Disclaimer: Steph still owns everything.

Thanks KL & MN. ILY.

Chapter 30 – All In

If someone had told me six months before that I'd spend two weeks of my life moving in with my girlfriend, and the same two weeks preparing to move my family to Australia, I'd probably laugh. Or punch them.

I'd given Anne all my flight information the next day and had her purchase our tickets. The look on her face when she handed me back my American Express was priceless. It wasn't going to be cheap; Bella and I both knew that. Surprisingly, she didn't argue about the cost of anything. Once we got to Sydney we would most likely share expenses though Morgan and Morgan had agreed to pay for a two-bedroom apartment and utilities for the six weeks they decided it would take to finish the project – the children's hospital I'd been helping design when I left.

Alice stopped by the office just as I was setting up a meeting with the realtor for later that night. The market was tough, especially for an older house, but the realtor assured me that the recent renovations made would be helpful in the sale. Alice's eyes were wide as she sat and listened to my conversation.

"Take me to lunch." She stood up as I set the phone back in its cradle.

"Ali, I have a ton of work to do." I rubbed a hand over my face.

"You have some things to tell me. Let's go." She strode to the door quickly and tapped her foot.

"Alright, alright." I threw my hands up in mock frustration and let her lead me out the door. She made small talk as we drove to a little sushi restaurant on the bay and once we ordered started bombarding me with questions.

"What in the world is going on, Edward? Why aren't you telling me anything?"

"What? Ali, come on. We've both been busy…" I said, concentrating on ripping my napkin into tiny pieces. She might be tiny, but Alice could be scary when she was mad.

But it was true. Between our jobs, her traveling and meeting with bigwigs for her new line, Jasper and Bella, and everything else that came with real life – Alice and I hadn't had much time together.

"I know, Pinky. So, take your time in telling me everything." She sat back and smiled widely. God, my sister was crazy. I loved her.

"I don't know Alice, we're just… tired of waiting, you know?"

"Well, it's about time." She smirked.

"That seems to be the consensus, yes." I laughed. "We're taking a little trip in a couple of weeks," I told her nervously as our food arrived.

"Really? That's awesome," she said as she popped a California roll into her mouth.

"We're going to Australia," I said casually. Alice choked. I patted her lightly on the back until she swallowed.

"What?" she asked loudly and wiped away the moisture from her streaming eyes.

"They need me to finish some work on a children's hospital. Bella and Masen are coming with me."

"It's that simple?"

"And they're moving in," I added.

"Jesus hell, Edward! Give a girl some notice before you drop all these bombs!"

"You said to tell you everything!"

"Okay. So, within two weeks you are moving in together and then going to Australia. With a four-and-a-half year old."

"He's almost five." I shrugged and poked at my sushi. "He'll be fine. He'll love it."

"I'm sure he's not the only one." She sighed and smiled.

"I'm pretty excited actually." I laughed. It was true. I couldn't wait to have Bella and Masen in Sydney. There was so much to see and do. I wanted to share that part of my life with them. It was going to be amazing.

"I'm so happy for you." She squeezed my hand across the table and her gray eyes glittered with tears.

"Don't you dare cry on me in public, Alice Cullen," I joked lamely.

"You silly boy. You know it's Whitlock now."

"Yeah, yeah. It's still weird to me. My baby sister – all grown up."

"I'm not that much younger than you." She sniffed.

"Still. Weird. How is my brother-in-law, by the way?"

"Wonderful," she said dreamily, and I repressed a shudder. "Stop that."

"Sorry. What's the plan? Any little Jaspers in the picture anytime soon?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe. We'd like to adopt actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Jasper… Jasper didn't have a perfect childhood, you know? And I know our lives wouldn't be the same without adoption." My sister smiled and I understood exactly what she meant. Any child would be lucky to end up with Alice and Jasper as parents.

"Let me know what I can do. Recommendations, money, whatever it is."

"Thanks, Pinky. So, when do you leave?"

"July 6th. I thought we could do something for the Fourth. A little going away party. I haven't talked to Bella about it yet. We are meeting with the realtor tonight and then having dinner with Charlie and Sue to tell them."

"Good luck with that," Alice snorted and I sighed.

"It's not going to be easy for them."

"It's not going to be easy for any of us," she grumbled.

"We'll be gone six weeks at the most. It will be good for us." I emphasized the word, hoping she would understand what I meant.

"I know. Just don't come back married or pregnant, got it?"

"You're one to talk," I muttered and she slapped my arm.

