Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyers owns Twilight and all the characters. This Edward is mine and so is his story. I do own the new Vanity Fair magazine with Rob on the front and can I say, 'come on, baby drive my car!'
Thank you to my wonderful beta tawelephant. I couldn't do this without her. We were talking and it gave me some ideas for this and I rolled with it. Also, I want to thank Cullenfan524 for pre reading this and being with me since the beginning. Thank you to all who have me on alert. Please review, I would love to hear from you.
Enjoy!
Chapter 25: A New Year
BPOV
The worst thing about when Christmas is over is that you have to take the decorations down. You spend your time, decorating your house, making it have the yuletide glow. Then it's over in a matter of minutes. The presents are all gone from under the tree and even though it still has the ornaments on there, once there gone, it kind of reminds you of the Christmas tree Charlie Brown had.
It looks so lonely standing there with nothing underneath it. So after the presents are gone, I just can't take it standing there looking like that and I begin the daunting task of taking everything down, packing it away carefully for next year.
But even though I'm taking down all of the decorations, and the usual disappointment and tinge of sadness I feel when Christmas is over is present, I can't get this grin off my face.
Edward loves me.
He told me so. After I blurted it out to him after I had been trying so hard not to do just that. But he was so darn cute acting like me, all nervous and worried, that I just couldn't help myself. I had to put him out of his misery and let him know that I loved him too.
It was so easy to tell him. Just like everything else with him is so easy. Spending time with him and Claire, doing all the things that a normal family does is as easy as breathing.
After he told me, we went downstairs to be with our children. The idea of that thrilled me. "Our children" had such a beautiful sound to it.
The kids were still playing the Wii and hadn't even noticed that we were gone, much less that we were confessing our love for each other. Edward held on to my hand and wouldn't let go, not that I wanted him to.
We sat out the couch together, his arm wrapped around my shoulder holding me close. His free hand was intertwined with mine, his thumb stroking the skin at my wrist making my bracelet jingle each time. More times than I could count, he would press his lips to my temple, lingering there, causing his hot breath to warm my skin.
After the kids tired of playing Super Mario Brothers, they asked us to play Rock Band 3. We eagerly agreed with them so that we could all play together. Patrick and Edward easily set everything up, and as I watched them, it made me so happy that Edward was finally able to break through to Patrick so that he could be the child that he never was able to be around his father.
Once they had it all set up, Patrick wanted to try out the keyboard while Pacey took his regular position on drums and Edward strapped on one the guitars. Claire grabbed the microphone so she could sing, taking the remote in the other hand so she could start the game and synch us all in. Edward grabbed the other guitar and handed it to me.
"Uh, I'm not very good at that," I said, nodding towards the guitar that he held in his outstretched arm.
Edward just smiled that crooked smile that made me weak in the knees. "Like I told Patrick, we'll learn together."
Grumbling to myself, I took the guitar from him, adjusting the strap before slipping it over my head. Edward gave me a cocky smirk before we all decided on a song and then we started to rock. I'll show him cocky. I may not be very good, but I don't suck either.
It wasn't as hard to play the guitar as you would think. It was just a simple thing of remembering what fingers pushed what buttons. When I first bought the Rock Band for the boys, I purchased an extra guitar in case none of us wanted to sing. It also worked out great as Patrick and I learned together how to play the guitar. Although Patrick had far surpassed me, I could still hold my own.
When I told Edward that I would play bass and set it on medium, I thought his eyes were going to bulge out of his head. After the song was over, I was the one giving the cocky smirk to Edward as he arched his eyebrow at me. We both started laughing when he told me I had some 'splaining to do, the kids laughing along with us.
From then on we played song after song. It was easy to get into it and lose track of time. Edward and Patrick took turns playing the keyboard, and I swapped up from guitar to singing back up with Claire, while Pacey stayed on the drums. It was hard for him to play the guitar because of his little fingers, but Edward promised him they would work on it together creating a huge smile from Pacey. Each time I watched Edward with my boys, the love I had for him filled my heart to the point I thought it would burst.
We had just finished a song when Claire turned around to face Edward and I and hollered out "Gamma and Papa," and took off running into the arms of the man I knew had to be Edward's father.
