Sorry for the week long delay. I was visiting my parents, helping them around the farm I grew up on because all our sheep are having lambs. It's chaos. Anyway, the lambs and the sheep have kept me busy. I had almost a finished chapter to post when I started to re-write it. I hope posting two chapters on the same day will make up for it, somehow.

Chapter thirteen

Several days went by before they talked about the sex they had had the night they had come home from London.

The morning after, Bella had woken up to feeling Edward pull her closer, for which she was glad as the sky was covered in rain heavy and stormy clouds, giving a chill to the room. They had just lain there, listening to the rain splattering against the window before Edward had kissed her and gotten out of bed, walking stark naked through the apartment to his own room. There had been nothing romantic about the kiss, just like a thank-you-for-letting-me-bone-you-kind-of-kiss.

Bella was sitting on the very couch it had started days before, two brown boxes at her feet, when Edward entered the apartment, several hours before his normal time.

"What are you doing home?" Bella asked, realizing how demanding her voice sounded, which didn't go unnoticed by Edward, who smirked slightly.

"Got a call from Emmett: the judge wants to meet with us Friday."

"Has it been three weeks already?" Bella asked thin air as she counted backwards in her mind.

"Apparently, the time has flown by us," Edward nodded as if he couldn't believe it either how fast the time had gone by them. "Anyway, Emmett told that we need to have an answer for the judge: do we want to continue custody battle, or if we want shared custody."

"I want shared custody," Bella said before Edward could continue. "You were never meant to see that letter as it was written when I felt vulnerable and weak, a time when my hormones and feelings were so out of place I still can't explain them. I know you will be an excellent dad and I don't want to take the opportunity away from you, and I hope you don't want to take the opportunity to be a mom away from me."

Edward just stared at her, his face a blank mask.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," he smiled softly at her as he flipped out his phone and walked into the kitchen.

Minutes later, he joined her on the couch, toeing his shoes off, removing his tie and planting his feet on the table as he turned the TV on, a football game of sorts.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he finally noticed her picking clothes out of the brown boxes, looking them over before folding them neatly on the table.

"Helen sent me baby clothes when I told her I was pregnant."

"That was nice of her," Edward said with a frown, sitting up and planting his elbows on his knees as he took in the many garments that started to fill his coffee table.

"Not really," Bella told him, "she only sent it so she wouldn't have to throw it out herself, feeling guilty for doing it as it is her children's clothes. I'm not keeping any of it but thought it would be a good idea to see if anything could be given away."

"By giving this one away, you would be doing more damage than good," Edward said with a look of disgust on his face as he picked up a pale yellow dress that looked as if it could have been taken out of a horror movie.

"That one used to be mine," Bella said in a soft voice as she took the dress from Edward and examined it: it was beyond saving, unfortunately. "I can't remember wearing it, of course, but I remember loving it when I grew older and dressing my doll in it, tying her hair with matching ribbons before making mom doing the same to my hair."

"I bet you looked adorable in it," Edward commented softly before they fell into silent, Edward leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes as Bella continued going through the clothes.

"We need to talk about what happened," Edward said gravely after a while of silence, and Bella nodded. "It was great, there's no denying it, but Bella, I can't be with you, we can't have a relationship: I don't do relationships, never have and never will. I feel it would be unfair to you, leading you on in a relationship where I won't allow myself to connect with you on a deeper and intimate level."

"It makes this a whole lot easier hearing you say it," Bella laughed but Edward didn't join her. "I don't want a relationship with you either. There were moments when I wished for something more than just mind blowing sex against a wall, on your desk or in Helen's guest room, but I've never been good at connecting with people, a reason for why it was so easy to sell my company during college."

"So we're not going to need a long and hellish conversation where one is trying to turn the other one down gently?" Edward asked.

"Seems like it," Bella nodded, feeling a weight rise from her shoulders.

"I have only one question," Edward said as he sat up, looking directly into Bella's eyes, "What do we do about our mutual sexual attractions?" the question made Bella almost laugh but as she met his gaze dead on, she saw the lust in his eyes and her body responded.

"There's no use in denying it, I think," Bella said huskily.

"I agree," Edward rose to his feet, "I love fucking you and that tight pussy of yours."

"Then take me," she whispered huskily as Edward stood from the couch and took her hand, taking her to her room where he lowered her on the bed before slipping between her legs, taking her pants and underwear with him in the go, burying his face between her thighs.

*** C R S ***

As the sixth month started to come to an end, there were time for yet another appointment with the doctor and for the first time, Edward would be coming with her. Bella was excited and terrified as the same time, for reasons she didn't know.

