A/N: Alas, this is our last regular chapter with these two! There's still an epilogue and outtake to come, but these crazy kids are ready to finish off the ride. To the guest reviewer from the last chapter - I was waiting for someone to comment on the throuple! I'm already hard at work on my next story, which will hopefully start posting before the end of summer once it's completely pre-written and beta'd. Here's a quick teaser: it's a Hockeyward story. If you'd like more teasers and inside scoops on this and more, join us at hmerdan's Fiction Spot on FB. The link will be in the comments section of the Fic Finders updates. As always, thanks to kneon for her editing magic with this story (and the next one to come!).

Six months later…

"A little higher on the left…" Alice directed with her hand on her now protruding stomach. "A little bit more… STOP! It's perfect! Tie it off!"

"You sure this time, Ali?" I chuckled, knotting my end of the Grand Opening sign.

"Ed! Don't antagonize the preggo, man!" Jasper hissed from his side as he climbed down the ladder.

It took Bella a week after her birthday to take the first steps toward opening her own place, but after one meeting with the McKinnons, she was sold. It took another six months of financing, paperwork, and construction to make it a reality, but finally Breaking Dawn Cafe was ready for business on Mercer Island.

As promised, I didn't step in too much. With Bella's blessing, I introduced her to Eleazar, the commercial side of the Delgado Real Estate team, as well as Benji, my senior associate specializing in restaurant design. In addition, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie all offered their help with interior design, construction, and legal issues, but Bella ran the show. And it's not like I found her the whole team. After some reassurance that she wouldn't be competing with him, her old boss Aro was more than happy to introduce her to his accountant, Caius. She also found out that the bartender from Moonlit Bites was doing freelance social media, and had already worked her magic for Breaking Dawn, including a successful influencer pre-launch and a full reservation book for the first weekend.

Despite the long hours and hard work that Bella put into opening this place, she and I were as strong as ever. In fact, when she had a freak out over me losing her stable income about three months ago, I finally got the guts to ask her the question that had been on my mind since our trip to Las Vegas. I asked her to move in with me. She was hesitant at first, not wanting to move in just for financial reasons, but I finally made her understand I wanted to be with her all the time, and a month ago, she finally moved in. Sure, it had been a tight squeeze with at least three cars, even more, when Jacob or Charlie stayed over, but I wouldn't change anything. Well, maybe just one thing…

"You're the one who made me this way!" Alice snapped. "I swear, this is the last time for real. And you're getting snipped when she's out of me!"

"As fun as this conversation is for your big brother, I'm gonna head inside," I laughed, jumping off the ladder. "Jasper, show her some respect."

"Thanks, Edward," Alice answered primly, glaring at her husband. "We'll be back with the kids once they're ready to go."

"Don't rush; our reservation's closer to closing."

"Don't tell the pregnant woman not to rush when food's involved!" Alice laughed as she and Jasper made their way to the parking lot while I went inside the restaurant.

I knew Bella was busy in the kitchen with her staff, but I automatically started walking back towards the kitchen to see how my girl was doing, and to grab my change of clothes for today's opening. "Excuse me, sir! We're not open yet!" a familiar voice chirped from a table as I passed the host stand.

I turned around and gave my daughter, dressed in her new red gingham uniform shirt, a sardonic grin. "Nessa, I'm aware of that. I just wanted to see how Bella's doing."

Like she said, Nessa had been firm on getting a job shortly after her sixteenth birthday. While she had enjoyed her employee discount at Aerie for the time she worked there, she had been unsure about balancing her manager's expectations with her upcoming junior year and hopes for playing varsity volleyball. The solution came when Bella explained she was looking for a weekend host, and Nessa jumped at the chance. It helped that she got to spend her time flirting with her server boyfriend. She and Jacob had survived another school year long distance and were both looking forward to him and Embry moving to Seattle for college this coming summer after graduation. Jacob had been accepted to U-Dub as a junior based on the Associate's he earned during high school, and would be majoring in Business. He and I had chatted about my time in business school recently, which had made Ness happy to see us bonding.

