DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.

Edward's POV

I pulled out the leather journal Bella had given me for my birthday. It had been sitting in my dresser drawer, untouched. She'd bought it for me to jot down musical ideas as they came to me, but I'd never found the time to actually put it into my briefcase. Today, though, I decided I had a better use for this journal.

I checked the time and was more than a little annoyed to see it would be at least another two hours before Alice returned my wife to me. Alice had begged and pleaded to both Bella and me for a short, four hour shopping trip. Bella had given into Alice's pleading eyes, and I was simply unable to deny my beautiful wife.

I sat on the sofa, holding the journal against my knee, thinking about how I wanted to start this, and what I hoped it would be when I was done. I decided I wanted to document Bella's pregnancy, to capture all of the moments she wouldn't even think were big at the time. And I wanted to write down any important conversations she and I would have regarding our baby's future. I also wanted the journal to show our baby his mother through my eyes. Bella never saw herself clearly and if she were to document the pregnancy, she would never mention anything personal about herself or the changes she was going through.

I hoped Bella would like this journal. I planned to continue to write in it through the baby's first birthday, and then give it to Bella on that day. She had always preferred home-made gifts over purchased ones and I knew she would always treasure this journal. I clicked the tip of the pen and started writing.

It's the day before Christmas Eve and we've only known about you for a little over a day now. I want to start off by telling you that you are going to have the most wonderful, loving, attentive mother that ever existed. I will also warn you that you won't be able to get away with much, as she's one of the most observant people on the planet.

I met her at a restaurant. I only went because your Uncle Emmett promised your mother might bite someone. As she's fond of telling me, she's not always a lady. The first thing I noticed about your mother was her eyes. They are chocolate brown and often seem deep enough to drown in. She can look at you and make you feel as though she's looking right through your skin and bones, deep into your soul. You will find out quickly that you can't lie while looking into those eyes.

You should also know that she has a wonderful, but quirky, sense of humor. She likes to say random things just to see how you'll react. She's also very fond of nicknames, so cross your fingers for a good one. I'm sure if she has her way, one of your first words will be her preferred nickname for me. I'm still hoping to somehow convince her to retire the name.

Your mother can be very stubborn when she wants to be. If you ever see her put her hands on her hips and stick out her chin, save yourself a lot of time and trouble, and just agree with her. Once she takes that pose, you'll never win; I've even lost many times to it.

I feel the need to warn you about her taste in music. While she does like many of the bands I do, she is also a fan of country music. I will try to limit your exposure to it, but I make no guarantees. I can't even save myself all of the time. If she ever sings to you or plays her guitar, feel blessed. She is so much more talented than she realizes, and when she sings, no angel in heaven can match her.

Your mother has had a rough life. She lost her parents when she was a teenager and it broke her gentle heart. She was extremely afraid to let me get close to her, and even after she told me she loved me, she still kept her distance at times. It took her a long time to trust me completely, to trust in our love, and the future I was offering her. But when she finally let me into her heart, I was able to help her heal.

There is nothing greater in this life than your mother's unconditional love, so be sure to respect it and treasure it. I have a feeling your mother will be the disciplinarian out of the two of us, but if I ever see or hear you disrespect her, you will find out just how capable I am of assuming that role. This will only be an idle threat, as I'm sure you will end up with the same loving heart that your mother possesses.

You will probably hear a lot of stories about your Grandpa Charlie and your Grandma Renée. Listen closely to them and enjoy them. They were wonderful parents to your mother and very smart people. I don't know where they went wrong with your Uncle Emmett, though. I'm only kidding. Your uncle is a good man and will probably be your favorite thing to play with.

I'm sure you're wondering why I haven't mentioned anything about myself yet. I'm saving my story for another page. Just know that your mother makes me the man I long to be and that without her, I am nothing. Whatever type of father I become, I'm sure I will owe it all to the gentle love and unending patience your mother showers me with.

We are excited to know you are on your way and we can't wait to hold you close and share our love with you.

I clicked the pen and closed the journal, smiling at all of the wonderful memories that had come to mind as I wrote that entry. I started looking around the room for a good place to put the journal so Bella wouldn't accidentally find it. I decided to put it in the drawer of my nightstand, since I knew Bella never went in there.

