DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
Edward's Birthday
Bella's POV
Watching Edward sleep never seemed to get old or boring for me. I loved the way his hair spread out in different directions. I loved when he smiled in his sleep and his dimples showed up. I loved the rise and fall of his chest with his strong, steady breaths. I really did love everything about this wonderful man.
Today was Edward's birthday and I was so excited about the day we had planned for him. He didn't care for the attention of a big party anymore than I did, so I'd fought with Alice and won. Every part of Edward's day had been planned out by me, and the family was going to help make sure everything on the list happened.
Emmett and Jasper were in charge of this morning's activities. They were going to take him out for a big, greasy breakfast with coffee and then to the batting cages to work it all off. After that, they were going to take him go-kart racing. Emmett had suggested that one and after looking up the place with Jasper and him, I knew it would be perfect. Every inch of the place was race-themed; there were different tracks, and then there was a game room with a pool table and video games. It was paradise for their inner-boys and I knew Edward would have a great time.
Emmett and Jasper would have Edward home at exactly two o'clock in the afternoon—I knew this because I'd had the pleasure of listening to Alice and Rosalie explain exactly how awful life would be for their husbands if they didn't have my husband home on time. Esme and Rosalie were putting together a family lunch and after we ate, we would be opening gifts. After spending a few hours with the family, I would be whisking Edward away for the last part of his birthday—and hopefully, his favorite part. I knew I was up against stiff competition from that go-kart place, but I was pretty sure I'd still win.
"What on Earth are you giggling about so early in the morning?" Edward mumbled, turning on his side and cuddling against me. I was thirty weeks pregnant and too big to sleep comfortably while lying against Edward's side. On the plus side, that meant I only had ten weeks before I could lay eyes on my sweet little boy.
"Good morning, birthday boy," I said sweetly, running my fingers through his hair.
"Morning," he grunted. He lifted my shirt and kissed the rather large belly hiding beneath it. "Morning, little man."
"Oh, so the baby gets the sweet good morning and I get the grumpy one. How is that fair?" I asked, pretending to be annoyed.
Edward immediately scooted up in the bed and locked his lips on mine, giving me an amazing kiss. "That was your good morning, beautiful wife of mine."
"Oh, yeah," I chuckled. "I definitely got a better one than the baby."
"So how many seconds do I have left with you before Alice bounces in and starts my day of torture?" he asked, helping me to sit up in the bed.
"Well, Alice won't be here until later. However, you still have to get out of bed in exactly ten minutes to shower and dress. Emmett and Jasper will be here to collect you."
"I'm not spending my birthday with you?" he questioned, looking completely shocked.
"We'll see each other when the guys bring you home for lunch."
"Bella," he pouted, even sticking out his bottom lip.
"Don't give me that face, Cullen," I chuckled. "Either you go along with my plans without a fuss, or I pick up the phone and tell Alice she can take over."
"Wait! Alice didn't plan this day?"
"Nope," I laughed, popping the 'p'. "I planned it all myself. And our wonderful family agreed to help me make sure it all gets pulled off."
"Are you going to tell me anything about these plans?"
"You'll have a great time."
"No hints?" he asked, smiling wide.
"None," I confirmed, smiling right back. "Now, give me a kiss like you mean it, help me out of this bed, and then jump into the shower."
"Any chance of convincing you to join me, Gorgeous?" he questioned, his emerald eyes sparkling with a mixture of love, lust, and humor.
"Sorry, Honey. Your very, very pregnant wife doesn't feel up to standing for that long. But she totally gives you a rain-check for after the baby is born."
"I'll have to keep that in mind," he chuckled, kissing my cheek sweetly. "What will you be doing while I'm in the shower?"
"Getting myself dressed and then waiting for you to help me down the stairs. So please don't take forever."
"And waste the few minutes I have with you this morning? I would never," he promised as he helped me get up from the bed. "Do you need me to do anything before I slip into the bathroom?"