"I apologized for that!" she cried, and I chuckled.

"I know."

"I'm happy for you. That you are putting your family back together." Alice squeezed my hand again and this time my own eyes got a little watery.

"Thank you."

xXx

I picked Masen and Bella up on my way into town and we stopped off at a little park before meeting the realtor. We had talked briefly about how we would tell Masen about the move and the trip and decided that a head-on, straight up discussion would be the best possible way. He had been through so many changes that we were afraid it would overwhelm him. We were, as usual when it came to Masen's reaction to things, incredibly wrong.

"Hey, buddy, can you come down here for a second?" I called into the plastic slide I which he was laying upside down in. He pushed off with his feet and slid down head first then grinned up at me.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hey, kid, c'mere." I picked him up and threw him over my shoulder, then carried him to a picnic table where Bella was sitting. His little fingers were buried in my ribcage and I nearly dropped him on the table.

"You're no fun, Dad." He frowned and sat cross-legged in the middle of the table between Bella and I.

"Listen, your mom and I have something serious to talk to you about. Can you be serious?" I asked him honestly.

He saluted me. I was pretty sure that was the best I was going to get.

"What do you think of going to live with your dad for good?" Bella asked as she tried not to laugh.

"What?" he cried, turning to her quickly. "What about you? Where will you live?" Masen crawled down from the table at lightening speed and buried himself in her arms. She looked at me for help. I got up and moved to sit next to them, my arms around them both.

"Your mom meant that both of you will come and live at my house. We'll bring all your stuff over – but we will have to sell the house that you live in now," I explained while he watched me with wary eyes.

"Oh. Well, that sounds okay. Will Mama get her own bedroom?"

"Uh… if she wants?" I asked. That time it was me looking at her for help. She simply laughed and shook her head.

"I'll share a room with Daddy," she explained.

"Are you gonna get married?" he asked.

"One day," Bella said and kissed his head. He hugged her tightly and she looked at me nervously.

"One day," I echoed before I kissed her.

"Can Jake come too?" Masen questioned.

"Who? Oh, the crab. Yeah. We'll keep him on a shelf. Away from EJ."

"Devil-cat," Bella muttered and Masen and I laughed.

"I think he just doesn't like girls, Mama," he told her.

"Well, that doesn't make me feel any better!" she cried and he laughed. "Daddy and I have something else to tell you."

Masen's eyes were wary again as he looked back and forth between us.

"Am I gonna have a new baby brother?" he asked quietly.

"No!" we cried together.

"Okay. Because Miss Jessica had a new baby and Haley wasn't happy. And Miss Angela just had a baby and I don't really know if I want one," he explained matter-of-factly.

"No. Not any time soon. Nothing to worry about," I reassured him and he nodded solemnly.

"Okay. Just make sure you ask me before you get another baby, okay, guys?" I stifled a snort and Bella covered up her giggle with a cough as we nodded our agreement.

"No new babies. But…we're going to go away for a while. The three of us."

"Like a vacation?" Masen asked excitedly. I glanced at Bella and she nodded for me to continue.

"Kind of… we're going to Australia so I can work, but you and Mama are going to come with me."

"For a long time?" His voice was small as he asked, no doubt thinking of all he would leave behind.

"It will be for a while, yes." I pulled him from Bella's lap to the table in front of me so I could see him better.

"What about Nana and Pop?" he asked with tears in his eyes.

"We can call them anytime you want. And Uncle Emmett, Uncle Seth, Aunt Leah – all of them. We can get a camera for the computer so we can talk to them and see them. But I have to go to work there and I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want you to leave me either," he whispered and wrapped his arms around my neck. "I'll miss them a lot."

"I know, buddy. We'll all miss them. But we'll be back before you know it."

"Before my birthday?" Masen pulled away and took my face in his hands.

"Definitely."

"That sounds okay then." He patted my cheek and held his hand out to Bella. She kissed his little fingers and rested her head on my shoulder.

"It will be a great adventure," she whispered and he smiled.

"The best ever!"

Great. Two down… the rest of the family to go.

xXx

"Did you feed him candy all day? That kid is nuts!" Charlie sat as he flopped himself into a dining room chair. Bella and Sue brought out dinner and I poured everyone drinks while Masen ran through the kitchen and back to the living room five times.

"He's just excited, Dad," Bella said as we sat down with him.