I headed downstairs to see what Emmett and Jasper were up to, and I wasn't surprised to find them playing video games and taunting each other. It was nice to have them home for the holidays.

"You should have picked a car with more horsepower, Jazz. There's no way you're going to catch up to me now," Emmett chuckled.

"My car has better traction than yours. I'll catch up in a few when you wipe out on the big curve," Jasper said with confidence.

"I play winner," I announced, sitting down next to them.

"That'll be me," Jasper replied.

Emmett's car came up to the curve Jasper was talking about and slammed into the wall, spiraling into a crazy spin that left his car facing the wrong direction. Jasper and I laughed, while Emmett cursed.

"Hurry up and turn around you stupid car," Emmett growled, punching the buttons on the controller with more force than necessary.

"Bye, bye," Jasper said, as his car sped past Emmett's.

"Damn it!" Emmett roared.

"Aren't you supposed to be banned from naughty words?" I teased.

"Lily's at the mall with her mother and aunts. I can say whatever I want," Emmett replied.

"Yes, but it would be easier if you stopped using the words altogether," Jasper commented.

"Yeah, then you wouldn't have to worry about slipping up in front of Lily," I added.

"Whatever," Emmett sighed. He handed me his controller. "Kick Jasper's butt."

"See! It wasn't so bad to substitute a less vulgar word," I joked, brushing my shoulder against Emmett's.

"Just shut up and race, Edward," Emmett said.

"I am," I chuckled, as Jasper started up a new race for us.

"Road rally okay?" Jasper asked.

"Perfect. I like the sliding on that track," I replied.

"Speaking of sliding and tracks…How do you figure my sister and you are going to stay on course with your plans, now that you've knocked her up?" Emmett asked angrily.

"First of all, can you not refer to it in a way that makes it sound like it's something horrible? Bella and I are very happy about our baby," I informed Emmett. "Secondly, what plans are you referring to specifically?"

"Bella said you guys were going to get a house of your own soon," Emmett replied.

"I still plan to do that for her. It might just get delayed a little. I don't want Bella rushing back to work just because of a house, Emmett. I'd rather be here for another six months or a year and allow her to be home with our baby," I told him.

Emmett snorted, but didn't say anything more.

"Emmett, I'm sensing a little anger here," Jasper noted.

"What are you upset about Emmett?" I asked him, putting down the controller.

Jasper turned off the game and television; he wanted to know what was going on just as much as I did.

"I just don't think she needs to be pregnant at her age," Emmett said.

"Emmett, you can't be serious," Jasper said, shaking his head. "She's older than any of our parents were when they had their first child. Twenty-three is not that young."

"It's not that so much. She just got out of college and she was really getting into teaching, and now she's going to have to take time off from that," Emmett explained.

"Emmett, Bella is really happy about our baby. Please don't say anything like this to her. She thinks you're happy about it and it'll crush her to know you're upset," I begged him.

"I'm not completely stupid, Edward," Emmett snapped. "She was my little sister long before she was ever your wife, or even your friend for that matter. I know how to handle her."

"Emmett, Bella is an adult! She doesn't need to be handled. She just needs you to love her and to support her. When are you going to realize she's not a kid?" I yelled.

Emmett jumped up from the sofa and I followed right after while Jasper jumped in-between us.

"Both of you calm down and back away right now," Jasper ordered.

I went over to the loveseat to put a little extra distance between the two of us. Emmett and I had gotten into a couple of heated arguments over the last year about him still treating Bella as if she was a teenager. When he acted that way, it always ended up with Bella feeling hurt and crying.

"Emmett, you owe Edward an apology," Jasper told him.

"Me? For what? He's the idiot who got my sister pregnant!" Emmett yelled.

"Emmett, would you listen to how stupid you sound?" Jasper snapped. "It takes two people to get pregnant and I seriously doubt Edward would breathe toward Bella if she didn't want him to. I understand where you're coming from, and you know I do. It was hard as hell to step aside and start letting you make decisions with Rosalie, but I did it for her because I knew it was what she really wanted. You still haven't stepped aside from Bella. And I think now would be the perfect time. You can't parent a parent, Emmett, and that's what Bella is now."

