Perdition Epilogue

5 years later

EPOV

Through all the years she was gone, through the distrust and anger I felt when she returned, I never expected to find this much happiness. Not with her, not alone, not with anyone else.

God, I was pissed to see her again when she came back to Forks. The way she hid and then ran at her own mother’s funeral, and for Charlie to tell me she was engaged to fucking Jacob Black, was enough to eradicate any love I’d held on to. I wanted to hate her, to despise her. I tried to, desperately. Running into her in the grocery store in what had become my home town, was enough to seal her fate as far as I was concerned. I was pissed at her for working in that dive bar, for acting like her life had just gone on without me. Like there hadn’t been pain and regret on either side.

But through all her scared and clumsy attempts to explain to me what was truly going on, she merely reminded me about the parts of her I found endearing.

The way a blush so easily creeps onto her cheeks, enhancing her natural beauty. The way she stutters just a little when she’s unsure of herself but determined to get all of her thoughts out into the open. The way her hands flutter as she speaks, like she’s trying to paint a picture in the listener’s mind. She’s healed, revealing herself to be such a beautiful woman, and I thank God all throughout each day for giving her back to me.

Together, we’ve built the life that we always talked about, all of those afternoons in the bed of my truck when we snuck out of the house. In between kisses we’d dream of what we’d become as adults. Would my hair turn grey at the temples like Carlisle’s, would she ever finish so many years of college to follow her passion? What would it feel like to smile toothlessly at each other in our old age, what would it be like to have grandchildren? All of those things, and more, we now have the chance to discover.

It didn’t take my girl forever to finish college, but it might have felt like it. Bella was able to garner an apprenticeship at the pharmacy downtown and work as a technician while she completed her final years of school. Now that she’s passed the pharmacist exam, she’s waiting until the pharmacist retires next year and then she gets her promotion. Her job is close to the bank, so we have lunch together almost every day. I originally chose an entry-level position because I didn't expect nepotism, but now I’m the manager and sometimes put in longer hours.

Mallie has excelled in school; Emmett swears she didn’t get her brains from him, but she’s an honor roll student nonetheless. The two of them have a Sunday tradition of spending the day together, and I’m pretty sure she already understands why it’s so important to him. Our son Mack recently turned three, and he’s all rough and tumble, constantly knocking things over and falling down. He loves to climb trees and everything else, really, although I think I’ve finally convinced him to stop climbing the bookshelf. I’ve been working on a treehouse for him on the weekends; it’s hard to do with a preschooler as an assistant. Mallie is much better with the hammer than Mack is. We’ve been lucky to have our family and the Clearwaters take an interest in helping us watch the kids while we work and Bella has been in school.

“Alright, guys, dinner time!” Bella calls from the kitchen, interrupting my thoughts. “Mallie, if you haven’t memorized that practice test by now, you never will. Put it away for the evening, sweetie.”

I hear Mallie mutter under her breath, but she must be complying, because I’m Bella’s next target.

“Edward! Turn off Thomas the Train, for crying out loud, and you and Mack come eat.”

Grinning, I reach cautiously for the remote, trying not to disturb the little boy in my lap. He’s rarely still or quiet, so I treasure the moments when he falls asleep on my lap. Bella means business, of course, that woman is all mom, so I heft him into my arms and stroll into the kitchen before she has to yell for me again.

“It smells fantastic,” I tell her as I lean over for a kiss over our son’s head.

“Thank you,” she replies, smiling indulgently at Mack. “He’ll never go to bed on time,” she adds ruefully.

I know this, and I know I’m supposed to keep him awake like a SEAL Team trainee, but I just can’t resist the soft qualities he takes on when he’s sleeping. Like he’s my baby boy again.

“I know, love. I’ll deal with him.” I will, of course. I won’t put it off on her. “Mallie, are you going to put that away and come to the table, or stare longingly at your textbook? Come on, don’t make me do something drastic like ground you for studying too much.”

Shiny curls bounce on her head as she shakes it, no doubt rolling her eyes where I can’t see. She comes to the table as I wake her brother and force him to wash his hands before plopping him next to me in his booster seat. He never does anything quickly or quietly, so we’re the last to be seated amidst his squawking.

Looking over our dinner table, I watch the family we created; my lovely wife serving dinner, our preteen daughter that is full of adolescent attitude but would rather study than do much else, and my precocious son that looks just like me with his auburn hair and green eyes. I see the love we share in the way Bella serves everyone before herself, in the way Mallie jumps up to get what Bella forgot, and the way I take on helping Mack so Bella can just eat and not worry about him. It’s noisy, and a little chaotic, and as I catch her eye, I mouth I love you to Bella.

She mouths back I’m pregnant.