DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
You are warned: There's a lemon in this chapter for our Edward and Bella. It's not a big one or anything, but it's there for those of you who don't like such things.
Bella's POV
When I woke up, the shadows on the wall were long and low, letting me know it was late afternoon. I stretched and rolled over, expecting to find Edward, but only finding an empty bed. I frowned, wondering where he could have gotten off to.
The bathroom door opened and I had my answer. "Hello, Sleepyhead," he greeted, smiling at me.
It took me a moment to remember how to speak as I took in the glory of a nearly naked Edward standing in the doorway in just his dark gray boxer briefs. "I missed you," I said, holding my arms out to him.
Edward was in my arms, embracing me tightly, within seconds. "I love you," he murmured, his lips pressed against the sensitive skin of my neck.
"I love you, too. I missed you."
"You already said that," he chuckled, leaning up and kissing my forehead.
"It's still true. You smell good," I sighed, pulling myself closer to him.
"I just got out of the shower."
"You took one without me?" I asked, pretending to pout.
"I'm not opposed to taking another," he teased, his voice sounding perfectly velvety.
I smiled and kissed the part of his chest closest to my lips. "Good, because my stomach still feels sticky from the gel and I don't want to spend anymore time away from you."
"Then we should definitely conserve the Earth's finite resources and shower together," Edward said, rolling us to the edge of the bed and then standing up with me in his arms.
"What ever are you doing, Mr. Cullen?" I asked, trying not to smile at his antics.
"Well, Mrs. Cullen, I am taking my wife into the bathroom, where I will undress her, get her into the shower, and hopefully, she'll be thankful enough to allow me to worship her gorgeous body."
"I think that sounds like an excellent plan," I said, unable to hold back my grin any longer. "And we should definitely take advantage of it while we can. Before long, I'll be a big, bloated whale and sex in the shower will be a thing of the past."
"You will never be a whale, and it will only be on a short hiatus," he chuckled, setting me down on the floor and then turning on the shower.
Once he had removed all of our clothes, we stepped into the shower together. The warm water felt wonderful as it cascaded down my back. Edward put his head under the shower, drenching his hair, and then shook his head at me.
The water droplets were cooler than the shower's water and I yelped from the change in temperature. "Edward," I laughed, trying to protect my face with my hands as he shook his head at me again. "What are you doing?"
He laughed deep in his chest and pulled me into his arms, kissing my cheek. "I just wanted to hear that beautiful laugh of yours."
I lifted my arms, wrapping them around his neck, and pressed my body against his. His eyes closed as a small moan escaped his lips. His arms wound around my waist, holding me tightly, while he moved his head to rest on my shoulder, lightly nuzzling my neck with his nose. "I love you," he sighed, sounding perfectly content.
"I love you, too."
Edward started to hum a tune, one I'd never heard before, and we swayed together under the cascading water.
I laughed again. "Only my wonderful husband would think to have us dance in the shower."
He kissed my shoulder, but didn't say anything in reply.
I tried to be in the moment with him, enjoying this amazingly sweet gesture of his, but my curiosity had taken over and I needed to know something. I shrugged my shoulder, getting Edward to lift his head, and took his face into my hands. "Edward, what were you thinking when you were looking at the picture on the monitor this morning?"
He smiled and kissed my wet cheek. "I was thinking that it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life, and there will never be anything I can do to repay you for the miracle you are bringing into our life."
"Hey, he's half yours, you know," I teased.
"Yes," he chuckled. "But he's growing inside of you," he added, putting his hand over my stomach and holding it there. "I love you, Bella. I'm so happy about this baby."
"Good," I said, kissing his lips. "Because I have never been happier in my entire life."
His crooked grin covered his face and his green eyes sparkled. "Do you truly mean that?"
"I would never lie to you about something so important," I promised him.
His grin actually managed to widen some more before he pressed his lips to mine in a sweet kiss. I loved Edward's kisses—not that I had anything to compare them to or would ever want to compare them. Something about the way he could make them so tender and loving, but raw with passion at the same time…It just made melt into his arms, wishing I never needed to stop kissing him.
I had to pull away much sooner than I was used to, gasping for breath as I clung to Edward. "I'm not going to like that either," I muttered.
