Chapter Ten: We're Young Enough to Say
Bella's POV
"Yes!" I moaned as Edward pounded into me. "Fuck!" I cursed, arching my back as I came. He was right behind me, and collapsed into a pile of mush on top of me. "I love birthday's," I panted as he pulled out of my and pulled me close to his hot, sweaty body.
"Yeah." He chucked, pushing the hair stuck to my forehead away. "We should have them more often." With two kids, our sex life wasn't that interesting...but it sure was good when we actually had the chance. He reached down and pulled the covers over us, and I leaned over to turn the bedside lamp off.
This was one of the best birthday's I'd ever had.
Waking up in the morning was one of the best experiences I'd had since moving to Chicago. Suddenly, I wasn't full of dread of what kind of phone call we'd get from Esme or afraid Edward would be in a mood. Things suddenly felt...better. It was like last night we had made a promise to each other that everything was okay again and that we'd start working harder at understanding each other.
"I think Paige is awake." Edward mumbled, rolling over onto his back. I listened closer and heard our baby girl cooing away in her nursery. "I'll get her." He mumbled, standing up and pulling a pair of clean boxers on. I jumped out of bed and pulled on clean panties and a sports bra, along with one of Edward's old tshirts. I went downstairs and grabbed Paige's cereal along with a banana to cut up for her.
"Morning, Mommy." Edward laughed as he carried Paige into the kitchen. He brought her over to me, and I gave her a kiss on the hand before he set her in her highchair. "Paige is still snoring away."
"She does not snore." I laughed, gently hitting him with the spatula I was using to make the scrambled eggs.
"Whatever you say." He rolled his eyes, taking a piece of banana off of Paige's tray. Just as I was scooping the eggs onto a plate, my phone rang and Edward took our plates over to the kitchen table.
"Hello?" I asked, putting pieces of bread into the toaster.
"Are you busy?" Alice asked, sounding out of breath.
"No, why?" I asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, but get dressed and be ready in five minutes." She ordered and hung up the phone. I turned to Edward who was giving me a confused look, and I just shrugged.
"I think I'm being kidnapped by Alice." I laughed, pulling the toast out of the toaster and giving a slice to Edward. "Are you good here?"
"I think I can manage." He smiled as Paige begged to be let out of her high chair. She hated that thing, and I couldn't blame her. I didn't like feeling trapped either. "I'll get her out in a second, you go put some pants on."
"Yes, sir." I laughed, running upstairs and finding one of my own tshirts and pulling on a pair of old jeans. I threw my hair in a ponytail and quickly put my contacts in. Just as I was putting my wedding bands on, there was a loud honk coming from the driveway. I looked out the window and saw Alice's bright, yellow car sitting on the street and shook my head. I had no idea why she wanted a car that bright.
"Love you!" I called to Edward as I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. Rosalie was sitting in the front seat, so I jumped in the back. For a second, it felt like the three of us were in high school again because this was something that frequently happened. We never gave each other any reason or context when we'd picked each other up to go do something.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked as Alice drove down the street.
"CVS." Rosalie whispered.
"What?" I asked, but no one answered me after that. Alice drove to the nearest CVS and parked in the stork parking space, and I knew she felt good that she could finally use those spots since she looked like she was about to burst. We made our way inside and Rosalie led us to the aisle with the condoms and pregnancy tests.
"Which one?" She asked, looking at the variety of pregnancy tests in front of us.
"I used Clear Blue." Alice told her, picking up a box and holding on to it.
"Rose?" I asked, and she turned to me, looking way more scared than she should. "You really think?"
"I'm three weeks late." She sniffed, and I hadn't realized how red her eyes were. "I shouldn't even waist my money on these tests, but I don't want to go to the doctor unless I'm sure."
"I always used First Response." I told her. We picked out two more tests because she needed to absolutely sure about this. This was the same way I was acting when they took me to buy pregnancy tests when I got pregnant with Ava, and I wasn't sure she was so upset about it.