"Just tell me my favorite three words," I said, smiling up at him.
"You are short?"
"Edward."
"You are clumsy?"
"Birthday or not, Cullen, I will bite."
"I love you," he chuckled, leaning forward and kissing my lips lightly. "I love you more than I can ever say."
I smiled wide as I watched him disappear into the bathroom. I headed into our closet and found one of the comfortable dresses Alice had bought for me. I would be letting her dress me up tonight, so I wanted to spend the majority of my day being relaxed and comfortable.
As I headed toward the bedroom door, I could hear the deep rumble of my brother's voice. I opened the door and found him across the hall in the baby's room with Jasper.
"I'm telling you they really have a shot this year," Emmett was saying.
"How many away games do you have?" Jasper asked.
"Six," Emmett sighed. And then a big grin took over his face. "But with that new laptop Rosie bought me, I'll get to see my wife and baby girl no matter where I am."
"Are you guys ready to make sure my husband has a great morning on his birthday?" I asked, walking into the room.
"Don't you worry about little Eddie," Emmett chuckled.
"I'll keep him and Emmett out of trouble," Jasper promised.
"Thanks, guys. And please make sure he has fun," I told them.
"Don't you worry, Squirt. No man can resist the level of funosity we have planned for your husband," Emmett assured me.
"So who wants the honor of helping me down those lovely three flights of stairs?" I asked, laughing a little.
"I'll take you, Squirt," Emmett offered.
"That's probably wise," Jasper chuckled. "If we leave him up here, he'll bust in on Edward and start his day off in a bad way."
"So true," Emmett laughed, hooking one of his big arms around my waist. "So how is my little nephew doing?" he asked as we headed out of the room and toward the stairs.
"Em, it was so cool! He had the hiccups last night!" I squealed. "Edward had my shirt up—"
"Don't need the kinky details, little sis," Emmett interrupted.
"And whenever the baby hiccupped, you could see my belly move just a little," I continued on, ignoring my brother.
"I don't remember Lily having hiccups inside of Rosie. Then again, I missed a lot in those last couple of months with my job. It's really nice that Edward and you are both off together for your pregnancy."
"Yeah," I agreed with a huge smile. "Edward has really made the last few weeks special. I had so much fun with him when he took me to the manuscript museum in Tacoma."
"You two crazy kids," Emmett chuckled. "All the exciting places to go in the world and you end up in Tacoma."
"We make our own excitement," I said, teasing my big brother as he helped me off the last step.
"Ew, gross, Squirt," Emmett yelled, shaking himself next to me.
"It's so much fun to mess with you," I chuckled.
"Friggin' hilarious," Emmett grumbled.
"Morning, dears," Esme greeted as we walked into the kitchen.
"Esme, when are you going to run away with me and teach me all about experienced loving?" Emmett asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
"When you become man enough to handle all the woman you see before you," she shot back with a grin.
"Does Carlisle know how lucky he is?" Emmett chuckled.
"I'd say so," Carlisle replied from behind his newspaper. He was sitting in his usual chair at the kitchen table.
"Busted," I sang, waddling over and setting myself in my own chair.
"Morning, Sweetheart," Carlisle greeted, leaning over and kissing my cheek. "How are you and my grandson feeling this morning?"
"I'm pretty certain he's sleeping, and I know I'm starving," I told him.
"I have fruit, a little scrambled eggs, and some wheat toast for you," Esme said, putting the plate down in front of me. "What would you like to drink?"
"Milk," I sighed. "I am not repeating yesterday's orange juice induced heartburn."
"Em! I've got him! Let's go before anyone can save him!" Jasper yelled out from the living room.
"That's my cue," Emmett chuckled. He quickly kissed Esme and me on the cheek, and almost went after Carlisle before wisely changing his mind and running out of the room. "Edward Cullen! Today you are a man!"
"I'm twenty-four, Emmett. I've been a man for some time now," Edward replied.
"Shut up and listen to your fun guide," Emmett said, immediately followed by the very loud shutting of the front door.