Edward muttered a curse word under his breath before raking his hand through his hair and looking over to me, his eyes pleading with me apologetically.
I should have been nervous that I was about to meet Edward's parents for the first time. Meeting people always made me nervous and caused my palms to sweat. Considering that first impressions mean everything, I should have been real worried about meeting them. But one look at them and I knew that there was nothing to be worried about. Besides, as comfortable as I felt around Edward, I could tell that it would be the same with his parents.
His parents hugged Claire before turning to look at me and the boys sheepishly. I could tell that they regretted showing up without me having any prior knowledge of their coming. I decided right then to not let them worry anymore.
"Hello, you must be Edward's parents." I stated without hesitation holding out my hand for them to shake. There was no way I was going to hesitate greeting them out of fear that the boys might sense my hesitation and pick up on it. "I'm Bella. It's so nice to meet you. And this is Patrick and Pacey." I pointed to each of my boys who both had shy smiles on their face.
Pacey stepped forward without fear as always and stuck his hand out to Edward's mom. "I'm Pacey. Are you Claire's granny?"
For a second, I could see that she was so charmed by him that she was at a loss for words. She smiled, her crooked grin reminding me of Edward and Claire, before she bent down to Pacey's level. "Yes I am. My name is Esme, but you can call me Gamma." She looked him over, studying his face before she turned towards Patrick.
She stepped forward looking Patrick over the same way that she did Pacey. Patrick squirmed a little under her gaze. "Hello Patrick. It's so nice to meet you."
Surprise flickered across his face that she knew his name. "Hello." Patrick murmured, stepping over closer to me reaching his hand out for mine. Instantly, I gripped his hand in my mine, trying to reassure him.
Edward's mother watched the exchange between Patrick and me, before bringing her eyes back up to meet mine. "They are so precious." She whispered, never commenting on Patrick's trepidation leading me to believe that she already knew about his shy nature.
"Thank you." I replied, the heat covering my cheeks from her words.
"I'm so sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Esme and this is Carlisle," she said grabbing his hand. "We were supposed to come over to see Claire's presents from Santa Claus and meet you, but I assume that Edward forgot to tell you that we were coming." Esme gave a knowing look to Edward. It was funny to watch him squirm under the watchful gaze of his mother. "We did knock, but when you didn't answer the door, we knew you couldn't hear us over the music."
"Oh! Let me show you what I got." Claire grabbed Esme's hand, tugging her over to the Christmas tree. Claire turned back to look at me with her crooked little smile, before beaming up to Esme. "See Gamma. I told you they would be here," Claire whispered not so quietly.
Edward moved to my side, whispering quietly in my ear. "Bella, I'm so sorry. Mom told me to call her and let her know that it was alright to come. I meant to tell you and ask if it was okay if they came, I promise that I did. Just, with everything else, it totally slipped my mind."
His nervous rambling, like he did when we were talking earlier, made me smile. Inwardly I did a happy dance at what 'everything else' was that made him forget that his parents were coming.
Turning to face him, I gently placed my fingertips against his lips, trying to ease his worrying. "It's okay Edward. Really, it's fine." He kissed my fingers before smiling down at me in response. Lacing his fingers through mine, he tugged me to the couch to sit beside him.
His heated gaze made my stomach flutter in anticipation, but as always, our children and family came first. One look at Esme, and I knew that she had witnessed our little exchange. She had that smile on her face that a mother gets when she knows her child is happy. I was sure that we would be having one of those conversations soon, the kind of discussions that consists of how much you love your child and you just want them to be happy, but I wasn't the least bit worried. Being a mother myself, I knew all too well about worrying over your children and wanting to know that they were happy. She didn't have to worry. I would do whatever it takes to make Edward and Claire happy.
We all sat on the couch as Claire showed off her presents to Esme and Carlisle. Once she was finished, with the help of Pacey, they started showing off the gifts that we had exchanged between us. With pride and joy, they showed off everything as any happy kid would do on Christmas morning, even coaxing Patrick to join in on the fun.
"Look at what Bella got for Daddy. It's got our pictures on there." Esme took the frame from her little hands starting the slide show. Carlisle moved closer to Esme so that he could watch with her over her shoulder.
