A/N:

This is just a sweet little chapter to give our couple a break from the drama and for them to start settling in.

Title: Love is Strange

Author: MarieCarro

Beta: Alice's White Rabbit

Pre-reader: LunaEclipse

Genre: Friendship/Romance/Drama

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Bella Swan and Edward Cullen live in the small town of Ligonier in Pennsylvania. They've been best friends since they were six years old, and not much can keep them apart. Bella wants to leave small-town life behind, while Edward is fine with whatever, but that's not the only complication in their relationship. What happens when they fall in love … with each other?

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 39

BABIES

Edward groaned and rolled away from Bella when her phone on the nightstand began to ring incessantly. It was in the middle of the night, and Bella, disgruntled, peered her eyes open to reach for the offending piece of technology.

At first, she was tempted to just ignore the call since she was in the most comfortable position with the mattress feeling like a cloud—a rarity for her once her belly had really started growing—but she cast a glance at the display and saw Emmett's name.

He never randomly called, so Bella figured it was important. "Em, it's the middle of the night," she mumbled as her eyes closed on their own accord.

Edward let out a small huff when she started talking, clearly annoyed she was taking the phone call. She would have left the room had she been able to get up, but her extremities were too heavy for her to even attempt it.

"Oh, trust me, I know," Emmett said loudly. He sounded like he had drunk a gallon of coffee with the way he stumbled over his words. "But you're gonna want to get your ass out of bed because your godson is about to be born."

It took a solid second for Bella to register what he'd said, but when she did, her eyes shot open wide. "For real? It's not another false alarm?"

"It's real. Isn't it, Rosie?" There was a muffled, almost growl-like sound coming from Emmett's side of the call in reply. "Sorry, babe, I'll shut up. But seriously, Bells, you'll want to be here."

Bella sat up on the edge of the bed with some difficulty but eventually touched her toes to the ground. "Of course, I'll be there. How much time do I have?"

"Hard to say. The nurses say it can take up to twelve hours because it's our first, but Rosie's contractions are already quite close, so I wouldn't exactly take it too easy."

"Okay, then I'll see you there, Em." She hung up, and Edward looked over his shoulder, his expression slightly confused.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice hoarse with sleep.

"Rosalie's in labor. I'm going to the hospital," she said and steered toward their closet. Her walk had started to resemble that of a waddle but not too much just yet.

Edward exhaled sharply and then struggled to get out of bed himself. "All right, just give me a minute to wake up."

Bella grabbed the first clothes she got her hands on and then walked to Edward's side of the bed. "No, go back to sleep," she said and placed a sweet kiss on his lax lips. "It's okay. It could be hours yet, but I want to be there for them. And you need all the sleep you can get. This case you're working now is really taking a toll on you, and I don't want you to burn yourself out. You'll have plenty of time to do that once our little one arrives."

A small smile stretched across Edward's mouth at the joke, and then he complied and laid back down against his pillow. "Mhm-kay. I'll meet you at the hospital in the morning then," he said softly.

Bella stroke his cheek, which caused him to smile again, before she left the bedroom, clothes in hand, to change in the bathroom.

A huge yawn escaped her, and she splashed some water in her face to help her clear the fog in her head, but what really woke her up was when the aforementioned little one decided to make what felt like a sudden leap to the other side of her womb, and a sharp pain shooting through her vagina caused her to let out an involuntary groan.

"Bella?" Edward sleepily called out from the bedroom, having heard her through the door of their en-suite.

"I'm fine," she reassured him. "Go back to sleep, babe."

He was constantly ready to help and be there for her, which she absolutely loved and adored about him, but he had a tendency to neglect himself and his own basic human needs to do so. He'd been the same way when they were teenagers, so Bella saw it as her task to take care of him as well and make sure he didn't wear himself out.

A little movement from their child, no matter how much it hurt when it happened, she could handle on her own. Now, she knew after finally having opened the pregnancy books and read them, that it was perfectly normal for it to hurt or be uncomfortable during the second trimester, so she didn't want to unnecessarily worry him.

Everything had gone okay so far with the pregnancy, but they'd found out during their last appointment that her blood pressure was running a bit high again, so they were closely watching that.

Edward had become even more attentive after that, wanting her to stay in bed the rest of that day while he fetched her everything. She had allowed it without protesting or being annoyed as it was his way of showing how much he loved her and wanted to take care of her and the baby.

Bella gently massaged the place on her abdomen that had gotten most of the impact from the little stunt. "You're gonna have to take it a little easier with Mommy, honey, or we'll both worry Daddy too much," she said affectionately. It was a recent thing for her, that she talked to her belly, but when Dr. Graham had encouraged both her and Edward to do it, she made it into a habit to also speak when she was alone.