I laughed as I pulled apart my piece of toast. "I know he's going to have fun when they get to their destination, but I feel really sorry for Edward on the way there."
"What are your plans for this morning?" Carlisle asked, folding up his paper and putting it on the table next to his coffee cup.
"Do as little as possible for as long as possible so that I'm full of energy for tonight," I said happily.
"Is Edward suspicious at all?" Esme asked, taking the seat next to me.
"Nope," I chuckled. "You should have seen his face when I told him he was spending the first part of his day without me."
We heard the front door open and then Alice's panicked voice filled the house. "Daddy!"
"Could you please relax?" Rosalie pleaded. "You're fine."
Carlisle was out of his chair and heading for the living room before Esme even rose from her own chair. She helped me up and walked with me to join the others.
Alice was sitting on the loveseat with Carlisle kneeling before her, holding her hands. "…and then it came back but hasn't gone away since. Daddy, I'm scared."
"What's going on?" Esme asked, rushing over to Alice's side as Rosalie helped me onto the sofa.
"Alice is having cramps," Carlisle explained. "I'm going to take her to the hospital and have one of the on-call doctors check her over."
"Daddy, can't you just give me something?" Alice pleaded. "I hate hospitals."
"I know, Sweetheart, but you're having twins and I'm not medically trained to deal with that," Carlisle told her. "We'll just go in and get you checked out and I'll stay with you the whole time."
"Mommy, will you come too?" Alice asked, looking so scared and un-Alice.
"Of course, my daughter," Esme said softly, running her hand over Alice's hair.
"I'll stay here with Bella," Rose said. "Alice, are you positive you don't want me to call Jasper?"
"Don't even think about it. If it ends up being something serious, I'll call him. Until then, let him have his fun," Alice replied.
"He's going to have a fit when he finds out," Rose chuckled.
"I'm sure he will," Alice laughed. "But by then, the drama will have hopefully passed and it won't take much to calm him."
"Call us as soon as you know something," Rose said, walking to the door with everyone else.
"Love you, Alice!" I called out, hoping she would hear me.
"Love you, too, Bells!" Alice called back.
Rose closed the door and turned to me with a smile. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid."
I laughed and patted the cushion next to me on the couch. "So how's life with my big brother."
"Tiring," Rose sighed, sitting down and plopping her feet up on the coffee table. "But I wouldn't trade it for the world," she added with a smile.
"And where is my niece?"
"With a babysitter. Alice and I were supposed to be shopping this morning for a few last minute things for you for tonight. We'd barely gotten into the first store when the cramps hit her."
"Think she's going to be okay?" I asked, nervously biting at my lip.
"I'm pretty sure it's just stretching cramps. I had them with Lily, but since it was just one baby, I don't think it was anything near as bad as what Alice is feeling. I tried to explain that to her, but she's in that clingy stage so nothing was going to make her happy except for getting her here to her parents."
"I'm really glad she can do that," I said, meaning it completely. "I envy her for it, but I wouldn't want it to be any other way either."
"I felt the same way when I was pregnant with Lily," Rose admitted, putting her arm around my shoulders. "So you feel up to taking a ride with me to get my baby girl?"
"I would love it," I said excitedly.
An hour and a half later, we had Lily all buckled into her carseat in the back and a black bag resting between my feet on the passenger floorboard. Rose had decided that since Alice hadn't been able to make it to the store, the two of us should go. I'd been a little concerned about what they'd wanted to get for me, but the minute Rose had shown it to me, I'd fallen in love with it.
"So when we get back, I'll run upstairs and hide that in your luggage," Rose said, pointing at the bag as she parked the car in the Cullen's driveway. "Oh, good! They're back with Alice."
We got out of the car as quickly as we could and headed into the house. Alice was sleeping on the sofa and Carlisle and Esme were nowhere in sight. We checked the kitchen first, but it was empty, so we headed upstairs to Carlisle's office.
