Ugh. I'm so sad for this to endddd!
Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing, and caring about these people. They felt so special to me.
I appreciate and love all of the ladies who helped along the way and listened to my constant thoughts about this story—Paige, May, Pamela, Janelle, & Abby. Hadley is the absolute best and I couldn't do this without her! Huge thanks to Lizzie Paige for the beautiful banner. Sarai Masen will translate this story, so if you'd like to read the Spanish version, put her on alert!
See you guys ~very soon! Mwah.
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Epilogue
Part 2
I wake up to Bella purposely rubbing her ass against me.
It's got to be my favorite fucking way to wake up.
"Mmm," I groan, nibbling at her earlobe. "Morning."
She immediately grabs my hand and places it inside her underwear. I rub her clit, grinding against her ass as my hand slips lower, fingers sliding between her folds.
"Fuuuck," she whimpers. "Just like that. That's what I want."
She reaches behind and slips a hand inside my boxers, palming my hardening cock.
"Ungh, feels good," I murmur, bucking into her touch while she strokes me.
We touch each other for a few minutes, working ourselves up. Then I yank her underwear down and line myself up to push into her from behind.
We hear Masen's faint shriek from down the hallway.
"Shit," Bella sighs, her movements halting. "He's awake."
I keep my dick right there, barely brushing her wetness, greedy for more time, more Bella.
"Maybe he'll go back to sleep…" I mumble, sucking on her neck, willing it to come true. I kiss her bare shoulder, my lips pressed against the four inked birds she etched into her skin to represent our family.
Since I already have a tattoo for Riley, I also got one for Bug—a small, geometric beetle added to my sleeve.
I got one for Bella, too—our wedding date, branded on my skin.
03.25.21
It's quiet now, the coast potentially clear.
I grip the base of my dick, ready to slide in.
Another shriek, higher-pitched this time.
Bella groans and rolls over to face me, pulling up her underwear.
"He's done sleeping. It's seven," she mumbles. "Our birthday boy is up for the day."
I sigh. "Raincheck?"
"Oh, definitely." Bella kisses me, then my cock.
"Bell," I warn, and she laughs.
"Just wait until tonight," she promises. "It'll be worth it."
I think back to when Bella was cleared to have sex. We celebrated with dinner and drinks, but she wasn't ready when it came down to it. She was nervous, I guess. She was worried about the way her body looked, and she was scared, after having stitches, that things would hurt or feel different. I reassured her it would be okay and that we'd go slow. That every inch of her body was fucking perfect for me. Even with those reassurances, she was still unsure.
I didn't push her. I patiently waited four more excruciating weeks for her to finally let me know she was ready. Our touch was tentative as we explored each other's bodies again. I followed her lead. When she slowly eased down onto me, I wanted to fucking cry at how good she felt.
Unfortunately, I came too quickly, but I spent some time making it up to her, fucking her with my fingers and sucking her clit to make her moan louder than I'd heard before.
"Good?" I asked, looking up at her from between her legs once they stopped shaking.
"The fucking best," she sighed, sounding content and so fucking done for.
When I was ready to go again, I slowly pushed into her, aware of my every move, wanting to make sure I wasn't hurting her. When she eventually hooked her ankles around my waist and begged for faster and harder, I gave it to her. We spent hours reconnecting in the way we were always so fucking good at.
Masen shrieks again, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Maybe we shouldn't waste time with foreplay," Bella says teasingly, and I stare at her tits before she puts on a tank top. "Maybe you'll just wake up to me sitting on your cock next time."
I roll over and groan, burying my face in her pillow. "Not helping, woman."
She laughs, walking over and slapping my ass. "Sorry, not sorry."
With a coy smile, she leaves the room to grab Masen. I wait until I'm no longer excited then take a piss, pull on some joggers, and join them in the nursery. Bella's sitting on the rug with him, and they're building a tower with blocks.
"Mommy is a cruel, cruel woman, Bug," I tell him, and I bite back a grin.
"Ah bah bah bah," he babbles, smiling widely, like I'm the best person in the entire world.
That smile does something big to my fucking heart.
"See?" I tell Bella. "He agrees with me—no more teasing."
