Bella's POV

I tried not to think about Kate.

Overall, Edward and I were living out our happily-ever-after. Despite the circumstances that had led to us coming together in our relationship, and despite having insane relatives from both of our ex's sides to deal with… we were happy.

But as happy as we genuinely were for the moment, there was still something going on with Edward… he was worried about Kate and any further actions that she might take against me… but it was more than that. I had my suspicions that he knew more than he had let on for the last couple of weeks, but I was trying to give him time, trying to trust that he would come to me with whatever it was when he was ready.

"Edward's home today right?" Alice danced across the book store towards me, her moves far more graceful than I could ever dream to be. She was currently renting the small apartment above the store and using it as a work-space and studio, and over the last year we had grown closer than friends… becoming more like sisters.

"Yeah, I think he's taking Masen and Ellie over to Emmett's for a while… guy time with their kids or something." I laughed as I shrugged, continuing to add 'local author' stickers to the stack of books in front of me.

"I was thinking… did you want to go for dinner when we're done? It's been a while since we've been out and I have something that I wanted to run by you?" She asked with a smile and I nodded. It would be nice to get out for a bit. As much as I loved Edward and my role as mother and wife, I was also feeling a little stifled lately with the threat of Kate re-appearing still looming over us.

"I'd actually love that… let me just check in with Edward and make sure he's okay to fend for himself and the kids tonight." I picked up my phone, sending him a quick message and smiling when he responded immediately, telling me to have fun but be safe.

"We're good." I relayed to Alice with a grin.

I finished out the day at the store, interacting with customers as they came in looking for suggestions for their next read… setting up new end-caps and rearranging tables in between. Working here was truly not work in my mind… as much as I loved being home with Masen and Elizabeth for the most part; I also loved my job.

By the time that five-o-clock rolled around I was practically starving and as I left the store in Angela's hands for the evening I made my way outside, texting Alice and telling her to meet me out front. Before long we were seated in a quiet booth in the back of Heartwood Pub. The newest and only micro-brewery and pub to enter the tiny town of Forks, giving the lodge a bit of competition for the first time in years.

As the two of us sat and picked at our food, we enjoyed the atmosphere in the small restaurant, a local band setting up and beginning to play as our food arrived. I couldn't even begin to express how much I appreciated Alice and her friendship… socially, I had always been awkward and it was amazing to have someone that I could be fully open and honest with, and who just understood me most of the time.

"How are the littles doing?" She asked as she bit into a french fry, her nose crinkling as she set the rest of it down again. She had been doing that throughout the meal. Nibbling here and there but overall not interested in eating.

"Good… I feel exhausted already though." I laughed as my hand came down to my belly. It was the truth. The last few weeks had moved quickly, but I could already feel my body changing, adjusting, and working harder to grow three little beans.

"Actually… I kind of get that…" Alice bit her lip as she let the words out and I couldn't stop the squeal of happiness as it came out. I knew immediately that she was letting me know it had finally happened and I couldn't have been more thrilled for her.

"We haven't told anyone else yet… at all…" She looked nervous, far more than usual, but I understood why. Just after she and Jasper had begun to see each other she had gotten pregnant unexpectedly, but she had lost the baby early on. As tough as she had been throughout it all, I knew that it affected her far more than she would ever tell anyone else. Ever since she had been cleared from her doctor, she and Jasper had been trying… their relationship moving quickly. They had moved in together and he had finally proposed, and they were planning a small ceremony to make it official… something out of Alice's character but that I now understood and that made sense.

"How far along are you?" I was truly excited for her, but also excited to have my best friend experiencing the same stages of life that we were currently in.

"Around ten weeks." She looked down at her plate, her eyes shifting as she spoke. I couldn't believe she was already so far along and up until recently I hadn't had any clue. "And… you aren't going to believe this…" She paused as she looked up at me and I gasped, waiting for her to say it. "We're having twins."

I was speechless as she told me the news, glancing across the table I noticed her shirt for the first time, loose and flowing gathered around her tiny stomach. How I had missed the growing bump, I would never know… but although she was tiny (unlike my not so small belly) she was definitely starting to show already.