We were all quiet for a long time, just looking at each other and thinking things over. I was glad Emmett had waited for Bella to leave before blowing up. She didn't need to see this or hear it; it would only hurt her.

I thought it might be best to give Emmett time to cool down. "I'm going to take a drive. Let Bella know I've got my cell if she gets home before I do," I said.

I left the house, not waiting for a reply. I got in the Volvo and headed out to the main road. I pulled out my cell and called the one person I knew would be able to give me some perspective on how to deal with Emmett.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, mom. I was hoping you'd be done with your meeting and would want to meet me for coffee," I said.

"Edward, what's wrong?"

"I could use a friendly ear and some advice."

"Where would you like to meet?"

"How about the little coffee shop near my college?"

"Sounds perfect, Edward. I'll see you in about twenty minutes."

"Thank you." I hung up the phone and headed in that direction.

My mom had timing almost as impeccable as Alice's. She showed up with two minutes to spare. She gave me a quick hug and a kiss before settling into the booth with me. I'd already ordered the coffee for us, so we just sat there quietly, sipping at the coffee for a few minutes.

"Edward, what happened?" she asked, holding her cup in both of her hands.

I leaned back against the booth, running my hand through my hair. "Emmett sort of blew up at me. He's worried Bella's life is going to be ruined because she's pregnant. I guess he's worried she won't go back to teaching."

"That's her decision to make, not his. There are thousands of reasons why women decide to stay home with their babies. I stayed home with Alice and you, and I've never regretted a day of it. I'm very proud of the fact that I finished college and hold a degree, but it can't hold a candle to the pride and joy I feel in having been able to watch your sister and you grow and learn everyday."

"Why does he suddenly think I won't have Bella's best interest at heart? Does he think I would force her to stay home or something?"

"I'm not sure, Edward. You should ask him that."

I shook my head slightly. "It's been more difficult to talk to him lately. Our disagreements over Bella are less frequent, but they also seem to be more heated. It very nearly came to blows this morning."

"Edward!"

"It didn't!" I assured her. "Jasper was there to calm things down. And I doubt I really would have done anything even if Emmett had. It would have upset Bella and you know I can't do anything to hurt her."

"This situation with Emmett and you needs to be resolved right away. I will not let a strain between the two of you stress Bella out. You march yourself home this instant and work things out with Emmett."

"Tell me how. That's why I asked you to meet me."

"The two of you need to have a real conversation. He needs to tell you exactly what his fears are regarding the pregnancy, and you need to address them all. Edward, I know this is hard and this is not a problem you would normally have to face, but with Emmett having raised Bella, it makes it complicated."

"I know. I try to keep that in mind at all times. I do. But if Bella found out he was upset about our baby, it would really hurt her. I can't let him do that to her."

"Then go home and talk to him."

I nodded my head as I stared at my coffee cup. My mother always made everything sound so simple and easy. Maybe I really was over-thinking the situation with Emmett.

"Edward, if you talk calmly to Emmett and keep your temper in check, I'm sure the two of you can work things out. I know it must be frustrating for you to be her husband and to feel like you have to answer to her brother, but Emmett really does love her and wants only the best for her."

"But I want the same thing."

"Then find a way to give her the best together." She patted my hand and smiled at me. "Now go home and work things out with Emmett."

I slid out of the booth and kissed her cheek. I headed home, thinking about what she had said and hoping Emmett would be calmer. He was hard to talk to when he was upset.

When I got home, I was thankful to see the girls were still out. Jasper was stretched out on the sofa, watching television. He lifted an arm and pointed toward the stairs without saying a word. I followed his silent directions and found Emmett in the guest room Rose and he shared each time they visited.

"Do you have a minute?" I asked.

He was tossing one of Lily's stuffed animals between his hands. "Sure."

"Emmett, I don't want us to fight. This should really be a happy time for us all. It's the holidays, for one. For another, you're going to be an uncle; the favorite one to play with, I'm sure."

"Edward, I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm not happy for you guys. I really am. It's a miracle to have a baby and see little pieces of yourself in them. I look at Lily and I know she's the best thing I've ever done with my life. I really do want Bella and you to know that feeling."

