AN: I am so excited about the conversations the love languages sparked last chapter! It's something I'm passionate about discussing, and I was so happy that it was so well received! If you want to know more about love languages, PM me (I mean, you can google as well, but I'm totally down to talk about it!).
I also love how many of you were hating on James. He was so scummy when his true colors were shown!
Without further ado, here is the next chapter!
...
Chapter 26: Edward
Friday, November 30
Midflight to Los Angeles, California
16 Weeks
Bella groaned, sitting up in her seat with a frown. I looked up at her, bleary eyed. We'd been passed out for the better part of the last six hours or so. One of the perks of flying first class on flights this long was definitely being able to get real sleep.
"Sweetheart?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I have to pee and move around," she grumbled. I nodded as she stood up, moving to the restroom. I sat our chairs up after checking on the flight status and seeing we had just over an hour left. My back was stiff, but otherwise, the flight hadn't been that much of an inconvenience for me.
Bella had taken the motion sickness medication we'd found for her, and so far, it seemed to be doing the trick, but I knew we weren't out of the woods yet. She could be getting sick now.
The thought worried me.
After our time in Melbourne, we'd gone to Tasmania, which had actually been the break we needed. It seemed that not even the paps could find us there, and for a few days, we got some peace and quiet and room to just be ourselves again.
We'd done a few hikes and adventures that had been as fun as they'd been stressful. I knew Bella was capable, but the thought of taking her out into the woods terrified me. Still, we went, and I managed not to panic about every little thing, and we ended up actually having a great time.
We'd flown back to Sydney from Hobart and had stayed in Sydney a couple more days before our flight back home.
Home.
I was excited to be heading back, though I knew it wouldn't be for overly long. I was back only about a month before I had to hit the road to promote a film. Bella and I hadn't discussed that travel further, though I knew it was a conversation we needed to have.
There were, it turned out, a lot of conversations we still needed to have.
After our disastrous meltdown at Jess' wedding, we'd spent some time trying to reconnect and start communicating again. I could tell there were somethings Bella wasn't saying to me quite yet, and though it made me anxious, I couldn't fault her for that. There were things I wasn't saying to her yet either. It wasn't that I didn't plan to tell her, I just thought it would be wiser to filter it through Kate first.
Bella came back to our seats, stretching her neck and rolling out her shoulders. "How are you doing?" I asked her.
She looked at me. "I'm okay. I'm not feeling great but I'm also not wanting to hurl, so I guess that medication worked." She frowned, rubbing her stomach as she sat. She'd gotten on the plane in a tank top and shorts, but I knew she wanted to change into warmer clothes for our landing in LA. It was late November, and though we'd been known to have hot winters in LA, the forecast I had checked before we left promised the weather would be cool.
Bella settled into her seat and I felt my eyes pull down to her belly. Her tank top wasn't very tight, but it was tight enough that I could see her bump. It was definitely there now, and only some carefully selected shirts would block it anymore.
I knew Bella was still anxious about Pip. Hell, I was anxious, and I was the one who had wanted to be a parent. But when I'd heard Bella rip into James about staying away from her family, it had taken all my willpower not to go to her and pull her into my arms. Even thinking about it made my heart race. She might not have realized it, but part of her was working to accept that Pip made us a family.
It made my heart squeeze to think about.
"I have so much to do when we get back," Bella groaned. I knew she was closing in on the final chapters of her book, as well as trying to help her dad plan a wedding around Christmas. Bella told me her dad had proposed, and as expected, Sue had said yes. They didn't want a big ceremony from what I gathered, though I didn't know much of the details. I'd already booked flights for Bella's dad and his new fiancée, as well as her son. Bella was waiting to hear if her step-mother-to-be's daughter was going to join us or not for the ceremony.
"Can I help with anything?"
The sitcom I'd filmed before we left had gone off without a hitch, and Jane was already getting feedback about the buzz my name was adding to it. I hadn't really been too interested in returning to TV, but Jane had insisted it would help make me a household name. I didn't really care, but I trusted Jane, and the show had been actually fun to guest star on.
I had a couple of things to take care of this month, but nothing overly pressing. Bella looked at me and sighed.
"I don't know," she shook her head. "I think I might call that friend of Esme's to help plan a party for dad. I don't have it in me right now."
