Future Take - Five and a half years later

Emmett McCarty sighed and tried to brush the dirt off his jeans. He'd been clean when he left home that morning, but then Jared Crowley challenged him to a race. Emmett won, but not by much. Jared was fast for a first-grader—all legs and arms and speed. At least he'd never be able to out-wrestle Emmett, who routinely took down boys in fourth and fifth grade, as well as other third-graders.

It never seemed to impress her, though. Nothing he did impressed her. Not when he scaled that tall evergreen or picked up the snake with his bare hands or even did fifty sit-ups in a minute. Of course, she could do all those things, too.

At least he was her friend. That, in itself, was a major accomplishment. She didn't like being near most people but made an exception for him. He considered himself the luckiest boy in school.

The long driveway to her gigantic house lay just ahead, and Emmett could see a bunch of townspeople pulling things out of vehicles and setting them up. It seemed like everyone was here, and the stupid party wasn't even until the next day.

Well, Emmett didn't think the party was a dumb idea—there'd be desserts, after all. But she did, and he was on her side, no matter what.

He heard the sound of a car driving up behind him, so he scooted over to grass strip between the driveway and the fence. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed one of the last people he wanted to see.

Dr. Cullen.

But he had to play nice if he wanted to hang out with her.

"Hey, Emmett! How are you this afternoon?"

"Fine, thank you," he mumbled, trying not to frown.

"Do you want a ride up to the house?"

Emmett almost rolled his eyes. It was, like, right there. He could probably run the distance faster than it would take the old man to drive it.

"No, Dr. Cullen. I'm fine." His nose wanted to wrinkle so badly that it twitched. "Um, thanks anyway."

"Alright then. If I see her, would you like me to tell her you're here?"

"No way! I mean, uh, no thank you."

The doctor nodded, chuckled, and drove off.

Slowly.

Emmett scowled at the tail lights as he tried one last time to make his clothes look a little better. He told himself that his display of manners was worth it—she was worth it. After all, if things worked out the way he wanted, he'd have to put up with her annoying dad for a long time to come.

"Emmett, sweetie, you made it!"

His mom was setting up chairs at tables under a large canopy tent.

"Hey," he muttered and continued to the house.

He hadn't gone very far when a large figure carrying a folding table stepped directly in his path.

"That was pretty sad, Big Man. Go give your mom a hand."

"But—"

"Seriously, am I gonna have to put you over my shoulder and take you there myself?"

"No."

"Good. You'd better do a decent job, or I'm not gonna let you have the first look at the new game shipment I got in today."

"It came?" Emmett yelped. "And the new Zombie Raider game for PS4? Alright!" He spun around and ran to the tent.

"Nice one, Jake." Edward approached, a table in his hands, as well. "You definitely have a way with him."

Jake laughed. "Rosie thinks it's because we're at the same maturity level."

"Hardly. You've changed a lot in the last five years."

"Yeah." There was a mixture of pain and happiness in his voice.

The two men took their tables to the canopy, each thinking of how a drunken Dave McCarty had crashed his vehicle into Jake's car one night. Dave didn't survive the accident, and Jake had sustained serious internal injury.

His recovery took a long time, but something amazing did arise from the tragedy. Rosalie McCarty had felt guilty for the suffering her deceased husband had caused and insisted on helping Jake get back on his feet. A relationship slowly developed between them, and after a year of living together, a much-changed Jake Whitlock proposed. Their wedding was to take place in two months, in June.

"Does Aisha know he's here?" Jake asked as they set up the tables.

"He asked me not to tell her. I have a feeling he thinks I'm discouraging her from being friends with him, which couldn't be further from the truth. Emmett's good for her. He's about the only one who can get her to open up."

"It'll happen in time. Look how far she's come in the past two years."

Edward smiled. The change was indeed drastic. When Aisha and her older brother, Darius, first arrived at the Cullens' house, she was an angry, combative eight-year-old who seemed to enjoy causing trouble. But her behavior was understandable, given her history. She and Darius had suffered years of physical abuse from their parents until social services stepped in.

Unlike Darius, who had retreated inside himself, Aisha challenged everyone and everything. She lied, stole, and threw spectacular fits, but Edward and Isabella had taken it all in stride. They supported and loved her but also set firm boundaries with real consequences. After months upon months of their steady guidance, Aisha's tough defensive exterior began to soften. She was still quick to anger and didn't fully trust her foster family, but as the weeks went by, her eyes continued to lose some of their wariness.

Edward and Jake went back to the truck for more tables. There was no way of knowing how many people would show up to the opening, but Isabella expected a large turnout. After all, quite a number of residents took part in the planning and execution of the community project, as well as the next day's event.

"It looks really good," Jake commented, glancing at the spacious glass structure on a large plot of land to the left of the house. "Dad said Bells did a great job with the greenhouse plans. Said she should think about becoming an architect or something."