"Sugar-britches! Come in here and tell Nana what you're so excited about," Sue called as she pulled out the chair next to her. Masen came in laughing, loving how Sue used nicknames from his favorite book to refer to him. Bella and I sat frozen, knowing we were going to be outed by a four-year-old.

"My Mama and me are moving into my Daddy's house," he said as he sat down and pulled his plate toward him. Sue and Charlie looked from Bella to me with wide eyes.

"Really?" Charlie asked with his eyes on Masen.

"Yes. And we're going to Australia."

"What?" Charlie's eyes were on me that time and he was half raised out of his seat.

"Um – uh… there's this – this project I was working on before I left and they need me there to finish it up. Bella and Masen were going to come with me." I tried not to stumble over my words but his gaze was so hard that it terrified me.

"For how long?" Sue asked softly, her eyes shifting from me to Masen, who was sitting next to her, oblivious to any tension.

"Six weeks at the most."

"And you'll come back, right?" Her eyes were soft, but not worried.

"Of course. You're all here. Everything is here," Bella said quietly. "We just…"

"We don't want to be apart. We're tired of waiting and we need to do this. For us. All of us." I finished Bella's sentence and looked pointedly at Masen.

"That's fine, boy, as long as you bring them back," Charlie said gruffly and he nodded at me, then Bella.

"I will."

"Well, then, that's settled for now. Let's have dinner." Sue began doling out vegetables and the conversation turned casual soon enough.

I sincerely hoped that our family knew we would be returning, all three of us. I had no plans of staying in Australia. It was just as Emmett had said to me and Bella had recently echoed: everything was here. Our family, friends (minus my parents who could visit whenever they wanted), Masen's school, and now both of our jobs were all in Forks or the surrounding area.

We weren't going anywhere.

xXx

As we prepared for our trip we also prepared for Bella and Masen's move. We did a little at a time, moving what they needed into the house and unpacking it immediately, then putting the rest in storage. By the weekend we had half of the house moved in, boxes thrown away and more shit than we knew what do with.

"We can have a yard sale?" Bella suggested one night as we ate pizza around the coffee table since the dining room was covered in all of Bella's dishes and appliances.

"Mama! You can't sell the yard!" Masen cried, then laughed at his own joke.

"You're so goofy." Bella laughed. "I'm sure we'll figure out something to do with all of our stuff."

"We can give it away." Masen shrugged and took a huge bite of his pizza.

"Really? Give all of your toys away?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, not all of them." He rolled his eyes and I chuckled. He was so predictable.

We cleaned up dinner and piled onto our bed for a movie. Masen was out quickly, snuggled between us with EJ at his feet. It really was amazing how things were beginning to fall into place, how comfortable our relationship was.

The weekend passed fast enough, and soon our bedroom floor was filled with two giant suitcases, another one in Masen's room. Bella made sure we all had enough warm clothes, clean underwear, socks and shoes. She packed our coats and scarves and made sure that everything was organized just so.

Bella really was an excellent mother. Well, mother to Masen and… whatever she was to me. It felt weird calling her my girlfriend. Sometimes I called her my "baby mama" just to see her get pissed. But in all honesty, she was everything to me.

Friend, lover, girlfriend, confidante – all those things. One day she would be my wife. I just didn't know how soon it was going to be. Though something told me our trip would be the turning point.

By the Fourth Bella's house was empty; everything was either in storage or at my place – our place. The transition was easy, like breathing. Waking up to the two of them every morning made me realize that my life had become pretty much perfect.

I wasn't even waiting for the other shoe to drop.

We had a barbeque at our house with our family and a few friends; Angela and Ben, Mike and Jessica, and prepared for the weeks when it would be just the three of us. Haley and Masen ran around with sparklers while Mikey played in a pack-n-play on the back porch. The girls took turns cooing over baby Hannah while the guys watched Emmett and Seth nearly set themselves on fire.

Masen eventually passed out on the couch, and when our tearful goodbyes were said and everyone had left I carried him to his bed. Bella followed me up the stairs and waited for me to put him to bed.

Then I carried her to bed.

xXx

Charlie and Sue drove us to Seattle the next day. Our flight was leaving early and we'd decided on staying in a hotel the night before, rather than having an airport shuttle pick us up. We took Masen to the aquarium and had lunch before they dropped us off at our hotel.

"You be good, you hear me?" Sue knelt in front of Masen with tears in her dark eyes.

"I will. Will you take good care of EJ for me? And Jake? But remember that they can't be in the same room."

"You know I will." She smiled.

"I love you, Nana." He hugged her tightly and she let out a deep, shuddering breath.