"What?" he chuckled, probably confused by my outburst.
"I can't kiss you for as long now, it seems," I sighed. "I already feel like I don't get to kiss you nearly long enough."
"Then we'll just have to have lots of short kisses," he said. He immediately started to cover my neck in small kisses, lightly sucking on my skin.
"Don't leave a mark," I sighed, titling my head to give him more access to my neck. "Em won't like it."
"Your very scary brother went home yesterday, Love," Edward chuckled. "I can mark you all I want."
"Okay, but you have to explain that mark to my students."
"They're college students, Bella. They already know what it means."
"Edward," I warned.
"I'll buy you some turtleneck shirts," he murmured, continuing to assault my neck with his kisses.
"I hate turtlenecks."
He sighed before placing one final kiss against my neck. "Okay. You win."
"The rest of me was starting to feel neglected anyway," I teased, hiding my smile from him.
"Oh, well we certainly can't have that," he said before lifting my chin and covering my lips with his.
Edward's hands traveled up my sides and cupped my breasts, just as he'd done thousands of times before. Only this time, it hurt like hell. I jumped away from him, cursing under my breath.
"What?" he asked, looking completely panic-stricken. "What's wrong, Bella?"
"That hurt," I whined, not quite daring to cross my arms in front of me.
"What hurt?"
"When you grabbed my boobs," I explained.
"I didn't think I was grabbing them, but I'm sorry all the same. Have they been bothering you lately?"
"A little sore, but I haven't really paid much attention with everything that's been going on."
"Bella, you have to pay attention to yourself first and foremost," he cautioned, carefully pulling me back into his arms. "I know you worry about being selfish, but this is one time in your life when you have to be selfish. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I groaned.
"If it bothers you that much, think of it in these terms: you are focusing on our baby by focusing on yourself."
"That does sound better."
Edward lowered his head so that he was looking right at me. "Then why are you still looking so grumpy?"
"Because we have to go shopping. And I warn you right now, Edward Cullen. If you let Alice find out we went shopping without her, I will make you seriously regret it."
"Why are we going without her?" he asked, looking completely confused.
"Because this isn't the sort of shopping I would feel comfortable having her along on. Not to mention that she would make a total spectacle of it."
"Bella, please. I can't read your mind and you're talking in circles."
"I need some new bras, Edward. Part of the reason I'm sore is that I'm too swollen for the ones I have."
"And you didn't mention this sooner because?" he asked, a familiar aggravated look on his face. He truly couldn't stand to hear that I had denied myself something for any reason. He was always so focused on making sure I was happy and that I had everything I could possibly ever want or need. It was incredibly sweet of him, but also a bit annoying because I didn't need or want much—I just wanted him.
"Because we were right in the middle of the holidays with our family home for a short amount of time and it was at the bottom of my list of things to do," I defended.
"Isabella," he sighed.
"Don't use that tone with me," I pleaded, already feeling guilty enough for all the different emotions I'd inflicted on him in just one day. "I've already promised to put myself first, so give me a break. I'm sorry that the idea of shopping for a new bra with Alice filled me with enough fear to keep wearing my old one, but I can only take so much of an exuberant pixie before I want to yank my hair out. And with the way I've been feeling lately…" I didn't even finish my sentence, I just started crying all over again. Stupid emotions. Stupid bras. Stupid shopping.
"Bella, relax," Edward cooed, holding me close. "It's okay. We'll take care of it together and Alice will never know. I promise."
"I'm so sorry. I totally ruined the mood."
"Hey, I came in here wanting to be close to you. Last time I looked, you were naked and in my arms—that seems pretty close to me."
"How do you always do that?" I sniffled, relaxing against him.
"Do what?"
"Say the perfect thing to make me feel better?"
"It's my job."
"Well, you're really good at it," I laughed, wiping away my tears. "Like at the club. And how do you come up with those lines so fast?"
"Living with you, and that rapid-fire thought process of yours, I've learned to think on my feet. That, and the truth is easy to say."
I put my arms around his neck and smiled up at him. "Tell me again, please."
"The whole apology, or just the end?" he asked, giving me that crooked smile that always melted me.
"The whole thing."
