Penny: Well, well. Here we are again. The response for last chap was so lovely. I just love reading all your thoughts on what goes on with these boys :D

Lisa: And sorry about the cliffy. *whispers* we're really not. LOL.

Penny: Hahahaha! Many many thanks to Kerrfrano, for prereading, and also to Harrytwifan, for betaing.

Lisa: They are the best! So, I wonder how Pa will react to Edward's statement? Let's find out, shall we? Oh, and sadly we don't own Twilight, we just tweak the characters until they bend to our will.

CHAPTER 35

JPOV

After setting the plate of sandwiches on the small table near the porch swing, I sat next to Ma and watched her feed Matthew. She was gazing into her grandson's eyes and smiling peacefully. It made my heart happy.

I didn't say anything, just sat there enjoying the beautiful day and wondering what Pa and Edward were getting up to. Personally, I thought they would get along great, with both of them being such creative types. They probably had tons to talk about. That made me happy, too. It was important to me that my folks liked Edward, and that he liked them.

Ma brought little Matthew up to her shoulder to burp him, and her fingers trailed through the back of his hair briefly.

"Your man's this little feller's pa, ain't he?" she asked, out of the blue.

A jolt of panic raced through me. "What?" I managed to breathe out.

"Edward. He's Matthew's pa," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"Y-yes," I stammered, unsure how all of this was gonna unfold.

"I knew it the minute I seen him. That hair and those eyes, there ain't no mistakin' it."

"I...I kinda don't know what to say," I told her truthfully. I was indeed at a complete loss for words.

"Rosalie was a grown up, capable of makin' and ownin' up to her own mistakes. Yer pa and I never disliked her for what she did, but we didn't condone it, either. When you're a parent, you stand by your kids, no matter what kinds of crazy things they do."

She pushed her hair off her brow before she continued.

"All that is dust in the wind now, child, and I don't love Rose any less, or Matthew neither," Ma assured me. "What I would like to know is how you found him."

"Well, me and Emmett were at a meeting for the job we're finishing now, and his dad happened to be the man hiring us. Edward came in his dad's office while we were there, and that's how we met. We had feelings for each other before we found out he was Matthew's dad. It was a little rough coming to terms with it at first, but now I believe this entire experience has made us stronger."

"Oh, I can see that you two are sweet on each other," Ma said, her loud laughter filling the air around us. "That's plain as day."

"Yeah, we are," I admitted, ducking my head. Ma always was able to embarrass me at the drop of a hat.

"I'm glad to hear it, son. If a man stands up to take on his responsibilities, he's a keeper," she said with a cheeky wink.

At that moment, Edward and Pa walked out of the shed, heading toward the porch. I stared at the way the sun lit up my angel's hair, making the silken strands shine like fire.

"I plan on keeping him for a long, long time, Ma."

Pa was grinning from ear to ear as the two of them approached, and Edward looked happy and relaxed. It warmed my heart to know these two looked like they were getting along so well.

Silently sitting beside me, Edward's eyes met with mine. They were brilliant, like gemstones reflected in the light.

"Hungry?" I asked, picking up the plate and offering a sandwich to them both. Pa picked one up and took a large bite, while Edward shook his head, his expression suddenly nervous.

"Eat up, Eddie boy," Pa said, grabbing another sandwich and shoving it at my boyfriend. He took it with a frown. "Ya know ya gotta keep up yer strength if ya wanna keep up with yer son." He patted Matthew's back, then settled in his chair to eat.

"What'd you just say?" I asked, confused. What the hell happened in that shed?

"And you," he said in a raised voice, pointing a gnarled finger at me, completely ignoring my question. "Why didn't ya just come out and say Edward's the boy's Pa?"

"I...uh...I...It wasn't my place to say," I mumbled.

Pa looked thoughtful. "Hmmm. Yeah, I reckon it wasn't. Good thing Eddie here decided to come out with it then."

"I didn't even have to tell Ma," I rambled on. "She told me."

Pa laughed hard then, scaring the shit of me and Edward both.

"Leave it to yer Ma, to always figger things out!" he guffawed, then took another big bite of his sandwich. "So eat up, now that everythin's out in the open. Kids..." He rolled his eyes.

As for me, I was in absolute shock. What the hell had exactly happened? Ma knew Edward was Matthew's father, and Edward told Pa himself, but nobody clued us in that the other knew? That shit was seriously fucked up.

We ate our sandwiches with easy conversation, and I was glad the heavy stuff was over. By the time the food was gone and we had another glass of tea, Matthew had been changed and was sleeping in Ma's arms. The sun had lowered in the sky quite a bit and we needed to get going soon.

As I carefully picked up Matthew and buckled him into his carrier, my folks said their goodbyes to Edward. They hugged him and told him he better come back with me to see them. He dutifully said he would. Edward then picked up Matthew's carrier, and Ma and Pa hugged me tight.

"I like him," Ma said in my ear. "You better treat him good, ya hear?"

"I will," I promised her with a grin.

They stood on the porch and waved as we drove away.

"That wasn't too painful, was it?" I grinned, taking Edward's hand in mine.

"Not at all," Edward smiled back. "I like your parents a lot. They're so welcoming."

"I'm glad you approve," I joked, feeling so much lighter now everyone knew about who Matthew's daddy was. "So...that must have been some talk you and Pa had."

"It was," he said with a smile. "I'm glad you're not upset I told him. It's just that he has this way about him. He's very protective of you, and I don't know...I just couldn't look him in the eye without blurting out the truth."

Reaching across the console, I placed my hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze. "It's all good. And besides, you didn't have a chance once he had you cornered. Pa has this way of getting people to fess up to all kinds of stuff," I said.

