Hi, my dears! I can't apologize enough for the delay of this chapter. Life, as I'm sure you are all too familiar with, is unpredictable, and I got pulled so far from this fic.

I'm currently working on the sequel, but with how busy my life is, I can't guarantee it'll roll out exactly through December as the first book did. Keep an eye out here and on Facebook for the final posting schedule, coming soon!

Until then, enjoy!

July 12, 2017

Seattle, Washington

Bella

After twenty minutes of flipping restlessly on the bed, I let out a long sigh and struggled to sit up.

It was four in the morning, and even though I should be sleeping, I couldn't.

It was too hot out, and my round stomach was making it hard to curl up. My back was aching, my joints were aching, and my mind wouldn't stop racing.

When I was finally in a sitting position, I glanced over at my husband.

He was asleep, blissfully unaware of my pain and struggles.

Though I wanted him to sleep, a small part of me resented him for his easy dreams.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I groaned quietly and crawled out of bed.

The stupid heat wave wasn't Edward's fault, and though my pregnancy could perhaps technically be blamed on him, it wasn't his fault I was so grumpy.

I was about six weeks still from my due date, but I already felt done. I wanted my body back, at least somewhat.

I struggled out of bed as quietly as possible. The moment my feet hit the ground, Justice was up, his large fluffy body racing to my side. He was still a puppy, but in only a few months, he'd gotten massive.

"Good morning," I whispered to him. His tail thumped heavily against the hardwood floors. I climbed off our bed, heading for the bathroom. Justice ran ahead of me, eagerly waiting outside the closed door.

For reasons beyond me, his favorite room was the bathroom.

Though he was okay in there at night when he slept, during the day we had to lock him out because of the sheer damage he was able to do. Shredding toilet paper, chewing the toilet brush and plunger, eating the trash… Justice was an absolute menace.

I waddled to the door, opened it, and he darted in, immediately sitting on the bathmat. I made my way to the toilet, and Justice got up to follow me.

I hadn't peed alone since we got him.

He settled at my feet, licking my toes as I peed. I giggled, wiggling my toes away from him, but he leaned forward to lick my shin.

From what I understood, these were his Bernese traits, though his size was primarily from his Pyranese father.

When I finished up in the bathroom, I left the door open, knowing Justice would stubbornly refuse to leave it until I was out of sight. Instead of heading back to bed where I would likely wake Edward up with my restlessness, I walked downstairs, heading to the living room. We'd been electing to not turn the AC on despite the heat so that we saved on electricity, but also because where we were on the island, we could get a decent breeze when we opened the windows at night. Downstairs was still a little stuffy, so I made my way around the room, tugging all the windows open.

Justice was by my side the entire time, having raced to join me when he heard me head down the stairs.

I yawned as I moved to the last set of windows. "Pretty soon we'll have a little baby," I told Justice, my voice a whisper. "And he'll be the one keeping us all up. Are you ready?"

Justice wagged his tail so hard, it thunked against the wall. I grinned and reached down, petting his head.

When the windows were open, I moved to the sofa, grabbing the remote from the bookcase before I settled. Justice was going through a phase where he would chew anything and everything. We'd already gone through four remotes this month.

I groaned as I settled in, and Justice pounced up on the sofa beside me.

"Gentle, please," I told him as he bounced toward me. He must have sensed that I couldn't be as physical as I used to be, because, despite his puppy energy, he did slow down, his body colliding into me with a soft knock. He flopped on the sofa beside me, his head in my lap, and I smiled, scratching through the soft fur.

I flipped on the TV, but my attention is scattered, and nothing felt like it was worth watching.

Finally, I settled on HGTV, watching reruns of some home improvement shows. Edward hated when I watch those shows because it was usually in the middle of the night that I decided we needed to remodel our house. It was often a fleeting thought, though. Some rooms could do with an upgrade, but mostly the house was beyond perfect.

We'd even been able to start setting up a nursery in one of the rooms next to ours. On TV, they talked about a nursery going into the remodel, and though I wanted to stay awake and hear the ideas, I could feel sleep tugging at me again.

