Sorry its so late! Real life messed me around and writing got pushed away for a while. We are nearing the end though so providing real life calms a little we should be ok for rapid updates! :)
Chapter 14
Our holiday was amazing and stress-free. We had spent a week doing nothing.
Days on the beach playing, in the pool swimming and on the boat tanning.
I had taken the kids out on the boat and we had swum in the sea for a little while. Edward and I had gone across to the mainland on Christmas Eve to get a tree and decorations so the kids would still have their Christmas. We set it up and let the kids decorate while Edward and I sat on the sofa. Once they were done and packed off to bed Edward and I wrapped all their presents and put them under the tree before slipping into bed together. We forwent sex, knowing the kids would be up bright and early in the morning.
We weren't wrong.
5am there were two bouncing bodies on the bed.
"Mummy! Daddy! It's Christmas!" Lizzie yelled landing on her knee's by me. Maddie seemed less exuberant and curled up against Edward but tapped his chest before kissing his cheek.
"Ok sweetie. Go wake Jenna up and then we can go downstairs." I murmured kissing her cheek. Maddie followed more subdued and I turned to burrow into Edward's chest.
"Hmm, Merry Christmas." I whispered kissing his neck.
"Merry Christmas Bella." He said gently kissing my forehead. We snuggled for a few more minutes before Maddie slipped back into our room. she climbed onto the bed and crawled up between us before climbing under the covers.
"Lizzie's crazy." She said before curling against Edward's chest. I laughed lightly and combed my fingers through Maddie's hair. I could hear a stomping along the hallway and saw Lizzie bang into the room.
"Madison now is not sleepy time!" she said indignantly. Maddie only moaned and cuddled closer to Edward.
"Presents?" Lizzie asked hopefully crawling to me on the bed. "Please mamma." She said kissing my lips. "Please?" she whimpered dramatically. I laughed. Loudly.
"Ok munchkin. Let us use the bathroom then we will come." I said kissing her forehead.
"I wait here with Maddie." She said crawling into the warmth. I crawled out of the bed and Edward reluctantly followed me into the bathroom. We quickly brushed our teeth and did other bits while the girls waited. Once we were done we went back into the bedroom and Lizzie launched herself on Edward's back while I lifted Maddie. We wandered along the hall and I looked into Jenna's room to see it empty. I assumed she would be downstairs.
I went into Ethan's room to see her changing the sleepy boys nappy for me.
"Auntie Jenna!" Maddie said as she finished doing up Ethan's PJs.
"Hi sweetie." She said turning. I put Maddie on the floor and lifted up Ethan who's head drooped onto my shoulder. I rubbed his back and we all went downstairs where Edward and Lizzie were sat on the sofa. Lizzie was bouncing impatiently looking at the presents. Jenna and Maddie sat on the floor by the tree, Jenna assuming her usual hander outer job and Lizzie joined them.
"Dada." Ethan whimpered from my shoulder. Edward took him and held him close, kissing his forehead.
"Can we start?" Jenna asked.
"Yep but wait till everyone has one." I said to the girls. Lizzie pouted but nodded. Jenna handed everyone a present and then I gave the girls the ok. Lizzie and Maddie tore into their presents while Ethan looked at his. I helped him open it revealing a new toy he had wanted. He giggled and played with it. Lizzie played with her new dolly and Maddie loved her new teddy.
"Thank you." Jenna said quietly. She was gently fingering her new bracelet Edward and I had got her. She always got a little quieter at Christmas and birthday times. I think our parents rejection hurt more around those times, which is probably made worse by seeing Edward and I with our kids.
An hour later everything had been unwrapped and Edward and I were clearing up the mess. Jenna had gone upstairs to dress for the day. Once we were done I took Ethan up to get dressed while Edward took care of the girls. I dressed him in some black shorts and a bright red t shirt and some little white trainers.
"Come on baby. Lets go help daddy." I said pulling him onto my hip. We went down to the girl's room and saw Edward pulling dresses out of the wardrobe for the girls. I had packed matching dresses for the girls, one was pink with orange leaves on it and the other was green with pink leaves. Ethan played on the floor while I helped Edward dress the girls. Once they were all sorted we left the kids in here while we dressed ourselves.
