As one of my favorite readers said, Santa MUST be real...yep, you're getting a new chapter already! This one is long and rather fun, I think. Special thanks to rosellebec for the song that Edward and Bella dance to in this chapter. It's called "Now That I've Found You" and is sung by Paul McDonald and his new wife Nikki Reed (yes, THAT Nikki Reed). She sent me the link for it, saying it made her teary-eyed as she read the last chapter. I agreed that it was quite perfect, so I included it. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Fluff and maybe some humor ahead.
Chapter Twenty-Four: "I've Got Everything" (Bella's POV)
"Well, Bells, you could give the man a hand," Charlie chuckled as we approached the table he was currently occupying at the Lodge. Well, I approached it, with a diaper bag on my shoulder, and Edward lagged behind a bit, since he had an armful of children. EJ and Abby were both in strange moods—they were irritating the devil out of each other, and were both currently trying to see who could take up the most room in their daddy's arms. My cheeks flamed as EJ shoued, "No, Abby!" and shoved his sister away. My kids were typically well-behaved in public—they were naturally sweet and peaceful. But they were both a little intolerable today. I hoped they weren't getting sick. Like their mother, they grew moody when they felt bad.
"I've got it," Edward said, seemingly thankful that Charlie had thought to ask for two high chairs ahead of time. I helped him situate the kids in the high chairs, but he gently swatted my hand away whenever I tried to take one of them away from him. He was a stickler about me "overexerting" myself. After I pulled the bugs to opposite ends of the table, I accepted the hug that Charlie had been patiently waiting to give me. "Hi, Dad," I greeted him, kissing his cheek.
Charlie blushed under the spot I kissed. "You're in a good mood today, Bells," he mumbled, shaking Edward's hand.
I shrugged and finally took a seat. EJ and Abby both watched like vultures as I poured two juice boxes into sippy cups and handed one to each of them. They both practically snatched them away. Sheesh—greedy little bugs.
"What do you say?" Edward prodded them, stroking Abby's hair.
"Thank you, Mommy," they both muttered.
"You're welcome," I replied emphatically. Manners were our latest ambition. Abby and EJ were picking up words left and right. Even Emmett seemed to censor himself, knowing that anything he said could quite possibly be parroted. So we were trying to say "please," "thank you," "you're welcome," "ma'am," and "sir" as much as possible.
"No," Abby muttered, jerking away from Edward's hand.
"Happy little guys, aren't they?" Charlie laughed, clearly taking delight in his grandchildren's grumpiness. Of course it was funny for him—he didn't have to go home with them.
"They've been crabby all day," I explained, glancing through the menu. Edward's fingers drummed languidly on my knee as we perused the food options. "I'm not sure why."
"Okay, what's up?" Charlie asked with a grain of suspicion in his voice. As I looked up at him, I saw that he was leaning back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't eat out often, but you brought me to the nicest restaurant in town," he said.
"Are you sure you guys don't have something to tell me?"
Edward's finger tapping ceased, and we looked at each other with stupid grins on our faces. Charlie huffed as we had the telepathic conversation that only lovers can: Do you want to tell him? No, I don't want to tell him. You tell him. Why me? You should. He's your dad. He's your future father-in-law. You're the pregnant one. You're the one who knocked me up. Wait, I want to tell him. No, maybe not…
Not that we could actually read each other's minds, but we knew each other well enough to know exactly what was being communicated here.
"Fine," Charlie sighed. "When's the wedding, kiddos?"
Our eyes snapped over to his. "I beg your pardon?" I replied, my mouth open.
"Well, what else could it be? Obviously he proposed—"
"I did propose," Edward rolled his eyes, giving me an exasperated look. "She just keeps saying no."
"Well, then what is it?" Charlie was clearly growing impatient with this.
"Well," I said slowly, wondering why I was so shy about this. Probably because I had known what the Cullens' reactions would be: undying joy and enthusiasm. I wasn't so sure about Charlie's. "Um…we do need to tell you something, but it's not that we're engaged."
His brown eyes were blank. "Go on."
"I don't need you to freak out. Just remember that we're both adults, and we're perfectly capable of making our own decisions."
"I'm aware."
I took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
Usually, my father is an open book—at least, he is to me. We have much of the same personality, so we've always clicked with each other. But tonight was a rare occasion. Instead of being able to judge his mood by the color of his skin (white is good; purple means his blood pressure is through the roof), I was left to guess. His skin may have turned a little paler, but his expression remained the same: passive, blank, unreadable.
