Warning: Does contain Mature Content

Disclaimer: I don't own them…it's too bad. I am not affiliated with the author or the franchise, etc. NO copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: So…I know I said the summer would be at the beach, but this summer they don't make it there. This is the first August after Hailey was born. Enjoy Momella and Daddyward as they first enter the world of parenthood. Hope you enjoy! (I even managed to squeeze a little lemon zest in for you)

First Summer of Parenthood

EPOV

My eyes flew open the second I heard the tiny grunting noises coming from the bassinet with the frilly white eyelet ruffles at the end of our bed. I looked over to just barely see two tiny fists flying back and forth randomly above the tiny perfect person inside.

I smiled, moving as quietly as possible to get to my daughter before her grunts turned into cries that would wake her exhausted mother. Bella insisted that since she was nursing and didn't want the chance of Hailey developing nipple confusion, that she take every single night feeding. She was doing great recovering from the delivery, but the poor woman still needed her rest.

I lifted my beautiful princess carefully from the bassinet and tip toed out of the room with her, hoping to buy Bella another half an hour of rest at the very least. I carried Hailey to her nursery where I cooed at her while I changed her diaper, tickling her belly and telling her how much I loved her. I never dreamed I was capable of love until I met Bella and then she opened my heart so completely, so much so that I couldn't imagine how I could have room to love anything or anyone else nearly as much. Then Hailey was born and my heart was so full of love for both of my beautiful girls that it literally felt like it was going to burst straight out of my chest. Even now, two weeks later, I still wasn't entirely used to the things I felt when I watched my beautiful wife feed my perfect daughter in the most natural way possible.

Once I put a clean diaper on her, I took my time changing her into a little summer dress with a matching diaper cover that had been amongst the mountain of clothes Alice gave Bella at her baby shower. I slid one of those little elastic bands with a bow attached on her head, kissing the soft fragrant tufts of black hair as I settled into the rocker in the corner of the nursery with a contented sigh. My memories began to replay in my mind as my daughters tiny eyes began to flutter closed as she lifted a fist to her tiny bow shaped lips, sucking her knuckles comfortingly.

I came home from work to find Bella curled up in a ball on the couch, a blanket draped over her legs with a box of Kleenex at her side and a pile of used white tufts sitting next to it. I walked closer to see that she had fallen asleep with her head resting against the back, her red eyes and streaked cheeks informing me that she had been crying, and from the pile of tissues, I assumed it was a lot.

I knelt down in front of her, rubbing her arm comfortingly. She jerked awake when she felt my hand on her arm, her big brown eyes blinking at me slowly as they filled with tears.

"What is wrong, love? Why are you crying, sweetheart?"

She grabbed a tissue from the box, dabbing under her eyes as her free hand shot out to grab mine, gripping it tightly.

"You're scaring me, baby. What the fuck is wrong, Bella?"

She sniffled, her lips trembling as she began trying to talk, but only managing to emit a series of unintelligible vowels. I sighed, moving to sit on the couch before grabbing her to pull her onto my lap.

"I'm here, baby. No matter what it is, we're going to be okay. We'll figure it out together, but you HAVE to tell me what's wrong for me to be able to help."

She let out a hitching sound, shaking her head as she reached into the pocket of her hoodie. She pulled out a plastic storage bag with a long white stick inside. I took it in confusion, looking down to see that the white stick was actually a home pregnancy test with two pink lines.

I blinked a few times not able to comprehend what the small white stick meant for a moment before realization began to dawn on me. A Cheshire cat worthy smile spread across my face as I wrapped my arms around Bella, kissing her everywhere I could reach.

"Bella! This is Wonderful! Oh my God, baby! I love you!"

She turned a little more toward me, straddling my legs, wrapping her arms almost too tightly around my neck as she buried her face in my shoulder and sobbed even harder. I kissed her temple and rubbed her back soothingly.

After a few minutes, I gripped her shoulders to pull her back slightly to look me in the eye. "This is going to be great, Bella. You'll see. The timing is perfect. The facility is doing great and is self sustaining now, and you're already well into your last year of your residency. It's perfect."

She sniffled wiping at her eyes with a look of absolute exhaustion in her eyes. "I wouldn't exactly say that, Edward. My schedule is ridiculous, I'm only about six weeks along, and I'm dead on my feet all the time, and the morning sickness is already kicking my ass. How am I going to get through this year in this condition? What if my job causes a problem with the pregnancy? What if I have to go on bed rest like Rosalie and can't finish my residency? What if I come into contact with something at work that makes the baby and I sick?" She buried her hand in her face. "How am I going to do all of this?"