"How have you possibly kept this a secret?" My eyes were still glued to her stomach as she reached down, resting her hand across her abdomen the way that my hand was resting on mine. As the material of her shirt was pulled in, her bump became more prominent.

"Well, we knew I was pregnant early on and didn't want to say anything just in case… you know… after the last time…" She smiled and I could see the glow emanating from her face. "As for the fact that its twins… well we just found out a couple of days ago… and again, we just wanted to get used to the idea and make sure they were both sticking…" She trailed off and I reached over, taking her other hand in mine.

"I'm so freaking excited for you guys!" I laughed as I shook my head. She was right. This was totally and completely unbelievable… but it was amazing.

"Esme and Carlisle are going to be ecstatic when they hear… you've seen how excited they are for Edward and I… but when they realise there's going to be two more coming… wow." I couldn't think of anything to say and Alice laughed. Like me, she had been welcomed into the family with absolutely no hesitation.

"How's Jasper doing with all of this? Is he excited?" I asked as she took a sip of her lemon water. She paused for a moment and smiled.

"It's funny isn't it… there's this family with three grown-ass men who act rough and tough around each other… I mean, look at Emmett. He's like a giant on the outside and he likes to intimidate teenagers for fun at the gym. But get him home to Haley and Rosalie and he's such a freaking teddy bear. Jasper and Edward are pretty much the same… big tough guys… until they're with their families." She paused again and I smiled, it was true. "Jasper is so happy… but he's also scared… but really… what guys isn't?" She laughed and I nodded, raising my own glass of water and clinking it with hers before taking a sip. "But really… we both agreed almost as soon as we met that we wanted to be together and start a family so it's not like it was a surprise, or that it's a stressful thing for us." She smiled again, her eyes flooded with warmth as she thought about her fiancé. "When we found out that there were two I thought he was going to pass out… but I think it was only because we knew about you and Edward having the triplets and it just seemed so… unexpected… I mean… what are the chances that both of us would have a multiple pregnancy so close in dates?" She continued to ramble and I continued to nod along. It was weird for sure, but definitely a good weird.

We spent the remainder of dinner chatting about anything and everything. We moved from the topic of our pregnancies and comparing dates and sizes and experiences to her latest project – a book she had written and wanted to use real photographs of children in. She asked if Masen and Elizabeth could be her main characters and I told her I would talk to Edward and let her know. We talked about our pasts and we talked about the weather. We talked about Kate and my fears, as well as the idea that Edward was keeping something from me about the whole situation. Finally we said goodnight and parted ways.

That night when I got home, I snuck in quietly – having stayed out later than I had expected with all of our chatting. After peeking in at Elizabeth and Masen as they slept, I moved down the hall towards our room, surprised to find Edward in bed and reading a book.

As he asked me about our night, I stripped out of my clothes, climbing into bed next to him. Beyond that, we didn't say much else as he rolled over to hold me in his arms. Before I knew it we were both asleep.

Two days later we had barely spoken, Edward and I both busy with work and with Masen and Elizabeth. So far I hadn't pushed Edward to talk to me about whatever it was with Kate that he was hiding, but as my hormones continued to rage and I felt him begin to pull even further away, I knew that it was time.

"Your mom is keeping Ellie and Mase tonight for a couple of hours… we need to talk." He didn't respond… instead he smiled down at me and kissed me on the forehead.

"I'll meet you at the store at six." He finally sighed and gave me a half-hearted smile before he turned and left our room, heading out to work and leaving my heart aching.

A/N:

Thanks for reading along so far. For the most part, this story was started as just a random idea – a writing exercise that I intended to end after only a few short chapters. Since beginning though, it has taken on a life of its own and developed into a much more serious, full length story. Over the last couple of weeks I have begun to expand a little more, including a few more of our favourite main characters and introducing their lives to us a little more, while still trying to keep the focus on Bella and Edward. I'm going to continue to have fun with this one though and just see where it goes from here.

Anyways, enjoy the read and thank you all for your kind words and reviews so far!