Those of you who follow my author's page on Facebook know the funny story behind this chapter. Thank heavens this chapter was fairly clean, because the woman from my church I accidentally sent it to did read it. Could you just imagine if it had been one of my earlier chapters? Yikes! I'd be kicked out of church for sure!

Check out my book, Phantom Scars, on Amazon, too!

Chapter 12: All in the Family

EDWARD

The realization that I wanted to marry Bella was pounding in my head. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do about it. I was pretty sure I should talk to her. I had before. Did it need further discussion? She had said she'd be open to it. Did that mean she'd say yes?

"What has you so distracted?" Charlie asked as we drove to the condo. He and I were alone in the truck, and Bella and her mom were in my car.

"I…um…"

"Are you having second thoughts about my daughter?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"No, no, quite the opposite,"I said panicked. Was I supposed to ask for her hand? How did you ask for a hand? Did you actually use the word hand?

"Well, boy, what's on your mind?" he pushed.

"Um…"

He just started laughing. "You're so lost sometimes. Haven't you ever had a serious girlfriend?"

"No…well…sort of, nothing near what I have with Bella," I tried to not sound like a dirty player.

"So you're seriously thinking of marriage with my baby girl?" he asked.

Why did he have to use the term baby girl? Was he getting ready to deny me? "Would you be okay with that?" I asked nervously.

He let out a hardy laugh and patted my shoulder hard. "I'm glad you came to the conclusion yourself. My wife has been praying up a storm ever since Bella called with her news. She said she felt like we shouldn't push things, that God would lead you two on your own. Do me a favor and don't tell her you're getting married for a while, though. In fact, do you mind if I threaten you a little before I leave, just for good measure? I love my wife, but sometimes her 'feelings' get a little out of hand. I can't have her be right all the time, can I?"

It was my turn to laugh. "Yeah, that's fine. Could you maybe not do it in front of Bella, though? I don't want her thinking I'm asking just because you want to kill me."

"Smart man, I'd probably get an earful from both of the women if Bella was around." He chuckled, "I like you, Edward. I think I'm going to enjoy having you in the family."

BELLA

"Have you found a nice church around here yet?" my mother asked, as we drove to my new home.

"I haven't had a chance to look yet. I've been really busy with school."

"How is this baby going to affect your schooling? Do you have a plan? Are you going to stay home?"

"Honestly, Mom, I haven't given it much thought. I'm just trying to get through this semester. I'm hoping it stays in my tummy long enough to finish up my classes. I'll worry about the rest after they're here."

"Are you and Edward keeping the sex a surprise? So few people do that anymore," she said throwing me off. I had never once mentioned that we had been considering giving the baby up for adoption. A third ultrasound was set for this afternoon. It was one of the reasons my parents had come to help out, they wanted to see the baby.

"No, we just didn't see the sex before."

"So you're going to find out today?" she asked, a little more excited.

"Yeah," my heart skipped a beat. Knowing what we were having would make it all the more real.

"I'll have to pick up a couple of things for the nursery before we leave. Has Edward said what he'd prefer?"

"No, I don't think either of us care. We just want a healthy baby."

"And you'll have one. I've kept your little family in our prayer circle. You should find a church around here. It doesn't hurt to have a go-to place for help, honey, even if it's just for an extra prayer. Childbirth is a scary thing. Having God on your side can only help."

"I'll be sure to look up a few places."

"I can help you, if you'd like. Do you know what kind of beliefs Edward has? I assumed he's Christian, because he mentioned visiting his parents on Christmas."

"Yes, Mother, they're Christian. I don't know what denomination, though."

"I don't think it really matters. He seems to have a healthy respect for prayer, and it really doesn't matter what religion you believe in when you pray. It's your faith that counts."

"We honestly haven't spoken much about religion or faith in general."

"And why not? That's such a huge part of your life, Bella. You were a Sunday school teacher for years and in the choir. Do you think he'll think less of you? He doesn't seem the type to look down on someone for their religion. A good man finds a righteous woman pleasing," she lectured.