Once it was over, she looked at me, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears and a huge smile on her face. Even Carlisle was smiling so much his eyes were crinkled at the edges. "This turned out so beautiful."
"Thank you again for all your help." I answered back, swallowing happy tears down. My face flamed again under the praise Esme was giving me.
"It was worth it to see the smile on my son's face." Esme smiled at me then at Edward. Looking at Edward, his cheeks were pink with a shy smile on his face. I don't think I had ever seen Edward blush before, but I have to say, it was damn sexy.
Carlisle patted Esme on the leg then announced it was time for them to leave. Esme looked a little disappointed, but she got what Carlisle was trying nonchalantly to do. He was trying to give us some space. I had a feeling that he knew that Edward and I had confessed our love for each other.
"Bella, would you have lunch with me one day." Esme asked sweetly after she hugged Edward and Claire goodbye. Edward looked at his mother with wide eyes.
"Of course, I would love to." Again, I didn't hesitate because I knew that this woman would be an important part in my life and I would never do anything to jeopardize that.
Besides, Edward loved me and that made everything good.
"Mama? Mama!" Pacey tugged at my shirt breaking me out of my Edward daydreams.
"Yes sweet pea." The kids were still off for Christmas break. They had helped me take down decorations when I asked, but for the most part I let them play with their Christmas presents. At times I would have to go in search of them they were so quiet.
"Your phone is ringing." He smiled up at me, his head cocking to the side as if saying 'are you deaf.'
"Oh. Sorry sweet pea, I was zoned out. Thank you." Setting the ornament box down, I ran my fingers through his hair before grabbing the phone off the table, smiling when I saw that it was Alice. "Hello."
"Hey, Bella. Whatcha doing?" After I explained that I was taking down my Christmas decorations, Alice solemnly told me she was doing the same thing and together we commiserated over the end of Christmas.
When Alice started crying, I knew there was something more than the end of the holidays upsetting her. Alice hardly cried anything but happy tears.
"Alice, why are you crying? What's wrong?"
"Oh, Bella, there's nothing wrong. Everything is right." She broke off, another round of hysterical weeping and sobbing.
"You're scaring me Alice."
"I'm pregnant," she blurted out between sobs.
"Oh, Alice," I whispered lovingly, "I'm so happy for you." After Mary was born, Alice and Jasper were so happy that they decided then and there to have more. They waited until Mary was two before trying to start again, but for the past four years, she had been unable to conceive. "How far along are you?"
"Not even six weeks." She went on to explain that she missed her period and instead of taking the chance on a home pregnancy test, she went straight to the doctor. "I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure. Besides, it didn't even dawn on me that I was almost a week late until the day after Christmas. With being so busy at school, then Christmas, I didn't even notice."
"I don't blame you one second for waiting and being positive." I knew how disappointed she had been each time she thought there was a chance that she might be and she wasn't.
"I bet Jasper is over the moon." Jasper was as saddened as Alice had been that they were unable to have another child.
"He went with me to the doctor. When they did the ultrasound, he cried. We were both blubbering messes."
I remembered the first time I heard my babies heartbeat when I found out I was pregnant. With Patrick it was unplanned, by me anyway, but the moment I heard that faint echo and swishing sound, it was the most beautiful sound in the world to me, until I heard Pacey's heartbeat.
The one thing I had never understood with Mike was the inability to bond with his children. He wanted me to have babies, but it was the control he wanted, not the love.
It didn't matter anymore. The boys and I had found what we always wanted, the love and the feeling of family with Edward and Claire. And it was more special than anything I could have ever dreamed of. I always knew that I wanted to make a family of my own, the love that one shared with each other, like I had with my parents. There was no way that I could ever replace my parents, but the love I had with Edward, and the way were together, was more than I ever could have hoped for.
"This is so awesome! We get to play with a baby again. And we will have to have a baby shower. You'll need some new stuff, especially if you have a boy. I've got a few things that I saved that you can have if it's a boy. Are you going to find out what you're having?" I gushed into the phone sounding like Alice, happy tears streaming down my face.
