Author Note: Thanks for embracing this story! We're at 4,329 reviews right now. The Man Next Door sits at 4,511. Given that the most reviews this story has ever gotten for one chapter is 134, I don't think we can catch it just from the Epilogue, but once the Complete readers descend… maybe. That's actually kinda sad, because I tend to think TMND is my best writing. It's got 7 fewer chapters though.

I literally renamed this Epilogue last night, based on a song I heard while driving home from work! So no one could guess a title I didn't even know. As for all time results… MIRosebud is our grand champion, with 10 correct guesses, followed by sherylb with 9. Honorable Mention to EAMCSquared (5), SarcasticBimbo (5) and astonmartin823 (4). About four dozen of you made correct guesses over the course of the story. Thanks for playing!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

Epilogue: Don't Stop Believin'

May 2017

"I'm so proud of you, Edward!" Esme cries, flinging her arms around her son.

I stand back, smiling and waiting my turn as she hugs him tightly. He makes a tall dashing figure in his black graduation gown, having earned his B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing.

Thanks to our August move to Carmel, Edward was too late to start school in the Fall 2015 semester at the Monterey Bay campus of California State University. Instead, he started the following spring, going to classes year-round. It was a huge deal to him to be able to graduate before his 26th birthday, before he crossed over that invisible line to "late 20s" — though I told him repeatedly that it didn't matter to me at all.

Once Esme has finally let him go, Carlisle gives him a brief man-hug, and then Edward holds his arms out for me. I rush into them, squealing when he picks me up and spins me around.

"I echo your mom's comments," I tell him as soon as my feet are back on the ground.

He ducks his head almost shyly. "I couldn't have done it without you." He puckers his lips and I oblige, stretching up on my tiptoes to kiss him.

Edward and I, along with his parents, drive up to Monterey to have dinner after the ceremony, before returning to our house, where they'll be spending the night in our guest room. It's a shame that Emmett and Rosalie couldn't be here as well, but the Mariners are currently on a road trip and Rosalie is eight months pregnant with their first child and unable to fly.

Despite his words earlier, Edward is the one who's worked so incredibly hard to get where he is — and not just going to school. Almost as soon as we moved, he got a job tending bar in the clubhouse of one of the many golf courses in the area.

After starting school the following January, he had to cut back his work hours dramatically, and felt guilty over how little money he was bringing in. Though we didn't need his paycheck at all, he needed to contribute, and so I bit my tongue when he decided to go back to stripping at the Twilight strip club in Santa Cruz on Friday and Saturday nights.

I rarely went to watch his public performances, but I always got a private lap dance after he returned home.

Edward only danced for about a year, stopping once he began an internship in the marketing department of a men's clothing manufacturer. He must've impressed them, because they've offered him a full-time job, starting next week. He's also gotten the opportunity to model for their catalog — finally, a way to put those killer good looks to good use fully clothed.

As for me, I started out my new, quieter life by teaching a class on investing through Monterey Peninsula College, the community college Edward had attended before moving back to Seattle. I even took classes of my own in golf — which fed my competitive nature — and yoga, which helped me learn to relax.

Eventually my investing course caught the attention of one of the larger employers in Monterey County, and I was brought on as a consultant to take a fresh look at the various fund options available for their 401k program. From there, one of the employees mentioned my work to her husband, who worked for another large employer, and suddenly I had another consulting job.

Today I own a full-fledged consulting business where I'm able to work only as much as I want and still get to stay in my industry. I love it, and I love my new slower pace. I love my life.

And I love my boyfriend.

Maybe it sounds crazy to say it, but my miscarriage two years ago was perhaps the best thing that could've happened to us. For me, it made me reevaluate my priorities, and I'm much happier with my life now.

But even more than that, my protective boyfriend from that first week stuck around, and in some ways, he became an entirely new person — he grew up. Edward is still my fun, flirty, sexy boy, but he's also become a man who can be serious when he needs to be. He's my rock on my bad days. He was right there beside me when I told my skeptical friends that we were leaving town, and he was there to reassure me that I was doing the right thing after I turned in my two-week notice at my old job in Seattle. And he's made me fall more and more in love with him every day.

"I thought they'd never leave," Edward growls once his parents have left for their 4pm flight the day after his graduation. He wraps his arms around me from behind, kissing the side of my neck with obvious intent. "It's not too late, is it?"

His hands slide down my torso, brushing my hips and then squeezing my ass. "I-I don't think so," I reply shakily.