"Well he has to tell her soon. You can only hide something that large for so long," Esme said with a laugh.
"I don't know, Esme," Carlisle chuckled. "He's done a fine job so far."
Lily's excited squeal made our presence known. "Gammy!"
"Lily!" Esme cooed, holding her arms out toward her granddaughter. Lily had learned last week how to say 'gammy' and I'd never seen Esme looking prouder.
"How's Alice?" I asked, settling myself into one of Carlisle's leather chairs.
"She's fine," Carlisle assured us. "She's having cramps from the twins stretching out her small body. The doctor gave her a little something to take the edge off the pain and she's been sleeping since we got back about twenty minutes ago. He assures us there's nothing to worry about and that the medication he gave her won't harm the twins in any way."
"That's good," Rose said, nodding her head. "At least now Jasper won't kill us for not calling him immediately," she added with a laugh.
"Oh, you guys! Edward has definitely been missing his coffee," I chuckled. "He sent me a text message earlier and he is so wired—it's too cute."
"What did he say?" Esme asked, grinning at me.
I playfully cleared my throat before reciting my text message. "Bella Cullen is the best wife to ever walk the Earth and I'm proud to be her husband and the father of her child."
"He's such a dork," Rose snorted. "But I admit to being slightly jealous of his sweet words. Emmett isn't capable of it, no matter how hard the big bear tries."
We looked around the room at each other before bursting into laughter. We'd all been witness to Emmett's attempts to mimic Edward's romantic ways—they were never pretty.
We spent the rest of the morning just lounging around the house until it was time to get lunch ready. The guys showed up promptly at two and we enjoyed a wonderful late lunch of cucumber sandwiches, mini-quiches, salad, and fruit—all healthy items so I could eat whatever I wanted tonight and not have to worry about it affecting me or the baby.
After lunch, we sat around in the living room, with Lily perched on Edward's lap and refusing to let anyone else hold her; I think she just wanted to help him open his gifts.
Emmett and Rosalie gave Edward a new father's survival kit. It was a red backpack filled with all sorts of stuff: there were three boxes of Kleenex for the crying I would do while my hormones sorted themselves out after the birth; a small pack of diapers and two "emergency" pacifiers for the baby; a first aid kit that Emmett said was for when Edward banged into a wall after a sleepless night with the baby; and a small frame that held a picture of Edward and me at our wedding party to remind us that happy times were ahead of us once we got used to being parents.
From Alice and Jasper, Edward received a week's worth of pants and shirts that Alice swore were stain-resistant and able to survive baby spit-up. Carlisle and Esme gave him an envelope that made him grin from ear to ear. When I asked what was in it, he said it was an account passport to a college fund they'd opened for the baby so that he and I could start putting money into it right away. Even little Lily had a gift for her Uncle…she gave him the little teddy bear she kept at the house, refusing to let him even put it down on the coffee table. I was waiting to give him my gift when we were alone.
While Edward cleaned up the wrapping paper, Jasper snuck upstairs to grab our suitcase. He came down the stairs with it just as Edward entered the living room. "Jazz, what are you doing with Bella's suitcase?" Edward asked.
"I'm just the delivery boy," Jasper chuckled, handing the bag over to Edward.
"You're birthday isn't over yet, Honey," I said, smiling at him. "You and I are leaving now."
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Sorry, Cullen. My turn to hold all the answers and refuse to give you any," I teased, grinning at him. "Now, tell our family goodbye so that we can leave and get to our destination on time."
Edward shook his head at me, his dimpled smile firmly in place. Our family kissed us both goodbye and then we were in the car, heading toward downtown Seattle.
"So no hints at all?" Edward asked. We'd been driving for awhile now and were getting pretty close to our destination. I really hoped he wouldn't guess before we got there.
"None," I giggled. "How's it feel?"
"Annoying," he admitted.
"So are you having a nice birthday so far?"
"Very nice. Thank you, Bella."
"It really has been my pleasure. So what was your favorite part so far?"
