AN: I honestly had no intention of writing this when I finished Hearts in Pain – that was the reason I wrote an epilogue, after all. But when I read the reviews, and several of you said how bad it was that I wasn't doing a sequel, this story just sort of wormed its way into my head, completely without my approval! And since I know how I get when I have a story in my head, I figured I might as well give in and write it! So, here it is. The happily ever after part of the fairytale. Because nothing bad could happen now, right? I guess you'll have to read to find out…
Disclaimer: Nope, I didn't get them for Christmas. So they're still not mine…
1 – Happy Birthday
Bella
I got two glasses from the cupboard, opened the fridge and poured orange juice into them. After putting the full glasses down on the counter in front of me, I put a couple of slices of bread into the toaster. I got the butter and jam out of the fridge as well, and turned to put them down on the kitchen table.
Edward was staring at me. No, not staring, more like… gazing. I couldn't read the expression in his eyes. I frowned at him.
"What?" I asked self-consciously.
"Nothing." He shook his head, the same odd expression still in place on his face.
I shrugged, turning away from him again. I took the two glasses of orange juice and put them down on the table as well. He was still looking at me like that.
"You're starting to creep me out," I told him, but he just smiled that sort of wistful smile at me.
A 'pop' told me that the toast was done, and I put the slices of bread on a plate before I sat down at the table opposite Edward. Who was still staring at me!
"OK, stop that!" I complained, focusing on the toast in front of me as I put some butter and strawberry jam on the slices.
"Sorry," he mumbled, getting up and walking around the table, sitting down next to me. He pulled me into his lap and held me close, his right hand coming to rest on my stomach. "I'm just trying to get used to the idea."
I had to smile at that. I placed my hand on top of his. Of course, there was nothing to feel. Not yet. It was much too early for that.
"I know what you mean," I agreed.
"I'm not sure you do," he objected, and I raised an eyebrow at him over my shoulder. When he saw my expression, he hurried to continue, "I just mean that you've done this once before. It's all new to me."
"I guess you're right, in a way," I admitted. "But I haven't done it like this before, with you. So it's sort of new to me too."
I leaned back against him, and he placed a kiss on my hair, his arms wrapping tighter around me.
"Happy Birthday, daddy!"
Lily's voice brought us out of our little 'moment'. She had abandoned the cartoon she had been watching in the living room and bounded into the kitchen.
"Thank you, princess." Edward unwrapped one arm from around my waist and hugged her.
I slipped out of his lap, and Lily quickly took my place.
"I made you a present at school, but you can't have it until tonight," she announced.
"Oh," Edward's eyes narrowed as he looked down on her. "And why is that?"
"Because you can't have it until the party," she explained.
"Hmm…" Edward frowned. "What if I want it now?"
"Nuh-uh." Lily shook her head.
"Do I have to tickle you?" he asked in a menacing voice, and I saw Lily shrink back a little at the thought.
"Oh, no," I interrupted. "You will not torture our daughter into giving you her present early."
"Spoil sport," Edward muttered, but he released his grip on Lily and she quickly jumped down from his lap.
"Mom, I'm hungry!" she declared.
"Pancakes?" I suggested, and a smile spread on her face. Pancakes and waffles were still reserved for weekends, and Lily absolutely loved both.
"I've got it," Edward said quickly, getting up from the chair he had been sitting in.
"No, that's OK." I bent down to retrieve the frying pan I needed from the cupboard next to the stove, and when I stood back up, Edward was right beside me, taking it from my hands.
"I said I've got it," he repeated. "Sit!"
I knew there was no point in arguing with him, so I only glared a little as I sat down in the chair he had just vacated. Lily had already returned to the TV in the living room.
"I hope this isn't you already being overprotective," I said quietly, not wanting Lily to overhear.
"I can't make pancakes for my daughter?" he asked innocently. I almost believed him.
"Nice try," I replied. "But I hope you get this out of your system soon, because I will not be treated with kiddie gloves for the next eight months."
"I wouldn't dream of it," he assured me, placing a kiss on my forehead.
I sighed. I knew I hadn't won this battle by far. But there wasn't much I could do about that now. I only hoped he would be able to, if not control then at least hide his overprotective tendencies from me, or I might just go mad before this kid finally got here.