I nodded, reaching out and rubbing her back gently. "Absolutely. Call in as many reinforcements as you need. You know I support that," I told her. She smiled at me.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I have to call Tanya tomorrow. She wanted me to call her as soon as we got home, but I told her I'd need at least a night."
A thrill ran through me when she used the word home. It was ours; it had been for some time now.
"Hey, I wanted to talk to you about that," I said softly. I wondered if now was a bad time to bring this up. I mean, we'd basically been living together anyway. Would she really object to making that official? Bella looked at me curiously, and I swallowed thickly, trying to overcome my sudden nerves. "I don't want to put any additional pressure on you, and I want you to know that your answer won't change in any way how I feel about you," I was babbling, and Bella rolled her eyes.
"Edward, spit it out."
I took a deep breath. "What would you say to us moving in together. Officially."
Bella's eyes widened in surprise and I watched her anxiously. She shifted in her seat, her mouth pursing a little. I could see the thoughts racing behind her eyes. I folded my hands together over my lap, tapping anxiously against my fists.
Finally, Bella sighed. I felt my shoulders sag before she even spoke. "Can you give me a little time to think about this?" she asked.
I let out a long breath. "Of course, love."
She offered me a small smile before leaning forward to her purse. "I'm going to change," she said quietly. I nodded, watching her go to the bathroom. I let out a tight breath.
Honestly, her answer could have been a hell of a lot worse. I'd give her time to think on it if that's what she needed.
A stewardess came around, asking if there was anything we needed before landing in LA. I wove her off and turned my attention to my phone. I pulled open my reminders, typing out a few notes to myself, intending to reread the list of things I should tackle as soon as we were home. I stared at the list blankly, unable to actually read it since my mind was fully on Bella.
How would things change if she said no? How would they change if she said yes?
I tapped my thumb against my phone in thought. If Bella decided we were moving too fast and she still needed her own space, did that mean she'd be moving back in with Alice full time and only coming over to my place occasionally? I didn't think I could stand that, but I knew I would if that's what she needed. Fucking hell, what if she said yes? I knew not much of our day to day would change, but things would be entirely different. I wanted Bella to call my home hers; I wanted to share that with her and know that I was always coming home to her.
Fuck, had I screwed everything up by rushing this?
Bella came back from the bathroom, dressed in leggings and a sweater that covered her bump. She tucked her purse away, smiling softly at me as she sat down. I tried to smile back, but I was so fucking nervous all of a sudden.
"I hope Carmen has some leftovers in the freezer for us," Bella said softly, rubbing her stomach. I looked at her.
"I'm sure she does. She's amazing at keeping it well stocked," I told her. Bella nodded.
"I wonder if I can eat her albondigas yet," she said with longing. I smiled softly. It seemed like years ago that we'd been sitting in my kitchen and heating that soup up. I'd already felt so much for Bella then, and I'd really barely known her. We'd still only had a few months together, but we'd come so far from that point.
"It seems so long ago, doesn't it?" Bella whispered. I looked at her, unsurprised her mind was where mine had gone. I nodded, reaching out to link our fingers together. I brought her hand up to my mouth, kissing it softly.
"It does. We've really been through a lot in such a short time," I agreed. Bella smiled softly.
"I guess that's what happens when you get two unbelievably impatient people together," she snickered. I laughed quietly.
"I like to think we just know what we want," I said looking at her. "Now, how to go about getting our heads out of our asses, that's definitely where we struggle."
Bella giggled and leaned over, kissing the back of my hand. I fucking loved that she was always reaching out to me, kissing whatever part she could reach. She had no idea how affectionate she was. It radiated out of her naturally.
We sat and chatted about inane things until the flight landed in LA. We got off the plane easily enough and were able to gather our bags and zip through customs within an hour, which had to be a record for me. I had a driver waiting for us at the airport, and he and the security guard I'd hired to join him met us just beyond customs, taking our bags for us. I took Bella's hand, offering her a small smile.
We turned the corner, and immediately, bright flashing lights blinded us. Bella froze, and I squeezed her hand, urging her to keep walking. Her fingers tightened around mine and she threw her hair over her shoulder, stepping closer to me as we navigated the sea of paparazzi waiting for us.
"Bella! Bella! Look here!" They were screaming her name more than they were screaming mine. It seemed like they were still desperate to get a good picture of her.
