A/N: You are all so wonderful. I can't believe I already have over three-hundred reviews! Thank you so much!

Scorpio11 – Thank you for your wonderful skillz as always.

SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. If you go see "BD" before me, let me know what you think!

So, we get a lot in this chapter, including "the talk." Also, we get a little more 4-1-1 on Alice and Jasper.

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11.

EDWARD

"If this is how bad you play, we're playin' for cash when we hit the course," Jasper joked. We were at the driving range, and I was too busy thinking about Bella to really pay attention. I thought about Thursday night and the chance I took with buying the tickets to Atlanta the next weekend. I needed to call my mother and explain the situation regarding Bella's pregnancy to give her time to adjust, but I knew in my gut, it would be okay.

"I'm just a little pre-occupied. Bella's in Forks for her birthday and I miss her," I confessed. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out, knowing it was from the lady, herself. She'd been sending me texts telling me she missed me, and I was so happy I felt like I was drunk.

Jasper took a swing and sent the ball about two-hundred fifty yards, which impressed me. I hadn't played in a while so I was rusty, but he appeared to be a very accomplished golfer. I was never gonna play the boy for cash. I was pretty sure he'd clean me out.

"So, you've fallen hard for the little lady? That's kinda quick, ain't it?" he asked. It wasn't anything I hadn't said to myself the night before when I couldn't sleep because I felt like my heart was in a vice. Something had to give regarding how I felt about the girl because I was exhausted.

I placed a ball on the tee and picked up my nine-iron. I took a check swing, and then leaned on my club to address Jasper. "So, you and Miss Brandon? How long you two been together?" I asked. I needed some fucking perspective, and maybe hearing they'd been together for years and had taken the slow train to romance would snap me out of my fog.

Jasper laughed. "Son, you can't go by me and Alice. We're not your typical couple," he responded, leading me to believe it was as I suspected.

"Oh, so have you two been together for a long time? High school sweethearts and all that happy shit?" I asked. He looked like the type of guy who'd meet that one special girl and stay with her forever.

He laughed as I took my swing and saw the damn ball barely went a hundred yards. I shook my head and slammed my club back in my bag, done with making an ass of myself for the day. I looked up at Jasper and saw the sarcastic grin.

"So?" I asked, reminding him of my question.

"I met Alice the weekend before I moved here. I didn't even have a goddamn job. I lucked out findin' the one at JPM-C pretty quick, but I've only known Alice since June. We met at a bar in South Beach. She was on vacation, and I was down there for a job interview. After I met her, I chucked the interview, went back to Texas, packed my shit, and moved in with her within a week. I'm of the belief that when it's right, ya know it. That's why I said ya can't judge your relationship by mine," he explained.

Huh. Not at all what I was expecting. "So, what makes you think the same thing didn't happen to me when I met Bella?" I asked.

Jasper slid his driver into his bag and picked it up, slinging it over his shoulder. I saw we were finished, so I picked up my bag and followed him into the bar at the clubhouse. We sat down at a table and ordered a couple of beers and some nachos.

After the beers were delivered, he took a healthy swig and then looked at me. "Okay, in answer to your question, it's not that I think you're not the type of guy who isn't capable of fallin' fast and hard. It's just there's extenuatin' circumstances you need to consider. Are ya drawn to the woman herself, or is it the situation? I'm not the kind of guy who goes sneakin' around and listenin' to other people's phone calls, but I heard ya talkin' to someone on the phone one day right after ya started. Your door wasn't closed, but nobody else was around. I was gonna ask ya to lunch, but I heard ya on the phone so I stood by your door and waited.

"I heard you explain ya thought maybe Bella was bein' held against her will, and you wanted to get her out of the situation. I walked away when I heard it, and I'm assumin' it was all a misunderstandin' of some sort, but I think ya might be a 'knight-in-shining-armor' kinda guy. You saw a damsel in distress, and ya set out to save her. Is that all this is?" Jasper asked after his long-ass lead up.

