Babysitting for Dr. Right

6 Months Later~

Six months had gone by since I came to work that morning to find Dr. DILF sitting against the wall outside, cradling his sleeping daughter in his arms. Six months of taking care of that sweet little girl and talking with him everyday when he picked her up after work. Six months of feeling my heart flutter every time he ran his hands through his disheveled hair, or looked into my eyes to apologize for being late...again. Six months of cursing the fates for letting me be so close to this amazing man and not knowing what it was like for him to be mine.

Today was just like any other day. I arrived early to work just in case Edward was waiting outside with Alexis. He was called into work earlier than normal about once a month, sometimes more. I looked forward to those mornings. Edward in his scrubs, hair all wet from the quick shower he had to take, the fresh smell of Irish Spring radiating off of his toned body, that apologetic crooked smile that made me weak in the knees...

Bam

"Ouch," I cringed as I ran into the door. "Why did I not see that coming?" I asked myself as I rubbed the sore spot on my nose and forehead.

Stupid daydream.

Thinking of Edward reminds me of a verse in an Adele song.

"A jaw dropper
Looks good when he walks
He's the subject of their talk
He would be hard to chase but good to catch
And he could change the world with his hands behind his back"

And boy, was he ever the subject of talk. He was all the single moms talked about when they saw him leave in the morning. Not so much in the evenings since Edward was always the last parent through the door. I was thankful he was always in a rush; otherwise, one of them might catch up to him and ask him out for coffee or dinner.

Eventually someone will ask him out Bella, and he will say yes. Just step up and ask him yourself. What's the worst that can happen? He says no?

Yeah, he says no and things become awkward whenever he drops off Alexis and I don't want him to feel uncomfortable. Then he may pull Alexis out, and she's really starting to warm up here, playing with more than one child at a time. I think she even has herself a little boyfriend. I see her and Mark holding hands in the sandbox sometimes.

The sound of the door closing pulled me from my thoughts. Looking up, I saw those beautiful eyes that caused me to melt each time I gazed into them.

"Good morning, Edward. Hi Alexis," I smiled cheerfully.

"Hi Bella!" Alexis waved with a smile.

"Good morning, Bella. How are you doing on this Friday morning?" he asked, setting Alexis' things on the counter then signing her in.

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"I'm okay, a little nervous, stressed," he mentioned.

"Why are you nervous?" I asked furrowing my brow.

"See I have this blind date tonight and I have no one to watch Lexi. I tried to get out of it but my brother won't let me."

See Bella, he is going on a date tonight. It's just the beginning. Eventually, he'll fall in love again, get married and Alexis will have a new mom.

Oh, how I wish I could be that person for them, that little girl has broken into my heart.

You can be, just ask him out.

I can't ask him out, he already has a date. I seriously need to stop talking to myself.

I sighed, trying to ignore my thoughts. "What does your brother want you to do, leave Alexis home alone?"

"He said someone will come available. You don't happen to babysit, do you?" he jokingly asked, standing up straight.

Before I could filter my words, I said, "Actually I do. If you're really desperate, I can do it. I was supposed to have a girls' night with my best friend but she cancelled on me for her boyfriend." I shrugged.

Stupid, Bella, stupid. Now you can see him come home after a great date and have the pain settle in. What is wrong with you?

"I just may take you up on your offer, Bella." He smiled warmly. "Maybe someone will come available or Emmett will let me out of this date that I don't even want to go on. Can I let you know when I come to pick Lexi up?"

"Sure. And hey, Edward, I think it's good that you're getting back out there. A date doesn't mean forever, you're just getting to know someone." I offered a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Bella, I'll keep that in mind." He smirked and I swear he gazed into my eyes, before leaning down to give his daughter a hug and a kiss. "Bye, Lexi, I love you."

"Love you, Daddy," Alexis replied as she hugged and kissed him back.

"I'll see ya later, Bella." He smiled and walked out the door.

"Bye, Edward." I sighed as the door closed behind him.

"Come, Bella, play with me," she ordered, pulling my hand to the dolls.

"Play with you? Alright," I said chasing after her and tossing her over my shoulder as she squealed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When I woke up this morning, I did not think I would be spending my night babysitting for the man I am completely infatuated with while he goes out on a blind date. But here I sat, parked in his driveway, trying to figure out how I got here. Not even the smooth sounds of Yiruma could calm my nerves.

Why am I so nervous? It's just like seeing him at the center, just instead of him walking in to greet me, I'm walking in to greet him. Okay, come on, Bella, you can do this. It's just like any other babysitting job. You can do this.