"I know, Mom," I said with a sigh. The truth was, I hadn't actively been attending a church when I'd met Edward, because I was so busy in my life. I knew my mother wouldn't have approved of my excuse of being too busy for church, but that was what I was. Now that Edward and I were together, I couldn't just spring religion on him. I knew my mother would expect me to raise my child in a church of some sort, but I didn't want to do anything to push Edward away. I was just happy he hadn't run for the hills when my mother grabbed hold of him to "feel his spirit." The sad thing was, I wanted to take my child to church. That was where I had made good friends and learned to come out of my shell. It was where I had blossomed as a teenager. I wanted that for my kid, but I didn't think Edward would be open to it unless it was to occasionally impress my parents. Sometimes I felt like he didn't know me very well. It wasn't his fault, we were both busy. Life had been so crazy for us, trying to get things together. It wasn't very conducive to really getting to know each other.

"You two should come visit. Spring break is coming up, and I know they can use a hand at the church bible camp that week."

"I don't think they'd let me in this condition," I waved to my belly.

"Just think about it," she said and kissed my cheek.

We had just arrived, and it was time to show my mom around the condo and unpack.

"This is a beautiful building, sweetheart. Are you sure you can afford this place?" she asked impressed.

"Yup, his father's company owns it, so we're getting it at a huge discount. I'm pretty sure his dad had everything to do with buying the building and getting us a place in it."

"He sounds like a wonderful man. I'd like to meet his parents sometime. It's important to get to know all of the family," my mother pushed.

I knew she was right. I just didn't know how his parent would take to being spiritually felt and prayed over. I hated myself for feeling ashamed of my mother. Would my kid feel ashamed of me? I burst into tears.

"What's wrong, what happened?" Edward asked panicked, dropping boxes as he rushed into the room. "Are you okay? Is it the baby?"

"No, I'm fine," I cried, sobbing harder into his chest, I was sure leaving him even more confused.

"Can you tell me why you're crying, babe?" he asked, gently rubbing my back.

"What if my baby is ashamed of me? What if it doesn't want me to meet their in-laws because I'm weird?" I muffle-cried into his chest.

He squeezed me tighter. "Being weird and embarrassing your kids is sort of a rite of passage as a parent. Right, Charlie?" he asked my dad.

"Darn tootin' it is. My dad had just figured out he was part Cherokee when I brought Renee home. He did a full-on war dance in Native American garb and all. I begged him to tone it down when we met with her parents, and he did to some extent. He still wore a headdress and wanted them to smoke a peace pipe with him. That didn't go over too well. It all worked out alright in the end, though. They still let me marry your mom, and I got you," he said with a smile and kissed my head.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Edward, my boy, I thought that was your moving truck," Carlisle called walking in. He had brought a bottle of scotch with him. "I brought a little something to celebrate the move."

"Thanks, Dad," Edward answered. "These are Bella's parents. This is Charles Swan and his wife, Renee."

"It's nice to meet you. You have a lovely daughter, and I'm not just saying that because she's growing my grandson."

"You know it's a boy?" my dad asked me.

"No, we don't. That's just wishful thinking on Carlisle's part."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to send out good vibes into the universe and see if it answers," Carlisle said with a chuckle.

"I find God is much better at answering prayers than the universe is at answering wishes," Renee said.

"Which are you praying for, my dear?" Carlisle asked her.

"Just a healthy baby," my mother offered.

"Good, then you haven't undone all my wishful thinking. I'd love to have a grandson to carry on the family name," Carlisle said with a smooth wink. He turned to my dad and held up the bottle of scotch. "Would you like a drink?"

"Drinking and driving is frowned upon," he said, not sounding too judgmental.

"Lucky for me, I walked here from work. Did Edward show you how close this place is to work? He can pop home for lunch, or Bella can come by with the baby so I can show off my grandson," Carlisle said with a smile aimed at me.

"Really? That's nice," my mother said. I pulled her over to the window and pointed out the building.

"He works there on the eighteenth floor with his dad. It really is very close, and the bus stop that runs straight to campus is right there, if I want to go back to school."