It was difficult to describe the feeling of speaking to her child inside her. It was almost like speaking to that one person who would never judge you, no matter what you said. Euphoric and liberating were the only two words she could connect with the emotion even though they weren't quite right either.

"He'll have to worry about you enough once you're born," she continued and smiled. "You'll be the cause of many sleepless nights, I'm sure. But you'll always be his treasure, no matter what. You're gonna have the best dad you could have wished for, and you'll be a total daddy's girl."

A girl.

When they found out the sex, it was one of those moments when everything just became more tangible and real than before. Twenty-three weeks into the pregnancy, Bella had finally allowed herself to hope everything would continue in a normal manner without any terrible complications, but there was a tiny voice, which refused to die, that cautioned her from letting her guard down completely. Just in case.

Edward was already back in a deep sleep when Bella left the bathroom, and his arm was stretched out toward her side of the bed as if he, even in sleep, was searching for her. The sight made her smile, and for a short moment, her heart ached with the love she felt for the man who'd been by her side almost her entire life.

She could barely remember how things had been before they fell in love, and despite the many, many pitfalls they'd experienced, there wasn't a single cell in her body that could ever even imagine a life without him again.

Before she left, she wrote a note for him and placed it on her nightstand.

Hours later, when Edward's alarm went off, he was momentarily disoriented and confused by the empty space next to him. In the two months that had passed since Bella moved in, he'd gotten used to waking up with her warm body close by.

He blinked and looked around the room until he spotted the folded piece of paper and reached out for it.

Hope you had sweet dreams. I prepared the coffeemaker for you. Take your time and go to the office if you need to. I'll let you know when it's time.

I love you,

Your Bella

The note made Edward smile as he remembered she had gone to the hospital to support Emmett and Rosalie. That she still took the time to think of him and his need for caffeine in the morning made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. She also knew that he couldn't really afford to take a day off while his firm worked on their latest major case, and he appreciated she let him off the hook.

It wouldn't really matter to Rosalie or Emmett if he was there anyway. It was Bella who had been appointed as the boy's godmother and written into their will as the legal guardian in the event of their death. Edward was technically just a bonus since he and Bella weren't married. Not yet, at least.

He was still smiling when he stepped off the elevator to the floor of Eleazar & Associates Legal Group, and his bright mood was immediately noticed by his colleagues.

"'Sup, Edward," Michael, one of the firm's very young legal secretaries, greeted from his booth. "You're almost annoyingly happy today."

"Yes, I am," he agreed and widened his smile to a toothy grin, but it immediately fell when he heard Michael mumble inappropriate nonsense under his breath. Usually, Edward ignored him, but he really wanted to put the little punk—who only got the job because he was Mr. Eleazar's nephew—in his rightful place. So he turned to Michael. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch it."

Michael was visibly taken aback, and he started stuttering while Edward stared at him. "I, uh … I just s-said that … uuh … "

"Yes?" Edward urged him, not sparing him one bit because the boy had to learn that some talk wasn't acceptable at a workplace. In a matter of months, he was going to have a daughter, and he didn't want her to grow up in a society where men didn't confront other men about their lewd behavior.

"C'mon, man, I was joking," Michael tried, but Edward remained steadfast.

"Yeah? Then tell it to me."

Michael grimaced, but finally bit the bullet. "I said you totally had your girlfriend on her knees with your coffee this morning."

Edward nodded thoughtfully as if he were really thinking about the words. "And why would you say that? Or even think it was appropriate?" he asked, and Michael crossed his arms defensively.

"Just chill, all right. Don't be a stiff."

"No, I really want to know, Michael. Why do you think you can express yourself like that about the person I intend to spend my life with? A person you've never met."

"Seriously, bro, back off. It was just a joke about your mood. I didn't say anything about her." He huffed, but then let his arms fall, and his back straightened until he looked unnaturally rigid.

Edward turned his head to see what Michael had spotted and saw that it was one of the paralegals—Jessica. Unlike Michael, she was there on an internship while actually studying law at Columbia University, and Edward had great respect for her.

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen," she said pleasantly to Edward, and then turned to Michael. "Michael," she said tersely, and Edward had to hold in a laugh at the sad puppy-dog face Michael displayed. "Just letting you know, if you ever want to take this"—she gestured up and down toward her own body—"out every again, you better check your unconscious bias." She had clearly heard their conversation, and she was less than happy about it. With one last glare in Michael's direction, she turned back to Edward. "Is there anything I can help you with this morning, Mr. Cullen."

Edward swallowed his laughter one more time. "No, Miss Stanley. Thank you." Jessica turned on her heel and headed toward the archive rooms with Michael pouting after her. "Well, I do believe she just made my point," Edward finished and directed his steps to the conference room where the assembled team working the case had set up shop.

