Standard Disclaimer – I don't own Twilight or any of the characters from the story. All song selections have been provided by my amazing beta, NoWayWithWords. She is the greatest! She has set up a YouTube playlist that includes the songs chosen for the chapters. If you would like to check it out, see my profile for the link.

The song for the chapter is "Never a Day" by Wood (lyrics used within the chapter).

Chapter 40 – And the Winner Is…

Even though the event wasn't due to start for a couple of hours, we had to get there early to mingle and find our assigned seats. They wanted everyone seated in their places before they started the live broadcast.

As the limo turned the corner, the driver pulled into a long line of other limos that were waiting to drop off their passengers. It was apparently going to take a while before we made it up to the front of the line, so I took a moment to check my makeup and hair one more time. I even checked my teeth, to make sure I didn't have any lipstick on them.

"Calm down, Bella. You look great."

"How can I calm down, Emmett? I have no idea how Edward feels about Mason, or if he even knows about him yet. There are tons of reporters out there that know that I have a baby and are probably going to want to ask me about him. What if they ask Edward about him and he says something bad? What if Edward gets pissed and says something about it? What if he accuses me of cheating on him or trying to trap him by getting pregnant on purpose?"

Emmett snarled, "What if he mouths off to you and I accidentally kick his ass in front of all these people for being such a douchebag?"

"Please don't make a scene, Emmett," I said as I looked out the window at the huge crowd of reporters. "If you absolutely have to kick his ass, try to do it somewhere private."

Emmett laughed. "Whatever you say, boss."

When the driver finally pulled up to the red carpet, a man opened the door. Emmett got out first and held his hand out to help me out of the back of the limo. As soon as I stepped out of the car, the flashes started to go off and reporters started yelling my name. I smiled for the cameras and tried to look each direction as I slowly walked down the carpet. There were other people stopping and talking to different reporters along with way. I contemplated not stopping anywhere, but then I saw a young girl standing along the side, being virtually ignored because she was sandwiched between two well-known reporters that were big in the entertainment business.

The girl looked up at me and told her camera lady, "Look, it's Bella Swan!"

The lady with the camera stage-whispered, "See if you can get her to come over here."

I could barely make out what they were saying over the noise of the crowd. I ignored the reporters on either side of her as I approached. She made a nervous laugh and sputtered, "Oh, my God, you're Bella Swan." Her hands were shaking as she tried to hold the microphone.

I gave her an encouraging smile and said, "I'm Bella, what's your name?"

She glanced back at the camera woman and giggled. The camera woman gave her a signal it do something. The girl turned around and explained, "I'm sorry. It's just no one has stopped here yet. I can't believe you came over here. I'm so nervous."

I laughed. "Don't be nervous. I won't bite."

She took deep breath and grinned. "Ok, let's start over."

I gave her a nod.

She held the microphone up and said, "Bella Swan, I'm Tiffany Henley with Teen TV. How do you feel about your Grammy Nominations?"

"Well, Tiffany, I'm truly honored to be nominated for such a prestigious award. It's very exciting. I've never been to the Grammys before, but I have always dreamed of being able to sit way up on the balcony and watch the show live. I never thought I would ever actually be one of the performers that might get a chance to go up on stage and receive an award."

"You are up against some steep competition. Do you think you will actually get it?"

"I don't know. I'm sure the other people up for the same categories are just as excited as me. I hope I get it, but we won't know until they make the announcement. I do wish the other nominees luck, though."

"Have you written an acceptance speech?"

"Yes, I have it right here in my purse."

The girl said, "I love that purse. Where did you get it?"

I held the purse up, displaying it for the camera. "My best friend found it at Vintage Antiques in Seattle. They are letting me borrow it. I believe they are going to sell it when I give it back."

"You have been known to recycle your clothing. Any plans for what you are going to do with this dress?" She motioned up and down my dress with her hand.

"I don't have any plans yet, but I'm sure I will come up with something."

"Thank you for taking the time to stop and talk to your fans on Teen TV."

I gave her a warm smile. "Thank you. If it weren't for the fans, I wouldn't be here today."

She moved the microphone away from my mouth and said, "Thank you so much. I can't believe I got to meet you. I'm only here today because I won a music trivia contest."

"Did you have to answer any questions about me?"