I fell asleep on the sofa, Justice stretched out alongside me.

…

"Bella?"

My eyes fluttered open, and I groaned, my aches returning.

"Huh?"

Edward was perched on the coffee table in front of me, his coffee cup in his hands as he leaned his elbows on his knees.

"Baby, what are you doing sleeping down here?"

Justice was gone, and I realized he was curled up in our marble fireplace. His favorite den.

"I couldn't sleep," I winced, trying to sit up. It proved to be more challenging than I thought, and Edward had to reach out and help me up. "Thanks," I mumbled once I was upright.

I reached for his coffee, took a tiny sip, and wince at the dark bitter liquid. It needed sugar.

Edward chuckled as he watched my face, taking his coffee cup back and setting it on the table beside him.

My body was aching, and I reached up, lightly massaging my stomach.

"Are you hungry?"

My eyes met Edwards as my hands landed on my massive breasts. They'd been sore lately, which I'd read wasn't uncommon.

"Yeah," I said after a moment. "I could eat."

Edward's eyes weren't on my face anymore though, and I looked down following his gaze to find I was still cupping my breasts. I snorted and let them go. With how pregnant I'd been, we hadn't had sex in a while. It'd been hard on both of us, though Edward had smartly not complained about it.

"Soon enough," I moaned, even though I knew it wasn't true. From all that I'd read and been told, our sex life wouldn't return for a while after the baby was born. I was hoping everyone was wrong. I missed my husband.

"Come on, Baby," Edward sighed, standing and offering me his hand. "I'll make us some breakfast."

He helped me to my feet, planting a sweet kiss on my lips once I was up.

"I love you, Bella."

I smiled up at him, my hand reaching out to cup his cheek.

"I know. I love you too."

...

August 29, 2017

Seattle, Washington

Edward

"Lauren!"

My eyes stayed focused on my screen as I shouted for my PA. I heard the muted click of her heels on the carpet before she came into my office, her face slightly flushed. "Yes, Sir?"

I heard the purr of her voice and ignored it. I knew she likely wouldn't last as my PA. She was smart, but she was distracted by her crush on me. I'd been meaning to have her transferred, but I was too busy to train a new PA right now.

I glanced at her. "I'm heading into the conference call in two minutes. If my wife calls, I need to be informed immediately."

Lauren's face pinched ever so slightly, as it always did when I mentioned Bella. "Yes Sir," she murmured. I glared at her, trying to communicate how serious I was. Her face cleared, and she nodded soberly. I looked back at my computer, letting out a tight breath. I had a long meeting with a Taiwanese company scheduled for this afternoon. Likely, the meeting would have been shorter if I'd been able to go to Taiwan with my team at the beginning of the week, but I refused to travel right now. Fortunately, my bosses understood and I'd been able to teleconference with everyone. It was a pain in the ass, but it was better than being out of the country when my wife went into labor.

My breath caught in my throat as I thought about how pregnant Bella was. She was days away from giving birth. She was tired, uncomfortable, and frustrated with being on bed rest, but watching her through the pregnancy, I'd fallen in love with her again and again. She was so fucking incredible, and the strength and love that made her who she was humbled me.

She was ready to be a parent. Fuck, we both were. I'd spent the last four months pouring over every baby book we could find. Bella teased me about studying like I was trying to prep for a final. She wasn't wrong, though this wasn't a final; this was a beginning, and I couldn't fucking wait.

After a lot of back and forth both with Bella and my company, I decided to take the first month off after the baby was born. I wanted to be there for my family as we adjusted to a new normal. While my bosses were understanding, I'd been diligent in pushing harder the last few weeks, determined to get most of my work done on time.

The only thing left on my schedule was this deal in Taiwan.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, and I pulled it out, glancing at the time.

Ben:

Signing on in two minutes.

I nodded at the text from Ben, my partner on the deal. Normally, I'd handle it myself, but working with Ben had been a godsend. He'd gone to Taiwan to deal with things in person, while I handled things from Seattle.