When I thought about what he said, his assumptions made sense, but in my heart, I knew it wasn't like that at all. As I remembered back to the first time I met her when I went to the cookout at the McCarty's house, I remembered looking into her beautiful eyes and feeling heartsick at the thought she was taken. I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea she'd be into that sort of a situation of her own accord, so I think I turned it into the convoluted mess she was being held against her will.

Upon finding out the whole story, I was even more drawn to her, and the more time I spent with the woman, the more she was coming to mean to me. I knew, in my gut, I wasn't suffering from some 'save-the-cheerleader-save-the-world' complex. I had bona fide feelings for the woman, as my gut would attest at the mere thought of never seeing her again.

"Well, Dr. Phil thanks for your diagnosis, but I can promise ya it's nothin' like that at all. The more time I spend with the woman, the more drawn to her I am. We rarely talk about the pregnancy, though it doesn't bother me, but she's only gonna be pregnant until Christmastime. That's the important thing to me. We're takin' our time to get to know each other, and I'm not puttin' any pressure on her," aside from dragging her to Atlanta to meet my parents, "until after the babies. This ain't a short-term thing for me," I confessed to Jasper. I was sure I needed to make the same thing clear to Bella as well.

The nachos were delivered, and before we dug in, Jasper looked at me. "Well, Cullen, sounds like you've got your mind squared on it, so good luck." That was the end of all discussion on the matter.

A while later I walked into my apartment to the sound of my phone ringing. I picked it up and heard my mother's happy voice. "Hello, sweetie. How's my boy?"

I laughed. I needed to talk to her anyway, so I settled at the counter in my kitchen to explain to her about Bella. "I'm good. A little lonely right now, but that situation will take care of itself tomorrow evenin'. How's everything at home?" I asked, seeing if she'd take the bait.

"Well, you're Daddy's in Raleigh at a conference this weekend. He's interviewin' a young doctor to join his practice because you know your father can't say no to any of those ring-ding's that show up at his door, so he needs extra help. I've got the pool company here to close up the pool, which has your sister upset because she and Andy wanted to have a pool party for his buddies from the station, but really? Why on earth would I want a whole bunch…wait a minute. What do you mean your loneliness will take care of itself tomorrow evenin'?" she finally asked. I chuckled at how much she got out before my words sunk in.

"Get yourself a glass of tea and settle in. I've got somethin' to tell ya. Oh, and Momma, would you not close up the pool just yet?" I asked.

"Just tell me what's goin' on," she demanded. I could hear her pulling back a stool at the center island in her kitchen, and once she seemed settled, I began my tale.

"Remember a few weeks back when I called Daddy regardin' a woman who I was worried about?" I began. Momma wasn't home the day I'd called Daddy to thoroughly explain what happened when Dr. Weber and I went to "rescue" Bella, and I was sure he hadn't told my mother anything, no matter how much he laughed at what a dumb ass I was. Like I said, he coulda been a spy.

"Yeah. I don't think I actually know what that was about," Momma pried. I laughed.

"Well, keep in mind I used to have an invisible astronaut friend who took his horse with him into space to ride it on Mars. I had quite an imagination, and apparently, that hasn't changed. I met a woman. She's my boss' sister-in-law, and she's the most incredible girl I've ever met in my life…" I began my tale of stupidity. I explained about thinking Emmett was married to both of them and then on to my determination the girl was being held against her will.

I paused to see what she thought of it thus far. "So?" I asked. She was laughing on the other end, so I waited.

"Why on God's green earth would ya jump to those conclusions? My word, boy, have you lost your senses?" she teased. Time to drop the bomb.

"Um, now hear me out before you go flyin' off the handle. Bella's pregnant. I thought all of those things because she's pregnant with Emmett and Rosalie's twins. She's a surrogate for her sister and brother-in-law," I explained. Cue the crickets…

"She's, um, she's what?" Momma asked.

