Chapter 32

When I got a phone call from Bella, I'd been sure it was because she was stressed out with all the wedding shit. And my mom could get a little out of hand—I knew it would be a lot.

But this? This was not what I thought I was going to walk into.

"What are we going to do, Edward? I mean, shit! She's freaking out. I'M freaking out."

I rubbed the palms of my hands over my face and groaned. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it wasn't the end of the world. My sister was a smart woman—obviously not smart enough not to get knocked up by a married man—but I figured she'd be fine raising a kid.

Plus, she wouldn't be alone. Not in our family.

"Calm down, baby. It's not that bad. She's just in shock. Once it wears off, she'll deal with it. It's a kid. Everyone will be supportive."

"Well, at least your mom will finally get off my ass to get pregnant. That's a bonus out of this shit show."

I laughed under my breath. My mom wouldn't let up. If anything, she'd wind up even tighter. The more babies, the happier she'd be.

"I really wish my mouth had an alarm. I mean, seriously? When am I ever helpful? Why did I volunteer to listen to your sister's problems when she's been a total bitch to me since I got here? I should have told her to hit the bricks with her crap. I can't deal with someone's drama. I'm going to end up blurting it out to your mom. You know that right?"

I didn't doubt it. Bella's verbal diarrhea was legendary.

"Come here, baby. I think you need a distraction."

She huffed, spun around, and looked at me with wild eyes. "What I need is to go find a super-powered diaphragm with double duty safety features to be in this house. It's like an infection around here. Don't get near me with that Cullen baby potion. Keep it in your pants."

"Bella. Come. Here."

She moved toward me slowly, like she seriously thought I'd impregnate her just by breathing the same air.

Once she was on my lap, I pulled her tight against me and felt the tension leave her body. She could get herself so worked up over shit.

"Did Alice say who the dad was? Or is that something she's not sharing."

"Her boss," she said into my neck. "And he's married."

I got the married part, which didn't make sense. I couldn't imagine my sister doing some shit like that, but knowing who it was now, well, it all fell into place.

"I'm going to kill that motherfucker."

She squeezed her arms around my back and then leaned so she could face me. "What? No! You can't fight this guy! Are you crazy?"

Felix was a snake. He'd been a snake since we were kids, and he'd broken Alice's heart more than once. This was by far the lowest thing I ever expected from him.

She'd gone out with him since high school, and he broke up with her when he'd met some rich chick when he'd gone away to college. She'd been lost after that, for a long time.

"Are you sure she said he's her boss."

"Positive," Bella said. "Which makes it ten times worse! What if she loses her job? And what if this guy doesn't want the baby? She's all alone."

"She won't be alone, baby."

She settled on my lap and relaxed a little, but I could tell she was still wound up.

This was a mess, and there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it. Which wasn't good since my woman wasn't going to rest until there was some sort of solution.

I figured the best way to deflate her tension was to change the subject. It was a quick fix, but I was too tired to deal with Alice's drama. Plus, I only had two more days with Bella before I hit the road again for the last few games of the playoffs.

I wasn't real happy about leaving her with all this stress.

"How did wedding planning go?"

Her eyes went as wide as saucers and I should have known that was another fucking bomb waiting to ignite.

"Terrible," she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me we had to get married so fast? Do you have any idea how much shit is involved with a wedding? Dresses and flowers and venues and music and officiants, which, by the way, I have no fucking idea what that means. Then there are reception halls, and bands or DJ's, and food. All these allergies to fucking consider. Like we could murder someone with our wedding supper. You didn't tell me this, Edward."

I couldn't help it. She was ridiculous. I laughed. "Murder, Bella?"

She smacked my chest. "Yes. Chicken homicide. Or Beef Wellington poisoning. Katie told me. She said one of her friends went to a wedding and there were onions in her dinner, and she is allergic. She told them and they tried to kill her anyway! I can't be responsible for peoples lives. I don't want to do this."

I raised my eyebrows. "You don't want to get married?"

"No. I want to marry you; I don't want a freaking wedding."

That was easy. Fine with me.

"No wedding then. You sure you're okay with that?"

She still looked traumatized and shook her head. "I do not want all that circus shit. I don't want some Disney movie dress I will probably trip and break my ass. I don't want people to eat food and die. I don't want there to be a fight because someone hates jazz music, and I really, really don't want fucking jazz music."

"Got it. Jazz is out. No princess dress. Check that off the list. No food."

"What about you, though? Do you want all that stuff? A real wedding?"

I pushed a piece of hair away from her face and leaned in and kissed her softly. "I figure a real wedding needs a bride and a groom. A coupla rings to seal the deal. A priest or official or whatever to make it stick. All the other crap? That's for the chicks. I want you to have what you want. But I don't want you to give up all of it because you're stressed out. We have plenty of time to plan a wedding you really want."

"But, your mom! She said we have to get to it quick. You'll be on the road and there won't be time."

Jesus. I figured my mom would be like a butterfly in heat over all the wedding crap, but they'd damn near terrorized her with it. Even though I was anxious to put my name on the back of Bella's and my ring on her finger, I wasn't in such a rush that I'd pressure her into a nervous breakdown.

My communication skills were shit, apparently.

I wrapped my arm around her back and twisted at the waist to flip her over on the bed onto her back and hovered over her.

"I think you need a little distraction from all this stress." I ran a finger over her throat and down to her chest. "Maybe if you had something else to think about, you won't worry about my stupid sister and her problems, my overly encouraging mother, or a wedding. Hmm?"