"It's a toss up between the completely unhealthy breakfast and the look on Emmett's face when I beat him at pool."
"Oh, those are tough choices. But since it's so rare for any of us to beat Emmett at anything, I say go with that one for now."
"For now?" Edward questioned, his eyebrow arching up.
"Well, if everything goes according to plan, I hope tonight will become your favorite part."
"I'm spending the night alone with you, right?"
"I can confirm that without giving away anything."
"Then of course it'll be my favorite."
"You are such a cheese-ball, Tutor-boy. But I love you anyway. Now turn here."
"Here? Are you sure?" he asked, looking doubtful
"Of course I'm sure, Edward," I replied. "Turn and park the car."
He shrugged but did as I said. He found a parking spot near the doors and helped me out of the car before grabbing our bag. "Why are we here?" he asked as we started walking toward the doors.
"To spend the night," I said, trying not to laugh at him. He just looked so confused and cute.
"Bella, I—"
"Cullen, trust me," I demanded. "Let's just get checked in and into our room and I'll explain everything."
He held the lobby door open for me and then he started heading toward the check-in counter.
"Honey, where are you going?" I asked, not able to completely keep from laughing.
"To check in?" he said, sounding very unsure of himself.
I pulled the plastic card out of my purse and waved it at him. "Alice handled that already."
"I'm starting to have a sense of déjà vu," Edward said, smiling wide as he walked back to me. "Shall I guess at our floor and room number?"
"If you want," I shrugged, excited that he seemed to like this so far.
We rode the elevator up, holding hands and kissing lightly. "I love you," Edward said as the doors opened up on our floor.
"I'm pretty sure I love you back. I should probably research it more though before confirming it," I joked, laughing a little.
"You and that sense of humor of yours," he sighed. His smile wasn't fooling me though.
I slipped the card into the door and pushed it open, waving for him to go in first for a change. But he was my Edward and refused to step foot inside until I entered. And since it was his birthday, I gave in and let him have his way. "So are you about to burst with curiosity?" I asked, setting myself into the chair by the window.
"Absolutely. Will you please tell me what you're up to?" he begged.
"Well, I knew you didn't really want to do the whole big party thing and this is really your last chance to get away with that because we'll both have to deal with it for our son's sake for the next eighteen or so years. So I thought you should have an adrenaline filled morning with the guys, a relaxing lunch with our family, and then an intimate dinner with your wife. I also thought the perfect way for us to celebrate your birthday would be to remember the night I gave you my whole heart. So Alice rented the exact same room at this lovely hotel and we have dinner reservations at Campagne."
"You are absolutely amazing," Edward whispered between kisses. "Thank you."
"You like it?"
"I love it, Isabella."
"Good. Because you're going to leave with Jasper for a half hour."
"What?" he laughed, pulling back to see my face clearly.
"Well, I can't get dressed properly on my own and Alice is going to be here any minute to help. Jasper is going to take you to their place for you to change and get ready for dinner."
"Bella, you really don't have to go through that sort of trouble."
"I really want to, Edward. Please," I said, giving him a pout.
"Alright, Love," he sighed, immediately giving in. And before he could say anything else, there was a knock on the door.
Edward walked over and opened it up, letting in Alice just as Jasper dragged him out. Alice helped me into my dress for the night and did my hair and makeup for me, all while chattering away about how Jasper had reacted to her news about the cramps. I couldn't help but laugh as Alice told me about Jasper's impressive "putting my foot down" speech.
"And then," Alice giggled. "And then he actually had the balls to tell me that as his wife, I am required by marriage to notify him immediately of all of my health issues, and that it goes double for whenever I'm pregnant with our children."
"How many kids does he figure you'll have?" I asked, laughing still.
"He would like at least four."
"And you?"
"Four sounds like a good number." She stepped away from me and lifted her hand to her chin, giving me an appraising look. "Perfection," she said with a big smile. "Edward's going to flip."