"I have a present for you." Edward cooed into my ear, wrapping his arms round my towel clad body.
"Really? Well I guess it's good that I have a present for you too." I said turning in his arms and weaving my fingers into his damp hair. His lips dropped onto mine and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. I sighed and pulled away. We went into the bedroom and both climbed onto the bed. I reached into my bedside drawer and pulled out the square box. Edward also had a long box in his hand. I held out mine to him. "You first." I said. He grinned and took the box, ripping into the paper. He pulled out the blue box and gently lifted the lid revealing the waiting present. I had bought him some dog tags with our wedding date engraved with 'Bella loves Edward' underneath. His finger gently rubbed along the metal. On the other tag, cause there were two, were the names of the kids, Jenna included, and room for more underneath.
"Thank you Bella." He said leaning over and pressing his lips to mine softly, tenderly. He pulled back and I gently put the chain round his neck. The silver lay perfectly against his tanned chest. He held out the long box for me to take. I pulled the pretty silver paper off and gently opened the box. Against the plush velvet lay a silver bracelet with one charm on it. It was a gorgeous heart charm with a lock in the middle.
"Turn it over." Edward said gently. I flipped it and saw the words engraved on the back.
'E loves B'
"I love it Edward." I said pulling him to me for a kiss. His fingers quickly got the bracelet out of the box and did it up around my left wrist. I grasped the tags round his neck and used them to pull him down with me as I lay back. His lips descended on mine as his hand moved up my thigh, slipping under the towel slightly.
"Ahh, no we cant. Kids, Christmas." I panted pulling away. He moaned and dropped his head to my neck. He pressed a kiss to my neck before letting me up. I went into the walk in wardrobe while Edward went back into the bathroom. I pulled some underwear out of the drawer and quickly finished drying myself before throwing the towel across to the hamper. I pulled on the panties and happened to glance up into the mirror.
"Edward?" I called. He walked into the room, stopping dead when he saw me. "Are my boobs bigger?" I asked turning slightly in the mirror. I cupped them gently and heard Edward moan from the door. They were sore and sensitive. "Well?" I asked turning to face him.
"Baby you cant stand here like that and expect me to be able to answer you." He said walking over to me.
"I'm being serious Edward. I think they're bigger." I whined. He stood behind me and wrapped his arms round my middle. His hands moved up to cup my chest.
"Yes Bella. They are bigger." He said, gently massaging them.
"Careful Edward they're sensitive." I said. He turned me in his arms and pulled me into a hug.
"Bella do you think you might be pregnant?" he asked. I pulled back and looked up at him, seeing the guarded excitement in his eyes.
"Maybe. I don't know." I said gently.
"Wanna find out?" he asked, letting his excitement seep through.
"We'd have to go to the mainland and I doubt anywhere is open." I said. He was shaking his head before I finished.
"No we don't." he said leaning round me and reaching into his drawer. He pulled out a box containing two pregnancy tests. I smiled at his preparedness. I slipped the box out of his hands and quickly looked on the back, reading the instructions. I grabbed a t shirt of Edward's and slipped it over my head before turning back to him.
"If this is negative I don't want you to be upset or disappointed ok?" I said leaning up to cup his face. "We can keep trying." I reminded him. He nodded and quickly kissed my lips.
"I know. I'll be fine. You go do your thing while I distract the others. Don't look without me." He added. I nodded and went into the bathroom while he went to the kids. I quickly peed on the two sticks and then placed them on the side, on some toilet paper. I left them there and after washing my hands I quickly went to the bedroom and sat on the bed. Edward walked in a few minutes later and sat with me, pulling me onto his lap.
"How long?" he murmured.
"Two more minutes." He nodded and I buried my head in his neck. The waiting is the worst part. His hands gently combed through my hair while his lips rested on my shoulder. Mine were twined in his hair, holding him close.
