Chapter 39: "Bella, it was the best decision of my life."

A/N: I don't own Twilight or its characters; they belong to Stephanie Meyer. This is just what they got up to in my mind.

The song for this chapter is Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden

"Girls, are you ready?"

"Coming, Daddy," the twins chorused in synchronicity as I saw them hurtling down the hallway towards me. "Has your Mom finished feeding Masen?"

They both nodded to me as Lily reached for her shoes and Poppy reached for her jacket.

"I fink so," Lily told me.

"But he burped everywhere again," Poppy added as the girls pulled identical disgusted faces. As much as they loved their four-month-old brother, they also found his manners, or lack thereof, pretty funny.

I helped Poppy thread her arms into her jacket as Bella emerged into the hallway, carrying our son on her hip.

She looked as beautiful as ever. Two more pregnancies, one with twins, had me loving her more than I had ever thought possible. Watching her carry and give birth to our babies and seeing the way she cared for them filled me with more love than I knew I was capable of.

As Bella and Masen drew closer, I smiled at the little baby and was rewarded with a gummy smile in return. He'd not long ago mastered the art of smiling and it warmed my heart every time he did it.

"I'll get the kids in the car," I told Bella as she passed Masen to me. I settled him on my hip and squeezed his chubby cheeks. It was still hard to believe he was here and our family was complete. I wouldn't say having a baby was easy but having a single baby after twins certainly felt more relaxed and enjoyable. I could see how much Bella was loving having a baby in the house again, she doted on him and with the twins acting like mini moms and with Tyler at an age where he could help out, Masen was never short of attention and love.

Bella leaned forward and kissed Masen's cheek before she kissed me and smoothed her hand down my jaw. "Thanks. His bags are all packed. I just need to the get our food from the fridge."

"Ty!" I shouted while Bella walked back to the kitchen. Damn her ass was still fine!

I waited a few seconds and listened for any movement coming from upstairs. A few more seconds later Tyler was rushing down the stairs, his hair still flopping over his eyes because he insisted it didn't need cutting. At ten years old, he was asserting more independence while Bella and I were left wishing he wouldn't grow up so fast.

"We can take Rex, right?" He checked making me nod.

"Sure, go get him."

Years after starting a family with Bella one thing that still surprised me was how long it took us to get out of the house. There were multiple bags to pack, strollers to remember, and toys that the kids couldn't possibly go a morning without. In winter, there were hats, scarfs, gloves and coats to dress each child in and in the summer there were hats, sunglasses and sunscreen for all the kids. Sometimes I thought it would be time to come home again before we'd even left the house.

Thankfully, though, today was warm but not hot and a light jacket was all the girls needed. Once they were ready, I placed Masen in his car seat and settled the three munchkins in the car. Tyler followed, scooting Rex in first and holding his collar so he didn't slobber all over the baby. Bella wasn't far behind me and for once, we managed to set off on time.

I loved the way Bella still rested her hand on my thigh when we drove, even when Tyler protested and insisted we were embarrassing.

I pulled up twenty minutes later and once the kids spotted their cousins already in the park, they were out of the car and running across the grass as fast as they could go.

Emmett and Rosalie gave us a wave as their daughters Bree and Riley headed straight for Lily and Poppy. Their two girls looked like twins. Emmett and Rosalie had tried for several years to give Seth a sibling and then had two girls eleven months apart. They'd be in the same year at school and wore the same size clothes and shoes, just like my two girls.

Seth and JJ ran to meet Tyler and Rex while JJ's brother Max toddled around with Skye and Cooper, Garrett and Kate's kids.

My mom and dad approached us, greeting the kids on their way past. Dad helped carry some of the many bags we'd brought with us while I grabbed the cooler of food, a diaper bag, and the picnic blanket. My mom, rather predictably, headed for Masen, squeezing his chubby cheeks as she cooed to him.

The adults shifted around on the picnic tables and blankets on the grass making room for Bella and me as we all greeted each other. There was a warm breeze on what was meant to be a cloudy day so the kids chased footballs and each other while we set the tables with food for lunch.

"Hey, bro. Glad you made it at last!" Emmett announced, looking casually at his watch in a joking way. Some things never changed, he still loved to tease me.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure we didn't leave anyone behind!"

"One time, dude!" He shouted. "And I did realize it before we had left the street."