"Of course she did well," Edward said proudly. Then he gave his friend an amused glance. "You know she's not a fan of that nickname."

"Eh, she just likes to give me grief. Besides, you call her Bella. She doesn't seem to mind that."

"No, I call her my Bella. Which she is, thank you very much."

"I am?"

Edward set his table down on the ground, walked over to his wife, and held her wrists behind her back as if she were handcuffed.

"Most definitely," he said in a low voice, his lips coming down to her jaw. "Do you need another reminder of how much you belong to me?"

Isabella tilted her head to give him access to her neck. "Yes, I think I do," she murmured.

"Lord, you two are almost as bad as Daddy Doc and Momma C," Jake complained. "Emmett's right over there. You're gonna make him jealous again."

Isabella laughed. "Emmett's been over me for a while. He moved on to another older woman—my daughter."

"Older by a year," Jake protested. "Give the boy break."

"Speaking of Aisha, where are the kids?" Edward asked, glancing at the house. "I thought Kaitlyn would be out here socializing."

"She and Ash are online looking at descriptions of all the available rescue kittens in a sixty-mile radius. Have I mentioned yet how much I appreciate your dad bringing up the subject of pets last week?" She stepped out of Edward's loose hold and crossed her arms.

He held his hands in front of him as if they could deflect her ire. "Hey, you know it could have been worse. He'd been dead set on getting each of them a pony."

She shuddered. "As if I don't have enough to do as it is. Which reminds me—will you be finished with the tables soon? I could use your help taking the signs out to the greenhouse."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll meet you in the garage in five."

"How about ten? I want to check on the girls and make sure Noah isn't driving Alice crazy in the kitchen." She stood on her tiptoes and pecked Edward on the lips.

"Ten it is." He hooked a finger on one of hers, keeping contact for as long as possible as she walked toward the house.

"Man, you are so whipped." Jake chuckled.

"Maybe later, if I get lucky," Edward said with a smirk.

"Oh my god, you've really got to lay off the Viagra samples, Doc."

The two men bantered as they set up the remaining tables. Afterward, Jake went to help Emmett and his fiancé with the chairs, and Edward made his way to the garage.

"Daddy!"

A little boy with dark brown hair and light green eyes bolted out of the house toward his father. Edward stopped, shook his head, and laughed.

"Son, where in the world are your clothes?" He knelt down and prepared to receive his running child.

"I hadda assi-dent!" Noah shouted gleefully, lunging at Edward.

"Oh!"

Edward had been about to hug him but instead held him up in the air…and slightly away.

"Mommy cleaned me," the little boy continued, wiggling to get closer.

"Ah. That's good to know." Edward finally brought him in.

"Noah Anthony Cullen!" Isabella called out as she marched from the house, shaking a set of boy's clothing in her hand. "You do not run away from Mommy without any clothes on!"

"I think you need to say sorry, Bud," Edward said in the sternest voice he could manage, given how much he wanted to burst into laughter.

Noah's face fell as he turned to look at his mother. "Sorry, Mommy. I wanted to see Daddy a lot." His lower lip trembled.

Isabella bit her own lip, fighting not to grin at her three-year-old's adorably repentant expression. "Thank you for apologizing, Noah. Now let's take you in to get dressed. Maybe Daddy will come with us and explain to your sisters why we are not adopting an entire litter of seven kittens." She quirked an accusing eyebrow at him as she took Noah into her arms.

Inside the house, Edward went up to the second level—he always choose the right side of the double staircase for some reason—and quietly peered through the open doorway into Aisha's bedroom.

His four-year-old daughter, almost five, sat on the lap of his ten-year-old daughter, both staring at a computer screen full of cat images. Aisha had her arm around Kaitlyn's waist to keep her steady when she bounced in excitement.

The sight nearly made his eyes water. His little girls. He wanted to run in, scoop them up, and hug them silly, but instead, he tapped lightly on the door frame and cleared his throat.

"Yeah," Aisha said, not looking away from the computer.

Edward was happy that she felt safe enough around him to keep her guard down. Because of her biological father, she had a deep-seated mistrust of men. In the beginning, her eyes stayed on him at all times, and she always oriented herself so that she fully faced him.

As Jake said, Aisha had come a long way.

Still, he and Isabella insisted on good manners, and her impolite behavior couldn't be ignored.

"Hello, girls," he said, infusing his voice with expectant sternness.

Kaitlyn, who had not realized he was home, spun on Aisha's lap while pointing at the screen.

"Daddy, look at the kittens! Can we get them, please? Pretty, pretty please?" Her eyes were wild with excitement.

Aisha adjusted her grip on the wriggly little girl and glanced at Edward.

"Hi," she said, her face neutral.

He nodded his acknowledgement and slowly walked into the room, being careful to stop several feet away. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a setback.

"Please please please…" Kaitlyn's chants were time to her bouncing.