"Now, don't you go jumpin' to conclusions. It was done by in vitro. She's twenty-two weeks pregnant with twin girls. They just found out the sex on Thursday. Momma, she's the most incredible woman I've ever met in my life. She's in her senior year at UDub, and she lives with her sister and brother-in-law. She sits with them for an hour apiece so they can read to or talk to their babies. She studies during that time because she says she feels like she's intrudin' on their private time with their babies. I simply can't do her justice to describe how beautiful she is, inside and out," I explained. I heard the sniffing over the line and did a fist pump. Esme Cullen was completely on board.

After she blew her nose, she said, "That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. Are ya serious about her? I mean, I know ya haven't known her very long, but I assume if you're tellin' me this, you must be pretty sure of your feelin's," Momma correctly surmised.

"I am. I wanna bring her home next weekend for the game. I want you and Daddy to meet her. Ya gonna be okay with that?" I asked.

I heard another nose blow, and a little laugh. "The first girl my son brings home is pregnant with somebody else's babies. You do know how to keep me on my toes. I'd love to have her. I'll get your room ready," she replied. That surprised me, but I needed to stop her.

"Um, Momma, my room's fine just like it is, but could ya get a spare room ready for Bella? We're takin' things slow under the circumstances, and we're nowhere near any of that," I told her. I'd never tell her the rest of it…Bella's a virgin and has never even done that. It wasn't even something I should know, but McCarty has a big mouth. Until Bella told me herself, I'd pretend I had no idea, and I damn sure wouldn't tell my momma.

"Oh. I guess that's smart. Actually, I wasn't gonna ask how that would work, but I'm glad to hear your bein' a gentleman about it. I'll fix up the room across from yours, how's that?" Momma asked. I knew she meant more than just changing the sheets and vacuuming the carpet.

"Don't go overboard. She's a very down-to-earth girl. Just maybe put some flowers on the nightstand," I suggested.

"Edward Anthony," I heard, knowing I'd just said the wrong thing. "I will remind you that, aside from Mark and Didi, I am always welcomin' to any guest who comes into my home. Do ya think I've lost my touch?" she snipped at me.

"No, ma'am," I responded contritely. Hell, I shoulda known better.

"Give me your flight information," she ordered. Fifteen minutes later, I hung up and was quite happy. I went to my room to take a nap, feeling like I didn't have a care in the world.

When I woke up an hour later, I saw a text from Bella. I sent her one back, informing her that my mother was excited to meet her. A few hours later, I got another, asking about childhood memories, and then later I got one to which I responded without thinking.

So, my girlfriend is a daredevil? Interesting. We used to go to a go-kart track when I was a kid. My favorite Xmas memory was when I was eight. Don't laugh. I got a guitar and lessons. I liked it. I'll have to play for you and your passengers sometime. I miss you too, sweetheart. Cullen-18

When I didn't hear back from her, I got worried. What the hell had I written that caused her not to get back to me? Had something happened with the babies? I knew if I didn't hear back from her, I'd be a mess the rest of the night.

Thankfully, as I was sitting on my couch with a bottle of Maker's Mark about to get plastered, the phone chimed and put me out of my misery. Those texts, however, brought on the need for a discussion I wasn't sure I was ready to have. Unfortunately, I'd get to have it the next night, whether I wanted to or not.

##

I was sitting on the top step of the McCarty's house at three o'clock on Sunday afternoon. Bella had sent me a text they were leaving at ten that morning, but then they had to stop so Emmett could get lunch. She expected them to be home at three, and I wanted to be there to meet her. I'd deal with Emmett's shitty attitude if it meant I got to see Bella. I'd really fucking missed her.

When the Hummer pulled into the driveway fifteen minutes later, I hopped up and made my way to it to grab Bella's bag and help her inside, hopefully, away from Rosalie and Emmett. I opened the back door and saw she was asleep. I looked toward the front seat and saw Emmett's scowl and Rosalie's smile. "She's been asleep for a while. Wake her up or she won't sleep tonight, and she's got an early class tomorrow, plus we're going to get back to our daily walks. Emmett, take the bags to the laundry room," Rosalie instructed as she hopped out of the front seat.

