WARNING!

Mama Hale is in full effect this chapter.

Big thanks to Minna and Katmom. You guys put the jingle in my bells.

Rose

I dusted the mantle for the millionth time and knew that the heavy sigh I heard was directed at me.

"Rosie, sweetheart; put down the Swiffer and step away from the fireplace. I can assure you that there isn't a speck of dust within at least one hundred feet of it; I think you've eradicated it all."

"I'm sorry, Esme, nervous energy, I guess."

A hand gently rubbed my back. "Come on, darling, why don't we go wait for the girls outside."

My body relaxed slightly as I allowed her to lead me toward the door. I heard frantic footfalls coming down the hall as I slipped on my shoes, alerting me to the fact that I was about to be tackled.

"Miss Rosie, Miss Rosie!" Jaden called out as he ran toward us. "Please wait!"

I relished hearing him call my name. I would never again take the sound of his voice for granted, even if he was shouting angrily at me, which he had yet to do. The fact that he was speaking at all was a blessing that I would cherish. In the past couple of weeks since bringing him home, he had really opened up. He now spoke to all of us; however, he still refused to speak to Dr. Scott or the social workers.

Squatting down, I opened my arms to him. "Hey, buddy, what's wrong?"

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?" he said, sadly.

It was hard not to both laugh and melt at the pout he sported at that moment. "No, sweetie, I wasn't. I would never do that. Esme and I were going to wait outside for Alice and Bella to pick us up. Want to come with us?"

He looked back in the direction of the kitchen, then at us, then back, clearly torn. Finally, he smiled. "Okay, I think I can take a minute or two away from the surprise."

I took his hand in mine as we walked outside. It was a beautiful sunny day in late May and if I hadn't had so much on my mind, I might have been able to enjoy it more.

We sat on the porch swing, swaying back and forth, just soaking up the tranquility. Our neighbourhood was incredibly quiet and I loved it. I loved the trees and the grass, the well-groomed landscaping and the friendly, open attitude of our neighbours. The only noise I could hear was the quiet hum of a lawn mower in someone's backyard, and the sound of birds in the trees.

"Are you okay, Miss Rosie?"

No matter how many times I had begged him to just call me Rosie, he still called me Miss. He was getting better with calling Emmett by just his name, but for some reason he continued to call us ladies Miss or in Esme's case, Missus.

I pulled him closer to me, resting my cheek on his head. "Yeah, buddy, I'll be okay."

"You're nervous." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am," I admitted.

"It'll be okay, Miss Rosie."

He seemed so sure, and I didn't want to rain on his parade, so it just seemed easier to agree with him. "I hope so."

"I know so. I gotta feeling and Miss Alice said that we should always trust our feelings."

I chuckled. "That's true enough."

"I'm excited," he said a few minutes later.

Esme giggled on the other side of him. "Why's that?"

He sat up straighter and began speaking animatedly. "Well, for a lot of reasons, really. First, today is a VERY special day full of surprises and I'm excited about that. Second, I get to go to a graduation ceremony, which is something only big kids get to do, AND I get to cheer three times! Once for Miss Alice, once for Mr. Jasper, and a great big huge one for my Miss Rosie. Most people only get to cheer once."

Oh, how I hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed when he realized how long and boring it was going to be.

"Third, I get to protect you from nasty Mama Hale. You always look after me when I'm scared and sad, well, now it's my turn. Mr…er, Emmett and me are going to be your bodyguards." Jaden seemed really excited about the opportunity to protect me. He was smiling widely and waving his hands around animatedly.

My heart melted at his words. My boys were going to make sure that I was safe—both my big boy and now my little boy. My throat swelled with emotion as I hugged him. "Thanks, buddy. That makes me feel a lot better."

"It's our job. We men are supposed to keep our ladies safe."

Before I could respond to that quasi-sexist statement coming from a seven year old, a horn honked from the driveway as Alice pulled up in her bumblebee-yellow car. Jaden took off running and calling her name.

"Be careful, Jaden!" I called out, fearing that a trip and fall would land him back in the hospital, and that was the last thing I needed right then. I got up and poked my head into the house. "Em, baby?"

My hot man came down the hall, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "You taking off, babe?"

"Yeah, the girls just arrived."