I turned to my desk, launching our teleconferencing program. As it loaded on my screen, my eyes drifted to the picture of Bella that sat on my desk. My breath caught in my chest just looking at her. It was my favorite picture from our wedding. She looked elegant, her eyes set off the camera, her gaze full of love and joy. I'm told she was looking at me when the photographer snapped the photo. It makes me a little weak in the knees to even think about it.

My attention was pulled to my computer when Ben's face appeared on my screen. I cleared my throat and focused on him and the meeting ahead of us.

…

It was an absolutely brutal six hours, and we were nowhere near done, but the progress we'd made was good.

Taiwan was sixteen hours ahead of Seattle, which made my working hours difficult. It was close to ten at night when I finally got off the call.

The first thing I did was check my phone and messages. There had been no word from Bella, and with a breath of relief, I got up and stretched. I had a few things I wanted to finish up tonight before I went home, so I gave myself five minutes to pee, stretch, and hydrate. The office was empty tonight, though it wasn't unusual to find people working all night. With clients and deals around the world, there was always something going on around here.

I did what I needed to get done before returning to my desk and sitting back down behind my computer. I reached for my tie, finally ridding myself of the thing, and unbuttoned my sleeves, folding them up my forearms. When I was slightly more comfortable, I pulled up the contract we'd been working through all day and grabbed my notes, trying to prepare for tomorrow's meeting.

I was so absorbed in my work, that when my desk phone rang, I jumped.

I immediately reached for it, panic taking over me. "Bella?"

She was the only one that would call me this late.

"Uh, no sir. It's Erik, downstairs. I have an Alice here to see you?"

I blinked a couple of times. "My sister?"

The security guard cleared his throat. "Yes sir."

"Send her up," I said, before hanging up. Alice was in my office less than three minutes later.

"Alice, what—"

"Fucking hell, Edward," She groaned. "Why haven't you been answering your phone?"

Panic set in, and I reached for my phone. It had been sitting face down on my desk, the ringer and vibration off. Eight calls from Bella.

"Holy fuck," I gasped, knowing immediately what it meant. "Why didn't anyone call me here?" I demanded, reaching for my wallet.

"We tried! We went straight to voicemail!"

Fuck. Lauren must have left my phone on do not disturb. Fuck, fuck fuck!

Alice must have sensed my panic, because she reached out to me, her hand landing on my chest. "Calm down and breathe," she said, her eyes bright and focused. "Bella needs you to be calm, okay? She just went to the doctor, so we'll meet her there."

I feel like I'm about to crawl out of my own skin.

"Let's go!" I shouted at her. I heard Alice swear as I stormed out of my office and headed toward the elevator.

I shouldn't have been so stupid. I should have made sure Lauren put my phone back into regular receiving mode before she left for the night. I should have…

"Edward, calm and focused," Alice snapped as we climbed into the elevator.

I looked at her. "Who is with her?"

"Mom," she said at once. I let out a breath. At least Bella wasn't alone.

"How far along is she?"

Alice shrugged. "She said she's been having contractions all day, but they weren't too bad until tonight."

Holy fucking hell.

"Why didn't she tell me?" It was a half scream, half moan as the words came pouring out of me.

"She probably didn't want you to spiral in your meeting," Alice said, calm as ever. I grunted as the elevator finally hit the ground floor.

"Fuck, my keys!"

I was going to lose my goddamn mind.

"Relax, Edward. I'll drive us over. We'll pick up your car while you're with Bella," she said reassuringly. I nodded and followed her past Erik's desk and out onto the street.

"What time is it?" I asked as I climbed into her Lexus.

"Eleven-thirty," she said, starting up the car. I frowned. I didn't realize so much time had gone by while I was working.

We drove through Seattle, and with each red light and construction detour we came across, I could feel my agitation growing.

It started raining ten minutes from the hospital, but despite that, I was about ready to get out of the car and fucking run. It had to be faster, right?

"Will you calm down?" Alice demanded.

"I can't!" I shouted back at her. She shook her head, and I knew had we been kids, she'd have reached over and pinched me.

The look on her face told me that even though we were grown adults, she still might.

There were an absurd number of night crews out working on the roads, and with each detour and with the growing rain, my anxiety was reaching an all-time high. I tried calling Bella, but even though Alice told me Bella couldn't use her phone in the hospital, I kept trying.