She laughed. "Yes. They asked where you were from. I told them you were from Forks, Washington."

"That's right! Well, I guess I'd better move on. Thank you." I gave her a hug and moved further up the red carpet. I went to the other side and stopped to say hello to the photographer that had taken my picture after the New Years Party a year before. He asked if I would pose for him and show off my dress, so I did.

Emmett stayed close behind me as I walked. At one point, a reporter started screaming "Bella, tell us about the new baby. Are you adopting another one?"

I just smiled and waved as I continued walking. I was relieved that the speculation on the street was that I was adopted another one and not that I had a love child with Edward Cullen. Just as I was about to head up the steps to the door, James Davis stuck a microphone in my face.

"James Davis, In The News. Bella Swan, why have you been hiding out the last few months? Is it true that you have been in a rehab facility in the Bahamas?"

I laughed. What a freaking idiot! "James, I don't even have a passport and I definitely don't do drugs. I've been hanging out at home mostly. I did spend a considerable amount of time working in the studio, hence the release of my latest CD which came out last October."

James asked, "Is it true that the pictures used in the CD were from a Playboy shoot that you did when you were only 19?"

I laughed again and answered, "James, you really are quite the comedian. Those pictures were taken in New York, the last time I ran into you. I told you back then that I was there for a photo shoot. You can come up with the strangest things sometimes."

Emmett, sensing my need to get away from that sleaze ball, came up behind me and took my hand, steering me away from James. "Bella, we need to get inside."

I smiled at him with gratitude. "Thank you, Emmett." I turned back to James and said, "Please excuse me. I'm needed inside."

I turned and walked inside the building and was routed to a man at a little podium. He looked me up on his computer and printed out a ticket with my seat number on it. I handed it to Emmett to put in his pocket and then we headed into a lobby full of people.

Emmett stayed close by my side as we mingled with people that I recognized, but didn't know, and some that I had never heard of. The biggest topic of conversation was who was going to what after party. Rose had told me that I had received invitations to several of the after parties, but I told her that I was planning on just going home after the show. I didn't want to be away from the kids that long. It would be different if Mason slept through the night and I didn't have to worry about breast feeding him. Maybe then I could party till the wee hours in the morning.

While I was walking around, nibbling on mini beef Wellingtons and listening to some guy talking about women's shoes, I ran into Heidi and Marcus. Heidi screamed, "Bella!" as she ran over and gave me a hug.

"Heidi, how have you been?"

"I've been good. We finally got married!" She held up her wedding ring. It was gorgeous.

"Congratulations. I love your ring! That is so beautiful. How did the ceremony go? Did you have any problems?"

Heidi laughed. "It went much better than I expected. I was so stressed out about whether or not people were even going to show up, that I let myself get stressed over the small things. I would have sent you an invitation, but we got married in Hawaii. I figured you wouldn't be able to make it anyway, since you don't have a passport or anything."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud. I thought about pointing out that Hawaii was part of the United States and that you didn't need a passport to go there, but I figured there was no point in making her look like even more of an idiot than she already was, so instead I said, "I was probably busy in the studio anyway."

Marcus asked, "Hey, how long are you in town? We'd love to have you over to our house for dinner. Heidi and I are planning on opening a restaurant soon, so we are testing out the menu on everyone we know."

"I'd love to, but I fly back to Seattle tomorrow."

Heidi smiled and said, "That's okay. You can change your plans. Where are you staying?"

"I'm staying with Carlisle and Esme Cullen. They were nice enough to let me use their spare room. I couldn't possibly impose on them and overstay my welcome. Plus, I need to get Emmett back to his wife."

Marcus nodded. "That's alright. Maybe next time you're in town."

I agreed that I would call them next time I visited so I could try their food and then we went our separate ways to look for other people we knew. I didn't run into any of the other band members while I was mingling. The place was getting so crowded that it was getting hard to move around. I decided to slip off into the bathroom for a moment and then go find my seat, so I would know where it was when they told us all to sit down.

There was a ridiculous line of women in the restroom, so it took awhile. When I finally got out of there, Emmett was pumped up and excited. "Bella, guess who I just took a piss with?"

"I have no idea. Who?"

"One of the old guys from ZZ Top! I was standing there at the urinal and he just walked up to the one beside me and took a piss, like it was no big deal. We were practically standing shoulder to shoulder. Isn't that cool! I've always loved that band. When I was a kid, I always dreamed about being one of the ZZ Top guys."