He came out onto the porch and waved to the car before sweeping me up into his arms and planting a searing kiss on my lips. My mouth opened instinctively, seeking the safety of his taste, his smell, his essence, before I had to go.

"Mm…" I hummed happily into his parted lips. "Love you."

I felt him harden against me before he groaned and set me down. "I love you too. Now go with the girls and get yourself pampered. Don't worry about anything at all. We've got everything under control here. Oh, but don't let them fuck with your face, though, I don't want them marring your natural beauty."

I blushed at his compliment. "Thanks, baby. Call if you need me. I have my…"

He grabbed my purse and pulled out my phone, stuffing it in his pocket.

"No phones. Relax. We've got everything under control, okay? I've got your list and Jasper will pick your folks up at the airport. Alice's parents are arriving on an earlier flight, so he'll grab them first.

"Don't worry, baby. We boys have your back. Right, buddy?"

Jaden popped around from behind me. "Yup, we do." He gave my legs a hug and smiled up at me. "Bye, Miss Rosie. Love you!"

I bent down for a proper hug and a kiss, which he sloppily placed on my cheek.

"Thanks, buddy. I love you too."

The first time Jaden had said he loved us hadn't been that long ago; I mean, it had been mentioned to the others, like Jaden had told Bella that he loved us all, but when he finally looked me in the eye and said it, I cried, which upset him. I had to reassure him that they were happy tears and that I loved him very much.

Loving this little boy frightened me to death because until we were able to legally adopt him, they could take him away from us at any time, and I hadn't wanted to get too attached because I was terrified of my heart breaking and never recovering.

It was too late, though. I knew deep down that I had fallen in love with him the first day I met him and that regardless of how things ended, this tiny little creature had left an indelible mark on my heart.

Alice, Bella, Esme and I were booked in for a full day of pampering at a local spa, courtesy of Esme. She said it was a graduation present. Really, though, it was an attempt to keep me from going nuts waiting for my parents to arrive later in the afternoon; a way to get us out of the house so the boys could work on the big surprise. Us girls hadn't done something like this in ages, and it was long overdue.

We gossiped while having our manis and pedis and bitched about all the little things that were bugging us. Poor Alice was struggling with swollen feel and fretting about looking like a beached whale while sporting the hideous polyester graduation gowns we were being forced to wear.

Esme was concerned that Carlisle was going to be late. He was driving down after his shift at the hospital and wasn't due to arrive until much, much later in the day. Alice assured her that he would be fine, and that she hadn't had any bad feelings about it.

Then she added she had a feeling there was something afoot, and that she also felt that Bella was hiding something from us.

I had to laugh as Bella struggled to deny it, but with her easy blush, we knew instantly that something was up.

"Spill it, Swan," I barked.

"There's nothing!" she protested lamely as she shot daggers at Alice.

"Whatever, fine, don't tell us," I sighed melodramatically, "I thought we were sisters…"

"God, you guys are terrible! Do you want to know? Do you REALLY want to know?"

She was getting upset and I instantly felt bad. "No, Bells, it's okay," I tried to be as sincere as possible when I spoke to her, "we didn't want to upset you."

"No, you wanted to know, so I'll tell you, but DO NOT BREATHE A WORD TO EDWARD! We were trying to keep this under wraps, but obviously, that's not going to happen. So, do you swear not to say a word to anyone at all?"

We all hooked pinkies and nodded.

"Fine then, Edward and I went to the doctor the other day."

"Which doctor, Bella? Is it who I think it was?" Alice asked, trying to quell her excitement.

Bella nodded. "We went to see Dr. Vedder. He's an…an OBGYN."

Esme tensed up beside me. "Are you pregnant, Bella?"

"Not yet, but we've decided that it's time to try."

We all erupted into squeals and cheers, scaring the crap out of the poor women working on our feet.

"Wait! There are…complications. Don't get your hopes up just yet. This was the reason why we didn't want to say anything."

"Why, darling, what's wrong?" Esme asked, her elation now masked with concern.

"Physically, I'm okay down there, but Dr. Vedder is concerned about the seizures. Now that I'm taking meds every day, he worries that there could be a problem—pregnant women can't take the meds that I'm on. So, unless he and Dr. King come up with a plan to find different drugs, my only options are to not get pregnant, or to take my chances with going off the meds and pray that I don't have an episode."

"What will you do?" I asked quietly. What a heartbreaking decision to have to make.

