Chapter 23: Visitor

It took Paul a few days to get back to normal with me. I knew that he wasn't upset with me, but I couldn't help but feel bad about what had happened during the visit with his mom. Everything could have easily been avoided if I hadn't brought it up in the first place.

I'd had a few minor cramps over the past few days but they were nothing compared to the first time and I was grateful for that. I didn't need Paul and the Cullens worrying about me more than they already were. Alice had been in near constant contact with me to check in with me and make sure everything was going smoothly and I was set to have another appointment at the hospital with Carlisle in a week for a checkup.

When Paul arrived home from work that evening, I expected him to be in the same foul mood he'd been in since the visit with his mom. I'd done my best to alleviate his mood, but I knew that it was best to just leave him be while he was like that.

However, when he did arrive home, he fell onto the couch next to me and peppered kisses along my jawline and neck.

"Sorry I've been acting like such an asshole these past couple days," he murmured against my neck. "Thank you for being patient with me."

"I get it," I said. "Do you…do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he admitted. "It's just that with her…there always has to be some sort of issue. I used to go check on her every single day and she never appreciated it." He was quiet for a few moments. "I'd expected introducing you to her to go exactly how it had but I think part of me hoped that just once she'd show some sign of appreciation."

"Maybe one day," I said hopefully.

He laughed a humourless laugh. "I don't think so, Mel, but I appreciate the optimism."

"I'm sorry too," I said. "I never should've suggested it and I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when we were in there."

He kissed the top of my head again. "It's okay, I understand why you did."

Paul's phone rang, making me jump. He squeezed my hands before detaching himself from me to go answer it. I didn't hear the conversation that he was having, but when he returned to the living room, he looked slightly irritated.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"That was my dad," he said.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, he said that he's going to be visiting La Push and he wants to stop by tomorrow."

My stomach tightened nervously. "Are you okay with that?"

"He'll come either way."

"No, I mean, I can go out for the day if you'd prefer that," I offered. "I don't have to meet him if you aren't comfortable with it."

"It's not that," he said. "Normally he just gives me a bit more notice before he's going to visit. I'm fine with you meeting him."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I don't mind…"

"Mel, honestly, it's fine," he promised. "I'm sure his visit will go smoother than the one with my mom did."

We spent the rest of the night curled on the couch together and I anxiously thought about meeting Paul's dad. I couldn't help but think of how much of a nightmare the visit with his mom had been and I found myself anticipating a similar situation.

Paul had seemed relatively indifferent to his dad coming for a visit, but I could tell from the way that he was holding himself that he was a bit anxious about it as well. I knew that if my parents were still alive, I'd be scared shitless to tell them that I was pregnant and I wondered if Paul was nervous to share that news with his dad.

The next day, I awoke early, nervousness still eating away at me. I lay in bed next to Paul, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about the day ahead of me. I jumped slightly when Paul's arms wrapped around me and he kissed the top of my head—I hadn't realized that he was even awake yet.

"You don't have to be nervous," he murmured against my hair. "He isn't as…intense as my mom is."

"Good to know," I mumbled.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Positive," I said, sounding more confident than I felt. I spent the day trying to distract myself by cleaning the entire apartment in preparation for his dad's visit. I could tell Paul knew what I was doing and why I was doing it, so he didn't bother telling me to relax or to stop.

All too soon, the buzzer went off and Paul buzzed his dad in. I was extremely tempted to hide in our bedroom, but I kept my feet firmly planted to the floor in the living room. I felt shaky and nervous and I wasn't even sure why. His dad knocked on the door and Paul glanced back at me before opening it.

Paul looked exactly like his dad and it startled me for an instant. The only differences that I saw in his dad were the few lines around his eyes and the grey speckling his dark hair. He and Paul greeted each other and then when he finally seemed to notice me, I felt fear grip me as I saw the realization dawn on his face. He looked between Paul and I, clearly waiting for some sort of explanation, but I couldn't find my voice.

"Dad…this is Mel. She's…" Paul trailed off, clearly unsure of what to say or how to say it.