I missed my boys being babies. They grow up so fast. Now that Alice was having another baby, it made me miss that time in their lives so much. Alice and I both had lamented on the fact that our babies had grown up too fast. I'm sure it felt that way to any mother as they watched their children grow.
Inside, my uterus seemed to sigh with me over wanting another baby. The thought of one day being pregnant with Edward's baby instantly had my fingers ghosting over my belly. Closing my eyes, a vision of Edward's long fingers gliding along with own across my burgeoning stomach made me giddy.
"And we'll have to shop," Alice added giggling happily, before sniffling again. Instantly I was relieved when she started talking about shopping. "I'm so excited and scared shitless at the same time."
We continued to talk about the baby, her due date and whether or not she was going to find out the sex of the baby or let it be a surprise. Then she started dying laughing saying there was no way that she would be able to wait.
"What are you and the boys doing for New Year's Eve?" Alice asked when her laughter subsided some. "Jasper and I want to tell all of our friends and celebrate. I know some people wait until there further along, but the doctor said everything looked great and I don't think I could wait that long to share the news with everyone. I thought it would be fun to have you and the boys over, and Emmett and Rose, along with Angela and Ben and all of their kids. Maybe Edward and Claire can come too. We can drink sparkling grape juice for a toast and the kids can play with each other while we have some adult time."
Alice knew of the 'I love you's' that Edward and I had shared with each other. She called Christmas night after we had gotten home from Edward's and asked how he liked his Christmas present. It was easy to share my happiness with her over us spending Christmas together, the gift swapping, and meeting Edward's parents.
Edward and I had discussed doing something together with the kids for New Year's Eve and celebrating the coming of the New Year. We hadn't decided on what to do, but knew that we wanted to be together.
"We haven't made any definite plans yet. I'm sure that Edward would love to come over. You know Claire or the boys wouldn't miss a chance to play with Mary and the rest of the kids."
"Great! Talk to Edward and let me know. I'm gonna let you go. My house is still a wreck and you know I can't stand clutter." After telling her not to overdo it since she was pregnant, which started another round of giggles and tears, I promised to call her once I talked to Edward and promised to help anyway I could.
As soon as I hung up with her, I called Edward wanting to share the happy news. "Hey, love."
Just hearing his voice made me smile, but when he called me love, it made me delighted and warm and fuzzy inside. "Hey, you. I had to call and tell you. Alice is pregnant!"
"Really? That's great news."
"It is. I'm so happy for her and Jasper. It's taken them so long to get pregnant again. She called to tell me and asked me if we would like to come over New Year's Eve and celebrate."
"That would be great, on one condition."
"And what is that?" I purred into the phone, hoping I sounded seductive and not like a dying cat.
"Well, I was going to see if you and the boys wanted to come over and spend the night that night. I thought maybe we could call it a sleepover," Edward chuckled nervously, making me giggle in return at the thought of a sleepover. "Besides, I don't like the idea of either one of us being on the road after midnight. So, if you want to go to Alice's, you drive here, and then we'll go over. We'll never have to leave the neighborhood. Do you think that will be okay?"
The thought of sleeping with Edward in his bed sounded more than okay with me. The only time that we had actually slept together was on the night we had our first date. I crossed my legs at the memory.
"I'll talk it over with the boys, but I don't think they will mind. Especially when I tell them that we're going over to Alice's and all the kids are coming. Where would we sleep?"
"Well, I wanted to talk to you about that too," Edward stammered, sounding very anxious, and I could just picture him sitting there running his fingers through his hair. "What would you think about me buying some bunk beds for them? I mean, if that would be all right. We could set them up in the extra bedroom. That way, when you stayed they would have a bedroom of their own."
Listening to him, I knew that this was more than just setting up something like a guest bedroom. This was him making a room for my boys. The way he acted towards them was like they were his own kids. Edward just made me fall in love with him more and more.
"That sounds like a wonderful thing Edward," I whispered into the phone.
Edward cleared his throat. "Great, I'll take care of it." He didn't ask me to help, so I figured this was something that he wanted to surprise the boys with and I was going to let him have his fun.
Considering the way Mike wanted to control everything, I guess I should have been wary that Edward was doing this without involving me in the decision, but in my mind, there was a difference. Mike never did anything like this for his own children whereas Edward wanted to. It was a huge difference to me.