A little before lunch, Edward's phone started pinging with new messages, and when he opened them up, they were pictures of a scrunched up, newborn baby boy, followed by Emmett holding the baby, then Rosalie, then the two of them together with the baby, and lastly, Bella holding the bundle while smiling at the camera.

"Meet Dean McCarty, your daughter's probable future best friend ;)" the caption said, and it caused Edward to chuckle.

"What have you got there, Edward?" the lead council, Marcus, asked, sounding the tiniest bit riled that Edward had the nerve to not have his nose buried in the files before him.

"Sorry," he apologized. "My girlfriend's sending me pictures of her newborn godson."

"Oh, can I see?" Another one of the lawyers on the team, a woman in her mid-forties named Lauren, asked, and Edward passed his phone to her. Marcus gave him a dirty look, but he didn't let it get to him. They were close to their lunch break, and everyone's attention was wandering, not just his. "He's adorable. And when is your girlfriend due?"

"September 19th."

Lauren smiled and inhaled sharply with joyfulness. "That's not too far off then. Are you nervous? Excited?"

"Definitely both."

Marcus cleared his throat and looked between Lauren and Edward. "Excuse me, but am I the only one who wants to win this case?"

"Oh hush! Don't be such a stick in the mud," Lauren admonished him despite Marcus being older than her. "We've been going over these files for hours. Give us a break."

In pure exasperation, Marcus threw his hands in the air. "Fine then. Take a break. It's clear you're not very productive anyway."

The team split up to have their separate lunches, and Edward figured he'd have the time for a quick visit to the hospital and maybe even take Bella out for lunch. He and Lauren ended up sharing an elevator, and she immediately jumped on the opportunity for more baby talk.

"Have you decided on any names yet?"

"No, not yet. We just recently found out we're having a girl, so we haven't gotten around to it."

Lauren continued to smile and let out a soft sigh. "I always wanted a girl, but I got my two boys instead. Thought my youngest would be a girl because the doctor was never able to determine the sex, so we had to wait until he was born. So I have a bunch of name suggestions if you need any."

"Thank you, Lauren, but as I said, we haven't really discussed it yet," Edward said, hoping that would be the end of the discussion.

"I'm quite partial to names coming from nature," she continued though, and Edward looked at the display that said which floor they were on, wishing the elevator would go faster. "I love Autumn, or Hazel, but my absolute favorite must be Willow."

Edward didn't answer her, but he quickly found out he didn't have to and tuned her out as she continued her chatter about baby names. He appreciated her excitement for him, but it was bordering on mania at this point, and it made him uncomfortable.

Outside the entrance to the building, he waved at her and quickly put some distance between them. However, as weird as he felt Lauren had been about it, she had planted a seed in his mind, and he did want to start the discussion of names with Bella.

He knew that he personally had never understood names that were too unique or were pronounced like another name but had a really strange spelling. He liked names like Madeline, Sadie, or Rebecca, but he wasn't firm on any one of them, and he was certain Bella had a few she was already considering herself.

Before he searched out the room, Edward stopped by the hospital's gift shop as he thought it was only appropriate he at least had some kind of present with him to congratulate the new parents. He decided on a onesie that had the text Bun Baked to Perfection on it just because he knew both Bella and Emmett would appreciate the joke. He wasn't too sure on Rosalie, but she was married to Emmett, so she had to be used to the humor.

He reached the room just as Emmett and Bella tiptoed out the door. He assumed it was because Rosalie had fallen asleep, and they didn't want to disturb her.

"Hey," he said softly, and they turned to him. Both of them looked tired but happy, and Bella immediately stepped closer to him, burying her face against his shirt. "Congratulations on the new arrival," he said and handed Emmett the small bag with the onesie.

As anticipated, Emmett chuckled at the text, and Bella cracked a smile when he showed her. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it. I guess you two are next, huh?"

"Nah, our bun's still four months away," Bella said and winked at him. "You'll be a pro by the time she comes along."

"Yeah, I guess," Emmett agreed thoughtfully, and then pointed over his shoulder back toward the room. "Both Rosalie and little Dean are sleeping in there, and I think I'll attempt some Zs myself. Thank you, Bells, for being here for us all night."

"Of course," she said. "You'd do the same for me."

"You know I would. I'll catch you guys later, okay?"

They nodded and Emmett sneaked back into the room.

"You ready for some lunch?" Edward asked, and Bella's expression turned dreamy.

"Hell, yes! I'm starving."

A/N:

What would you like them to name their little girl?

I haven't fully settled on a name yet or if I'm gonna stick with the name I chose in the first version. All I know is that it won't be Renesmee or Nessie or Vanessa or anything like that.

Drop your favorites in the reviews!

And until next time,

Stay Awesome!