"Can we do this at your house?" Rosalie asked as we bought a big thing of orange juice for her to drink.
"Sure," I nodded.
"Edward can't know." She pointed out.
"He won't." I assured her. "I think he's planning on taking Paige to Carlisle's house before I get back. And Ava wouldn't say anything if she found out."
"Okay," She whispered as we made our way to check out. When we got back to my place, Edward was already gone and I could hear the shower on in the bathroom upstairs. Alice and I drank orange juice with her and waited for her to have to pee. When she said she was ready, we went into my bedroom and shut the door. Alice and I sat on the bed while she went into the bathroom to take the tests.
"Can someone set a timer?" She asked as she came out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed with us. Alice grabbed her phone, set a timer, and grabbed Rose's hand.
'Rose, why are you so upset about this?" I asked. "You're acting like I did when I wasn't sure if I was pregnant with Ava."
"Because I mentioned something to Emmett about being late..." She trailed off, and tears started streaming down her cheek. "And he said he didn't want anymore kids. And we got into a huge fight and that's when Alice called you."
"I'm sure he was just overwhelmed." Alice whispered.
"Hunter was an accident." She reminded us. "I don't even know if he ever wanted kids, but he wasn't going to leave me because I'd gotten pregnant."
"Yeah, and he loves Hunter way more than most fathers do." I told her. "He just needs time to cool off, this is big news."
"I just want our baby to be loved." She sighed, placing her hand on her stomach.
"They will be." Alice smiled. "Emmett doesn't have a good filter, but I know he'll love this baby. And plus, we already love him."
"Absolutely." I laughed, giving her a nudge as Alice's phone went off. The three of us took a deep breath, standing up and walking into the bathroom. All four pregnancy tests were positive, and Rosalie started to cry. However, neither Alice or I were sure if it was because of sadness or happiness, but we tightly hugged her regardless. Rosalie told me she wasn't ready to face Emmett yet, so we threw three of the tests in the garbage and went downstairs. Ava was sitting on the couch, reading her book quietly, and smiled at us as we walked downstairs.
"Hi, guys!" She cheered, closing her book and setting it aside. She followed us into the kitchen and sat down at the island with us, folding her hands on the counter top. "So, what kind of adult topics are we discussing today?"
"Sex, love, adultery." Alice mocked, but I had to shoot her a disapproving look. Even as adult Ava seemed, she was still only fourteen and most certainly not ready to talk about adultery with my friends. "I'm only kidding."
"What are you reading, Ava?" Rosalie changed the subject as I poured coffee grounds into the maker.
"The Giver." She answered, snagging a pear from the bowl.
"That was one of my favorites." Alice smiled as the coffee pot dinged. I grabbed three mugs from the cabinet, as well as a glass for Ava's orange juice, and placed them in front of where they were sitting.
"It's okay." Ava shrugged. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is still by far my favorite book I've read for school so far."
"Just like your mother." Rosalie laughed, taking a sip of her coffee.
"What other homework do you have this weekend, sweetie?" I asked as I heard the garage door go up.
"I have the rest of my reading, some math, and a take home history quiz." She answered. Just like me, Ava was in the honors program at her school, and she was doing well since this school was just a little bit harder than her school in Seattle.
"Why don't you go get a start on that?" I asked.
"I can just leave if you guys wanna talk." She laughed, jumping off the stool and grabbing her glass. "You don't have to plot to get rid of me."
"Just go do something else." I laughed, waiving her away. As Ava was leaving the kitchen, Edward walked in with Paige in his arms. She reached for me immediately and I grabbed her, cuddling her close to me. I obviously loved having Edward around with Paige, but sometimes I missed having them all to myself. It was kind of nice to not have to share Ava when she was a baby.
"Everything okay?" He asked as he grabbed a mug for himself, but once he took a sip of the coffee, he spit i back into the cup. "What the hell is this?"
"Decaf." I laughed. "Alice can't have regular coffee, remembered?"
"Oh yeah, the worst part of the pregnancy." Edward laughed and I elbowed him in the stomach.