"Chef Swan's quite busy," Ness scolded me. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see you after service. If you have a reservation."

I rolled my eyes but grinned at my daughter. Of course, I had a reservation - my parents, siblings and their kids would all be joining me to celebrate Bella's opening day. "Fine, I'll leave her alone. But my change of clothes is in the office."

"Okay… just don't bug the chef," Ness snickered. She started turning back to her task but stopped and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't be nervous, Dad. It'll be fine."

I nodded and kissed her on the cheek before heading to the back. I took Nessa's advice and avoided the kitchen, where I could hear Bella's firm directions to her six-person kitchen staff as they prepped for the influx of customers that would arrive soon. Instead, I made my way to the office, greeted the front-of-house supervisor, Samantha, and grabbed my bag before heading to the restroom to change out of my gym shorts and t-shirt combo, and into the blue shirt and black pants that were picked out for me. I also checked my bag for what had to be the hundredth time, making sure I had everything I needed for later before taking the bag back to my SUV.

Once service started, I did my best to stay out of the way until my family arrived, taking a seat at the bar and listening to the positive comments from the various diners. The beauty behind Bella's menu was the options. While the menu looked limited at first glance, it was the customizations that made it shine. She had the normal breakfast meats - bacon, sausage and ham - as well as others not usually on a breakfast menu, like beef bacon, crab cakes, and even a vegan soy-rizo. She also had a variety of customizations for her sweet offerings of pancake, French toast, waffles, and crepes, and a varied omelet mix-in menu. There was no way anyone would leave Breaking Dawn not able to find something they loved.

"Edward! There you are!" Carmen Delgado - Eleazar's wife and business partner - greeted me as soon as she saw me. "I was hoping to run into you."

"Carmen, always a pleasure," I smiled and gave her a friendly hug before shaking hands with Eleazar. "How did you enjoy your meal?"

"Everything was delicious," Eleazar groaned. "I can see brunch here becoming a regular thing."

"I know I'll be recommending it to any client who asks," Carmen added with a wink. "Speaking of which, are we still on…"

I nodded in assent. "We should be there by three. Ness is heading back to the city with Jacob."

"Good, good," Carmen sighed as her face broke into a smile. "Can't wait. I think you'll love it!"

"I'm sure I will," I agreed before we all said goodbye.

As the clock ticked closer to one - the final seating time - the rest of my party started trickling in, starting with Charlie, Billy, and Sue, along with her kids.

"Sorry I wasn't here to help earlier," Charlie apologized once we all said our hellos. "We got stuck in traffic in Tacoma."

"No worries, Charlie. All Jasper and I had left to do was hang the sign."

"See, Charlie? You worry too much," Sue chuckled. "Bella's a smart girl with a whole team helping her out. Is the rest of your family arriving soon?"

"Should be any minute. The Cullens are famous for punctuality," I teased as I saw my father's Mercedes pull into the parking lot. It wasn't much longer before my siblings joined us, and our large group made our way in, with me and Charlie walking slightly ahead.

"So, you feeling okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, just nervous," I admitted. "It's a big day, and I'm wondering if today's right."

"I know you're making the right decision," he promised and clapped me on the shoulder as we got to Nessa's hostess stand.

"How many are in your party, sir?" She asked me playfully, fluttering her eyelashes.

"It's sixteen," I answered, giving her a sarcastic smile.

"Oh, my! That's a large group! I hope you have a reservation," she answered, trying to keep a serious expression on her face.

"Under Swan," Charlie answered, not bothering to hide his amusement.

"Perfect, I have you down right here," Nessa smiled brightly at Charlie and led us to the section where four tables were pushed together. Since we already knew what we wanted, all Nessa dropped off were the kids' placemat menus. "Jacob will be out to take your drink orders shortly." I watched as she left us, checking in on other diners as she made her way back to the podium. For a girl who grew up fairly privileged, it was nice to see Ness taking her job so seriously.

