Welcome back! I hope you've been enjoying the story. Not too much longer to go on this one!

We will hear from Edward again before the end of this one, and he will have some of his own chapters in the sequel.

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you thought at the end, if you'd be so kind!

… …

Edward's leg was shaking so much, it was rattling my chair, too.

I touched his leg gently, and it stilled. "Nervous?"

He blew out a breath, looking sheepish. "Kind of. But mostly excited."

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you in time for my first appointment. I've been thinking about it a lot, and it wasn't fair-"

"Isabella Swan?"

The nurse who called my name smiled as Edward and I stood and hurried to her. She ushered us down the hallway and into an exam room, where I handed my phone and my purse over to Edward before stepping on the scale.

"Okay, so I see in your chart that you're fourteen weeks," she began, peeking over my shoulder so she could see the display when it beeped. "And you've gained two pounds since your last visit, which is fine. Go ahead and have a seat, and I'll check your blood pressure."

I did as she asked, rolling up my sleeve to give her better access.

"Perfect," she announced. "Now, any more nausea? Cramping? Spotting?'

"No," I answered. "Well, a little nausea still, but it's hardly bothering me at all anymore."

"Good. Do you have any other concerns? Feeling okay otherwise?"

"No, I feel fine."

I was awed when she measured and told me that the baby was fourteen centimeters now. That seemed so impossibly tiny, and yet I couldn't believe all of this growth was happening inside of me.

Edward seemed fascinated throughout the whole appointment. He asked questions and listened thoughtfully, and paid attention to everything I said, too. And when he got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time, the smile on his face grew impossibly larger and his eyes became glassy. And although I had already thought so, now I knew without a doubt that he loved this baby just as much as I did.

… ….

"I've seen Emmett around a lot lately."

I had been starving after my appointment, so Edward and I had stopped at a deli down the street for a late lunch. After practically inhaling my own sandwich in a matter of just a few minutes, I now sat back and sipped on my water as Edward finished his lunch.

"Yeah, lately it seems like when he's not on a job, he's spending his time with Rosalie. But I'm glad- he seems really happy. And I've never seen him this way before, so I know Rosalie must be pretty special."

"My best friend and your brother- who would've thought?"

Edward chuckled at my teasing. "And now Emmett will be an uncle. He said he had been teasing Rosalie about just being an honorary aunt while he'll be real uncle. But don't worry- she gave him hell for it."

"Good," I laughed. "I am happy that he'll be the baby's uncle, though. I'm really getting to know him, and he's growing on me."

"I'm glad, too."

We were silent for a moment before I spoke up again. "You have another brother, right?"

Edward nodded. "Peter. He's the oldest, and lives in Chesterfield. He and his wife, Charlotte, actually really want to meet you. They've been asking me about it a lot. I know our...boundaries are kind of blurry right now as we figure out how to do this, but if you're okay with it, I thought the four of us could have dinner sometime. Just, you know, so they can get to know you before the baby comes."

"That would be nice."

He was right- the boundaries were blurry right now. But as long as we were doing what we both decided would be best for the baby and for us as parents, then we would be okay.

"I don't have any siblings," I added. "So I'm glad the baby will still get to have aunts and uncles on your side. And then hopefully some cousins, eventually."

"Me, too. But, um, I actually was also thinking about my parents. I...I haven't told them yet." Edward pushed his empty sandwich wrapper to the side and leaned closer. "I just haven't figured out how to. I want it to be more than just a phone call, you know? I mean, this is their first grandchild. It should be more special than that."

I knew his parents lived out on the west coast, and it reminded me how lucky I felt to have my dad so close. Even though I had a lot of support from others, there was nothing quite like the support of your parents when you really needed them.

"Well, you don't want to wait too long. But I understand wanting it to be not just through a phone call, if that can be avoided. When will you see them in person next?"

"Actually, for Peter's birthday. It's in a few weeks. I guess waiting just a little while longer would be better than over the phone."

"Do you think they'll be excited?"

"Oh, definitely," Edward said immediately. "They've been begging for grandchildren for years now. My mom especially."

"My dad is pretty excited, too. He didn't expect to be a grandpa for another couple of years, at least, but he's so happy. And to think, I was terrified to tell him."

Edward laughed, shaking his head. "It's kind of funny, isn't it? We're both adults and we're worried about what our parents think about us having a baby."