Two minutes later and we were still in the same position. I sighed and untangled myself, only to tangle our fingers together. I pulled Edward from the bed and into the bathroom. We stood in front of the tests with his face buried in my hair. I took a deep breath and then picked up both tests.
Pregnant
Pregnant
"Oh my god." I whispered. "Edward look!" His head moved from where it was resting to look at the tests.
"Pregnant. You're pregnant. We're pregnant." He said. I laughed at his repetition.
"Yes baby. We're pregnant." I said letting my hand slip to my still flat tummy. His eyes followed the motion before his lips crushed to mine. His hands cupped my face gently as his lips worked over mine.
"I love you Bella. So much." He whispered.
"I love you too." I replied. He pulled away from me and dropped to his knees, lifting his tshirt and pressing worshipful kisses to my tummy.
"Hi love bug. I'm daddy. I love you and mummy very much and we can't wait to meet you baby." He whispered. Tears ran fast and thick down my face at his words. My hand tangled in his hair as his hands stayed on my hips, kissing where our baby grew. He stood and pressed his lips to mine again.
"I didn't think I could love you more than I did but I was wrong. I've never loved you more than I do right now." He said. My sob was swallowed by him as he pressed his lips firmly to mine. We kissed and cried for a little while longer before pulling ourselves together and dressing for the day. We went downstairs and took the kids onto the beach. We ran around in the surf and played in the sand before Jenna and I went inside to cook dinner. We weren't having a traditional Christmas dinner as it was about a thousand degree's out so we planned on a barbeque. We prepared everything and took it to the patio where Edward would grill the meat.
Dinner was a fun affair and Edward's hand rarely strayed from my tummy. Jenna noticed this and cocked an eyebrow at me, nodding at my tummy. I smiled and nodded. She squealed but one look from me silenced her. She was quietly vibrating in her seat and I chuckled quietly. Edward looked from me to her and she put her thumbs up to him. I buried my face in his back laughing.
The next few days passed quickly with Jenna and I going over to the main land to visit a spa in prep for the wedding. We had everything sorted and it was now the night before. We had decided to go over to the mainland for a family dinner.
The dinner was full of laughter and was perfect as our last one as an unmarried couple. We joked around and the kids all giggled at their daddy's silly antics. Ethan fell asleep on my shoulder, with his hand tangled in my hair, during desert. Once we were done we went back to the boat and Jenna and the girls went into the cabin, taking Ethan with them and Edward and I steered across the ocean, taking our time. He was stood behind my gently caressing my tummy as I steered us back to the dock. We went back to the house, past the archway where we were due to marry, seeing the materials billowing in the soft wind.
We went to bed, Edward and I ignoring the whole separate thing and cuddled together under the covers.
"You ready for this?" he asked from between my legs, his head resting on my tummy.
"Ready to get on with forever with you? Definitely." I said.
"Good." He replied.
"Edward are you sure you don't want your family here?" I said quietly.
"Bella I only want you." he said. "My family will not make our wedding day. we will with our children." he said.
"If you're sure. I don't want you to regret this in a few years." His brow furrowed and he crawled up the bed to hover directly over me.
"Bella swan I could never regret marrying you. Ever. I love you entirely and my lack of family changes nothing. This is exactly how I want to marry you." he said. My hormones were running crazy and tears streamed down my face. Edward chuckled slightly, already used to this and gently kissed away my tears.
"Come on we need sleep. Tomorrow is a big day." he said. He quickly scooted down the bed and gently kissed my tummy. "Night night love bug. Mummy and daddy love you very much." He did this every night before bed. He then crawled up the bed and kissed me.
"Night Bella. I love you very much." He said teasingly. This was because I joked the other day that he loved the baby more than me so now he made sure to tell me the same.
"I love you too Edward." He quickly wrapped me up in his arms and pulled me close, tangling our legs before we both fell asleep.