I sighed, running my hand through her hair and across her cheek. "WE will do this together. Don't worry about all of the 'what ifs' and just deal with things as they come. Worrying isn't going to do anything except maybe create a self fulfilling prophecy. We will figure this out. I'm sure you're not the first resident to get pregnant while in the program and certainly won't be the last. Go and have a discussion with Carlisle and a few of the heads of the program and get an idea of what to expect. Legally, I'm pretty sure they have to work with you if you end up having to take some time out from the program. One way or another, we'll get you through this."

She whimpered, nodding solemnly before cuddling back up to my chest. I ran my hands up and down her back, all the while jumping for joy inside that it was finally happening. I'd been daydreaming about the day when Bella would carry our child since the day I watched her hold newborn Emma in the hospital nursery. I couldn't be anything less than ecstatic that the day had finally arrived.

I kissed the side of Bella's head until she shifted so I could kiss her lips. I ran my hands across her cheeks and down her side to rest on her still flat stomach that would begin to expand with our baby in a few short months. She looked at me nervously as I smiled brightly at her.

"I know you're worried about everything, but I have to admit to you that I am so, so, very happy! I can't wait to meet our son or daughter. I hope that he or she looks just like you."

She shined a tired smile in my direction as she shook her head, her right hand absentmindedly dipping down to rest on her abdomen. "Don't curse the child. You definitely have the better genes in this marriage."

I shook my head with a small chuckle, leaning forward to kiss her lips softly, feeling like the luckiest fucking man in the world in that moment. She did her best to stifle the large yawn that overtook her body before smiling at me sheepishly. With a grin and a wink, I shifted her slightly to wrap my arms under her knees and around her back before standing up to carry her bridal style to our bedroom.

"You, my beautiful, pregnant wife, need your rest."

She snickered, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I'm pregnant, not disabled you know. I could walk."

I shot her an incredulous look before shaking my head. "Oh no, the mother of my children will not be burdening her precious feet when I can take the advantage to carry her as I am rarely allowed to do otherwise."

She chuckled before another yawn pushed its way through her tired mouth. She tightened her arms around my neck burying her fingers in my hair as she rested her head against my shoulder.

"Then I guess you should carry on then, but I fully expect the father of my baby to climb into bed with me as soon as he's gotten cleaned up and in his pajamas."

My cheeks ached as my smile grew impossibly wider. I loved the sound of that, 'the FATHER of her baby,' I was going to be a father! I rushed toward our bedroom, pulling back the covers before laying her gently on the mattress. She smiled up at me as I leaned down to tuck her in before kissing her forehead and then her lips softly.

Just before I stepped away to go take a quick shower, she grabbed my shirt and tugged me back. "Hurry, sweetheart. I need to feel your arms around me tonight more than ever."

I sighed with a nod before rushing through my nightly routine to climb into bed beside her and pull her close to me as I spooned myself against her back.

Hailey whimpered in my arms. It was amazing to me that I recognized her signals already. She was getting to the point where she wasn't going to be able to sleep much longer. This was the warning before the big cry would begin. From across the hall, Bella seemed to pick up on our daughter's impending distress with her supersonic mommysense, because she was awake and in the doorway with her arm already under her shirt fidgeting with the clasp on the flap of her nursing bra.

I smiled and stood up to allow her to take a seat in the rocker, handing her the boppy pillow that was sitting on the floor next to it so she could get situated. She pulled the foot rest out from under the rocker and got positioned before smiling up at me, gesturing that she was ready.

I carefully settled Hailey into her arms and took a seat on the floor at her feet to watch as she fed our baby. It still seemed so surreal to me that women could do this amazing thing. They actually GROW a person inside of their bodies and then they actually have the ability to make food for them inside their bodies as well.

Once Hailey was fed and happy, she drifted back to sleep. Bella settled her into the crib to nap before she crossed back to our room to get cleaned up while I made a call to check on how everything was going at the beach house. This was the first time in a decade that Bella and I hadn't made our yearly trip to the beach house. It made us sad to miss it, but we both agreed that we were just getting used to having a new baby and finally starting to get into a routine with her. Neither of us liked the idea of throwing her off just when we were getting settled in. Missing one summer was a small sacrifice.

