No copyright infringement intended.
~*Chapter Sixteen*~
-The Healing of a Heart-
...EC…
It's been three days since Bella went to visit her dad for Thanksgiving. It was hard for Edward to let her go after reuniting after so many months apart. He didn't want to let her out of his sight, but she needed to get away and think about the idea of them.
Fuck, seeing her at his doorstep, her beautiful swollen belly, he almost died. He knows that the baby growing inside her is his.
God wouldn't be so cruel to take something so precious away from him. It sounds messed up to think of it that way, to not want the baby to be Emmett's, but he wants so badly to have created a life with his princess.
He misses her even if he's talked to her over the phone every night since she left. He can still hear the heartbreak in her voice, but when they're together, finally together, he'll be the balm to her soul like she is to his.
They need each other, and he's not going to let her get away.
With Bella comes Nova and Jack, and his heart is big enough for all of them. He's the dad that lost a daughter - Nova and Jack are the daughter and son who lost a father. Edward can help heal them, too.
A tiny nose pushes against his boots as he works on his bike, and he looks down into the chocolate brown eyes of his new puppy. On Thanksgiving, instead of spending it alone, he went to the animal shelter and adopted a chocolate lab puppy.
Baxter.
Bax.
He's a lovable little guy.
Edward picks him up and holds him on his lap while he finishes messing with his bike - a bike he's not going to see a lot of miles on once his new SUV is ready. It's crazy to think he went out and bought a family car, but he plans on having a family the second Bella pulls up to her house.
Eight months and three days away from her is all he can handle.
He wants his princess and her kids, even Bear and Tiger although Tiger barely made the cut.
His eyes scan the street, anxious to see Bella pulling up.
Fuck, he can't wait.
~o~O~o~
...BB…
My hands tighten around the steering wheel the closer we get to our neighborhood - in nervousness, excitement, I just don't know.
The kids are asleep - a miracle in itself - and Mrs. Levitt is talking my ear off. I love her for it, but I can hardly focus on what she's saying.
My mind is on Edward and how much I've missed him these past three days - these past eight months.
Finally seeing him after such a heartbreaking experience, it knitted a piece of my heart back together.
Emmett's gone - never coming back. Edward's here, and he wants to be with me - with Nova and Jack Jack. He can't replace Emmett, but he's not trying to. Edward isn't even second best. He's just different. There's no use comparing because that isn't fair to Emmett or Edward.
Our baby is coming soon, and I have to be able to move on whether it's alone or with Edward.
My mind says I need to be alone, to get over the death of Emmett on my own, but my heart weeps for Edward's love. He needs me just as much as I need him.
We can heal each other.
My stomach flutters once we pull down our street. Mrs. Levitt is still going on and on - my favorite old lady - but my eyes are partly on the road and partly on Edward as he looks over his shoulder.
God, I missed him.
"It's a good thing the children are asleep, dear," Mrs. Levitt says, pointing a gnarled finger toward Edward.
He's standing now with a...is that a puppy?
Edward said all those months ago that he's never had a dog before because his mom was allergic, and now he does.
That makes my heart constrict painfully.
I manage to get us parked in the driveway while watching Edward cross the street, a small smile on that fucking cute face of his.
He opens Mrs. Levitt's door and helps her out, but she pokes her head back into the car and says, "I'm going to head on home. I'll see you for breakfast tomorrow."
"Okay," I say, knowing what the nosy little lady is up to, but this time I don't really care.
Mrs. Levitt turns to Edward and pats his chest and pets his puppy. "What a cute little thing. You bring him over one day and we'll have a playdate with my Tabby."
That puppy will eat Tabby!
"How are you, Nancy?" Edward asks and kisses her cheek.
"I'm good, dear."
She hobbles off, and I feel like everything's happening in slow motion. The way Edward squats in Mrs. Levitt's open doorway, his emerald peepers devouring me, the way my heart pounds a steady beat in my chest.
"Hey princess," he says, and I feel those two words everywhere.
His puppy squirms in his arms.
"You got a puppy?" I choke out, clear my throat, squeeze my hands in a death grip around the steering wheel.
This is Edward.
My thief - my baby daddy. There's really no reason to be scared of him. We're in this together now, and I love the way he's looking at me.
"This is Bax," he says, holding the cute thing up.
Bear lets out a little bark in the backseat, and Bax looks around all wide-eyed and squirmy, making Edward chuckle.
"Are you going to get out of the car, princess?"
No.
Yes.
I want to hug him, just wrap my arms around him and hold on forever. I fucking need to. I loosen my hands and shake them out before pushing my door open. Edward shuts the passenger door and then he's suddenly at my door, holding his hand out for me.
I place my hand in his and feel like crying. He squeezes gently and helps me from the car. My heart is pounding an uneven beat in my chest. He kisses my forehead, his big hand holding the back of my head.
