Chapter 17

Bella's POV;

I snuggled into the warmth cocooning me, smiling sleepily when the strong arms loosely circling me tightened and drew me into a broad, firm chest. I rolled onto my back slowly and pressed into Edwards's chest, my arm reaching around to wrap around his waist as our legs twined together.

This was definitely one of my favourite times of the day. That peaceful half hour before the kids woke up and Edward got up for work when we just lay in bed and enjoyed each other's company. I shuffled up a little so that our heads were level and rested my forehead against his, sighing deeply and hoping I didn't have awful morning breath.

Edward cupped my cheek and kissed me gently, causing me to sigh softly again. I nestled my face into the crook of his neck, his arms automatically circling me again. I inhaled his scent before gently kissing his neck, a long press of my lips against his skin. He groaned quietly and tightened his arms around me even further before letting go and urging me backwards so he could claim my lips again. Gone was the gentle, sweet kiss from before, replaced by a passion-filled searing meeting of lips that had me gasping for breath when we parted.

My chest heaved as my lungs tried to refill with air that he stole from them, my face automatically leaning into his gentle, almost reverent touch. My heart ached with the deep emotion I felt for Edward, so much that I felt that I could barely contain it.

My hands rubbed circles into his chest while my hips thrust towards his of their own accord. Our mouths met again, frantic and passionate, our tongues fighting and our teeth clashing. I moaned into his mouth, my skin tight and feverish. His hand trailed a fiery path up my thigh and across my stomach before gently cupping my breast through the thin fabric of his t-shirt. I groaned and arched into the touch, silently begging for more as my teeth bit into his bottom lip. I wanted him. Edward. I needed more. I needed him to –

And then the moment was broken. I heard Oliver and Evie stirring over the baby monitor and gave Edward one last rueful kiss before rolling out of our bed and padding over to the nursery, tamping down my pleasure and biting down a groan of frustration. Evie was sat up in her recently acquired princess bed, her little hands rubbing her at her eyes and the locks of her hair that had escaped the French plait I had put it in sticking up wildly around her head.

Oliver, who had mastered sitting up on his own and was well on his way to crawling, was gurgling in his crib, his pudgy hands clapping together. I lifted him out of his crib and sat him on the floor with his beloved polar bear teddy as I got some clothes out for them both. It was a Friday, so Edward finished work early and would come with me to pick Evie up from nursery. I always loved when we picked Evie up together but it made me nervous today; it meant that Oliver and I only had a few hours to find Edwards's birthday present.

I ran a brush through Evie's curls and put it up into a simple bun before changing her into a pair of jean shorts and a flowery top. I left her choosing socks and shoes while I dressed Oliver in a pair of jean dungarees, a short sleeved white top and a pair of white socks. I helped Evie into her socks and shoes before guiding everyone downstairs for breakfast. I stopped short when I entered the kitchen, my eyes roving over Edward. He was wearing his usual dark grey suit trousers and smart dress shoes but his blue shirt, grey waistcoat and blazer were slung over the back of a chair, the sight of his bare chest causing my breath to catch in my chest. His eyes met mine and smiled ruefully before taking Oliver gently from me and placing him in his highchair.

Edward took over feeding the children so that I could run upstairs, get dressed and pack up Oliver's baby bag and Evie's school bag. I hastily threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a plaid shirt, grabbing some socks and the two packed bags before rushing downstairs.

My bare feet had barely hit the carpeted downstairs landing when I felt a dizzy spell hit me, causing me to waiver on my feet before I dropped the bags with a muted crash in favour of gripping the door frame to steady myself. I shook my head a little as I heard Edward rushing towards me from the kitchen. I looked up and met his worried gaze, attempting to grin brightly and only managing a weak smile as another wave of dizziness crashed over me.

"Bella? Are you okay?" He approached me slowly and cupped my cheek, angling my face towards his and scanning his eyes over it before bringing his hand up to press against my forehead. "You don't feel warm. Do you feel sick?"

I gently pulled away from his hands and shook my head, managing to smile softly at him and kiss him chastely on the lips before stooping and grasping the bags that I dropped. He took the bags from me and led the way to the kitchen, glancing back at me occasionally with concern.