I watched as he started preparing the batter for the pancakes. He looked up from the bowl to glance into the living room where Lily was completely engulfed in the cartoon on the screen in front of her.
"You should probably see a doctor, though, right?" he said, his voice as quiet as mine had been a moment earlier. We hadn't actually talked about telling Lily yet, but he seemed to understand that I wanted to wait a little. "To make sure, I mean. And to check that everything's OK."
"I'll call first thing Monday morning," I assured him, and he nodded.
"Good."
I nibbled on my toast and smiled at his back as he focused back on the task in front of him.
I knew that he would always regret not being around when Lily was born. I would always regret that as well, always feel a pinch of sadness whenever I thought of how much time he had missed with her. But this new baby would mean that he at least got that experience once, and, hopefully, that would lessen his regret at least a little. And he so deserved that.
I swallowed the last of the toast and reluctantly got up from the table. It was a big day, after all, and I had a lot to do. Some things less pleasant than others.
"Well, I'm off for a few hours in hell," I said regretfully.
I had agreed to go shopping with Alice today, after she had begged me for three days straight to let her pick out an outfit for me to wear to hers and Edward's birthday party tonight. Not the brightest decision I'd ever made. It was funny how I always remembered how much I dreaded shopping with Alice when it was already too late…
"Right, shopping with Alice." Edward chuckled, and I slapped him on the shoulder.
"If you're not nice, I'll give you a taste of what's in store for you over the next couple of months," I threatened. "Do not underestimate my hormones! Just ask Charlie."
He only laughed harder at that. I decided to ignore him and went back upstairs to shower and get dressed.
When I got back downstairs fifteen minutes later, Edward and Lily were sitting at the kitchen table eating pancakes.
"Yum." I stole a piece from Edward's plate on my way to the front door. "I'll probably have lunch with Alice at the mall, but I should be back by two at the latest. If I'm not, feel free to send out a search party. And try not to wreck the house while I'm gone, OK?"
"We will do our very best," Edward promised with a grin. "And don't let Alice tire you out, OK!"
"Don't worry, I won't." I waved at the two of them before closing the front door behind me.
I pressed the button to unlock my car, and the BMW blinked at me in a welcoming way. Edward had convinced me to let him buy me a new car soon after we had gotten engaged a year and a half ago; he hadn't had to argue very much, since I had been more than happy to trade in the Accord. How he had gotten me to agree to let him buy me a BMW, however, I still wasn't completely sure. I hadn't even dared ask how much it had cost him. But I loved the car. Not in the way that a guy would, probably, but it was fast and beautiful and smelled nice. To me, that was enough.
I pulled out of the driveway and headed towards Northgate Mall, where I was meeting Alice. Again, I cursed my lack of ability to say no to her. You'd really think I'd have gotten used to her pleading puppy eyes and persuasive voice by now, but every time she used them on me, I caved. This time, she had also pointed out that it was her birthday, and I definitely hadn't been able to say no after that.
It was only a little after ten when I pulled into the parking lot at the mall, and since it had just opened there weren't very many cars there. I quickly spotted Alice's Mini and parked next to it. The car was empty, however, so I got out of the BMW and headed in the direction of the mall. I soon spotted Alice leaning against the wall next to the entrance to Macy's, her face turned up to the sky and her eyes closed. She was enjoying one of the first really nice summer days Seattle had had this year.
"Is there any way I can get you to let me off the hook?" I asked when I got within hearing distance. She opened her eyes and met mine with a slightly evil smile. She enjoyed torturing me like this, I was sure of it. "You can buy whatever you want, I'll wear it, I promise. But do I have to go shopping with you?"
She eyed me for a moment, and I self consciously looked down at the t-shirt and jeans I had thrown on before leaving the house. I thought they looked fine, but as always, she would find something to complain about.
"No, yes, and for the love of Gucci, what are you wearing?" She wrinkled her nose at me.
"There's nothing wrong with my clothes," I objected.
"And the fact that you just said that only proves that you need me," she declared, looping her arm with mine and pulling me through the doors with her. I groaned a little but let her tow me along. There was no point in trying to get away, after all. Might as well go happily – well, not really happily, more like… reluctantly – and hope that the torture would be over soon.
