Hello HDers! I hope you all are settling into the new year and are ready for more! Without my betas I would be lost, so a huge thank you to Brie and kitch!

See you at the bottom! xx

Chapter Sixteen

Confession #16: In life there are good surprises, bad surprises, and shocking surprises…I never know which might get me kicked out of bed.

Caleb began teething shortly after he turned four months old. He drooled on everything and anything. We took to keeping a bib on him at all times, but he soaked through those within a few hours too. Though he hadn't actually cut a tooth yet, we knew it was coming.

Bella had been exhausted for the past month and began throwing up a few days before. We didn't know what was causing it, but she hadn't been able to keep anything down. If I didn't know better I would have thought she was pregnant again, but when I asked if it was possible she looked at me like I was Satan himself for even mentioning the idea.

Needless to say, I'd been banished to Caleb's room while she recouped.

"Edward!"

I was in said room when she shouted for me so loudly that if I hadn't known better, I would have thought she was being murdered. It wasn't Eddie, or love, it was Edward. Something was wrong. Apparently I didn't move fast enough for her because she yelled again.

"Edward Anthony Cullen! Get your ass in here!" Three names and a curse word? I was fucked but didn't have a clue as to why.

I rushed into our bedroom where coffee girl was pacing.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" she shouted. "You...you're what's wrong. You did this to me!"

With surprisingly good aim, she threw a pen-like object at my head and made contact. It bounced off me and landed at my feet. I glanced down at the object she'd thrown and froze.

Even without picking up the thing that had offended her, I knew exactly what it was. I looked up to see tears running down coffee girl's beautiful but splotchy face. She wasn't happy.

I tried to get closer to her. To pull her into my arms and share the distress she was in with her.

"Baby—"

She shook her head and held her hands up. "Don't you 'baby' me. It seems like every time you look at me now, I end up knocked up. If you touch me now, I bet I turn into the next Octomom!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her already out of control hormones. I shouldn't have been surprised about those; they hadn't had a chance to completely return to normal before this shocking revelation was thrust upon coffee girl.

Even though she'd been fighting me, she did eventually allow me to pull her into my arms on the bed where she cried and mumbled a bunch of gibberish into my shirt before finally succumbing to the exhaustion of growing another human being.

I carefully tucked her in and climbed back out of the bed to pick up the test she'd thrown. Staring at that pee stick brought back so many memories from almost exactly a year ago. It was hard to believe this was happening again, but I couldn't be disappointed that we'd made another baby. I didn't think Bella was truly upset, either, just unhappy with the timing of it.

With one last look at my gorgeous wife, I headed out the door to book an appointment with Dr. Dora. Boy, would she be shocked to hear from us again so soon...or so I thought.

~o~o~o~

Bella did apologize when she woke back up. She blamed the shock of finding out she was pregnant again so soon and the raging hormones...then she asked for a chocolate milkshake and some French fries. Oh, how I'd missed those cravings. With a kiss, I set off to get what she asked for; it was my responsibility, after all.

Once I was home again, Bella dug her fries into the shake and happily moaned at the combined flavors. I tried not to contort my face at the combination, but it didn't work.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," she said before shoving a gooey fry into my mouth.

It wasn't bad. I'd probably try it again myself, so I told her just as much. She smiled in victory and I just grinned back at my content wife.

"I called Dr. Dora. Her office said they could squeeze you in tomorrow afternoon since I figured you most likely didn't know when we conceived."

Coffee girl nodded in acceptance. "It's for the best. I just...I can't believe I'm pregnant again so soon. I know we talked about keeping the kids close together like you, Emmett, and Alice, but I thought I'd have another year or so before we began talking about another child."

I set my burger down and pulled her into my arms, careful to make sure she didn't have to put her food down. I was a considerate husband like that.

"While the timing may be off, I can't help but be excited that we'll be bringing another little half you, half me home next year. Might even be Irish twins, depending on when you're due."

She dropped her fry back into her shake as my words settled in.

She looked at me, all wide-eyed and sweet faced. "Holy shit! You're right. You might even miss the Oscars next year. Lord knows I don't want to go eight months pregnant again. You can take Esme and I'll sit home with your DILF of a dad. Think he'll use his magical hands on my feet while he's here?"

Once the words were out, Bella slapped a hand over her mouth while I looked on in shock.

She uncovered her mouth and blurted out, "Oh fuck...I've turned into my mother."

I tossed my head back and laughed. This pregnancy was already shaping up to be an exciting one.

~o~o~o~

Dr. Dora's office hadn't changed, not that I expected it to. It had only been eleven weeks since we'd last set foot in it. Bella, the pro that she was, went the paces with the nurse before the good doctor met us in the exam room.

The doctor walked in with a smile on her all-knowing face and said, "Surprise, surprise. Couldn't wait for number two, I see."

Bella and I both snorted before she spoke. "Nope. Eddie apparently wants to keep me barefoot and pregnant while he can. Too bad we're completely clueless as to when we made this one." Coffee girl rubbed her stomach as she spoke.

"Okay, Isabella, let's try to determine a due date for you. When did you start taking your pills?"

Bella thought about it for a minute and then pulled out her phone to double-check the dates. "I started my first period the day Caleb turned nine weeks old, so I began the first pack of pills on June fourth. And because of the pills I'm on I wasn't expecting a period until next week."