"I'm fine, I promise. It's almost seven thirty, you need to go; you're going to be late for work." I pressed another kiss to the corner of his mouth, watching from where I leaned in the doorframe of the kitchen as he lifted Oliver and pressed a kiss to his crown before giving Evie the same treatment. He cuddled both of them to his chest before lowering Evie's feet to the ground and handing Oliver to me. He cupped the side of my head and pressed a kiss to my temple before gathering up his blazer, briefcase and car keys.

I heard the door shut behind him as I wiped the remnants of Oliver's breakfast from around his mouth and smoothed Evie's ponytail.

"We should get going baby girl; grab your backpack and your jacket while I get my socks and shoes on okay?"

She smiled up at me before scampering off to do as she was told while I walked through to the living room and set Oliver down on the carpet. He immediately started trying to crawl as I pulled on my socks and shoes quickly and lifted him before he could get too frustrated with his lack of progress.

Evie waited patiently next to me as I strapped Oliver into his pram and held onto it obediently as we set out into the early June sunshine. We strolled along the street and reached the nursery fairly quickly, walking into the cool building with Evie holding my hand on the handle of the pram.

"Okay Evie, be good and remember that Daddy is coming to pick you up today." Evie nodded excitedly and lifted her arms to me so that she could lean into the pram and kiss Oliver's pudgy cheek, earning a giggle from him. She smiled and hugged me before squirming to get down and running to hang up her jacket and bag so she could play.

I gave her one last wave before leaving the nursery with Oliver, sending Edward a text to let him know that I'd dropped her off as I walked towards the centre.

I had a long day of shopping ahead.

.

.

I groaned in frustration.

Shopping for Edward's present was a bloody nightmare. I was no closer in having any idea of what to get him, and I had to pick Evie up in an hour!

I felt as though I had looked in every shop in the vicinity twice and I still came up empty. This was an unmitigated disaster. Surely my day couldn't get any worse.

I stopped to give Oliver a snack, fishing the dry rusks out of a Tupperware container that I had stashed in my bag and handing one to him while he sat up happily in his pram. I pushed the pram with one hand and used the other to eat a rusk myself, savouring the sweet biscuit as I searched through yet another store.

Maybe I could buy myself some lingerie and give him me for his birthday? I snorted around my rusk at the thought and looked around desperately for inspiration. My eye caught a tent and I cocked my head, thinking as I munched on the last of the rusk.

We could have a family camping holiday. I hadn't been for years but we could go to Cornwall and camp near the coast, take the kids to the beach and have barbecues. I smiled at the thought and then decided to steal Edward's laptop tonight to do some research.

I quickly left the shop and hurriedly and made my way to the nursery, smiling as I saw Edward's familiar Volvo parked in the lot. He opened the door and stepped out when he saw me, walking over to kiss me chastely. I wrapped an arm around him before lifting Oliver from the pram, watching as Edward deftly collapsed it and stowed it in the boot of the car, lifting the baby bag to his shoulder.

He took Oliver from me and held my hand as we walked inside, smiling broadly when Evie barrelled towards us.

"Hey baby girl, ready for some lunch?" She nodded eagerly and we turned to leave before Edward paused. "Bella take the keys out of my inside pocket, Oliver needs a change. Get Evie in the car and we'll be out in 5." I nodded and slid my hand across his chest, lingering a little longer than I needed to before fishing the keys out of his blazer. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and grasped Evie's hand before leaving for the car.

I swung Evie up into my arms and carried her across the lot, smiling as she rested her head on my shoulder and wound an arm around my neck. I clicked the fob, unlocked the car and started trying to coax Evie into her car seat.

She tightened her arm and snuggled more firmly into my neck, letting out a little whine when I tried to gently pry her from me. I sighed in frustration; my baby girl needed a nap but she needed lunch first.

"Okay baby, okay." I murmured into her hair, raising a hand to cup the back of her head where her hair was escaping the bun I put it in this morning. I swayed gently in the sunshine, lowering my hand to rub her back and pressing kisses to her temple. She relaxed into my embrace, her body going lax in my arms. I saw Edward leave the nursery and make his way across the lot, an arm wrapped around a giggling Oliver.

"I think we should just get some sandwiches or something so we can get them back for their nap Edward. After a day at nursery and a day with Mummy, they're exhausted." I pressed another kiss to Evie's crown and managed to get her into her seat. I had just finished buckling her in when she started wailing, her hands coming up to rub at her eyes in the way she does when she's close to a meltdown.