"You mean, like when you came out?" he asked.

I nodded.

"I'm so glad you have such a supportive family," he said with a wistful sigh, turning his hand over and threading his fingers through mine.

"Me too."

~HDE~

EPOV

I had been bouncing out of my skin all night, Jasper's folk's acceptance of the news that I was Matthew's father making me giddy with excitement.

I loved it.

Loved the fact that I couldn't stop smiling, revelling in the knowledge that the presence of the two most important people in my life, who were now dozing off to sleep as they lay together on the couch, had opened up a new world to me.

The baby had been unsettled since we arrived home, the excitement of the day apparently affecting him just as much as it had me. He fussed when we fed him, and by the time we'd bathed and dressed him in his sleeper, he was screaming.

After we took turns holding Matthew in between eating some reheated leftovers, I started on the dishes while Jasper worked on settling our son. Jasper did everything from singing to pacing the floor with him, and after about an hour, Matthew finally succumbed and fell asleep in Jasper's arms. My man was stretched out on the couch holding our curled up and soundly sleeping baby boy against his chest, and I smiled, the two of them a picture of innocence and blissful happiness.

They just looked so adorable.

Meanwhile, I was a veritable livewire, my energy levels so out of control I couldn't calm down. I'd already cleaned the kitchen until not a thing was out of place, and even done a little laundry, but I still felt the need to do something more.

It was then it occurred to me that so much had happened today, I needed to get it all out somehow...express how I felt before I self-combusted.

Quickly rushing to the bedroom and grabbing out the sketchbook and one of the charcoals I'd packed, I switched off the TV and settled on the chair situated directly opposite the couch. Nothing but the sounds of their steady breathing filled the room, the quiet settling my jangled nerves enough that I was able to focus.

Studying their every feature closely, I lightly pressed the pencil to the page before drawing the faint outline of Matthew's head.

And then, I was lost.

Lost in the world of recreating my subjects, the rest of the world falling away as I scraped the charcoal across the smooth paper, adding varying shades of grey and black, immortalizing every little detail of both their faces.

I didn't notice how the darkness gave way to early did I stop drawing, adding the finer details of every strand of hair, every freckle, every crease and dip as I poured everything I had into bringing their combined images to life.

A few moments after I was finished, Matthew began to stir.

He'd actually gone nearly the whole night without needing to be fed, which gave Jasper several hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Closing the book and setting it down on the coffee table, I stood and stretched my aching limbs before tiptoeing toward Jasper and carefully picking up the baby.

"Come on, little guy, let's get you a bottle, huh?" I whispered, placing a soft kiss on the top of his head.

After quickly changing him, we headed for the kitchen. Cradling him in one arm while I single-handedly heated his bottle, I took him back to the living area and settled in, staring into his eyes as he fed. The blue was nearly all gone...the jade green of his eyes as they reflected back at me tugging so hard on my heartstrings, a small sob made it's way out of my throat.

Making all those wonderful, soft noises he always did when he ate, Matthew's little hand reached up. Grasping his soft, delicate fingers, I placed a kiss on them before leaning down close enough that his hand could touch my face.

"I love you," I whispered. My son smiled around the bottle while his fingers explored the day-old scruff of my jaw, his little nails digging and pinching into my skin. All the while, my heart swelled to bursting as yet another memorable moment burned forever into my psyche.

A soft hand on my shoulder took my attention away from Matthew, and I raised my dampened eyes to see Jasper standing there with a soft smile on his face.

"Hey," he whispered, and I raised my face up for a kiss. He didn't disappoint, pressing his lips against mine with utmost tenderness. It was a simple, chaste kiss, but filled with so much love, I was unsure if my heart could take it.

Jasper then squeezed my shoulder once before heading off to the kitchen, where I heard him getting the coffee pot ready.

While lost in my own emotions, I didn't realize Matthew had inhaled the entire bottle before I'd gotten the chance to burp him. I pulled the bottle out of his mouth and sat him up, hoping like hell I wouldn't end up wearing his breakfast.

Setting the bottle aside, I patted and rubbed his back gently. In less than a few seconds, Matthew burped so loud, it startled me. Damn. That one rivalled Emmett's on his best day!

"Holy shit," Jasper laughed, his head peeking through the doorway. "Was that the baby?"

"Yeah," I laughed, while still patting him. Before I could say anything else, a low rumbling sound came from my leg, and Jasper's mouth fell open.

"Edward," Jasper chastised in an accusatory tone.

"Oh my God," I said, trying to contain my laughter. "That was not me!"

"Suuure," Jasper said sarcastically, and Matthew emitted a small giggle.

I couldn't help it then. I busted up laughing so hard, Jasper had to take Matthew from me. I didn't know if it was the timing, the fact that Matthew farted like Emmett, or if I was just overly tired, but the whole situation was ridiculously funny, and I couldn't stop.

Jasper was speaking to Matthew in the nursery while he changed him, the words, "your Daddy's a little nuts," and, "don't pay any attention to him," echoing from the room.

Yawning, I walked into the nursery, and Jasper asked as he picked up Matthew and held him against his chest, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No, I was a little too wired," I answered, rubbing my fingers over my face.

"I think that you, Mr. Cullen, need some sleep. How about I take the morning shift and you go to bed for a while? If I can get this little man to take a nap, I'll come join you. Okay?"

"Sure, okay." I was too wiped out to argue with him. After I pressed a kiss to Matthew's head and to my Jasper's cheek, I headed for the bedroom. Though the morning sun filtered through the window, lighting up the room, the moment my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

Hope y'all enjoyed it! Till next time...

Penny and Lisa