We talked for a little while longer about Claire and the boys and how they were enjoying their Christmas break. He asked again if I was sure that I wanted to go to lunch with his mother, and for some reason he seemed genuinely worried about it. So, I assured him that I would love to get to know his mother and I could tell that made him happy. We said our goodbyes and promised to call each other later on that night after the kids were in bed.
"I love you Bella. You don't know how happy it makes me to be able to say it out loud." He told me right before we hung up.
"I love you too, Edward. And it makes me happy too," I giggled like a school girl into the phone, earning a moan in response from him. I giggled again, because his moan was doing the same to me that my giggles were doing to him.
That night over dinner, I talked with the boys about going to Alice's and Edward's plan of us spending the night. Patrick shrugged, but he smiled afterwards letting me know in his own way that he was okay with our plans. He was still being careful, and considering what he had been through in his short life, I understood.
Pacey, on the other hand, was hung up on the bunk beds. "Edward's going to buy us bunk beds? Like real bunk beds. Will it be our room? Can we stay more than one night?" He bombarded me with more questions than I could keep up with, but instead of being inpatient, I was enamored with my little boy. He was so excited.
"Yes, they are real bunk beds." I laughed and so did Patrick. He looked over at me and rolled his eyes giving me that look that said 'kids'.
"And, I guess in a way, it will be like yours and Patrick's room." I glanced over at Patrick to see his expression. He was smiling, so I took that as a good sign. "As far as staying more than one night, we'll have to wait and see."
That night, after the kids went to bed, I called Edward and told him we would be staying with them after Alice's party. He was as excited as Pacey that we were coming and staying the night. He had talked to Claire and she was completely on board with us coming over. I had a feeling that Claire was as excited to be around me as Pacey was to be around Edward. All of our children had missed out on having both parents caring for them and I was more than happy to fill that void for Claire and to have Edward fill that void for my boys.
When I fell asleep, I dreamed of Patrick and Pacey playing in the back yard with Claire chasing each other around while Edward and I stood watching over them, his arms wrapped around me, supporting my very pregnant belly. It was a beautiful dream.
Alice had requested me to bring my Cherry Yum Yum to her party. Supposedly, she was already having cravings. Deciding that she deserved it, I made three of them, one for her, and two for the party. It was a lot of work, but I knew that Emmett would be there and between him and Edward's new found passion for my dessert, they could probably eat one by themselves.
As soon as we pulled into Edward's driveway, we jumped out of the car, grabbing our bags and heading for the door. Edward and Claire greeted us with their beautiful smiles as we greeted them with our shy smiles. When the hellos were over with and I was granted a kiss and a whispered I love you, Claire started jumping up and down.
"We have something to show you? Come on," she said excitedly in a sing song voice, and then turned to run up the stairs with Patrick and Pacey right behind her.
When I walked into the room, I gasped in surprise. He didn't just go buy bunk beds. He bought the ultimate set of bunk beds, the big heavy ones with all the built in features and the entire bedroom set to match. Star Wars sheet sets and pillows with the comforters to match were on each mattress along with a Star Wars lamp that sat on the desk that was built into the end of the bunk beds. On the walls, he had hung some of those clingy fat heads, each one a Star Wars character or robot or ship or vehicle of some type.
Tears sprang to my eyes before I could stop them. Edward immediately noticed and pulled me out into the hall where I could still hear Patrick and Pacey oohing and ahhing over everything while Claire showed it off to them like she was one of those girls showing off the prize on a game show.
He cradled my face in his hands, brushing the tears away from my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "I'm sorry Bella. Please don't be mad. I got carried away, and I made the mistake of taking my mom and she got carried away too. Then between Claire and me and mom, we all got carried away. Please don't cry," he murmured softly.
Wrapping my arms around him, I buried my face in his chest. "Happy tears," I mumbled against him, hoping he could understand me. "That is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for them. I'm not sure you have any idea of what you've done for them."
Here I am, the one who is supposed to be articulate with my words, and I couldn't even explain to him what this meant to me or the boys. "Not only did you give them a bed, but you made them a room. And not only a bedroom, but you made room for them in your life."