"She's your imprint," his dad said, not taking his eyes off of me. "And she's pregnant."

"She is," Paul confirmed. I glanced at him to see that he looked just as uncomfortable as I felt.

His dad stepped further into the apartment and approached me. He grasped my hand and shook it. "I'm Terrance. It's nice to meet you, Mel."

"Nice to meet you too," I said, finally finding my voice.

The rest of Terrance's visit went well—a lot better than the visit with Paul's mom had gone. We sat together at the kitchen table and Terrance told stories about Paul when he was a kid. I knew that Paul was more than a little embarrassed to have his childhood stories shared with me, but I loved every second of it. It showed me a completely different side of him.

Seeing the two of them interacting was strange. I could see from the looks that Terrance was giving Paul that he was proud of him. I doubted Paul saw what I did, given the way he'd spoken about Terrance in the past, but it was there.

When Terrance was leaving, Paul stepped out into the hallway with him. Curiosity ate away at me as they spoke, but I gave them their privacy. I wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since they'd seen each other and I was sure they had a lot to talk about.

Paul re-entered the apartment and sat next to me on the couch, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "That wasn't too bad."

"I'm glad you think so too."

"I think he likes you," he said. I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"How could he not?" I scoffed. Paul barked out a laugh and I quietly said, "He really loves you, you know."

He shifted slightly. "What?"

"I can tell just from the way he looks at you," I said. "He's proud of you. He might not say it, but he is."

"Yeah, communication isn't really his strong suit," he muttered. "When we spoke in the hallway, he kept asking me if you were okay."

"He did?"

"He said that you looked a little frail," he explained. "I lied and told him that it's just your body type naturally. Obviously I couldn't actually tell him what was going on but he seemed a little worried about you—imagine that."

It was my turn to shift uncomfortably. "I will be fine."

"You don't know that," he said. He gently put his hand on my stomach. "I want to believe that you'll be okay, but it's hard to when I see you in pain."

I covered his hand with mine and squeezed. "We're going to get through it. We have both Carlisle and Sue on call for whenever we might need them. I trust Carlisle with my life—he's saved me more than once. I know you don't trust the Cullens, but I do."

"I trust the doc," he said, taking me by surprise. He noticed my look and continued, "Like you said, he's saved your life more than once. I don't know what we'd do without him."

"And I'm sure that if anything happens, he'll be able to save me again."

"I wanted to talk to you about that, actually," he said. "If it comes to that…do you give me permission to have Carlisle turn you?" I was quiet for a few moments and he continued. "I don't want to have to resort to that, obviously, but I don't think our child should grow up with you."

"I understand that," I said. "And you're right. I don't know if it would work for me but if it came to that…I would be okay with it. I wouldn't want it either, but it'd be better than the alternative."

"I'm glad you think so," he said. "I can't lose you again."

"You won't," I promised. "We won't let that happen."

He tightened his hold on me. "There's something else we should talk about."

My stomach tightened nervously. "What?"

"Names."

A smile quirked at my lips. "Have you thought about it at all?"

"Not really," he admitted. "Have you?"

"A little bit," I said.

"Any winners?"

"Well…if you'd be okay with it…I was thinking of naming the baby after my dad," I said, avoiding looking at him. "Alexander if it's a boy, Alexandra if it's a girl."

He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "I love that idea."

"Really?" I asked.

He nodded. "Honestly, I was thinking the same thing."

"Maybe we could incorporate Harry somehow too?" I suggested.

A small smile lifted his lips. "I love that and I know that Sue would really appreciate it."

I kissed his cheek and settled against him, allowing his body heat to envelope me like a comforting hug. I was relieved that the visit with his dad had gone so smoothly—I wasn't sure how well Paul would've handed it if it had been a repeat of the visit with his mom.

Perhaps this would be the beginning of the two of them actually having a relationship. His dad had seemed somewhat excited at the prospect of becoming a grandfather and while we hadn't spoken about it, he seemed like he'd be open to being part of the baby's life.