"How's your Dad?" Rose asked.
"He was good today." He smiled, sitting on the stool Ava had just vacated. "Paige always brightens his day."
"She brightens everyone's day." I cooed as I kissed her little cheek.
"Oh, have you and Jasper talked names yet?" Rosalie asked and I knew she was desperately trying to avoid the conversation about her being pregnant.
"A little." She shrugged. "I want to name his Brandon, but Jasper doesn't particularly love that name." She told us. "But, he said if I really like it then he'd be okay with it being his middle name."
"It should definitely be apart of his name since it is your maiden name." Rosalie encouraged her.
"I agree, which is why I like it for a first name." Alice shrugged. "We've still got some time though." She smiled, placing her hand on her stomach.
With Rosalie and Emmett staying for the entire week, we really got to catch up on what was going on at home. Phone calls and FaceTime were never enough when we talked to them, and it was so great having all six of us back tougher. I could also tell how much Carlisle liked having them in Chicago, and it was amazing that his spirits were so high with them around. Plus, as much as he loved Paige, I knew he secretly wanted a grandson, so having Hunter around was nice for him as well.
Rosalie had told Emmett that she was officially pregnant, and like Alice and I predicted, he was overjoyed. It took him a few minutes while he let the news sink in, but after he'd had time to think, he was spinning her around and throwing out baby names already. Just like he did when she announced her first pregnancy. I loved seeing them this happy and going this strong since we thought their marriage was a little too rushed. I had never been happier to be wrong about something.
"You almost ready?" Edward asked as he walked into our bathroom the day before Emmett and Rosalie were heading back to Seattle. The six of us were going out to eat while Esme came over to keep an on the the girls.
"Yeah," I smiled.
"Can I asked something?" He asked, sitting down on the toilet.
"Sure?"
"Are you pregnant?" He asked, showing me one of Rosalie's positive pregnancy tests, wrapped up in tissue paper.
"No," I shook my head. "Alice wanted to make sure she was actually pregnant." I lied because I knew Emmett wanted to tell him and Jasper himself.
"Oh," He hung his head low, throwing the test back in the trash.
"Do you want me to be?" I asked. Paige was only eight months old, and we hadn't talked about having another kid at all. I knew he wanted more than one, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for a new baby quite yet. Paige wasn't even potty trained yet, and I didn't think I could be changing two kids diapers yet.
"I mean, I do want more kids." He nodded his head, looking back up at me. "But, I don't think we're ready yet."
"Me either." I laughed. "Do you know how many diapers we'd be changing if we had a baby before Paige was potty trained?"
"Oh god." He smiled, standing up as I clasped my necklace shut. He came up behind me and gently placed his hands on my hips, kissing the back of my neck. "You look beautiful."
"You don't look so bad yourself." I whispered, leaning back into him. He kissed my neck again, eliciting a small moan from me. I looked at the clock we had in the bathroom, and I knew we'd be late if we did anything, but at that moment, I didn't care. We were in a kidless house for once, so I turned around in his arms and crashed my lips into his.
"We're gonna be late." He reminded me as I kissed his jawline, unbuttoning his blue shirt.
"Don't care." I whispered, pushing his shirt off his shoulders. He gripped my hips tighter, picked me up and set me on the counter. He pressed his lips against mine as I shaded my jean jacket and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck again.
"Fuck, no kids in the house is awesome." Edward said in between kisses as he kissed his way down my neck. He pulled the top of my dress down, revealing the swell of my breasts and licked his lips. He kissed the top of my breasts as I tried undoing his belt, but failed. I jumped off the counter, and raised my arms over my head, telling him to remove my dress.
But, just as he'd thrown my dress on the floor, my phone began ringing.
"We're not even late yet." I wined when I saw Alice's name on my screen. "Hello?" I asked as Edward came up behind me, kissing my neck...completely working me up.
"Bella?" Alice cried. "I think I'm having contractions and Jasper is stuck in traffic."