"I want to go off the meds and Edward, well, he is REALLY struggling with this. He wants another baby so badly, but he can't bear the thought of possibly losing me in the process."

"Lose you?" Alice asked shakily. "What do you mean by that?"

Bella sighed heavily. "With any major seizure I have, there is always the chance that I won't come out of it. You guys know that."

"Yeah, but I don't think it ever really sunk in," Alice replied. "Wow."

Bella wiped at her eyes. "Enough guys; cheer up! We don't know for sure that this won't work. Let's just look on the bright side and hope for the best until we have concrete proof that it won't happen."

Esme reached over for Bella's hand. "You're right, Bella. We'll put it in the Lord's hands and think positive thoughts only."

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur and after our full body massages, we had nothing but fuzzy, happy, relaxed thoughts floating through our heads—almost enough to wipe away the fear I had of what awaited me at home.

Jasper

"Mr. and Mrs. Brandon! Over here!"

I spotted Alice's parents dodging people as they raced toward me outside the security area at the airport.

"Jasper! Sweetie pie, give us a hug!"

"Hi, Millie," I said, smiling as she hugged me. There was always something warm and reassuring about Millie's hugs. They were how I always imagined a loving mother's hug would feel—not that I ever felt anything like that from my mother.

Liam pulled me out of her arms and into a tight bear hug. "How's my baby girl doing?"

"She's fantastic. We had a bit of a scare, but she's doing okay. The anemia is making her tired, so she might seem a little slower."

Liam and Millie laughed at that. "So, we might have a chance to keep up with her now?" Liam said, chuckling.

Millie tapped her bag. "I have some things to help with the anemia. Are the girls at the spa? Alice mentioned something about a nice relaxing afternoon."

Relaxing afternoon my ass, I chuckled darkly to myself; Alice had no idea of what was to come. I hope she will feel well-rested. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed loudly. "Yeah, they are. Um, we need to keep moving—my folks are arriving at another gate in the next half hour."

"Oh," Millie squealed, "we finally get to meet the infamous Mama Hale. Wait…is that why your aura is so off? Talk to me, Jasper."

I spilled my guts to them as we neared the gate where I was to meet my folks. Millie hugged me again when we stopped, even though I had just told her that my mother would likely insult her and treat her like shit.

"Oh pooh, Jasper, I don't care and I refuse to allow her to ruin these special days for my babies. Speaking of which, what was her reaction to the news of the baby?"

Awkward. "Well, Millie, they uh…don't know."

I felt stinging pain across the back of my head. "Millie, did you just hit me?"

"Yes I did, Jasper Hale! How could you omit that important piece of information? She's going to spazz out and scare that blessed miracle right out of Alice!"

"She reacted so badly to Rosalie's engagement to Emmett that we knew she'd react even worse at the news of a baby, not to mention they have no clue about Jaden."

Millie sat down on her suitcase. "Oh, sweet pea, they are going to…wow. I know they are terribly anal and inflexible people, but Jasper, this is an awful lot to throw at them all at once."

I began pacing back and forth, my gaze flicking nervously to the screen announcing incoming arrivals. "I know, Millie, but we didn't think they would come to graduation! With things as rough as they are between Mama and Rosie…god, we're screwed."

Stopping in front of my in-laws-to-be, I took a deep breath. "There's more, but it's a surprise."

Liam shuffled uncomfortably because he knew what the surprise was—he was in on it too.

"Oh gods, Jasper, I hope Dr. Cullen will be nearby, because your folks are going to have a coronary when they find out."

"I know."

We moved to sit on a bench while we waited. Millie had one hand holding mine, while the other ran gently through my tangled hair in an attempt to calm me down and fix my aura. Shit! I had hoped to get a haircut before Mama saw me and called me a dirty hippie in front of my hippie future in-laws.

I lost myself in the feeling of Millie's fingers running through my hair until they announced the arrival of my parents' flight. Every muscle in my body tightened up at the thought of Mama's wrath, then Millie began speaking to me in quiet reassuring tones. There was something special about Millie; she had some freaky mojo that could soothe the savage beast in just about anyone.

Hmm…maybe she could fix Mama?

By the time I spotted the blonde heads of my parents moving swiftly through the crowd, all trace of peace had evaporated, and I'm sure my aura was a horrendous colour.