I laughed. "Emmett, you have met a ton of musical talent here today, yet you get excited about one guy that you didn't even talk to?"

"Of course I didn't talk to him. We were taking a piss. You don't talk to someone while they are taking a piss. That violates male bathroom etiquette."

I snorted. "Male bathroom etiquette? I wasn't aware such a thing existed."

"Sure it does. First, if it's at all possible, try to leave an empty urinal between you and the other guy. Second, don't talk to the other guy while he is taking a piss. Third, don't check out another guy's junk while he's pissing."

I had to stifle a full-on giggle fit. "I guess it's a good thing I have you around then. Between you and Jasper, one of you is going to have to teach the rules to Mason."

"Don't worry, Bella, we got you covered," Emmett said proudly.

A few minutes later, they announced that everyone should find their seats because the show was about to begin. Emmett pulled out our seat tickets and an usher led us to the right place. We were ten rows back from the stage, to the right of the center aisle. I was thankful that I was seated near the end of the row. I didn't want to have to stress about climbing over people if I needed to get up during the performance.

People were piling in quickly. I was glad that Emmett and I had gone straight to our seats when they made the announcement. With everyone piling in at once, it was like a madhouse. I noticed Heidi and Marcus were sitting on the other side of the theater with Aro, Gianna, Demetri, and Caius. I was happy to see that Demetri and Caius were still together. I noticed that they had two empty seats beside them. I assumed that they were intended for Edward and his date. My heart fell at the thought of Edward with his supermodel girlfriend at his side.

Just as I was pondering where Edward was and what would cause him to be late to such an event, the lights dimmed and the music started. There was a big production number that started everything off. Once the live feed cut for commercial break, someone came out and reminded people and basically warn every one that we were on a very tight time schedule and that people needed to watch their language.

Through the entire first part of the evening, I hardly paid attention. My brain was busy wondering where Edward and his date were. Eventually, I managed to find a way to let the show distract me. The comedian that was hosting the event was pretty funny, but I found myself laughing more at Emmett than anything. He was having a great time and his excitement was contagious.

A quarter of the way through the ceremony, I had to slip off to the ladies room to relieve some of the pressure from my rock hard breasts. I asked an employee of the theater if there was somewhere private I could go. She gave me a strange look, like she thought I was going to sneak off somewhere to do drugs or something, so I whispered in her ear, "I recently had a baby and by breasts are about to start leaking. I need to pump the milk out of them or I'll make a mess."

I opened my purse and let her peek inside. She showed me to a small dressing room backstage that was unoccupied at the moment. I had to unzip the side of my dress, so I could get it low enough to use the pump, but overall, it wasn't that difficult. I pumped as much out of them as I could and poured it down the sink. I didn't want to risk spilling it and I had no way to keep it cool, so it wasn't worth the hassle of keeping.

Once I was done and everything was put back in place, I slipped back into the theater and took my seat. As I sat down, I noticed that Edward was still not there. They were working their way through some of the other categories. People came up on stage and thanked their friends, fans, family, and the people that work for them. It was pretty much the same from winner to winner. The only difference was the names. I never realized just how many categories were presented in one night. It didn't seem like there were that many when you watch it on TV, but then again, some of the awards are given out during commercial breaks.

By the time they got to my first category, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, I was ready to get out of my chair. My ass was falling asleep and I was feeling fidgety. I knew that the cameras were going to be on me, so I sat up straight and gave my best smile when they called my name. I saw my picture on the giant screen and laughed.

As they were announcing the other nominees, Emmett said, "You need to get out your notes. You know you have this shit in the bag."

I just smiled, but did not move. I didn't think I would get it. Two of the other women were very well respected entertainers in the industry. I figured one of them got it for sure, so I wasn't that disappointed when I wasn't the one to receive the award. It went to someone that I both respected and admired, so I was glad that she got it. She deserved it much more than I did at this early point in my career.

Next they did Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. I looked over and noticed that Edward still had not taken his seat. They called out the names of the nominees and showed them on the screen. When they called Edward's name, I was surprised to see his picture on the screen. Apparently he was back stage somewhere. All you could see was him from the shoulders up.

