Chapter 14.
I don't own Twilight.
Lots and lots of family fluff!
Edward's POV;
I sat across from Bella at the table, watching her intently as I sipped my coffee. She looked nervous. Really nervous. Evie was sat in her highchair to my right, eating her porridge quietly and Oliver was sat in his highchair to my left, opening his mouth obediently as Bella spooned porridge into it.
It was a warm Sunday morning and I'd asked Bella to accompany me to my parent's house for the weekly family dinner. She'd balked at the idea but finally agreed after some persuasion and a lot of coaxing kisses, though I could see that she was anxious about today. I sighed.
When the babies were finished eating Bella offered to clean up our breakfast and I knew she just needed a little time alone to calm down. I pressed a kiss to her forehead and hugged her close, trying to comfort her a little before lifting Evie out of her chair and setting her onto her feet.
She waited by my leg while I lifted Oliver into my arms. When he was nestled securely against my chest I stooped and lifted Evie onto my back with one arm. She giggled and locked her arms around my neck and her legs around my body. I cradled Oliver and walked up the stairs, depositing Evie onto the bathroom floor.
I started running the bath, adding the baby bath foam, Oliver's bath seat and a few bath toys before making sure that Olivers baby shampoo and Evie's strawberry shampoo was there. I unzipped Oliver's onesie, sat him on the bathroom mat in his nappy and sat behind him before unzipping Evie's onesie. I turned off the taps, tested the temperature of the water, removed Oliver's nappy and sat both of them in the water, closing my eyes on the spray of water that immediately came rushing up to meet me as they both splashed wildly for a few minutes.
I shook my head in amusement and wiped the water from my face, slicking my hair back away from my face before I began washing Evie and Oliver. I left Evie's hair to the end because it took the longest and I was hoping that Bella would come in and do it. Sure enough, a few minutes later Bella walked into the bathroom and took over washing, conditioning and combing Evie's hair, while I scooped Oliver out of the bath and carried him through to the nursery snuggled in his fluffy, hooded towel.
I carried him over to the changing station and laid him down while I changed his nappy, tickling his belly and smiling at his cute giggles. Bella came in with Evie in her arms a few minutes later, Evie's hair wrapped up in another towel, turban style.
"What are you thinking of putting Ollie in?" I asked her, knowing that she had brought a few things last night when they came to stay over to add to the ever-growing collection of Oliver's clothes here. She sat in the glider with Evie on her knee, rubbing her little body dry gently while she thought.
"I put the cute button down in his drawer the other week and I was thinking that he could try on those baby converse shoes that you bought for him a few weeks ago, see if they fit now." I nodded and carried Oliver over to the drawer, finding the little blue shirt. I draped it over my shoulder and pulled out a vest, a pair of jeans and a pair of socks, which joined the shirt on my shoulder.
"Alright little man let's get you dressed." He gurgled in response and let me dress him without complaint, alternating between clapping his hands and sucking his fingers as I hummed a tune to him. I lifted him and turned towards Bella, a wide smile on my face.
"Oh he looks so sweet!" Bella cooed from where she was helping Evie into a pale blue summer dress. "And look, they match." Evie twirled in a circle, causing the towel that was still wrapped around her head to fall into a wet pile on the floor. I chuckled and left Bella waiting for Evie to pick out socks and shoes, leaving Oliver in the cot with a few toys while I showered.
I showered quickly and methodically, not having the time to fully relish in the warm, soothing water due to how much I indulged Evie and Ollie's playtime in the bath. I stepped out from under the spray and wrapped a towel around my waist before walking across the hall to my bedroom. I pulled on a pair of boxers and stood in front of my wardrobe, trying to figure out what to wear.
"Edward, Evie wanted to show you how she loo –" Bella stopped abruptly as she walked into my room holding Evie's hand with her right hand and securing Oliver to her hip with her left. I turned to look at them and saw that her eyes were fixed on my broad, muscular chest, her eyes roving all over it as her mouth hung open.
I automatically flexed the muscles a little and smiled at the endearing way her blush spread across her face as I caught her staring. I took Oliver from her arms and cuddled him close to my chest while I looked over at Evie, who did a little turn for me. I noted that she'd chosen her white converse and mentally face palmed as I thought of how I would keep them pristine. Her hair was hanging in waves down her back, kept away from her face with a white headband adorned with blue bows. I blinked in surprise when I noted that it was so long that it was almost touching her butt and smiled appreciatively while making a mental note to do something about the length. No wonder it was getting so hard to manage!
"Wow Evie, you look absolutely beautiful!" She smiled bashfully and hugged me around a leg before she ran across the hall to the nursery.
I looked to Bella with surprise. "I didn't realise her hair had gotten so long. It's probably because it's constantly braided or tied up."