"Happy Birthday, by the way," I said when we had gotten inside, squeezing her arm.
"Thank you," she replied, squeezing back.
On our way to the part of the store where the formal wear was, we passed the baby department, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw the tiny clothes. A rush of warmth spread through my entire body, and suddenly, the fact that Alice would no doubt spend hours making me try on every possible outfit in the store no longer bothered me. I had a very special happy place to go to today, one where even Alice's insane shopping couldn't touch me.
Alice quickly picked out a handful of clothes for me to try on and all but shoved me into the fitting rooms. I obediently put on outfit after outfit and twirled around in front of her so that she could get a look at me from every angle. She deemed them all as 'not quite the thing' she was looking for, and dragged me off to JC Penney instead. There, I tried on even more clothes and finally – after more than two hours – she nodded in a satisfied way when I emerged from the fitting room.
"That's the one," she declared before I had even spun around. I had to hand it to her; Alice had an eye for fashion.
I looked down at the clothes I was wearing. Alice hadn't gone as over the top as I had feared she would, based on previous experience. I had on a knee-length denim skirt and an off-white top with a floral pattern on it. Considering the fact that I usually felt like an overdressed Barbie whenever Alice picked out something for me to wear, this was definitely preferable.
"It's nice," I concluded, nodding in approval. "But I'm surprised; I thought you would take advantage of my temporary weakness."
"Give me a little credit, Bella," Alice replied in a disappointed voice. "It's not like I enjoy making you wear things you feel uncomfortable in, you know."
"Could have fooled me," I mumbled under my breath, too quietly for her to hear, as I went back into the fitting room to change back into my own clothes.
"Want to grab some lunch before heading back?" Alice wondered through the door.
"Sure."
We went to Azteka for Mexican food, and after we had eaten, I managed to talk Alice out of dragging me to look for shoes that matched my new outfit.
"Fine," she grudgingly gave in. "I suppose you can wear your white sandals."
"Thank you," I gratefully squeezed her shoulders, a little amazed that I had actually succeeded.
"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled. "I'll see you later tonight."
She gave me a kiss on the cheek before dancing away towards Victoria's Secret. She had said something about getting a 'special' outfit for tonight, and I was definitely not interested in accompanying her on that particular mission. I did not need that mental image.
I walked back in the direction we had come from earlier today, towards the parking lot through Macy's. When I passed the baby department, I couldn't help but stop for a moment. I fingered a tiny, blue onesie with a pattern of guitars on it, and an image of a beautiful baby boy with soft, brown hair and sparklingly green eyes flashed across my mind.
I let the onesie go with a sigh; it was way too early to start shopping for clothes. I hadn't even been to see a doctor yet, for heaven's sake. For all I knew, the home test could be wrong. But still…
I left the mall and drove towards home. On the way, I stopped and picked up the cake I had ordered for tonight's party. We were having it at our house and Carlisle, Esme, Charlie and Sue were coming down and staying over until tomorrow.
Edward and Charlie's relationship had gotten much better in the past two years. They even went fishing together every now and then when we were up in Forks. And that was probably one of the highest praises you could get in my father's book.
I knew that our families would be thrilled by our news.
Too soon, too soon, a little voice inside me chanted. I knew that. We would wait a while before revealing it, but I really wanted to tell them.
When I got back to the house, I saw that our guests had already arrived. Edward had moved the Volvo into the garage and Carlisle's Mercedes was now parked in the spot it had occupied. I pulled up next to it and turned the engine off.
"Hi!"
I turned at the sound to see Sue coming out the front door, Esme a few steps behind her.
"Hi!" I went to meet them, hugging them both tightly.
"I see that you survived the shopping with Alice," Esme joked.
"Just barely," I joked back. "When Alice is on a mission…"
"Don't I know it." Esme nodded in an understanding way.
"I am glad it's over, though," I admitted, going back to the car to get the cake and the bag with my clothes.
"That is the normal response when you're finally released from Alice's shopping-crazy clutches," Edward remarked smilingly, coming out the door as well. "Hey."
"Hey." I willingly let him pull me into a hug.
