True Love Way

Chapter 28

"Stop trying to influence me, Edward. You're corrupting me. I do have to go back to Rosalie's room."

I was peppering Bella's neck and shoulders with soft kisses. I wasn't truly trying to influence her in any way. I merely loved the way her skin felt on my lips, and the way she grabbed a fistful of hair and twisted it every now and then. The heavy breathing and soft moans didn't hurt me at all either. "Bell-llaaaa, we're adults," I whined, acting like anything but a thirty-year-old man.

"In your parents' home," she reminded me gently. Her hand still gripped my head despite her verbal protests. "I have to respect Esme's wishes. She means so much to me. I don't want to do anything to disappoint her. I want her to respect me, too."

"She does respect you. She adores you." My tongue traced across her collarbone, causing her to dig her fingernails into my scalp. "Not as much as I do, of course, but you won't disappoint her." I paused my innocent corruption when she sighed. Easing away, I cupped her chin. "This just caught her by surprise. I feel bad for not telling her any of this. I honestly thought someone would have let it slip long before now."

Her brow furrowed as she considered this. "Are you saying everyone knew how you felt? Everyone but Esme and Carlisle?"

I shook my head. "Only Rose and Jasper, and by default Emmett and Alice. After the fact, not while you were involved with Jazz. Are you upset by that?"

A smile crept in as her forehead evened out. "It explains a lot about why Rose had that silly grin on her face every time I talked about you."

Humming, I dipped back into the sweet, warm crook of Bella's neck. "You could stay," I murmured between kisses. "I promise to wake you before dawn. Before that, I promise to let you actually sleep. I swear I won't be slobbering on you the whole night."

"We'll get caught," she protested.

"Slobbering? Or sleeping?"

Her laugh came out husky sounding, heightening my arousal even further. I halted my mouth action with a groan. "Okay. I'd better stop this anyway. You're getting entirely too turned on. I can tell. You want me. Bad. But I'm sorry, Bella, there are restrictions we must follow. Your body just thinks you're ready for all of this, when in fact, you really can't handle the full Edward just yet."

That laugh of hers destroyed my attempt to make a joke in order to take my mind off my own desire. Instead, it made it worse. Even with only faint light coming into the room, I could see the blood rushing to her cheeks. The moonlight made her deep brown eyes shimmer as she stared at me in wonderment.

"What?"

"I always wondered what you'd be like in this situation – a girl in your bed. I wondered if you'd be shy and make her take control, or if you'd be all cocky."

"I've never had another girl in my room, let alone in this situation. You're the only one." I was no longer joking. "It's only ever been you."

Closing her eyes, she tipped her forehead against mine. "Edward," she whispered. "You're making this so difficult for me to go down the hall."

"Then don't."

We had, of course, heeded my mother's demands initially. But when an hour passed and I felt like I was suffocating in my room alone, I'd crept down the hall to my sister's old room. There, I found Bella wide awake, as well, and coerced her into coming to my room. Of course, I didn't bring her there with the intention of making out – that just happened. We were talking softly, and she was laughing. She looked so much better. So content. It felt like everything was falling into place and things were all finally as they should be. She kissed me first. Timidly. I didn't attack her, as I'd done in my dreams so many times in this room. Instead, I caressed her as we shared tender kisses and exchanged long, adoring looks at each other.

I'd never considered myself romantic in the least, but this was killing me. It wasn't merely that I wanted the fundamental rush sex provided – I actually felt like it would ruin this moment. This was beyond a physical need, and yet every fiber of my being needed her. I needed to touch her and examine every inch of her flesh. I wanted to know each sound she made and determine what they meant. I needed to be able to look into her eyes and know exactly what she was thinking about. What she was feeling. What she wanted. This was why I was having a hard time letting her follow Mom's instructions. I felt like I was there – that I finally knew exactly how love was supposed to be.

"I promise you, this is the last time we'll sleep apart," Bella vowed, no hint of teasing in her voice or her expression.

How could I object? I uncurled myself from her, gently removing her hands from my neck, and the leg that was wrapped around mine. "Come on then, before I change my mind. I'll walk you back to your room."