Edward sighed in relief, holding me closer burying his face in my hair. "I would do anything for them. I would do anything for you," he whispered. "I love you. And I love them too."
I looked up at him and was a bit surprised that his beautiful green eyes looked a little shiny. My fingers caressed his cheek lovingly. "I love you Edward. And everyday, you do something to make me love you even more. You don't know how much it means to me. How much it means to them. Thank you."
Edward kissed me, sweet and loving, letting me know exactly how much he loved me. The need and hunger I always felt for him seemed to pulse around us. Edward seemed to sense it too and deepened the kiss, our tongues caressing and teasing and tasting. My fingers tangled in his bronze locks earning a growl of approval from him. What was slow and languid at first, was now hot and almost desperate.
He slowed the kiss, sucking gently on my bottom lip, tugging it playfully as our breath mingled between our mouths, warming me in the most delicious ways. He took a deep shuddering breath, dropping his forehead to mine. "As bad as I hate to, we have to stop. We have all night after the kids are asleep." He whispered in my ear, before pulling back, a wicked grin on his handsome face.
I pouted up at him, earning a chuckle. "You're right," I said sullenly, "but, it's really hard to be responsible when you kiss me like that."
He laughed again heartily. "Come on. Let's get our kids and go." When he talked like that, I couldn't refuse.
When we turned towards the boy's room, and I have to say, my heart warmed at the thought of it being their room, there were six eyes staring up at us. Pacey and Claire were standing side by side with Patrick standing behind them. They formed a triangle of sorts, and I could see them standing in that same formation in the years to come as a united front.
Patrick had a shy smile, his cheeks blushing pink, but his eyes were happy and not one hint of worry. Claire and Pacey were standing there looking at us with a blinding smile, and if it was possible, there would be little hearts floating around their heads like you see on cartoons.
Alice's house was already a madhouse by the time we got there. Emmett and Rosalie, and Angela and Ben were already there along with all of their kids. Once Patrick, Pacey and Claire mixed in with the fray, they had a party of their own going on. Claire, Mary, Riley and Cassidy went off into Mary's room talking about all the things they got for Christmas. The rest of the boys, including Emmett took off for the Wii and started playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Emmett was just as big of a kid as they were, claiming he wanted to be player number one.
When the kids were sufficiently occupied, all of the adults went to the kitchen to help Alice set the food out. Jasper was at her side most of the night helping her anyway possible so she wouldn't be doing too much. Rosalie and Angela worked together on putting the finishing touches on everything. Edward spent his time going back and forth between us and checking on the kids, each time giving me a kiss when he reentered the room. I have to say that I was enjoying his affections.
Almost as soon as the food was set up on the table, Emmett came bounding into the kitchen, Masen, Charlie, Patrick and Pacey on his heels, starving and ready to eat. The girls joined us and we ate until we were stuffed. When we were finished cleaning up, we all sat down at the table while the kids went to play. Alice couldn't wait a second longer to tell everyone and I was surprised that she had waited this long, but Alice was big on making a production.
As soon as she announced that she was pregnant, there was chaos, but in a good way. Emmett was first to jump up and wrap his big arms around his baby sister congratulating her. When he hugged Jasper, Jasper's eyes bugged out of his head, but then there were whispered words between them and both their eyes became glassy.
All the women surrounded Alice wishing her the best. Alice glowed with happiness, and a little of it was being pregnant too I'm sure, and being the center of attention, which Alice loved. The kids all encircled Mary asking her questions about being a big sister and if she wanted a brother or a sister.
We all toasted with the sparkling grape juice and opted not to drink any alcohol out of respect for Alice. Besides, none of us wanted to be drinking and driving, especially since the kids were going to be in the car with us. None of us were heavy drinkers anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.
It was nice to sit around and talk about happy things. It was especially nice to be around other adults. The best thing was Edward sat beside me, holding my hand twining our fingers together, or an arm around my shoulders. For once in my life, I was able to just be me and not worry if I was making anyone mad.
