AN: Sorry I meant to update this yesterday and I was absolutely swamped at work. I also can't seem to get the desktop mode of this site to work on my phone anymore. Anyway, I obviously went ahead and changed the name of this story so if you're not sure what this notification is for, it used to be A Mother's Love.
Hope everyone had a happy new year! Let's hope 2021 is better than 2020...
The smile that lit up Garrett's face when Bella introduced herself and the boys was bright enough to dazzle all three of them. Jasper felt his joy and mirrored it with a sunny grin and a happy little wave.
Bella ducked her head but felt herself smiling as well, utterly charmed by the tall, handsome vampire. Even Edward was dropping his guard. Garrett's thoughts were completely pure, focused on his new family and how he could best provide for them and protect them. His mental voice reminded Edward of the way his Uncle Emmett used to talk to them.
That thought started Edward crying quietly, and Garrett panicked, stepping closer as Bella soothed him. "What's wrong with him? Did I say something wrong?"
Bella looked at her son and asked him what he was crying about. Edward reached his hand up to show her, not wanting to speak aloud yet in front of Garrett.
Jasper, on the other hand, had no such qualms. "He's sad, Mr. Man. He's probably thinking about our Uncle Emmett—he gets sad like this when he misses him."
Garrett was once again shocked at the way that the baby, who obviously looked older than his actual age, could speak as well as a much older adolescent. He still didn't realize that either boy had a vampire gift as well.
Bella wasn't paying attention to their conversation as she was focused on what Edward was showing her. He didn't quite have the words for what he was trying to get across, but he was able to show her with his thoughts.
Garrett was beginning to make him feel safe and protected in a way that Bella had been unable to do. It wasn't that the boys felt unsafe with their momma, it was simply that they were worried about the fact that no one was watching out for her as well. They had an innate need to insure that she was protected.
That was the reason Edward attacked Garrett at first—he and Jasper were the men of the house now that Uncle Emmett was no longer around. But Edward felt like Garrett had the same goal—keeping the boys and their momma safe—so he was okay with stepping down from that role.
Taking another deep breath, simply to get another hit of his delicious scent, Bella turned back to Garrett to see him still staring in shock at little Jasper.
"Um, Garrett?" The sound of his name in her sweet voice snapped his attention straight to her.
"Yes?"
Bella ducked her head in embarrassment, then peeked up at him, completely unaware of how appealing she looked. "Would you like to come back to our cabin and talk more there?"
Garrett knew it was her newborn instincts making her uncomfortable being out in the open for so long, and he was thrilled that she was inviting him back to their home.
Stepping closer, he bowed then held out his hand, drawing a happy giggle from her and Jasper both. "Lead the way, Miss."
She turned and started to run, still holding a baby on each hip, while he picked up his pack from where he'd left it and followed closely beside her. He wanted to offer to carry one of the boys for her, even though it wasn't like she could get tired or anything, but he thought it might be better to wait until they were a little more comfortable with him.
It didn't take long, running at slightly less than vampire speed, to reach the little cabin. Bella sniffed curiously when they arrived, realizing Garrett had already been there. She looked at him in question.
It was Garrett's turn to look embarrassed. "Um, I sort of followed your scent here trying to find you," he admitted. "I looked inside to see if you were there and then I followed your trail to the clearing where I found you."
Bella was familiar with tracking as it pertained to hunting, but she didn't know she could follow other things besides animals. As she thought about though, she realized that could be helpful as the boys grew and began to roam a bit more.
Shaking those thoughts away, she walked inside and set the boys down on the floor in front of their toys. Jasper smiled up at her as he reached for his favorite carved wooden bear, but Edward had a slight frown on his face as he looked between his momma and Garrett. Bella leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead before standing and walking closer to their guest.
Garrett had been watching them with rapt attention, but at the same time he was also thinking. From what he had gathered, his beautiful little mate had been all alone with her boys from the moment she woke to this life. She had no experienced sire guiding her, yet she had found a way to both feed and avoid detection so far.
He thought about his friend, Carlisle, and the similarities between him and Garrett's mate. The elder vampire could probably give Bella some good instructions for living this life, and drinking animal blood. But something was holding Garrett back from contacting the golden eyed vampire.