He was smiling and from the look on his face, it appeared that someone was talking to him. I felt my heart flutter and tried to tell it to calm down. He wasn't mine. The person he was talking to back stage was probably his girlfriend. I had to accept that he was just a thing of my past. After I got back to Seattle, I would call him and tell him about Mason. That way I could hang up if he started to get upset with me.

The lady at the podium said, "And the winner is… Edward Cullen!"

The crowd cheered and clapped. The stage light panned right, as Edward came out holding a little blue bundle of blankets in one arm and holding the hand of a little girl in a black dress with the other. My brain took a moment to decipher what I was seeing.

The audience was stunned into silence.

After the initial shock I grabbed Emmett's hand and whispered, "Shit, Emmett, those are my kids!"

Edward reached the podium and said, "Thank you very much. It is an honor to accept this award, but first I want to share something very special with all of you. This is my son, Mason Alexander Cullen. He will be two weeks old tomorrow. Isn't he beautiful?"

He pulled the blanket back so the camera could zoom in on Mason's face. Mason was wide awake and looking around.

"And this beautiful young lady is his big sister, Lucy." He held up her hand and she put on a huge smile and waved at the crowd.

Edward turned toward the back of the stage as Esme walked out to him, carrying his guitar. He took the guitar with one hand while Esme lifted Mason carefully from his other arm. "This is my Mom, Esme, or Nana as she is known to Lucy and Mason."

The audience laughed as Esme smiled warmly. Lucy grabbed on to Esme's hand as they walked to the side of the stage with Mason.

Edward grinned and announced, "I'm going to change things up a little bit. I was scheduled to perform later, but I have something that can't wait." He cleared his throat, then looked directly at me and said, "Bella, this is for you."

His band members took their place on the stage behind him as he started strumming the guitar and sang.

Don't go standing there

Blocking my view, spoiling my night

You know why we're here

She's an old flame I'm trying to light

And if beauty sleep can really work

She must have just woken up

So rub your eyes 'cause seeing is believing

Never a day goes by without something

Stopping me hard in my tracks

I could be happy and I'll never know it

'Til never a day comes back

If words alone sound cheap

When I come around, you'll want to be out

I want that window seat

If I'm going down, I want to see out

And she's happy now, I'm going home

Another day, another cruel reminder

Never a day goes by without something

Stopping me hard in my tracks

I could be happy and I'll never know it

'Til never a day comes back

Never a day goes by without something

Stopping me hard in my tracks

I could be happy and I'll never know it

'Til never a day comes back

Could be a song on the radio

Could be that feeling from long ago

Could be that accidental photo I find

When I'm looking for something else

But I found you…

Never a day goes by without something

Stopping me hard in my tracks

I could be happy and I'll never know it

'Til never a day comes back

He bowed when he finished singing and motioned for Esme to bring Lucy and Mason back to him as his band cleared the stage. The audience was still cheering and screaming wildly.

He approached the microphone again. "I know I only have a couple of minutes up here, so I'm going to use it wisely."

He caught my eyes and never broke contact with me as he spoke. "Bella Swan, you said that you wanted a grandiose apology, so here it is. I'm not up here offering you gifts or flowers. I stand before you offering my sincerest heartfelt apology for being a complete idiot and walking away from the only woman I will ever love. You came into my life and changed things for the better. You made me want to be a better person and showed me what true love really was. Instead of holding on with both hands and never letting go, like I should have, I panicked and ran away. I know now that I was wrong. Believe me when I say that our son is more important to me than anything I could ever dream of. Please, let me love you, and if you can't do that, at least let me love these kids. I love you, Bella. I've always loved you. Please talk to me."

I could feel the hot tears running down my cheeks. Someone handed me a handkerchief, so I dabbed at my eyes. I heard Lucy squeal, "Look, it's Mommy!" as she pointed at the huge screen behind them.

Edward looked back at the screen and smiled. "It sure is, Lucy. Isn't she beautiful? See, she's sitting over there." He pointed at me.

When she spotted me, she yelled, "Hi, Mommy! Look who I found! It's Daddy!"

Edward picked up the trophy from the podium and said, "Thank you for the award and having patience with me. I appreciate all of the prayers and well wishes. I screwed up royally and can use all the help in the world right now. Thank you!" He led Lucy off of the stage. She waved as they walked off with Esme trailing behind them holding Mason in her arms.