"Then what are we waiting for?" I have no chance to respond before I'm swept up into Edward's arms and carried into our bedroom.

He carefully sets me down on my feet beside our king-sized bed, then begins pushing up the bottom of my blouse. Tossing it aside, he hastily unhooks my bra, spinning me around so that he can sit down on the bed, leaving my breasts at the perfect height for his mouth.

I throw my head back, tangling my fingers in his silky hair as he licks and sucks and teases both nipples. God, he's good at that. And he's never seemed to care that my breasts aren't nearly as perky as they were when I was his age.

In fact, my age truly has never seemed to bother Edward at all. I've never spent a lot of time in the sun, and I've taken good care of my skin, so I don't really have any wrinkles, beyond the very fine lines at the corners of my eyes. I don't have a lot of gray hair, but because it's so obvious against my natural dark brown, I've been dyeing the grays for about four years now.

I've worked out on a semi-regular basis for years, but my newfound passion for yoga has really helped tone and firm my body. I know I look good — and not just for a woman of my age.

But I can't stop the ticking of my biological clock.

I'll be 42 on my next birthday, which means the chances of my conceiving a baby are probably only a third of what they were just 10 years ago — and dropping fast.

Once we knew for certain that this would be Edward's last semester of college, we decided to start trying to have a baby. After two months without success, I bought an ovulation test kit and have been using that to track my most fertile days each month. Of course, Edward would be more than happy to have sex with me — repeatedly — at any time, but it's still been nice to know when to focus our efforts.

"Mmm… you make me so hard, I think I'm gonna burst out of my jeans," Edward chuckles, hurriedly stripping out of his clothes. He removes my pants and underwear, then scoots back on the bed, pulling me onto his lap. His very hard cock is trapped beneath me, and I can't resist grinding down on it.

"Are you ready to try and make a baby?" he asks quietly, brushing my hair behind my ear. After five months of trying, it's starting to get a bit discouraging, but the test said yesterday and today are my high fertility days for this month, and I'm not about to give up yet. I know if it doesn't work this time, my doctor has suggested that it may be time for medical intervention — but I don't want to think about that right now.

"Ready," I whisper, placing my hands on his shoulders.

Edward lifts me up, positions his cock at my entrance, then slowly lowers me down onto it. His hands move to my ass and he leans forward to kiss me softly as he begins moving me just the way he likes.

"You know, this position probably isn't the best for baby-making," I chuckle, but damn, it's one of my favorites, where I feel so full of Edward.

"I'll lay you back before I come," he promises.

This time when he kisses me, it's slow and deep. I tangle my hands in his hair again, pulling and tugging — which I've learned drives him crazy. He starts moving me faster, and I can't help crying out.

"Are you gonna come on my cock, baby?" I can hear the smile in his voice.

"Y-yes," I mumble.

Edward arches my back, bringing my breasts up to his mouth, sucking hard, and I'm done for. He lets me ride out my orgasm for a few moments, then suddenly gets up onto his knees, laying me down on the bed.

"Again," he growls. He's still on his knees, grasping my hips and pounding me mercilessly. I want to shake my head, tell him I can't come again so soon, but I've been having sex with Edward for the last two years, so I know nothing is impossible.

Sliding his right thumb over my clit, he rubs expert circles, his eyes begging me to come with him. "Bella," he begs. "You feel too fucking good… can't hold on much longer."

I stare into his eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by what we're doing here. We're trying to make a baby, to start a family of our own. I've known for a while that I want Edward forever, but this will bind us together for eternity.

At that thought, I come hard, my back arching off the bed, and I feel Edward reach his own release, deep inside me. When I come back to earth, his body is covering mine, and we're still connected intimately. Finally he lets out a breath, carefully withdrawing from my body.

"Don't move," he orders softly — as if I could. After slipping a pillow under my hips, his hand reaches for mine and he squeezes it lightly. "I love you."

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: Yes, really! For the first time ever, I'm planning a sequel! I think they still have some story to tell, but given that it's two years later, it makes more sense as a sequel than a continuation of this story.

The bad news is that I wasn't able to write while I was posting this story, so I haven't started the sequel yet. My first task will be a contest entry, then some promised EPOV, then I'll come back here. I can't promise a time… give me a couple of months?

Tell me what you thought about their future! Edward the college graduate and marketing guy (and male model lol)! Bella as a teacher and consultant! And they're trying for a baby!