"You're having contractions?" I asked, shoving Edward off of me. "It's too early."
"Please just come." She breathed.
"Where are Rosalie and Emmett?" I asked as Edward walked into the bathroom to grab his shirt. I put her on speaker and grabbed my dress of the floor and pulled it back on.
"They were out all day and told us they'd just meet us at the restaurant." She whispered as Edward came out of the bathroom with my jacket in his hands.
"Okay, we'll be there soon, Alice." I assured her. "Just stay calm."
"Nice time," Edward laughed, trying to ease some of the tension as I grabbed my purse.
"It could be braxton hicks...but it could be real labor." I sighed as we made our way downstairs. Edward sent Jasper a text, telling him to meet us at the hospital as he grabbed his keys. We made our way over to their house and when I went inside to get Alice, she was sitting on the couch, sobbing.
"It's gonna be okay." I whispered, grabbing her arm and helping her off of the couch. I got her in the backseat, but her sobs didn't die down. I knew she was afraid of having this baby too early since she was born two months early, and had almost died in the NICU because she just wasn't developing.
When we got there, she was admitted and brought up to labor and delivery. When I called Jasper to see where he was, he told me there was a three car accident and wasn't sure how much longer he'd be sitting in traffic for. I held Alice's hand while Edward got ahold of Carlisle, begging him to come in and do anything he could for Alice.
Unfortunately, since Carlisle no longer worked for the hospital, he wasn't able to do anything.
"I'm so scared." Alice cried as we waited for her doctor to show up. "I don't want to lose this baby. Jasper will never forgive me."
"Hey," I whispered, squeezing her hand. "This could be false labor."
"It feels real." She sobbed, covering her face with her hands.
"Yeah, my false labor felt very real with Paige." I assured her. "Let's not assume the worse."
"Hi, Alice." Her doctor greeted as she came into the room. "We're going to check you out. Where's Jasper?"
"Stuck in traffic." She answered, taking a deep breath.
"Okay, well everyone needs to..."
"They can stay." She was quick to say. "Please, don't go anywhere."
"We won't." Edward assured her, grabbing her other hand. The doctor grabbed her stool and did a routine exam on her, and started to smile.
"How long have you been having these contractions, Alice?" She asked, removing her gloves and washing her hands.
"A few hours.
"Well, I have some good news." She smiled. "With active labor, your cervix would have dilated by now, even if it was very slight."
"So, she isn't in labor?" I asked, squeezing her hand.
"No, these are Branxton Hicks contractions." The doctor smiled as the door swung open. Jasper walked in, looking completely flustered and worried. "I was just telling Alice that she is not in labor today."
"Thank god." He cried as Edward and I stepped back, giving them their space.
"But, I do recommend that you start taking it easy." Dr. Gear said, making me laugh. Alice never took it easy. "And I'm going to keep you here overnight, just to be sure."
"Thanks, Dr. Gear." Alice smiled, putting her head to Jaspers. Just as Dr. Gear was exiting the room, I saw Rosalie and Emmett walking towards the room. They looked worried, but they could tell everything was okay by the way Alice and Jasper were acting.
"We brought food." Emmett laughed, holding up the Wendy's bags.
"Good, I'm starving." Alice laughed, taking one of the bigger bags from Emmett. "Oooo you got the spicy chicken!"
"Alice, we brought everything because we had no idea what you like these days." Rosalie laughed, distributing the rest of the bags to us. "So, I know this wasn't exactly what we had planned for tonight, but Emmett and I have some news."
"Your'e moving here?" Edward asked excitedly, but was immediately turned down.
"Rosalie's pregnant." Emmett smiled, and both Jasper and Edward dropped what was in their hands.
"Again?" Jasper asked, moving to Emmett to give him a hug.
"I'm about two months." Rosalie smiled.
"Did you two know?" Edward asked, looking between Alice and I. I nodded my head and they both just rolled their eyes. "Of course you knew."
"We know everything, babe." I smiled, wrapping my arm around his waist.