"Isabella, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that there's nothing more I fear than a life without you, and it turns me into a tyrant and an ass. I'm sorry that I'm making things more stressful for you rather than less. I'm sorry that my attempts to protect you always seem to frustrate you and ruin your good mood. I'm sorry I don't seem to know the right things to say and do because I've never been a husband or a father before and there's no book in the world that could explain your beautifully complex mind to me. Bella, I love you so very much, and you have every right to be angry with me. You are strong, independent, intelligent, and so amazingly wonderful and I have to learn to remember that, no matter how scared I get. All I wanted tonight was to be near you, so even though I don't deserve it, please don't be angry enough to spend the night away from me. You mean more to me than simple words can ever say and I promise to try harder to calm down and back off. I love you, Isabella."
"You are such a liar," I chuckled, kissing his lips lightly. "You can convey so much to me with the simplest of words. And only you would be capable of a complete speech when faced with an angry pregnant woman."
"Thank you," he chuckled, kissing the top of my head. "Now, let's get you cleaned up before the hot water goes away." He reached behind me and grabbed the sponge, holding it out to me.
I lifted an eyebrow at him, waiting for his explanation—he'd never handed me the sponge, not even the first time we'd ever showered together.
"I'm not sure of all the places you're tender right now, so I thought it might be better to let you wash yourself this once," he explained.
"My feelings are a lot more tender than my boobs, so before you end up needing to give a new speech, I think you better just put some soap on that sponge and get busy with the washing," I told him.
"This is definitely going to be an interesting experience," he chuckled, grabbing the bottle of strawberry scented body wash.
"Get used to it, Daddy! We've got quite a few months left to deal with the ups and downs of this pregnancy," I said, putting some conditioner in my hair while he got the sponge ready.
"Your wish, my command, Mommy," he chuckled.
Once I was done with my hair, he twirled his finger at me and I followed his instructions, turning so that my back was to him. He moved my wet hair so that it was draped over one shoulder and very tenderly, began to rub the sponge against my neck and back.
"I'm glad you're still letting me do this," he said, rubbing the sponge in soothing circles across my lower back.
"You say that now," I sighed, loving the way my muscles relaxed under his tender touch. "Just wait until I'm huge and can't even see my own feet."
"Then, I'll still do this, but to make you feel better, I'll describe your feet to you and let you know how they're doing."
"Ed-ward," I laughed.
"Bel-la," he chuckled, having moved on to the backs of my thighs and calves. "I love you, Bella. I don't care how much weight you gain. I only care that you and the baby are healthy."
"I want to ask you a question and I hope you can promise to give me an honest answer."
"Is this a trick to see how I react to you crying once again today?" He tapped the back of my leg. "Turn please."
"No," I said, turning toward him and looking right into those emerald green eyes I loved. "I'm being serious and I hope I won't cry."
"Alright," he replied with a cautious look on his face. "What's your question?"
"How does Em really feel about the baby?"
Edward was suddenly very interested in focusing on my legs as he washed my shin and knee. "Bella, you know that Emmett loves you very much."
"I do."
"And you know he worries about you, as if you were his child and not just his little sister."
"I agree with that, too."
"He has some…concerns, but overall, he is happy about the baby and for us."
"What are his concerns?"
"For starters, he would like to see us in our own home before the baby comes. He's also worried about you getting to return to teaching after the baby is born. Basically, he wants to make absolute sure that you're really, truly happy and not settling for anything because of the baby."
"As if you would ever allow me to settle for anything," I yelled, causing my voice to echo in the enclosed space. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Edward assured me as he stood up and held me in his arms. "I know you're mad right now, but just try to cool off before you talk to him. He really does have your best interest at heart."
"No, that's you. Emmett just wants to control."
"No, Bella. He and I had a talk and he even apologized for putting himself in the middle of our decisions in the past. He really does want the best for you. He's offered for him and me to fix up your parents' house and sell it, and then split the profits so we can afford a home of our own."
"He really said that?" I asked, wanting so much for Emmett to be that accepting. He'd never really forgiven Edward for the way we had run off to get married—he liked to pretend that I just went along with whatever Edward said, knowing full well just how stubborn I could be. And I had wanted nothing more that night than to become Mrs. Edward Cullen, so that was exactly what I'd done. Edward had flown us out to Vegas and we'd gotten married in the cutest little chapel.