"I love you too, baby." She kissed his cheek and then held Bella for a long time whispering things to her. Bella only nodded and let her tears flow freely.

"You be sure you see lots of stuff and tell you old Pop about all of it when you get back, okay? Take a picture of a kangaroo or something." Charlie had picked Masen up and was holding him against his chest.

"And a crocodile?" Masen whispered into Charlie's shirt.

"You better. I love you, kiddo." Charlie kissed Masen's hair and set him down. "I'm trusting you with them, Edward." He stood in front of me.

"I know, sir."

"Good. I'm glad that's clear. Now, don't pull any funny business while you're over there, understand?"

"Yes, sir." I swallowed loudly. He smiled and stepped toward me then embraced me in a tight hug. I hadn't hugged Charlie since I was a kid.

"I love you, kid. You've grown into a good man," he whispered before he released me. I couldn't respond to him because soon Sue was telling me the same thing, only that I needed to take care of Bella and Masen. Before we knew it there was just the three of us, standing alone in the hotel lobby with crying eyes and breaking hearts.

We spent the rest of the night in the hotel going over checklists and making sure we had everything we needed. Bella and Masen were soon curled up in the middle of the king sized bed while I finished sending a few emails.

"Come to bed, baby," Bella whispered, her voice thick with sleep.

"I will. One more minute," I told her. I tried to be quiet with my typing but soon her arms were wrapped around me from behind and her lips were pressed to the back of my neck.

"C'mon. Tomorrow's a big day." I turned my face to the side and she met my lips softly.

"Thank you. For coming with me." I ran a hand through her hair and kissed her again.

"Where else would I be?" she whispered against my mouth.

"Let's go to bed." I let her lead me across the room where we crawled in on opposite sides. I slipped my arm over Masen's head and Bella lay over it, pulling our son closer.

"Love you," Bella said into the darkness.

I smiled. "I love you."

We were up before the sun the next morning, dressing while still half asleep, dragging luggage, and carrying a sleepy boy. Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long to board our flight, and even better than that – Masen slept for the first three hours of the flight. Of course, he was cranky when he woke up but, that was nothing a snack and a video game couldn't fix. Bella had pulled out all the stops when it came to packing entertainment for Masen. Coloring books, DVDs, video games, snacks – hopefully it kept him entertained for the twenty hour flight.

He did surprisingly well, napping on and off and with minimal whining. Our only layover was in LA and we enjoyed stretching our legs for the brief time we were on the ground. Bella had fallen asleep just as we were coming into Sydney and I decided against waking her up. I figured she would see everything eventually and she looked so peaceful with Masen leaning against her that I didn't have the heart to wake her.

"We're here," I whispered as the plane started to descend. She stirred slightly, then sat up straight, smiling at me. Bella looked out the window and I heard her sigh.

"It's so beautiful."

"Can you see Nemo?" Masen asked sleepily.

xXx

A rental car was waiting for us and I drove to the apartment Mr. Morgan had promised us just outside the business district of Sydney. Showers and naps were the first thing on our agenda, then shopping. I had the next day off as well and planned to show Bella a few things I knew she and Masen would enjoy doing while I was working. I didn't want them to be stuck inside the apartment the entire time we were there.

Bella and I decided that she would use the car and I would take the train to work. It would be safer for her and Masen to drive around rather than to wander around the town aimlessly. We took a little tour of the city the next day all bundled up for the cool weather. We visited Martin Place and some of the more historical sights that surrounded the area. I promised Masen a trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens in a few weeks.

I pointed out all of the different architecture and watched my family pretend to be enthusiastic. They really were kind of perfect.

After lunch I drove them by the hospital I had been working on. The progress they'd made was amazing, with only a few minor details and snags to work out. Since I had been the main architect on the design they needed me to fill in while David (the project manager) was out sick. He had apparently had a mild heart attack.

"Daddy, why is there a hospital just for kids?" Masen asked that night at dinner. I looked at Bella and she shrugged.

"Well, sometimes kids get sick, too. And – it's better if they are around other kids who are sick so they don't get too sad about it."

"Do they get better?"

"Sometimes," I told him.

"What if they don't get better?" he asked, completely innocent and curious.

"Well then, uh…" I silently pled with Bella to help me out.

"Then they stay there until they do," she explained. "Finish your dinner and we'll have ice cream."

"Can I go with you to work one day?" He ignored Bella's instructions and turned to me with big, hopeful eyes.

