Chapter 22

EPOV

"I called your mom this morning and told her I had a few errands to run, so she'll meet me at the doctor's office. I thought she might like a surprise." Bella reached over, letting her hand rest on my thigh as we drove.

"She's gonna kill me, you know that, right?"

"What? No. She hasn't seen you in months. She'll be happy. She misses you."

"Maybe, but she knew something was up and that it was most likely my fault."

Bella rolled her eyes at me. "It'll be fine."

"You say that now." I frowned as I pulled into a parking space, but it didn't last long as the car filled with Bella's laughter.

"What's so funny, hm?" I poked her in the side, causing her to shriek and move away from me.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her laugh. "Don't do that! I'll pee myself. I was just wondering, if we end up having a boy if he'll be as afraid of me as you are of your mother."

"I'm not afraid of my mother," I growled at her.

She raised her eyebrows before she broke into another fit of giggles. "Okay, you keep telling yourself that."

—BtMO—

"Edward?" Mom gasped, jumping up from her seat as we walked into the waiting room. "Oh, my goodness! What on earth are you doing here?" She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"I couldn't miss getting to see my baby."

Mom pulled back from me, frowning before she tugged at my hair. "No, you very well couldn't after whatever you did to send my sweet daughter-in-law back to Seattle!"

"Mom—"

"Esme." Bella giggled as she came back from signing in. "Don't be too hard on him."

"Oh, all right. But I swear, big rockstar or not, if you hurt that girl again, God help me, Edward." Mom sighed. "That being said, I'm thrilled you could make the trip for this. I can't wait to find out what my grandbaby is!"

"It's a girl."

"Edward," Bella chastised as she took the seat beside me. "I keep telling you, there's no way you can know that."

I shrugged. "You'll see. Daddy knows." I tried to hold back my laughter as Bella's cheeks pinkened, even though there was no way my mother could know the double meaning.

"Isabella Cullen?" a nurse called, and I saw the relief on Bella's face. Mom wouldn't have the chance to ask questions.

—BtMO—

Mom stayed in the waiting room since it would have been overly crowded with so many of us in the ultrasound room. To be honest, I was thankful for that. I loved my mother and I was happy she was here, but I wanted to have this moment alone with my wife.

"Okay, I just need you to lower your pants a bit and lift your shirt over your belly," the technician instructed. "Sorry, this'll be a little cold," she said as she squeezed a bit of gel onto Bella's stomach.

Suddenly, the room filled with the loud sound of our baby's heartbeat, and on the screen in front of me was the tiny person we'd created. I'd seen the pictures from Bella's first ultrasound that looked like nothing more than a little bean, but now I could see there was a baby inside her.

"Oh, my God," I breathed out.

"I know," Bella murmured as she reached for my hand. "Look at those little legs kick."

"I'm just going to do some measurements and make sure the baby is on track and everything looks healthy. Do you want to find out the sex today?" the tech asked before she pushed the wand around Bella's stomach to get different angles.

"Yes!" we replied in unison.

It was a few more minutes before she spoke again. "So, everything is looking great. Are you ready to find out what you're having?"

"Yeah, but I already know it's a girl." I smirked at Bella.

She huffed, rolling her eyes at me. "Edward, like I said, you can't know that!"

"Hm, well, I'm not so sure about that. It looks like Dad is right! It's a girl."

"Yes!" I shouted as I jumped up excitedly. "Oh, sorry," I muttered as the tech shook her head and laughed.

"A girl," Bella whispered. "Oh, my God. We're having a girl."

—BtMO—

"A granddaughter! Oh, my goodness!" Mom covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes flooding with tears as she gazed down at the picture. "Oh, I can't wait to go shopping. I can't wait to spoil her! Think of all the little dresses."

I laughed, giving her a hug and a kiss to the cheek. "Don't go too crazy. I wish I had more time to spend with you or to see Dad, but I'm on a tight schedule."

"It's fine, sweetheart." She hugged me back. "He won't even care once he sees this little one." She patted her purse where she had stored the photo. "Have a safe flight. I love you."

I chuckled, knowing she was right. He would be over the moon. "Love you, too, Mom."

"And you." She pulled Bella in for a hug. "We'll have lunch this week, okay?"

"I wouldn't miss it." Bella forced a smile to her lips, but I saw the sadness in her eyes at the fact that I was leaving.

—BtMO—

I sighed as we made our way over to the car. She was bringing me to the airport soon, and I wasn't ready to say goodbye. "Are you sure you want to drop me off? I can call for a car."

She shook her head. "No, I want all the time I can get with you, even if it means braving the airport."

I pulled her as close to me as I could inside the car, kissing her deeply. "A girl. We're having a baby girl."

"It's kind of surreal, isn't it? How did you know?"

I shrugged before giving my eyebrows a waggle. "When daddy knows, daddy knows."

She chuckled softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, mama. I'll be back before you know it."

—BtMO—

Getting on the plane was a lot harder, and yet a lot easier than I expected. I hated leaving her. Even though I still enjoyed touring and sharing my music, I knew the sooner I got back to it, the sooner I'd be home with Bella and baby girl.

I napped as much as I could on the flight, and before I knew it, the plane was touching down and I was walking to baggage claim, finding my best friends waiting for me.

"Well?" Emmett asked as he slapped me on the back.

Jasper grinned. "Come on, man, we've got a bet going, don't keep us waiting!"

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I wasn't sure I'd ever tire of telling people. "It's a girl. We're having a daughter."

Who guessed that baby was a girl?!