BPOV
In the weeks that followed, I found myself on edge. Of course it didn't help that Edward hovered over me. When he wasn't by my side,Esme, Charlie, Carlisle, Jasper, Garrett, Ben, and even Emmett found their way to stop in, all of them claiming to be in the neighborhood. I wasn't stupid. They were worried about me and the boys. With my mother on the rampage, we all had to be careful of every move we made. I hated that she'd come back. Why couldn't she have just left us alone?
A few days after she returned, Edward and I headed down and filed for a restraining order. It had been the first day that I'd been able to get out of bed. I finally relented and took something for the fever, after talking to Tia of course. She assured me that taking a couple of Tylenol would be okay and that the fever would be more detrimental to the baby than the meds were, but I still hated taking the chance.
"Goddamn it," Edward bellowed, breaking through my mental musings.
I rushed out of our bathroom and down the hallway into the living room. The front door was wide open and Edward was sprawled out in the front lawn. Just a few inches in front of him was Alex's bike. The handle bar had snagged the bottom of his jeans, sending him flying. I tried not to laugh. Lord knows, I tried not to laugh, but my husband had just been attacked by a bicycle.
"Baby, are you okay?" I asked, bringing my hand over my mouth.
"Do I look okay?" he grumbled, scrambling to his feet. However, the bike's handle pulled at his leg, almost tugging his pants down around his ankles. "Fuck!"
"Dad, don't break my bike!" Alex exclaimed, rushing past me. Yanking on his bike, he pulled it away, nearly knocking Edward back down again.
"Alexander, what I have told you about leaving your bike in front of the door?" Edward grumbled, trying to look tough while placing his hands on his hips. Of course, the patch of wetness on his thigh and butt made it hard to take him too seriously.
Alex shrugged his shoulders. "You've never told me anything about leaving my bike anywhere."
Looking flabbergasted, Edward opened his mouth several times, looking like fish out of water. "Well, now I am telling you. Don't leave your bike or anything else in front of the door."
"Yes, sir." Alex smirked as he walked his bike around to the side of the house. Edward glared at him before walking into the house and toward our bedroom. Alex came in, his ears red from his stifled laughter. "Do you think he's really mad at me?"
"No, I think he's irritated, but not mad. You know better than to leave your stuff out like that," I replied.
"I know," he muttered, heading back toward his room.
"Tell your brother that we are leaving in ten minutes and to get a move on," I called after him.
"Okay." Alex waved me off, shutting the door behind him.
I locked the front door, a habit I found myself doing a lot over the last few weeks, before heading into mine and Edward's bedroom. He stood in front of the dresser, his white button up shirt barely covering his ass. His dark boxer briefs hugged his legs, leaving very little to the imagination. I stifled my moan. He was digging in his drawer for another pair of jeans; his other pair lay in a heap at his feet. Closing the door behind me, I crossed the room, slipping my arms around his waist. A moan reverberated from his chest.
"Are you okay?" I murmured, slipping my fingers inside his shirt.
"Yep, nothing hurt other than my pride," he grumbled. "It was more embarrassing than anything else." I bit my lip, trying to stop myself from laughing. "You can laugh, I know you want to."
"I'm sorry, baby, but it was funny," I giggled. Edward snorted and pulled a pair of jeans out. I dropped my arms from around him, moving over and sitting the side of our bed. Leaning against the dresser, he put his pants on, hiding his goodies from me. I sighed, causing him to look up at me.
"See something you like, baby?" he smirked, crossing the room in two giant steps and pinning me against the bed. With my arms caged over my head, he nestled himself between my legs. "God, I love you like this."
"Under you, all defenseless and at your mercy?" I cooed.
"Uh huh," he hummed, brushing his lips along the crook of my neck. "You smell good, love."
"It's my perfume," I gasped, arching into him. He snaked his tongue out, dragging it across my collarbone. "Edward!"
"Oh, fuck, baby," he groaned, his mouth finding mine. However before he could deepen our kiss, a hard, obnoxious knock came banging on our bedroom door.
"Mom, Dad, we're going to be late for school," Anthony yelled.
Edward dropped his forehead between my breasts, muffling his frustrated growl. I'd be lying if I said it didn't turn me on, because my girly parts screamed for him to touch them. Sighing, he released my hands and climbed off the bed, making a show of adjusting himself. It was in moments like those that I wished our boys were old enough to drive themselves to school. Ten wasn't too young to learn, was it? Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I scrambled off the bed, and followed Edward out of our room.
Alex and Anthony were standing next to the front door, their backpacks slung over their shoulders. Seeing us coming, they opened the front door, making a point to look around and make sure the coast was clear before letting their father walk outside. I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing as Edward muttered something about them being smartasses and getting them back one day. It was moments like this that I truly knew both of these boys were mine. They had my sense of humor down to an art form.