"If? Why on earth would you go back to school when you have a baby at home? They're only this tiny once, and believe me, dear, this one may have been an accident, but they aren't all that easy to make. You don't want to miss out on this," she said rubbing my tummy.

I looked over at Edward, and he was looking at Carlisle, who was making a zipping motion over his lips. They both looked at me and gave me silly grins. I didn't know why, but I just busted up laughing. I think my dad might have caught what I had seen as well, because he started chuckling himself.

"Just let her figure this stuff out on her own, Renee," my dad said, wrapping his arm around her.

"I know, it's just...I feel like I missed so much the few months I worked at the library after I had her, and I've always regretted it. I wasn't there when you crawled for the first time. It wasn't me who you wanted to reach, it was your sitter, Ms. Melbourne. I still feel jealous every time you hug her," my mother pouted, and my dad chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"She wasn't stealing your baby's love, honey. You're still Bella's mom, and you love her best, right, Bells?" my dad coaxed.

"Yes, you're my favorite mom," I said, letting her pull me in for a hug.

"You're my favorite daughter, too. Just don't rule out staying home with your baby, if it's an option. Is it an option?" she asked Edward.

He looked like a deer in headlights. His eyes darted from me to his dad several times. "What do I say?" he finally hissed at his father.

"It isn't something they've discussed, but it's an option if they want to exercise it," Carlisle finally answered.

"Did your wife stay home?" my mother asked out of the blue.

"Yes, she stayed home with our kids. Edward has a younger sister who's a bit of a handful."

Edward scoffed. "She's a spoiled brat."

"From what your mom tells me, you contributed to that behavior as well," I teased.

"She was my baby sister. She was cute," he tried to defend.

We all laughed at him, and my mother pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. "You're going to make a wonderful father for my grandbaby."

"Thanks?" Edward said awkwardly.

"Hello?" I heard Esme call. "Carlisle told me he saw a moving truck, so I thought I'd pop in and bring some food," she said from the kitchen.

We walked in and saw her setting out a veggie and sandwich tray.

"Thanks, Mom," Edward said, giving his mom a kiss on the cheek and then grabbed a sandwich. My mother began praying over the food, and Esme looked around at us and then folded her arms and closed her eyes, looking a little startled by the sudden prayer.

After my mom said amen, Esme surprised me. "A little warning next time, so we can properly participate, please," Esme chastised my mother.

My dad burst out laughing. "Yeah, Renee, how about a little warning," he teased.

"Well, if I had more regular participation, I might be more inclined."

"Edward here has been jumping in and amening every prayer, so there's no excuse, woman," my dad said, patting Edward's shoulder proudly.

"That's good to hear. I taught my son to be respectful of religion, I'm glad it stuck," Esme said with a smile.

"Great, I'm going to have a sandwich and a drink, move a few boxes and head back to work. I'm only on my lunch break," Carlisle said, grabbing a plastic cup to pour his drink. He put the bottle in a little corner of the living room and deemed it the wet bar. I didn't think my mother was too happy about that, but she kept her mouth shut about it. The three men made quick work of unloading the truck before he had to return to work.

"When is your ultrasound, dear?" Esme asked me.

"It's in another hour. You can come along if you'd like. It'll be a little crowded, but I think it'll be nice to have the grandparents there."

"Of course I'll come! I'm excited to see my grandbaby. I hope they give us some pictures, too."

"Hopefully, the baby will give us a show, so we can see if it's a boy or girl," my dad added. "I'm surprised they weren't able to see it previously."

Esme looked over at us nervously, but she thankfully held her tongue. My parents had no idea that we didn't know the sex because we had planned to give the baby up for adoption. The tension settled in the room, and my parents looked between me and Esme a few times.

"Bella, do you want to tell me where to put the bed in our room? There are a couple of windows, so there are only a few places it can go," Edward called down the hall to me.

"You two are sharing a bedroom?" my mom asked harshly.

"I'm pregnant with his baby, and we're living together. We're obviously sharing a bed, Mom," I said with a sigh and left the room. I loved my parents, but sometimes it was easier to love them from a distance.