"I was thinking of taking her with me when I go to get my hair cut." I nodded and smiled at her in thanks, kissing her cheek gently. She stroked along my chest gently, causing me to gasp audibly. She pulled her hand away, smiled up at me and took Oliver from my arms, walking over to the nursery with him.
I turned back to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of dark jeans with a navy blue shirt, putting them on quickly before spending a few minutes trying to tame my wild hair. I gave up with a huff of annoyance and pulled on a pair of socks and black converse before walking back to the nursery.
Bella stood as I entered the room and I took Bella's spot behind a sitting Oliver, watching as he and Evie played with their teddies so that Bella could shower while trying hard not to think about her in the shower. As we waited I sat smiling as Oliver giggled around the chewed ear of his polar bear when Evie talked to him through the bears.
25 minutes later Bella walked back into the nursery. She cleared her throat to catch my attention and as soon as she had it I couldn't take my eyes off her.
She was wearing a navy blue dress with an intricate lace design patterned along the material. It covered her arms to her elbows and had a modest neckline, yet it moulded to every delectable curve of her body until it flared out at her hips, the seams brushing the skin a few inches above her knees. Her hair was styled similarly to Evie's; it was held back from her face with hair grips and fell down her back in chocolate waves that stopped at the small of her back. She was holding a pair of flats in one hand and a pair of white converse in the other.
This elegant woman was mine.
"Which ones should I wear?" She looked at me expectantly but I couldn't form words, my mouth just hung open gormlessly as I gazed at her. She looked stunning. Her face was free of make-up and yet she looked prettier than all of the women I'd ever been with combined. She was the epitome of natural beauty.
And she was mine.
"Edward?" She blushed and looked down at herself, studying her dress and bare feet before looking back at me. "What's wrong? Is the dress inappropriate? Should I change?"
I shook my head violently before forcing my tongue to unstick from the roof of my mouth and pay her a compliment in case she tried to change. There was no way she was covering those sexy legs.
"You look beautiful Bella." She blushed crimson and looked back at her feet before looking back at me, her expression disbelieving. I tried to think aimlessly of another way to convince her that she looked stunning, frustratingly coming up empty.
"You look amazing Mummy! Wow!" I sent a silent prayer of thanks to God for my daughter as Bella smiled at her, dropping the shoes in her hands so she could scoop her up.
"So which shoes?" She looked back at me and I considered for a moment before indicating to the converse.
"Then we all match." I shrugged sheepishly and she chuckled before slipping them on. I checked my watch and noted that we had to set off in the next 20 minutes at the latest. "Should we walk over or drive?"
"Well if we walk we'll need to bring the pram and carrier. And it would probably be a good idea to pack their pyjamas in case they fall asleep before we get home. I don't mind walking if you don't mind carrying Oliver." Bella shrugged and looked at me in askance. I lifted Oliver to my chest and nuzzled his cheek.
"I would never object to carrying my baby boy! Come on Ollie, let's get you strapped to my chest." He giggled and we all made our way downstairs. Bella got the spring jackets and we slipped them onto the babies and ourselves. She then clipped Evie into the pram while I strapped Oliver into the carrier and packed the bag with all the essentials, a pair of pyjamas for both Evie and Oliver, a spare t-shirt, vest, pair of jeans and blanket, as well as a jar of organic 'Sunday roast' baby food that frankly looked like vomit.
"Have we got everything that we need?" Bella asked, while tucking a sippy cup of apple juice and a bottle of diluted apple juice into the pram for Evie and Oliver. I mentally checked over the bag before I nodded and opened the door, relishing in the warmth of the April sunshine. I bumped the pram down the front steps as Bella locked the front door and then we were on our way to my parents' house.
As we turned onto their street Bella started visibly panicking again, her small hands shaking on the handles of the pram and a little of the colour draining from her face. I stopped walking and grasped her hand in mine, bringing her to a stop next to me.
"Hey." I used my free hand to tilt her face up, forcing her to look directly at me. "What's wrong Bella? You've met my family before, why are you so anxious?" I searched her face and noted how her hand felt a little clammy and how tightly she clutched mine.
"I know that but it was different then. Before I was just your friend, now we're a couple. I'm a single mother at 22 and I just… I'm just scared they'll think I'm not good enough for you." I gaped at her, letting out a snort of disbelief as I fully registered the absurdity of her statement.
How could she think that?
"Bella they would never think that! They like you, I promise!" I rolled my eyes at her sceptical look and bent down so that my lips brushed against hers when I spoke. "Trust me." I kissed her lightly on the lips before using my grip on her hand to urge her gently towards the house, relishing the feeling of her hand in mine. It was such a couple-like thing to do and I felt a smile stretch across my face as I realised that it was undeniable to anyone passing by that we were a family.