"You both had better sleep with one eye open," I teased, pushing them out of the house. Pulling door closed behind me, I locked it and turned back to them. "He's going to make sure you both pay dearly for making fun of him."
"We're not scared," Anthony scoffed, though the nervous twitch of his fingers told me otherwise. "Right, Alex?"
"Yeah, not scared at all," he mumbled. Bless my son, but he was a terrible liar. However, instead of calling him on it, I chose to let it go.
"Get your butts in the car," I laughed, shaking my head.
Edward glared at them as we climbed in, but either they didn't notice, or they didn't care. I was betting on option number two. Once we all had our seatbelts on, Edward started the car and headed toward the school. The boys were talking animatedly about some project they were working on in science. I didn't really pay them much attention. It wasn't that I didn't care about their school work, I did, but I also knew that they got excited about just about anything.
Ten minutes later, Edward parked the car in front of the school. Instead of climbing out and walking them to the door, like I really wanted to do, I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to face them. They'd asked us to allow them to walk into school alone, saying something about being old enough to not need mommy and daddy following them around. Yeah, it hurt, but I understood. They were growing up and needed their independence, even if I wasn't ready for them to be so big yet.
"You have your lunch money, right?" I asked. As if on cue, they both rolled their eyes and nodded their heads. "Okay, Emmett is picking you up after school. Do not, I repeat do not, let him talk you into doing anything that might break your bodies. Please, I am begging you here."
"Yes, Mom," they mumbled together.
Anthony reached for the door handle, pushing the door open and climbing out. "I swear, break your head open one time and the woman thinks you're going to do something stupid."
"I know, right?" Alex scoffed, following.
Choosing not to reply, I turned back in my seat, pulling my seatbelt back on. "Wait till they are inside before you drive off."
"I am," he muttered, adjusting the rearview mirror.
It might seem paranoid to some, but with Renee out there, we couldn't be too careful. The boys walked into the school and a moment later, Mr. Taylor, their principal stepped out, waving a hand to know they were safe and sound. They'd been all too willing to go the extra step to protect the boys while they were there. It hurt to think that I had to protect my children from my mother, but I did. I couldn't let her hurt them.
"Are you ready?" Edward asked, reaching over and taking hold of my hand.
I nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
Giving my hand an extra squeeze, Edward let go so he could shift into drive and pull out in to the throng of parents dropping their kids off at school. We didn't speak while he drove us across Seattle toward my doctor's office. I'd just hit twelve weeks and I hadn't had any morning sickness. Part of me worried, especially since I was so sick while pregnant with Alex, but the other half told me that I was overreacting. Which I was, but in my defense, I had raging hormones. I mean, that was a valid excuse, right?
Edward parked in front of Tia's building and cut the engine. Climbing out of the car, he came around and helped me out, slipping his arm around me. I leaned into him, pretending to be cold, but in reality, I was looking for any reason to snuggle into him.
Stepping off of the elevator on the third floor, I signed in, greeting Mary with a smile. We settled on a brown, leather loveseat that made me want to curl up and take a nap. We only had to wait a few minutes before Cora called us back. Edward placed his hand on my lower back. He needed the reassurance that I was still here, that I hadn't left him like Sarah had. Just as I needed to know that he'd be there when our child was born. Funny how a decade can go by and our fears were still there.
"How are you feeling?" Cora asked, opening my file. "I see here you were sick a few weeks back. Feeling okay now?"
"Still tired, but that might have to do with having two ten year old boys at home and less with my being under the weather," I replied, kicking my shoes off and stepping onto the scale. I purposely kept my eyes off the number, not needing to see how much weight I'd gained.
"Oh, yeah, I have two kids, fourteen and twelve; I totally understand what you mean." Cora laughed, scribbling in my chart. "You've gained—"
"I don't want to know," I blurted out, interrupting her. She raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I just don't really want to know how much I've gained. Unless, there's a problem with how much I've gained, of course. Is there a problem?"
"No," she laughed. "You're doing just fine, Bella."
Once Cora had taken my temperature, blood pressure, and had me pee in a cup, she led me and Edward into one of the exam rooms. Luckily, this time I didn't have to undress. Though, Edward did look back at the cotton gowns with a wistful expression. My silly, perverted man, how I loved him. Pulling over the rolling stool, he placed his hands on my knees, looking up at me from under his lashes. Oh, damn, he doesn't play fair.
"Knock, knock," Tia called, causing Edward to roll his stool back against the wall. I barely stopped my laughter at the look on his face. He looked like a boy who just got caught with his first dirty magazine. "How are we doing in here?"