"Say something?" I requested meekly after a period of time long enough for the waitress to take our drink order and then bring us the drinks.
He finally let out a long breath, and looked down at the menu. "Well, I'm shocked. I thought you two were more responsible than this."
Edward and I exchanged a glance as Charlie read the menu. I honestly couldn't tell if he was thinking of another grandchild or debating the ribeye versus the New York strip. Poor Edward was biting his lip. Once again I could imagine what was running through his mind: Cops are supposed to stay calm before they shoot someone.
"We've been very responsible," I said quietly. "I mean, I never missed a dose of birth control. These things…happen."
Charlie nodded pensively and opened his mouth to say something, but we were interrupted by a sudden clatter coming from my right. I gasped as I saw EJ throw his sippy cup on the floor, and then follow it with a set of silverware wrapped in a cloth napkin.
"EJ!" I groaned, barely smacking his hand just hard enough to get his attention. "No!"
My son glared at me as I bent down and picked up his mess. In a rush to move things away from his eager hands, I pushed all of the silverware, menus, and spice shakers away, and then put his sippy cup on the other side of the table.
"Mommy," he groaned, eyes on the cup.
"No. You lost it."
Unsurprisingly, he began to cry. What was shocking, however, was that he turned to Charlie with outstretched arms. "Grandpa," he moaned, fat tears rolling down his face.
Charlie chuckled and stood to pick him up. I didn't really agree with the way EJ was suddenly being coddled, but he immediately stopped crying and we quit receiving dirty looks from the other customers.
"Is your mommy being mean?" Charlie asked, bouncing him on his thigh. "Well, let Grandpa Charlie just give you some Coke, then."
My eyes bulged as my dad picked up his glass of soda and helped EJ drink out of the straw. "Dad—"
"Bells, are you sure you can handle another one?" Charlie asked me, dismissing my complaints about the soda.
"I hope so," I grumbled, crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair.
Charlie looked up at Edward as EJ drank away. I could practically see the caffeine dripping into his tiny veins. "And Edward my boy, are you sure you can handle it?"
"Positive," Edward replied with total confidence, giving me a secret smirk.
"Okay," Charlie shrugged. "Then all I can do is be honest. I'm worried for both of your sanities, but I'm genuinely excited about having another grandkid to love."
"Thank you," I said, relief washing through my body before I realized that EJ had already inhaled half the glass. "Dad, can you please take the Coke away? He'll be bouncing off the walls all night long."
"No way, Bells," Charlie smirked at me, a mischievous glint in his eye. "We might as well start conditioning you to staying up all night again."
"Ha. Ha. You're so clever. Stop."
"No, you can handle it."
"Do you doubt my abilities as a mother?" I snapped, looking to Edward in disbelief.
"Of course not," Charlie chuckled. "Get real, Bells. You know I think you're a wonderful mama. I'm just fulfilling my responsibilities as a grandpa." He paused and shook his head. "Three grandbabies. Wow."
The reverence on his face was so overwhelming that I suddenly forgot why I was upset or frustrated with him. He looked just as excited as Esme and Carlisle—just in his own quiet Charlie way.
He suddenly looked up at Edward. "You know, I could kill you for getting her pregnant outside of marriage," he said thoughtfully, "but you've been too good for her. I couldn't ask for a better man for my daughter."
"Thank you, Charlie," Edward murmured. "That truly means everything to me. You're the only man whose love for her is comparable to mine."
I could tell by his voice just how much he meant it. I leaned over and kissed my boyfriend's cheek, resting my head on his shoulder.
Charlie nodded and glanced down at EJ. "Okay, enough Coke," he finally told my child. "Or your mom will kill me."
"Damn right," I muttered, snuggling into Edward's side.
Everything was going to be okay.
Once we had told our secret to everyone in our life who mattered, time suddenly started to fly by.
First was Alice's and Jasper's wedding. Alice's little meltdown had been for nothing; the store was more than happy to trade the dress for one size larger. It was a good thing, too, because on the big day, I was showing. It was just a little bump, but still, it was more prominent than expected for a woman who was just under three months along.