Bella shifted next to me as we pushed forward.
"Bella! How far along are you?"
I felt her stiffen next to me, and I let go of her hand to wrap an arm around her waist. I squeezed her to my side, propelling her forward. Fuck, they knew about Pip. At least, one of them did.
We ignored the cameras and questions, eventually getting out of the airport and into the backseat of the car waiting for us. The driver pulled away from the curb, barely managing to miss a few paps who had jumped in front of the car, trying to get another photo of us.
When we were finally on our way, Bella let out a tight breath. "Fuck," she breathed.
I sighed. "I'm sorry, Love. I should have warned you. It's usually like that when I fly home." I didn't know how the paps got my flight itineraries, but they almost never failed to show up.
"Did you hear them?" Bella asked, looking up at me. I nodded, pulling out my cell phone.
"I did." I found Chelsea's contact, bringing my phone to my ear.
"Edward! You back in town?" she chirped.
"Hey, Chels. Bella and I just landed. We got questions from the paps about Pip."
Chelsea was silent a moment before she swore. "Okay, I'm on it. I'll find out if someone was just fishing or if there is anything circulating. Are you two okay?"
I glanced at Bella who was frowning, but otherwise seemed to be recovering. "Yeah, we'll be fine," I said into the phone. Bella nodded her agreement.
"Alright, I'll let you know what I find Edward. Keep your phone on you," she said before hanging up. I set my phone down, looking at Bella.
"Are you alright?" I asked her. She sighed.
"They aren't usually so close to us." She shook her head.
"I know, Baby. I'm sorry they pounced on us like that. I wish I could say it won't happen again, but it definitely will. It's been sort of a miracle it hasn't happened yet." I flinched as I admitted it to her. She looked at me.
"You don't think James could have gone to the press about Pip, do you? "she asked, looking pale. I frowned.
"I don't know, baby. Chelsea will find out."
Bella frowned. "It wouldn't be Jess. She wouldn't do that to me." She shook her head.
"It's possible someone was just fishing," I suggested. "Or, maybe someone noticed while we were at the beach or something." Bella had been wearing mostly bikinis while we'd lounged on the beaches in Australia, and her bump wasn't exactly easy to pass off anymore.
Bella looked at me and I reached out to her, winding her hand through mine. "Talk to me," I requested. She sighed.
"I'm just, trying to adjust to the idea of everyone knowing about Pip. It's sort of easier for me to forget when it's just us," she admitted. I wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but I nodded.
"Are you tired? I asked after a few minutes. Bella looked up at me and sighed.
"Yeah. I used to be able to sleep anywhere, at any time and then get up and run around all day on almost no sleep. Now, even though we slept through most of the flight, I'm freaking exhausted."
I nodded in agreement. "I know. When I'm filming, I can usually turn it on no matter how little sleep I've gotten. But now, I feel wiped out."
Bella leaned her head against my shoulder and let out a soft breath. "I'm glad we're back," she said softly. I nodded, glancing down at her. I wondered how often Bella had been relieved to come back to a place that she called home. From our conversations, it seemed that it hadn't happened all that often.
We drove through LA, heading back toward Malibu in silence. Bella was asleep against my shoulder and I spent the drive staring out the window, letting my mind wander.
When we pulled up to the house, I gently shook Bella awake. She pulled away from me, blinking groggily. I motioned toward the house and Bella yawned, nodding her head and gathering up her purse. We climbed out of the car while the driver and security guard unloaded our bags just inside the front door. I paid them a tip, thanking them before they got back in the car and drove off. I shut the front door and locked it, yawning as I turned toward the stairs. We could leave laundry until tomorrow.
Bella was downstairs already, and I moved into the living room, looking at her curiously. She was staring at her phone, a frown on her face. "What's wrong?"
She looked up at me and sighed. "Oh, just a bunch of missed calls. Dad and stuff," she said shaking her head. "I'm going to call him back so he knows we got in."
I nodded. "I'll see if I can pull together some food," I told her. Bella nodded and pulled her phone to her ear while I slipped off into the kitchen. I pulled open the freezer, smiling when I saw frozen meals all neatly packed away. God Bless Carmen Hernandez.
I pulled out a couple of different meals, not sure what Bella was in the mood for. I threw them in the microwave and set them to defrost while I poured myself a glass of water.
