AN: Slight time jump- just to the boys' first birthday. They do eventually have to grow up so we can get on with the story ;)
1936
Northwest of Richmond, Virginia
"Happy birthday!" Garrett and Bella stood in front of the boys' bed as they woke up, smiling down at their little men.
Jasper was grinning as usual, always happy to have the attention of his parents. His blond curls were in wild disarray, and his bright blue eyes sparkled happily. Edward wasn't quite as awake. He laid on his side and rubbed his eyes sleepily. When he finally sat up his hair was all sticking up on that one side.
Garrett chuckled softly as he looked at the boys. They may be twins, and the only ones of their kind, but at times they couldn't be more different.
At a year old, the boys looked closer to age five. Their growth had definitely slowed down some, but they were still progressing rather quickly. Jasper spoke in full sentences (with an adorable accent that was even stronger than his mother's), but Edward still used his gift more often than his voice.
Bella had come a long way in her newborn year as well. Garrett had begun taking them closer to humans a couple of months prior, and while the boys were interested in the yummy smell, Bella was quite determined to keep her eyes golden.
That had been a pleasant surprise for her. When Garrett told her what the animal blood would do, she had him fetch her a small mirror so that she could check the progress of her eyes. When the last hint of red had disappeared, Garrett could see a weight visibly lift off her shoulders.
She had been outspoken in admiring his eyes as well. It took a few weeks for her to admit that his deep red eyes occasionally startled her, reminding her (and Edward) of James's malevolent gaze. Garrett was just as determined to keep his eyes gold as well—he never wanted to be compared to that monster in any way.
Garrett finally knew what James looked like. Edward had woken up from a nightmare one night and only wanted Garrett to comfort him. When his daddy asked what he was afraid of, he showed Garrett the image of James he had gleaned from Bella's memories when she was still pregnant with the boys. That image had stayed with Edward, and he wanted his daddy to know so he could watch out for the bad man.
It took every ounce of Garrett's legendary control to keep from roaring in pain and fury when he finally had a face to put to his demon. If he ever saw that worthless son of a bitch, he would kill him as violently as he knew how.
Shaking off those thoughts, Garrett looked at his whole world. Bella had parked herself on the boys' mattress and they were climbing all over her as she laughed and tickled them. Seeing the three of them smile was enough for him to live on for eternity.
Monitoring his strength, Garrett jumped on the pile, grabbing a boy under each arm and rolling to the side of his mate. She turned her head and looked at him, smiling brightly and he couldn't help himself. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, lingering for a beat longer than he normally did.
Bella sighed as he pulled away, enjoying the contact, but disappointed once again. She had lost count of the times she thought Garrett might finally kiss her, only to move at the last second and kiss her cheek, or her forehead, or the top of her head. She was beginning to think her attraction to him was completely one-sided. Maybe he thought she was too young, or not pretty enough, or not educated enough…
Edward's hand on her cheek and his curious question brought her back to the present, and she smiled at her boys who were all three watching her. "So, it's your birthday, boys! What do you want to do for your special day?"
Jasper grabbed Edward's hand and they conferred for a moment. Garrett wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders as they watched the boys' animated, yet silent, conversation. Jasper's facial expressions indicated that he was trying to convince his brother of something, but they couldn't guess what it could be.
"You say it, E! I want you to say it," Jasper burst out finally. "It was your idea and it was a good one! You say it!"
Edward was blushing as he ducked his head. He pulled his hand away from Jasper's and frowned at his brother. He started to fold his arms, but Bella caught his hands and brought his attention to her.
"What do you want, baby? You can tell me anything, you know? I love to hear your voice," Bella coaxed him quietly, not pushing too hard but wanting to encourage him as well. Jasper usually knew when to push, and if he thought Edward should voice his question aloud, Bella and Garrett weren't too inclined to argue.
Looking between his parents, Edward tucked his wild hair behind his ears. Bella noted absently that it was time for another haircut, while Garrett wondered if he could talk his son into growing his hair out like his.
"Well, um," Edward began quietly, only looking back up when Jasper grabbed his hand again and squeezed in support. "I thought about the story you told us about the hard candy that Grandpa used to buy you for your birthday? Do you think we could go to town and find some so we can try it?"
Bella's eyes welled up with venom in a combination of pride in her boy, and pain from missing her human family. She'd told the boys as many stories as she could remember, so they would feel like they were part of the extended family, even if they couldn't actually meet anyone.
Garrett grinned, as this request went hand in hand with the gift he was already giving the boys. They had planned to travel to Richmond for the day, where Garrett was going to show the boys a couple of foals that were for sale. He hoped that at least one of them wouldn't be skittish around them, so he could get the boys their first horse.
Clapping his hands, he stood up and reached down to pull Bella to her feet. He looked down at her and smiled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before kissing her cheek. Bella would have been blushing as much as Edward if she was still human.
"Let's get ready to go then! Wear your boots and tuck your shirts in," Bella instructed as she reached over and pulled the covers back up on the boys' bed. She frowned as she did so, knowing that before too much longer her boys would be getting bigger and would probably want their own beds. "Daddy and I will carry you so won't get too tired on the way into town."
Once the boys were dressed and their hair combed in a token attempt to tame it, the family set out toward town. Garrett had Edward on his shoulders, and Jasper rode on Bella's back. They ran at a fast pace, eager to get on with the boys' birthday celebration.