"So why did you get so upset? What are you worried about?"

"I want Bella to be really, truly happy. Not just sort-of happy, or things-could-always-be-worse happy, but a hundred-percent happy."

"As far as I know, she is."

"She was. But now she's pregnant. You can't tell me you think she's going to want to keep living with your parents now that she's going to be a mom."

"We've already been talking about getting a place of our own before we found out about our baby. We've been saving almost all of our salaries and we've even looked at a few places so we'll know what kind of house we want. Our baby won't completely derail those plans, Emmett. We just might have to postpone them for a little while."

"That sounds reasonable. You know what, though, I want to help. Why don't you and I find a realtor to help me sell the old homestead? It's probably about time I did that, and I could split the money with Bella, and then you guys wouldn't have to wait on getting a house," Emmett offered.

"Are you sure Bella would be okay with you selling it?"

"She hasn't been back there since the night you two ran off and got married, so I don't see where it would be a problem."

"Actually, she has been back. We go over once a month to clean and air out the house. She can't stand the thought of letting it fall to pieces. But I can imagine her being happy to see a family living in it again."

"Would you be up to helping me out if the realtor says we need to do some repairs or slap some paint on it?"

"Of course, Emmett."

He sighed and looked at me for a minute. "Edward, I'm sorry. I thought about what Jasper said and he's right. I've never stepped aside and let Bella and you make your own choices together without my two cents. I'm sorry for all the times I stepped in and interfered when I shouldn't have."

"It's okay. I understand it must be hard for you to let her go after being responsible for her for so long. I hope you know I would never do anything that would harm Bella in anyway."

"Except knocking her up," Emmett chuckled, breaking up the earlier tension. "Birth hurts like a bitch, at least that's what Rose said."

I laughed with him, slightly shaking my head. Emmett couldn't help but find a way to turn a serious conversation into a joke. It was one of the things we all loved about him.

"Husbands! We're home!" Rose called from downstairs.

Emmett and I both started heading for the door. He pushed me out of the way and ran out of the room laughing. I shook my head as I followed after him. He was already hugging Rose and kissing Lily by the time I made it down the stairs.

Bella and Alice had their heads together over a bag, talking in low whispers, and I could see from the way they were both slightly bouncing, that they were very excited about something. "Hmm. My wife and sister peeking into a bag and keeping their voices low. What are you two sneaky ladies up to?" I asked.

Bella and Alice giggled as they hugged each other. I just stood there, watching them, growing more suspicious. Bella took the bag from Alice and grabbed my hand. "Follow me," she said.

"To the ends of the Earth and back again, beautiful," I told her.

She laughed as she led me up the stairs and to our room. She pulled me over to the sofa and playfully pushed me down onto it. She crawled into my lap so that she was facing me and gave me a big smile.

"Did you enjoy your shopping trip with Alice?" I asked, kissing her cheek.

"Yes, actually, it was a lot of fun. I never knew there were so many things for babies. And amazingly enough, I convinced Alice to leave them all in the store."

"So what's in the bag?"

"A gift for you," she said as she handed me the bag. "I hope you like it."

"It's from you so I'm positive I will love it." I opened the bag and moved the tissue paper, revealing a book. I pulled it out, read the title, and started laughing.

Bella took the book from me and flipped to the table of contents. "Look at all the great stuff it has in here, Edward. I know you can't really go by a book or anything, but I just thought it would be fun to read it together and then we can compare our experiences to the book. Besides, I really liked the title."

I took the book from her and read the title out loud. "The Everything Father-To-Be Book: A Survival Guide for Men. Yes, Bella, that is an interesting title. It sort of makes it sound like pregnancy is akin to a jungle safari."

"I've always told you that you would make a good lion," she chuckled.

I put the book down and took her into my arms. "I'd make a horrible lion. I'd never be able to let you go off on your own and do the hunting. We'd be the only lion pride where the male did the hunting."

"That sounds just like you," she sighed, snuggling further against me.