Edward couldn't keep his eyes—or his hands—off of me when we were at home. He was thrilled that I was "finally" showing. I think it made the pregnancy more tangible for him. He didn't get to experience the morning sickness and the breast tenderness, but he could finally feel the hard little bump. It just solidified the "poppyseed" inside me as a baby. Even on the day of the wedding, as the bridal party dressed and primped for the ceremony, he kept sneaking in just to look at me with that crooked grin I loved. The dress Alice had picked out for the bridesmaids wasn't formfitting, so there was only a shadow of a bump, but he kept smiling at it and feeling it.
The wedding went off without a hitch. It was long overdue, and it felt like the wedding party and the guests agreed with that. Alice and Jasper had been gracious enough to postpone it continuously throughout my various obstacles over the last three years. I had felt guilty about it, but that guilt was washed away as I realized how perfect this day was. Alice was given the perfect winter wedding she had always dreamed of, complete with a light dusting of snow on her parents' backyard. And the day was even more special now that the two bridesmaids and two groomsmen were coupled off. The mama in me was so proud to see my little boy and girl to be big enough to serve as the ringbearer and flower girl.
Overall, the wedding was a celebration of love. The love between Alice and Jasper—including their heartfelt vows that made everyone cry and the obnoxiously long kiss at the altar. The love in the Cullen family—the tightly-knit group that I had joined. And the love between friends. Whether I was dancing with Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, Esme, or Edward, the friendship between us all was perfect. I was so drunk on the happiness and love that surrounded me that I even gave into Alice's ridiculous whims. Despite my shyness and clumsiness, Alice deemed me "not pregnant enough" to skip out on the dance routine she and Rosalie had choreographed. I felt so silly performing the line dance with Ali, Rose, and Esme, but we ended up laughing so hard we cried again.
It was almost my favorite moment of the night.
My absolute favorite moment was late in the night, when the music was still loud and the champagne was still being poured. (Or sparkling cider, in my case.) I was surprised that Alice and Jasper hadn't escaped yet, but I wasn't about to kick them out. They were having too much fun dancing with each other, staring into each other's eyes in that way that Edward and I were so often guilty of. EJ and Abby had long ago passed out and were tucked into Edward's bed in his old room. It was no surprise—they were constantly dance partners with someone, whether it was a crazy freestyle with Emmett or a waltz with Esme.
My feet were hurting, but I couldn't resist Edward's smile as he pulled me onto the dance floor as a new song started to play. I had never heard it before, but naturally my musician knew every lyric. He pulled me close, taking one of my hands and resting his other hand securely on my back. I melted into his chest, breathing in his scent and just enjoying the fact that I was his, and he was mine. After the song ended, I tried to pull away, but he held me close.
"I made a request," he whispered in my ear. "Just one more dance?"
I pretended to give him a glare of exasperation, but he kissed away any qualms I may have had. When the lyrics started to play, he started to sing in my ear as we swayed.
I hope your eyes just smile forever,
Only once I told a lie.
I hope these days go on forever,
And I'm always right by your side.
You're all I want to know
For the rest of my life.
Yes…perhaps my opinion on marriage had been frayed a bit, but I couldn't deny the love between the bride and the groom today. Edward clearly already felt that love for me, but he needed more. Hell, I needed more. Marriage would mean forever for me and Edward. But before the wheels in my head could start turning, he continued singing.
I can't help what time has done,
And how long I had to wait.
Now I've found your hand in mine,
I hope I didn't come too late.
There's no beauty like your face
In the morning light.
No…Edward didn't come too late, or even too early. He came at exactly the right time.
And all my life I have been so scared,
And I never knew I ever wanted you there.
I've been broke, been bust, been snared,
So love lost and under-prepared, baby.
And now that I've found you, now that I've got you,
I've got everything, my dear.
Scared…broken…busted…snared…lost…under-prepared. That was certainly a way to describe me over the last three years. But now I really had everything, right here between my arms. Edward and our baby, all wrapped up in me. EJ and Abby were sleeping, warm and safe and knowing they were loved by two parents. I really had everything.
'Cause you mean everything to me, my dear,
I see you in my thoughts,
And I hear you in my sleep.
And now that I've found you,
Now that I've got you, I've got everything.
And the feeling that you give me is like a runaway train,
If I held you like I wanna,
You would never go away.
I felt sweet relief radiate through my heart and mind as I realized that Edward really would never go away. He would never leave me in body, soul, mind, or heart. We were irrevocably joined, twined together through our love for each other and for our children. My hold on him was permanent and unbreakable.
I love you sleeping with your socks on,
And I love your laughter in our house.
I love your smile in the morning,
And I love your head upon my chest.
I miss your kisses in the evening,
Baby when you're away.