"Be with me, princess. Let me take care of you..."
God, it fucking hurts.
"...I missed you. So fucking much."
I fall into his chest, smushing the hell out of Bax and hug the crap out of him. "I missed you, too," I mumble against his shirt, snuggling as close as I can get. He's so fucking warm and real and here, and I need him so badly that I feel guilty about it.
I can't stand the feeling, but then Edward's squeezing the life out of me, pulling me harder into his body, and I no longer smell the lies and deceit, only the love he feels for me.
He pulls back and kisses my wet cheeks. "Let me help you get Jack and Nova in."
I nod, and he steps back, handing off Bax to me. He grabs Tiger in his cage, and Bear in the other hand, and I unlock the front door and listen to him take them to the washroom. He comes back for Bax and grabs him, kissing me roughly on the lips before taking Bax to the washroom with the other animals.
He's back again, and he pulls Nova from the car, and I watch as my crazy girl sleepily snuggles into Edward's neck. Edward passes me by, and I decide to get Jack Jack myself and shut the car door.
"Mama," he murmurs, lifting his head, looking around before resting it back on my shoulder.
"Shhh," I whisper, stepping into the house and closing the door. Edward appears from the hallway and then pulls Jack from my arms before disappearing back down the hallway to lay him down.
Is this what it's going to be like now? Edward helping me do all the things I've done alone since Emmett died.
Will Jack and Nova accept him?
They loved Edward before, but will they love Edward if they know I love Edward? How am I supposed to tell them that the baby in my belly is Edward's baby?
What the fuck are we actually doing here?
Edward in Emmett's house doesn't feel good. Being here - with him - it's too much. This house, the memories, I can't make new ones here with a new man, a man that I chose to love and make a baby with while married to my husband.
It feels sick and wrong and not fair to Emmett.
Edward's suddenly in front of me, his hands tilting my head back, his stupid gorgeous eyes scanning my face. "What is it?"
"We have to move," I blurt, feeling like my heart is cracking in two.
And we?
Yes, we.
Edward, me, the kids, we're all in this together now.
"You want to move?"
I bite my lip, nod my head, squeeze Edward's wrists and try not to cry. I'm so over fucking crying. I don't want to be miserable anymore. I want to bring our baby happily into the world. He - she - deserves a happy home with her or his crazy sister and brother. He or she deserves a loving mommy and daddy who love each other.
I'm so fucking sorry, Emmett.
Edward's it for me now. He's not second choice or the only choice. As much as it hurts to admit, I would have chosen Edward whether Emmett was alive or not. God, I feel like the worst fucking person admitting that, but I feel it now - that soul changing connection, and I just want to fucking live.
"Can we?"
"We?"
I nod. "And Mrs. Levitt."
Edward chuckles, his hands moving to my stomach, and I watch as his eyes leave my face and land on my belly.
I don't hate him.
I don't hate myself.
It's time to move on.
This is it.
This is us.
~o~O~o~
...EC…
Fuck, she wants to move.
She wants to move and take him with her.
Edward's hands softly rub Bella's beautiful belly, and he can't fucking wait to meet his little princess or his little boy. He doesn't care about the gender as long as they look like their gorgeous mommy.
"I don't know how I've survived this long without you, princess," he says, pulling her into his arms - as far as she will go her belly in the way. He leans down and presses a kiss to her wobbling lips, wanting to devour her whole.
She whimpers, and he slips his tongue inside her mouth, savoring the taste of her, wanting to do more than taste her.
She makes him fucking breathless.
She makes him feel whole again.
"You're killing me," Bella whispers, gripping his shirt, lifting her head to devour him with those grey eyes. "I…" she bites her lip, looks away before looking into his eyes again. "...I can't be here with you."
Edward's heart splinters, but then she's shaking her head and pulling him closer. "I want you so much it hurts, but this house…" she swallows roughly. "...it doesn't feel right."
He nods, understanding everything she's saying, not liking that he can't have her right here right now like his cock is demanding, but he gets it. He really fucking does. "I want to take you out," he says, smiling down at his pretty princess. "On a date. Can you get Mrs. Levitt to watch Jack and Nova?"
She smiles slowly and nods. "A real date?"
"Yeah," he says, kissing all over her face.
"Okay," she breathes, gripping onto his arms.
"This - us - has always made so much fucking sense. Let me show you."
She nods again, and he kisses her again, one last taste before he leaves her alone in the house she shared with Emmett.
Fuck, just thinking about it does fucked up shit to his head. He doesn't want to leave her for the night but tomorrow she's his.
Tomorrow and forever.
~o~O~o~
...BB...
"I go with you, mama," Jack Jack says, reaching his hands up, so I'll pick him up.