The next morning Edward and I showered together, after a lie-in, before he took Ethan down to the beach and the girls and I got ready. I was in a silk white gown with 'Bride' across the back that Jenna had bought. She was wearing a matching one with 'Sister of the Bride' and the girls were wearing ones with 'Daughter of the Bride'. We had a late lunch and the hair and makeup artists turned up around three. We had planned to have the ceremony at sunset on the beach and were going to ring in the New Year with fireworks. Because of this I made the girls have a sleep between 3 and 6 while Jenna and I had our hair and makeup done. I had instructed Edward to make sure Ethan slept late as well. They worked on Jenna and I simultaneously and we were done within three hours. My hair had been pulled back into a loose bun and the front of my hair was falling in soft tendrils round my lightly made up face. I had a light layer of foundation and my eyes had been done with light smoky shadow and my lips were left bare as I knew Edward didn't like the way lip gloss made my lips feel or taste. Jenna and Marie, the makeup artist, helped me into my dress while Helena, the hairdresser worked on a now awake Maddie and Lizzie. I had asked her to curl the ends of their hair and move it all to one side and secure it with a flower clip. They looked gorgeous and after much begging I allowed them to wear a little lip gloss. Jenna helped them into their dresses then I zipped up her bright pink one.
I was stood in front of a floor length mirror in our bathroom staring. I loved my dress and I really hope Edward does too. It was floor length with a small amount of material pooling behind me. The dress was primarily white but the lace overlay gave it a more off white tinge. The lace straps came up over my shoulders and the wide neck line was heart shaped with a gem in the middle. It's intricate stitching is what drew me too it and it showed off my slight figure amazingly.
"Ready Bella?" Jenna asked holding out my bright pink flowers. I had bright pink as a contrast to my white dress and hers were white as a contrast to her pink dress. The girls were being flower girls and Lizzie was throwing white petals while Maddie threw pink ones. I went back into the bedroom and saw the photographer, Marie, getting the girls to pose together. They looked amazing in their dresses. The primary colours were white but the bottom part which puffed out had pink lines criss-crossed. The straps were pink and there was a pink ribbon around their waists.
We all posed for pictures in the room, on the stairs, by the pool, in the gardens and finally at the top of the beach. Marie and Helena were our witnesses so they ran off to the ceremony place and we waited behind some trees. Helena ran off and came back with Ethan for me.
"Mama!"
"Baby. You look soo good." I said pulling him into my arms. He had on a mini suit matching what Edward should be wearing. Grey jacket and trousers with a white shirt and a pink and white tie with a pink flower on his lapel. I kissed his cheek and then set him on the ground. Music began playing from down the beach.
"Right you two go. Slowly." I said to the girls. They walked off together throwing petals. Jenna, after handing Ethan a pillow with the rings on it, counted to 20 and then she went after them.
"Ready baby?" I said to Ethan. "Shall we go see daddy?"
"Daddy!" he yelled.
"Yeah. Come on." I said taking his chubby little hand. We started off from behind the tree and followed the flowers. I was looking down at Ethan to begin with but after a little while I looked up. There was a square archway that had been covered in different pink materials which floated a little in the breeze. The girls had thrown the flowers up to where Edward was waiting for me. They were now sat on chairs behind where I would be standing. Jenna was sat with the hair and makeup artists behind Edward.
I let my eyes stray to Edward and he smiled happily at me. He looked incredible in his sharp grey suit and silky tie. We carried on walking until I got to where Edward was stood. He held his hand out to me and pulled me level with him. I quickly crouched down to Ethan. "Go and sit with your sisters." I said kissing his cheek. He sloppily returned the kiss and toddled off to climb onto his chair. I stood and turned to Edward whose eyes were shining with love. He bought one of his hands up and stroked across my cheek gently. The officiate cleared his throat and Edward smiled sheepishly at him before dropping his hands to mine and weaving our fingers together.
The ceremony flew by and before I knew it we were exchanging rings.
"Ethan. Come here." I said distracting him from his shoes. He looked up and grinned before falling off his chair and running over to us with the pillow. Edward crouched down and took the rings off the pillow before kissing his forehead and sending him back to his chair. He handed me his ring and kept his own before turning back to the officiate. We both repeated our vows and slid the ring onto each other's fingers, mine sitting nicely against my engagement ring and his shining brightly against his tanned skin.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mr Cullen you may now kiss your bride." He said. Edwards lips were on mine in a second. My left hand cupped his cheek as my mouth opened to his. His tongue briefly dipped into my mouth before we pulled away.