When Pacey came and crawled up in Edward's lap and his eyes began to droop, I knew it was time to go. After that, it seemed one by one, each of the kids came seeking out their parents. Claire walked up and when she saw Pacey in Edward's lap, she smiled then crawled up in mine. Patrick was not far behind, snuggling up beside me, yawning tiredly.
We all said our goodbyes and congratulating Alice and Jasper again and went home. It was a wonderful feeling knowing that were going home together.
As I was changing the boys into their pajamas, Patrick kept looking at me like he wanted to say something. Finally, as I was tucking him in, he seemed to muster enough courage to ask.
"Mama?" Patrick asked, "Where are you going to sleep?" He bit down on his lip nervously, his eyes looking at me, curious.
The question surprised me a little, but I should have expected it. Inside I wondered how long Patrick had been waiting to ask me that or if the thought just occurred to him now that we were here. I never lied to him before and I wasn't going to start being dishonest with him now.
Edward and I had talked about this, what the sleeping arrangements were going to be and how we were going to handle it. Claire and Pacey didn't seem to care. They were just so happy about us being together. It was more than obvious, they were all into Edward and I being together. With Patrick, I should have known that my wise one would wonder and worry.
"I guess I'm going to sleep in Edward's bed. Is that okay?" His eyes seemed to study mine as he thought it over. I figured he would shrug and say whatever, but he never ceased to surprise me.
"It's cool. I like Edward."
"Okay," I answered surprised, fussing with his sheets. "There is a nightlight in the hall and if you need anything, you just come and get me. I love you. Sweet dreams." Pushing his hair back, I kissed him on the forehead and then the cheek.
"I love you, too," he replied, yawning widely, his eyes starting to drift closed.
I kissed Pacey once more before making my way out of the room. When I turned back to say good night again, I could hear their soft snores filling the room. I left their door half way opened so they could see a sliver of light in the room from the night light.
I walked over to Claire's room, leaning against the door jam and watched Edward tuck her into bed. When she saw me, she smiled and motioned for me to come in, then patted the bed beside Edward. As soon as I sat down on the bed, she crawled into my lap and nestled herself into my arms.
"Good night Bella," she murmured, twirling a piece of my hair around her finger. "I love you."
"I love you too. Sweet dreams." She kissed my cheek, and then snuggled back into the bed. Edward kissed her, tucked the sheets around her again before we made our way out of the room.
We walked hand in hand downstairs to get my bag and get the coffee maker going for in the morning. It was way past my bed time and I knew that I would need a pick me up in the morning.
"Go on up to bed and I'll lock up down here," Edward said once we were finished. He kissed my forehead and turned me towards the stairs.
I didn't argue with him. It was late and I was tired so I did as he said. Besides, I couldn't wait to be in his bed.
I'd brought a pair of pajamas to wear to bed just in case the kids came into our room. Thoughts of being without pajamas in bed with Edward made my body heat and sinful thoughts fill my brain. Once I changed, I turned on the light beside the bed, climbed in under the covers, snuggling into the warmth and Edward's smell.
Just as my eyelids began to grow heavy, Edward came through the door closing it behind him, leaning back against it looking at me. His eyes were smoldering as he gazed at me, the desire I could see in them making them liquid fire as they glowed in the dim light of the lamp.
"Everything is locked up tight downstairs. The kids are asleep and tucked safely in bed. I think we could get away with locking the door for a little while." The distinct sound of the lock clicking echoed through the room. "Don't you?"
He walked slowly across the floor, pulling his shirt over his head, tossing it on the chaise. My sleep addled brain quickly filled with lust at the sight of his bare chest. "We would have to be really quite. Do you think you could be quite, Bella?"
His words were low and husky causing a shiver to run up my spine. I was so entranced by him that I couldn't respond, only nod my consent. He stopped at the edge of the bed, popping the button open on his jeans lowering the zipper down slowly before sliding them off his legs and letting them drop to the floor, leaving him in nothing but his boxers, clinging to his body leaving nothing to the imagination, his need more than obvious.
He pulled the covers back and crawled over to me with a hungry look. As he hovered over me, he nudged my legs apart with his knee. My legs spread willingly so my body could cradle his as he lowered himself down on to me. He pulled the covers back around us before settling his body on top of mine, our bodies lining up perfectly. His body was warm and strong as he held me to him.