Bella came into the kitchen when the meals were just finishing up. She sniffed at the air, frowning. "I heated up some enchiladas as well as some stroganoff," I told her. "I didn't know what you'd prefer."
Bella smiled. "Stroganoff actually sounds amazing," she said settling on the counter. I nodded and pulled the bowls out of the microwave.
"How is your dad?"
She rolled her eyes. "He's fine. He's all panicked about his surprise wedding." She shook her head. "He's worried we're going to plan something Sue wouldn't like."
I frowned. "Is there any risk of that?"
Bella settled at the counter and shook her head. "No. Sue is beautifully simple and easy going. I think the gesture will be enough for her."
I nodded as I set the meals on the counter. I grabbed some cutlery and napkins before sitting with Bella at the counter.
"Do you think your dad will be able to take the additional time off?" I asked. Bella and I had talked about sending them on a small honeymoon while they were already down here.
Bella nodded. "I called the station and cleared his schedule for longer. He has no idea, assuming Marisa who works the front desk can keep the surprise to herself." Bella rolled her eyes. "So, there is a fifty/fifty chance he'll find out."
I snorted, picking up a fork. Bella started digging into her food, groaning at the first bite. I smiled at her.
"Hab you 'erd from Chessy yet?" She asked, her cheeks full of food.
I laughed, shaking my head, when my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket, flashing the screen to Bella before I answered. "Chelsea? You're on speaker with Bella and me."
Chelsea sighed. "Hey Bella, I totally want to sit and catch up about your vacation but unfortunately, we do have business to go over," she said, sounding sober. I frowned.
"So, it's really out there?"
Bella glanced at me, chewing slowly. Chelsea sighed again. "It is. I guess there is a photographer, Nick Kline who caught you two outside the doctor's a while back? He sat on his photo until photos of Bella's baby bump started to surface from your trip."
Bella looked at me in surprise. "What sort of pictures?" Bella asked.
Chelsea hummed. "Nothing scandalous," she said after a moment. "And honestly, some of these photos you could pass it off as a weird angle. But I guess this Kline guy has some sort of money shot or something. I can't get a copy of whatever it is." She huffed.
"Have there been any sources confirming it?" I asked. Bella looked at me curiously.
"Nothing that I've seen. So far, it's mostly this guy putting the pieces together. He's sold the photos and they are running tonight. TMZ called me asking for confirmation but I've deflected until I can see what they claim to be evidence."
I nodded. "Alright, well," I paused, looking at Bella. "How would you feel if it was out there?"
Bella frowned. "I mean, we couldn't hide it forever," she said slowly. I frowned. That wasn't an answer.
"We can keep trying to shake it off and not comment. It's possible we can keep this under wraps longer," Chelsea offered. She sounded a little doubtful and Bella shook her head.
"No, I mean, it's not something I'm ashamed of," she said frowning. I looked at her. She wasn't? That seemed like progress. "If those photos make it clear I'm pregnant, go ahead and release the information," Bella said, glancing at me. I nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I'll take care of it. I'm going to call in a few more favors to see if I can get a copy before it runs so that we aren't caught off guard," Chelsea said distractedly. I could hear furious typing in the background of the call. "Bella, have you seen Tanya's email?"
I looked at Bella who blinked in surprise. "No, what was it?"
"She sent us a link to a fluff list Buzzfeed posted about you. It's amazing. Whoever her contact is over there, they really spun you in a positive light. She says they are already getting positive feedback about you."
Bella's eyes widened. "Oh, okay. I'll look at it after we eat," she said shaking her head.
"I promise, it's such an awesome piece. Honestly, if I didn't know you were in a happy relationship, I'd want to date you too after reading it!" Chelsea giggled. Bella laughed, looking surprised.
"Sorry, Chels. She's taken," I said pipping up. Chelsea laughed.
"I know, and honestly, I'm so happy about it. You two are the most gorgeous and interesting couple a publicist could ask for," she sighed. "Alright, eat up and rest. I'll be in touch if I find out anything more," she promised.
"Alright, thanks Chels." I said, reaching for my phone. We said goodbye before hanging up. I looked at Bella who was shaking her head.
"I have to know about this list now," she said slipping off the bar stool. She ran to the living room, coming back a second later with her phone. She sat back up on the stool and pulled open her email.