Emmett, however, didn't get out of the vehicle. "So, you think you're taking my daughters to Atlanta next weekend?" he issued.

"If she's willing to go," I responded, not addressing his comment directly. I was taking Bella. The girls were coming along as a matter circumstance.

"Well, we had a hell of a fight on the way home because I said no, but Rosalie threated if I didn't let her go…well, my life would be pretty miserable for a long while. So, when we leaving?" he asked.

"We're, um, we're leaving Friday at noon, and we'll get to Atlanta around eight in the evenin'," I answered.

"What airlines?" he asked. I expected he'd want all the information. If I was in his shoes, I would as well.

"Um, Delta. I'll get you her flight information," I offered.

"What hotel?" he asked.

"Well, um, we're staying with my parents," I responded.

"They got a big place?" he asked. I was sure he was worried about Bella and stairs and probably sleeping arrangements. I knew he was overprotective, so if he'd let Bella go without a hell of a fight, I'd tell him anything he wanted.

"Um, yeah. It's a lot like yours except, instead of an apartment like you have in the basement my parents have a home theater/game room. Bella will have her own room, okay? I understand what you said, Emmett. Momma's fixin' up a room for her of her own," I assured.

He bailed out of the car and walked around to the back, grabbing the bags. He stopped behind me and chuckled. "Better call your momma and tell her she's gonna have two more guests." With that, he walked away.

I turned to watch him climb the stairs to his home, and I laughed. My momma wouldn't care, but when I heard the groaning next to me, I knew someone who would. I turned to see Bella was awake, and she was clearly pissed.

"That big dumb ox. I'm gonna gut him," she hissed as she struggled to get out of the seatbelt. A family brawl wasn't what I had on my mind, so I stilled her shaking hand. Man, I don't think I'd ever seen a woman so mad.

I unbuckled the seatbelt and leaned in. "We're not having that fight tonight. How 'bout some sugar, sugar?" I teased, seeing her anger fade as I leaned in and kissed her gently on her soft, pink lips.

When I pulled away, she was flushed, and she looked beautiful. "Welcome home. Let's go to your place, unless you wanna go to mine," I offered. She'd never been to my place, and I was actually anxious to get her there at some point. If we went to my place, maybe she'd forget about Emmett's comment so we could have the discussion we needed to have regarding where we were in our relationship.

She was struggling to get out of the behemoth Emmett drove because it set up so high. I was afraid she'd get hurt, so I picked her up by the waist and placed her on her feet. "Now, my place or yours?" I asked again, seeing the smile on her face.

"Can we go to yours? If I stay here, I'll kill him, and I've missed you too much to waste my time on him," she answered. I felt my heart skip a beat at her words. I was happy as a pig in shit.

"I like hearin' that. Come with me, little lady," I told her as I led her to my car and helped her inside. On the way to my house, I stopped at her favorite pizza place and bought a cheese pizza for later. I'd offered to cook, but she told me she was craving pizza, so what else could I do?

I pulled her onto the elevator in my building, pizza in one hand, and her warm hand in the other. I never wanted to let it go. When we reached my floor, I guided her to my apartment, and only let go of her hand to fish out my keys. Before I opened the door, I turned to her and smiled. "Remember, I'm new to the city, and I'm a bachelor."

She laughed. When I opened the door for her, she strolled inside, taking in my personal space. I stopped in the kitchen and turned the oven on low to keep the pizza warm until she was ready to eat. I grabbed a bottle of water for Bella and a beer for myself, placing them on the coffee table in the living room. I determined I could have a couple of beers because it was early enough, and then I'd switch to water so as to be able to take her home when she was ready. If I had my way, it wouldn't be until much later in the evening.