We made the trip down the hall hand-in-hand, stopping at Rosalie's doorway. "I love you, Edward Cullen," Bella whispered into my ear.

"And you, Bella Swan, are my life. I love you so much." I allowed myself one last gentle kiss. "Sleep well."

"You too." She went in the room but turned to face me before closing the door. "By the way, you were right. I do want you. Bad. G'night."

~ 0 ~

"Did you not sleep at all?" The first words out of Emmett's mouth when he arrived the next day put me on the defensive in a flash. I hadn't, in fact, and my mood was indicative of the night spent tossing and turning.

"When you try going to your parents' house and sleeping in your old room – in a small bed crowded with shitty memories – we'll see how you manage."

Emmett held his hands up in submission, but the smirk on his face forewarned he wasn't going to let me off. "Someone needs a workout. Or a blowjob."

"Fuck off," I muttered under my breath. He'd hit too close to the truth, but my mom was only a few feet behind me. Being separated from my girlfriend for the night had made me feel like a teenager again anyway. I didn't want to be reminded about minding my potty mouth.

"Emmett, sweetheart! It's so good to see you." Emmett's charming grin always covered his verbal infractions. He could say anything and follow it with his altar boy smile, complete with dimples, and my mother would coo over him. Asshole. "I was hoping you'd bring Rose and the baby."

He glanced at me as he returned my mother's hug. "Nah. Not enough room in the car since I'm bringing these two back with me. But, I didn't come alone." Tipping his head towards the car, I saw the companion he spoke of and instantly perked up.

"You brought him?" I grinned like an overgrown kid. "How was he in the car?"

"Great! He likes rap, by the way. The good stuff from the '80s. He prefers his hat backwards rather than sideways, and he's real fussy about that. Gets all grumpy if you don't put it on right. Kind of like you when you're overtired."

Sneering, I threw a good-natured punch at him before shaking out my hand. His chest was solid rock.

"You brought the new puppy?" Don Everly wasn't as thrilling to my mom as Nathan would have been, but she was enthusiastic enough to please me.

"I thought Bella might be missing him," Emmett replied. "Is she doing better? Where is she?"

"She…? You mean me?" Bella appeared behind me, coming out to join us just in time. "The closer I get to home, the more normal I feel. Hi, Em."

"Hey, Angel Bells. Come get some lovin'." He scooped her up in his thick arms, hugging the life out of her. "You sure know how to scare a guy," he told her softly. "Don't do that again, Bells. I mean it. If I didn't have the two boys to look after at home, I would've gone down there myself to drag you back to us."

"Em, stop making her cry," I grumbled. "She hasn't cried since yesterday, and look what you've done." I'd stepped closer the minute I saw her face pinch up, but she didn't let go of her grip on Emmett.

"This is a good cry, Edward," Mom advised with a warm smile and tears of her own. "It's a homecoming cry."

Bella nodded in agreement, sniffling as she clung to Emmett. "You're the big brother I always wished I had."

He chuckled, swaying her back and forth as they hugged. "Well, Uncle Em has brought a surprise for you…" Turning her towards the car, he held out his arm in a grand display, yelling, "Ta-daaa!"

"Don Everly!" And then Bella actually shrieked – an Alice-like shriek – as she ran towards our anxious puppy.

"My goodness, it looks like he missed her as well!" Mom laughed as we watched Don jumping up against the window in anticipation. He spilled out of the car, all legs and hanging tongue, before springing himself at Bella.

My breath caught in my throat as he took her to the ground. "Bella!" I was there in seconds, pulling Don Everly off her. "Did he hurt you? Is your stomach okay? The incision?"

She laughed hysterically as she pulled herself into a seated position on the ground. "I'm fine. Better than fine. Come here, my puppy! Oh, how I've missed you. Did you miss me too? Did you? Do you remember me?" They were all over each other again, with me kneeling beside them – odd man out. "You grew! What did they feed you?"

"Just Puppy Chow and a few small cats," Emmett quipped. "Hey, Ed, while Don Everly has the ladies charmed, can you help me out for a minute? Rose wanted me to bring some stuff back." He tilted his head in a not-so-subtle way towards the house just as Dad came out.