"Good." I smiled as I looked back at her.
She closed the door, shifting her attention from me to Edward and back again. A smirk played on her lips. Yeah, she recognized the look on his face, too. "So, how's everything going? Have any morning sickness? Headaches? Cramps? Anything out of the ordinary?"
"No morning sickness or cramps. A couple of headaches, but usually just late in the evening after I've been sitting in front of my computer all day. Other than being tired, I've really felt pretty good," I replied.
Tia nodded and turned toward the sink, washing her hands. "Edward, how are you? Any morning sickness, headaches, or cramps?"
"Um, no," he said, looking thoroughly confused. "Should I have them?"
"No, I just didn't want to leave you out." Tia laughed and dried her hands. "You'd be surprised the number of men who come in here with a list of complaints on how they feel like crap rather than how the momma's do."
"Hmm," he hummed. "That's, um, strange."
"Yes, it is," she agreed. Tia came back over, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Lay back, let me measure you."
I did as she asked and pulled up my shirt. Edward stood up, moving over and grabbing my hand. Tia smiled and pulled out her measuring tape. Pressing down on my stomach, she brought the tape down, measuring the size of my uterus. It didn't hurt per se, just felt really uncomfortable. Pursing her lips together, she scribbled her findings down in my chart. I started to sit up, but she pushed my shoulder back down.
"Stay here for a moment." Without another word, she walked out of my room.
I looked up at Edward. "Um, do you think there's something wrong?"
"Nah, I'm sure everything's fine," he said, but I saw right through his words. He was just as concerned as I was.
Tia came back in a few minutes later, pulling an ultra sound machine in behind her. She didn't say anything as she flipped off the lights and turned it on, the low hum filling the room. Settling on the stool Edward had given up, she picked up the bottle of gel, squirting it onto my stomach. Even though it was cold, I didn't utter a word. All I could think about was that something was wrong with the baby. I blinked back my tears, trying to be stronger than I actually felt. Edward brought my hand up to his lips, all in an effort to subdue my fears while hiding his own.
Tia lifted the wand, bringing it down on my stomach. Tilting her head to the side, she moved it around, marking a few spots on her screen. My demands for her to talk to me, to tell me what the hell was going on, died out in my throat. It hurt too much to think them, much less put a voice to them. A sigh of relief slipped between her lips just before she smiled, shifting her attention over to me. Her smile dropped instantly.
"What's wrong?" I cried, before she could speak.
A frown curved downward on her lips. "Nothing, Bella. Your babies are perfect."
"Don't lie to me," I snarked. "If they're-wait, what?"
Tia smiled. "I said your babies are perfect."
"Babies?" croaked Edward. "As in two?"
"Yes, as in two babies," she laughed. "When I measured you, you measured as being bigger than normal. So, I thought I'd do a quick scan to check that we had our dates right. I did not expect to find another baby hiding in there, but alas, there he or she was."
"But—no, you—oh my god," I gasped, bringing my free hand up over my mouth. "He was right."
"Who was right?" Edward asked, scrunching his face up.
"Um, Anthony," I scoffed. "Remember that night at your parents' house?"
"Oh fuck, I mean, shit," he muttered, throwing Tia an apologetic smile. "Sorry."
"Don't be," she said, printing us off a handful of photos. "Here's your proof. I'd like to see you back in three weeks. Keep taking your vitamins and make sure you get some rest. You're gonna need it."
"Thanks," I murmured. Tia handed Edward a handful of paper towels before rolling the machine out of my exam room, leaving my checkout papers for me on the counter. I shifted my attention to him. "Wow."
"Yeah, wow," he laughed, shaking his head. Edward cleaned the gel off my stomach before helping me sit up. "You know he's never going to let us live this down, don't you?"
"I do." I smiled. "How do you think he knew?"
Edward shook his head. "I don't know." Leaning in, he brushed his lips across mine. "And I don't care. You're healthy, our sons are healthy, and our babies are healthy, that's all I care about, love."
"I love you."
"I love you, too. Now, let's get out of here before Tia comes back and tells us we're having triplets or something."
Laughing, I let him help me off the table. I picked up my papers and the tucked the photos into my purse before heading out to the front desk. We set up my next appointment, tucking the reminder card in with the photos before making our way back down to the car. I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day wrapped up in his arms, to feel his body on mine, his touch, his lips; just him. But I couldn't. I had a meeting with Tanya and Aro, while he had to shoot the building downtown that he'd given up when I was sick.
However, all that ended when Edward turned the corner to our street and we found two fire trucks parked in front of our house. Our house which was blazing as the fire scorched through it.