He should have probed Isabella more deeply about her feelings on the issue before coming to see them, he realized.

"Uh, what did your mother say?"

"She said we had to decide as a family," Kaitlyn explained eagerly . "And we all have to help, even Noah."

"Well, then I'll talk to her about having a family meeting when Darius gets home, okay?"

"Yay! Thank you, Daddy!"

She jumped off Aisha's lap and ran to him for a hug. He held her close and reveled in the youthful exuberance. Aisha only smiled, but for Edward, it was just as special.

Two hours later, Seth Clearwater dropped Darius off from work. The fifteen-year-old helped out at Jake's gaming shop, which also featured a diverse comic book selection and the largest collection of Legos in the state. However, most of the business was conducted online, and Darius handled the majority of it.

The intelligent young man had taken an interest when Isabella first set up Jake's online storefront. She and Edward were part owners of the business, and initially, Isabella took care of the virtual aspect. After Darius learned the basics from her, he quickly became proficient and volunteered to assume the role. Isabella was glad to oblige and soon felt that her son had found his niche in life. Although Darius didn't know it, his parents were already planning to turn over their half of the business to him after he graduated high school, if he wanted it.

The family meeting, which naturally included Alice, went well, the children presenting a united front on the pro side of getting a pet. In the end, it was decided that they would get two kittens to keep each other company when home alone. The only damper on Aisha and Kaitlyn's excitement was the timeline, though they did grudgingly admit that it would be better to wait until summer vacation before bringing any new family members home.

Edward and Isabella didn't get to bed until late that night. They were both tired and faced an early morning but still snuggled together and chatted, as was their nighttime custom.

"Just think, five years ago tonight, I was in this bed alone," Isabella commented with a yawn.

Edward kissed her temple and chuckled. "That's because you kicked me out and sent me to Joe's."

"Whatever," she scoffed. "You were just as much about the tradition as I was. Besides, I think you were happy to get away."

"Never!" he protested, then smirked. "Well, maybe a little. You have to admit that you were a bit, um, crabby at the time."

"I had a good reason to be. And, you were just as much to blame for that as I was."

"Maybe more so. I was the one the challenged the group to a Power Hour."

"Such a sad attempt to cling to your youth, sweetie," Isabella laughed. "Besides, you should have known better than to take on Aunt Dee. That woman is part fish."

"Hey, you should have remembered that you can't hold your alcohol."

"I don't have any complaints about the way things turned out, though," she replied quietly, lovingly.

"I know. I wouldn't change a thing." Edward squeezed her tightly. "Not even the way I found out about Kaitlyn."

"The clearing was so beautiful with the trees' fall foliage that day," Isabella reminisced. "You couldn't have picked a better setting. I should've figured out something was up by the way you'd been acting, but I didn't have the slightest clue until you got down on one knee…"

"And was immediately interrupted by something I never saw coming…"

"I wish we'd have gotten a video of it. Oh god, the look on your face when I told you I was pregnant…"

"Who could have guessed that one of Aunt Dee's parties would be so epic?"

"The stomach flu had a big hand in it, too," Isabella reminded him. "I should've made sure we used a backup after all that vomiting I did."

"Don't take all the credit yourself, sweetheart," Edward said smugly. "It didn't occur to me, either, and I'm a doctor! I think we subconsciously wanted it to happen."

"Yeah. We probably would've started trying soon after you proposed, anyway. And I know I've said this so many times already, but I loved that we waited to get married and had the larger wedding your mom wanted. It was perfect sharing the day with so many of our friends and family. Though I have to say, I hated trying to find a wedding dress that I liked, which also would fit an eight-month pregnant woman."

"God, you were so beautiful that day," Edward sighed wistfully as he traced his finger over Isabella's wedding ring.

Then he saw her raised eyebrow.

"Not that you aren't every day, of course!"

"Uh-huh. Nice try, mister."

"Um...I love you, and...you're the best friend, wife, and mother to his children a man could ever want?" He brought out the most convincing puppy-dog-eyes-with-lower-lip-pout expression he could produce.

"That's a little better, sweetie," she said and kissed him soundly. "Here's to five wonderful years together and fifty more just like them."

"And also to tomorrow's opening ceremony of the Renee Swan Botanical Gardens, donated to the community by her daughter, who just happens to be my amazing wife, as well."

Isabella laughed as he wrapped his legs around her thighs and pulled her on top of him.

"Well," she responded, "this amazing wife couldn't have done it without the help of her generous and supportive family." She caressed his face while looking deeply into those mesmerizing green eyes. "I love you, Edward."

He smiled tenderly and guided her lips to his for a sweet, lingering kiss.

"I love you, too, my Flower Girl."

This had been my original final chapter, but thanks to a straight-shooting (albeit tactless) guest reviewer, I decided to take another stab at Chapter 23. Anyhow, I decided to post this because of it linear connection with the main story. Hope you liked it! Love you all!