When they reached the outskirts of town, Garrett directed them to a patch of trees near a horse farm. Garrett told them to stay there out of sight while he continued into town. At the general store, Garrett greeted the owner and asked about the purchase he'd ordered several months before.
"Here it is, Garrett! It's a beauty! When will you bring the lucky lady in with you so we can meet her?" Mr. Williams asked, honestly curious about what kind of woman would catch the eye of the tall out-of-towner. It had taken several visits before he worked up the nerve to start conversing with the man, but once he did he was quickly set at ease by Garrett's friendly demeanor.
"Well, hopefully I'll bring the family by in a few weeks. We'll see how things go when she sees this," he winked, holding up the small package. "Give me a handful of those penny candies while you're at it."
When Garrett reached his family, the boys came running full speed to greet him. He scooped them up and spun in a circle, drawing laughter from all of them. Bella was beaming as she watched her boys with their very special daddy. Her boys that were only a year old, but looked much older.
Garrett heard her sigh and looked at her curiously, setting the boys down and taking their hands as he led them back over to where she waited. The sun was about to break through the clouds and he needed to get back in the shade.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked quietly as the boys began digging in his coat pockets looking for their treats. He was glad he'd tucked his other package inside his breast pocket so they couldn't reach it. That was for later.
Bella smiled and hugged him. "Nothing is wrong," she said, looking down at the boys. "I was just thinking about how big they are getting."
Jasper crowed in delight when he found the little paper bag filled with colorful pieces of hard candy. He pulled it out and plopped down on the ground, calling Edward over to sit with him. The boys looked into the little bag and each pulled out a piece.
Edward cautiously licked the lemon piece he had grabbed, touching only the tip of his tongue to the hard candy. Bella giggled as she watched his careful study. "You can eat it baby—it's ok."
Jasper had already tossed a root beer flavored piece in his mouth and was crunching it loudly. Garrett squatted down to his level and tipped his chin up so he could see his mouth. "Take it easy there, kiddo. You're supposed to suck on it, not bite it. It's—well, I mean, I guess it's… Okay it might not be bad for your teeth but it's still not a good thing to try."
By this point, Edward's little face was screwed up in distaste at the sour candy in his mouth. He reached up and touched Bella's cheek, asking if he could spit it out. She laughed and held her hand under mouth to catch it. "You don't like the lemon, baby? Let's find you a sweeter one," she laughed, digging through the bag. "Here is a cherry one—it was my favorite."
The boys each tried one more piece before Bella took the bag and folded the top, handing it back to Garrett. "That's enough for now, little men. Daddy will hold onto them for later, okay?"
Jasper and Edward exchanged a longing glance, but didn't argue with their momma. They were really very obedient boys for the most part. Bella knew she and Garrett were extremely lucky in that regard. Life would have been much harder if the boys fought them on everything. While their higher intelligence definitely played a role in allowing them to understand the reasoning behind most of their parents directives, the all-consuming love they held for their mother was the biggest influence.
Getting the boys' attention, Garrett reminded them that they still had another present in town. Pointing to the ranch across the path, he told them, "Let's go find a horse for you two!"
On the way home, Bella smiled at the enthusiasm her boys all shared. She wasn't that excited about a horse, but it was something that meant a lot to Garrett, and therefore to the boys. She shook her head at all the preparations he had put into their gift.
By that point, Garrett had completed the first addition to the small shack. He built a bedroom for the boys, and another room on the other side of the house for himself and Bella. Of course, he hadn't put a bed in the adults' room—only a pair of chairs and a small bookshelf. He learned early on that Bella really enjoyed reading, and he had stocked her shelves with everything he could find that she and the boys might like.
He also built a small shed and fence for the yearling now trotting happily beside them. The boys had been thrilled when they went to look at the horses, and this particular colt had been drawn to them immediately. He was the only one not afraid of the young hybrids, or their parents.
Thunder, as he'd been named, based on his stormy grey color, was nearly as fearless as his young masters. The boys were taking turns riding him by the time they'd made it home. While Jasper seemed able to calm him best, Edward seemed to truly know what the horse was thinking. Garrett was glad they were so connected to the animal—he felt like it was an important thing for them growing up.
Once the horse was in his little shed and the boys were fast asleep, Garrett pulled his mate out to the front porch, where it seemed so many of their important conversations took place. He led her over to the swing that Jasper had helped him construct (Edward didn't show as much interest in carpentry, unlike his brother).
Once they were seated and swinging gently in the cool evening air, Garrett reached for Bella's hand. "Sweetheart," he started, smiling softly when he saw her complete focus on him, "I love you more than anything—well, you and those boys, anyway.
"I want you to know that I will wait forever for you, but I don't want you to be confused either. I love being your best friend, your protector. I love sharing parenting duties with you. But I also want more than that.
"I want to be the one who holds you at night when the boys are asleep. I want to be the one who offers you his arm when we are visiting the human towns. I want to be your husband, Bella, and I want you to be my wife.
"Will you marry me?"
It was better than something out of one of her novels. She had a huge smile on her face, nodding rapidly as Garrett held out a beautiful sapphire ring. Only once that ring was seated firmly on her finger did Garrett ask the second part of his question.
"My Bella, may I kiss you now?"
Their first kiss was everything she hoped it would be. It was gentle, chaste, but with a hint of more. She knew by the way Garrett held her that he wanted more, and for the first time she wasn't completely terrified at the idea.