I found myself irritated by the exchange of pleasantries between them, wishing they could save it for later. I wanted to know what Emmett was up to.

"Wait until you see the vacation homes we looked up this morning." My dad had fully embraced the idea of them heading up a family vacation spot, funded by Bella's inheritance. It surprised me how easily they were persuaded, but I was thrilled with their response regardless. "The biggest question is snow or sun? There's a great ski chalet, but Esme's rather fond of this little island resort. We'll all get together and put it to a vote. This is for everyone, so majority rules."

"Yeah, we'll do that. Hey, Dad… why don't you go meet Don Everly?"

My father took hints very well and casually made his way over to the love-fest going on involving the puppy. I gave Emmett a shove towards the house.

"Rose doesn't really want anything," Emmett announced quietly as we headed for the kitchen.

"No shit. What's this about?" I wasn't in the mood for hinting around at things.

Sighing, he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of cranberry juice after a good inspection of the rest of the contents. "I don't know what the hell happened, but your sister has gone mental. I didn't want to bring this up in front of Bella –"

"No," I interjected. "Absolutely not a good idea. It's about Nathan, right?"

He looked stunned as he tipped the bottle to his mouth. "You knew about this?"

"She thinks Bella wants him back," I stated calmly. "Am I right?"

"Yeah! What the fuck, dude? Is she right about this?" Emmett looked panic-stricken. In all the years I'd known him, he'd never been anything but a rock for all of us. This was rattling him in a big way.

I scoffed, shaking my head. "Not even close. Look, Rosalie has it in her mind that Bella made this choice for me – that somehow she buried her own feelings to do what she thought I'd want –"

"Do you want Nathan?"

Good, Emmett wasn't mincing words either. This was just how I liked it. "No. Yeah. I mean…" Shit. Why couldn't it come out as clear as it was in my head? It sounded like I was unsure, when I was anything but. "Look, if Bella had kept him, I would be involved, sure. I'd help her raise him. But she didn't. She wanted him to be with you and Rose. That's what I want, too. We all win with this. You guys are happier than ever, and completely poop-obsessed – something I never saw coming – but whatever. It makes you happy. Nathan makes you happy. That's great. That's… perfect." I shrugged. "I'd be a fuck-awful father figure, Emmett. You're much better suited to that role. It's best for Nathan. And it's best for Bella. All 'round… it's perfect as it is, and no, Bella does not want to fuck that up. Can you please relate that to my sister? I tried. Apparently she didn't hear me."

Emmett's frown softened. "She heard. But she sees otherwise, Ed. Whether you admit it or not, you care about this little guy."

I shrugged. "Sure, I do. He's my nephew."

"It's more. You… connect with him. I have to say that before he was in the picture, I never could have imagined you with a kid. But somehow, he broke through to you. Rose reminded me of how you carried his ultrasound picture around. Dude, only very thrilled fathers-to-be do that shit."

"I was just excited for Bella. It meant a lot to her to see this through, and I was just happy that he was healthy." I scowled, rubbing at my neck. He wasn't going to let this go.

"Cut the act." Emmett stared me down when I clammed up. Looking at the floor didn't help. I could feel his eyes boring into my scalp. "Are you gonna tell me what's really on your mind, or do I go back home and help Rosalie prepare to give up Nathan? Hey, at least we'll still be his uncle and aunt."

"You play dirty. Fucker." I looked up at him. "I want to punch that smile off your face, shithead. Stop that."

"Finally, Ed's gonna talk. Really talk."

"Does my sister really love those dimples of yours? 'Cause they may be enhanced when I make you a Joker clone. Obviously, you can't contain it, so I think we'll have to go the route of making it permanent."

He toned it down, losing the deepest part of the dimples, but retaining the soft look he had with his smile. "Just talk to me. Come on, it stays between us. Bro talk. That's all."

I swallowed hard as I switched from wanting to punch him to wanting to inflict pain on myself instead. Why could he persuade me so easily? Fucker.