"Yeah, yeah. That won't stop me from telling that story on Bree's wedding day," I told him with a laugh as I sat down next to him while Bella and Masen sat on my other side.

Once the kids saw the food and realized they were hungry, we were seated at the picnic tables while others were on blankets and tucked into the food and drink everyone had provided. As usual, though, the kids didn't sit still for long. With my four, Emmett's three, Alice's two and Garrett's two kids, no one was ever short of a friend or playmate. We were a loud and boisterous bunch, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Before long the kids were all running off again, except for Masen and Cooper, who were too young to be running anywhere.

"Kids come back, we need to do Grandma's birthday cake," I called, to no avail.

"Its okay, Edward," my mom insisted. "Let them play. We'll cut the cake when they've worn themselves out."

I watched my mom as she looked out at the park. Family was everything to her and I'm not sure she'd ever been as happy as she was now. Spending time with both her kids and grandkids was her favorite pastime. Now that she and dad were retired, she had even more time for everyone. They had all the grandkids over to their house one Saturday night each month for a large sleepover, giving all us adults some desperately needed couple time. They helped Rosalie when she and Emmett had two girls in the space of one year. They helped out when Tyler's karate clashed with the girls' dance class and they looked after Rex when we occasionally found the time for a family vacation. I think they were busier now than when they were working!

"Here, let me take him." Bella handed Masen over to me so she could finish her food with the luxury of using both hands. He looked tired and a big yawn confirmed he was due for a nap. I tucked his little head under my chin and rubbed his back softly. Thankfully, he was a good sleeper and a few minutes later he was fast asleep.

"I hate you," Garrett glared comically at me. "Cooper doesn't even know what sleep is. Neither do I anymore!"

"If you wait about 14 years then you'll have no trouble with them sleeping, it's the waking up that's a problem," Emmett joked and Rosalie agreed.

"That might have more to do with Seth being your kid than being a teenager," Alice chimed in.

"True," Emmett conceded "but, man, he's like a freight train of hormones!"

"Great!" I replied sarcastically. "We'll look forward to that!"

"It'll be even more fun when it's the twins turn," my dad told me. "You and your brother both being teenagers at the same time was...interesting."

"We've got a while yet, they're only three!" I argued. I was in no rush for my kids to grow up and with Tyler and me in the house; the girls were never getting boyfriends so I didn't have to worry about that!

So far, Bella and I had navigated parenting Tyler well over the years. He had told me that he never remembered a time before he knew me. He knows about Jake but considers me his dad. He was still close to Garrett and I was proud of the way my family had enriched both his, and Bella's lives.

As I sat cuddling Masen, I thought how Bella had truly embraced my family. She considered Alice and Rosalie her best friends as well as sisters. Garrett was family now too and we were all thrilled when he and Kate settled down together and married. We all loved how the kids were able to grow up together and Bella was always in awe of how many cousins, aunt and uncles her kids had. Considering she had none, she was delighted she could give that to her children.

Lily and Poppy briefly ran back to us for a drink and to complain that JJ was running too fast when he chased them. Before I could answer them, Seth came hurtling towards the little girls who gave identical screams before they ran off as fast as their little legs would carry them, with Seth running at half speed behind them.

Upon hearing the scream, Masen opened his eyes for all of three seconds before settling back to sleep.

Alice was now busily showing Bella Max's outgrown clothes, which were about to become Masen's. I watched her as she laughed with her sister-in-law. They were deep in conversation, but I could see how she always managed to keep an eye out for the kids. She saw Lily fall and started to stand but before she could reach her, Tyler had picked Lily up, rubbed her knee and then gave her a head start in their game of tag.

The girls were three now, the same age Tyler was when I had met him and it actually made me sad to know how much of Tyler's life I'd missed. Except for all the diapers. I wasn't too upset about missing out on them.

My mom took Masen from me, ever keen for a cuddle, so Bella and I took advantage of a few minutes to ourselves and walked together, hand in hand to a bench near where the kids were playing.

"They're so lucky," she whispered, sounding in awe of all the kids running about in front of us.

"So are we," I told her as she nodded.

"I know. I'm thankful every day that you chose to be with Tyler and me."

I scoffed. I didn't know Bella still thought about that. It all felt like a lifetime ago and right now I couldn't even remember why I'd ever thought twice about it. I couldn't, and didn't want to, imagine my life without Bella and Tyler.