Since Bella wanted everyone to have the same experience as much as possible, she limited her brunch cocktail list but offered all of them as mocktails as well. This thrilled Alice, who made sure we ordered a pitcher of the bottomless alcohol-free peach bellinis in addition to the mimosas for every one legal to drink at the table. Of course, I knew everything would be great and had happily been her guinea pig while testing out the menu, but that didn't stop me from moaning after my first bite of the crab cake benedict. I swear, she had some extra magic that she put into everything she made. Based on the different yummy sounds my family made, it was clear they all agreed. Even Royce, the resident picky eater, licked the plate clean after his strawberry Nutella waffle. I could tell Rose and Emmett had a sugar rush on their hands once they left. What was even more surprising was Esme Cullen, my wonderful control freak mother, who stated firmly that her chorizo and caramelized onion omelet was the single best breakfast she'd had in her life, period.

"Charlie, your daughter is such a wonder!" She gushed, grabbing Bella's father's hand.

"That's just Bells," he chuckled. "She got all of her talent from my mom, God rest her soul, but did something amazing with it."

"She's always been that way," Sue added. "While these two were running around with their new toys on Christmas day, she'd always ask to help me in the kitchen." She ruffled Leah and Seth's hair in emphasis, making the scowl jokingly.

"Well, whatever you taught her was excellent," Esme replied, to which Carlisle nodded in agreement.

Once we were all done, Jacob refused to bring us a check, and insisted it was "compliments of the chef." Of course, that didn't stop Dad from leaving a hefty tip that I'm sure was worth almost as much as the bill before he and my mom left.

Slowly, we all said our goodbyes as my family headed back to their vehicles, but not before Charlie and Carlisle each whispered good luck to me. They were the only two who knew my plans for the evening. I handed over my spare house keys to Charlie since he and Sue were staying in our guest room for the night and I was hoping we wouldn't be heading home later. Once all their cars had left the parking lot, I grabbed what I needed from my trunk and made my way back into the restaurant, where Nessa and the rest of the front-of-house staff had cleaned up for the evening.

"Well, that went well," I stated with a grin. "You did a good job, kid."

"Thanks, Dad," Nessa blushed. "It's tough, but I like it a lot better than Aerie already."

"I can tell. You seemed in your element today."

"I was actually thinking I might want to look at doing something in hospitality in the future," she said nervously. Since my siblings and I had taken over our family company, I know she felt there was some expectation for her to do the same, even though I would never force her to do something with her life that didn't make her happy.

"That's a great idea," I encouraged. "Although you're still young. You have plenty of time to figure out the rest of your life." She nodded and went back to her tasks while I headed to the kitchen. "Can I give my compliments to the chef?" I asked as I entered the room.

Even in her black chef coat and hair tied back under a bandana, she still looked as beautiful as ever. "Hey, you!" She smiled brightly and untied her apron, placing it on the workbench. "How was everything?"

"Like you have to ask," I snorted, and wrapped my arms around her. "Everything was perfect, Chef."

I leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips, making her giggle. "Maybe I should let more people come back here to praise me."

"Not if they're praising you like this," I growled. "Do you need any help getting out of here?"

She shook her head. "Nope, the staff's got it under control." She turned her head to her new sous chef, not letting me out of her arms. "Bree, you okay with finishing up?"

"Yes, Chef!" Bree stated firmly. According to Bella, Bree was a fellow recent graduate of the Disney culinary program; still keen and by-the-book. "Have a good evening."

"I'm just gonna check in with Samantha and change quickly," Bella told me before giving me one last kiss and leaving my arms. I watched her go with a goofy grin on my face before saying goodbye to her kitchen staff and heading back to the dining room.

"Good luck, Dad!" Nessa said quietly, as she and Jacob left the restaurant hand-in-hand. He just threw me a smile and thumbs up as he said goodbye, leading her to his car.