Edward stands in the kitchen, listening to Nova - who has been cradling Bax like a little baby for the last 10 minutes - tell him about the boy who stole her lunch today at school.
Yes, a boy stole her fucking lunch. I'm surprised he was alive to be able to confess to the crime. Nova's been pissed about it since it happened.
"You can't go. It'll be past your bedtime." He shakes his head and nuzzles my neck. "You get to stay with Mrs. Levitt and play with Edward's new puppy."
"Yeah, Jack Jack," Nova says. "Look how cute the little puppy is." She starts talking in a baby voice, cooing to the puppy and Jack Jack squirms from my arms and hurries over to Nova, tip toeing so he can see Bax. He starts to coo and baby talk like his sister, making Edward chuckle.
"You ready?" He mouths, lifting his chin, and I've honestly never been more ready.
I nod, and Mrs. Levitt - not one to miss a damn thing - starts to shoo us out the door. "You two go on and get out of here. I brought a bag over, so stay out as long as you need, dear," she says, kissing my cheek and giving me a little wink.
Mrs. Levitt!
Edward laughs and grabs my hand, making my eyes shoot to Nova and Jack Jack who actually don't give one shit about what I'm doing now that they have Bax, Bear, Tiger and Tabby to cuddle. It's like a fucking zoo in here.
Mrs. Levitt shuts the door on our asses, and Edward leads me across the street and into his new SUV.
"No more motorcycle?" I ask a little sadly. I've never even ridden on that sex machine.
"It's in the garage," he says, kissing me on the nose before helping me to climb up. "You liked it?"
Uh, fuck yes.
"It was cute," I lie, smile, and laugh all that same damn time.
"One day I'll take you for a ride, princess," he says, crowding his way into the doorway after I'm seated in my seat sideways. His hands rest on my thighs, his thumbs stroking my belly. "You want to go for a ride?"
"I'm not really that hungry," I say, pulling on Edward's shirt to bring him closer. "We could skip dinner."
Edward buries his face in my neck, giving me a sucking kiss, making my legs tremble and my eyes kind of roll back.
A soft kiss.
A nibble.
Then his head's lifting, and he's grinning like a sexual freak of nature. "I have to feed my baby."
"You don't have food in your house?"
"Are you trying to ruin our date, princess?"
I shake my head and lick my lips. "I'm trying to make it better, thief."
He grins and shakes his head then he's pulling me gently from the car and slamming the door. His hand finds mine, and he pulls me through the garage, giving me a good look at that fine as hell motorcycle before pulling me through the side door and into the house.
We're in his bedroom, and I'm shaking - in need, in want, in fucking love. I don't know when it happened, but it happened.
I love Edward.
I love the way he's looking at me, like I'm some beautiful princess when I feel like a fat, overweight pig.
The last time I was in this room, I was making a mistake, but now, I want to make love. Edward grips my hips and kisses my lips. This time they whisper a story of mended hearts and healing souls - a happy ending despite the heartbreak we've both been through.
I don't stop him when he lifts my shirt, because I want him. This thief of hearts is mine, and I want him to keep me this time.
"Princess," he breathes, staring down at me through half lidded green eyes. His hands find their way into my hair yanking gently, pulling softly, gripping like he never wants to let me go.
Please don't fucking ever!
I lean up and press my lips against his, swallowing his relieved groan, feeling all of his love in just that one kiss. He's everything that I am, and I don't want to feel bad about it anymore.
In this moment I let Emmett go and love Edward.
It doesn't even hurt anymore.
When his tongue meets mine, I can't breathe. When he nibbles my lip, I can't fucking breathe.
"Edward…" I gasp, yanking on his shirt. "...I want it off. Take it off." His shirt is over his head, and my lips are on his chest, his heart. I can't get close enough. I want to be fucking closer. "Edward…"
"You've got me, princess," he says, pushing me gently toward the bed. I'm sitting, and he's kneeling before me, pulling my shoes off, unsnapping my pants, pulling them down my legs.
He kisses my belly, rubs it soothingly, looks at me with shining eyes, making me want to cry. "Edward," I say, placing a hand on his scruffy cheek. He leans into my touch before kissing my wrist and standing.
He pulls me from the bed and tears my panties off then my bra. When he's naked before me, I can't help but stare in wonder at everything he is. Before, it was fast and forbidden, but now it's a slow burn and I want to savor it all.
He's kissing me all over - my boobs, my stomach, my hips, between my legs, and I'm writhing. I can't take it. I can hardly fucking take it.
Oh my God!
~o~O~o~
...EC…
Edward licks and sucks at his pretty princess, his heart thundering in his chest. It's all too much and not fucking enough. He wants inside of her, inside her body, inside her heart, inside her soul.
She's everything.
