IMPORTANT A/N

I am a 19-year-old Pre-Nursing student, going to school full-time, and working three part-time jobs on the side. I'm sorry that I suck at updating, but education is important, therefore I have to go to college. College is expensive, therefore I have to go to work. Work takes up much of my time, therefore… you get the point. As much as I love writing, more important things hold my attention at the moment. I appreciate the constructive criticism, the positive and negative feedback, ALL reviews, ALL favorites, and ALL follows. Stick with me, please. I have much planned for this story.

Love you all!

Izobella

CHAPTER 4

Mr. Cullen's smile was blinding, as well as contagious. My lips curled upward as he stood, holding his hand out toward me. I raised my hand toward his, before dropping it to the table, pushing against it to stand as well.

"I'm fine," I murmured, smiling gently.

I didn't have the luxury of permitting casual physical contact anymore. Not when I couldn't afford to give him the wrong idea.

I can't do that again.

"Oh, Bella, you will just love them. They're such wonderful children." Mrs. Cullen spoke softly next to her husband, clutching his bicep between her hands.

"I'm sure I will, Mrs. Cullen." I smile shyly up at her, my hands wrapped around my belly delicately.

"Esme, dear. Call me Esme. And Carlisle." She grins widely when I nod, before turning toward the door.

I walk slowly around the corner, careful not to trip on the air like usual. I jump when I feel Carlisle's cold hand on my back.

So much for not giving him the wrong idea, I thought.

My entire body is stiff as he leads me toward the suddenly intimidating door at the end of the hall. My stomach twists with the knob as his white hand turns it. It clicks, and the door seems to open in slow motion.

I know people say that all the time in books and shit, but this is fucking real.

As soon as the door creaks open, an abrupt calm washes over me. I's relieved by the feeling, but only for a moment before realizing that this is the kind of calm you force yourself to feel when you're anxious. The kind with an underlying sense of worry or anger. But I can't stop it from taking over my body, and I smile widely when I see the open room.

I had walked through these halls day after day for almost two months now, but I have never been so close to the outside as I am now. And I can't help the sudden stutter of my heart as she kicks at my ribs.

The bright, natural light filtering in through the windows blinds me for a moment before I am able to take in the large, rather empty, room. The walls are a "soothing" blue, and the carpet sinks beneath my feet, feeling quite different than the hard wood from my unit.

But what really catches my attention is the group of beautiful people sitting before me.

You know how when you stare a picture of a celebrity and - although those people really are beautiful - you can just tell that the picture is photoshopped?

Well, that isn't the case here. These people are... Stunning. There is no way to photoshop them into perfection; they already are perfection.

The first person I notice is the shapely woman with tidy blonde curls cascading down her back and a tight braid across the top of her forehead. Her hands are gripped by a large man's fingers, whose black hair is cut short on his head. His tight shirt shows off his bulging muscles and broad shoulders. He seems twice the blonde's size, but I'm sure her deathtrap heels make up for their height difference.

My eyes move slowly toward a small girl with short, shaggy hair. She makes the cropped cut look elegant with a small bow clipped in next to her ear, perfect eyebrows, and blood red lips. Behind her, a tall man stands with his hands around her midsection, pulling her back into him and holding to her like a lifeline. His face is emotionless, and his curled blonde hair falls into his detached eyes.

They're all such beautiful creatures, and I'm astounded that they aren't even the slightest bit linked to one another. But one thing that causes my mind to buzz with confusion is their eyes; they're all the same. They all have the amber irises that I'd seen on Carlisle and Esme earlier.

All but one.

His green eyes penetrate my own when they land on him, making me feel naked. His copper locks stick up at odd angles and the strands that hang over his eyes catch on his eyelashes when he blinks. The stubble on his chin is a little lighter than that of the hair on his head, and it looks so soft and alluring.

I want to touch it.

The beautiful skin of his cheekbones turns pink after a long moment of me staring at him, and I bite my lip to keep my smile at bay. It's nice to have another blushing body around here.

He's not stunningly beautiful like the others. He's beautiful in a whole other way, a more natural way. His siblings look too perfect, a kind of perfection that leaves no room for gentle beauty. But this boy sitting before me, he has such a humane elegance about him that I can't help but just stare.

And stare.

His thick, brown sweater is zipped up to his chest, the collar sticking up about his neck. His long fingers run through his auburn locks, tugging lightly. He wears a muted gray t-shirt and regular blue jeans under his heavy jacket, and I can't help but smile when I see the rattiest, dirtiest pair of black converse on his feet.

I look back up at his face when I see his fingers grip his jumping knee tightly.

He's staring at my stomach.

Well, more like glaring at my stomach.

My face floods red, and I wrap my arms around my torso, turning back to Faith, Esme, and Carlisle.

Faith is staring at me cautiously, as if waiting for me to run screaming. And I almost want to. But that evil calm is still radiating through my body, not allowing me to react with anything but a minute smile.

Esme clears her throat and my eyes snap to her.

"Children, this is Bella." Her eyes sweep over her children, lingering briefly on the redheaded boy in the corner. He looks up at her, then back down at his torn shoes, shuffling them back and forth on the squishy carpet.