She laughs. "Don't listen to Daddy, baby. He liked it."
"Of course I fucking liked it," I mutter under my breath, earning another laugh from Bella.
Masen knocks over the tower they're building and walks over to me, holding up his arms. I pick him up, kissing his chubby cheeks.
"Happy Birthday to you, Bug. Are you excited about your party today?"
Masen's birthday is doubling as a housewarming party. When our lease was up, back in February, and we hadn't found a house to buy, our landlord let us go month-to-month, instead of signing another year-long lease. After a few more months of what felt like endless fucking searching, we finally fell in love with a place and were able to buy it over the summer.
"Can you believe our baby is one?" Bella asks, standing, brushing fingers over his wispy light brown hair.
"Not really," I muse.
Time is a motherfucker and needs to slow down.
"Guh!" Masen gets randomly excited and starts flailing his arms and slaps my face. His green eyes shine with mischief when I say "ouch," and then he giggles. I say it again in an animated voice, just so he'll giggle a second time. He does, making us laugh along with him.
"Oh, my god. I love this boy," Bella gushes, peppering kisses on his face, sounding emotional. "I want ten more of him."
I grin. "Ten, huh?"
"Not really. Just one," she concedes.
"Me too," I murmur, and her eyes turn tender. "Anything special you want for breakfast?" I ask, setting Masen down. He immediately stomps over and picks up the knitted rabbit my mom made for him and chews on it. It's similar to Riley's but has a soft blanket attached.
"Nah, I don't care. But I want to shower real quick because I have to pick up the cake at nine. I already boobed him, but can you feed him something for breakfast?"
"I can feed him and pick up the cake at nine," I offer.
"I don't mind." Bella pecks my mouth with a kiss, but I keep her in place and deepen it. "I have to run to the party store, too, so it might be a bit."
"All good, I can hold down the fort."
"Also, heads up, my parents will be here around noon." Even though they missed Masen's birth last year, Bella's folks were adamant about being here for his first birthday, even though they're in the middle of harvest. They're driving over just for the day and then heading back to Yakima after the party. Bella told them it was fine, but they insisted on being here. I know them making the effort meant a lot to her. To me, too.
"C'mon, buddy. Let's go feed ya."
I pick Masen up again, but he squirms to leave my arms. Instead of wanting to be carried, he stumbles ahead of me, walking the entire way to the kitchen and proving that he's gonna be just as independent as his mom.
=.=.=.=
With an hour until the party, Chelsea drops off Riley.
"Hey," I tell her, lingering in the doorway.
She smiles faintly. "Hey."
I wonder when the day will come when we don't walk Riley to the door anymore. But it's kind of nice to use this time to check in with each other.
"Mommy took me to get a present for Masen, Daddy!" Riley says excitedly, holding up a gift bag with a dinosaur on it.
"I bet he's gonna love it," I tell Ri, kissing the top of her head as she walks into the house. I look at Chelsea. "You didn't have to do that, but thanks."
"Don't thank me yet. It's a really obnoxious and loud toy," she says with a small laugh. "But Riley picked it out, so I couldn't say no."
"Loud and obnoxious? Then he's guaranteed to love it," I chuckle. "Are you going to come back for Riley after the party, or do you just want her to stay the night with us since she's coming back tomorrow, anyway?"
"We're going to the zoo tomorrow afternoon, so I was hoping to pick her up later if that's cool."
"Yeah, sounds good. Everything should be wrapped up by four."
I know our friends will stay longer, but the cake and presents will be done by then at least.
I can hear Masen's shrieks and giggles before he comes around the corner toward the door, wearing his brown Carhartt overalls. Bella appears then, chasing after him.
"Gotcha!" she says playfully, snatching him up in her arms. Her gaze lands on Chelsea. "Hey."
"Hi." Her eyes shift to Masen. "Wow, he's walking?"
"For the last couple of months, yeah," Bella tells her, propping Masen on her hip.
"He gets bigger every time I see him, and he looks just like you," Chelsea adds, nodding toward me.
"Spitting image," Bella agrees, tickling his stomach and making him giggle.
Chelsea smiles. "Happy Birthday, little guy."