He was gentle and caring as Bella lowered herself on the table, her stomach exposed in the horribly harsh light, making every stretchmark even more visible against her pale skin.

"No one will care," Edward whispered in her ear when she ran her hands over her stomach in an effort to distract herself. "When someone learn that you've been pregnant, they don't care if you have stretchmark or not, because they are in awe of what you've been a part of creating and the fact that you nursed it, and carried it for nine months inside your body."

"You should listen to your boyfriend," doctor Tanya said with a smile as she found the tube of jelly and squirted some on her stomach, smearing it around the taught skin.

"He's not my boyfriend," Bella said, smiling slightly as she was tickled.

"Yeah, we're just having a baby together while being friends," Edward agreed, his voice trailing off as his eyes glued to the grainy picture on the screen. "Is that…?" he didn't finish the question as he leaned in closer.

"Yes, that's your baby," Tanya smiled as she angled the rod differently and got a different picture. "I take it that you haven't been to the other appointments, those is San Francisco?"

"No," Edward murmured, still in awe, "I was here in Boston, and flying back and forth for a few appointments seemed, sorry to say, a little pointless." Bella smiled at him for the lie he told as she still felt guilty for hiding the truth from him for four months: the guilt would never disappear.

"Well Bella, I've asked you before and I will ask you again now: do you want to know the sex of the baby?" Bella looked to Edward. She had been asked again and again since they baby had been big enough to tell, but she had refused every time, even when Tanya claimed that she had would have perfect view. In respect of Bella's wishes, doctor Tanya hadn't learnt the sexy of the baby either.

"Would you like to know?" she asked Edward and he nodded like a little boy just being asked if he wanted a little candy, or a new toy.

"Well, it's a little hard to tell as the baby is curling it's legs up," Tanya tilted her head as she looked at the screen, "But unless my sight is fooling me, I believe you're expecting a little girl."

Bella beamed like a fool as she looked at their little girl more on the screen and laughed softly when she turned to Edward, seeing tears in his eyes.

"Hey big guy," she murmured, gaining his attention, "A girl," it was barely a whisper as the tears came to Bella as well.

"So, I guess we have to start talking about what kind of color the nursery will be in and make a list over everything we'll have to buy, like clothes, a crib and such." Edward started to make a list as they drove back to the apartment, but Bella wasn't listening as she looked down on the sonogram picture Tanya had given them.

"We need to talk," Bella said in a low voice, not wanting to destroy Edward's cloud of happiness.

"About what?" Edward's voice was weary, as if he expected Bella to give him life-altering news, like, that she was a man and it was only gas, that the baby wasn't his, or something like that.

"Living arrangement. I'm happy that you're happy about our little girl and that you're making a mental list over everything we will need, but you can't expect me to continue living with you now that we've finally moved on from all the ugliness I created by leaving for San Francisco."

"I was kind of hoping that you would continue living with me until the baby is born, and then until she's on a schedule and is sleeping through the nights."

"You do know that some babies doesn't sleep through the night until they are several months' old, right? Jason, Helen's oldest, he didn't sleep through the night until he was six months old. Then again, he had colic."

"Do you really think moving is the smartest thing to do right now? I know you have three months to go, but you're heavily pregnant."

"Do you really think it's a good idea living together when we are attracted to each other? If we continue with our 'harmless' fun for the next three months, don't you think it would make everything so much harder?"

"Good point," Edward said after a sigh. "But I don't want you to make across the city and it's not because I want you close: I want to be close to my daughter."

"I'm way ahead of you," Bella told him, trying to assure him, as he parked the car in front of his building. "You know your neighbor, the one across the hall that you don't like that much?"

"I know off him, yes."

"Well, I talked with him a few mornings ago when I was getting the mail and he told me that he's moving out. He thinks the apartment is too big for only one man and it's too modern for him as well now that he's closing in on eighty."

"I have a feeling there's more to the story," Edward narrowed his eyes at Bella as he pushed in the button to their floor and the elevator started to carry them up.

"Uhm, I told him that I was looking for a place in this building and that I wanted to live close to my friend as I'm pregnant," Bella bit her lip as she watched Edward.

"And what did he say."

"He said that I seemed like a nice girl, that the apartment was perfect for a small family with its two bedrooms and two bathrooms, though it would need a lot of paint to cover the 70's wallpaper."

"You've already bought it, haven't you?" Edward asked, his eyes narrowing again, but Bella could hint some slight humor in his eyes.

"Almost: I only need to sign the papers, then the apartment is mine as soon he's able to move out of it. Besides, I wanted to tell you before it was finalized."

"I guess that was considerate of you," Edward muttered as they reached their floor.

