'd figure everything out, but in the meantime, I'd support her.

She kind of hated that, by the way. Hell, when she had moved in to my apartment a few months ago, she made me let her pay half of the rent and the groceries, so she could contribute. She didn't like not being able to support herself, but this was just how it'd have to be until she found a job in Forks.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Bella said, resting her head against my chest as I held her. "I wish I could just stay, but knowing Charlie, he'd be ordering from The Lodge for dinner."

I chuckled, nodding. "I'm sure he would. He'd then get one of his minions to bring it to him."

"Yep, a big, fatty steak, I'm sure," she laughed softly before sighing and holding me closer. "You're going to dress Sofia in the outfit I picked out, right? I can't believe she'll be one tomorrow."

"It's crazy how fast the time has passed, and yeah, I'll put her in it, even though I don't quite understand why you bought her a special outfit for her birthday."

She looked up at me, shaking her head as she smiled. "Because it's a special day, so she needs a special outfit. Just do it."

I caressed her cheek. "I will. I love you."

"I love you, too. We'll be at your parents' around eleven, okay?"

I nodded. "Sounds good."

I dipped my head, kissing her once more before opening her door for her. Once she had left, I got in my car to head to my parents' to pick Little One up. It still amazed me that she'd be a year old tomorrow. I'd had her for ten months now, and it seemed to have passed too fucking quickly.

. . . . .

"Can you walk to Daddy, precious girl?" Dad asked, holding Little One's hands as she stood.

I had just gotten here, and the two of them had been playing in the living room. Dad let her hands go, and she toddled toward me, falling on her ass after a few steps. She just giggled and got back up, hurrying the rest of the way to me.

I lifted her up, kissing her cheek. "Good girl!" I said. "Did you miss me, Sofia?"

"Dada!" she squealed. "Dada, Dada, Dada!"

I blew a raspberry on her cheek, and she squirmed against my chest as she giggled. She pushed my face away with her hand once she'd had enough.

"All right, no more raspberries," I laughed. "Give Daddy a kiss."

She put her hands on my face and pressed a sloppy, wet kiss just beside my mouth. Jesus fucking Christ, could she be any cuter? I sat down on the couch with her as Mom came in the room.

"How was she?" I asked.

"She was pretty good," Dad said. "She fussed after you left last night — like normal — but eventually calmed down. She's doing really well with walking, you know? And getting into things." He laughed, shaking his head.

Mom didn't look as amused as he did, so I assumed Little One hadn't been that good. "What did she do?" I asked.

"Don't you see all of my plants are out of here?" Mom asked. "Your father decided to leave her alone for a few minutes, so she made a mess of the soil."

I tried so hard not to laugh at the image of Little One covered in soil. "She didn't eat it, right?"

"I caught her in time," Dad chuckled. "But it was pretty adorable, let's just say. I won't make the mistake of leaving her alone to answer my phone again."

"Yeah, Bella and I learned that when she was crawling. She pulled half of my DVDs off of the shelf one time."

"So, are you ready to have a one year old?" Mom asked, smiling. "It's hard to believe how old she's getting."

"God, I know," I sighed. "It's crazy that I've had her for almost ten months. Is all the party stuff ready? Bella and Charlie are coming around eleven tomorrow since she wants to help set up. We'll probably come over around then, too."

She nodded. "Sounds good. Bella said she's bringing the decorations and I'm making Sofia's cake and a bigger one. I think it'll be a good first birthday."

"Not that she'll remember it."

"But you will, and that's really what it's about right now. I still remember yours." She smiled.

"Oh, yes, you were afraid of the candles," Dad laughed. "You screamed and cried until we blew them out."

"That was so adorable!" Mom said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I think we're going to go, all right?"

They stood up with me and Mom took Sofia while I went to put her bag in the car. By the time we had gotten home, it was starting to snow a little. When it snowed for the first time this year, Bella and I had taken Little One outside. She fucking loved it and had tried to grab the snowflakes, so before going inside, I stood out there with her for a few minutes.

"It's snow, baby girl," I said as she watched it in fascination, trying to grab it once more. "Can you say snow?"

"S-oh," she said, smiling up at me. "S-oh!"