"Mm, Mrs Cullen." He said softly.
"I love you Edward."
"I love you too Bella. So much." He replied. We turned and were swamped by the kids. Marie had been taking pictures the whole time and carried on as we spent time with Jenna and the kids. We had some posed pictures done as well as some natural taken by Maria. After a little while we thanked Marie, Helena and the officiate and they left to go back to the mainland. We went back up to the house and saw the caterers had set out dinner for us. We settled the kids and had our pasta dinner together with me sat in Edward's lap.
"Are we a family now?" Lizzie asked.
"Lizzie we always were." I said. "But now me and daddy are married it's more official. But when we get back home we will sort out the adoption of you all." I said.
"Then you'll be my real mummy?"
"Yes officially I will be your mum. Is that ok?" I asked. She grinned and nodded. Jenna seemed to be looking sad and after dinner I asked her to come and help me out of my dress and into the one I had for the evening.
"Jenna is everything ok?" I asked as she undid my dress for me.
"Sure." She said unconvincingly. I didn't believe her at all and once she had finished with the dress I tugged her to the bed and pushed her down. I pulled on my robe from earlier and sat next to her.
"Tell me." I said softly.
"I feel really selfish. Today is your day you don't need to be worried about me."
"Sweetie I'll always worry about you. Just like I'll always worry about Maddie, Lizzie, Ethan and the new baby." I said.
"That's kind of what makes me sad. You're their mum so you should worry but my mother never will. You're more of a mother than she ever was and I guess it makes me sad you're not my mum." She said as tear fell down her cheeks.
"Jenna I will always love you just as much as I love the others. We can look into making things official if you want to but it may be difficult. God knows mum and dad won't make it easy on us."
"You would do that?"
"Sweetie of course I would." I said wiping her tears away. I pulled her into my arms and she cried into my neck for a little while. She calmed down and pulled back hastily wiping her cheeks.
"Thank you Bella." She said quietly.
"Edward and I love you as much as the others. We can look into some form of adoption but mum and dad may decide to deny it and force you to live with them. You need to consider that first. You only have two years until your legal, it might be easier to wait it out." I said.
"Maybe." She replied.
"Go re do your make up and then we can go back downstairs ok?" I said kissing her forehead. She nodded and went into the bathroom while I slipped on the white dress I had bought with us. I left my white heels on and touched up my makeup before Jenna came back into the room.
"Do you want to change?" I asked.
"I don't have another dress with me." She said.
"Get one from my wardrobe." I said. She nodded and went into our closet to have a look. She ended up picking out a black dress that she liked and pulling it on before changing into some black heels and we went back downstairs.
The first thing Jenna did was go and hug Edward fiercely. He hugged her back but looked questioningly at me over her head. I smiled gently and shook my head. They talked quietly while she was clinging to him. The poor child was desperate for a father figure in her life. She needs it like all girls do. Hopefully Edward can slot in for her and help her out. I went over to the kids who were playing on the grass together. It was now nearly 9pm and Ethan was waning slightly.
"Mama." He said as he toddled over to where I was sat and held his arms out.
"Hi sweet boy." I said lifting him onto my lap. He curled into my chest and played with my necklace.
"Baby, I'm going to change him and the girls into something they can sleep in." I said to Edward who was talking with Jenna.
"Ok love." He smiled. I lifted Ethan into my arms and called the girls to come upstairs. I changed Ethan's nappy and put him in a footless all in one before helping the girls into their shorts and vest tops. We went back downstairs and outside to where Jenna and Edward were setting up cabanas to face where the fireworks would be set off. The girls went to play and Jenna was texting on her phone looking better than she had before. Edward was on a large bed stretched out in his suit. He hand taken off his tie and jacket and rolled up the sleeves on his shirt.