Pumping myself up, I lifted my head and looked up at the now open front door with Edward leaning against the door frame. His arms crossed over his chest, one foot crossed in front of the other, and a sexy smirk on his face. I shook my head, embarrassed that I had been caught sitting in my car for who knows how long. I pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened the door, grabbing my purse with my other hand.

"What were you doing in there?" he asked with a quizzical look on his face. "I've been standing here, waiting for you to come out for about 5 minutes now."

"Sorry, my thoughts were getting the best of me," I told him, averting my eyes down to the cement as I approached the front door.

"A penny for your thoughts?" he asked, raising a brow.

"It's nothing really."

Standing in front of him, I slowly lifted my gaze to take in his outfit. Now, I love seeing Dr. Edward in his scrubs five days out of the week, but Edward just being Edward at home was just... sigh. He was wearing blacks slacks with a navy blue, button down, long sleeve shirt. His top two buttons were undone and I could see his white undershirt peaking through. His hair was slightly wet still but combed so that it looked presentable. His green eyes were sparkling tonight and by the look on his face, he seemed appeased by something.

For someone who doesn't care to go on this date, he sure was putting a lot of effort into his appearance.

"Come on in, Bella," he gestured with his hand and moved out of the way to let me in, closing the door behind me. "Lexi is upstairs putting her pajamas on, she'll be done in a second. She's really excited you are watching her tonight. She really does adore you." He smiled.

"Well the feeling is mutual." I smiled back. Just then, my stomach growled, I instinctively crossed my arms over my belly and my face turned red. I didn't have time to eat considering I had essentially come here straight from work. Edward picked Alexis up early today, around 5:30. He asked if I was still available, which of course I was, and asked that I be at his house by 7. Leah let me leave early so I could run home and change, since I didn't think I could take the smell of thrown up baby formula on me anymore. Ugh. Even with as long as I had worked in the daycare, I don't think I would ever get used to that smell.

"I figured you wouldn't have time to eat, so I made a plate for you," he said as he walked over to the microwave and pulled out a plate of food that smelled delicious. "It's not much, just chicken, peas and rice. I guess it's a little payback for all the times you have had to feed Lexi." He placed the plate of food on the kitchen bar and I took a seat on the bar stool in front of him.

"Thank you, it smells delicious." I smiled as I picked up a fork and took a bite of the rice. "Thanks for cutting my chicken for me too," I mentioned looking up at him from under my lashes.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I just get in the habit," he muttered, running a hand through his gorgeous hair, messing it all up.

"I don't mind. I mean I wouldn't want to choke on too big of a piece of chicken..." I smirked taking another bite.

"Bellaaaaa!" Alexis yelled running down the stairs and towards me. I put my fork down, turned my body towards her and held my arms out for her to jump into, which she did. I seated her on my lap, turning my attention back to my plate of food. "I missed you," she said, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"You did? Well I missed you too, Alexis. We didn't get to read any books together since daddy picked you up so early."

"Tonight, before bed." She nodded confidently.

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

"What would you like to drink, Bella?" Edward asked with a smirk, as Alexis took it upon herself to feed the chicken to me with her fingers. I had to try not to laugh, otherwise I just might choke.

"Um...water is fine, thanks. So where is this date happening, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm meeting my brother, his wife and my date at this little restaurant Monty's. It's Emmett's favorite and it's a calm, relaxed atmosphere. I didn't want to go anywhere too stuffy," he explained placing a glass a water in front of me. I took a sip of it before making my comment.

"Says the man wearing dress slacks and a nice shirt."

"What? You think this is too much?" he asked, looking himself over.

"Well, you said the place is calm and relaxed. Do you have any nice jeans that you could wear instead? I mean I'm sure you want to make a nice impression...nevermind."

"No, you're right. It's just been so long since I've been out on a date, I don't remember how to do it. Tanya and I met in college, so I haven't dated since before her, that was eight years ago."

"Well not much has changed. The awkward silence still sucks and there is meaningless conversation. You still get up to go to the bathroom as a ruse to call a friend to tell them how horrible the date is going, then you divvy up the bill all the way to the cents. Then you deal with the awkward good bye as the guy tries to kiss you while you unlock the door, push yourself in and slam the door in his face," I told him in one breath.

"Are we talking from personal experience here, Bella?" he asked, cocking a brow.

"None that I would like to share at this point in time, Edward," I said, averting my eyes.