And her timing was perfect because just as she got me onto my feet, there was a knock on the door. I felt like I teenager again, so giddy at the thought of how Edward might react to me. Alice laughed at me as she opened the door for the guys. "I hope you're ready for a night out with one of the hottest mothers-to-be on the planet," Alice said, waving the guys in.
Edward's jaw actually dropped when he saw me. I laughed and blushed, so happy that everything was going just the way I'd pictured it. My dress was black with a deep v-neck top and a flowing bottom that hugged my belly perfectly. It wrapped right beneath my insanely enlarged breasts and tied at the side, leaving me feeling both sexy and beautiful. Those were two really hard emotions to bring up when your belly entered a room before you did.
"Bella, you look…stunning, captivating, divine," Edward proclaimed, taking my hands into his and kissing my cheeks.
"We're going to head home and let you two lovebirds enjoy the rest of my baby brother's birthday," Alice chirped. She wiggled her finger at Edward and he lowered his head, letting her kiss his cheek. "Love you, little brother."
"Love you, too, Ali," he said, hugging her.
"You're so sweet," Alice sniffled.
"Night," Jasper chuckled, wrapping his arm around his wife and leading her out of the hotel room.
"Ready to go?" Edward asked.
"I need one thing and then we can leave," I replied. I walked over to the bed and pulled his wrapped gift out of my luggage. "I'll give this to you after we eat."
"More surprises?" he chuckled.
"Just a few more," I agreed. "But I'm pretty sure you'll like them all."
We made our way over to the fancy French restaurant Edward had taken me to for our first Valentine's Day, giving me the birthday my mother had never been able to. I'd managed to not only get us a reservation outside, but I'd even got the exact same table we'd had last time. Of course, Edward noticed right away and his dimples promptly appeared as he thanked me again.
We chatted about Alice and Jasper while waiting for our drinks and meals to arrive. Edward would peek over at the wrapped gift every few seconds and I could see in his eyes that he was trying to figure out what might be inside the small square box.
I decided to be nice and end his curiosity a little early. "Go ahead and open it."
"You said after we ate."
"Yes, but you're never going to make it through dinner," I chuckled. "Go ahead and open it."
Those dimples appeared once again as Edward pulled the gift into his lap and started removing the wrapping paper. You'd think that with as long as it had taken me to wrap it, it would have been a bit of a struggle for him to open it, but nope! He had that box open and the leather cuff in his hand in no time flat.
"This is beautiful, Bella," he said, turning the dark brown cuff over in his hands.
"See that design in the middle? It's a Celtic symbol and it stands for past, present, and future. Our beginning, our life right now, and our future with our son and whatever siblings he may end up with. It also stands for mother, father, and child, and hopefully when you look at it, you'll always remember just how much your family loves you…how much I love you."
Edward quickly put the cuff on and then leaned over the table to kiss me. "Thank you, Isabella. I'll wear it proudly."
After our wonderful dinner, we headed back to the hotel and I disappeared into the bathroom, getting Edward's final surprise of the night ready. Only Alice and Rosalie would be able to find, and convince me to visit, a lingerie shop for pregnant women. It was a beautiful black lace gown that stopped just above my knees and felt like it was barely there. I took my hair down, letting the loose curls fall over my shoulders to hide my neck, knowing Edward would push them out of the way soon enough. Once I cleaned away all of the makeup and made sure the gown was still perfectly in place, I headed into the bedroom to give him his last gift.
Edward was standing in front of the windows, looking out onto the city and humming a tune to himself. It sounded like the song he'd been working on for the baby—he really thought I didn't know anything about it. He was always trying to surprise me with things, so I let him have his fun.
I stood at the edge of the bed so he would be able to see me as soon as he turned around. "Ready for your last birthday present, Tutor-boy?" I asked. He spun around so fast that I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
"You're trying to kill me tonight, right?" he asked, stalking towards me and filling me with butterflies.
"No. I'm trying to show you how loved you are."