Bella lapsed into silence, and there was no telling what she was thinking. Normally, I would have asked, but for now, I was just happy to have her home and in my arms. I missed her terribly every time she left my sight. I loved her so completely that when she was away, I felt like part of myself was missing. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like for me to leave her and our baby. I found myself smiling goofily after that last thought, daydreaming about my Bella with a perfectly round tummy.

I sighed, letting go of that daydream. "I hope Alice didn't tire you out too much, love. I was hoping you would feel up to taking a ride with me."

She didn't answer so I leaned sideways to see her face, surprised to find that she was fast asleep. I carefully lifted her and laid her in our bed. I took off her shoes and pulled the covers up to her waist. She never once stirred, letting me know just how tired she really was. She had probably been ready to come home after that first hour, but was too selfless to tell that to an excited Alice and Rosalie.

I turned out the light and quietly left the room, wanting to find my pixie sister and set her straight about a few things. I found Alice sitting on the living room floor with a sketch pad in her hands and colored pencils spread out all around her.

"What are you doing now?" I asked, sitting down across from her.

"Planning the nursery. Bella loves blue and green, so I'm coming up with schemes for a boy and a girl. I'll finalize the plans once we know exactly what you guys are having," Alice explained.

"Ali, you know I love you and I'm glad you're so excited, but you have got to slow down for Bella's sake."

"Where is Bella?"

"Passed out, no thanks to you. She can't be dragged all around stores for hours on end. She could barely handle it before, and now that her body is working to support two lives—"

"Edward, I swear to you that we took tons of breaks. And that I didn't pout a single time when Bella said she needed to sit."

"Just promise me that you won't whisk her away for shopping again until she asks to go."

Alice lifted an eyebrow at me and frowned.

"She's going to ask you, Alice. And if she doesn't, I will. Just let her get used to the idea and relax a bit. I can't stand to see her so tired, especially not so soon after—"

"Edward," Alice sighed, putting her little hand on top of mine. "I know that seeing her sick scared you badly, but you can't live your life worrying something will happen to her. Neither of you can be happy that way. She's perfectly healthy, just tired. And like you said, once she gets used to the changes in her body, she'll adjust and she won't be so tired."

"Alice is right," Rosalie assured me. "I went through the same thing when I was pregnant with Lily. Bella will have times when she's extremely tired, and then she'll be overly active for a bit."

"Just wait until you get to the overly horny stage," Emmett chuckled. "That was my favorite part."

Rosalie glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Baby, every stage of your pregnancy was my favorite part," he quickly corrected. "In fact, why don't we go upstairs and see if we can't give Lily a little brother or sister?"

"No way, Emmett Swan. I already told you that I do not want to have another baby until Lily is at least in kindergarten. I want her to be old enough to help so that she never feels left out or jealous," Rose told him.

"Did you like your book?" Alice asked, trying to steer the conversation to safer waters.

"Yes," I chuckled. "Only Bella would get me a 'survival guide' to fatherhood."

"She doesn't even think you need it," Alice giggled. "She just liked the title too much to pass it up."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She's convinced you will be the perfect father and you will always be trying to help her be a decent mother."

"My wife is so silly some days," I chuckled. "She's got that completely backwards. She's so great with Lily and I'm the one always asking questions and feeling like a goof."

"She wouldn't be our Bella if she wasn't over-thinking something," Alice said with a smile.

I knew just how right those words were. The night we had gotten married was the happiest of my life, but the hours before it had been the saddest. I had come home to find Bella's ring and a note saying that she had left me for my own good. She had accidentally overheard a conversation between my parents and in true Bella fashion, she had thought too much about it, panicked, and tried to leave me for my own good. But I had chased after her, refusing to let her get away from me. And what had started out so horribly had ended in the most perfect night of my life. I had married the woman of my dreams and made her mine in every way. And now, she was growing our child inside of her, giving us both the most special gift we could ever hope to receive. I would do all I could to keep her from getting worried and over-thinking this pregnancy…I was going to need lots of distractions.

Yeah! Another chapter for you lovely readers. Edward and distractions? Sounds like fun!! Lucky Bella!!

And if you haven't heard, LLC is up for a Twilight Award, along with a lot of other great stories. Go check them out. The link is on my profile page.