"Say 'thank you,' Mase," Bella coaxes, then she glances back at Chelsea, pushing some hair out of her face. "How are you?"
"Good." Chelsea shrugs, relaxed. "Same ol'. You?"
"Just staying busy with this crazy fella," Bella says lightly, bouncing Masen on her hip.
Now that I have my own business, Bella can cut her hours back and stay with Masen sometimes during the week when my parents don't have him. She doesn't want to stop working completely, but it's nice to avoid daycare costs while we still can.
"This is a really fun age but exhausting," Chelsea remarks, making a funny face at Masen. "Well, I guess every age is exhausting in its own way. In a good way."
"Totally," Bella agrees. "His little personality is coming out, and it's just, ugh, so fun." She turns to me. "Did you ask her about Riley's hair?"
I scratch my neck. "Oh, not yet."
"Riley really wants pink highlights," Bella says to Chelsea. "They're not permanent, and it won't damage her hair, so if you're okay with it, I was hoping to do it for her."
Chelsea looks at me, her face neutral. "Sure, I'm fine with that if you are, Edward."
"Yeah, it's fine," I agree. "Maybe then she'll stop begging to get her ears pierced."
Chelsea rolls her eyes, but she's smiling. "I don't know why you're still being so weird about that. Just let her pierce her ears! I got mine done when I was, like, five."
Bella laughs a little because she's also been giving me shit over me not wanting Riley to pierce them.
"When she's twelve, she can pierce her ears," I insist.
"Ten," Chelsea negotiates.
I sigh, knowing I'll likely cave, and she'll have them pierced for her eighth birthday.
Masen babbles, the attention on him for a moment.
"See? Even he agrees with us," Bella jokes.
He reaches over for me, and I take him from Bella. "C'mon. You have to be on my side, Bug," I tell him, tapping his nose.
"Guh!"
Chelsea watches fondly. "I guess I should go. But I'll be back at four to get Ri."
"Cool, see you in a bit," I reply. "Thanks again for the gift."
"No problem."
Chelsea starts walking away, and I glance past her and see Sam waiting in his car. I offer a polite wave, and he waves back. They've been dating for the last six months. He's a good guy. Just a solid dude, from what I've seen. I don't ask about their relationship, but Chelsea remarked once that reaching out to Sam helped her after her mother's death. I guess after dealing with his own loss, he was able to offer her some insight. I was grateful he could be there for her.
Lately, Chelsea seems more comfortable. Happier. Relaxed. It makes me realize that I've never actually seen her like this, and… I don't know. I'd never regret being with her because we have a daughter who's one of the best things about my life. But I do wonder if Chelsea and I settled for each other. I wonder if we were pressured to get married because that's just what you do when you're with someone for that long. It no longer becomes a want, but an obligation.
As I look over at Bella, all of my thoughts are confirmed. Because while marrying Chelsea was the next step, marrying Bella was a choice.
An undeniable want.
A need.
And one of the best fucking decisions of my life.
=.=.=.=
Masen cries while everyone sings "Happy Birthday." He's like me, that way. Not wanting all of the attention on him, I guess.
He perks up when he smashes his cake, though, all too happy making a mess. And after too many presents are opened, Mase is more interested in the gift bags than the actual gifts.
When the birthday party is over, Riley gets picked up by Chelsea, and Bella's parents head back to Yakima. Riley's classmates leave, and only our close friends and my parents stay behind. We move outside to hang in the backyard. Emmett brings out a case of beer, and Bella scoffs.
"What is that?" she asks accusingly.
"Want one?"
"No."
"What, now that you're a mom you don't drink or what?"
She rolls her eyes. "I'm just wondering why you're drinking that crap when Charlie brought over the good stuff from Yakima?" Bella points out.
"Ah, fuck yeah," Emmett says excitedly, disappearing inside and grabbing a hazy beer.
"We gonna light that later tonight or what?" Jasper asks, nodding toward the firepit I made.
I shrug, Masen in my arms. "Sure. Might as well."
"Right on." Jasper claps my back. "Place is looking good, Boss." He started calling me "boss" when I started my own business. I thought it was a joke at first, but now it's kind of stuck. Now I kind of like the sound of it.