The host came back out and made a joke about how Edward must have done something seriously wrong if he had to go to such lengths to apologize on nationwide television. He was wondering if the video would be available on the internet anytime soon.

I was an emotional wreck at this point and I didn't want to look like one, too, when I met Edward with Esme and my kids after the show. When they cut to a commercial I told Emmett that I needed to go to the bathroom and fix my makeup. He said he would walk with me.

When we got to the bathroom, I was glad to find it unoccupied. I checked all of the stalls to be sure before I went over to the mirror and checked my makeup. Thankfully I had put on waterproof mascara, so I didn't have raccoon eyes. I did have to reapply my lipstick and touch up my eyeliner a little. My face was a little splotchy from crying, and my nose was red, but other than that I looked okay.

A lady came into the bathroom and glanced over at me. "Oh my, you've been crying. This isn't the place to cry. There are cameras everywhere. Here, I've got what you need." She reached into her purse and pulled out some concealer. Before I could argue, she applied some to the tip of my nose and under my eyes and started spreading it out into a thin coat. By the time she was done, I looked 100% better.

"Thank you so much," I said. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come in here."

She smiled and held her hand out to me. "That's my job. I'm Debbie Covington, by the way. I do most of the hair and makeup for the show."

"Thanks, Debbie. I'm Bella. It's nice to meet you." I shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, too, Bella. You have beautiful kids."

"Thank you. Lucy is really great with Mason. She is so protective of him."

"She sounds like a good girl." Debbie glanced at her watch and said, "We need to get back out there. The commercial break is almost over."

I followed her out of the bathroom and Emmett and I went back to our seats. Once we sat down, Emmett said, "You look good."

I leaned over and said, "I look like crap, actually, but the lady that was in the bathroom with me fixed my makeup so I wouldn't look like I had been crying."

We sat and listened to them give away a few more awards and then they came to my next category. Emmett leaned over and elbowed me. "Get the acceptance speech ready, Bella. You know you're going to have to go up there."

I shook my head and insisted, "Emmett, this is for Best New Artist. I'm competing against all genres and all different kinds of bands. It's not just me competing against other women in my same genre. My chances are extremely slim."

The man presenting the award for the Best New Artist opened the envelope and said, "And the Grammy goes to… Drum roll please…. Bella Swan!"

I couldn't believe it. I put my hands up over my mouth and said, "I won! I can't believe it. I won!"

Emmett gave me a shove and said, "Get up there, Bella. They're not going to bring it down here to you."

I got up and made my way to the end of the row. My hands and knees were shaking as I made my way up the stairs, to the podium. Thankfully I didn't step on my dress when I was going up the stairs. The presenter adjusted the microphone down for me a little and stepped back.

I touched the golden gramophone and made a squeaking nose that made everyone laugh. I was smiling ear to ear when I said, "Look! This one's mine!" The audience laughed again.

"First off I want to thank Debbie Covington for coming to my rescue and fixing my makeup a few minutes ago." I heard people chuckle.

I looked around and said, "I actually made a list of the people that I needed to thank, but I left it in my purse and I'm going to have to go off of my memory, so wish me luck." I stopped to take a deep breath and visualize my list. "Okay, I think I've got this… I want to thank Emmett and Rosalie McCarty for getting me into this business and continuing to support me as my security and my manager. Thanks to Jasper and Alice Whitlock, with Alice Records, not only for producing my music, but for being my best friends. I thank my band members, Nate, Riley, Bree, and Twix. Without them I might as well just be singing in the shower. Of course, I thank my parents for their unwavering love and support and I thank Esme Cullen for her support and guidance in all aspects of my life. I want to thank Aro, Marcus, and Demetri for learning my music and making my tour a success. And last but not least, I thank Edward Cullen for being a great mentor and giving me the exposure I needed to make a good start in this business. He is more than just the father of my son. He is a good man and I love him more than words can explain. We still have a few things to work on, but I'm willing to give it a try."

I looked to the side of the stage where a familiar figure stood and smiled. "Okay, Edward, you've made your point. I'll unblock your number."

The audience cheered as Edward ran onto the stage and wrapped me in his arms. As the music played and we were ushered off of the stage, Edward said, "Bella, please tell me that you mean it. Please tell me that you weren't just saying that for the benefit of all of those people out there."

