Jake was gone. My sun and support that had never failed me had run off into the woods. He'd left nothing, no parting goodbye or so much as a furious growl for me to remember – the muddy footprints on Esme's gorgeous white carpet were the only evidence he'd ever been here.
Rosalie rose up to shut the gaping front door, a somewhat sympathetic grimace on her face – for they both shared the same pain, the pain of knowing that they'd never have what they'd desired for so long. Rosalie would never have a baby of her own, and Jake would never have me. Edward was silent in stunned panic, still in a protective crouch he'd assumed when he'd first seen Jacob's heartbreak and fury through his facial features.
And me? My arms wrapped protectively around my large stomach, I stared after him, despite the fact he'd been gone for a decent ten seconds. Conflicting emotions battled in my mind; anger, annoyance and at myself for presenting my perfect life to him; parading around my happy family, husband and son to his face while he silently suffered the agony of loneliness.
Annoyance at him was extremely prominent though, for Jake should've have known that he'd never have me, and that even hoping that I'd love him was futile. And the fact that he got his hopes up to think that I'd ever stop loving Edward to be with him annoyed me endlessly. Jacob had caused this pain himself.
Love still coursed through me, though, as less than a minute ago Edward had looked at me no longer with pained eyes of a boy who suffered at the hands of Satan, but the wide eyes of man as he felt his son kick from the womb of his wife. I was still running on the high of finally having Edward coming around to seeing the baby the way I saw him, as a manifestation of mine and Edward's love and as the best thing to ever have happened to us. I saw the hope and absolute adoration in my husband's eyes and I'd nearly screamed in elation.
Each emotion battled the other in valiant attempts to gain control of my tired and battered emotional state.
A soft, gentle kick nudged my hand that rested on my stomach and love melted through me, destroying any traces of the other emotions and completely wiping out memories of Jacob's pain.
Tears swam in my eyes as I pressed my hand more firmly against my stomach as if to reply to my little nudger.
I looked down at my stomach and the tears flowed relentlessly. My baby, my baby, my –
"Bella?" Edward's soft voice broke through my hysterical reverie and he lifted my chin with his finger so I met his eyes. His eyes were soft, yet wary of what was wrong, as if speaking gently to a delicate child. He's going to be such a good father...the mental image floating around my mind nearly finished me off.
"What's wrong?" he enquired softly, then suddenly panicked "Is it the baby?" His hands shot to my stomach to feel if there was a problem. EJ nudged back at the feel of his father's cold skin.
The baby, my mind chorused, he said baby without hesitation! The tears returned full force and the full realisation set in, no longer was I alone in this, no longer did Edward believe the baby was an abhorrence, and no longer was EJ 'my baby', he was 'our baby'.
"No," I sniffled, resting my hands over Edward's on my stomach, "it's not the baby," I hiccupped and met his eyes, "It's you."
Rosalie's laugh resonated around the room, shaking free the emotional atmosphere and replacing it with one of humour, "Finally, Bella!" she giggled, a sound I'd never heard before, "you have come to see there is something wrong with Edward! Congratulations!"
I smiled weakly at her, my cheeks soaked through with salt water.
"So what was the deciding point for you? Was it the fact he fell in love with a human, albeit it, a nice one? Or was it the simple fact that he abstained from sex for so long?"
I attempted a weak laugh before turning to face Edward again, his face was still wary.
"What's wrong," I explained, "is that nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect."
A small smile grew on his beautiful face and I dived (as safely and carefully as is possible with my frontal extension) into Edward's arms and cried into his shoulder, "You love our baby." I cried.
"Yes, both of you," he admitted quietly, "so much. So goddamned much." He kissed the top of my head and rocked me back and forth slowly, comforting me as the tears died down, and after a few seconds, he stood up with me still in his arms and sat down on the couch with me across his lap.
A moving shape in my peripheral vision caught my attention and I turned to see Rosalie sit, legs crossed, on the carpet in the space Edward had previously occupied.
"I love you," he whispered, nuzzling his nose into my hair, completely ignoring our company.
"I love you more," I smiled.
"I love you most," he returned, his smile carried across on his voice. I rolled my eyes and began to think of a witty retort, when I felt his light touch trace against my abdomen, "and you too, little guy."
I whimpered almost inaudibly, but of course the vampires heard, "Bella?" they chorused warily.
"Hormones," I whispered through the strain of holding back tears. Edward laughed heartily and gathered me closer into his embrace while Rosalie simply smiled.