She pushed at my chest and shook her head. "Not even sex with you can distract me. I want to have a plan before I go back down there and face your mom. I'm pretty sure she thinks I've lost my whole mind. I want to tell her in the kindest way possible we are not having a big wedding."

I fell to the side and pulled her so her back was to my chest. My leg went between her knees and I wrapped her legs around mine. This was my favorite place in the world. Tangled up with her, my hand against her heart.

"Like I said, sweetheart. Anything you want. Just don't feel like you have to figure it all out today. My mom only wants you to be happy. She'd be upset if she knew you were stressed."

"I know," she said on a sigh. "And I hate that. Poor lady deserves one sane woman in the family. Katie at least seems sane."

I barked out a laugh. "Katie is awesome. I'll agree to that. Sane? Depends. I think every woman has a little crazy. And it's usually because of some man. Especially my brother."

"She is awesome. I really like her. And her baby. He is so soft."

It'd been something else seeing Bella hold that baby. She'd never been more beautiful than that moment she smiled down at him and then lifted her gaze to mine.

I moved a hand to her belly, wondering how it would be once she was full with my baby. We had a long way to go before we went there, but it didn't mean I didn't think about it a lot.

A little girl with her shiny hair and infectious silly giggle, or a boy with her eyes, strong and proud and freckles on his nose.

"Don't get any ideas, big boy. I've had enough of baby fever in this house. In fact, I am positive it's contagious. I mean it, and I swear I am not saying it again so don't even think about sticking your baby wand in my hooter heaven."

I choked out a laugh and rolled her over again, so she was straddling me. "Hooter heaven? That's a new one."

She had more than a few names for her special places. More like hundreds. She was catching up with names for my dick. I didn't mind. It was part of why I loved her so fucking much. I never knew what was going to come out of her mouth. Not many women were like that. They were careful and practiced. It was boring. Which was why the wait for Bella would be worth every minute.

"Don't try to all swoony and tell me I'm cute. No dirty business. I've been kind of sloppy with my birth control with this whole travelling thing so let's not test fate."

My eyebrows rose. "Is that right."

"Yes," she hissed, then smacked my chest. "Hence the shopping trip I need to take to look for high-powered baby blockage. I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want you to like, wig out. Because I was already kind of wigging out. So I was going to be very careful, and then take a test if required, and then commence all the dirty business once we were in the clear."

Okay, she was starting to get a little hysterical. And back to chewing on her damn nails while she fidgeted her ass against my dick.

This woman.

I grabbed her wrists and stopped the chewing. The fidgeting I liked. I let that continue.

"Listen. No big deal, right. Honestly, Bella. You could've just told me. I wouldn't have tripped out on it at all. We've talked about this. Talk to me instead of getting all wound up in your head. Yeah?"

"Yeah, but—" I cut her off.

"No buts. None. Same thing I said about Alice, right? It's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world. Besides—I want your babies. I want to give you babies. Have a family. We start on accident, cool."

"Cool," she murmured. She threw her head back and groaned and then fell forward and pulled her hands away from mine and planted them on my chest.

"I need to go handle something real quick. Rest while you can, and I'll fix you something to eat and bring it up. You have a big game tomorrow. You need your beauty rest."

She kissed me on the nose, jumped off the bed and went toward the door. My head spun. Fucking mood swings with this woman.

"Where are you going now? Alice left."

She grabbed the doorknob and sighed before turning around. "I'm going downstairs to find your mother. I need her to dig out her wedding dress."

I shifted to my side and leaned on my elbow. "Keep saying crazy shit, and I'm dragging you in this bed and not letting you out of this room."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. She was thinking about it. "No can do, sweets. I'm thinking this is so much easier. It'll make your mom so happy, and I think a retro dress is just what the doctor ordered. Besides, it'll save time. I have a Big Fat Hockeyfucker Wedding to plan in like five minutes tops, so yeah."

My smile grew. "So the wedding's back on then?"

"Yes," she said through her teeth. "You know, things would be so much easier if you were a plumber, you know. Shitter's don't have seasons."

I was smiling so big my face hurt. God, I loved her. "I can grab a plunger at the Home Depot and start clearing drains any time you want, babe."

"Yeah, and you can suck your own pipe if you don't stop being a smart ass. I'll bring you a snack in a little while. Rest. And wish me luck."

"Luck," I told her as she left the room.

I turned over on my back and folded my arms behind my head. Never a dull moment.

Since I knew how this whole dress thing was going to go down with my mom, I knew I had hours before my girl came back with a snack. Which meant I had plenty of time to have a chat with my old pal Felix.

I lifted my ass and reached into my back pocket and grabbed my phone and pressed my brother's number.

"What?"

Nice.

"Are you still at the club with G and Dad?"

Jasper took a beat to answer. "Yeah, but you have something better going on, I'm out of here. I've had about all the cop talk I can take for the day."

I smiled. "We have a situation. I'm at the house, but I'm leaving now. I should be there in thirty. Wait outside. Tell Dad the crab cakes gave you the shits or something. Do not give them any sign something's up."

Silence again. And then he answers with a smile in his voice. "I'm down."

I was sure once I gave him the story, he'd be more than down. He'd be homicidal.

"See you then."

I ended the call, tossed my phone and grabbed the pad of paper on the desk to leave Bella a note before I left. There was no way I was giving her a heads up before I went. She'd know exactly what I was up to and I wasn't going to let her stop me.

This was big brother business, and she didn't need to worry.

But Felix? That motherfucker had plenty to worry about. And me and Jasper paying him a visit was only the beginning.

Hope you are all recovering from all the holiday craziness. How does something that is supposed to be so fun turn into such a pain in the ass? Amiright?

More to come!

Love you all,

XO Jami