"Alright, I'll just put that one in my back pocket, save it for another time. I'm going to go change. I'll be back," he informed me before walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Oh gosh, I can't believe I just rehashed my date with Eric. Ugh...worst date ever. Not that any of my dates had been that fantastic. Well, Tyler wasn't that bad, nor was Quil, but Mike, Paul, James, and Marcus all blew. If I had a dog, that Carrie Underwood song, "More Boys I Meet," would be my theme song.

By the time Edward came back downstairs wearing a nice pair of denim jeans, I had finished my dinner and was washing my plate in the sink.

"Bella, you didn't have to do that. I know you're babysitting, but you are still a guest in my house," he said, walking over to me and standing next to me.

"Well I couldn't let you get your outfit all dirty, now could I?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and giving him a brief once over. "Speaking of outfit, you look much more relaxed in that."

"Thanks." He smirked, running his hand through his hair. "Oh man, I'm going to be late," he mentioned, looking at the clock on the wall. "Where did the time go?"

"What can I say, my company is so good, time just flies." I shrugged and added a smile.

Edward ignored my comment, instead calling Alexis over to say good bye to her. She didn't even care that he was leaving; it was actually pretty funny to see her run over to me, wrapping her arm around my leg after he gave her a kiss.

"Well it seems I've been replaced." He smiled.

"I don't think replaced is the right word, I am just a substitution," I informed him as I picked Alexis up. "Enjoy your date, Edward."

"Thanks. Her bedtime is actually in thirty minutes. She'll try to get out of it but don't let her, even if she uses those Cullen puppy dog eyes on you. Have her go to the bathroom before tucking her in. I try not to give her anything to drink this late at night."

"Edward, we'll be fine. I saw the emergency contact numbers on the fridge, I'll call you if I need anything. Now go, you really are going to be late and that is not a great way to start out a date, especially a blind one."

"Eh, I'll just call Emmett and tell him Lexi wasn't happy I was leaving." He shrugged, taking his keys off the counter.

"Don't use your daughter as an excuse," I scolded him. "Now, Alexis, wave goodbye to daddy."

"Bye daddy, love you."

"Bye pumpkin, be good." He waved good bye before closing the door behind him and locking us inside.

"What should we do first, Alexis?" I looked at her with a big smile as I pretended to drop her and catch her in my arms as she laughed.

Alexis and I played for thirty minutes only taking a break so she could use the bathroom. At eight, I stood up from the Lincoln Log log cabin I was making, clapped my hands and told Alexis it was time to pick out a book to take upstairs to bed. She whined and protested, and I thought for a second she was going to throw a tantrum; but she didn't. We made our way upstairs. I had her use the bathroom one more time then we snuggled up together in her little twin size bed fit for a princess. It was a bunk bed designed like a castle with no bottom bed, just a top bunk. There was slide attached to the top and a ladder on the side, with a huge canopy on top. The bottom part was covered by curtains and after taking a peak, I saw that it was where Alexis keeps all of her dolls, sleeping in their beds.

My how things have changed since I was a child.

Alexis picked out three Curious George books.

Okay, so maybe it was only the furniture that had changed since I was a child. I remembered Charlie reading Curious George to me.

Alexis was out, snuggled into my side by the time I finished reading the second one. I was in no hurry to move so I read the third one but falling asleep as well before I could finish it, obviously more exhausted than I thought. I hadn't had a really good night's sleep in six months, since Edward walked into my life. Every night when I closed my eyes, his face and sparkling green eyes would invade my dreams. I dreamt about what he was like in college, what it would be like if he, Alexis and I were a family, the three of us at the park, Alexis and I swinging as Edward pushed us; just stupid childish dreams that I knew would never come true.

I was startled awake by this buzzing in my back pocket. It was my cell phone. I gently turned my hip so not to disturb Alexis and pulled my phone out, answering it without looking to see who it was.

"Hello?" I asked groggily.

"Bella?"

"Yes, whose this?" I whispered.

"Bella, it's Edward."

"Edward? Why are you calling me?" I asked quickly sitting up, grimacing when I heard Alexis whine a little before curling up with her stuff animal. "If you're checking up on things then everything is fine. Alexis is..."

"No I'm not calling to check up..." he quickly cut me off. "Remember how you said you get up to go to the bathroom as an excuse so you can call your friend and complain about how horrible the date is?"

"Yeah, is that what you are doing?"

"Yeah."

"That bad, huh?" I tried to sound sorry, when in reality I was smiling and dancing on the inside.

"This woman won't shut-up. I can't even get two words in. Seriously, I am going to kill my brother for setting me up with this woman. I don't know what he was thinking. Well actually I do, he just wanted me to get laid, like I would actually do that on the first date with someone I don't even know," he paused for a moment and let out a soft growl. "Just be happy you are an only child."