For one thing, Carlisle still had ties to the Volturi, no matter how long it had been since he lived among them. While Garrett knew that these little boys were something miraculous and special in their world, he feared that the ruling body would rip and burn first, assuming that they were some of the forbidden immortal children.
No, that was a risk Garrett was not willing to take with his new little family. He would wait until the boys reached a more acceptable-looking age before he would introduce them to any new vampires. As for the animal diet, it seemed his mate had things under control on that front. He figured he would have to bite the bullet and change his eye color as well. He just couldn't imagine taking his tiny boys out to hunt humans, when they were half human themselves.
Still, Garrett knew he had to teach his mate a little more about being a vampire. She probably hadn't tested her control around humans yet, so staying out there in the woods might not be a bad idea. He could still use his resources to get supplies for his family. The boys probably outgrew their clothes as fast as Bella could get them on them. And it was clear that his mate was wearing clothes that definitely weren't made for her tiny frame.
Yes, there was definitely plenty he could do for his family. He just had one thing to do first. He had to let them know they were his family…
"Garrett?" Bella's soft voice caught him off guard by how close it was. She was standing less than a foot away from him, gazing up at his face while his mind was off gathering wool elsewhere. He smiled down at her as he reached for her hand.
"Yes, my love?" Well that certainly slipped out unintentionally. "I mean, yes, Bella?"
Bella's light reddish orange eyes shined as she grinned, feeling a bit mischievous as he revealed his feelings with a single slip of the tongue. She giggled as his long fingers wrapped around hers, then gasped as she felt a tingling shock as his skin met hers.
It was Garrett's turn to smile as her eyes widened, even as she brought her other hand up to trace his hand and up his arm, leaving a trail of fire behind. He felt himself begin to purr softly, and he couldn't stop himself from reaching up to cup her cheek in his hand, stroking her petal-soft skin with his thumb.
"What's that noise, Mr. Man?" Jasper's question was accompanied by a firm pat to Garrett's lower leg, and he looked down to see the two boys standing between his and Bella's legs, looking up at them in question.
Edward was hanging onto Bella's leg, leaning back against her, while Jasper was nearly on top of Garrett's right foot, tugging on his pant leg. Looking back at Bella, Garrett gave in to another urge he'd been having. "Is it alright if I pick him up?"
Bella nodded and Jasper actually began hopping up and down at the question. He lifted his little arms straight up and gave Garrett a huge grin as he was lifted carefully from the floor.
It took Garrett a moment or two to find a good way to hold the little one, as he was more than a century out of practice, but eventually he had Jasper settled in the crook of his arm, with their faces nearly level.
Bella felt a twinge of envy as Jasper immediately reached for the hair on Garrett's face. "You're all furry, Mr. Man!" Jasper's exclamation dissolved into giggles that Edward echoed quietly from the ground. "Why you so furry?!"
Bella leaned down to pick up Edward as Garrett chuckled deeply and shook his head. "It's not fur, little one. It's hair. Men grow hair on their faces when they reach a certain age."
Edward nodded wisely and leaned over from Bella's arms and put his hand to Garrett's cheek to show him that he understood—Uncle Emmett had hair on his cheeks in some of Momma's thoughts. He had actually shaved that last morning before venturing out to hunt.
Garrett stood perfectly still as Edward pushed his thoughts at him. He couldn't believe this tiny boy was just as talented as the leader of the Volturi, if not more so. He looked at Bella to see if this was something extraordinary that Edward was doing just for him, but she just looked unsure as she bit her lip and waited for his reaction.
Clearing his throat, Garrett readjusted Jasper in his arms, bouncing him lightly as a distraction while he gathered his thoughts.
"So…little Edward can share his thoughts with others? Is that his talent?"
Bella sort of nodded, then shook her head as well. "No, um, he can also hear thoughts as well. He doesn't need to touch you for that."
Garrett's eyes widened in shock as he tried to remember everything he'd thought since he met them. He hoped he hadn't had any inappropriate thoughts about Bella, but of course thinking of that immediately led to those kinds of thoughts.
Desperate for a distraction, he turned to Jasper still in his arms, "Do you hear thoughts too?"
Bella shook her head and laughed, "No, Jasper can tell what we're feeling."
Yeah, there was no way Garrett was introducing his family to anyone who had ever even looked at the Volturi...