I climbed into the car and squeezed into the middle seat between the two baby seats, wiping her tears away with my thumb.

"What's wrong baby?" My question was met with chest wracking coughs and the occasional hiccups as Evie tried to calm herself down. "Maybe we should just make something at home?"

Edward nodded and quickly strapped Oliver into his seat and got behind the wheel, starting the car up and driving home. It was a relatively short drive, around 5 minutes and soon we were pulling up in front of the cottage. I unbuckled a sleeping Evie, while Edward tackled a snoring Oliver and his bag, promising to get the pram later.

I got Evie comfy on one of the sofas with a fluffy throw blanket and a pillow while Edward got Oliver settled into his bassinet. We crept into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen island, content to relish each other's company for a while.

"I need to nip out later, about 3. I'll be gone for a couple of hours, but I'll be back in time for our family dinner; I promise." I nodded and smiled, outwardly displaying a politely indifferent persona while inside I panicked.

Where was he going? If he wanted me to know he would have told me where he was going when he told me that he was going out. Shit. I forced myself to be calm. Edward loved me; he wouldn't cheat on me and risk our relatively new relationship.

"What do you want or lunch?"

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Edward dropped me and the kids off at his parents' house on his way to his mystery appointment. Carlisle was home early and Esme was baking up a storm in her gorgeous kitchen. It was all polished dark marble countertops and white cupboards. Evie eagerly scampered to the kitchen to help her Nana while Oliver went to his Pops to be filled in about his most recent case.

When I entered the kitchen Evie was already wearing her princess apron and was stood on her special stool so she could see and reach the countertop. I sat at the breakfast bar and watched fondly as Evie helped measure out flour and add it to a mixer containing butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Esme turned to me as Evie put the cupcake cases into the baking trays and smiled.

"How are you Bella?" I smiled at the woman that I was coming to see as a mother.

"I'm fine, just frustrated about finding Edward a birthday present. I have no idea what to do!" Esme smiled fondly at my outburst before going to help Evie scoop the cupcake batter into the cases. She put the trays into the oven before turning to me with a contemplative look on her face.

"Evie, why don't you go and make a fort with your Pops and brother." Evie discarded and ran to the living room and Esme came to sit next to be at the bar. "Why don't you have a romantic meal together, Carlisle and I will take the kids for the night. I can help you pick out the restaurant too if you like?" I nodded and pulled her into a grateful hug.

Thank God for Esme.

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I opened the bathroom door and padded over to the bedroom that I shared with Edward, my damp hair in a messy bun, my skin scrubbed pink and my mouth minty fresh. I stretched and slid under the sheets, reaching over to wrap my fingers around Edwards left bicep, starting a little when the skin underneath my fingertips felt odd. He flinched away from my fingers and I snatched it back in surprise and hurt. What?

Did Edward not want me to touch him?

I blinked back tears and scooted to the furthest edge of the mattress, curling into a ball.

"Bella? Hey baby, what's wrong?" I stayed silent and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. Soft light flooded the room as Edward flicked on the lamp on his bedside table. He gathered me into his arms and put his finger under my chin. "Hey, talk to me?"

I heaved a sigh. I wanted to make this work and to do that we need communication. "Don't you want me to touch you Edward?" I kept my eyes closed so I couldn't see his facial expression.

"Of course I do? You just grasped a sensitive area of skin. You know I love it when you touch me." He punctuated his statement with a chaste kiss to my lips. I opened my eyes and saw the sincerity in his eyes.

"But your bicep wasn't sensitive this morning? What happened Edward, are you okay?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise but it doesn't matter. I went to get my birthday present today, that's where I went when I dropped you and the kids off with my parents." He moved me off his lap and presented his left arm to me.

My words dried in my mouth as I gazed in surprise at Edward's arm. Right there, under his homage to Evie, more words were inscribed on his skin, barely visible through the Clingfilm wrapped around them.

Oliver Ellis Cullen

8th November 2015

Tears clouded my vision.

"I love you Bella."

10th June 2016.

I know I've been gone for a disgustingly long time but I'm saying sorry with a chapter update! Love you guys, read review and enjoy as always.