We reached the stone steps that lead up to my parent's house and unclipped Evie from the pram, letting her walk up the stairs as Bella and I carried the pram up them after her. We rang the bell and were greeted by my Dad, who smiled broadly at us and lifted Evie into his arms.
"Hi Pops! I brought my Mummy for dinner this week!" Dad looked a little surprised at Evie's new title for Bella but nodded anyway while I wrapped an arm around a decidedly pale Bella's shoulders to make sure she didn't bolt. He stepped aside and invited us in, stroking Oliver's cheek as I passed him.
Dad put down Evie, who went in search of Mum, and hugged the rest of us. Bella looked surprised when she received a hug but nestled into it nonetheless and smiled when she was released. Dad opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when Evie pushed past him as she ran back into the living room and wrapped an arm around Bella's bare calf, pressing her face against it.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I raised a questioning eyebrow at my Dad, but when I looked past him I felt my face twist into a grimace of understanding. One of Mum's friends came out of the kitchen and I grimly recognised her as the one who always tried to entertain Evie and flirt with me. I couldn't even remember her name but I remembered how much Evie despised her. I shuddered and sent a look at my Mum, who rolled her eyes behind the woman that was currently approaching my little family.
"Oh, hello Edward." She simpered, fluttering her eyelashes at me. I suppressed a groan and tried not to physically recoil from her as I gripped Bella's hand.
Evie moved to stand between Bella and me, her body behind us and an arm wrapped around each of our legs. Bella let go of my hand, leaned down and gathered Evie into her arms, running a hand through her hair when she promptly buried her face in Bella's neck and wrapped her arms tightly around it.
"Hello." I said shortly, nodding curtly while I cupped the back of Oliver's head and grinned down at him.
"I was just saying hello to your little angel." She cooed, reaching a hand out to grasp my baby's arm, who jerked it away from her and tucked it between her body and Bella's chest before snuggling closer. Bella stepped away from us a little, her body bouncing as she rocked Evie, soothing her. The woman pulled her hand back, chuckling awkwardly before her eyes settled on Oliver nestled in my arms.
"Who's this?" The woman said, her tone mildly accusatory. I raised my eyebrow at her, as did my Mum and Dad.
I unclipped Oliver and held him securely with one arm while I unstrapped the carrier from my chest. My Dad helped pull it off and I adjusted my hold on Oliver, bringing him up to my shoulder and smiling indulgently as he wrapped an arm around my neck.
"This is my son." The woman gasped in horrified surprise, while my Mum exchanged a rather smug look with Dad who smiled knowingly back. I rolled my eyes at my parent's antics and kissed Olivers forehead gently, cuddling him a little closer before walking over to where Bella was with Evie. She was murmuring quietly to Evie, her back to the room as she ran her hand through Evie's loose curls and swayed slightly.
"Everything okay baby girl?" Evie lifted her head from Bella's neck and nodded smilingly. "Okay good. Why don't you go and sit with Pops while I speak to Mummy." Bella reluctantly stood Evie on the floor and watched as she walked steadily over to my Dad before turning to me.
She looked at me expectantly, but I could tell the woman's presence was rattling her and she needed a little reassurance. I pulled her to me with one arm, the other wrapped securely around Oliver and kissed her forehead, ignoring her whispered protests that my parents were in the room.
"I love you Bella." I whispered into her ear, smiling as she relaxed into my side and breathed out a small sigh.
"Goodbye Edward!" The woman called to me but I didn't move a muscle, look away from Bella's gaze or even reply. I heard the door close behind her and breathed a loud sigh of relief, releasing my hold on Bella and turned to see my parents staring at us. My Dad stood from his seat on the loveseat – leaving Evie perched on it – and cleared his throat, levelling me with his knowing look. I bit back a groan and forced myself not to roll my eyes. It was his 'I'm going to give you a speech and you're going to listen' look.
Fuck sake.
I closed my eyes and sent a silent prayer to God for a quick, relatively painless lecture before taking a deep breath and focusing on my Dad.
"Edward, remember when you brought Tanya home and your mother said that she didn't like her?" I nodded uneasily and felt Bella tense next to me. "Well when we met Bella, your Mother told me that she was a keeper. She was disappointed that you guys were only friends but she told me that you'd be together before long. Looks like she was right, I hate it when that happens." He was smiling widely, his eyes twinkling as he looked at us. He pulled Bella into another hug that she returned fiercely before being pulled into a hug by Mum.
I watched as the tension melted from Bella, wrapping an arm around her waist when she came to stand next to me and smile widely back at my parents. "I told you they liked you!" I said, ignoring her blush and her pointy elbow connecting with my side. She dartingly looked at my parents and then down at the ground, avoiding the shocked gazes of them.