I laughed, kissing her cheek. "Perfect. You're so smart. You know that? Daddy's little genius."

We stayed outside for a few minutes and I took her over to where there was a little grass. I put her down, letting her play with the little bit on the ground. She smacked her mitten-covered hands over the grass, having a hell of a time as she giggled. After she had her fun, I took her inside before she got too cold.

. . . . .

The rest of the day went by quickly. Little One took her nap as I did some work, and then we made our usual video call to Bella as she ate. After bathing Sofia and putting her to bed, I called Bella back and we talked for a while. She and Mom had planned the entire party together over the phone, and she showed me a few of the decorations she had ordered.

"That's a lot of pink," I laughed.

"Of course!" she said. "We have a daughter, Edward, so everything is going to be pink. I'd have thought you'd be used to it by now."

I nodded. "Considering the fact that I have no issues with carrying around a pink car seat, I think I'm doing just fine."

"And you make it look so very manly," she giggled. "Hey, would you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"I know she won't know the difference, but at midnight, can I call and you put the phone to her ear? I just . . . I want to wish her a happy birthday. I won't wake her up, but I just," she shrugged, "want to, you know?"

I smiled, nodding. "Of course."

After talking for a little longer as I enjoyed the fact that I got to see her, we got off of our laptops. I showered, and then took Little One's gifts down to the car — basically running since the monitor didn't reach that far. At midnight, I did what Bella asked and put my phone to Sofia's ear. She didn't wake up, but I understood why Bella wanted to do it.

I may not have been there when Little One was born, but it was still a special day. A year ago right now, I had no idea that my daughter was coming into the world. I liked to believe that if I had, I'd have been there. I wished I could have seen my daughter be born, but Kate had kept that from me. In the documents she had left with me was a photo — one of Little One's firsts. I pulled it out of my file and sat down on my bed with it, looking at my newborn daughter.

She was beautiful, wrinkles, blood, and all. She was so small and seemed to be pissed — couldn't really blame her for that. Still, she was beautiful, and I'd give anything to have been there — to have held her then. Instead, my first moments alone with my daughter were spent praying she wasn't mine. I really did hate myself for that. Of course this little girl was mine. In my heart, I knew it before that test said so.

She was my daughter, and now I thank God for her. I may not have had her for the first two months of her life, but now I'd have her forever.

Suddenly, I heard her starting to cry on the monitor. I put the picture on my nightstand and went across the hall to her nursery, finding her standing in her crib. "What's wrong, Little One?" I asked, picking her up. Of course then the smell hit me. "Oh, yeah, I'd be crying too if I were you."

After changing her diaper, I sat down in the rocking chair with her. "Happy birthday," I said, patting her back. "You have no clue what that means yet, but today is your day. You're going to have a party and get presents. You get cake, too."

I laughed softly, imagining the mess she'd probably make. She lifted her head and giggled, imitating me. "Dada," she said.

"Yeah, I'm your dada, and I love you so much. You're the best surprise I ever received, and I'm so glad I have you."

I pressed my lips to her forehead and rocked gently. Once she had fallen back to sleep, I kept her in my arms for a little bit before laying her back down and going to bed.

. . . . .

"Do you really need a tutu?" I asked, dressing Little One in the outfit that Bella had come up with.

Jesus Christ, it was a white onesie with a pink one on it and a matching pink and green tutu. It seemed way over the top, but I promised Bella she'd be in it, so I didn't have a choice. And, of course, there was a damn headband with a big ass flower on it. Seriously, the fucking thing took up half of her head, and she didn't want to wear it.

"Fine," I said, giving up. "If Mommy wants it on you, she can put the fucking thing on."

I was so frustrated that I didn't catch myself. Thankfully, she chose not to repeat my slip up, and instead said, "Momma!"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Mommy's crazy because she thinks that Daddy can put this thing on you. How about just a regular bow, huh? I've kind of mastered that."

She gave me her signature toothy grin as I grabbed a pink bow off of the dresser. It matched . . . I think. Well, it'd be good enough. I'd gotten a little better at putting them in her hair since it had gotten longer, but it still wasn't straight and probably never would be. I had to admit that she did look cute. Then again, my kid always did.