"Look…" I wet my lips, feeling parched and unable to speak even if I wanted to. Before continuing, I grabbed a bottle of water to help me along. I took a nice long swig and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Okay, here's the thing… neither of us want kids. Even before we got… before we started… ugh…" I stopped for another drink. "Even when we were teenagers, both of us agreed that we weren't cut out to be parents. It was just another thing we had in common. Another thing to fuel my belief that she was the perfect girl. I would not be a good father. That's just how it is. And to find someone who is just as comfortable with never having kids is like a miracle."

I paused to see if Emmett would contradict me. He didn't. I decided to stick with Bella's reasoning rather than spewing out a bunch of stuff about my faulty DNA and its ability to kill. He didn't need to hear that shit.

"Do you know why Bella agreed to do this for her friends? To be their surrogate, I mean?"

"Because she's Bella," Emmett stated without hesitation.

I grinned, conceding that was a pretty good reason. But it wasn't all. "That's true enough. But I've discovered there's more to Bella than what we all see in her. Yes, she's thoughtful and giving. But there's another part buried inside that makes her feeling undeserving. It's got to come from her mom abandoning her. I'd think. I don't know. I'm gonna ask Aro about that."

"You're getting off track there, dude."

"Right." I chuckled at his casual reminder. He was used to dealing with Alice, after all. Getting me back on track was much easier. "We've done a lot of talking on this trip home. She told me that she felt… not obligated, but… something like that. In Bella's mind, it wasn't fair that Gianna couldn't have a baby, even though she was desperate for one and would be the most amazing mother. In the meantime, there was nothing keeping Bella from being pregnant, aside from her own desire to not fuck up a child of her own. Do you understand? I mean, she said it much better, I think. I understood what she meant when she told me. It's like, having Nathan has freed her from that burden. Not that having a baby is a burden, but really, it is for some people. Know what I mean? Fuck. I should just get Bella to explain this. It would be so much better."

Emmett had a strange expression on his face. It worried me. He wasn't saying anything, and I wasn't about to speak up, not knowing what was going on in his head.

"Don't freak out or anything, but I'm going to hug you."

I backed up. "Uh, no. You're not."

He stepped forward. "Yes. I am."

"Emmett…"

"Ed…"

I was trapped against the kitchen counter. Trying to gain distance, all I was achieving bending back over the sink was to thrust my hips towards him as he came at me. "Fucker," I grumbled as he bear hugged me.

"I love you too, bro."

~ 0 ~

"I know you probably just want to get home," Emmett said as we neared Port Angeles, "but Rose is really glad you're coming for dinner. It'll be good for her to see you with her own eyes – make sure you're okay. She was so worried about you, Bells. She's been… well, not her usual self. I even had to call in backup. Esme's getting really good with Skype. Oh, man! Speaking of which, I'm really sorry I let the cat out of the bag with the inheritance give-away and all that. Alice told me what you had planned for Charlie, so I figured something similar would go to Esme and Carlisle. Why didn't you tell me they didn't know you guys were together?"

"That was you?" I asked in amazement from the back seat. Bella was riding shotgun, and I was trying to keep Don Everly from jumping into the front with them.

Bella snickered, turning to grin at me. "And you blamed Alice."

"Heh, well I would have, too," Emmett confessed. "I didn't cause any problems, did I? I mean, Esme was pretty shocked. Then she got weird. Was she okay with you?"

"Yeah. I had to have a sex talk, which pretty much topped my list of uncomfortable moments, but I guess I deserved that. She was disappointed that she'd been left out, more than anything."

Emmett whistled through his teeth. "See, a Skype sex talk would have been better than face-to-face. You should have told her."

"I know, I know," I grumbled. "Or a McCarty mouth could have blabbed it ages ago. Now that I know you're both loose-lipped, I'm even more surprised that no one told her. At least now I know why Dad was so easily swayed on the vacation home. Thanks for that. And if you speak to Alice before I do, tell her thanks as well. Hey, Don's looking a little anxious back here. Maybe he has to pee."