"Of course we like you! You treat Evie like your own daughter and Edward is clearly besotted with you." She blushed even deeper but raised her head and met their eyes.
"Thank you." She whispered, barely loud enough for them to hear her. I sighed happily.
This was the best family dinner ever and it hadn't even started yet.
Bella left to help Mum in the kitchen with Evie following to 'help' too, leaving me and Oliver in the living room with Dad. He reached for Oliver, who I passed to him hesitantly, earning a wry grin from him. Oliver went to my Dad eagerly enough, gurgling to him as he sat on the loveseat with Oliver in his lap.
I sat beside them and rested a hand against Oliver's back, needing to maintain a little physical contact with my son. My Dad started talking about his newest case with Oliver, softly talking through his client and the evidence that was for and against the lawsuit while Oliver gurgled and listened to his voice intently.
"Maybe we'll make a lawyer of you Oliver." My Dad chuckled, bouncing Oliver a little on his knee.
The door burst open and Emmett and Rosalie walked in, smiling and calling greetings to us all. Rosalie hugged both me and Dad before leaning down and stroking Oliver's cheek gently, kissing his forehead before walking off in search of the girls.
Emmett and I exchanged a hug, slapping each other's backs before separating. I eagerly took Oliver back from Dad so that he and Emmett could hug, my attention captured completely by my son. I brought him closer so that I could kiss his cheek gently, smiling as he grasped my face between his hands and gurgled.
Jasper soon turned up as well, surprisingly accompanied by Bella's twin, Alice. She blushed, much like Bella, when Jasper reintroduced her to us as her girlfriend. I smirked knowingly and exchanged a look with my Dad when Alice had ventured to the kitchen to join her sister and the other girls.
I was genuinely happy for Jasper; I just hoped he knew what he was doing. He deserved happiness like what I had found with Bella and Emmett had found with Rosalie. Maybe he'd found it with Alice. The thought made me smile; I liked Alice, she was funny and smart and a brilliant sister to Bella.
Bella had told me bits and pieces of her past. I knew that Oliver's Dad was someone that she had met at university, and she hadn't known him very well. I knew that she no longer had contact with her parents but she still hadn't told me why and I was trying not to push her. I was grateful to Alice for sticking by her even though it seemed like her parents had abandoned her. Bella would tell me everything in her own time, but until then I'd enjoy my time with her.
Soon enough the girls called us to the table, two high chairs already set up for Evie and Oliver. My parents sat at the heads of the table, with Bella, Oliver, Evie and me sitting along one edge of the table and Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Alice along the other. Bella was sat in between Evie and me, with Oliver on my right. We all served ourselves from the centre of the table, with Bella also making up a plate for Evie while I stirred the warmed jar of mush into a plastic bowl for Oliver.
I alternated between feeding myself and feeding Oliver, spooning his dinner into his mouth slowly and giving him time to swallow before offering him anymore. When he finished I helped him drink from the bottle of diluted apple juice that I had taken from the pram, holding it with my right hand as I clumsily ate with my left.
He started to fuss in his chair, becoming bored quickly so I fished him out and sat him in my lap, securing him with my left hand while I speared a roast potato with my right. Dinner passed without event, all of us making small talk about work and other light topics over the table. When we were all stuffed and giving ourselves a rest before stuffing ourselves even more with Mum's apple pie and homemade vanilla ice-cream, Emmett and Rosalie shared a meaningful look.
Emmett cleared his throat loudly to draw all of our attentions to him before sitting a little straighter and clutching Rosalie's hand. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I started jumping to all sorts of conclusions before halting myself and waiting patiently for them to explain.
"Rosie and I have some news." After getting a nod from Rose, who looked like she was fighting back tears, Emmett took a deep breath. He looked at each of us in turn, his gaze getting more and more intense as he turned it upon Rosalie, who nodded encouragingly again and smiled lovingly at him.
"Rosalie's pregnant."
There was silence at the table for a second before there was a loud roar of excitement, each of us exclaiming our happiness. Oliver jumped at the sound but soon settled as I rubbed his back.
I sat back and watched as my family celebrated the addition of a new Cullen as well as success for Rosalie and Emmett, who'd wanted a child for so long and had been unable to conceive. And as my Dad broke out his 'only for special occasions' whiskey and my Mum cried silent, happy tears as she hugged Rosalie to her I smiled widely. Soon Ollie and Evie would have a cousin to play with.
And hopefully, soon after, they would have some younger siblings too.
So this chapter takes place on 18th April 2016. I'm probably going to have another time jump after this chapter, and I have a good idea of where to jump to ;)
Thank you to all of my old and new subscribers, to the amazing people who take time out to review every chapter and renew my confidence in this fic. I love you, you little gems!
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Until next time guys!