"It is," I agreed. "When I told my dad, I suddenly felt like I was sixteen years old again."

I really had worried about telling my dad- I felt like he was the only parent I had left, and I had always been afraid of disappointing him. And while his support and joy over becoming a grandparent made me so happy, I also thought about my mom a lot. The last time we had talked had been that awful phone call on her birthday, and I had felt like she hadn't even wanted to speak to me.

Now, she was going to be a grandmother, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle it if she rejected my baby the same way she had rejected me.

… …

"Are you sure I look okay?"

I looked at my reflection in the mirror yet again.

I couldn't believe my belly right now- I really, really looked pregnant.

"You look great." Alice smiled at me, then gently patted my stomach. "Baby thinks so, too."

I tried to smile, but ended up just doing a sort of grimace at my reflection, unconvinced.

"Why are you so nervous, Bella?"

I hesitated, because I really wasn't sure why. It all boiled down to wanting Peter and Charlotte to like me. But even if they didn't for whatever reason, why should that matter? I had never really been the sort of person to be bothered if a person liked me or not. And it wasn't like Edward was my boyfriend. Then, I could se being nervous about meeting his brother and sister in law. But he wasn't, and I still felt nervous.

"They wouldn't have asked to meet you if they didn't want to get along," Alice pointed out, filling the silence. And I'm sure they're excited about the cute little baby in your belly. If anything, just keep the conversation baby related. Or just-"

My phone rang, cutting her off. She picked it up, glanced at the display, and then tossed it to me. "It's Edward."

"Hey," I answered. "I'm almost done- I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay, no rush. I'm a few minutes early."

I grabbed my purse and slipped my shoes on, and I was unable to resist looking in the mirror one more time.

"Go!" Alice cried impatiently. "You look great!"

She was going to stay at my place for a little while longer to study, since Emmett and Rosalie were at their place, but promised to lock up when she left. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then was out the door.

I found Edward's car idling on the curb and slipped in. "Hi." I was a little breathless, but smiled at him. "Sorry, Alice was over."

"That's okay." He peeked over at me, his smile widening. "Wow. Bump has really grown since we last saw each other."

"Don't remind me- that wasn't even two weeks ago!" I groaned, but really, I loved my baby bump and didn't mind getting bigger if it meant the baby was healthy and growing.

When I had first told Edward that I was pregnant, he had been a little hesitant; asking every time if it was okay for him to touch my stomach. I appreciated his thoughtfulness, but it got old after a while. Luckily, I had been able to convince him that it didn't bother me, and that he could feel the baby without asking every single time.

Now he reached out without hesitating, grinning as he spread his hand over my stomach. "Have you felt Bump move yet?"

"No," I said, covering his hand with mine for just a moment. "Not yet."

"Well the book said sixteen weeks was probably the earliest you'd feel anything," Edward said as he pulled out onto the street and headed in the direction of the restaurant we were meeting Peter and Charlotte at. "So it might be a little while."

I loved how diligent he was about reading the books, and how much he cared about it.

"I just can't wait."

"Me either. And I have to wait even longer to feel something than you do."

He was pouting, but I understood.

"How's work?" He changed the subject, sticking to our promise to each other that we wouldn't only talk about the baby when we were together.

"Oh, it's fine. I'm still working full time hours, but I've already decided I'm going to switch to part time hours when I get to the third trimester. I'm already exhausted- I can't even imagine what'll be like when I'm huge."

I really was tiring much easier these days, but there was another side effect of my pregnancy that was bothering me, and one I hadn't expecting until I had started reading the books.

I was incredibly horny thanks to my hormones and probably also due to the fact that I hadn't had sex in a while. Edward constantly asked me how I was feeling or if I needed anything, and it took all I had not to tell him what I really needed was for him to whip out his dick and put it to work. But that was a whole other can of worms that I wasn't ready to open, so I kept my horny mouth shut.

"What about you?" I asked, trying to take my mind off it. "How's work?"

"Same old, same old. I'm doing a little less freelance work now, and working on getting my paper published. Then I've been asked to co-author a new book, so I have to delve into the archives and find something worth getting into."

"Wow. Have you ever written a book before?"

He smiled slightly. "I have, actually. Very boring, though. I expect some poor undergrad psych major is using it as a coaster this very minute."

"So, textbooks?"

"Yes. One I wrote by myself, and I use it to teach my class. Fairly basic, strictly about introductory industrial-organizational psychology. Then I've written sections of others or co-authored them. The university usually requires professors to keep up on their published works, whether it be journal articles or books."