##

After a cursory tour of my two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, Bella was standing in front of the bookshelves in my living room, looking at the few personal things aside from my books, CDs, and movies. I had a few family pictures my mother and sister had given me for occasions. Bella picked up the framed photo of my graduation from Cornell. It was of me, my parents, and my sister. I saw her look between me and the picture, and she smiled.

"You have your father's facial structure, but your mother's eyes. Your hair is a combination of both of them…that is, if it's natural," she taunted, causing me to laugh.

I reached up and raked my hand through the mess. "Trust me, this is natural. It gets darker in the winter. Hell, livin' here, it'll be darker in the summer, too, I guess. My folks have a pool, and I spent a lot of time out in the sun before I had to go back to school for graduation. I had a month break after I finished my finals," I explained.

She hesitantly reached up and raked her hand through the mop, causing my eyes to close at the feeling. "Wow, it's as soft as I imagined," she whispered. I reached out and took her purse off her shoulder, dropping it into a chair at the side and pulling her into my arms to lean forward so I could kiss her lips. Of course, I had to maneuver around the small belly, but I still enjoyed having her in my arms.

I swept my tongue across her bottom lip and felt her lips part. Her tongue slipped out a little and swirled with mine, and my body immediately reacted. She tasted a little like green apple, which wasn't unpleasant at all. I moved my hands up her back slowly feeling her shudder a little.

I swept my hands along her shoulders to her long, enticing neck where I wove one hand into her hair, pulling her as close to me as I could, and cupping her jaw as our tongues continued to move together. The soft moans I felt coming from her aroused me, and suddenly, I felt something move against my hard cock, causing me to jump a little.

I pulled away from her and looked down to see her fingers were hooked in the belt loops of my jeans, so I knew she wasn't touching my cock. She giggled. "Um, that wasn't me. Sorry," she quietly informed with a sly smile.

I took a deep breath, not moving my hands from her. "What, um, then what was it?" I asked nervously.

She took my right hand and placed it on her belly. I felt movement, and I knew my eyes were bugging out. "Is that them?" I gasped, flattening my hand sideways to feel more.

"Yeah. They seem to like me kissing you. Thursday night after you left, I felt them for the first time. I felt them a little over the weekend, but now that you're kissing me again, well they've chosen to make themselves known," she explained.

I tossed my head back and laughed. If the babies liked me, how could she ever deny me anything? I had a secret weapon I'd never counted on, and I was appreciating them more than I ever had. I looked at her and saw the smile I loved. I leaned forward and kissed her again softly, feeling the babies kick again which caused me to laugh and pull away.

"Well, I'm not sure if they're encouraging me or takin' their daddy's advice to keep me away. So, um, you cold or tired or anything?" I asked.

"I'm definitely not tired, but…no, I'm fine," she answered. I knew there was something she wanted, and I wasn't going to let it go. I took her hand and held it to my lips, kissing each knuckle.

"Now, Miss Bella, you're a guest at Chez Cullen. What can I do for ya?" I twanged out, seeing her laugh.

"You use that accent against me, don't you?" she joked.

"Only if I think there's a shot in hell it's gonna work. So?" I asked again.

"I'd love to change into something else. I feel like I was born in these clothes," she admitted. I laughed, taking her hand and leading her to my bedroom where I situated her on the side of my bed.

I went to my dresser and grabbed a pair of sox, a pair of sweats, and then went to my closet and grabbed her one of my old Cornell sweatshirts. "Is this too much? I've got shorts and t-shirts if you'd rather," I offered.

She smiled. "That's perfect." I kissed her forehead and left the room, pulling the door closed behind me and trying not to think about the fact she was in my bedroom naked…well, I knew she wasn't exactly naked, but she was in my room with fewer clothes than I'd ever imagined.

I wished I could have met her before she started to show, though I'd seen a picture of her from her birthday when she turned twenty-one. It was actually the only picture she had at her place as far as I knew.