"Are you ready?" I whispered to Liam and Millie.

"We don't matter, sweetie, and remember that you are not them and we will love you no matter how awful they are."

"Thank you." I kissed her cheek before getting up to meet my parents.

"Hi, Mama, Dad," I said nervously. "How was your flight?"

"Jasper Whitlock Hale, you look like a dirty hippie! How do you ever hope to find employment looking like that? If you continue down this path of mediocrity you'll end up looking like them."

My heart sank as she pointed toward Liam and Millie, who were both waving in our direction.

"Why are they waving at us?" she huffed.

I took her rolling suitcase from her. "Because they are Alice's parents. Please be nice."

Mama moved close enough to seethe directly into my ear. "You would do well not to tell me how to act, son."

My father merely sighed as we moved toward the Brandons. I desperately wanted him to yell at Mama, and tell her to behave, but no. Some things never change.

"Mrs. Hale? I'm Millie Brandon, and this is my husband, Liam. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Mama plastered a fake smile on her face and spoke cordially to Millie. "The pleasure is all ours. My name is Lillian and this is Donald." She turned to me. "Will you be taking us to the hotel now, son?"

"Well, not exactly."

Mama's head snapped over angrily. "Did you not make reservations for us? Ugh, Donald, I knew we should have done it ourselves—"

"No, Mama, I made the reservations. I just thought you might want to see Rosie before retiring for the evening. I realize you are tired, but they are having a barbecue at their house for the parents. Please consider coming for a little while. I promise to bring you to the hotel whenever you've had enough."

She exhaled loudly, then replied with a sneer, "Fine. I can't wait to see the hovel your sister is living in."

We made our way to the parking garage and I couldn't help but wince when I heard both mothers gasp at the same time but for VERY different reasons. "A Cadillac, Jasper?" Mama Hale was clearly impressed, while Millie was appalled that we would use a gas-guzzling Navigator. I shot her a look, promising to explain later.

We drove in silence until we reached the gated community where Em and Rose lived. Mama gasped in awe. "Rosalie lives HERE?"

"Yes, the house that she and Emmett purchased is just ahead."

"Maybe she's not as dumb as I thought she was," Mama mumbled. It took everything I had in me not to turn around, tell her off and leave her on the side of the road.

When I pulled into the driveway, Jaden came flying out the front door decked out in dress pants and an adorable argyle sweater vest.

"Mr. Jasper! Wait until you see what we did while you were gone! Miss Alice is going to be so excited!" He skidded to a halt when he spotted Mama Hale, clammed up, then sprinted back into the house.

"Who was that unruly child, Jasper?" Mama huffed as she straightened out her skirt and flattened her already perfectly straight hair.

"That's Jaden, and I'm going to ask you—no, I'm going to tell you right now that you are not to speak to him in an unfriendly manner. Be nice to him, he's…he's important to us all and he's had a hard time."

She scowled at me and the heat from her angered gaze was brutal. I knew she was pissed that I was giving her orders again, but I wasn't going to let her do anything to upset him. Her anger seemed to fade a little when a black Mercedes pulled into the driveway beside us and Carlisle emerged.

"Jasper, son," he said warmly as he pulled me into a hug. "How're you doing? Is everything running smoothly?"

"Not quite," I whispered, so only he could hear, but then spoke normally as I introduced my parents and then Alice's.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lillian, Donald. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Emmett's father. Have you had the pleasure of meeting him yet?"

My mother was almost speechless. Hopefully that was a good thing.

"Come on in and I'll introduce my sons to you. Edward is here, isn't he, Jasper?"

I spotted the Volvo parked by the Jeep. "Yes, sir. Come on, let's go."

Emmett met us at the door, hugging his father tightly before turning to meet my folks and his future in-laws. "Hi, I'm Emmett Cullen, although you may know me better as the mistake your daughter is making. Please come in and make yourselves at home."

It was hard not to laugh at my mother's reaction to Emmett. Between his formidable physical presence and how he had just called her out in front of everyone, she looked stunned.

Millie was the one to break the tension as she pushed through to hug Emmett, who smiled widely as he picked her up off the porch. "You must be the famous Millie! Mm…I'm so happy to meet Little One's little Mama."

"Oh, Emmett, you have the most amazing aura! No wonder my Ali loves you so much." She gestured toward her husband. "That guy in the hoodie is my hubby, Liam."