"Edward, how do you know I'm an only child?" I asked him, brows furrowed.

I had never told him that, in fact we never talked about me. I was always learning about him, I was always the information seeker. He was the one that keept it professional.

"Oh, erm, you told me," he answered, but I could tell he was squirming so I didn't press him further.

"Oh, I guess I did. So what, you want an excuse to leave?" I teased him, hoping he would say yes.

"Yes. You got anything good?"

"I figured with you being a parent, the excuses to leave would be endless."

"Remember, I'm new at this and weren't you the one telling me earlier tonight not to use my daughter as an excuse?"

"Ah, so the excuse has to be on my account?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Tell your lovely date that you have to leave because the babysitter is very ill, food poisoning." I smiled when I mentioned the food. "And she is in desperate need of a doctor."

"Food poisoning, huh? Was my food really that bad?"

I laughed silently at that question.

"Just tell her that." I shook my head at the man on the other side of the phone.

"Thanks, Bella, I owe you one. I'll be home in about fifteen minutes or so. I hope I can get out of here peacefully, but I don't see that happening, I mean the woman has already felt up my ankle and my calf."

With that comment, I couldn't hold in my giggles anymore and just let it go.

"Don't laugh, it's not funny."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'll see you soon, Edward."

"Bye Bella and go back to sleep."

"Wait, what?" I asked but he already hung up.

Closing my phone, I slowly fell back against the bed. Alexis instantly rolled over into my side, her arm laying over my stomach and her pink lips slightly parted. I sighed staring at the little girl in my arms. I hadn't seen a picture of Tanya, but just by looking at Edward, I could see that most of Alexis' features came from her mother. She had blue eyes, which Edward told me were Tanya's, rosy cheeks, fair skin, she had a couple of light freckles scattered under her eyes. The only features I recognized as Edward's were her pouty lips and her hair color. That must be hard, looking at a constant reminder of the love of your life, I thought.

Apparently I fell asleep again because when I woke up, Edward was leaning against the bars of the bed, arms laying flat on top of it and chin resting on the backs of his hands, smiling at us.

"You like doing that don't you?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Doing what?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Watching. You did it earlier when I was in the car, and I see you do it when you come to pick Alexis up sometimes."

"Since losing my wife, I take more time to stop and smell the roses. Before Alexis came along, we were both very busy people, both finishing up school, med school for me and grad school for her. I mean, we made time for each other, but not nearly enough. Then we graduated, got married and real life came calling. I was an intern, she was a teacher. I had horrendous hours, I hardly saw her. It seemed like whenever I had off, she was at work, and vice versa. Alexis wasn't planned, she just happened. But Tanya was ecstatic, as was I. We both wanted a big family, eventually. I like things to be planned out, but God works in mysterious ways, and Alexis is the best thing that has happened to me. I slowed down when Tanya had her, cutting back on my hours at the hospital. Thankfully, my father and grandfather used to work there so I had some pull. It was the first time I ever used my last name for something that I wanted. We were so happy, raising Alexis and she was a happy baby, not causing too much trouble." I let Edward tell his story just looking at him, watching his face go from happy to sad. "The day Tanya died was rough. It was raining, I was at work and I got called down to the ER, two ambulances were bringing in two accident victims. They told me one was barely holding on while the other just some minor cuts and bruises. When the first one arrived, the doors opened and I helped lower the stretcher down, listening to the information the EMT was giving me. Once the stretcher was set down, I looked at the body and gasped. There was my Tanya, barely recognizable, shattered glass implanted in her face and on her arms. I had to step back, I felt sick. I found the closest trash can and threw up. One of the nurses came over to me to make sure I was okay, by then everyone in the ER knew it was my wife on that stretcher and they all knew there was no hope for her..." I saw him wipe a tear away and my heart just broke listening to him tell this story, I could feel my own tears trickling down my cheeks.

"Edward..." I started but he continued.

"Tanya died less than thirty minutes later. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I wanted to so badly, but I couldn't move. My legs felt like cement as I sat in those uncomfortable hospital chairs, trying to figure out how this happened. A cop from the scene of the accident told me that the other driver was drunk and merged over into Tanya's lane of traffic. She swerved away, jerking the steering wheel too much and ran off the road, the car slamming into two trees. Tanya wasn't wearing her seatbelt, she never did even after the countless times I scolded her about it. The force of the impact flew her out of her seat through the windshield. They found her, barely alive some feet away from the car. She was on her way to pick up Alexis from her parents house, she called me before leaving work twenty minutes earlier. I didn't even tell her I loved her."