My mom steals Masen, and Bella comes over, wrapping her arms around my waist and staring up at me. "So, I did a thing," she says vaguely.
I kiss her. "What thing?"
"Your parents are going to take Masen for the night. Give us a little break… have a little sleepover with Nana and Papa."
I love the sound of this—love the way her eyes sparkle with lust and fucking want.
"Okay," I say, voice lowered.
"I have a surprise for you tonight, too," she murmurs.
"For me?"
"Mmhmm."
I glance over at our friends. "Okay, everyone out!" I holler, and they laugh, ignoring my request. They'll understand one day when they have kids. When you have the house to yourselves, you got to make the most of it.
"Shush, you." Bella grins. "Let's hang for a bit, and then we'll kick them out."
"Fine," I relent.
We get Masen's stuff packed up, and when my parents leave with him, Bella gets a little emotional. I get it, though. This will be the first night we're spending away from him. It's a big step, but I'm excited to have the house all to ourselves tonight.
We rejoin everyone in the backyard, and I crack open a beer.
We relax. Drink. Light the fire. Order pizza.
When the sun dips below the horizon and Bella comes to sit on my lap, softly kissing my neck, I ask, "Now?"
She must know what I'm asking because she says, "Now."
"All right, everybody out!" I call out, and even though they laugh again, this time they listen.
We leave the mess for the morning, kissing our way into the bedroom once everyone is gone.
I pick Bella up, her legs around my waist, and lay her back on the bed.
We make out, kissing lazily, tongues brushing as I grind against her.
Without any interruptions, I want to take my time with her.
I want to make this last.
But I'm also impatient as fuck to get inside of her, so we get undressed, and I settle between her legs again, my dick hard and pressed against her.
I kiss her neck.
Her chest.
"Do you know how much I fucking love you?" I ask, staring down at her.
"Yes," she whispers.
I kiss my way down her body, pressing a hot, wet kiss to her pussy and then trailing a path back up.
"Hey," she playfully scolds, lifting her hips like she wants more.
I grin. "Payback for that kiss to my dick this morning."
She laughs. "That's how you wanna fight, old man? Dirty?"
"I mean… you know I always like it dirty," I say roughly, capturing her mouth in a kiss.
She pushes at my shoulders, so I'm lying back, and she straddles me. Her hips roll, making me harder. I slide my hands up her body, up her back, and I pause when I feel something just under her shoulder blade.
"What's that?" I ask, curious.
She just grins. "Your surprise. I got it done this morning after I picked up the cake."
"Huh?"
Moving off of me, she turns around and pulls her hair to one side, showing me her back.
"Wha—" I pause when I see a plastic film covering her ink.
It takes a second for my brain to catch up, but I realize there's a fifth bird tattooed on her shoulder where there only used to be four.
I delicately trace the linework, my heart light and fucking hopeful.
"Bell?"
She faces me, eyes shining with happy tears. "Yeah, so. I'm pregnant."
I'm fucking shocked. "Really?"
"I've been feeling off, so I took a test last week. And yeah, I'm pregnant. My doctor said even though I never started my period after giving birth, that didn't mean I couldn't ovulate," she replies, shrugging. "I guess I was going to finally start my period, and we had sex at just the right time."
I laugh in disbelief, taking her face in my hands and kissing her. All I take away from what she said is: "You've known for a week?"
"I wanted to surprise you with the tattoo, and had to wait for an appointment," she says softly, fingers brushing my jaw. "Last time we found out I was pregnant, it just… I mean, we were happy, but I was so scared. This time I'm not. I'm ready and excited to do this with you again."
"Me too," I say, swallowing back emotion.
She looks relieved as she searches my face. "You're happy?"
"So fucking happy," I admit, overwhelmed but over-fucking-joyed. "Another surprise baby."
"Hopefully the last? My fertile ass is going on birth control the second I can."
Laughing I murmur, "Sounds like a plan."
I kiss her lips then kiss her flat stomach.
With my mouth right by her belly button, I whisper, "For Riley's sake, you better be a girl."
The End
P.S. It's totally a girl :')