"You're so warm Bella," he murmured. "It's a shame I am about to take your clothes off." He kissed me softly on the lips before leaning back to look at me. "But, I'm sure I can find other ways to keep you warm." His crooked little grin dazzled me as always, making me fall further under his spell.
He slowly undressed me, kissing each part of my skin he exposed. It was difficult to do while we were still under the covers, but we giggled and laughed like teenagers as we discarded the remainder of our clothes. Laughing was something I never imagined that I would do when I was about to make love, but with Edward, I believed that all things were possible.
Once our clothes were gone, Edward crawled under the blanket stroking my skin gently, teasing me with soft kisses and hot licks with his tongue. His fingers found me, caressing me, my hips arching into his touch.
"You're always so ready for me," Edward growled before he began to lick and suck me until I was grinding in his face.
"Only for you," I mumbled incoherently, my eyes rolling back in my head, stars winking behind my eyelids as he took me over the edge.
Edward crawled back up my body, holding himself over me. "That's right, only me," he whispered, kissing my collarbone, up my throat, along my cheek to the corner of my mouth. "That's the way it'll always be. I told you…now that I've found you…I'm not letting you go." Then he kissed me hard and deep, our tongues caressing each others, our tastes mingling in our mouths.
He lifted my left leg, hooking it over his arm, spreading me open before slipping inside of me. I pressed up against him, rubbing my nipples shamelessly against his chest. He dipped his head down, taking one between his lips, nibbling and sucking it tenderly making my stomach clench and fires erupt again down below.
This was the first time that we had been able to make love since we had declared our love for each other. We both were trying to show how much we loved each other and consummate that love. Being with him this way made me feel loved and cherished and complete like I never had before and I knew that it would always be like this with him.
He began moving slowly, in and out, allowing my body the time to adjust to him being inside. It was slow and tender like it was our first time. I met him stroke for stroke, swiveling my hips against him gaining a deep guttural groan that rumbled through his chest.
My fingers dug in his back as he rocked into me, his hips moved faster, going deeper and harder. The pleasure of him being inside of me was more than I could handle and I began to come apart. He whispered he loved me against my lips, then captured my mouth with his, smothering my cry of ecstasy.
We held each other for a little while, exchanging gentle strokes to the skin and tender kisses, as our breathing calmed. We whispered to each other about the kids, his work and my writing. We talked about the little things and some big. There were still things I needed to tell him, more he should know. But, I didn't want to talk about the bad when everything was so good. The rest could wait.
Neither of us wanted to move, but knew we had to clean up and get dressed. When we were finished, we unlocked the door and went to check on the kids one more time before going to bed.
Edward pulled me into his arms once we settled back in bed. "Happy New Year, Bella," he whispered softly, kissing my temple, my cheek, and then my lips. "I love you."
"I love you, too," I whispered against his lips before returning his kiss. Wrapped in Edward's embrace, I fell asleep dreaming of more nights just like this, cuddled in his arms with our kids sleeping soundly down the hall.
The next morning, I awoke to a small, warm body snuggled against me. Edward and I weren't alone in the bed anymore. Sometime during the night, we had been invaded and each one of our kids had climbed in bed with us.
It was really kind of wonderful.
Before I was completely awake, I knew that it was Claire lying beside me. Her head was resting on my shoulder, my arm cradling the rest of her body against me, her little ringlets of hair tickling my cheek.
Turning my head slightly so that I wouldn't wake anyone just yet, I noticed that Pacey was snuggled up against Edward; his arm was wrapped around Pacey protectively. And Patrick, he was wedged in between Edward and me with his little arm draped across Edward's chest alongside Pacey's arm. The sight of all of us in bed together just warmed my heart.
There is an old saying, that whatever you do on the first day of the year that you will do it every day for the rest of the year. Well if that's the case, then I know that every day for the rest of the year, and hopefully the rest of our lives, will be as perfect as this moment.
A/N: Let me know what you think. There is some drama coming, just so you know. I only anticipate a couple of more chapters and maybe an epilogue.
Please remember that real life comes first and it kicks ass around my house. I'll update as soon as I can.
freakybella