Esme took the box with the cake from my hand and she and Sue went back inside, giving us a moment of privacy.
"Are you going to welcome me like this every time I leave for a couple of hours?" I wondered teasingly. "I like it."
"Go ahead and tease," he mumbled against my hair. "I won't deny it, I missed you."
His words tugged at my heart, and I realized that I had missed him too. I always did when we were apart, no matter for how insignificant an amount of time. I never realized just how much until we were together again.
"I missed you too," I murmured back, wrapping my arms a little tighter around him.
"I'm glad." He placed a kiss on my temple and then pulled away. "Now, we have guests to entertain."
"Of course."
He took my hand, and we went into the house together.
Charlie and Carlisle had already claimed the couch in the living room, the TV on to some baseball game. Lily was curled up in one of the armchairs, seemingly watching the game with much interest. I briefly wondered if my father's interest in sports had skipped a generation and gone straight to my daughter. Esme was just closing the fridge after having put the cake away, and Sue was leaning against the kitchen counter. They were apparently discussing Seth, who had just come home for the summer from college.
"Hey dad, Carlisle," I called in the direction of the living room.
"Hey, Bells," Charlie replied without looking up from the game.
"Hello, Bella." Carlisle looked up at me and smiled.
One out of two wasn't bad.
"I'll just go put this away," I said, turning to Edward. I climbed the stairs and went into our bedroom, where I pulled the skirt and top from the bag and hung them over the back of the rocking chair; Alice would never forgive me if I ruined her perfect outfit by showing up at the party in wrinkled clothes.
I was about to leave when I spotted the plastic stick that was still lying on the nightstand on Edward's side of the bed. I picked it up and smiled. We had gotten a little… carried away after Edward had opened his 'present'. The memory of his fervent kisses and what had followed them almost made me blush.
I put the test back in the box and put the box in the drawer in my nightstand before leaving the room. It would be nice to keep it, as a memory.
Edward
It was silly, I knew. But the moment Bella left the house, my entire body seemed to be aware that she was no longer close. She would just be gone for a few hours, this feeling was completely pointless. But also very there. I always felt a twinge of loss whenever we weren't together, but this was a lot worse than usual. Ten times stronger.
I sighed.
"Hey dad, can I play on the trampoline?" Lily's voice brought me out of my musings and I silently thanked her for the distraction.
"Sure, princess," I replied. "Go on out, I'll be there in a moment."
Lily happily skipped off out the French doors to the garden. I got up, rinsed off the plates and glasses and put them in the dishwasher before I followed her into the back yard. She wasn't allowed to be on the trampoline without supervision, and when she spotted me, she quickly climbed through the opening in the net.
I had tried the trampoline a few times, and couldn't quite comprehend the allure of jumping on it, but then again, I wasn't eight years old. Lily always had a blast.
I kept an eye on her as she jumped, going a little higher with every bounce. In the meantime, my mind was free to wander.
I replayed the moment this morning in my head, when I had ripped the paper off the box with the positive pregnancy test. A smile spread automatically on my face.
It had been a disappointment when nothing had happened the month after Bella stopped taking her birth control pills. And as the months passed, I had lost a little hope. Despite Bella telling me over and over that it was only to be expected, that it would take some time for her body to adjust to the change, I had started fearing that maybe something was wrong. And now… I already had everything I could ever ask for, and, somehow, I was going to get even more. The thought was mindboggling.
An image was forming in my head. A little boy, with brown hair and Bella's nose, playing with Lily in the back yard. The two of us throwing a baseball between us, Little League, talking about girls…
The image wouldn't leave me alone, and as I continued to watch Lily on the trampoline, an entire life played out in front of my eyes. A life that, only a few years ago, I had never thought I would get.
xxxxx
Lily and I had just finished lunch and were watching SpongeBob when we heard a car pull up outside the house a little before one in the afternoon.
"They're here!" Lily squealed excitedly, jumping down off the couch and running towards the door. I followed her at a more leisurely pace, getting to the front door just as Lily threw her arms around Esme's neck.
"Hey everyone, welcome," I greeted with a smile. It had been less than two weeks since we had last seen them, on Noah's third birthday on June second.