"You're letting Jake drive Ness back to Seattle alone?" Bella asked once she rejoined me.

"What can I say? I'm giving the kids some freedom," I laughed and led her out to my car in the parking lot.

"Ummm, you're supposed to make a left out of the parking lot," Bella stated with a confused look on her face as I pulled out of the driveway.

"Oh, am I?" I asked absentmindedly, shooting her a wink. "I think this will be more enjoyable."

"What do you have planned, Cullen?" She asked, her face full of suspicion.

I just shrugged. "You'll know in about six minutes."

She huffed and looked out the window. Bella spent the entire ride either eyeing me or trying to figure out what was going on in our surroundings. She was no further in figuring out the answer as we pulled up to an empty lot on 90th Avenue.

"Good, you made it!" Carmen greeted cheerfully as she hugged us both.

"Wouldn't miss it," I smiled in return, leaving Bella to stare at the vacant space in confusion.

"So, I know it's not much now, but it is eighty-four hundred square feet and is zoned for two-storeys, which will give you ample room to build and grow," Carmen stated in her top real estate agent voice. "It's also well within the price you gave me."

"I'm sorry, I'm lost," Bella jumped in. "Grow what?"

"Carmen, can you give us a second?" I asked, to which she nodded and headed back to her car before I turned to face Bella. "I want to buy this plot of land, Bella."

She looked up at me wide-eyed. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I want to buy this land. I've always wanted to live out on Mercer Island closer to my family. And I love living with you, but it feels like my house that was built for Tanya. I want to live in our house that's built for you. Where we can start our own family." Pushing through the nerves assembling in my stomach, I pulled out the small jewelry box from inside my pocket and got down on one knee, making her gasp. "Isabella Swan, there is no one else I can imagine sharing my life with. You've been the light in my life, helping me overcome fears I didn't even know existed and break through my preconceptions. You've shown me how to embrace the unknown, and how to find strength in vulnerability. Will you be my partner, facing whatever else may come, and inspiring me to be the best version of myself? Will you marry me, Bella?"

"Edward…" she choked out through what I hoped were happy tears. "Of course, I'll marry you, you silly man."

I don't think I could have smiled anymore if I tried, as I jumped up and pulled Bella into my arms, kissing her with all the passion running through my soul. Finally, we separated, both gasping for air. "You don't know how happy you've made me, Bella."

"It couldn't be happier than I'm feeling," she said through a watery chuckle.

"Oooh, I'm so happy for you!" Carmen exclaimed as she ran up to us, pulling us in for a group hug. "Edward, I think you forgot a step."

I looked at her quizzically before looking down at the box that still housed Bella's ring - an eighteen-karat rose gold solitaire bevel setting with a navy blue oval diamond. "Oops," I laughed and pulled it out, placing it on her finger. "There, a perfect fit." I placed a gentle kiss on her hand, still smiling like a fool.

"It's beautiful," Carmen gushed.

"I love it," Bella added. "I bet I can even wear it to work."

"I may have googled 'Engagement rings for chefs' before I picked one out," I laughed. Of course, I looked that up! I didn't want Bella to have to take off her ring any more than necessary.

"You did good, Edward," Carmen complimented. "And now, you two need to make your dream home. The current owners are selling the lot and the plans for one-point-four million, although I'm sure you can come up with better plans in your sleep."

"Edward, that's a lot of money," Bella gasped. "Are you sure?"

I nodded in agreement. "My current place is worth more than that, and there's no mortgage left on it. The money we make on that sale, plus the savings I have set aside, will be enough to build our dream home."

"Yeah, but I can't really split the costs. I just put all my savings into my restaurant," she added nervously.

"I wasn't planning on asking you to," I explained. "I figured you would want to contribute, and when Breaking Dawn breaks even, you can. But I can cover this place on my own. Please, let me do this for you. For us, and our family."

She looked deep into my eyes before letting out a sigh and turning to Carmen. "Can I see the kitchen on those floor plans?"