She found the link and threw it open. Who is Bella Swan? Meet the new enigmatic woman in Edward Cullen's life. Bella frowned. "What a terrible title," she muttered. I snorted as she pulled open the link. There weren't too many photos of her, other than what she'd posted on Instagram and what I'd posted. There were also a couple of paparazzi photos as well, but those were few and far between. The article offered up a lot of Bella's work history, focusing on her impressive resume and travel experience. It had links to her writing and spun her in a great light. It ended on a desire from the writer to meet Bella—somehow becoming her new best friend in the process—and getting to know her more. Words like feminist and empowered were being thrown around with her name, and I smiled. Whoever had written this article had absolutely nailed those elements of Bella.
Finally, at the bottom of the article was a plug for her new book, which I was sure Tanya would have insisted on. Overall, the article sounded incredibly positive to me, though Bella hadn't made a single sound since she'd started reading it. I looked at her, feeling anxious the longer she was quiet.
"Sweetheart?" I asked.
She looked up at me. "Am I this cool?" she asked. I laughed.
"Yeah, Baby, you are."
Bella looked back at her phone. "I mean, I know I'm awesome," she said glancing up at me with a smirk. I laughed as she looked back at her phone. "But I've never…" she paused, shaking her head. "Seeing my accomplishments listed out like this is so humbling. Have I really been able to do all that?"
I smiled, leaning over to kiss the side of her head. "That's the thought I have every time you tell me about yourself," I said quietly. She looked at me curiously. "I think, how could I be so lucky to be with someone who has lived so thoroughly. You've done more in the last few years than most people will do their whole lifetimes." I reached out to her, gently rubbing the back of her hand. "It still doesn't make sense to me how you could give that up to be with me."
Bella dropped her phone to the counter, turning on her stool so that she was facing me. "Are you kidding me? I'm the one who won the partner lottery," she said shaking her head. "You are so talented, and you've worked so hard for everything in your life, and I feel like there is no way I could ever measure up to that."
I turned and took her into my arms, guiding her across the stools until she was curled on my lap. I had to use quite a few muscles to balance us both on the stool, but I didn't care. "I love you." I whispered against her cheek. "I am a much better man just from knowing you."
She sucked in a deep breath, kissing the corner of my mouth.
"I guess I have been a pretty good influence on your life," she whispered against my cheek. I laughed and she giggled, kissing me again. "I am, after all, an empowered feminist badass," she reminded me, pulling away from me a bit. I grinned.
"Yeah, you definitely are."
Bella smiled wide and kissed me sweetly before sliding out of my lap and settling back on her stool. "I'd love to keep kissing you, but I'm actually starving," she said shaking her head. I laughed and nodded, picking up my own fork.
"Yeah, I am too," I admitted. Bella stuffed another bite into her mouth and groaned. I took my own bite, deeply content.
"Hey," Bella said swallowing her bite. I looked at her. "I'm going to schedule an appointment with Kate," she said picking at her food. I nodded.
"Do you want one together?" I asked. We'd done a pretty good job of talking out our fight in Melbourne, but I had been wondering if we should go in together. Bella shrugged.
"We can," she agreed. "But there are a couple things I want to talk to her about," she said shaking her head. I frowned but nodded. I wished she could just talk to me about them, but I knew she wasn't there yet. Hell, I wasn't either. We both still needed so much help.
"Alright." I agreed.
Bella nodded. "I just, I didn't want to hide an appointment from you," she said after a moment. I nodded.
"Thank you for telling me. I should probably make my own appointment at some point," I said frowning. Bella nodded. Before we'd left for Australia, I'd been hopeful that we wouldn't be back to see Kate for a while. I'd been ignorant.
"We also need to schedule another appointment with Dr. Pierce," Bella said, poking at her food again. I looked at her. Dr. Pierce had told us we'd be able to find out Pip's gender at our next appointment.
"Do you want to know Pip's gender?" I asked her. Bella looked at me and frowned.
"Not really," she said after a minute. "I mean, there are so few surprises in life, and while Pip has been enough of a surprise to last me a lifetime, I like the idea of having another surprise to look forward to." She stabbed her food. "Do you want to know?"
I shrugged. "I wouldn't mind knowing, but I also don't mind waiting. I like the idea of a surprise," I admitted. "I just, didn't know if you wanted some sort of gender reveal or something."