"Hey there." Charlie was the first to return my greeting. "Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks."
"I'm warning you," he continued. "These two have brought enough stuff for a month-long visit."
I laughed. Esme and Sue always packed like they were going to be gone for weeks rather than days whenever they came to stay.
"Oh, shush you!" Sue slapped Charlie playfully on the arm. "You don't know the first thing about clothes." She turned to me. "Happy Birthday!"
"Thank God for that," Charlie muttered under his breath, opening the trunk to get their bags.
"Thank you." I smiled at Sue.
"Happy Birthday, darling." Esme was next, and I returned the hug.
"Thanks, mom."
"Happy Birthday, son." Carlisle took Esme's place.
"Good to see you, dad."
"And they have actually brought more stuff than usual," he commented after releasing me.
"Oh, be quiet!" Esme elbowed him in the ribs. "There are presents in there, as you well know!"
I chuckled at their display and grabbed two bags from the trunk that Charlie had opened. I lead the way into the house and up the stairs, going to the rooms that they usually stayed in when they visited.
"That's Sue's," Charlie said, pointing to one of the bags in my hand. "I think the other one's your mom's."
I put Sue's bag down on the bed in her and Charlie's room and took the other one with me into my parent's room. Carlisle was already there with the rest of their luggage.
"You weren't kidding about the packing," I noted when I saw the two large suitcases on the floor.
"There are really presents in there," he said. "You haven't been invaded, don't worry."
"That's not what I meant." I shook my head. "You know we love having you here."
"We know," he assured me.
At that moment, I heard the sound of another car pull into the driveway. Bella was home.
Carlisle and Charlie followed me downstairs, going into the living room and turning on the TV to a baseball game. Lily curled up in one of the armchairs with them while I followed Esme and Sue, who had disappeared out the front door.
"I am glad it's over, though," Bella was saying when I got outside. I assumed she was talking about her shopping trip with Alice.
"That is the normal response when you're finally released from Alice's shopping-crazy clutches," I pointed out. "Hey."
I walked down the steps and put my arms around her, pulling her as close as I could.
"Hey."
I was vaguely aware of my mom taking something out of Bella's hand before going into the house with Sue.
"Are you going to welcome me like this every time I leave for a couple of hours?" Bella asked in a teasing voice. "I like it."
"Go ahead and tease," I mumbled, burying my face in her hair and inhaling that scent that was just her. "I won't deny it, I missed you."
"I missed you too," she replied after a moment, her arms tightening around me.
"I'm glad." I kissed her temple before pulling away. "Now, we have guests to entertain."
"Of course."
I didn't take her exasperated tone seriously; I knew she loved having both my parents and Charlie and Sue here.
I took her hand and pulled her with me back into the house.
"Hey dad, Carlisle," she called when she spotted our fathers in the living room.
"Hey, Bells." Charlie's attention stayed on the screen.
"Hello, Bella." Carlisle offered her a smile.
She turned back to me.
"I'll just go put this away," she said, holding up a JC Penney bag.
I watched as she climbed the stairs. A smile spread on my face, just like it always did when I stopped to marvel at the fact that this amazing woman was actually mine.
Bella
Alice and Jasper arrived a little before six, and fifteen minutes later, Angela, Ben and Jake joined the party as well. When Emmett and Rosalie shoed up at half past, the guest list was complete. Lily quickly claimed Noah's attention; she loved playing with her cousin. I smiled as I watched her pull him along into the living room, imagining her reaction when we told her that she was going to be a big sister. She would be ecstatic.
"OK, time for presents!" I announced, ushering Edward into the living room. Emmett was just putting a wrapped parcel with the rest of the presents on the coffee table. "Sit!" I pushed Edward down on the couch where Alice was already seated.
The rest of us stood around, watching as they opened the gifts. Lily beamed with pride when Edward announced that the best present was the one that she had given him. As he said this, he glanced at me, and I knew that the very best present wouldn't be arriving for another eight months or so.
After all the presents were opened, I went into the kitchen and got the cake out of the fridge. I had gotten one candle in the shape of a five and one in the shape of a two, making fifty-two together, and I put them into the cake and lit them before carrying it into the living room. When I entered the room, we all sang Happy Birthday.