"Maybe, buddy," I told him, hoping that he would forget one day. I didn't want him anywhere near the hospital. There are some things that children should never, ever have to witness.

xXx

"This is where you used to work?" Masen asked as we rode the elevator to the floor where my office was located.

"Yes." I smiled down at him but he frowned.

"It's a lot bigger than where you work now."

"Well, they are a little more important here than I am." I laughed.

"I think you're important." He grinned up at me and grabbed my hand in his. Bella was quiet as she listened to our exchange, no doubt thinking what I was. This was the place that had taken me away in the first place. I kissed her cheek softly just as the doors opened on our floor and she smiled and took Masen's free hand.

Gianna, the front desk secretary stared wide-eyed as we walk past her. I gave her a small wave and groaned inwardly. Surely not everyone would react by staring like she did. As usual, I was wrong. I could feel everyone's gaze as I made my way through the maze of desks and work tables until I finally reached my old one.

"Look what the cat dragged in." I heard the familiar voice of my work-neighbor and grinned.

"How you doing, old man?" I hugged Larry and grinned.

"Good, good. Not that same without you, that's for sure. How long you here for?"

"A few weeks. I'm helping to cover the children's hospital," I explained to him and he nodded then looked at my side where Masen was clinging to my leg.

"Well, I'll be stuffed." He knelt down in front of Masen who looked warily up at me.

"Hello," Masen whispered into my pant leg.

"You've got a little doppelganger, eh?"

"This is Masen. And Bella." I gestured to both of them and Larry grinned widely.

"It's nice to meet you both. You've got a good man here." He shook Bella's hand and she smiled.

"I think so, too." She let go of his hand and slipped her arm around my waist. I felt myself blush as the two of them continued to make small talk about our flight and things that we'd seen so far. Masen tugged on my pant leg impatiently.

"I have to go potty," he whispered not so quietly.

"I'll take him." Bella held out her hand to him and I pointed her toward the restroom.

"Nice looking family you've got there, son." Larry patted me on the shoulder and I felt myself grin.

"I think so." I nodded and told him I'd see him around as I made my way through the rest of the people.

"Edward?" The familiar voice made me cringe. This was so not the time to run into an ex-girlfriend.

"Hey, Kate." I smiled politely and she hugged me tightly (and a bit inappropriately).

"I heard you were coming back. I was devastated when you left, you know?"

"I'm sorry. I had some things to take care of in Washington."

"Well, are you back for good?" she asked with an unusual gleam in her eyes.

"Er, no. Just covering for David," I explained and she frowned and brushed her hair away from her face. I noticed that her engagement ring was gone.

"How's Garrett?" I asked and she rolled her eyes.

"He can't figure out what he wants," she said as she touched my arm softly. I shuddered, mostly from disgust at the look on her face.

"Daddy, there are no paper towels in the bathroom and that dryer thing was loud and scary." Masen chose that moment to wipe his soaking wet hands on the side of my pants. I silently thanked God for intrusive little boys everywhere.

"Holy shit!" Kate exclaimed. Masen stopped wiping his hands on my pants and looked up at her with wide eyes.

"You said a bad word," he admonished her, and I fought the urge to laugh. "Mama sometimes says that Uncle Seth should have his mouth washed out with soap when he says bad words," he told Kate solemnly as she watched him with her mouth slightly open.

"Uhh…" Kate looked from me to Masen and back a few times before focusing on something over my shoulder. Bella walked swiftly to us, her cheeks flushed pink, making her incredibly beautiful.

"There you are you, little weasel." She bent down with a handful of paper towels and then frowned up at me. "I see you've already dried your hands." I laughed softly and lifted Masen into my arms, then turned back to Kate.

"Oh, how rude of me! I'm Bella and this is Masen, you must be a friend of Edward's…" Bella turned on a smile and held her hand out to Kate. Damn, she was smart.

"Kate. It's nice to meet you." Kate shook Bella's hand and glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, I know Edward very well." Kate smiled and I felt my face heat up. If my hands were free I would have probably attempted to strangle her or at least cover her mouth to shut her up.

Bella simply laughed politely and leaned into my side.

"Is your dad free?" I asked eager to break the tension.

"He's in his office." Kate sniffed, gave Bella the once over and stalked away.

"She's nice." Bella smiled up at me and I rolled my eyes.

Introductions with Mr. Morgan went much smoother than they did with Kate. He was very taken with both Bella and Masen and made sure to tell them about all the things there were to see during our stay.