"Ah, I see. So no books you could read to Bump at bedtime."

"Maybe. He or she might grow up to be a psychologist."

I smiled, rubbing my stomach. "Whatever Bump does, it'll be great."

We reached the restaurant a few minutes later, and Edward spotted Peter on Charlotte sitting at a table on the patio as soon as we pulled into the parking lot.

"Hey, guys," he said as we approached. He kissed Charlotte's cheek and hugged Peter, and I took the opportunity to observe them for a moment.

Peter was shorter than Edward and definitely Emmett, but still fairly tall. He had the same dark hair as Emmett, but cropped close to his head. And they all shared the same green eyes.

Charlotte was tall too, just a few inches shy of her husband. She had long blonde hair and the sweetest smile.

"You must be Bella." She focused on me as we all sat down, still smiling. "It is so wonderful to meet you."

"Yes, it is. Thanks for coming out tonight," Peter added.

"Bella, this is my brother, Peter, and his wife, Charlotte." Edward made introductions, and I felt strangely at ease. Peter and Charlotte both seemed very easy going and open, and they obviously loved Edward.

"Congratulations on your pregnancy, Bella," Charlotte said. "We are so excited to have a baby in the family!"

Peter smiled at his wife, and congratulated me and Edward as well.

"Charlotte is already looking at baby clothes."

"Yes! I know a woman who owns a baby boutique and she always has the most adorable things in her store. Bella, you should come with me there sometime. I would love to pick some things out with you."

"That would be great," I said honestly. "I'm glad you're so excited about being an aunt and uncle."

"Of course we are. We were a little surprised when Edward told us, of course, but this is a blessing to our family. And you're a part of our family now, too, Bella. If you ever need anything from us, please don't hesitate to ask." Peter seemed so warm and genuine, it was almost overwhelming. But I thanked him, knowing that this was a wonderful family to be included in, even if this hadn't been planned.

Our night with off without a hitch, and I found myself genuinely enjoying Peter and Charlotte. Edward was more reserved than they were, but they all got along so well. Charlotte told me that she and Peter had been married for ten years now, and that both Emmett and Edward were like brothers to her now. The four of them were extremely close, especially since their parents lived out of state and they leaned on each other for support, instead.

"You'll love Esme," Charlotte gushed when the subject of Peter and Edward's parents was brought up. Charlotte was on her third glass of wine, and was even more hilarious under the influence of alcohol. "She is the most amazing woman. She had to be, to raise those three and survive."

I exchanged glances with Edward- we hadn't talked about his parents visit extensively, but had agreed that I should meet his parents at some point. He had tried to reassure me, but I was still especially nervous to meet them. Charlotte's rambling helped a little, but it wasn't enough to totally mollify me.

"I hope she can give me some advice, then," I finally said.

"Mom and Dad will both love you," Peter assured me, handing his wife his glass of water once her wine glass was empty. "You're more than welcome to come over to our house the Saturday that they're here- we're having a big get together, friends and family. We'd love to have you there."

"You could ride with me, if you want to go," Edward offered. "Emmett and Rosalie are supposed to carpool with me."

I was a little surprised at how welcoming this family was, even though I still greatly appreciated it. For how closed off Edward had been, I was thrown off by how welcoming the family was as a whole. But I would take it, knowing that it could have gone badly. It didn't escape anybody's notice that I was significantly younger than Edward, and had a lot less money than his family did. There could have been accusations and demands for a paternity test, but instead the baby and I were welcome with open arms.

I smiled at Edward across the table, relieved that this night had gone so well. He stared back for a moment before he smiled, but it never reached his eyes. For a moment, he just looked sad.

But as fast as the look had settled in his eyes, it was gone and replaced by a real smile.

… …

So it was Peter and Charlotte this chapter, and it'll be Carlisle and Esme next chapter! And although you probably already know the gender of the baby (if you saw the picture on Facebook announcing the sequel), but Edward and Bella will be finding out soon! Most likely next chapter as well.

I'm still trying to squeeze in extra, full length updates in an effort to catch back up with this story since it was slow going for a while in terms of updates. Most of the chapters have at least a rough outline done, so that helps. Also please be assured that I'm not trying to put quantity of chapters over quality- I'm just trying to spend more time writing than usual.

See you soon for the next chapter!