Bella scowled. "Ugh, I hate gender reveal parties. Talk about outdated thinking! Why the fuck would we need arbitrary colors to tell us how to celebrate our Pip. It's our Pip! Why can't we just celebrate the life it will be and let it decide later what sort of gender it identifies with!"
I blinked and Bella sat back, snorting. "Wow, okay, so a hard pass on that party," I said after a moment, a smile on my lips. Bella glanced at me and smiled when I laughed. "I'm fully in agreement with you, by the way. I don't think it's necessary to have that sort of party for Pip, but I love the idea of celebrating Pip's life. I guess that's a baby shower?" I asked. Bella looked a little pale at the idea and I shrugged. "We'll deal with that when it comes," I said quickly. "For now, it sounds like we're in agreement about Pip and not finding out the gender when we see Dr. Pierce?"
Bella nodded. "As far as I'm concerned, we can keep calling it Pip for the rest of it's life. I don't care what gender they are born or what gender they identify as later in life. They are our Pip."
Every time she said our Pip my heart just about skipped out of my chest. She was coming around on Pip, and I couldn't be happier about it.
I reached out, kissing the side of her head happily. She glanced at me, smiling softly before she stuffed a massive bite of food into her mouth.
We finished eating before both setting out to make our various appointments. I called Dr. Pierce's office while Bella called Kate's. When our appointments were set, Bella and I went to the living room to curl up on the sofa. It was too early to sleep, but we were both too exhausted to do anything else. I curled up on my side and Bella snuggled in against my chest as we turned on the TV. Bella turned on Parks and Rec and we laid back, content to zone out to the hilarious show.
A couple hours later, my phone buzzed and I shifted around Bella to look at it. The text was from Chelsea.
TMZ is running the photo in five minutes. I still don't know what it is.
Frowning, I nodded and showed Bella. She frowned and changed the channel, finding TMZ. I almost never watched the show, but now I was curious about this photo.
Most of the talk was asinine and petty, and I could feel myself getting agitated the longer I sat and listened to it. Bella wound her fingers through mine, resting our hands over her stomach. It helped ground me.
Finally, they were talking about me and the mysterious new woman in my life. Some idiot was talking about how hot Bella was, which was true, but it pissed me off how cheap he made it sound. Bella squeezed my hand gently and I took a deep breath. Finally, they were dancing around the topic of pregnancy. One of the idiots threw the theory out there and the room appropriately gasped in shock. Then there was a photo of Bella and I coming out of the doctor's office a few months back. It wasn't exactly clear where we were—all that was discernable was that we were in a parking garage. The guy talked about the photo and how it was reportedly taken in front of the fertility clinic. Then they were cutting to another photo of Bella and I, clearly in Australia. Well fuck.
There we were, lounging on a beach in Australia. Bella was wearing a bikini and was leaning back against my chest. Our hands were both cupped around her noticeable baby bump. There really was no way to play it off. The fucking look on my face was a dead giveaway.
I looked at Bella in the photo and was surprised to see she had a similar look on her face. She loved Pip, even if she couldn't admit it yet.
"Wow," Bella whispered. I nodded, glancing at her. "I mean, fuck, it's right there. We can't deny it now," she said shaking her head. "Look at us! Look at that moony look on our faces!" She said, pointing to the TV. I kissed the side of her head, smiling a little. She glanced up at me and I sighed.
"It's a beautiful photo," I said quietly. Bella's eyes softened and she looked back at the TV. She'd paused the TV as soon as our photo had popped up.
"Yeah," she said after a minute. "It is, isn't it?"
I smiled and curled my arms around her tighter. "We look smitten," I said looking at the TV. Bella nodded, her head nestling back into my shoulder.
"I don't look terrified," she said quietly. I glanced at her. "That was in Sydney, wasn't it?" she asked, glancing at me. I nodded. We'd spent a few days at different beaches in Sydney. "We were talking about Pip and," she paused, looking back at the photo. "Is that what my face looks like when I talk about Pip?" she wondered.
I smiled kissing her head again. "Sometimes," I admitted. "More and more lately."
Bella took a deep breath, and I wondered what she was feeling. I could ask her, of course, but I felt like she needed time to process her thoughts and I didn't want to rush her.