Emmett reached over and shook his hand. "Great to meet you, Liam. Come on in, everyone. Can I get anyone a drink?"

"Doc Carlisle!" Jaden shouted as he ran toward him. Carlisle picked him up and gave him a hug. "Jaden! How's my favourite little guy?"

The boy's smile faltered when he spotted Mama Hale and he hid his face in Carlisle's shoulder. I walked over and rubbed his back. "It's okay, buddy, she won't bite."

"She's scary, Mr. Jasper. Doc Carlisle, can we go find Mr. Edward? We have something we need to do. Oh…" he paused, "which one is Miss Alice's daddy?"

I pointed him out, calling both Liam and Millie over to where we were standing.

"Jaden, this is Liam and Millie, Miss Alice's parents."

"Hi, sweetie, I really like your vest," Millie said softly.

He looked down and smiled. "Miss Alice picked it out for me. It was for the graduation but since today is special, Mr. Edward thought it would be okay if I wore it today too."

She reached out and cupped his cheek. "You look very handsome, sweetie." Her eyes teared up a little. "Goodness, could you help me find the washroom, Jaden?"

He nodded brightly and wriggled until Carlisle set him down. "Do you want to use my very own private one? Mr. Emmett…er…Emmett, bought special tub toys for me too!"

"I'd love to! Oh, and remind me later to ask what your favourite colours are so I can make some homemade washcloths for you."

They took off up the stairs leaving us all stunned. Jaden rarely spoke to adults besides us and he had immediately connected with Millie. It was a relief, really—they could keep each other occupied and away from Mama Hale.

Speaking of the devil herself, she and Dad were off to the side, just watching everything unfold. I wondered if she had figured out that Jaden lived here with Em and Rosie. I moved over and gestured for them to go sit in the living room.

"Can I get you a drink? Something to eat? We likely won't have dinner for a few more hours."

"A scotch on the rocks," Dad said softly, "if you've got it."

"Make that two, and yes, something to snack on would be nice. I'd also like to know where the nearest washroom is; it'd like to freshen up a little."

"Of course, I'm sorry, Mama. Come with me, please."

I led her to the guest washroom on the main floor then made my way into to the kitchen to get drinks and food.

"Want me to run interference, son?" Carlisle asked, clapping me on the back.

"Please? I have some things I need to do before the girls arrive."

He took the glasses from my hand so I could throw some veggies, pitas and dips onto a platter.

"Dad? Carlisle will help you with anything you might need. I have to do something before everyone arrives."

He merely nodded as he sipped on his drink. I had made sure that Emmett was well stocked with scotch and the good stuff at that. It would appease the parents and hopefully earn him some much-needed brownie points.

Edward and Emmett were speaking quietly to Liam on the deck, explaining things to him. He smiled warmly when he saw me approach.

"Jasper, she's going to love it."

"If she doesn't castrate me first. I know I went behind her back on this and I knew that she wanted to do the planning, but Rosie has offered to take some of the heat off me by putting herself on the line. I'm hoping that will make her feel better."

"Everything looks beautiful, Jasper," Millie said as she and Jaden joined us. There were tears on her cheeks.

"Wait—how did you—Jaden?" I looked at the little boy who ducked behind her legs, peeking out nervously.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jasper. I was so excited about everything that I forgot it was a secret. Are you mad? Please don't be mad."

"No, little buddy, I'm not mad. I'm really proud of you for keeping this secret for as long as you have. You did a great job, and really, Millie has a right to know."

"What the hell is this?"

Fuck. Mama Hale walked out onto the deck and surveyed the scene before her.

"Jasper? Care to explain what's going on?"

"Uh, well…"

"Spit it out, son. Looks like a wedding chapel out here."

"Well, that's a good thing, I guess, because there's going to hopefully be a wedding here tonight."

Mama's nostrils flared, her cheeks reddening at an alarming rate. "And who exactly is getting married?"

"Me and Alice."

It was then that I heard a gasp and turned to see Alice standing shell-shocked in the door.

Yes, I'm leaving you here. I'm sorry. But on the bright side, I'll likely post two chapters in the next week because they're a little shorter and because it's the holiday season.

I'm still obsessively reading Take the Ice by bellamarie117 so I don't have much else to recommend at the moment.

As always, I love to hear what you're thinking.