Her hands are gripping his hair, her breathing labored, her legs shaking. "Please," she begs, and it makes his cock leak all over the damn mattress.
He kisses between her legs before standing over her. She's so fucking beautiful with his baby inside her. Fuck, he can barely stand it.
He crawls beside her and kisses her, letting her taste herself, and she moans roughly. "Princess…"
She pulls back and crawls on top him, looking so fucking sexy in his lap. "I'm ready," she pants, lifting onto her knees, and he grips his cock and lines it up, so she can slowly slide him inside.
Fuck.
He sits up and wraps his arms around her, grunting when she starts to slowly move on top of him. "You're so pretty," he says, hands rubbing all over her. "God, I missed this."
She wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, giving him permission to do all of the work.
"I'm happy you're home," she whispers, kissing his cheek.
Home.
He's kissing her lips, breathing her in, and he's feeling so many different emotions he can barely keep track of them all.
Her heart beats against his, steady and whole, and when his lips meet hers again, he doesn't know how he took a single breath the entire eight months he was gone.
He was once the thief of her heart but now he's slowly her heart healer. He wants to look into those pretty grey eyes for a lifetime, longer than a lifetime.
He wants to keep her for fucking ever.
~o~O~o~
...BB…
"I don't want to go to school," Nova says, crossing her arms and stomping her foot. "It's boring."
"Nova, you're going to school. It's not a choice. It's the law," I say, sipping my warm, decaf coffee while we wait for the bus to pull up in front of our house.
Jack Jack is still snoozing inside, and from the looks of Edward's quiet house, he is, too.
Mrs. Levitt's up and in my kitchen making breakfast.
"I'm going to change the law," Nova says, kicking at the dead grass with the tip of her white shoe.
"When you grow up, you can try."
The bus comes down the street and sputters to a stop in front of us. I kiss Nova's head, and she reluctantly hugs me and kisses my belly before stomping up the stairs. I wave to the bus driver as he drives off.
When the bus is no longer blocking Edward's house, I spot him standing in his yard in his jeans from last night, a hoodie, and sexy messy hair. He lifts his chin, and I grin behind my steaming cup of coffee. I watch over the rim of my cup as he saunters across the street until he's standing in front of me.
"Morning, princess," he rasps, his voice still rough with sleep. His hands land on my stomach, rubbing softly. "How's my baby?"
"Still cookin'," I say, holding my cup up for him, mesmerized as he takes a drink of my coffee. "You want breakfast? Mrs. Levitt is cooking up a storm in there."
He wraps his arms around me in a hug, and buries his face in my neck, kissing me there, making my legs wobble. "Yeah," he mumbles.
I grip his back and gasp when warm liquid pours down my legs.
Edward lifts his head, his eyes scanning my face. "What's wrong?"
I pull back and look down at my black leggings. "My water just broke."
"What?" His brows are all bunched like he doesn't know what that phrase means.
"My water just fucking broke," I say again, trying not to sound hysterical, but holy fuck.
"Shit," he says, pulling the cup from my hand and looking around the yard like he's searching for a damn table or something. It makes me fucking laugh.
"Edward…" I grab his hand and lead him into the house. "I have a bag in that closet." I point to the hall closet and he sets the cup down on the back of the couch and gets the bag. "Mrs. Levitt, we're going to the hospital. My water broke."
Her eyes widen when she comes around the corner. "Oh dear, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I say, trying to stay calm, but kind of freaking out now. I've done this twice. I know what I'm doing, but now that it's happening and Edward's here, I'm just freaking the fuck out.
"Yes, well, you two get going. I'll be here with Jack Jack." She lifts a shaky hand and touches my cheek before kissing it then she kisses Edward's.
"I'll call you and let you know what's happening."
"Don't you worry about us, dear. You go and have that healthy baby. We'll be here when you get home."
I nod and cry a little, just a few tears slipping down my cheeks. By tomorrow, it won't just be Nova, Jack, and me, it'll be us plus Edward and our new baby.
"You good, princess?" Edward asks, buckling me into the car.
I nod and sniffle, and he kisses me. "I love you," he says so heartwrenchingly beautiful I just want to fucking wail.
"I love you, too," I breathe, looking into his beautiful eyes. "I hope our baby has your eyes."
He grins. "I hope she has yours."
"She?"
"I want her to look like you, too."
"Her?"
He smiles and kisses my forehead. "Let's go have a baby, princess."
"Okay," I rasp and wipe my eyes with both of my hands as he closes the door.
Edward grabs my hand once he's settled in the car, and I can barely swallow past the lump in my throat.
We're having a baby.
My thief is going to be a daddy again.
My heart is so fucking full.
I'm thinking I'll be ending this one with an epilogue!
Thanks for putting up with my crazy posting schedule which isn't even a schedule at all!