I started work and fell quickly back into the routine I'd left behind. Only at the end of the day I got to go home to my girl and my son.

We Skyped weekly with the family; sometimes all of them would cram behind the computer at the same time, others we would call them individually. Emmett informed us during the third week of our trip that a bid had been made on their house. He'd also said that he and Rosalie were going to start 'practicing making a baby'. Bella and I spent thirty minutes explaining that one to our son after the call.

My work was coming along smoothly; we were almost ahead of schedule. It was going to take exactly six weeks to finish the hospital. I still had not let Masen nor Bella come to visit the site. On days I spent at the office we would have lunch and they would pick me up afterwards. I didn't want them, either of them, to have to witness the sadness or sick children.

On the day the project wrapped I asked Larry if he and his wife would watch Masen so I could celebrate with Bella. Masen was ecstatic, having met and enjoyed spending time with Larry during his visits to my office. He gave us a casual wave as he ran inside Larry's house, and the old man simply laughed and bid us goodnight.

Bella and I had dinner then took a ferry around the Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Opera House was lit up and Bella watched in awe as we went past it. She leaned against the railing of the boat wrapped up in her coat with a smile on her face. As I watched her I couldn't help thinking how amazing the past few weeks had been. We missed our family terribly but enjoyed our time alone so very much.

"It's so beautiful." Her whisper drew me back to the present.

"Yeah," I replied not taking my eyes off of her.

"You're so corny." She snorted and moved toward me. I pulled her back against me and rested my head on her shoulder. The cold wind whipped through our hair and we held each other close.

"You love it," I whispered and pressed my lips to her cheek.

"I do. So much," she returned. We were quiet for a long moment until she spoke again, her words startling me. "I want to change Masen's name."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. He should have your name." I felt her nod against me.

"Okay. First thing when we get back." I agreed and rested my chin on the top of her head. I felt her take a deep, shuddery breath and I held her closer hoping she wasn't too cold.

"I want to change my name, too," she said so low I might have imagined it.

"What?" I breathed the word and she turned in my arms.

"Marry me, Edward. Today, tomorrow, yesterday, next week. I don't care. Marry me. Let's make our family official. Rings, last names, everything." She looked up at me with big, happy eyes and there was no way I could resist.

"I – you stole my job!" I accused her with my arms wrapped tightly around her. She laughed loudly and threw her arms around my neck. I kissed her softly and lifted her off the ground briefly.

"I'm sorry!" she cried and I set her down and stuck my hand in my pocket.

"I found something, in one of your boxes," I explained as I pulled my hand out and took hers in mine. "I wanted to get you something before we left but I didn't have time so… so I brought this." I held out what was in my hand while I continued to hold hers. Her eyes filled with tears as she focused on the item between my fingers. She nodded an answer to my unspoken question because she knew what I wanted, she'd already asked me.

I slipped the ring on her finger, diamonds and sapphires wrapped in pale white gold. The first gift I'd even given her, the first token of my feelings. Her arms were around my neck again and her lips were pressed to mine.

"Is that a yes?" I asked as she pulled away.

"Did you ask a question?" she said slyly.

"Marry me, Bella? Be my wife. Make more babies with me. Let me drive you crazy. Let me make love to you every day. Let me love you for as long as I live." I took her face between my hands and watched her laugh through her tears. No, my proposal wasn't perfect and neither was hers. But what did that matter?

"Yes." Her answer resounded in my head as I kissed her again, over and over until we were breathless and leaning against the railing of the boat. People around us applauded and we laughed quietly with each other. It didn't matter to us who saw. We were happy and while it didn't happen perfectly, we didn't care.

Life wasn't perfect, that we knew for sure. It had taken us years to get to where we were, hurt and anger consuming us for so long that we embraced any bit of happiness that came our way. At that moment, wrapped up in each other's arms as we finally tied our future together, happiness was all we knew.

We had overcome our insecurities and worked through the secrets and lies that had kept us apart for so long. Bella and I focused on the one thing that we'd done right, and in turn we'd been able to do everything right. Masen brought our family together; he brought me home and, through his innocence and love, he healed wounds that we thought had been too deep to ever disappear.

I kissed Bella again, then brought her left hand to my lips and kissed the ring I'd just placed there. Things weren't going to be easy, but we would be okay.

We had our family.

We had Masen.

And we had each other.

We'd be tied together - through thick and thin, rich or poor, in sickness or in health.

We would always have each other.

And that was how it had always been meant to be.