I could hear Emma and Aleah playing in the background, their high pitched squeals overpowering even Emmett's loud voice. It made me sad to hear the commotion and know we were missing it all, but it would be there next year, and Hailey would actually be old enough to enjoy it. Before I was done, Bella came in and wanted to talk as well. I could see that she too was upset to miss out on a summer trip, but we were parents now and it was our job to put our kids first.

Hailey was still sleeping when we were done, so we crept quietly downstairs to throw together some breakfast. After a quick assembly of scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon later by yours truly, we settled in at the dining room table.

Bella smiled as I sat the plate in front of her, a surprise chocolate covered strawberry garnishing one corner of her plate. I kissed her on the forehead. "Happy Anniversary, Bella. I love you so much."

She smiled, hopping up to wrap her arms around my neck and kiss me passionately. "Happy Anniversary, Edward. Thank you."

We had only just begun eating when the tiny cries of our newly awakened baby filled the air. I chuckled, thinking that the kid definitely had a keen sense of timing, and hoping she didn't have as good of a spideysense when it came to our sexy times when Bella was allowed to enjoy them again. I walked in, cooing to her as I picked her up and changed her diaper before carrying her in to the dining room. Bella had inhaled her food so quickly that her plate was nearly empty, but I wanted her to finish in peace, so I settled Hailey in the crook of my arm as I sat down and started eating one handed.

Bella smiled, reaching over to tug the front of her dress down and coo at our little girl before returning her attention to cleaning her plate. She saved the strawberry for last, humming happily at the taste on her tongue. My body instantly reacted, making me feel like a jerk for getting horny when I knew there was nothing we could do about it, and a little gross for letting my mind go there while holding a baby.

Once she was done, she scurried off to the kitchen where she washed her plate and the pans I had cooked the food in before coming out to clean off the table. When that was all done, she took Hailey so I could finish my food, declaring it was tummy time. She laid out a blanket on the floor, setting the living room boppy (yeah, those things were so invaluable we had one in nearly every room of the fucking house), and propped Hailey up so that she was able to look around from her slightly elevated perch.

I slowly took bites of my food as I watched the two of them. Hailey was so adorable as she would try to lift her head and look around, but had so little control that her head sort of bobbed all around until she would get tired and lay it down with her face to one side or the other. Bella stretched out in front of her, talking to her and showing her toys as she tried to get her to look her way. Honestly, I thought it was a bit ambitious trying to get a two-week-old's attention like that, but Bella was relentless.

Our day continued on as it had for the past two weeks. I took a short break to run into town to check on the facility. We had hired additional staff, who were in charge of the one small class working through the system this week.

When I got back, I found my two girls sleeping soundly in our bedroom. Hailey had been changed into a sleeper, which I assumed was because she somehow managed to soil the little dress she had been in earlier. Bella was curled up on the bed under the covers. I couldn't resist climbing into bed with her and wrapping my arms around her body.

She sighed, snuggling back into my chest. I was just about to go under with them when Hailey began to whimper from her bassinet. In an instant, Bella was sitting up in the bed, looking toward the bassinet intently. I smiled, rubbing her arm as we waited to see if Hailey was waking up again or just dreaming. A few seconds later, our question was answered when the tiny whimper turned into a quiet cry.

Bella picked up Hailey and carried her into the nursery. I went to follow, but was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. I furrowed my brow wondering who could possibly be here considering everyone we spent time with was at the beach.

I made my way to the front door, opening it to find Mom's smiling face, Dad standing behind her with two suitcases in hand. Mom stepped forward to hug my neck and kiss my cheek as I asked what they were doing here.

Mom smiled, patting my cheek. "First of all, we're having major Hailey withdrawal. We desperately needed another dose of our grandbaby. And secondly, we are here to babysit so you and Bella can spend some time together for your anniversary. I know you will never talk her into staying overnight somewhere or even going into the city, but I was hoping you could get away for a nice dinner for a couple of hours or so, maybe even catch a movie if Bella pumps a bottle."

I smiled running a hand through my hair. "Thanks so much you guys. Maybe if we could get away for a quick dinner, it would be a nice time, but I don't think Bella will stay away long enough for that. She refuses to give Hailey a bottle. She says something about nipple confusion and having problems nursing or something."

Dad smiled, hugging me after sitting the suitcases down in the entryway. "I don't believe that one bottle will cause a problem for them, but either way, we're here to be of assistance. Perhaps you could come home so she could nurse and then go back out for a movie or something."

I smiled. "Maybe, thanks guys. Take whichever room you want. I'm going to go tell Bella you're here."

