First and foremost this is the original story before I started to rewrite it... and got stuck in the writing of the rewrite. If you are following the rewrite you will notice quite glaring differences between this and the one you have already started following. I do not intend on giving up with the rewritten version, however, I think you guys waiting for me to get over my blank slate of a muse isn't going to happen any time soon. So I am re-posting the original. This was my first completed story and it is very different from how my last stories flow.
Secondly, this is not beta'ed. NOT AT ALL. There will be mistakes in spelling (I'm Australian and some words we spell differently). The layout will honestly have you wondering what the hell I was thinking. I wasn't; well that's not true. What I was thinking was that I knew what I was doing and screw anyone else... yes I was a conceited little shit even at the age of 31.
Thirdly, there are 68 chapters to this story, including the epilogue and two outtakes. All of which have been uploaded to my profile I will try to upload as often as I can. Please understand that I have a busy life in the real world. This includes two children, one grown and the other with disabilities. So while I should be able to update wherever I am, if something happens please understand that I will miss updating.
Last but not least. I am not SM. Not even close. I do not own the franchise, work in any capacity with the publishing houses or studios. I merely escaped from reality to play with some characters that I fell in love with while reading four books in a matter of days.
"Momma, can you get Bella to leave me alone, I wanna go riding with daddy," Junior called as he and the now not so little Bella ran into the house.
I had to laugh at the strange almost sibling behavior that had them constantly from hot and cold towards one another. Both now 5 years old and would constantly on the move, and with Junior always following his daddy around I had to wonder exactly how it was going to go down once he started school in the coming weeks. Knowing how he had Char wrapped around his little finger, I wouldn't be surprised if he and Bella would have the entire school wrapped around their little fingers within days. Either that or me and Chelsea would be receiving calls about their behavior in class. I pitied the teacher that had those two together since Char put her foot down and flat out refused to even consider having either of them in her room. She definitely had her head on straight.
"But aunt B, he said we'd play today and I wanna play mommies and daddies. And he has to be the daddy." I had to wonder what was going to happen when they became teens; I really wasn't looking forward to that whole scenario.
Those two already fought like an old married couple, and I knew that both nanas were secretly planning their wedding. Smiling I slowly stood up from my seat waddling over toward the pair. It was interesting to see their different reaction to my swollen belly. While Junior was so used to it, Bella never had so much fun than when she was sitting beside me with her hands all over it trying vainly to feel the twins who were due any day now move.
But she wasn't the only one; both my niece and nephew enjoyed feeling the babies moving around. I shooed Junior over to the barn where I was sure he'd find his daddy while I took Bella into the kitchen to play house while we waited for everyone else to make their way over.
It had become tradition that we would still celebrate Brea's birthday every year, not only to keep her memory alive for her daughter who was looking more and more like her every day; but because it just didn't seem right to not celebrate her life no matter how short it was. We were in the middle of preparing the shortbread biscuits I heard the little thumps of three-year-old feet through my living room, towards the kitchen.
I was sure that Junior told them where to find us or that they knew where to find me. Either way, I was quickly surrounded by the arms of both Maggie and Liam, their smiling faces plainly showing what they wanted. Quickly setting them up with their own dough and stepping back watching the giggling of the little ones that had claimed my bench as theirs; I had to wonder what had them coming in without their mother's. Though then again it was a common thing now to find me in the kitchen either preparing food or eating, usually the former. While I had suffered morning sickness throughout the first trimester of Junior's pregnancy it would seem that the twins had decided to keep that little fun packet to the end.
"You know I should put you on bed rest if I find you on your feet like that again." The very new Dr. Alice Cullen chastised me as she made her way over with the chair that was one of my many perches in the house.
Since Tanya had taken time off to start her own family with the now not so single Lieutenant Garret Nickels after meeting at the wedding and all the drama that came with it; Alice had taken the role of my OBGYN for the special delivery; while Edward was now the family doctor for all the kids. He loved having all his nieces and nephews running around, and had even started thinking of specializing in pediatrics with the smiles that he was greeted with. Both he and Alice had decided that kids were for in the future, having fun being able to pass them back once they got too out of control. Truthfully I think it was more that they were content for now and just didn't want to rush it. Besides, it was only a few short weeks ago that they were married, and as per Alice's orders, they were to wait until the twins were with us before they left on their honeymoon.
After firmly planting my ass on the chair that she had not so gently forced me into we sat watching the kids having the time of their lives with the dough, making so many different shapes that I had to wonder if anything was going to be edible or if was the look but don't touch situation that we were going to be forced with. With the concentration Bella was putting into her work I was sure that that one was not going to be eaten by anyone unless she handed it to them.
"How's everything going B?" She asked as we continued to watch the master chefs in training. I shrugged my shoulder since there had been no change in how things were really. No pains, no nesting period that would assure the birth was coming, and definitely no water breaking making a mess of the house. The tap on my shoulder was Alice's non subtle way of telling me words not gestures.
"No breaking out the emergency kit yet Ali, they seem to be enjoying their stay a La Bella Resort. I mean who wouldn't. Food delivered at a seconds notice, though I have to wonder how the accommodations are fitting both in that single room." I joked, and shockingly I heard the laughter of some family that I really wasn't expecting.
There in the door was Leah and Paul. Yeah, that didn't go down too well with Sue and Harry; the age difference was even worse once they actually found out that there was just less than 10 years difference between them. But Paul did right by her, treated her like the princess she was and waited until she was old enough and mature enough to make her own decisions. He earned my respect with that alone, but what really cinched the deal was when Seth had been injured when he was in an accident last year.
