Hello everyone,

I was going to write an author's note explaining my last two chapters, but I don't think it would help, judging by the reviews for the last ones. Anyway, I knew it would shake things up for this story, but I didn't realize it would be that bad.

Well, thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. I was going to write a fourth part for July, but now I'm so sure.

Have a great fourth, everyone.

Bella grabbed Jake by the arm and pulled him away from Edward. "Jake, chill. I got this. This is between Edward and me. If I need you, I will call you in here."

Jake passed Edward a long hard look; his chest puffed out with intent. "What did I tell you at Christmas? Don't be making promises you don't intend to keep. Did you think I was kidding? I told you not to hurt her, and you led her on. I don't feel the need to kiss your ass just because you finally came to your senses."

"Jake," Bella called, yanking on his arm. "Jake. Please go back outside."

If it weren't for the babies Bella carried, he would've yanked his arm free to plant one in Edward's perfect fucking mouth. Finally, Jake's hard stare flicked to where Bella stood, and he eased back a step. "Bella doesn't need any new stress in her life, and that is the only reason I'm not dragging you outside."

Edward remained silent as long as he could stand it. With a raised brow, he glanced at the woman in question. "I've been trying to call for a month. Did she tell you that? I made an effort, and she ignored my attempts."

"Dude, you left her messages on unread for how fucking long? How many times did she try to call, and you didn't answer?" Jake backed up until he was beside Bella. "While you were getting your head out of your own ass, I went to the doctor with her. Trust me, there's nowhere I would rather be, but it shouldn't have been me. It should've been you."

"It looks like I'm just being replaced at all angles, huh," Edward stated, shaking his head. He couldn't dispute what Jake said. He should've been the one there with Bella when she went to check on his child—children. What the fuck? "Seriously, Jake, I need to speak to Bella. Can you wait to kick my ass for half an hour?"

He was suddenly in need of a drink or maybe a pack of cigarettes. He hadn't smoked since he'd been a teen, but right now, he could hotbox a whole damn pack.

Bella stood quietly, waiting for the altercation to settle between the men. Apparently, everyone forgot she even existed. Her stomach rumbled with hunger, and she rubbed her belly subconsciously. She'd been doing that a lot lately. She was always touching her belly, she mused, trekking around the kitchen for something to stick in her mouth.

Opening the fridge, she grabbed the first thing she saw. A green pepper, huh. She didn't pay the men any attention as she grabbed the knife and cut into the vegetable. She was completely engrossed in crunching on the crisp bite and vaguely heard the smack of the screen door as Jake left. Slowly, she continued chewing as she turned to face Edward.

"Are you ready to talk?" Edward studied her as he leaned against the counter. "I don't like the thought of some guy I've never met around my kids. I don't care how good of a 'friend' James is."

Bella swallowed the bite before sticking another piece in her mouth. "You know, Edward, what I do and what I don't do isn't your business. I should've answered the phone. But you should've too; I'm not the only one at fault in this."

"Where do we go from here?" Edward asked, shifting as an uncomfortable weight settled in his chest. He didn't care how he summed it up; he was a day late and a dollar short. He wanted to close the distance between them and take her in his arms. He wanted to feel the swell of her belly. He wanted to get to know his kids.

Shit. His kids. Once again, he felt lightheaded. Not only would there be one but two little people. His little people.

Bella licked the juice from the pepper from her lip. "I don't know where we go. I told you I wouldn't force you to do anything you didn't want. I meant that. I still won't force you to be a part of their lives if you choose not to."

"I wish you had answered my calls," he murmured, drumming his fingers on the counter. He wanted to reach for her so bad, and then James came to mind.

What the hell was going on? How long had it been going on? Where did this leave him? Where did it leave them?

"Why?" Bella was perplexed. "Why should I have answered your call? I wasn't ready to hear any more promises …"

"Bella, I thought you came to the courthouse that day to break up with me. I didn't want that to happen. That's why I didn't answer the phone when you called. Seriously," Edward argued earnestly. "I swear, I thought you were gonna call our relationship off. So when you told me about being pregnant, it was a shock."

"It was a shock to me too," she hiccuped as she left the kitchen. "I didn't expect to deal with being a mom right now. It wasn't exactly in my plans either. I'm just as scared about all of this as you are."

She was aware of Edward following close behind as she wandered to the desk in the corner. Opening an envelope, she withdrew the ultrasound picture and held it up. "They took these pictures of the babies Monday. Do you want to see them?"

All the air whooshed from Edward's chest, and his whisper crossed the space between them. "Of course, I want to see."

He ambled closer, taking the pictures she held out to him. He studied the black and white picture closely and tried to make out the faded photos. "What am I looking at? I've never seen these before."

The spicy scent of Edward's cologne was hypnotic. It took everything not to bury her nose in his shirt. Pushing the urge away, she pointed at the ultrasound, "That's baby one, and that's baby two."

Have a great holiday.