"Don't act so high and mighty," Bella snapped at his back when he strode quickly to the door, keys out. "Eventually, I will start dating again after the birth, and so will you. How would you feel if I brought my date home to the apartment I share with my daughter and her father, which with whom I don't have a relationship with? Would you feel comfortable listening to me getting fucked in the room just below yours? I know I wouldn't be comfortable if you brought someone home with you."

"Fuck," Edward cursed loudly as he opened the door, "I see your point." Like a sullen child, he entered the apartment and went straight for the kitchen, leaving Bella in the hall.

"Men," Bella muttered as she too entered the apartment and closed the door behind herself.

*** C R S ***

"So, am I allowed to call myself uncle?" Bella laughed into the phone at Emmett's question. It was only days since they had learned they were expecting a girl and Bella was lounging on the couch, a glass of milk and a package of double Oreos on the table in front of her.

"Of course you can call yourself uncle," Bella laughed, "She will need one as I'm refusing to introduce her to the boring creature my sister is married to."

"I'm really excited for you, Bells, and proud, for having a girl, settling things with Edward, even though none of you confessed your undying love, a huge disappointment by the way, and for moving into the same building as him so the two of you can raise the little girl together."

The idea of Bella moving across the hall was slowly starting to warm on Edward, especially as Bella pointed out he would be able to see their little girl every day, and that Bella was planning on giving him a key so he could come and go as he liked, well, at least almost whenever he would like.

The apartment was officially Bella's, bearing her name, and with Edward's amazing help, painters were already doing their best trying to cover all the orange, brown and dark green colors that had adorned the apartment for far too long.

"I know it would have been better living with him in the beginning, especially with all the crying, feeding, pooping and sleeping. But I need my own space and though he won't admit it, so does he. And, at the pace the painting job is going, they won't be finished until after the birth of little Mia."

"Mia?" Emmett questioned, his focus only on the potential name as soon it was out of Bella's mouth.

"Do you like it?" Bella asked, biting her lip as she waited for Emmett's answer.

"It's nice but I honestly think you can find a much prettier name than Mia."

"Well, since you're such an expert on names, let me know when you've found one," Bella laughed into the phone, secretly agreeing with Emmett that 'Mia' wasn't the right name for her little girl.

"Anyway," Emmett sighed dramatically through the phone, " Just so you know Bells, I'm actually a little hurt that you never told me that you have a bombshell for a best friend." Emmett told her with the most serious voice she had ever heard him use, not even during their court meetings had he used the voice.

"Rose, you think she's a bombshell?" a hope surged inside of Bella as she hoped to hear the news of her best friends awakening. She wanted to be there all the time, sitting by her side and talking with her, taking care of her, instead of being spineless and following Edward's orders. Of course, she knew they had done the right thing by letting Emmett do it. For one, Bella couldn't travel comfortably at all, and it would kill Edward not to be a part of the birth of their daughter if Bella was in London and he in Boston, if the months went by before anything changed with Rose. Two, Rose needed to meet a guy who could take care of her, one who were taking care of her instead of running off when things get rough, and what better way than to meet him when she woke up from an almost four week long coma?

"Of course!" it was whisper-yell and Bella wondered if he was sitting with her as he spoke with her. "She had the most ridicules long legs I've ever seen and she's lying down. Her body is perfectly toned, even in this weak state she's in, and according to her chart, she has the most beautiful pale green eyes I will ever see."

"Emmett, you have never seen her eyes," Bella felt the need to point it out to Emmett that Rose was in fact in coma and that if he had seen her eyes, then he was in the wrong room.

"Yes I have Bells, I'm looking into them right now," Bella gasped and tears came to her eyes as she heard Rose's voice in the background, weak, dry and scratchy, but it was hers.

"I'm coming to London!" Bella cried into the phone and hung up, throwing it down on the couch before heaving herself up.

Only throwing the bare essentials into a small leather bag, Bella rushed out with her phone to her ear, calling Tanya to hear if she was ok to fly.

Bella almost burst out crying when Tanya said she was healthy and could fly without problems. Her happy tears quickly turned into angry ones when she called and he forbade her to go to Rose, claiming that she had Emmett by her side and that would be enough.

"I don't fucking care what you say, Edward!" Bella cried into the phone, making the driver of her cab glancing nervously back at her as he drove her to the airport. "She's my best friend and she just woke up from a coma! Of course I'm going to see her!" Edward kept forbidding her to travel, threatened her with punishments and so on if she as much set foot in the airport. Bella only laughed at him and hung up.

With luck, she caught the first plain to London, only a few vacant seats left.