Author Note: Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! Hmm… most of you think Bella is dreaming, or that she was having a hormone-and-spicy-food inspired dream and took her own clothes off.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

Chapter 35 — Charlie

I look down and I'm naked from the waist up. Edward is struggling to fit my arms into the sleeves of my pajama top as he pulls it over my head.

"What the hell…?" I mumble sleepily.

"Shit, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." I blink at him a few times as he pulls the top down over my breasts. "I thought I'd get you more comfortable so you could sleep."

"You saw me naked!"

He rolls his eyes. "It's not the first time."

"But now I'm…" Feeling fat and completely unattractive, though I don't say it out loud. My entire body is probably blushing in embarrassment right now.

"Your tits are bigger."

My eyes widen as I stare at him. "You were comparing?" I screech.

He laughs, then shrugs. "I'm a guy, I can't help it. I didn't touch though — swear. How do I get these jeans off?"

"Give me those," I snarl, reaching my hand out for my pajama bottoms. I have to pee now anyway, so I roll off the bed, making my way to my bathroom. I go through my nightly routine, then head back to the bedroom and fold my discarded clothes, placing them in my suitcase.

When I turn around, Edward has disappeared, presumably into the bathroom. Shaking my head, I crawl under the covers.

He walks into my line of sight as he dumps his clothes in his suitcase and I stare unabashedly at the way his backside fills out his underwear. He smirks when he turns around and sees me watching him.

"Do you really not have any pajamas?" I blurt out.

He laughs. "No, I really don't. I didn't know when I packed that you were going to be staying with me."

"But you were so insistent that I get warm pajamas for the cold Chicago winter!"

"That's different," he shrugs. "You're pregnant and I don't get cold easily."

Edward crawls into bed behind me, turning out the light. Almost immediately he scoots closer, wrapping an arm around me.

"I'd better not wake up with you humping my ass again," I warn him, much to his amusement.

"I really can't help it," he chuckles.

"Uh-huh." Likely story.

He kisses that place where my neck meets my shoulder, sending goosebumps throughout my body. "Good night, sweet Bella."

~*~*GN*~*~

A swift kick to my bladder wakes me up — for the second time — just past 8am, according to the clock on the nightstand. I sit up, looking over at Edward, who's sprawled out on his back across the bed. I don't have time to admire him right now.

After using the bathroom, I come back to find him still sleeping in the same position. I think about what Angela said yesterday, about how we need to talk about what we want from each other. I know she's right; we can't continue in this limbo we're in. But how do I tell him that I've forgiven him for breaking my heart? How do I tell him that I want to try?

I stare down at Edward's half-naked body, at the little tent underneath the blanket, and I wonder if I really could help him with that. He liked it when I touched him on the tour bus.

I kneel carefully on the bed, crawling over to Edward's body, then peel the covers down even more carefully. Every inch of him that's revealed is beautiful. His underwear is gray today, and I can easily make out the outline of his hard cock. I reach my hand out toward him, then look up to make sure he's still asleep.

And look directly into his green eyes. Shit.

"Don't stop on my account," he says in a husky voice.

Can I really do it? Can I… touch him, go after what I want? I just can't get the image of Edward with other girls out of my head.

"Please, Bella," he begs when I don't move a muscle.

"When was the last time you were with another girl?" I whisper.

"What?" he asks, brow furrowed. "You know when."

"Do I?"

Edward sits up, staring at me. "Do you really think I've been out screwing other girls on the nights I'm not with you?"

I shrug helplessly, not sure what I believe right now. He shakes his head, getting up off the bed. After grabbing fresh clothes out of his suitcase, he slams the bathroom door behind him.

Shit.

I gather some clothes to wear, then come and sit back on the bed, biting my lip while I wait. I think I screwed up and really offended him. Is he saying the model in the TMZ photo was really the last girl he was intimate with — two months ago?

I hear the door open and watch a fully dressed Edward walk into the room.

"Edward, I—"

"Forget it," he interrupts. "Go take your shower."

Trying to fight back tears, I head into the bathroom. I wash quickly, using the shower cap so I don't get my hair all wet. After I've dressed and brushed my teeth and hair, I decide to forego makeup. We're about to go see my dad; I'm probably going to cry today.

I find Edward sitting on the bed, talking to someone on the phone. He looks up at me then back to his phone. "Gotta go, Mom," he says. "Love you."