And I miss my hands on your hips,
And I miss the smell of your perfume
And the lipstick on your lips.
The way Edward sang these lyrics to me—cupping my hips, nuzzling my neck and inhaling, and then staring suggestively at my lips—made me so giggly and giddy that I could only kiss Edward until I had my fill of him. I knew our silliness was probably taking away the spotlight from the bride and groom, but I also knew that Alice wouldn't mind. She was probably thrilled to see her brother so happy.
And me—yeah, I was happy, too.
Alice and Jasper finally left for their honeymoon in Jamaica with a firm command to call them and let them know everything once I had my first ultrasound in a week. It seemed like it was an eternity away, but the week actually flew by. I found myself becoming the victim of frigid ultrasound gel at an impossible speed.
Edward was thrilled, of course, shifting from foot to foot and watching the technician as she slathered the gel on my bump. Dr. McCray had felt that an ultrasound was the smart thing to do, since I was already showing a bit drastically for three months along. I took Edward's hand and waited impatiently for the probe to start moving over my skin. Edward was even more impatient, but calmed himself by kissing my fingers and smiling down at me.
I could practically hear Ricky Ricardo singing "She's Having My Baby" in his head.
Finally, the technician, Chelsea, deemed it time to look inside my uterus. She looked amused at Edward's excitement, but reminded him that he would be able to see only a blob at this point. He was unfazed, of course. Finally, the picture registered on the screen.
Well…sort of. Forks still hadn't updated their ultrasound machine, I noticed.
"Is that it?" Edward asked, disappointed as the fuzz took over the little screen.
"No," Chelsea giggled. "It just takes forever for the picture to appear."
"Oh, good." He sounded relieved, like a little boy who had just found out that rain hadn't shut down Disneyworld, after all.
The picture finally registered, and I frowned.
No…that can't be right.
What in the world?
Edward seemed to be stunned, but not in the same way as me. His green eyes were filled with wonder as he saw the first picture of his biological offspring. I noticed a teardrop escape the corner of his eye.
It was a beautiful moment. But I was stunned for an entirely different reason.
"Uh, Chelsea?" I asked the technician nervously. "Are you sure this is the right image? This is my ultrasound?"
Chelsea glanced at me incredulously. "With all due respect, Ms. Swan, who else would it belong to?"
I was baffled, to say the least.
"That's definitely your uterus," she grinned widely at me. "It looks like—"
"This isn't my ultrasound from my last pregnancy, is it?" I interrupted. "Do these machines save images by patient?"
"No, ma'am, this is what your womb looks like, at this very moment."
"Bella, what's going on?" Edward asked me, tearing his eyes away from the screen to look at me in concern.
"There's…two," I pointed, sitting up slightly to touch the screen. "One blob…and another blob."
Chelsea was obviously excited for her patients, because the words bubbled up before I was ready to hear them. "Congratulations! You're having twins!"
I had to admire her youthful enthusiasm, even though I felt faint.
Twins?
But I couldn't focus on my possibility of passing out right then.
Because suddenly, Edward fell over and smacked his head on the edge of the counter.
"Shit!" Chelsea exclaimed, running to fuss over him. "I've never seen a father pass outbefore!"
My midsection was covered in gel, but I sat up and walked to Edward's limp body. "Chelsea, go get a nurse," I directed her.
Looking a little fearful, she nodded and bolted out of the room.
"Edward, baby," I said, lightly slapping his face, my stomach rolling as I realized he had cut his head and was currently bleeding. "Wake up, for crying out loud. I kind of need you right now because I'm freaking out, too."
I walked into the Cullens' house, not even bothering to knock or ring the doorbell. Esme met me at the door with a huge expectant smile on her face—a smile that abruptly disappeared when she saw her son standing behind me, with a bandage and an icepack nursing his head.
"What happened?" she demanded, running to him.
"Edward passed out," I said smugly, even though now was certainly not the time to be smug.
"Why the hell did you pass out?" she asked before calling him a derogatory term that I had never heard escape her lips.
"Ask Bella," he grunted. "Mom, I need to sit down."
"Bella?" Esme shrieked before pulling him to the living room to sit. "God, Edward, do you need a drink?"
He shook his head.
"Edward passed out because we're having twins," I explained, sitting down and pulling EJ into my lap as he ran to greet me. (Esme had babysat while we were at the doctor's office.) I figured I might as well just spit the story out.