After a minute, she moaned. I blinked, surprised. "We are so hot together," she said shaking her head. I barked out a laugh and she shifted on the sofa to look up at me. "Don't you think so?" she demanded. I smiled.
"I absolutely do," I said, glancing at the TV. Seeing us together took my breath away. "I think we look amazing together," I told her. She grinned up at me.
"You know," she said, bringing a hand up to my chest. "I wasn't kidding about us making our own kind of movie," she said teasingly. I gaped at her, and was trying to find a way to respond coherently when my phone buzzed between us. She snickered and fished it out, seeing Chelsea calling. She answered brightly. "Hi Chels, it's Bella." She paused and a wicked look came across her face. "Sorry, I think I simultaneously terrified and turned him on, give him a minute," she giggled. I grunted and reached for the phone. I hit speaker just in time to hear Chelsea howling with laughter.
"Well, here I was all worried how you two were taking this, but it sounds like it's business as usual," she giggled. Bella laughed and I groaned, dropping my head to bury in her hair.
"We're fine," Bella said for me, since I was still trying to pull my mind back together after Bella had thrown the sex tape idea at me. Why the hell did the idea appeal to me so much?
"You saw the photos?" Chelsea asked. I took a deep breath, pulling myself out of Bella's hair. She smelled amazing and it was super distracting.
"We did. The first one could be taken in any parking garage, but well, that one in Australia is hard to dispute," I said shaking my head. Chelsea sighed.
"I thought so too. I can try, but…"
"No, don't bother," I told her. "It's a gorgeous photo of us and I don't want to belittle it by trying to deny it." I looked at Bella who nodded.
"Alright, perfect," Chelsea said, sounding relieved. "I was thinking the same thing. I mean, I'd deny if you guys wanted, but honestly, this photo is stunning and at this point, I feel like it can only contribute to the positive publicity who two have right now."
I glanced at Bella. She had a little frown on her forehead, and I wondered what she was thinking about.
"Alright, well, with the greenlight from you two, I'll go ahead and confirm the story. I'll make sure the details we want released are going out," Chelsea continued.
"That sounds great, Chels. Thanks."
She hummed before hanging up. Bella looked at me. "What did she mean, the details we want out there?"
I sighed. "We want to make sure your due date is vague. The last thing we need is press as you're giving birth."
Bella nodded. "That's kind of nice, actually," she said slowly. "I like the idea of being able to keep Pip to ourselves as long as possible."
I smiled at her, kissing her softly. "I like that too, Love."
Bella grinned, reaching up to scratch at my stubble. Her nails worked against my cheek lightly and I sighed, content.
"Do you want to keep watching a show, or can we finally go to sleep?" she whispered. I smiled, glancing at my phone. It was late enough that if we went to bed, we'd likely be okay to sleep through the night.
"Let's go to bed," I agreed. Bella nodded, turning off the TV as we sat up. We gathered our phones and headed downstairs, both of us changing tiredly before crawling into bed. I pulled Bella against my chest, my hands unerringly finding her bump in the dark.
"Goodnight my loves," I whispered, leaning forward to kiss her side. Her hand came up to run through my hair before I leaned back.
"Goodnight, Babe."
…
Saturday, December 1
Malibu, California
17 Weeks
My fingers ghosted over the piano as I tried to play out the melody Rose had sent me. I was heading into the studio this week to work with her on her music, and I needed to practice before we got in there to record. The music wasn't difficult, and Rose had sent me only some base notes and keys, asking if I'd be able to contribute some of my own twist to it.
I played a few bars, stopping to take note of what I'd played in my notebook. It had been so long since I'd composed music, I was feeling a bit rusty with it.
"Babe?"
I looked up from the piano as I heard the front door open. "I'm down here," I called.
I heard Bella move around upstairs and I turned my attention back to the piano. Bella came down the stairs, and I glanced up at her as she moved to the living room. "How did it go?" I asked. She'd had an appointment with Kate this morning, and though I wanted to be available to her to talk to, I also wanted to make sure I didn't push her. It was a tough line.
Bella flopped down on the edge of the sofa, nodding. "Good," she said after a moment. "She is really good at cutting past all that crap in our lives and getting to the root of issues isn't she?"
