Chapter Four

John

I was going to be a father, what else could I possibly want? We had planned to travel yes but this was far more important now. We could travel with the baby, it wouldn't stop us. It would make our little family complete. I had Bella for my wife and now there was a baby, our baby, on the way.

Life hadn't been easy for Bella or her mother, too much tragedy, more than a girl her age should have to face but now there would be something wonderful in her life, a new life. I knew Charlie's death had been a shadow that lay over her although she tried really hard not to show it but now the shadow was gone, chased away by the imminent arrival of the baby. Everyone we knew including the Clearwaters were waiting excitedly, wanting to know the sex but Bella had told her obstetrician that she didn't want to know and I went along. So long as it had all the requisite parts I really didn't mind, a boy or a girl.

We had decided on names, Charlie if it was a boy and Rebekkah Isabella if a girl. Rebekkah was a family name, my mother's, her mother's, carried by every first born girl in the family and Bella was happy to carry it on which pleased me.

My aunt was over the moon and sent her blessings and as she was too frail to travel I promised to take our baby to see her as soon as we could travel. I'd put in extra hours at the garage to earn a bit extra so we could buy all the things a baby needed and there were a lot more than I imagined. We decided not to break into our traveling savings unless we really had to.

I did up the tiny room that had been our store room with Bella's help and it was soon full of gifts that rolled in from everyone who knew us, stuffed animals, clothes, a bottle sterilizer and some things I didn't even recognize, but the thing we were most proud of was the mobile we made between us to hang over the crib.

I cut the animal shapes out of wood and Bella painted them and gave them tails, manes, and whiskers where appropriate then we threaded them on plaited leather thongs and hung them on a clockwork mechanism I had found in the junk and refurbished. It looked great and hung there ready and waiting for its first customer. It was something we would keep for any future babies too and hopefully hand down as a family heirloom.

When the day came and went without baby making an appearance I began to worry but Bella sat there serene like a Buddha, hands clasped over her huge belly telling me that baby wasn't ready to make an appearance yet. By day three even Renee was on the phone wanting to know how much longer Bella was going to hang on to this kid and Sue was standing by ready should she be needed as the weather was turning bad. Snow, ice, hail, and freezing fog, just the kind of weather you wanted when a fast trip to the maternity hospital was on the cards.

Of course, that was the night Becca decided to make her entrance and of course we couldn't get to the hospital so Sue was roped in as midwife and delivered our daughter at midnight. She was healthy and noisy, protesting her home delivery until I took her in my arms when she quietened like it was a miracle. When I looked down on my daughter, tiny but perfect in every way I saw Bella. Becca had her eyes and my hair but also my nose poor girl.

She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen and as I touched her warm wrinkled little face she smiled. Sue told me it was wind but I thought she recognized her daddy and I promised to make her childhood the most magical time. I would build her a castle to play in, teach her to swim in the creek and track rabbits and deer, we would have parties, read stories, learn to ride a pony, travel, and I would build her a bike.

Bella looked at me oddly when I said that so I had to add hastily a push-bike. In my mind, I was thinking she would never go on a motorbike, or dating, or school, I just wanted her to be safe and happy with her mom and me. In short, I was besotted and looking forward to life as a father.

Bella

I'm not sure how I expected John to act with a tiny baby but he was knocked out by his daughter. In fact, I had trouble wrestling her off him to feed her and as for rocking her to sleep, forget it. She was going to be a real daddy's girl and I loved it. To see John with our tiny infant did something to me, a warmth deep in my chest and for the first time in a long while I thought of Edward.

I'd told him I didn't care about being a mother, about having children and at the time I meant it, but now I had my baby in my arms I knew that I had been wrong. Given the choice, I would stay here with John and our daughter despite whatever Edward could have offered me.

Renee was coming to visit, eager to see our new arrival but she slipped in the supermarket and broke her leg the day before her flight so we agreed to fly down with Becca to meet her grandma. We were going to visit John's aunt afterward.

"Oh God Bella, not Grandma, it makes me sound ancient, couldn't she just call me Renee?"

John was horrified at that thought so they compromised on Nanna which she said didn't sound quite so bad. Since Becca was only a few weeks old I didn't think it mattered much yet but then the visit was for Renee's benefit, not Becca's

The flight took most of our spare money but that couldn't be helped, I understood how important it was to Renee to see her granddaughter as soon as possible and she had arranged for a friend to leave her car at the airport for us so we had transport for our visit. Becca slept in John's arms for most of the flight and I noticed a lot of glances his way but then such a good looking guy with such a small baby was something worth looking at. I was proud of my little family and happier than I had ever been.

Renee was over the moon when we arrived and immediately took Becca from my arms but then realized she couldn't manage a baby and crutches but made me promise to hand Becca back as soon as she was sitting down. The house she was renting was untidy but then she couldn't do much at the moment so I took over the cooking and housework while Renee cooed over Becca.

"Your dad would be so proud and I love her name. It's a lovely tradition passing a name down and such a pretty name. She's got his smile you know."

I went to look at my daughter who was beaming at her Nanna but I couldn't see it, I thought she had her father's bright smile, a smile much like another I had seen somewhere in the past, but I didn't say so.

Between us John and I got everything sorted out for her, including the small garden with its half-dead potted plants. Becca had taken to Renee and from what I could see I thought my mother had finally grown into the role of adult, she was far better with her granddaughter than she had ever been with me as a child. It was a shame she never had more children because I thought she would be a great parent once she had matured.

"You are a much better mother than I was Bella."

She sounded wistful,

"I knew you would be, you were always more adult than me. Now I wish I was still living in Forks. It would have been nice to be around her more. Still, I hope you'll visit often and I will certainly be coming to Forks more than I ever expected to. I assume you won't be dragging my granddaughter around the world until she is old enough to appreciate it."

I hadn't really thought about that, it was something John and I would decide between us no doubt.