He sighs, turning to me. "Do you want to get something to eat before we go see your dad?"

"Sure." He hands me my coat, then moves to open the door to our room. We walk in silence to the office, where the breakfast is laid out. I decide to just fix a bowl of cereal, while Edward gets an assortment of pastries.

"Breakfast of champions there," I tease him when we sit down. He shrugs, taking a bite of his blueberry muffin.

We eat our entire meal in silence before I can't take it anymore. "Edward, I'm sorry," I whisper, reaching out to touch his hand. He nods… I hope that means 'apology accepted.'

"Let's go." He stands up and helps me into my coat. He has to stop in the room to grab his own leather jacket, while I wait by the car for him to unlock it and help me up.

"Do you remember how to get to Dad's from here?" I ask as I buckle my seatbelt.

"I remember."

I twist my hands nervously in my lap on the short drive. I have no idea what I'm going to do if this ends badly. When we pull into the driveway, I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the confrontation.

Edward gets out of the SUV, walking around to help me down then suddenly wraps his arms around me. "Whatever happens, I'll stand by you," he promises.

Keeping one arm around me, Edward leads me toward the house. Dad must've heard us, because I see the door open as we climb the steps onto the porch. Holding the door, he stands back, letting us in.

"Bells, I—" he begins, moving forward as if to hug me.

"Don't," Edward warns, stepping in front of me.

"Edward, it's ok," I tell him quietly, rubbing his arm in comfort.

Dad sighs, hugging me briefly, then takes a step backwards. "Do you need anything? Something to drink?"

I shake my head, leading Edward toward the living room. I remove my coat and take a seat on the couch, leaving Dad his favorite recliner.

My father isn't even 40, but he looks older than I've ever seen him as he sits heavily in the chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Are you all right, Bells?"

"I'm fine," I whisper, assuming he means after what happened on Saturday.

"No thanks to you," Edward says almost under his breath, and I turn to glare at him. We're here to talk, not fight.

"He's right," Dad says with a sigh. "I never meant for you to get hurt; I'm sorry you were caught in the crossfire." I don't say anything in response since he hasn't apologized to Edward. "I never should've let you go to Chicago for college. I should've insisted you go to U-Dub with your friend."

My brow furrows in confusion for a moment, before I get it. Bracing my hand on Edward's shoulder, I stand up and bring my arm around my stomach. "Look at me, Dad," I implore. "I didn't get pregnant in Chicago. I'm 30 weeks along."

As my dad stares at me in shock, I sit back down, grabbing hold of Edward's hand for support.

"What's your name, son?"

"Uh, Edward," he stops to clear his throat, "Edward Masen. Uh, Sir."

"Hmmm… only Masons I know in Forks have a young daughter."

"Edward isn't from Forks, Dad," I explain quietly. "I, um, met him at Grad Night… at Wild Waves."

Dad's eyes narrow as he stares at us. "You hooked up with a kid from another school?" I cringe at the disgust in his voice. Little does he know, it's worse than that.

"Edward wasn't in school… he was with the band."

"What band?"

"There was a midnight concert that night by The New Moons," I explain. "You know, my favorite band? You bought me their DVD last Christmas. Edward, um, plays keyboards for the band and writes all of their songs."

Dad shakes his head, muttering to himself. "Where is the daughter I raised? I certainly didn't raise you to act like a… a groupie!"

"It wasn't like that," Edward says angrily.

"Then what was it like?" Dad retorts.

I squeeze Edward's hand, begging him to let me explain this, before he gets himself punched again trying to make me look better. "The band members came out after the show and signed autographs for the fans. After that… Edward… he asked me to go on the rides with him, show him around the park.

"Nothing that happened after that was planned. It just… happened," I shrug, begging him with my eyes to understand.

"I didn't raise you to spread your legs for the first boy who looked at you!"

"Watch how you talk to her!" Edward shouts. "You had it right the first time — it's my fault. Everything that happened is because I initiated it."

"And I didn't say no," I add quietly.

Dad stands up from the chair suddenly and Edward moves to protect me. Instead of coming near either of us, Dad disappears into the kitchen. When he returns, he's holding a can of his favorite Vitamin R beer — though it's not even close to noon yet.

"I know you took Sex Ed in school, Isabella; I signed the permission slip. How did," he waves his hand back and forth, "This happen?"