Bella was anxious about leaving Hailey, but also excited to be able to do something. She didn't think that we would be able to do much of anything. She took the time to get dressed up, curling her hair and putting on make-up before nursing Hailey one last time before we left. Dinner was nice, but we both found ourselves checking our phones every five or ten minutes to make sure we didn't miss a call.

We went home after dinner to find Hailey as happy as can be, staring up at her grandparents as they sat on the floor with her, showing her toys and pictures of animals. I chuckled at the thought that our kids were going to be the most advanced kids ever if their mother and grandparents had any say in the matter.

My heart melted in my chest when Bella finally spoke up, letting them know we were there and Hailey's head turned in the direction of Bella's voice, her unfocused eyes looking everywhere for her Mommy. Bella spoke again and she began to flail her arms and legs excitedly, hitting herself in the face in the process. She looked confused, looking toward where her hand had hit her before returning to the task of trying to find Bella.

Hailey cuddled up to Bella when she picked her up and carried her to the nursery to feed her. She fell asleep in her mother's arms, happy to have her back. According to Mom and Dad she had been an angel while we had been gone, but it was obvious that she definitely missed her Mommy.

Bella laid her in the crib when she was done burping her before the two of us returned to the living room where my parents were stretched out on the couch chatting quietly. They looked tired as did Bella, so I modified our plans slightly.

"Sweetheart, instead of the movie, what would you think of going for a walk with me back to the pond?"

She smiled happily, wrapping her arm in mine and resting her head on my bicep. "That sounds perfect."

I looked to my parents. "Hailey fell asleep, so we put her in her crib. We'll just be on the property if you need us, but she'll probably be down for a few hours. If you could just keep an ear out for her while we're outside, that would be great."

Mom smiled, "Of course, sweetheart. Have a nice walk."

I led Bella to the double doors that opened onto our back deck. The air was hot and balmy, the humidity making the air feel heavy as you breathed it in. The sun had set a while ago, a full moon taking its place in the sky. The crickets were chirping loudly all around us as we slowly made our way hand in hand through the back yard toward the pond on the back of our property.

As we drew closer, we could hear the frogs croaking on the banks before loud splashes informed us that they heard our approach and were frightened off. I led Bella out onto the small dock that jutted out onto the surface of the lake, to the two wooden Adirondack chairs we had sitting at the end that the boys and I often sat on when we took an afternoon off to fish. Our little pond was a pretty decent size and fed by a small creek that wrapped its way through the area, keeping the water from stagnating, and also providing us a prime fishing hole that was all our own.

I sat in one of the chairs, tugging Bella to sit on my lap. She cuddled close, smiling against my neck before she began placing small kisses along my collarbone. I sighed, enjoying the feeling of her lips on me. It had already been well over a month since we had sex and if we followed the doctor's orders we had another four very long weeks to go. Thankfully, we did follow the doctor's orders and stopped having sex a couple of weeks before, or else Hailey might have come before her residency was completed and that would have opened a whole other can of worms. As it was, it ended up working out perfectly. Bella was now able to practice wherever she pleased and no longer was stuck with dealing with the horribly grueling hours.

Her lips were deliciously torturous as they traveled back and forth across my neck before I felt her fingers fumbling with the buttons of my shirt, her mouth moving down to enjoy the exposed flesh from her effort. I felt like the king of the assholes as my hard on began to bulge through my pants onto her thigh, but she just looked up and smiled that devious smile that always means trouble.

All too soon, my shirt was tossed onto the other chair as her hands began to explore my chest while her lips came back up to my ear, nibbling gently. "I'm sorry that we still can't do anything yet. It really sucks that our anniversary had the ultimate cock block, but I want to thank you for being so patient."

I jerked and moaned as her hand slid behind the waistband of my pants, her fingertips brushing across the painful head of my ridiculously hard dick. I half heartedly mumbled that she didn't have to, but it didn't do any good since she already had my pants open and my exposed length in her hand, pumping steadily as she gazed up at me through her lidded eyes.

She shifted her position, laying along my legs as they rested on the footrest of the chair, her ass seated against my feet as her mouth came down to where I wanted her most. The selfish prick came out in me as my hands dove immediately into her hair, directing her movements the moment her wonderfully hot mouth enveloped me. I moaned, trying unsuccessfully not to thrust my hips up at her as she skillfully bobbed, her saliva deliciously polishing my neglected peen. Her hand slipped down to cup my balls the same moment she pushed further down, taking me into her throat and without warning I exploded, my sight blinded by the bright flashes of light behind my eyes.