She had a hot little body pre-babies, but it was hard for me to see it in my mind. Maybe it would creep some people out that a woman who was nearly six-months pregnant, and not with my children, could stir the physical reaction Bella did in me, but it wasn't just the body. It was the total package that did it for me.

##

"I'm really sorry Emmett invited himself and Rosalie…" Bella apologized again. We'd eaten pizza, and I drank two beers. I switched to water because it was just after seven, and I knew I'd have to take her home too soon. I'd turned on the Mariner's game, but we weren't watching it. I was actually lying on my couch with my head on Bella's lap, cheek resting against her belly where the babies were still active. Their little kicks caused me to laugh.

"We're not talkin' about that tonight. Momma won't care, I promise ya. Esme Cullen loves a full house. Now, let's talk about us," I suggested, trying to turn the conversation toward a more positive topic.

She cleared her throat as her right hand started stroking my hair, causing my eyes to close for a moment. It felt so fucking good that for a minute, I believed it was actually my life…wife, babies, and a nice quiet Sunday evening watching the game.

Where the fuck did that come from?

I opened my eyes and shifted my head a bit toward her knees so I could look into her eyes. "So, I called ya my girlfriend. Did that bother ya?" I asked nervously.

I decided instead of waking with a stiff neck, I'd just turn on my side toward her, snaking my left arm under her thighs and hugging her lap like a pillow. I looked into her eyes and saw them dancing around a bit. "Look, if it's too soon for that…" I started. If she wasn't there, that was fine.

"Edward, I'm not seeing anyone else, but you can, you know. You don't…don't need to tie yourself to me…my, um…my situation. I know what you'll be giving up if you don't see other…okay, you don't need to…you should date other women and…um…you know, sleep with them. I understand you're a man and you have needs," she stammered. Fuck if she wasn't so goddamn adorable, I'd be pissed.

I sat up and situated myself on the couch to face her. It was time for some truths. It was time to put myself out there…well, a little. "First, I'm not seein' anyone else either, okay? I don't wanna see anyone else, Bella. This," I said as I placed my hand on her belly, "is an incredible thing you're doin', but it's not why I'm attracted to you, okay? I'm not tryin' to save ya from anything, and I'm doin' my damnedest to date ya because I'm so fucking attracted to ya it's hard to imagine you'd give me the time of day.

"When I walked onto Emmett's deck that Saturday and looked into your eyes, I was cursing my own bad fucking luck Emmett found you first. You're the most beguilin' woman I've met in my life, and when I found out things weren't at all as I thought, I felt like I'd hit the fuckin' jackpot," I explained.

I saw the tears in her eyes, but I had to suck it up because I wasn't done making my point. "So, the only question is, do you, Bella Swan, want to be my girlfriend? For me, that means I won't see anybody else, not that I want to anyway because you already have a home in my heart. It means I won't make plans without talkin' to ya first. It means I get to take ya home to meet my momma and daddy and tell them you're my girlfriend. You'll be the first girl I ever officially bring home, and I'm happy about that. So?" I presented my argument and awaited my fate.

She smiled. "So, do you expect me to do all of that as well?" she asked. That had me a little worried.

"Um, which part do you have…" I started to question which part she had a problem with when she began laughing.

"I'm teasing you, Edward. I'd be quite proud to be your girlfriend. Are you ready for people to assume the babies are yours if we go out in public, because you know what happened when we went to The Metropolitan Grill," she reminded.

I leaned forward and kissed her softly, reluctantly pulling away and looking into those gorgeous eyes that officially owned my soul. "Honey, I'm honored if anyone thinks you'd consent to have my children, so no, that ain't gonna bother me at all," I answered without thinking. I saw the eyes widen, and I simply laughed. Hell, it was what it was…it was the truth.

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E/N: WOW! Right? More about Jasper and Alice…Esme…Em inviting him and Rose along to Atlanta (which will be fun, I promise)…and "the talk." Lemme hear y'all!

Thanks for reading. I'm truly honored.

Till next time…xoxo