His hands rested against my neck as he softly kissed my lips. "When I first saw you tonight, the last thing I wanted to do was go to dinner."
"Really? What did you want to do?"
"Help you get out of that sexy dress and into bed. If Alice and Jasper hadn't been in the room, I just might have tried to seduce you."
I laughed at that, shaking my head at him.
"You think I'm joking, but I'm really not."
"Well, Alice and Jasper aren't here now. And this might not be a dress, but I hope you find it just as nice."
"So does this mean I can unwrap my gift?" he teased, moving me toward the bed.
"It's your birthday. You can do whatever you like," I replied.
He smiled and lifted me up, making me squeal. "You act like I haven't done this a million times."
"No," I laughed. "I act like you've never done it with me having a giant belly." And then an odd thought occurred to me and I put my hand over Edward's mouth, stopping what was sure to have been an amazing kiss. "Um…wait!"
"What is it?" he asked, looking worried as he sat down next to me on the bed.
"Well…the baby…"
"What about the baby? Are you feeling okay?"
"No, I'm great. It's just…he's awake and all…do you think he's going to know what we're doing?"
Edward looked at me with a blank expression on his face for all of five seconds and then he erupted into laughter, his whole body shaking with it.
I grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it. "Edward Anthony, I'm serious! What if he gets scared by the noises we make?"
For some reason, that just made Edward laugh even harder—I smacked him again and he fell right off the bed, but the fall did nothing to stop his laughing. Watching his eyes sparkle in the lamp light and his face heat up with his silliness, I started laughing too.
"Jerk," I chuckled, throwing the pillow at him.
He jumped up from the floor and climbed into the bed, kissing my neck loudly. "Four years with you and I still have no idea what's going to come out of your mouth. I love you so much, Isabella."
"I love you, too, Edward," I said, caressing his cheek with my hand. "Let's end your birthday by showing just how much we love each other."
"Definitely good to be the birthday boy," he murmured, his lips tickling my neck as he moved upward. "Luckiest man ever," he sighed against my lips before giving me a searing kiss.
Yeah, this was definitely the way to spend his birthday. Alone…in bed…completely and gloriously naked Edward lying next to me. There weren't even words to describe how amazing it all was, but then again, Edward had always been great at not needing words to show me he loved me.
By the time I slipped on my regular pajamas and Edward pulled the covers over me, I was barely awake. I quickly got out the words I wanted him to hear, hoping they wouldn't sound too jumbled in my tired state. "I love you and I hope you enjoyed your birthday. I really wanted you to have a day you would like."
"I loved it," he whispered into my ear. "I love you."
And that was all I needed to hear to let go and enjoy a blissfully peaceful sleep filled with dreams of Edward laughing and of times we'd spent together in the past four years. We might be changing because of this pregnancy and our impending parenthood, but that didn't mean the changes would be bad. If we worked hard at it, we could have a future more amazing than anything we'd experienced yet. And that was the real secret to a long and happy life together—never taking it for granted and working hard to preserve it.
Happy Saturday, Lovely Readers!!
First of all, anyone wanting to see a pic of Edward's special birthday gift can find it on my website in the Our Little Man photo album. www freewebs dot com/jessealexander4/apps/photos/ - Or just use the link on my profile page.
Secondly!! We are getting closer to the birth of the baby, but NOT the end of the story. As long as these two keep talking, I'll keep writing. It's going to at least be as long as LLC was, so no worries there!
Third! To those wondering about Drama! The only drama left is the birth, and those daily dramas of being a new parent and trying to find a balance between giving your child enough attention and finding time for your partner. That may not sound like much for those that have never spent a lot of time around a child, or had one of their own, but trust me! That's drama enough most days. Besides!! This story is fluff and happiness, much like LLC was. And it's not as if Edward or Bella are perfect, so there's always something going on! And let us not forget to mention Emmett because he will pout for days if I forget to name him specifically. LOL
Tomorrow's chapter is the Baby Shower!!!!