What's Forever

Chapter 18

"Let me wrap her up."

"Yeah, you should do that." He smiled, standing up.

When I handed my daughter to Emmett, he cradled her so gently and as effortlessly as if he's been doing it since she was born. He walked around my room with her as he told me more about his life and then his transition, after that we got into happier topics when he started talking about the Cullen-Hale family. There's so much love on his face and in his tone when he talks about them, it makes me happy to see him smile.

"Wait a minute. You're the strongest vampire?" I asked.

"That's what Carlisle thinks, hey, she fell asleep." he smiled again with the dimples on full blast.

"Let me put her in her crib and . . ."

"I can do it."

"Oh, okay, sure."

He followed me into the nursery, laying her down and wrapping his cold arms around my waist while I fussed with Ava's blanket. Emmett held his hand out for me and after turning the baby monitor on, I let him pull me to my room.

"You need to rest." he said, caressing my cheek.

"Emmett . . . will you stay?"

"Do you want me to stay?"

"There's nowhere I'd rather be."

"Move, it's in bed for you."

He pulled the covers down and took great care to tuck me in before laying next to me. I smiled up at him so he bent down to kiss me. He lingered and kissed me a second time, before kissing the tip of my nose.

"You ever been to Ireland?" I asked.

"You ever been to Italy?"

"No, but it's on my I don't wanna call it a bucket list - bucket list."

"I have been to Ireland, it's beautiful. What else is on your bucket list?"

"Skydiving, scuba diving, Rome, Italy, France, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Brazil, getting a tattoo, mountain climbing, swimming with dolphins, trek through the rainforest, go snowboarding, maybe adopt a baby, horseback riding on a beach somewhere, normal people stuff." I smiled.

"I've got myself a sporty girl." he smiled.

"Those adventures will have to wait a few years. Most of them I can do with Ava Rae but when she's . . . much older." I yawned.

"Get some rest, Val."

"You'll stay right?" I asked, snuggling under the blankets.

"I'll be right here."

He laid down next to me and when I closed my eyes I smiled as I felt his arm over my waist. In the morning, I woke up alone but there was a flower on the pillow next to me. When I checked my phone there was a text from Emmett, he said he jumped out of the window when he heard grandma Morgan wake up and walk upstairs. Ava started crying so I walked over to her crib and picked her up.

"Piccola, we had a nice little visit last night, didn't we? Let's get you ready for daycare." I smiled.

We completed our morning routine and by the time I walked into the kitchen, grandma Morgan was sipping on her coffee and reading the paper.

"Let me have her while you eat." she said.

"You working today?" I asked as I handed her the baby.

"From home, so you can leave her here."

"Okay, home it is."

"You're very smiley this morning."

"I'm in a good mood."