Emmett glanced in his mirror. I figured he'd pull over immediately, not wanting to sully his car with dog piss. He was fanatical about his car, something my sister loved to tease him about. She'd go off about him leaving his dirty underwear on the floor of the bedroom, and shaving cream all over the sink, but god forbid she left a take-out cup in his cup holder. She wasn't even allowed to touch her hair in the car, in case a strand or two fell out and stayed behind on the seat.

"Em? Seriously, dude, I think he's gonna pee."

He shrugged and made the exit from the highway. "We're almost home. If he can't make it, it'll clean up."

"Fatherhood's changed someone," I commented with amusement.

He simply beamed with pride at my remark rather than making a lame excuse for the turn around. As it was, I was worried for nothing. Don Everly had remarkable control, though he did leap from the car the moment Emmett opened the door and relieve himself on their front lawn.

"I think Rose is gonna miss being with him every day," he told us as we waited for him to finish up. "She's softening on the pet issue."

I issued a non-committal grunt. He seemed rather confident, but I knew better. "Talk to Jasper about babies and pets."

"Alice says it's great," he argued.

Bella chuckled, nudging him. "McCarty versus Cullen, take two. The thing is… I think your Cullen is tougher to crack than Alice's. I'm going with Rosalie on this one."

"You think?" Emmett looked so wounded it made us both laugh. "Wow. I really thought I'd win this one."

"Silly man," Bella teased. "But you can visit Don whenever you'd like. I really appreciate that you guys took care of him while Edward was taking care of me. Thank you so much. We owe you big time."

Smiling once more, Emmett draped an arm around her shoulder as we headed for the front door. "I see babysitting on the horizon. Only this time, maybe we won't find our baby swaddled in a poopy t-shirt?"

I was narrowing my eyes at him when my sister opened the door for us. She grabbed onto me first, since I was nearest and Emmett still had a hold of Bella.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered as she hugged the life out of me. "You're the most amazing guy I know."

"Nah. That title goes to the little guy inside," I countered with sincerity, drawing a huge smile from my sister.

"Bella, come here, let me hug you." Shoving Emmett aside, Bella was in her arms before she could even react. "Thank God you're home. Listen, if you need anything… I mean, anything… you just ask, okay? When Edward's at work, you and Don Everly can come over here, or I can come to your place. Whatever. Whenever. We're all going to help you through this."

"Rose, thank you. But honestly, I am feeling much better already. I just… freaked out. Really. Stuff started coming back to me, and I guess I'm hormonal…" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I need to talk to you about something."

My sister's face paled, but she nodded firmly. "Sure, honey. Sure. Before we get into that, do you need to express? You can use our room for privacy."

"Yeah… um, that's kind of what I need to talk about."

As white as Rosalie was, I was certain to be just as red. We were going to talk milk production and boobs again. I tried not to stiffen too much and found myself wondering what Rose was cooking that smelled so good. I followed Bella, preparing to sit at her side while Emmett went to tend to Nathan. His "waking-up" sounds were coming from the baby monitor in the living room.

"Why don't you go see your nephew?" Bella urged before we sat.

"Yeah?" I asked with a little too much enthusiasm.

She grinned at me. "Yeah. I know you don't want to sit through this again. And you're probably anxious to see him. I know I am."

I saw Rose drop her head, pinching her eyes closed as though she didn't want to face what was coming. Instantly, I knew she feared the worst. I also knew she'd never let me suffer through a bad thought for a moment longer than necessary, so I went to her.

"It's all right, Rose. I swear to you. It's not what you're thinking." I spoke in a quiet, soothing voice as I forced her to look at me. "I swear to you."

It gutted me to see my sister so distraught and unsure of her future. Rosalie had always been a confident person on the surface. If she ever doubting something, she never let it show. It's not like she was a cold person – no, Rosalie was warm and loving and always able to express her feelings, but she was also the most self-assured person I knew. A lifetime of knowing that version of Rosalie made it harder to see this uncertain and fearful woman in front of me.

Emmett chose that moment to bounce down the stairs with a bundle in his arms and an energetic puppy dancing around his feet. He made the descent without a hitch whereas I would have ended up sprawled at the bottom. God only knows what would have become of Nathan and Don Everly.