"Hi baby." He said as I walked over.
"Hi." I replied sitting on his chair with him near his knees. Ethan was curled against my chest sucking on his fingers. Edward tugged on my hand till I moved so I was next to him, resting my head on his shoulder and laying Ethan between us. He curled against Edward's leg and I watched his eyes begin to droop. He burrowed into Edwards thigh before falling asleep.
"How is my wife feeling?" Edward asked, placing his hand on my tummy.
"She is fine. As is your little love bug." I told him, kissing his jaw. "Happy." I added snuggling into his side.
"Good, I'm glad." He replied.
"Are you happy?" I asked softly looking over at the girls who were giggling on the grass.
"Immensely." He replied softly kissing my ear. I smiled into his neck and closed my eyes snuggling into the nook between his neck and shoulders, breathing in his scent. His hand rested on my tummy, rubbing circles.
The girls played happily and after a while Jenna came over wanting to take pictures to remember the New Year. She was very much into pictures, collages and scrapbooking. Edward took pictures of me and her together, her and Ethan and her and the girls. I took some of her and Edward and eventually she took control of the camera and started snapping pictures.
The closer it got to midnight the more sleepy the girls became. At 11 they both came and snuggled with Edward and I. Jenna settled with us and rested her head on my leg. We all layed their comfortably until the countdown started on the radio Jenna had bought out.
"10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Happy New Year!" Jenna squealed. She kissed my cheek and Edward's before running off with her phone.
"Happy New Year Mrs Cullen." Edward cooed into my ear.
"Happy New Year." I replied turning to press my lips to his. His lips moved softly over mine as we kissed for a few minutes. The boom of the fireworks broke us apart and we settled in to watch them. Jenna came back and settled next to me, cuddling into my leg. I gently ran my fingers through her hair while we watched the fireworks. Once they ended Jenna had fallen asleep against my thigh and the others were still out.
"Bedtime?" I whispered.
"Bedtime." Edward replied. I gently woke Jenna up and as she stood I scooped Ethan up and went with her upstairs. She went into her room and I laid Ethan into his cot and covered him up with a blanket before checking on Jenna. She was laying on her bed in her dresss and heels.
"Oh no way. That dress was expensive. Up you get." I said pulling her up. She changed into some shorts and a vest top and climbed into bed. I pulled her covers up and lent over to kiss her forehead.
"Love you Jenna." I whispered.
"Love you Bella." She replied sleepily. I flicked her light off and closed the door, going down to the girls bedroom. Edward had tucked both girls in and was about to walk out of the room. His arms went round my waist while my fingers threaded into his hair.
"Bedroom?" I murmured. He nodded and let his hands fall to cup my ass. He lifted me easily and my legs went round his waist and he set off for the bedroom. He walked in and closed the door, pinning me against it and kissing me fiercely. I tugged on his hair and he moaned lowly into my mouth. He released me and let my feet fall to the floor. His kisses slowed and eventually stopped and Edward buried his face into my neck.
"There's one thing I wanna do." He said.
"Ok. What?"
"Well if we had a big wedding with a reception we would have had a first dance. I was thinking we could do that now?" he said.
"I'd love to baby." I said kissing him softly. He pulled out of my arms and went over to the entertainment unit and hit a few buttons before coming back over to me. He pulled me into his arms as Christina Perri's A Thousand Years floated through the room. I smiled and rested my head on his chest.
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
One step closer
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
I tilted my head up and pressed my lips to Edwards softly. His hands moved to the zip on my dress and gently pulled it down, the zip growling loudly in the quiet room.
That night Edward and I made love for the first time as a married couple. The only noises were out quiet whispers of love and the gentle lapping of the waves at the beach. We spent the night wrapped up in each other's arms, his hand resting on my belly.
The next day was spent playing on the beach and packing to come home. The kids didn't want to leave and neither did Edward and I but everyone had commitments and we needed to get home. The flight home was quiet and the kids were very subdued. I didn't want to leave our little bubble on the island but reality called. However we would always have our island in the sun and could return whenever.
What do you think?