After the cake had been eaten – courtesy of Emmett, who made a sacrifice and finished the last piece – the party moved into the back yard. Surprisingly enough, the sun was still shining in an almost completely blue sky and it was pretty warm out.
Edward and Jake took care of the grill, getting hamburgers and hot dogs from the freezer, Alice got on the trampoline with Lily, Emmett and Jasper started tossing a football and the rest of us just sat around, enjoying the afternoon sun.
We stayed in the back yard until after the sun sank behind the horizon. When I checked my watch, I was surprised when I saw that it was a quarter past ten, way after Lily's usual bedtime.
"Time for bed, sweetie," I told her where she was sitting in Esme's lap on the porch swing.
"'m not tired," she mumbled sleepily, fighting to keep her eyes open.
"Sure you're not." I didn't bother arguing; she would be passed out within five minutes anyway.
"Why don't I read you a story, how about that?" Esme suggested and Lily nodded slowly. I doubted she would make it through the first page. She would fall asleep the moment he heard hit the pillow.
"Goodnight, honey." I placed a kiss on Lily's forehead. "Go say goodnight to your dad."
"OK." She stumbled behind Esme over to where Edward, Emmett, Jacob and Jasper were sitting, by the sound of it discussing the latest football game. I sat down on the swing and watched as she hugged her father and uncles before following Esme into the house.
"She'll be out within minutes," Edward noted, coming over to sit down next to me. He pushed off against the porch and the swing started moving a little.
"No kidding," I replied, leaning my head against his shoulder. "It's been a long day, and it's past ten."
"Maybe she'll even sleep in tomorrow morning," he said in a hopeful voice.
"You honestly believe that?" I asked incredulously. "She'll be up at the crack of dawn, like always on weekends."
"You're probably right," he admitted. "I don't get that. On school days, you can barely drag her out of bed, and on the weekends, she's up before you have the chance to react."
"Kid thing," I offered in explanation.
We sat in silence for a while, swinging back and forth. After about five minutes, Emmett and Rose, carrying Noah in her arms, came over from where they had been sitting.
"We're going to head home," Emmett said. "Need to get this one into bed." He nodded to Noah, who was dead to the world.
"Happy Birthday again," Rosalie said, giving Edward a hug.
"Thanks Rose."
"Yeah, Happy Birthday, bro." Emmett mock-punched Edward in the shoulder.
"Bye, guys," I said, waving after them.
A few minutes later, Angela, Ben and Jacob left as well, and soon after them, Alice and Jasper said goodnight too.
"Well, that's everyone," Carlisle said. "I think I'll go join Esme upstairs, I assume she went straight to bed after putting Lily down."
"I think we'll call it a night too," Charlie agreed and he and Sue followed Carlisle into the house.
"Alone at last," Edward mumbled when they had disappeared, pulling me closer.
"Finally!" I jokingly agreed.
"Not that I don't love our family and friends, but I thought they'd never leave," he half-complained. I knew he wasn't serious, but I also knew what he meant.
"Well, it's just you and me now," I pointed out, leaning in to give him a quick kiss. "So, are you happy with today?"
"I've gotten everything I could ever want, and more," he replied. "This really is the best birthday ever."
"Really?"
"Definitely," he assured me. He ran his fingertips down my cheek, and I leaned into his touch. "I would even go as far as saying that it's one of the best days ever. At least top ten."
"Oh yeah?"
"Absolutely."
"It's not midnight yet," I pointed out. "Is there anything else you want for your birthday?"
"I can honestly not think of one thing that would make today any better than it already is," he said, shaking his head. "It was perfect even before we got up this morning."
"Oh yeah?"
I definitely knew what he was talking about. Still, I could think of a few things that would make today even better… I got up from the swing and he frowned, trying to pull me back down next to him. I slipped out of his grasp and instead sat down in his lap, one leg on either side of his, and gave him another kiss, this one a little longer, more sensual.
"There's really nothing you can think of?" I murmured in his ear.
"Well… when you put it that way."
AN: OK, I totally stole the Gucci line – I heard it on NCIS and immediately thought that it was such an Alice thing to say. So I just had to use it. I hope you liked this, let me know! You know I love reviews…