"Bella, choosing you and Tyler was the best decision of my life," I told her sincerely.

And I meant it.

And after that decision I'd spend the rest of my life making more decisions with Bella.

Some decisions weren't my finest.

I chose to get Bella an iron for Christmas one year, never again!

I chose to let the Tyler have ten friends for a sleepover for his tenth birthday, insisting I'd take care of everything. Bella and the girls retreated to our bedroom and I regretted my decision within minutes of the rowdy boys arriving. That was one looooong night. Thankfully, I was able to call Emmett for backup and we were able to get the boys to finally settle down for sleep at 2am. I vowed I would never attempt that again!

I chose to go to a work conference and of course that was the weekend that Tyler's energy and boisterous nature finally got the better of him and he broke his arm in the backyard. Thankfully, my dad was able to calm Bella down and take Tyler to the hospital while she followed with the twins, phoning me frantically on the way there.

But most of our choices were great.

I chose to make Bella my wife. A year after I proposed, we were married, surrounded by family, friends and plenty of fairy lights and candles in Masen jars.

I chose Emmett and Tyler as my best men and Jasper and Garrett as my ushers. I watched while Bella cried tears of joy as Charlie walked her down the isle. She looked so beautiful in her sparkling white dress and curled, flowing hair. And the only person crying more than her was my mom. We had a reception in a marquee overloaded with more twinkling lights and even more family and friends.

I then chose to adopt Tyler, after repeated requests from him. When he was six years old, the papers came through and I was officially his dad. Tyler chose to change his surname to Cullen at the same time so we all traveled to the cabin and had an adoption ceremony and celebration.

A year later, I chose the names of our girls. Bella cursed me for giving her twins but kissed me and cried when I suggested the names Lily, after the flowers that had been on the table at Tanya's wedding where we had first met and Poppy, after the flowers from our proposal at the cabin.

She chose the girls' middle names. Lily Esme and Poppy Charlie and our parents were extremely proud when Tyler introduced them to their newest grandchildren.

I chose to say "hell yes" when Emmett asked me to be godfather to his baby daughter a few months after the twins were born.

I chose to call Renee myself when she didn't visit until the twins were six months old. I chose to give her a piece of my mind and let her know that she needed to be present in her grandchildren's lives or stop getting their hopes up with false promises. Since then, we rarely heard from her but at least she no longer promised anything she couldn't deliver.

I then suggested Bella choose our son's name, but she insisted on using my family name, Masen. She then chose the middle names Carlisle and Emmett, which made my Dad tear up slightly but pretend to hide it and made Emmett fist pump the air and hug us both when we told them.

Emmett and Rosalie chose to move closer to us so our kids could grow up together. They moved onto the same street as us and we all love that the Seth and Tyler can run from one house to the other whenever they want to see each other. It's pretty handy for Emmett and me too, but we insisted to our wives that the move was for the kids' sakes. I don't think they believed us, though.

I helped Bella choose a dress to wear for Garrett's daughter's christening. Bella looked amazing as she stood at the front of the church and accepted the duty and honor of being Skye's godmother.

We also chose to take the kids to Forks when we heard about Billy's death. Over the years, he had mended a lot of bridges with both Bella and Tyler and was always respectful to me. Bella took comfort from believing he was now reunited with Jake, and Tyler took comfort from the way he had gotten to know his Grandad before it was too late.

Not long after that, I chose which cake to give my dad when he retired and reluctantly passed on his practice to fresh new blood.

Charlie also retired and chose to move to Seattle to be closer to his grandkids. He'd talked about it for a few years so it came as no surprise to us. We were surprised, though when his 'lady friend' Sue moved with him. Bella and I were expecting a wedding invitation any day now.

Emmett and I had recently chosen not to expand our business. We had the opportunity but we decided not to. We both wanted to spend time with our families, and we didn't want to work more hours than we already were. Once the kids were older, we'd reconsider it. Who knows, we may have to rename our firm Cullen Brothers and Sons. Or daughters.

As I sat with Bella and thought back over our life together so far, I remembered how it all began with one choice.

One decision which I agonized over, but I was grateful every day that I chose my life with Bella and Tyler and I knew it was the best decision I have ever made.

ooooooOOOOOOoooooo

A/N: So that's it! This story is now complete. Thank you for each and every review. If you've enjoyed reading, all I ask is for you to leave a review or two and recommend this story to others.

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