"Isabella, these are our children Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Edward." Her voice softens a great deal as she gestures to each of her children in kind. My ears ring with a strange familiarity when she says the last name, and I look toward him with curious eyes.

He's staring right back at me.

I look down at my stomach when she nudges me and blush.

"Isabella!" A booming voice echoes through the room and I jump in surprise. I look up, searching for the body the voice belongs to, and see Emmett advancing toward me quickly.

I tense up, my eyes wide, when his rock hard arms wrap around my shoulders tightly. My hands linger protectively on my stomach as my face is shoved into his cold chest. I am befuddled for a moment, but then that fabricated calm washes over me again, and I melt into his arms. The strong musky smell of him makes my rigid body loosen and my hands slowly travel up his torso to his chest. I push gently on the cold boulder of a man and he releases my shoulders, leaning back to reveal dimpled cheeks and sparkling golden eyes.

I push on his chest again, and he finally releases me. My eyes are wide, rejecting the calm, but soon I can't help but feel at ease in this giant's presence.

"Jesus, Emmett. You're gonna give her a heart attack." The stunning blonde, Rosalie, spoke quietly, her eloquent voice not what I was expecting from such a beauty. She stands, towering over me in all her pale, blonde glory and offers her hand. I grasp her cold palm softly, but pull away quickly. She smirks dubiously. "Excuse the great ape." Her manicured nails scratch his head and she yanks him forward for a peck on the lips. I realize then that with her heels on her feet, Rosalie is actually taller than Emmett. "I haven't finished his training yet." He scoffs and follows her back to the plush chairs they had adorned before.

"As if you could train me babe." His bulging arm rests on the back of her seat and his large hand holds her tight at his side. "I totally wear the pants." She bristles at his statement, but doesn't speak.

The annoyance I see in her eyes makes me uncomfortable and I avert my eyes toward the small pixie and the blonde male behind her. I struggle to remember their names, but give up after fumbling around in my cluttered mind unsuccessfully. My feet slowly shuffle forward and my arm extends toward them when a sudden bout of confidence rushes through me.

My fingers tremble as I wait for the small girl's hand to wrap around my own, but she just laughs, a high-pitched tinkling that gives me goose bumps. She ignores my hand and wraps her arms around my midsection gently.

"Bella," she whispers in my ear and I shiver at her cold breath. But the faux calm is back and I feel compelled to wrap my arms around her tightly. The affection is oddly comforting, and I shiver again. This time, not from the cold, but from the odd content feeling coursing through my veins.

I look over her shoulder at the blonde man to see him staring at me intensely, his brow furrowed painfully. He nods his head once at me. I nod back before the small girl releases me, skipping back over to him.

I look toward the last Cullen child and wait to be greeted. I'm let down when I see him glaring at his god-awful shoes as if they have offended him. I hesitantly shuffle over toward him.

"Your shoe is untied." I state dumbly as I plop down in the seat next to him, my hands on my beetle belly.

His pursed lips curl up on one side and he nods. His eyes soften as he continues staring at the untied shoe.

"I broke my arm once, because I didn't tie my shoe when my momma told me to." My voice is just a whisper in the end, and I caress my stomach delicately. I rarely speak of my mother, and it makes my heart ache to think of her absence in my life now. I look down at my abdomen, and will the wetness in my eyes away. "I'm pretty sure though that even if my shoe had been tied, I still would have managed to break my arm; I'm so clumsy." He stays quiet, and I shift awkwardly in my seat.

"Good to know." I startle when I hear his solid, yet delicate voice murmur. I look up to see his toothy lopsided grin grow and feel my own lips curving upward.

"I just figured I'd let you know," I lean back in the cushioned chair. "so that you know to steer clear of the inept elephant." My words stab at my confidence, but when I hear a small snort come from his lips, the pain leaves me quickly.

"Inept elephant?" His jade eyes lock with mine as I nod, keeping my face serious.

"I'll probably be able to take out an entire army in four months." I pat my abdomen softly and widen my eyes innocently, seriously. "I fell down once, and you know what happened?" He smirks, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" His voice is soft. I lean closer to him, curling my finger for him to come closer. He leans over hesitantly. His piquant scent distracts me for a moment before I gather myself.

"The continental divide." A loud chortle sounds from across the room. I look back to see Emmett's shoulders shaking.

"Can we keep her, pops?" He directs the question toward Carlisle, still looking at me.

"Oh, I suppose." I look at Carlisle, and my heart beats faster at the thought of leaving this wretched place with these beautiful people.

I shake at the prospect of escaping this place before the phony calm pulses through me once again. When I look toward Edward again his green eyes are set with a tinge of curiosity, and his head is tilted softly to the side. He searches my eyes silently for a breath, then puts forth his hand.

"I'm Edward." I carefully place my hand in his, melting at the warmth culminating there.

"Bella." I speak quietly, his eyes completely captivating me.

"Well, Bella," He doesn't shake my hand, just holds it in his. I don't feel weary with his touch, just calm. A real calm. "Welcome to the family."