"Ready for your party?" I asked, picking her up. "Everyone that loves you is coming to help celebrate, which basically means you'll get to play with bows and wrapping again because we both know you won't actually care about the gifts." I laughed.

Once I had everything together, we left for my parents' house just after eleven. I knew Bella and Charlie were already there, helping set up. Everyone else was coming around one for the actual party. I didn't invite any of my coworkers, but a few had given me gifts for Little One. I already wrote down their names, so we could send thank you cards. Bella reminded me to do that, actually. I just figured the party would be just her family and a few friends of mine. Mom did invite Carmen — her friend that she owned her flower shop with — and her husband Eleazar, but that was pretty much it.

When I pulled up to the house, Bella was quick to come out of the door. She went straight to the backdoor to get Little One out of her car seat. She already had our daughter in her arms by the time I got out and kissed her.

"She looks so cute, Edward!" Bella said. "Thank you for dressing her. I'm guessing the headband didn't go over well?"

"God, no," I said, grabbing the diaper bag. "It's in here if you want to try it, but she pretty much hated it."

She kissed Sofia's cheek. "That's all right. The bow is adorable and almost straight," she laughed.

I grinned proudly. "I'm getting better, right?"

She patted my cheek, lifting up to kiss me again. "Amazingly, yes."

Once we got inside, I found the dining room to be a pink wonderland. Seriously, everything was pink. They had streamers and other decorations all around, and then a banner with 'Happy Birthday, Sofia!' hanging on a wall that used to have a painting. There were already a few presents the table below the banner, so I went back to the car to grab ours. Yeah, the kid had a shitload of stuff to open, and this was just from, Mom, Dad, Charlie, Bella, and me.

My kid was spoiled, but she was also very loved.

"Do you like it?" Mom asked, smiling.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's great." I put my arm around her, hugging her. "Thank you for doing this."

"You're welcome, but this was all Bella. She told me she wanted to make this special since neither of you were there when Sofia was born. Edward, she's truly that little girl's mother."

I smiled. "She is. I guess I should probably go see what exactly she's going with our little girl, huh? I hear squealing."

She laughed, nodding. "Good idea. I've got to get back in the kitchen. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I found Bella and Little One in the living room with Dad and Charlie. She had our daughter on the floor with a few stuffed animals as they played. Dad and Charlie had a basketball game on the television, but we're both watching Bella and Sofia instead.

"What do you have, baby girl?" I asked, sitting down with them. "Is that new?"

She was holding a pink rabbit, which I hadn't seen before.

"Dad went ahead and gave it to her," Bella said, smiling. "It was mine actually, and he wanted her to have it."

"Bella used to take good care of that thing," Charlie said. "It was one of the first things I bought for her, and she'd always hold it close, never letting anything happen to it."

"His name was Mr. Fluffington," Bella laughed. "Dad named it, not me."

I smirked, looking up at Charlie. "Nice name."

"I like to think so," he chuckled. "Figured since Bella's not using it, Sofia could have it. You know . . . a mother to daughter kind of thing."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Isn't he soft, Sofia?" Bella asked as Little One cuddled the thing. "Can you say bunny?"

"Ba-nee," she repeated.

"She's so smart," Dad said.

Really, it was normal for any kid her age to try and repeat things, but I liked to believe Little One was smart, too. I mean, she was half me, after all.

Eventually, Bella went back into the kitchen to help Mom. I picked up Sofia and sat down on the couch with her. She really needed to take a nap before the party, so Dad turned the television down some for me. She was content to hold her new bunny as I rubbed her back. Once she seemed to be getting close to sleep, I took her upstairs to the portable crib in one of the rooms and laid her down, bringing the monitor back downstairs

Thankfully, she stayed asleep for a while. Emmett and Rosalie arrived around one, followed by everyone else. Jasper and Alice had brought Jasper's mom, and then Carmen and Eleazar arrived last. They all brought a gift or two, adding to the ridiculous pile in the dining room.

Rosalie, Carmen, Mrs. Whitlock, and Alice joined Mom and Bella in the kitchen, and when I had gone in there to grab drinks, I heard them talking about Alice and Jasper's wedding. I hurried the fuck out of there, already bored from the flower discussion.

Right after handing out beers and water, I heard Little One on the monitor, so I went up to get her. When Emmett and Jasper saw her tutu, they both busted out laughing.