"Oh, Edward," I sighed, quickly moving Alexis' arm from around my stomach. I jumped off the bed and wrapped my arms around his chest, holding him as tight as I could. I was crying into his shirt, but I didn't care; Edward was hurting which made me hurt. I felt him wrap his arms around my shoulders resting his head on top of mine, I could feel his tears drop into my hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

I don't know how long we stood there just holding onto each other, feeling as if we would break if we let go. Eventually, I felt Edward lift his head, sniffling. I loosened my grip on him and looked up into his eyes.

"Thank you, Bella, for listening and for holding me. I've never told anyone about this, besides my family," he said, smiling slightly.

"I'm glad I could be here for you, Edward."

The moment those words came out of my mouth, I felt an instant pull to him. I looked back and forth from his eyes to his lips and I could tell he was doing the same thing. I watched him lick his lips and I did the same. He slowly began to lower his head as I slowly raised myself up onto my toes. My eyes closed as our lips met, the pressure soft at first but then I felt him place his hands on either side of my face and press his lips more firmly to mine. I brought my hands to the back of his neck, feeling as if I couldn't get close enough to him. His hands moved to around my waist and he lifted me off the ground, and my hands wove into his hair. Our lips fit perfectly together, moving in sync with one another. There was no roughness, just pure passion, want and need. I felt his tongue on my bottom lip, seeking access and as I was about to grant his request, we heard Alexis whimper. I felt him sigh as he pulled back just slightly, still holding me tight and resting his forehead against mine. I just smiled as I looked at him, his eyes still closed.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that," he mentioned, opening up his eyes and staring straight into mine.

"Here I thought I was the only one."

"Bella, I..." he started but was interrupted when Alexis started crying and screaming for 'Daddy'. He sighed again, placing me back on my feet as I chuckled at his frustration. He lifted Alexis from her bed, taking her over to the rocking chair.

Fifteen minutes later, Alexis was back in her bed asleep and Edward and I were downstairs, standing by his front door. I wasn't ready to leave, I wanted to kiss him again. I've never been kissed like that before; I swear there was definitely some fireworks going off. My entire body felt warm and tingly the moment his lips touched mine. And now here I stood, looking down at the tile, biting my bottom lip as I could only assume Edward was staring at me.

"Bella, look at me," he said but I didn't; I couldn't. He hooked his finger under my chin lifting my face so that I was looking at him. "I don't know what happened up there..."

Great, he regrets it. Oh gosh this is going to make things awkward at work. I brought my hand up to my mouth at the thought.

"But I don't regret it and I hope you don't either," he said, removing my hand from my mouth and intertwining our fingers together. "I told you I've been wanting to do that for a long time, since that first night I walked into the center to pick up Lexi. I saw you sitting at the table eating spaghetti with her, and it just looked so natural, the two of you together. From that point on, I've wanted to ask you out every time I saw you but I wasn't sure if you felt the same way. But I guess that kiss certainly cleared that up for me." He smirked and I giggled. "I want to take you out, Bella, on a real date, just the two of us. I want to get to know you. This whole time, all I've done is talk about me, I want to know you. So what do you say?"

"I say yes, but who will watch Alexis?"

"Let me worry about that. I think my brother owes me one."

"Okay. I guess I better get going," I mentioned.

"Let me walk you to your car," he offered, unlocking the door and opening it.

We stood outside my car with the driver side door open. I was still holding his hand, I didn't want to let it go.

"I put some cash in your purse for tonight," he nodded towards my passenger seat where my purse lay.

"Edward you didn't have to pay me," I sighed.

"Yes I did. You came to babysit and ended up making out with the dad," He smiled a cocky grin.

"Shut up." I hit him lightly on his arm with my free hand. "I guess I can't use you as a reference. No mother would want me if they found that out."

He smiled back at me. "Goodnight, Bella. Drive home safe. Please call me or text me to let me know you got there safely."

"I will. Goodnight, Edward." He placed his free hand on my cheek and bent down to kiss my lips gently. He pulled back with a shit eating grin on his face.

I let go of his hand, shaking my head and trying to hide my smile. He held my door open as I started the car, closing it once I buckled myself in. As I backed out of his driveway, he just stood there watching me drive away. The moment I rounded the corner, I squealed like a little girl. I knew it was late but I needed to tell someone, and there was one person who I knew would be ecstatic for me at this moment. I flipped open my cell, found her name, hitting send and waiting for her to answer.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Alice? Guess what?" I asked excitedly which then led to her squealing without me saying another word.