"He's awake and clean and probably hungry, but he's also anxious for some godparent-loving." He stopped midway across the room. "Am I interrupting something?"

Both ladies turned their heads to me. I dropped mine, eyes to the floor. I felt like if I even peeked at Nathan, they'd declare me a lost cause, desperate for a baby. That simply was not the truth. At all. There was only one thing I was desperate for, and she had made out with me in my childhood bed just the night before.

I got us back on track by suggesting he and I take Nathan into the kitchen to prepare his bottle so the girls could talk. Bella still needed to tell Rosalie what she had started to – that her days of supplying Nathan with her milk were over. In doing so, I put myself in a situation that left me holding the baby – literally. Emmett dumped him in my arms as he trotted off to warm up a bottle. I made sure I had a good grip on him without holding him so close that I appeared to be enjoying it. I had eyes following me closely and a puppy tripping up my feet.

"What's the deal out there?" Emmett popped the lid on a can of Diet Coke for himself, but passed me a beer after taking Nathan off my hands. "You're not driving. I think you could use this."

I smirked as I tilted it back to take a long swallow. Don Everly was at his water bowl. I found it endearing that they had a set of dishes at their place for our puppy. Don seemed to have made himself at home as well. When he finished drinking, he wandered over to the door leading to the backyard and started nosing at it. Emmett let him out, and he did a few rapid laps around the fenced yard before settling in to chew on a ball.

"Bella's uh…" I scratched at my chin, contemplating how to put this politely. Then I recalled who I was with. He wouldn't care how it was phrased. "Shit, Emmett, her boobs dried up while she was gone. She's a mess about it. But I swear if I have to hear one more conversation about lactation, it'll suck all the fun out of her tits for me, and I haven't even had any fun with them yet."

Emmett chuckled lowly as he positioned himself to give Nathan his bottle. "No more milk. That's what she's upset about? Well, seeing as my wife is prepared for doomsday, that'll be a relief for her. Maybe it will take the pressure off Bella, too."

"Hope so. I hate seeing both of them this way." I slid my ass further down the chair to get more comfortable and took another swig from the bottle in my hand. I watched Nathan hungrily suck at his own bottle, trying not to think of its contents as being from Bella's body. I suppose if Nathan was actually her son and she was nursing him, I'd have a different appreciation for the beauty of the mother's ability to nourish a child. At the moment, it was making me feel weird.

"I'm starving," I announced to take my focus of the sound of the baby suckling and gulping. "Are we gonna be eating soon?"

Emmett nodded. "When I'm home, we usually time it to eat right after Nathan does. He's the easiest to please then. He'll just sit in his chair and suck on his fingers."

"He has long fingers," I commented. "Emily's are kind of chubby. By the way, your sister was completely amazing with Bella when we were there." I wanted him to know he should be proud of Alice; I was.

"She's still nervous around Bella. I hope this means she's over that stage and she can just be normal. Well… as normal as Alice is capable of being." He grinned at me, all sheepish dimples and teeth. "I'm just gonna come out with this, because I know that you know Alice has a big mouth – she told me all about the trust fund and Bella's other offers, not just Charlie's new boat."

I let out a relieved puff of air. "Cool. So we won't have to go through the whole explanation of Bella's willed fortune and how she's not comfortable with it."

"How much did they actually leave her?"

I shrugged. "No idea. I haven't asked. Enough that her friends lived well without even appearing to dip into Gianna's inheritance. I think that's what Bella's striving for – for all of us, her family, to live in the same comfort they did and not beyond. You told Rosalie?"

Emmett nodded, though he appeared to be lost in a faraway thought as he admired the baby in his arms.

"So you won't be difficult about accepting whatever she wants to gift you guys?"

"I didn't say that," he replied quietly. "Here's the thing, Ed… it's great that she's given Emily the same advantages Nathan will have. That's beyond awesome. There won't ever be an issue of jealousy or envy between the cousins. But the rest of us? We don't need wealth when we've been so blessed with everything else. That was a gift meant for Bella because she gives so freely of herself, and her heart. It's not like she's had a charmed life, but she's still got a charitable outlook and loves openly. If her friends didn't look at her as their family, I'm sure they would have left it all to their unborn child or named a charity or something as the benefactor of their riches, not Bella. I know they wouldn't have left it all to her if they thought it would make her anxious about it. I don't feel right taking any more than is already assigned to Nathan."