I nodded, turning from the keys and getting up to move to the sofa. Bella didn't look like she'd been crying, which was good. I sat down next to her and she reached out to me, curling against my chest. I brought her into my arms happily.
"Kate's always been amazing at seeing through my walls and defenses and excuses," I agreed. Bella nodded against my chest.
"I talked to her about what you asked me yesterday," she whispered. I froze. There were a lot of things I'd asked her yesterday, but I knew exactly what she was talking about. She hadn't brought up us living together since I'd asked her on the plane. It had been driving me near insane not to bring it up again since.
"Yeah?" I asked, working to make sure my voice didn't crack. Bella nodded, her fingers coming up and trailing a lazy, circular pattern over my chest.
"Yeah. It was a good talk." She continued tracing the pattern and when she didn't say anything else for almost a minute, I cleared my throat.
"So, it helped you think through things?" I asked, feeling anxious. My voice was tight and I was sure Bella could hear it. She shrugged lightly. What did that mean?
Bella was quiet another minute before she looked up at me. Her beautiful eyes winked with mischief as she smiled, crawling over me and straddling my lap. "I can feel your thoughts spiraling," she said, gently cupping my face. I let out a tight breath.
"I'm trying not to push you to talk about anything," I told her honestly. She smiled and leaned in, kissing me sweetly. She tasted like mint and that pure sweetness that was Bella.
"I know, and I love you for that," she whispered, her hands combing through my hair. "I know it's not rational to be afraid of moving in together when we practically already live together," she said softly. I stared at her, relieved and anxious that she was willing to talk about this. "In reality, I can't imagine it would be much different than how things are now," she whispered. "But when you suggested it yesterday, it scared the hell out of me." She ran her fingers through my hair again and I frowned. "The only address I've ever had has been my dad's in Washington. It's been my only home, and honestly, the way my life had been going, it sort of felt like it would be my only home." She frowned, her fingers running a soothing pattern through my hair as she thought. "It's not about living together. I think we have managed to cohabitate well, and really; I love being here with you," she whispered. I smiled, nodding slightly. "It's the permanence and finality of having a place to call home. A place that I can't pick up and take with me anywhere. It's so much responsibility."
I nodded. I understood that. "I panicked for about two months before and after buying this place," I told her. Bella looked surprised. "Buying property felt so final, and it terrified me. It's a lot to take on," I told her gently. I wound my hands around her back, rubbing small circles into her skin with my thumbs. Bella nodded.
"I don't want you to regret bringing me into your home in such a permanent way," she said after a moment. "I know you don't think you will, but this is your home, your refuge. I know how much it means to you, and I don't want you to feel crowded or less comfortable here because you've brought me into it."
I frowned, my hands stilling on her back. "Do you not like it here? Because we can look for another house," I said shaking my head. Bella shook her head quickly.
"No, are you kidding? I love this house!"
I frowned. "Baby, I want to share this place with you. I want us to both find refuge in this place, together. There isn't a single thing that could make me regret bringing you into my home. I want this to be our home." I rubbed her back again, licking my lips anxiously. "I want Pip to grow up here, when we're not all off on some grand adventure," I added, making Bella smile softly. "This is a home, our home, and I just want to make it official. I want you to feel safe and loved and happy here."
Bella smiled a little more, her eyes filling with tears. Her hands came around, cupping my face again. "I already do," she whispered. "Okay, Edward, I'll move in with you."
I blinked. "Really?"
Bella nodded, leaning forward to kiss me softly. "Really. I had no idea that I could love a house as much as I love this one, but you are right. This place is home, and there is nowhere else I'd want to settle into."
I pulled her tight against my chest, kissing her deeply. She giggled against me, her fingers threading back into my hair as she tugged lightly. I groaned as she wiggled above me.
"Fuck, Bella. I love you so much," I gasped, dragging myself from her to breath. She smiled softly, placing a soft kiss on my forehead, then my nose, before kissing my lips gently.
"I love you too. Thank you for giving me a home."
...
AN: Oh my, these two! Honestly, it's so hard not to rush through and just give them a happy ending. It's all I want for them, and they have been having to work so hard for it!
Word's out about Pip (not a leak from James as many of you suspected!), and these two have decided to not find out the gender of Pip at their next appointment. Next chapter is going to skip a little bit ahead in time, and we'll finally get to see Charlie and Edward interact!