Only Exception || C. Cullen ✓

t h r e e

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Christina sighed. "He's a teenage boy, they're very fickle." She paused before smirking behind her mug. "I could talk to Dr. Cullen about it—"

"No, don't!" Bella gasped, holding her hand out in shock. "Don't do that."

"But if you seem so concerned—"

"Christina, please," Bella groaned as the older sister laughed. "Don't make it more embarrassing than it already is."

"You'll be fine." The young mother stood up from her chair, placing her dirty mug in the sink. "If things get really bad, I'll talk to this Edward Cullen myself— let him know he's picking on the whole family."

"God, you're so embarrassing," Bella laughed. She quickly grabbed her bag from the chair next to her and flung it over her shoulder. "I'm gonna be late for school if I don't leave now."

"Have fun!"

Bella rolled her eyes but a small smile was still placed on her face as she left the house.

Christina glanced down at her daughter with a big smile; she clapped her hands, easily gaining the five-year-old's attention. "Mama has to go shopping, are you gonna be my helper?"

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"Mama, can we get this?"

The young mother glanced down at the book of cereal that Annabelle had grabbed when she wasn't looking. It was a cereal with unicorn marshmallows, something that Annie was currently obsessing over.

Christina gave her a soft smile before taking the box out of her daughter's hands and putting it in the carriage in front of her.

Since it was her day off from the hospital, Charlie had asked her to go food shopping since four people were living in the house now; and that meant they were running out of food fast.

The doe-eyed girl danced into the next aisle as Christina followed behind her, keeping a close eye the whole time. Even though, they lived in a small town and she didn't think much crime activity happened around her, didn't mean that she trusted taking her eyes off her daughter for one second.

Green eyes flickered off her daughter to grab onto the hamburger buns that were placed in front of her.

"Oof!"

Christina immediately looked up and glanced into Annabelle's direction, to see her on her bum on the ground; brown doe eyes glancing up towards the person that she ran into.

"Oh my, God." Christina left her carriage to help pick up her daughter from the ground before looking up at the person that Annabelle ran into. "I am so sorry."

Carlisle Cullen could almost curse Alice for sending him to the store to grab unnecessary food. "For appearances," she would say, before turning around with a soft smile.

The golden-eyed doctor turned, meeting the green eyes of his intern, trying to feign his surprise at seeing her— even though, he could smell her the second that she walked into the grocery store. It still confused him as to why he didn't just leave, why he was still staring at the different types of bread in front of him like they meant anything to him.

"That's okay," Carlisle answered, giving her his best smile. It seemed to had work, as she immediately became dazzled by his dimples in his cheeks. He glanced down at the little girl being held against Christina's legs; said girl's hands resting protectively against the girl's shoulders and chest. He blinked, not breaking his smile before glancing back up at Christina. "Little sister?"

The question broke Christina out of her stupor after seeing Carlisle's bright smile. "Uh, no." She cleared her throat. "This is my daughter, Annabelle."

Carlisle was genuinely surprised at the new information. He didn't hear anything about Chief Swan's eldest daughter having a child of her own. Nor did he hear anything from Alice after he asked how Christina's importance in his life. The future-teller would only smirk before saying, "I'm not giving you any hints. That's cheating."

Carlisle could tell that his silence was starting to make Christina nervous; probably already prepared for the judgment about being such a young mother. "How old is she?"

"I'm five years old," Annie answered herself, making Carlisle chuckle and Christina to blink in surprise.

Annabelle was typically shy about meeting anyone new. The young mother couldn't get Annie to be comfortable around Charlie for months after meeting him.

Carlisle lowers himself to the ground, trying to level himself with the little girl in front of him. "Hello, Annabelle. I'm your mother's coworker, Carlisle. It's nice to meet you."

Annabelle grinned shyly, slightly hiding her face behind her mother's arm that was still being held out in front of her chest. "You can call me Annie."

"Alright. Annie, it is." Carlisle smiled before standing back up to his full height.

The five-year-old turned in her mother's hold before raising her hands in the air; silently asking to be picked up.

Institutionally, Christina grabbed Annie and placed her on top of her hip. As soon as she was comfortable, the little girl placed her face into her mother's neck, trying to hide the slight blush that appeared on her face after talking to the doctor.

"She's adorable," Carlisle complimented.

Christina was surprised. She was almost waiting for the questions of why she had a baby so young, and the judgment afterward; but Carlisle never asked. She was starting to understand what her dad meant about Carlisle being polite no matter the situation.

"Thank you," Christina finally answered. "I'm surprised that she talked to you for as long as she did. She's usually very shy around new people."

Carlisle gave her an earnest smile. "Maybe I'm just lucky, then."

A cell phone ringing interrupted their light conversation. Carlisle reluctantly pulled his black phone out of his pocket, glancing at the screen to see that Edward was calling.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this," Carlisle apologized.

"Oh, no." Christina shook her head. "It's fine. I should finish up shopping before going home to start dinner anyway."

"It was a pleasure to see you, again." Carlisle grinned before looking down at her daughter. "And a pleasure meeting Annie."

The five-year-old glanced out of her mother's hair to grin back at the friendly doctor.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Nina." Carlisle nodded his head in goodbye before turning the corner to answer his phone call.

"Mama?"

Christina hummed as she grabbed her carriage again and pushed it further down the grocery store— this time Annie was sitting in front of her on the handlebar of the carriage to avoid any other run-ins.

"Can we get ice cream?"

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