"Good. That gives us a starting point. Now, when was the first time you were sexually active again?" I squirmed in my seat like a I was being given the birds and the bees talk all over again while coffee girl answered all the questions honestly.

"It was Edward's birthday, June twentieth. With all the baby excitement, I'd forgotten his birthday but I remembered it with enough time to wish him happy birthday after the fact." Bella's words brought back the memory of our reconnection. That had been a good birthday for sure.

Dr. Dora began speaking again. "Well, with what you've told me, I believe that is when you conceived. Based on that info, I'm guessing you're already about eleven weeks along."

"Seriously?" I chimed in, trying to calculate her due date in my head. "Does that mean we might have another April Fool on our hands?"

Dr. Dora laughed at my question, but shook her head in the negative. "Nope. This one would be due toward the beginning of March, and even if Bella went a full two weeks past her due date the baby would still arrive before April first." That was good news. "How about we double-check with an ultrasound just to be safe, okay?"

"Okay." Like it was up to me, but I answered anyway.

Since the odds were good that Bella was beyond the eight-week mark, Dr. Dora chose to do an external exam. The second coffee girl raised her shirt, it was obvious she was pregnant.

"Wow. You're already showing!" I exclaimed.

Bella glanced down at her tummy while the doctor nodded. "It's quite common to start showing earlier the second time around. You also have a petite frame so it's even more expected."

Bella snorted as Dr. Dora began. "Now all the tabloids are going to say you're leaving me because I couldn't drop the baby weight."

She was right; that would be the first thing they assumed. At least that bullshit would buy us some time before they figured out the truth.

"Screw those rags...they never get the stories right anyhow. We know the truth and that's all that matters."

We were brought out of our bubble by the doctor's voice. "Oh my…"

My head immediately snapped to the screen. "What's wrong?"

Dr. Dora shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. But how do you feel about Irish triplets instead of Irish twins?"

"Huh?" I was very articulate at that moment, obviously.

"You see this, right there?" the doctor asked, pointing at the screen. Bella and I nodded. "That's baby A. And you see this one, right here?" We nodded again. "That's baby B. You're having twins. Congratulations."

Instead of doing what any other man might do when they learn they're expecting two babies, like pass out or something, I pinched myself. It hurt like hell, too, so I knew I wasn't dreaming. This really was happening. We were going to have three babies under the age of one.

I looked at coffee girl...my normally level-headed wife was so shocked she wasn't speaking. Whether or not it was my fault, I knew she would blame me—she'd love me, but blame me all the same since Emmett and Rose had twins too.

Unable to continue focusing on my stunned wife, I went into daddy mode and began my questioning.

"They're okay, right?"

"Yes. They both appear to be developing right on track. Isabella's due date is March eleventh, but most twins are born earlier."

That was good news.

"Do you know if they're identical or not?" I couldn't believe I had to ask these questions. I was going to need some new books about twins.

"No, not yet. When we're able to tell whether you're having boys or girls or one of each will be the first sign of whether they are identical or not. If it's one of each, they're obviously not identical. Though the only way to know for sure if same sex babies are identical is with a DNA test after delivery."

I nodded in understanding. So many changes as a result of this surprise.

"Is there anything else we need to watch for since Bella's carrying two babies this time? Is it okay for her to continue breastfeeding Caleb?" I asked, glancing down at our little guy, who was still passed out in his car seat.

Dr. Dora was taking the time to answer all of my questions while she continued to take measurements.

"While it's perfectly normal to be tired the first few months of a pregnancy, it's equally exhausting to be pregnant and breastfeeding." Though Dr. Dora was answering my questions, she looked at Bella as she replied this time. "Now that we know you're not only pregnant, but that you have two growing in you, your caloric intake should increase an additional seven hundred to one thousand calories on top of your normal eating. I know that seems like a lot, but if you want as much continued success with breastfeeding as possible, you have to eat and drink as much as you can."

Bella nodded. She was still quiet but was taking everything Dr. Dora was saying in.

"I would double-check with your pediatrician, but as long as Caleb continues to gain weight, you should be fine. If you're too tired though, there is absolutely nothing wrong with switching to formula, and it doesn't make you a failure."

"Thank you," Bella whispered.

When coffee girl wiped away a tear, I began to worry this was all too much too soon for her. It was like the start of our relationship all over again.

I squeezed her hand to remind her I was there for her, and that I would always be there for her. Coffee girl glanced my way and gave me a watery smile.

While Dr. Dora finished up and loaded everything onto another disc for us, Bella and I drifted into our little bubble. There were so many things I wanted to say...I just wanted to wait until we were in the car and able to finally overcome our state of shock and the unexpected surprise.

Surprise! Only two of you lovely reviewers anticipated this and I was glad about that. I would have hated you all figuring it out, but even you two who did expect the pregnancy probably didn't expect the twins. Anyhow, thank you for sticking with me. I hate making you all wait so long but the words still aren't coming to me very fast and that sucks. I do know I've roughly outlined 25 chapters so more HD will be coming. Leave me some love if you are so inclined, I read every one of them even if I don't get a chance to respond. xx Dee