"Yes, Love. He did," Edward said, drawing my attention back to him.
I could tell from the look on his face that Edward was being perfectly honest—not that he would ever lie to me. More like sugarcoat. "The big bear," I sniffled, fighting back the tears that wanted to come. "He can really be sweet sometimes."
"He loves you, Bella."
"Yeah, but you love me more," I said, smiling up at him. Damn these mood swings were nuts! I really needed to figure out how to control these things better. Maybe I'd call Rose tonight.
"Absolutely," Edward chuckled. He lowered his head and kissed me sweetly, but I wanted something much more than sweet right now.
I bit his bottom lip lightly and received a wonderful moan from him in reply. "I love you."
"I love you, too. Stop distracting me so we can get out of this shower while the water's still warm," he said.
"Yes, sir," I chuckled.
Edward was extra careful as he washed my chest and stomach, knowing full well he was teasing me into a frenzy. But that was okay—I would get him back soon enough. I behaved myself through the rest of my very sensual shower and even through him drying me off, although it was extremely hard to keep my hands to myself by that point.
I wrapped the big, fluffy towel around my body and headed into the bedroom, leaving Edward to dry himself off alone in the bathroom. I quickly ran over to my dresser and pulled out the dark blue, silk nightgown Edward had gotten me for Christmas. I slipped it over my head, tugging at the parts that stuck to my still damp skin until it was sitting just right and hugging all the right parts. I quickly made my way over to the bed and stretched out, resting my back against the headboard. I made my face as innocent as possible and waited for Edward to come out and see his surprise.
"So do you feel up to discussing the house thing?" Edward asked, walking out of the bathroom in his boxer briefs, with his towel over his head.
"We can talk if you like," I said, trying not to laugh. I always felt a little silly when I was trying to be seductive for him, though he swore I didn't even have to try.
"Well, I—" was all he got out because he had pulled his towel off his head and found his surprise.
"Does your speechless state mean this looks as good on me as you thought it would?" I asked.
"It's better," he said breathlessly.
He was on the bed with me so fast that I hardly saw him move across the room. His hands grabbed my hips possessively as his lips moved hungrily with mine. His tongue barely flicked my lip and I eagerly opened my mouth for him, letting his tongue explore and wrap around mine.
We didn't get to enjoy the kiss for long, though. I had to tear myself away to gulp in some fresh air. Edward didn't seem to mind, moving his lips to the hollow behind my ear and grazing parts of my neck. My hands went into his hair, tangling in the messy silkiness, and using it to steer his kisses where I wanted them most.
"Edward," I sighed, loving the feel of him against me.
"Too much weight?" he asked, immediately pulling away from me.
"No, it was perfect," I pouted. "Come back."
He chuckled at me, but came closer, lightly pressing his body against mine. I grabbed his shoulders and he allowed me to pull him just the tiniest bit closer. I chuckled to myself, thinking about how overprotective Edward could be, but my laughter was quickly forgotten when he pressed his lips against my skin. My skin tingled wherever his hands and lips touched me, just as it always did. I wondered if this was just because of how much we loved each other, or if it was just Edward himself. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was him—he was practically perfect after all. And not because he did everything right the first time, either. It was because he never stopped trying to make things right for us. A simple "I'm sorry" would be fine for me, but Edward always gave huge loving ones, wanting me to know just how much he wanted to fix whatever mistake he'd made.
He started kissing my shoulder, slowly moving across my body to my other shoulder. My hands wandered down toward his hips, loving the way his muscles clenched beneath my fingers. I'd just managed to hook my fingers in his waistband when he pulled away once again. A loud groan escaped me and Edward chuckled at my impatience.
"Patience, Isabella." I knew he was trying to sound stern, but I could see in his gorgeous green eyes that he wanted this just as much as I did. He was just trying to be protective Edward still.
"Edward, please don't treat me differently. At least not in this one area. I need to feel like one part of our life together isn't going to completely change."
"Silly Bella," he sighed, holding me tightly against him. "I can't ignore the fact that you're carrying our baby and need to be treated with care."
"You can't hurt me or the baby, Edward." I put my hand up against his cheek, and looked into his green eyes. "You could never hurt me."