We stopped in a crowded backstage area where a reporter was talking to some other people. I looked Edward in the eye and told him, "I meant it when I said I was willing to work on our issues, but it's going to take both of us to fix them."

Edward actually looked concerned when he asked, "But, do you love me, Bella? Do you still love me even though I fucked things up?"

I took his hand and held it to my heart. "Of course I love you, Edward. I've always loved you and I continue to love you. I haven't figured out how to turn it off. Believe me, I've tried, but I just can't."

Edward pulled me into his arms again and held me in a tight hug. I saw the light shine on us from the camera, but he didn't let go, he just kept holding me. I felt a tear drip onto my shoulder, so I looked up to see that he was crying. I wiped the tears away as he squeezed me tighter. "Oh Bella, I've missed you so much. I love you."

The reporter started saying something to her camera man about a sweet reunion, but I wasn't really paying any attention. Edward's long fingers were gently stroking my cheek and I couldn't focus on anything but him as he said, "Well, the first thing we are going to do is sit down and talk. It's been a long time, so we have a lot to go through."

I nodded my agreement, lost in the feeling of his touch. I'd been deprived for far too long.

The reporter approached me with a smile. "Bella, you look fantastic after having just given birth a few weeks ago. What is your secret?"

"I made sure I was eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise. I didn't let myself buy into the idea that I was eating for two or that I could eat whatever I wanted just because I was pregnant. I reminded myself that one of those two people was very tiny and didn't need his own pork chop." She laughed at that comment. "There are also a lot of really great creams on the market specially formulated for helping maintain your skin's elasticity during pregnancy. All women are different though, so I recommend that everyone check with their doctor before doing anything."

"I got to see your children backstage a few minutes ago. How difficult is it to shuffle motherhood with a career as a rocker?"

"I don't know yet, to be perfectly honest with you. I haven't had Lucy all that long and Mason is only two weeks old. The only thing I've done with my music career recently is record a new CD called Stockings and Pearls. It came out last October."

"I have been hearing rumors that the pictures on the CD were taken a few years ago. Is that correct?"

"No, not at all. Actually I was already pregnant at the time those pictures were taken, but I wasn't showing yet, obviously."

The reporter thanked me for my time and turned her attention to the next guest to come off of the stage, so Edward led me off to a larger room filled with people. I could see Carlisle and Lucy sitting on a couch reading a book. She looked tired. Esme was in a chair trying to get Mason to take a bottle, but he was having none of that. As soon as I got close enough to hear him crying, I could feel my breasts start to ache.

"Here, Esme, let me take care of Mason," I said as I turned to Edward. "Is there a room somewhere around here that I can use to feed him? I'm about to burst."

Edward asked someone who pointed him to a little office down the hall. He led me there and made sure the door was locked, while I got situated in the chair and started working with the zipper on the dress.

"Do you mind if I stay?" Edward looked nervous, like he expected me to kick him out.

"You can stay. Just don't let anyone else in. I can't exactly cover up in this dress." I shifted the dress aside and the hungry baby latched on eagerly.

Edward stood at the doorway watching Mason eat. "He has my hair."

I ran my fingers through Mason's silky auburn hair. "Yes, he does. It might change color as he gets older. We'll have to wait and see. We won't know his eye color for a while yet either."

"I thought his eyes were blue?" Edward said as he stepped closer.

"All babies have blue eyes. They change as they get older."

Edward was kneeling in front of me, running his finger lightly over Mason's cheek. "I've never seen anything so perfect. He's just… perfect. Look at his tiny little fingers with tiny little fingernails." Mason was holding his fingertip and making soft grunting noises as he drank eagerly.

"Have you seen his little feet yet?" I asked. "They are the most adorable things. Even Lucy thinks he has cute feet."

Edward looked up at me and admitted, "You were right about Lucy. She is a great little girl. You're doing a fantastic job with her. When Mom brought them over to my house, I thought she wouldn't like me, but Mom told her that I was Mason's Daddy and she climbed right up into my lap and gave me a hug. She said, 'Hi, Daddy, I'm Lucy.' I think she stole my heart at that very moment. She's smart, too. She remembered my voice from the phone call and even asked if you were talking to me yet. I told her not yet, but I was going to try to fix that."