I sighed heavily. "I know where you're coming from. Believe me, deep inside I feel the same way. But this is causing her misery, not enjoyment or relief. The only bit of enjoyment I see her get from it is seeing the family make plans to use the gift. I don't want you to be uncomfortable, but I'm begging you – please just accept whatever Bella throws at you and let her feel that little bit more relieved."

"Alice said the same," he acknowledged. "She told me Bella's adamant about this and warned me not to offend her." He pulled an affronted face. "The irony of my sister warning me not to offend someone didn't go unnoticed, trust me. Rose and I had a long talk about it last night and did some research. We have a proposal for Bella. Do you think she'll be okay with us making plans for her money before it's even offered?"

Chuckling, I got up to put my empty bottle under the sink. "I think she'll kiss you. In a sisterly way, of course."

"Of course," Emmett agreed, grinning broadly. He straightened up the moment Nathan began taking in air rather than milk. "Here, burp him. I'm gonna warm up another couple of ounces."

"Burp him?" I asked, staring at Emmett rather than the bundle thrust into my arms. "How do I do that? Won't he just burp if he needs to?"

He laughed, giving my shoulder a slap. "Put him up here. Rub his back. Babies don't always know how to do what they need to do. You have to help him along with that."

"He knows how to shit when he needs to," I grumbled.

"Poop, Ed. Nathan poops."

"Sure. Whatever." I carefully turned the little guy around so I could put him on my shoulder the way I'd seen other people hold a baby when they weren't cradling them. "Okay. I'll help you if you help me." I spoke to Nathan as I got him in position. His little head bumped against my jaw, and I stroked it gently in case it hurt. "Want me to go first?" I let out a beer belch to demonstrate. Emmett roared as he placed a new bottle in a pan of hot water.

Nathan didn't follow my lead. Instead he made slurping noises as he chewed on two fingertips. I tipped him back to have a chat with him. His bum rested on my chest, his legs curled up in front of him, and I cupped his head with both of my hands. "You're supposed to burp, little man. I know you won't have the same skill you just witnessed, but you have to start somewhere. Do you think he understands?" I asked as I directed my attention to Emmett. He was standing by the stove, watching us intently with a soft smile.

"I just look stupid, don't I?" I chuckled. "Of course he doesn't understand what I'm saying. I look like an idiot talking to him. He doesn't get it any more than Don Everly would."

"Nah, you look like a great uncle in the making, my man. Keep talking to him. He seems to find your voice relaxing. He never fusses when you hold him."

"He should fuss. He should be terrified. I know I am." I tipped him back up towards my shoulder and was granted a little puff of gas around his fingers. "There! He burped."

"Uh-uh. He can do better. Rub his back." Emmett busied himself with preparing the next round while I tried to figure out the logistics of a hand larger than this baby's torso attempting to extract a better burp.

"He's too small. Are you sure that wasn't good enough? Maybe that's all he had in there."

"Trust me."

I did. Emmett had never steered me wrong, so I began rubbing, using only my fingertips. That did nothing, so I slid my hand over to give it a try with my palm. I did one gentle circle and began the second. The explosion happened on the upsweep – a wet sounding burp, following by a warm sensation down my back and some light gurgly coughing. I froze. "Uh… Em?"

He was already at my side, taking Nathan from me with a strange look on his face. "Don't freak, okay? That happens sometimes. I should have known he would do that to you. He sucked in a lot of air at the end there." He dabbed at Nathan's chin with a dish towel before passing it to me. I held it like it was a bag of dog shit.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Right. You can't reach your back. Here, let me."

An involuntary gag hit me with the verification that Nathan had just puked on me.

"Easy. I'll get you a clean shirt to put on," Emmett said calmly. "It's not bad, Ed. Baby spit-up isn't the same as an older kid up-chucking. It's just a milk bubble. He hasn't even had time to start digesting it. Think of it like regular warm milk. Like it's fresh from the bottle, not his stomach."