He chuckled and shook his head at me. "Why must you always ask for things I can't give you?"
"You can, you just don't want to because you're in Protector Edward mode. But I want Husband Edward that loves his wife and wants to have amazing sex with her."
Edward buried his face in my hair, trying to cover up his snort, but it was too loud for that.
"Please, Edward?" I whispered, running my short fingernails along his back. "Please love me."
"I do love you, Bella," he said, lifting his head and looking down at me. "I love you more than anything or anyone in the entire world."
"Then please love me like you normally do, at least for tonight. Please."
"You are going to be the death of me, Isabella Cullen," he replied, shaking his head the slightest bit.
I smiled in victory as his lips started to inch closer to mine. The kiss was everything I wanted from him, full of love and tenderness and so much passion that it made my head spin…Or maybe it was just me forgetting to breathe again.
Ever so slowly, his fingers inched my nightgown up my body and then finally pulled it over my head. His eyes roamed across every inch of exposed skin and his lips followed soon after. He finally stopped the sweet torture to lay a searing kiss on my lips, and I wondered if this was anything close to what Heaven might be like. Of course, any place where Edward was at, was Heaven to me.
When his lips finally left mine, they stayed attached to my sensitive skin, moving along my neck and to that spot behind my ear. "I love you," he whispered so softly that I almost missed the words.
Edward was enjoying his slow progress, getting his lips around every single inch of my chest and stomach, while I wanted him to hurry up so that I could feel him inside of me. Nothing could compare to being one with him and having his body line up just right with mine. Think of the most amazing thing you've ever felt in your entire life and multiply that by a hundred and you can sort of understand what he was able to make me feel.
As if he could read my mind, Edward lifted his head, silently asking me for permission with those dazzling, green eyes of his. I nodded my head the best I could and he smiled, finally returning his lips to mine as he slowly slid into me. My moan was so deep and loud that I knew I should be embarrassed—but I was enjoying this too much to care. I was drowning in the pleasure of Edward making love to me and I didn't give a damn who heard us. I would care later on and probably be red in the face for days, but right now, there was only the feeling of drawing closer to the edge with the man I loved.
As much as I didn't want to admit it, this much slower and sweeter version of our love-making was almost better than the way we normally came together. I wasn't breathing nearly as hard so it was easier to answer all of the whisperings of devotion that Edward showered me with. Part of me had wanted to be annoyed at his cheating—he'd never actually promised to do as I'd asked, so he was free to set whatever pace he wanted to. But how could I ever be annoyed for long with someone so focused on making me happy?
My release came seconds after his next thrust, hitting me fast and hard, causing my entire body to quiver from the pleasure of it. I was so lost to it that I wasn't even sure if Edward had come along for the ride with me or not. I'd probably feel guilty about that later, but right now, I was just happy to be in his arms.
When I finally became coherent again, I found myself resting on his heaving chest with his hands stroking my hair. "I love you, Isabella Cullen," he said, love and tenderness dripping from each word uttered in that velvet voice of his.
"Love you, too," I sighed, too exhausted to say more or even really move.
We stayed that way for a long while before Edward said that it was time to get ready for dinner. Esme had mentioned this morning that she wanted to cook for us so there was no question of not going downstairs.
After finally getting out of bed—we played "one more minute" about ten times—Edward and I dressed in our pajamas, planning to bum around the house for the rest of the night. We headed downstairs and found Esme in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled spectacular—at least it did to me.
"What are you making?" I asked, watching her stir the pot in front of her.
"I have a chicken and broccoli casserole in the oven and I am making green beans to go along with it," Esme replied.
"Smells wonderful," I told her.
"Thank you, Dear." She put down the spoon and turned toward us, chuckling a bit. "I see you both are enjoying having the day off."
"Dr. Johnson said to make sure Bella gets plenty of rest," Edward said, holding me in his arms. "We thought staying in our pajamas was a good way to accomplish that."
I smiled and puckered my lips at him, watching his grin grow bigger before he finally leaned down and granted me my kiss.
"It's good to see you both so happy," Esme said.
Edward smiled and gave me a chaste kiss on my lips. "It's easy to be happy with Bella."