I looked into his eyes and could tell that he genuinely wanted to fix things between us and that he really did love Lucy. "Edward, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the pregnancy. Every time I tried, things just got worse between us. I almost lost Mason twice and was put on bed rest for over a month, just because I talked to you on the phone. I had no choice but to distance myself from you, for Mason's sake."

Edward looked sad. "I know. I'm sorry. Mom told me that you had tried to tell me, but I was so adamant about not wanting kids that you were afraid I would reject you and the baby. I'm sorry I made you feel that way and I'm so very sorry that I put Mason's life at risk. I didn't do it intentionally."

"I know you didn't. I'm sorry you missed his birth. I wanted to tell you about him and give you a chance to be there, but things just happened so fast."

"Dad forced me to sit through the video of the entire thing last night. It was difficult for me to watch. I've never seen a baby delivery before and to know that this was my own child being born and I wasn't there to witness it… well, it was hard. At first I was angry with you for keeping this secret, but then Dad pointed out that you only kept it a secret because I pushed you away. I drove you into secrecy because I was so vocal about not wanting kids."

"I was afraid you would think I did it on purpose and was trying to trap you," I confessed.

"Dad explained what happened with the antibiotics and told me about how upset you were when you found out about it. That's when I started thinking about the fact that I watched you take your pill every night when you went to bed. We would climb into the bunk and you would take your pill. If you had purposely stopped taking them, I would have known."

Mason had finished eating and was sound asleep, so I cleaned myself off as best I could with a paper towel that Edward had stuffed in his pocket, and fixed my dress while Edward held him. Once everything was in place and I looked normal again, we headed back to Esme and Carlisle.

Lucy was passed out in Carlisle's lap. Esme said, "Now that Mason's been fed, I think we are going to get these two home and in bed. You still have a few hours before the next feeding. Why don't the two of you hit one of those parties when this is over and enjoy yourselves?"

I thanked her and kissed her cheek as they left. Edward asked me if I would sit with him. I told him that I didn't want to leave Emmett by himself, besides, his next possible award was for all of them, not just Edward, so he needed to be with the band.

When we made it to our respective seats, Emmett was smiling ear to ear. "So, do I get to beat the shit out of him for being an asshole yet?"

I snickered. "Not yet, but I'm not ruling out future possibilities of him needing an ass beating."

Emmett laughed. "Don't worry, Bella. Things are going to work out. You both just need to talk through all of your shit and get over it."

"Sometimes your eloquence just astounds me, Emmett," I teased.

We watched another performance, which was pretty good, and then they gave away the second award that Edward was up for, Album of the Year. I wasn't surprised when Edward won the award. His European tour had shot his international sales through the roof. Four of the songs on the CD had made it to number one on the charts.

The entire band made their way up to the stage, including Edward. This time it was Aro that did the speaking. He thanked everyone that needed thanking and gave a special note of appreciation to Esme. After that was done, he said, "Oh, and Bella… We're glad that you're talking to the idiot again. He's been a real pain in the… well, you know how he can be."

I just laughed and nodded. Aro was right. Edward could definitely be an insensitive pain in the ass when he wanted to be. Edward just blushed and looked at his feet while the other guys laughed at him. Just before they started to walk off the stage, Edward waved to everyone and leaned toward the microphone. "Thank you all very much for your support. And thank you Bella for giving me the chance to make up for being an idiot. I love you!"

A/N: So, they are FINALLY on the same page! Just because they have met back up again doesn't mean everything is perfect just yet. They still have quite a bit of talking to do before the "happily every after" can begin.

I just wanted to send out a quick thank you again to my incredible beta, NoWayWithWords for working so hard to make this story a success and coming up with the corresponding music to go along with the chapters. She picked out the song that Edward sang to Bella on stage and added the lyrics for me. I thought it was perfect. I don't know where she manages to find all of this great music, but somehow she does and I appreciate it. If you haven't checked out the YouTube playlist that she has put together, I recommend checking it out. The link is on my author's page. When songs don't have videos, she takes the time to make them herself. She has even used pictures of her own beautiful daughter in a few of them.

The story's not over yet. I think it would be unrealistic to end it here, so I guess I need to get bunkered down and work on the next chapter. I hope to have it up soon.

Thanks for reading.

Christine (A Little Distracted)