Regular, warm milk. Not regular milk. Bella's milk. Down my back. Oh god!

"Okay, just take it off. Give it to me. I'll throw it in the washer right now."

He didn't have to wait long. It was over my head and in his hand in a flash.

"Can you take Nathan while I –?" He cut himself off. "Forget it. Just go outside. Play with your puppy, and I'll bring you a shirt in a minute."

I took deep, cleansing breaths as I put the milk incident out of my mind. I was terrified that if I focused too much on what had just happened, I'd never be able to look at Bella's breasts again without thinking of it. And I really liked looking at Bella's breasts. I hadn't even begun to get enough of them.

I worked with Don on playing fetch until I caught sight of the girls watching me from the living room window. They looked confused, slightly amused, but more than anything, blotchy. They'd been crying. A lot. I gave them a little wave and returned to the matter at hand. My puppy had retrieved the ball and was waiting for my next move.

"Sorry, dude. We didn't get laundry done." Emmett called out as he brought me a shirt. "It's mostly clean. It's free of baby excrement, but I don't promise the lack of hot sauce splatter."

"I can deal with that. Thanks." The t-shirt hung on my lean frame since I lacked the muscle mass Emmett had, but it was better than my alternatives. I hadn't brought enough clothes with me when I'd packed in a rush for Phoenix, so even Emmett's worn shirt was cleaner than my own that were balled up in my travel bag. They'd all seen two days or more use. I continued on with Don Everly while Emmett gave Nathan the rest of his dinner. He didn't get the same wet burp I'd been granted. I know he wouldn't have freaked out even if he had. Proof that he was meant to be a father, and I was not.

"I'm seriously starving," Emmett complained. "The casserole is ready. Should we go get the girls?"

"I don't know. They looked pretty emotional in there." I tipped my head towards the window I'd seen them watching me through.

"Women are always emotional. If we waited for them to be normal, men would starve."

Still, I hung back slightly when we went in to round them up. I spotted a pile of balled up tissues on the coffee table, and it looked like it was still being amassed.

"Time to chow down? The little man's fed, but the big ones are starving." Emmett called out before he realized they were still in the height of female emotion.

"Is that all you think about?" Rosalie snapped at him. "You can't feed yourself? You're not babies."

"Or… we could get the table ready and call you when it's all dished out," he offered instead. I felt bad for him. I knew his intention was to get them in a cheerier mood, and he'd gotten his head bit off instead. "Or we could wait. I guess you're not done."

"What was your first clue?" Rosalie's voice dripped with sarcasm as she rubbed at her eyes. "Mom, I don't know how you did it all those years with Dad and two sons. The sole purpose of life to a man is eating."

"And sex," Emmett said to me under his breath. I didn't dare laugh, agree, or react in any way. This was not good. Now my three favourite women in the world were gathered, all in tears. It didn't lessen the impact in the least that one of them was present via Skype. I really wished Mom hadn't mastered this one benefit of modern technology.


A/N ~ I got ahead of the game on this one. Editing complete and uploaded for this morning's update a day early, so I felt it was only right to add my gratitude to anyone still reading. I'm still reading your reviews, even though I have less than zero time to reply lately. *heavy sigh* I appreciate your words so very much, thank you.

Close to my heart, and deserving of my eternal gratitude: Shug and msj. Always there to fix me and my chapters up. I'm so thankful to have you as friends. *mwah!*

I am going to do my best to keep up with the Monday updates, but I can't set it in stone I'm afraid. I've got more chapters ready for Shug, and msj hasn't even pre-read all of them yet, but I'm still working on the last chapters. I haven't had time to write the last couple of weeks, so I need to get back to the characters so I can do the ending justice. If you're wondering, this looks to be around the 40 chapter mark, like most of my others. But we're jumping ahead... the next chapter has Bella and Edward back home, settling in and adjusting to new routines. It will also have some very tart limes, if you're looking for that sort of stuff. ;)

See you soon! Thanks for reading. XX ~ SR