"Esme, you raised yourself one very perfect son," I told her, pulling Edward's arms tighter around me.
"He has his days," she chuckled.
"Thanks, Mom," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Well, you did have that brief stint where you wouldn't even let your own mother hug you," Esme chided, slapping his arm with her dishtowel.
"I guess I sort of deserved that," he admitted. "Lucky for us all that Bella came into our lives, huh?"
"Very," Esme agreed, smiling sweetly at me. "So! When can I expect to hold my grandbaby?"
I laughed, completely not expecting that to be the next words out of her mouth. "According to Dr. Johnson, it should be around August 20th."
"So that puts you in your sixth week. You have a ways to go with the morning sickness. Did he give you any tips that you haven't already heard from Rosalie and me?" she asked.
"Not really," I replied. "He did say the only thing that worked for my mother was eating crackers in bed before she got up and started her day. I can't get over how much he remembers about my parents."
"Between the doctor and the little old nurse up front, Bella spent most of her appointment crying," Edward teased, nuzzling my cheek with his nose.
"Which meant Edward spent most of that time holding me and trying to calm me down," I chuckled. "But it was nice to get to learn those things about my mom. And he did a sonogram, too, Esme!" I added, getting excited about it all over again. "There wasn't much to see yet, but we could see the rhythm of the baby's heartbeat. It was so amazing! And Dr. Johnson says we'll be able to hear it at my next appointment."
"They really have come so far now from the days when I was pregnant with Alice and Edward," Esme mused.
"Hello, family," Carlisle greeted.
"Hello, Dear," Esme said, rushing over and hugging him tightly. "The kids were just telling me about the doctor's appointment this morning."
"How did it go?" Carlisle asked, kissing my cheek and then shaking Edward's hand.
"Good," Edward answered. "Bella and the baby are doing great so far. She's six weeks along and due around August 20th. Dr. Johnson gave us a list of things to do for Bella's morning sickness, and he also prescribed her some vitamins and plenty of naps."
"Well, it seems like you're taking the nap part seriously," Carlisle joked, pointing at our pajamas.
"We're enjoying the calm after the storms that are Alice and Emmett," I chuckled.
"Yes, the house is definitely quieter now," Esme agreed. "And by Monday, I'll probably start missing them all again."
"Monday," I groaned. "Back to work."
"I thought you wanted to go back to work?" Edward questioned.
"I do. I love my students. I'm just not looking forward to the meeting with the head of my department. I have to let him know that he'll need a replacement for me to cover at least the beginning of the fall session," I explained.
"He'll understand, Bella," Edward assured me. "I'm sure he won't have a problem with it at all."
"I know, but I'm still nervous," I told him.
"You wouldn't be our Bella if you weren't nervous about something," Carlisle teased, winking at me.
"Yeah, I guess so," I chuckled. I tugged on Edward's arms since he was still holding me tightly. "I really want to sit down now, so either let go or move me over to the table."
Edward chuckled as he let go of me. "Careful walking over there on your own."
I poked my tongue at him and he laughed in response.
"Edward, you shouldn't tease Bella like that. It's been a long time since she fell over her own feet," Esme said, defending me.
"Yeah, but when she did, she did it with such flair," Edward replied, smirking as he looked right at me.
"Sure, sure," I sighed. "Make fun of the poor, pregnant woman who will probably end up with even worse balance issues in the months to come."
Edward walked over to me and pressed his lips to my forehead. "Don't fret, Love. I'll be right here to catch you if your klutziness comes back."
"I love you, Edward," I said sincerely, reaching out my arms for a hug.
He instantly granted my request, holding tightly to me. "I love you, too, Isabella."
I could hear all the promises behind his simple words and it made my heart soar. Edward really would be with me every step of the way through this pregnancy and beyond. And as long as I had Edward by my side, there was nothing to fear. Or so I was going to believe.
Lovely Readers,
Thanks for letting me know how you feel about fluff versus drama! Appreciate the help! Any ideas on what sort of drama you'd like to see would be appreciated. You guys are being so patient with the weekly posts and you should all get to add a little something to the story to make it part yours! All ideas will get credited to the lovely reader! I know where this is going--it's just the getting there that's taking me a while. Hence asking if you want drama during the pregnancy! LOL!