"Personally, I think Edward should have matched her, don't you, Jazz?" Emmett asked.

Jasper nodded. "Hell yeah. He'd look great in a tutu. I mean, he should probably get used to it. Girls like to dress up, right?"

"Dear god, I want to see that!" Emmett said. "You'd look gorgeous, Eddie."

I rolled my eyes, flipping him off. "I can't say it, but yeah. . . . Besides, this was all Bella, not me."

They nodded and Charlie smirked, saying, "Sure it was, Edward."

. . . . .

After eating, I put Little One in the high chair as Mom brought the small cake out. Everyone gathered around and watched, laughing as Little One's eyes grew once it was placed in front of her. I had to keep her hands away because of the candle, but she wanted it. We sang her Happy Birthday, and then Bella and I helped her blow the one-shaped candle out. Once it was removed, I let Sofia's hands go and she was quick to slam them down in the pink frosting.

She squealed as Bella and Mom took pictures. I figured she'd put her hand in her mouth, but no. Without warning, she pressed her frosting-covered hand to my face, giggling in delight.

"Yeah," I said, taking a glob off. "Tastes good, so why don't you have some."

I covered her face in it, and her tongue was quickly on her lips, licking it off. She fucking loved it and put her hands back into the cake, trying to get it into her mouth. Most of it wound up all over her face and bib, though . . . and me. Apparently she wanted to feed me, too. Bella got some all over her, as well. It was a mess. A huge fucking mess, but my kid was happy, and that was all that mattered.

"Does Grandma make yummy cake?" I asked.

"Mmm eee! Mmm eee!" she squealed, playing with the cake.

"I'm really glad we don't have to eat that," Emmett laughed, shoving some of the bigger cake Mom made into his mouth.

"I somehow don't think she'll be done playing until there's nothing left," Bella said. "How much do you think she's actually eaten?"

I shrugged. "Not a lot."

"Mmm eee!" Sofia squealing again, holding her hand out to Bella. "Momma, mmm eee!"

"Oh, I know, sweetie," she laughed, letting her put some on her face. "So yummy."

Mom continued to take pictures until Sofia was done destroying the cake. After bathing her and cleaning myself up — finding the damn cake in my hair — we went back down stairs. I gave Little One to Bella and helped Mom and Rosalie clean up the mess that had been made.

"She's so cute, Edward," Rosalie said, helping me wipe down the table. "How does it feel?"

"What?" I asked.

"You know, to be a dad?"

I shrugged. "It just feels normal, I guess. And she is really fucking cute, isn't she?"

"Messy, but adorable. You're going to have to let Emmett and me take her for a night soon. We, uh . . . we're thinking of trying again."

Rosalie and Emmett had conceived Ben through in-vitro, and it wasn't easy. They had said they probably wouldn't have another, so this was a huge fucking shock.

My brow rose. "Really?"

She nodded, smiling. "We started saving again. I want another, and I know it might not happen, but I at least want to try. Mom and Dad know, but we haven't told anyone else, so don't tell Jasper, okay? If it doesn't happen . . . you know."

"Yeah, I'll keep my mouth shut, but I hope you do have another." I smiled. "I'm not babysitting, though."

She rolled her eyes. "You can't use that 'I don't like kids' excuse anymore, so yes you will."

I laughed. "I guess I can't, huh?"

. . . . .

Once the dining room was clean again, we brought Little One back in and started on gifts. She got clothes, toys, and more stuffed animals than I knew what to do with, but just like at Christmas, the bows and paper were her favorite things. By the time she was done, her sugar high had worn off and she looked like she was about to crash, so we wrapped the party up.

After saying goodbye to everyone — and prying Mrs. Whitlock's hands off of my kid, who was passed out in her arms — Bella and I cleaned everything up and put the gifts in the back of the SUV. Mom had taken Little One for us, holding her against her chest in the living room. After everything was done, we sat down with Dad, Mom, and Charlie again.

I thanked my parents for letting us have the party here, and of course thanked Bella for all she had done. My daughter was a year old, and she had made my life so much better in only ten months. I couldn't wait to see how else my life would change because of her.

She was a blessing, plain and simple.