I shrug, really not wanting to admit that Edward didn't use a condom. "Sometimes things just happen," I reply helplessly. I mean, all birth control can fail, right?

"How long have you known?"

"That I'm pregnant?" He nods. "I… the first time I got sick was Fourth of July, remember? It happened a few times the next week, then I was fine for the next week and a half. But then my morning sickness came back with a vengeance. I woke up puking every single day and I just knew. I didn't get it confirmed though until I got to Chicago and took a pregnancy test."

"You knew last summer and you didn't tell me?" he asks, hurt clouding his voice.

I nod slowly. "I… I was afraid to tell you," I whisper. "And I… I wasn't planning to have the baby."

"You were going to get an abortion?" he asks in shock.

"Yes," I whisper. "The New Moons were still on tour until October and I didn't know how to find Edward. But then I heard that they were in Chicago for a few days, filming a music video. I was able to talk to him, and… and he asked me to keep the baby. He promised to help with anything I need, so… I agreed. I'd never really wanted an abortion."

There is no way I'm going to tell Dad that Edward initially rejected me, not if I don't want to get him punched again — or worse.

"Didn't you learn anything from the way your mom and I struggled? How are you supposed to finish school while taking care of a baby? I sure as hell wouldn't rely on him to help you."

"I'm not going to abandon her," Edward says angrily.

"Don't you… have to tour again or something?"

"Eventually," he admits. "My mom loves Bella and will help when she can. And I could afford to hire a nanny if that's what Bella wants."

"We'll make this work, Dad. I thought just like you when I first realized I was pregnant. I didn't think I could do it alone. But I'm not alone anymore."

"You should've had the abortion."

I gasp. "Do you wish Mom had had an abortion?"

He sighs, holding his head in his hand. "Bells…"

"I don't know what's happened to my little girl," he continues sadly. "First you go off and do something completely out of character, then you deliberately hide something important from me. We talk on the phone every week; you've had so many chances to tell me."

"Your little girl grew up, Dad. And she made a mistake," I admit, tears finally starting to fall. "I didn't know how to tell you. I knew you'd be hurt and upset and… I was afraid of your reaction. It turns out my fears were justified." I stop, shaking my head. "I want this baby though. We want it. And I'm still going to finish school and realize all of my dreams. I'm not going to let this stop me."

Edward wraps his arm around me, pulling me close as he kisses my temple.

"What about the next time your boyfriend sees a pretty young fan? What then?" Dad sneers.

I swallow thickly, staring down at my lap. "We're not together," I whisper. "Edward is my friend and he's standing by me, but…"

"I told you, I won't abandon her," Edward adds through gritted teeth. "I'll be whatever she needs me to be."

"You should think about giving up the baby for adoption, Bells. Let someone who desperately wants a child have a chance… a married couple who can give your baby anything it needs."

I stare up at him in disbelief. "Don't you care at all for your first grandchild? Don't you even want to know if I'm having a girl or a boy? And what about me? What about what I want?"

"Of course I care about you! But I want what is best for you — becoming a mom at 19 years old isn't it."

"With all due respect, Sir, Bella is an adult. It's her decision — not yours."

"I'm aware of that," Dad sighs. "I just think she's making the wrong decision relying on you to get through this."

"Bella and our daughter are important to me. She's the only one who needs to be able to trust me." My girly girl heart flies a little at his words.

I turn to look at him and he smiles at me, brushing my hair behind my ear. "Do you trust me, baby?" he whispers.

"I know I can count on you to be there for me." It's all I can give him right now though. I still don't know if I can trust him with my heart.

Edward sighs, then leans his forehead against mine, kissing the side of my mouth.

"Where are your things?" Dad asks all of a sudden.

I reluctantly pull away from Edward to look at my father. "Back at the motel."

"Why don't you go get them and come back here? We can discuss this more later — alone."

"There's nothing more to discuss, Dad. I'm not going to change my mind."

"Bells… just — come back home… where you belong."

I look up into Edward's eyes, wondering what I should do. "Whatever you want, baby," he says.

A/N: So that's Charlie. Does he have any valid points? What should Bella do?

Kudos to mommymac0508, quinzy, and AngeliqueMasen, who correctly guessed that Edward took Bella's clothes off, innocently trying to get her more comfortable after she fell asleep.

Finally Bella got up the nerve to ask Edward when the last time was he was with another girl. What do you think of his 'answer'? Where do they go from here?

Next update on Sunday.