After what felt like an eternity, Alice finally pulled up. Before we were even in a park, I was throwing the door open and sprinting inside.

"My wife is giving birth, where is she?" I demanded at the first nurse I saw. The woman blinked, taken aback, but then shook her head and turned to look down at her desk.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to lower your voice. What is your wife's name?"

I was going to strangle this woman.

"Isabella Cullen," I said, through clenched teeth. The nurse typed the name into her computer, and my god, could she be any slower?

"She's on the third floor in room—"

I took off before she could finish speaking. I'd find Bella when I got up there.

I was too amped to take the elevator, so I sprinted to the stairs, taking them two at a time on my way up.

When I got to the third floor, I burst through the door, running down the corridors and looking into every open room.

There were men in a few rooms, and for a second, I felt my anger bubble up. Clearly, the maternity ward wasn't up here if there were men in the rooms.

I was going to get that nurse fired.

"Someone fucking tell me where my wife is!" I shouted, not directed at anyone in particular.

"Edward?"

I spun, my eyes searching the floor. All eyes were on me after my outburst.

I let out a tight breath when I saw my mom's head poking out of a room down the hall. I ran toward her, even though two nurses yelled at me not to run.

I burst through the room, past my mom's amused face, and let out a strangled breath when I saw Bella leaning over a bed, bracing her hands against the footboard.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," I said, racing to her side as she struggled to stand. Thank fuck she looked amused.

"Edward, you're okay. You haven't missed anything," she said, wincing.

I shook my head. "I've already missed so much. I'm so sorry."

Bella reached out, her hand gently cupping my cheek. "Babe, breathe," she said with a small smile. "You've missed contractions, that's it. And considering how up in arms you can be when I get a paper cut, I think this was for the better," she teased.

I snorted, but she was right. The last time she'd gotten a paper cut, I might have gone a tad overboard. I knew Bella was capable—fuck, she was a lot more capable than I was—but she was sacrificing so much for our family right now, and I knew no matter what I did, I could never match that. I hated feeling powerless and useless.

"How has the pain been?" I asked.

Bella winced, her hand moving down into mine as her eyes squeezed shut. I felt her fingers squeeze mine for a moment before she let out a breath.

"Manageable," she said, her voice still strained. She was lying to me, possibly to protect me from the truth.

I hated it.

"Do you want to sit? You should rest," I told her, trying to tug her to the bed.

"No, I want to stand as long as I'm able to," she sighed. "You look a little pale though. Maybe you should sit down."

The small smile on her face wasn't enough to break me out of my panic. "Ha-ha," I said dryly. Behind me, I heard my mom snicker.

"Pace yourself, Edward," Mom said, coming to stand next to me. Her hand landed on my shoulder, and she rubbed gently. "It's going to be a long night."

…

I didn't want to believe them, but it was a long fucking night. The deeper into it we got, Bella grew more and more fatigued. I tried to get her to sleep, but she couldn't, so she paced and I sat there useless each time she winced.

Finally, a solid twelve hours after Alice had brought me into the hospital, the doctor told Bella she was ready to push.

I'd never been patient, but tonight had tested me beyond anything else. Never had I had so little control over a situation, especially a situation that meant absolutely everything to me.

Unsurprisingly, my wife handled everything with her usual grace and poise. I could see she was in pain, but she wasn't cussing me out like the movies had promised she would. Instead, she was focused, calm, and steady.

12:03 p.m. on August 30th, Henry Anthony Cullen was born, a tiny beacon bright and shining. He had a puff of red-brown hair on the top of his head, and though his eyes were a milky blue now, the doctor assured us they would settle soon.

He was the most perfect thing I'd ever seen, and the moment the nurse put him into my arms, I felt my entire heart crack open. The core of who I was forever altered. I was a changed man, and I would spend the rest of my life doing everything and anything I could for my family.

Phew, grumpward is officially a DILF!

As I said above, the sequel is currently in the works, so be sure to check in here or on Facebook (Fanfics For Nerds) for updates and announcements!