Paul had dropped everything literally, hitting Jasper in the head with a hammer when she called in tears; at first, Jasper was pissed that one of his workers had left without telling anyone what had happened. That was until he receives a call from me an hour later telling him that we were leaving by the evening, and Paul was flying with us. Since then they had been inseparable with Leah transferring to Texas University to finish her degree in physical therapy. Seth was gutted that she was leaving but understood and spent pretty much all his free time here on the property with me and Jasper during his recovery time in the school breaks. It didn't help that I'd ride his ass to keep his grades up so he could graduate this coming year.
They walked over to where I was sitting, both gently kissing my cheek and rubbing my swollen belly. I swear it was like a good luck Buddha thing that they were doing.
"Well; look who the contractor dragged from her studies. How are you going Leah?" I grinned as Paul blushed and Leah hid her face. They were too cute for their own good.
"Hey, what's this I hear about you two trying to run away this summer without telling me?" I asked with mock annoyance.
Truthfully I had known exactly what was going on. Paul had taken Leah home for the first few weeks and had asked Harry's permission to marry his daughter. Apparently, Harry had laughed and told him that he should be asking her big sister since I was the one that made her turn her life around. Naturally I said yes only after conferring with Harry for a few days making Paul sweat. It was the most fun I had without being told off for overdoing it. I was still the only one who knew what was going on, though I think it was more so I wouldn't be surprised into early labor.
We sat there and chatted about everything as the rest of our very large family slowly joined us; with only Jasper and Junior still outside riding the horses. I had to admit that when Junior was nearly 4 and Jasper had decided to teach him to ride, I was a little skeptical, but after one lesson I knew I had lost. The boy was just like his daddy, a natural cowboy. Lord help me if he was as wild as he father was when he grew up. I was gonna have my hands full there even without the pending twins. He definitely was his daddy's boy, but he still had my aversion to crowds and public life. Something that had become somewhat normal for us after a few years.
The work with the paper was still going strong, but it was more than that. The radio work and the now occasional guest appearance on TV had brought everything into the spotlight. So much so that we had retreated for a little while until it died down. The funding and donations for the Brea Tanner foundation were no-longer just from small-town families who we had helped, but other more famous people than me. We had even opened up shelters out of state that were going strong. If there was one thing that I was ever proud of that we could do for Brea; it was making her dream come true.
"So B, any names you gonna give us, or that too a secret for the two of you?" Rose asked as she bounced her little boy around, earning a little glare from Emmett, Liam would only let Rose get that rough with him, it was the Oedipus complex in all its glory, but Char and Pete had the opposite repercussions with Maggie and the Electra complex.
They made fun of Jasper when he wasn't allowed near me under threat of his son, but it was biting them in the ass now. It also didn't help that Junior only had this problem for a month while it was going on 3 for those two little ones.
"Names, we have plenty of those, each one of them having something to do with one of you. But until they're here we all just have to wait and see. We didn't really agree on anything until Junior was born before. And look at how good that turned out." I said as the boy in question came bounding in laughing at his father before coming to an abrupt halt and planted his ass at my feet.
I smiled at how well he was able to relax, and at ease, he was with such a large family. It gave me hope that he'll outgrow his shyness and handle school well. Regardless of whether he would or not, I was perfectly happy with having my son just as he is. Healthy, happy, and loved by everyone around him. He was no angel but he's perfect as he is to me.
"Hounding you again sweetheart," Jasper whispered in my ear before ruffling Junior's hair and making his way around the lounge I was currently sitting on.
Apparently we were having an extended honeymoon period of our marriage. Sure we argued like anyone else but we talked it through almost every time; moved on. It was better than letting it build up and destroy our family. It was this more than anything that had separated Garrett and his wife, to begin with, she was a lot less comfortable with him being a career military man than she had let on. Sleeping with other men didn't help much either. We vowed that we wouldn't be that couple. We had two great examples always before us. Jane and Felix; and mother and father.
I glanced over at our parents, sitting in the corner watching everyone talking while they along with Marcus and Chelsea; Sue and Harry; and Billy in their own world and conversation. Jake was hoping he and Kate would make it here before the twins were born, but Zaferia was just getting over some virus and they didn't want to chance her getting me sick while I was still pregnant. So making sure she was clear to travel was their number one priority right now.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by Bella racing forward; tripping over Junior's legs when she noticed the twins moving.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Their moving; look grandma, the twins are moving." She called over the noise, ignoring her favorite playmates' muffled cries as she righted herself and continued on her way; seeking her most prized position beside me while the babies moved.
"When do I get to meet them?" she asked not looking at me, just watching them as they stretched my skin in the weirdest way possible.
"When they're ready, and not a minute sooner. Though I think Aunt Alice is thinking of getting them to come earlier with her help." I whisper-yelled, earning a few giggles and a tongue pointed out at me.
Shrugging it off I rested my head on Jasper's shoulder as he ran his fingers through my now extremely long hair; I was happy. I had the man I loved with everything I had, a son who was the best thing I had done to date, that included marrying his father. A family that was growing every day and most importantly I was in a happy place. Looking around I was truly blessed, and I don't think it would have been as beautiful if Brea wasn't looking down at us from where I was sure she was resting her wings. That angel would be with us in everything we did.
"Happy Birthday Brea. We love you." I whispered, thinking no-one heard me. But the kiss on my head, the kiss on my cheek, and the little cub hug around my legs told me otherwise. Yes, this family truly was All I'll ever want or need.