Carlisle walked into the living room then. "I'm sorry," he said, a confused expression on his face. "Did you say Edward passed out because he was stabbed with a pin?"
"Nope." I sighed and leaned into Edward's side. "We're having twins. I have two bugs in my uterus again, and I don't know what the hell we're going to do."
Naturally, Esme had to top Edward's reaction. She didn't pass out, but she immediately broke into a fit of bizarre giggles, doubling over in laughter until tears ran down her face.
"That's your fault, Carlisle," she cackled, pointing an accusing finger at her husband.
"How in the world—"
"Oh, come on, Dr. Cullen! Multiples run in your family. I know that Bella's mother was a twin, but Carlisle, you're the one who has a set of triplets for brothers. Edward, blame your father. It's a wonder that Rosalie didn't have multiples!"
Carlisle glared at his wife. "No one really knows if multiples are genetic."
"Oh, blow it out your ass, Carlisle," Esme laughed, pulling her husband into a loving hug.
Edward looked up at his mother. "How in the world is this funny?"
"Oh, this isn't funny," she replied, finally calming down. "I'm laughing because you really are your father's son in so many ways. Carlisle passed out when I was in labor with you, Edward. My big, strong doctor fainted when my water broke!"
Okay, that was pretty funny. I laughed until I noticed that both Edward and Carlisle were looking a little dejected. What is it with men and having their pride hurt?
Finally, Esme quieted down. "Okay, I'm sorry," she breathed, coming to sit by Edward. "Why are you bleeding, precious?"
Edward seemed to relax at having his mother baby him for a while. "I hit my head on a counter," he pouted, looking miserable and childish and adorable all at once.
I reached up to kiss his cheek. "You were the most handsome unconscious man I have ever seen," I assured him.
At least that made him smile. The ego was already being re-inflated. "Thank you, love," he chuckled, pulling me and EJ onto his lap.
Carlisle was also apparently over his embarrassment, because he sat on Esme's left and held her hand firmly. "Well, guys, let's talk about this."
"Well, there's no question," I began. "We're having twins. And we're keeping them both. I mean, I love them both insanely. I just…wow. That's a whole new budget to plan out, and we're going to have four children under the age of three. How in God's name will I be able to pull that off without losing my mind?"
"You're forgetting me," Edward grumbled, still apparently a little cranky from his fall. "I'm going to keep you sane."
"I know, sweetie," I replied. "I'm just scared."
He nodded, silently announcing that he felt the same way.
Abby finally decided to join everyone on the couch, and snuggled between me and Edward, greeting us with kisses. There was no doubt about it: children were blessings. But how many more bugs could our laps hold?
"Esme," Carlisle whispered. "Give them some advice, darling."
"Do you want me to give you some perspective on this?" she asked us.
We both nodded automatically. Esme always gave the best advice.
"I'm not trying to scare either one of you," she said softly. "But worry can hurt the babies, and it can hurt Bella. So you two need to grow up, put your adult pants on, and realize that all four of your children are perfect and worth every struggle you may have to go through with them. Bella, you probably know that better than Edward, just because you're a mother. But it's important to see that you're not in this alone. You know that Carlisle and I are here for you. So are Em, Rose, Ali, and Jazz. You'll always be taken care of. But worrying will do nothing but create problems for you. Me? I'm shocked. But I'm immensely excited. Two more grandchildren! And you guys obviously love these two little bugs, so I know that deep down, you're excited. This should erase worries. Everything will be perfect—as long as you take care of yourselves and your kids. Don't stress out."
Edward and I glanced at each other, biting our lips.
"And just think," Carlisle added, looking a little misty-eyed. "We may have a little girl with brown hair and brown eyes…and a little boy with red hair and green eyes. Fraternal twins could make both of your dreams come true."
A grin broke out over Edward's face, and I knew that he was suddenly okay with this.
"Two little Bellas," he whispered, leaning down to bury his face in my neck. "Oh my god, the chances are even greater for a little girl. And if I had a son that looked like me…oh my god, that would be perfect."
I moved my arm over EJ and Abby and pulled his face to mine, giving him a deep kiss. "Together," I whispered against his lips.
"Forever," he whispered back.
"No matter what," I added.
His reply was enough to make my heart race and make me wonder if our beloved little poppyseeds could sense the change in my body and my mood. "Because I've got you, I've got everything, my dear."
So now they know-they have two poppyseeds in the oven!
I love reviews almost as much as I love Daddyward. *sigh*