Chapter 24

BPOV

"I want to do something special before the baby comes."

I huffed out a breath as I sat on the couch next to him. It was getting harder to move around every week. I couldn't wait to meet our son or daughter, but I also just wanted to be done with sharing my body. "Okay, what exactly did you want to do?"

"It might sound a little crazy, but we rushed the whole wedding thing. I get we don't have a lot of time, but I'd really like to renew our vows. I feel like we've come a long way in the past months and I want to celebrate that with you."

Part of me wanted to say no, not right now. I was hugely pregnant and uncomfortable. With the way he looked at me, however, I knew I wouldn't be able to deny him. And he was right, we'd come so far, both on a personal level and together as a couple.

"The baby is due in like a month, Edward. You know what the doctor said, and the birthing class teacher, I could technically go into labor at any moment. What exactly are you thinking this will involve?"

"Is that a yes?"

"It's a maybe. It depends on what you've been planning and how much work I'll have to put in. I'm nine months pregnant. I don't feel like doing much of anything."

He grabbed my hand and tugged me on to his lap, turning me to the side so that I could fit comfortably. "So, between me, Rose, Alice, and my mom, we had the idea to combine a vow renewal and a baby shower. I think it makes sense to include our little one in our day." He ran a hand over my belly. "Everything is set and ready to go. All you need to do is give me a yes or a no. Alice has three dresses designed for you to pick from. My mom took care of all the decorating ideas, and Rose has email invitations ready to go as soon as I give her an answer. All we have to do is stand there and say our vows, open some baby gifts and eat good food."

"It sounds like you've all got it covered. All I have to do is show up and look pretty?"

He beamed at me before kissing the tip of my nose. "Yup, and you do that everyday anyway, so it'll be effortless for you. Um, there's just one more thing that I wanted to talk to you about." His eyes turned serious, which made me suddenly nervous.

"Okay…let me have it."

"Don't get mad, okay? But do you remember when I was out of town the other week? I had to fly into Chicago to go over some details for that new movie I'm helping produce?"

I nodded, my eyes searching for what sort of bomb he was about to drop on me. "Of course I remember. What about it? Did it get dropped? Are we out a ton of money? I mean, it's fine if we are—"

"Nothing like that…but, while I was in town, I may have ran into Seth with his wife, Rebecca. They have a new baby girl, Sarah."

"Wow, you must have spent a good amount of time with him to learn all of that." It was a little odd to hear Seth's name and even more so to think about the fact that he was married with a kid. He had apparently moved on quickly, but I could hardly fault him for that. When you know someone is the one for you, there's no sense in wasting time.

"That's it? That's all you've got to say? I've held onto this for weeks, nervous that you'd break down."

I pulled back, staring at him. "I'm sorry, was I supposed to burst into tears knowing that my ex-boyfriend is happily married? It's not as if I'm pining for him, Edward, I'm happily married as well, or have you forgotten and that's why you want to do this crazy vow renewal? That's all I wanted for him, Edward. Seth doesn't deserve any less than to be as happy as possible."

He at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, it's just that I never really know what's going to affect you right now. He told me to tell you he said hi, and that he's happy you're doing well. He also congratulated us on the baby."

"Well, like I said, I'm really glad he's happy. Chicago is a huge city, though, and I'm not even going to bother asking how you ran into an ex of mine out of all those people. But, thank you for finding out how he's doing—even if you most likely tracked him down like a stalker. I really did care for him, and I'm not sure you and I ever would have gotten together if it weren't for him."

He brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead. "Bella, while I get what you mean, because he definitely gave you confidence that you hadn't had, but baby…it's always been you. We would have found each other, regardless."

—DC—

I stood before Edward in the dress that Alice had designed for me. She'd had two others just in case, but I knew it was the one as soon as I laid eyes on it. It was made from light pink silk organza. The top was sheer with intricate floral appliques stitched to it and was fitted with a flesh-colored built-in bra for modesty.

"You look…I don't even have words, Bella. Beautiful isn't a strong enough word. Stunning, gorgeous, astonishing… nope, none of them match up. You're completely overwhelming me, sweetheart."

I grinned at him, loving that I had rendered him nearly speechless. For the first time in my life, I felt like a princess. I twirled slowly, loving how the dress floated around me. "It's a beautiful dress, isn't it? I feel like Cinderella. A very pregnant Cinderella."

Slipping a finger under my chin, he brought my gaze level to his. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips before rubbing the tip of his nose against mine in a sweet gesture. "It's you in the dress that makes it beautiful, baby. Are you ready to go see our guests?"

He held out his arm for me, and I linked mine with his. But as we stepped forward, I felt a slow trickle of something running down my thighs. "Edward, I, uh, I'm not sure, but I think my water may have just broken. That or I peed myself, but…I'm pretty sure it's my water."

His eyes were wide with panic. "You're sure? Bella, you're positive?"

Lifting my dress, I glanced down at the floor where a small puddle was forming. "Um, yeah."

"Okay. Okay, um, okay—"

"Edward, go get Rose and your mom."

"Right, okay!"

I sat down, watching as he rushed off to find them. I was terrified but thrilled at the same time. We were so much closer to finally meeting our baby.