She hummed around me as I twitched in her mouth, squirting endless sprays of my seed down her perfect throat. She licked me clean, finishing off with the slit at the top of my head which was so sensitive it was nearly painful.

She smirked sexily at me as she slid back up my body, licking her lips until they met mine. I moaned again at the taste of myself on her tongue. It wasn't a pleasant flavor, but the reminder of how fucking lucky I was made it hot. She rested her forehead on mine as we sat together, staring as my hands began to move up and down her body.

She threw her head back and moaned as they drifted over her chest and the moan was even louder when my thumbs drifted across the top of her underwear under the edge of her dress. My body reacted to the moisture already waiting there as I pressed through the cotton to tease her clit.

"The doctors said no intercourse right? But if I got you off simply through external stimulation, would that go against the orders?"

She moaned, shifting above me as I slipped my thumb under the edge of her underwear, pushing onto the swollen round nub. She rocked above me whimpering as I kissed her neck and continued to tease her. I could feel the wetness increasing around my fingers. I dipped a finger down to capture more to help with the work I was doing above and Bella damn near bucked herself out of the fucking chair.

I growled, knowing I could do much better. I picked her up, stepping to sit her in the second chair, ripping her panties away, and spreading her legs, resting her knees over each of the arms of the chair. I shoved the foot rest out of my way to kneel between her thighs, my mouth instantly descending to her sweet excited flesh. I lapped at the juices already waiting for me as my fingers continued to flick across her bundle of nerves. I moved up to lap at her clit with my tongue before slipping back down to her opening and teasing her gently while my fingers resumed working above. Within seconds she was screaming my name as she shoved my face hard against her while I lapped greedily at the flood of juices flowing from her perfect pussy.

When the last of her aftershocks passed, she yanked me up to her face, kissing me passionately, only stopping when my once again hard shaft brushed deliciously along her moistened folds. I had to fight every instinct inside me to keep from thrusting deep inside her. I desperately missed the feeling of her all around me, but I didn't want to hurt her either.

We stared at each other for a long time, both battling our desires, knowing we didn't want to do something to hurt her by acting impulsively. Finally, I found the will to pull back up my underwear and jeans as she shifted herself, straightening her skirt and staring in frustration at her shredded lace panties.

I snickered, leaning forward to kiss her neck. "Don't worry, love. I'll buy you more. I can't help it. I love ripping those flimsy little things you wear. It's just too much fun and I'm a very impatient man when it comes to you and your divine pussy."

She snorted, rolling her eyes before handing over my shirt that had been trapped under her as I savored my dessert. Once we were fully clothed again, we walked back toward the house, talking quietly. The house was dark and quiet when we entered, so we tip toed to our room where Bella disappeared to take a shower while I tossed my dirty clothes in the hamper and waited my turn.

We had both just climbed into bed when the soft cries of our daughter pulled us up again. We put on our robes and walked in to find my parents standing over her as they changed her diaper cooing happily at her. When they were done they turned to us with a smile.

"We've been talking," my dad slowly began as Mom handed Hailey to Bella once she was settled in the rocker to feed her. "I've decided that the time has come for me to retire. I know it's a bit early, but I'm tired of the stress and strain and what else did we work so hard for over these past forty years if it wasn't to enjoy these later years? We wanted to discuss it with you first, but we were thinking that perhaps we might either buy or build ourselves a place somewhere nearby so we can spend time with our grandkids and enjoy them while we can. Would you be opposed to that?"

Once the shock over the idea of Dad retiring passed, I smiled widely. "I think that would be wonderful. We really miss being closer to you guys. I'm sure everyone would enjoy having you around, and kids grow so fast…just look at Emma and Aleah! Definitely, I think it would be a great idea for you guys to move out this way if that is what you want."

They both beamed at me before looking adoringly down at their first official grandchild. "More than anything," my Mom whispered before leaning down to kiss Hailey's hand flailing around by Bella's collarbone before kissing Bella's cheek.

Once Hailey was fed and happy once more, we said goodnight, tucking her into the bassinet at the end of our bed. We curled up together under the covers and fell into a contented sleep.

Author's Note: This chapter and the next have been patiently awaiting the release of our lovely beta AgoodWITCH from her week long captivity in a hospital bed. Thankfully she's back and shot both of these back to me just a bit ago. There's so sad news that I will be attaching to the end of the next chapter, so please keep your eyes open. I wanted to post these here and finish it out for the fanfiction crowd, but it won't be able to stay for very long.