BPOV
I am fully convinced this will be the best Christmas ever. We have our new twins together with our four other angels, and everybody will be coming over to our house to celebrate this year. Of course, it wasn't as if any of my family was going to try to make Edward and me travel anywhere with six kids – two of which are one month old.
And, thanks to Edward's unbelievable holiday bonus, we were able to get the kids everything they asked for and then some. Not that our kids ever really want for anything.
On the morning of Christmas Eve, the twins and Alys helped me make cookies and a host of other treats while the boys sat in the living room putting ornaments on the tree. Alice and Jasper were staying over tonight, so I had planned to make some quick, easy finger foods for all of us tonight, in lieu of dinner.
"Mommy, are we going to make peanut brittle this year?" Aina asked.
"If you want to, baby," I replied. "But first, we've got to get some of these cookies done before your cousins get here."
"Are Uncle Jake and Lizzie coming over today?" Keely asked as she spread some frosting onto a sugar cookie.
I smiled at the names – Jacob and Lizzie have recently moved from dating to being an official couple over the past couple of weeks. Though, it made the kids a little sad that their Uncle Jake spent most of his time either at work or with his new girlfriend. But, I explained to them that it was what made Jacob happy, and we should all want him to be very, very happy, indeed.
"I think Uncle Jake and Lizzie are spending Christmas with their families," I said. "Jake and Billy are going with Lizzie to meet her parents and brothers and sisters."
"But, we're their family too, right?" Keely asked.
"In a way," I said. "But, we're not blood related. And I think Lizzie's been missing her family."
The doorbell rang and the twins raced each other to answer it. I followed Alys out to the living room where our guests were filing in to crowd around the two bassinets near the couch. Donovan and Rory had been napping, but now they opened their tiny eyes to take in the new presence in the house.
"Look Aiden," Jasper said as he held his son up to see the babies, "Those are your two new cousins."
Alice walked over to give me a hug, "They're so beautiful…they have your eyes."
"I know…but I was kind of hoping they'd both get Edward's eyes," I replied.
"Why?" She asked. "They look like Edward in every other way, so they should at least have some piece of you."
"I guess," I sighed.
Donovan began to squirm and whimper – my sign that he needed to be fed. Edward turned to him and lifted him out of the bassinet while I found the feeding pillow and sat on the couch.
The twins have become strangely fascinated with the process of breast feeding. They like to sit around me while I feed their little brothers and ask questions like "what does that feel like?" Or "how does the milk get in there?"
Far be it for me to squash their curiosity. After our initial conversation with the girls about where babies come from, Edward and I have become rather good at tackling these uncomfortable questions.
Once Donovan had had his fill, Rory began crying softly to be fed. The twins have somehow managed to work their hunger burst into shifts. Once one has been fed, the other one becomes hungry – like they're sending some kind of signal to each other.
I took Rory on my right side this time as Edward placed Donovan back in his bassinet, and he promptly fell asleep. He really is a Cullen man, once his belly is full, he's down for the count.
Jasper came back in the room once I was done feeding. He was still a little red in the face and I had to chuckle at him, "Oh Jaz! You weren't really THAT embarrassed by my breastfeeding, were you?"
He glared at me, "Hey, I'm glad you ladies are taking good care of our children, but it doesn't mean I want to have any visual of my sister-in-law's breasts lingering in my head."
"JAZ!" Alice scolded as the twins snickered at their uncle.
"Aw, it's OK, Jazzy," I continued as I hugged Jasper. "You know I only pick on the people I love."
He smirked at me as Alice set Jacee in a bassinet Jasper had set up near the twins. Then the girls went back to finish making cookies. We started popping some frozen empanadas in the oven around 5 p.m., and that's when I heard a knock on the back door.
I opened the door to find Jacob standing there with a forlorn look on his face.
"What's wrong, Jake? I thought you were supposed to be at Lizzie's parents' house."
"I can't do this, Bells," he replied.
"Can't do what?"
He sighed and walked past me into the laundry room, "I think Lizzie is expecting me to propose to her soon. She's been dropping all of these hints."
"Is that such a bad thing?" I asked. "You love her, don't you?"
"…I'm not sure."
"Jake," I hissed. "I thought you two were doing so well together. What's different now?"
"I really like her – a lot. But, I don't know if I'm ready to get married."
"I don't understand, Jacob," I began, leaning up against the washing machine. "You always seem like you want to settle down and you want to have kids – and now you're telling me you're not ready for any of that?"
He shook his head slightly. The utility door opened and Edward appeared before us.
"Hey, what's going on?" He asked, giving Jacob a suspicious look.
"Nothing," I replied. "Jake just needed someone to talk to."
"Huh," Edward said, his eyes narrowing even more as he glared at Jacob. "Why isn't Jake over at Lizzie's?"
"Am I no longer welcome here, Edward?" Jacob asked.
"Not when you haven't been invited," Edward replied. "I thought we were clear on that point – you can't just drop by anytime you feel like it."
"Edward," I hissed. "He just needed to talk to me, it was kind of important."
Edward laughed mirthlessly, "He has other friends he could have run to – he came by here to get sympathy from the girl he just can't seem to get over."
"Please Edward, not now," I whined as I stood in front of him and tried to gently push him out of the room. "Just, let me talk to Jake for a second, and then he's gone, I swear."
"No," Edward replied, stepping around me to confront our unwanted guest. "He's leaving right now…and I never want him coming around here again. Do you hear me, Jacob Black? I've been patient with you for too long. I never want to see you near my family. And if you drop by here ever again, I will be forced to go to the police."
"Edwa…"
"No," he cut me off. "This ends right now. Goodbye Jacob."
Jacob looked towards me briefly before turning without another word and walking out of my life forever. I had to admit, it hurt more than it should have. I know I don't have feelings for Jacob anymore, but I've known him for most of my life, and I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to cut all ties with him.
Edward broke me out of my thoughts with a gentle hug, "This is for the best, Angel. He's never going to move on if you coddle him like you do. He just has to be cut loose."
I nodded into his shoulder. He was right – he's always right, especially concerning Jacob. I know the reason he was feeling unsure about marrying Lizzie is because she's not the girl he always pictures in his mind – me.
Edward pulled away from me and looked into my eyes, "Let's get back to the kids, OK?"
I nodded and followed him back inside. Aina ran over to me with a sugar cookie in the shape of a Christmas tree.
"Look Mommy, I made you a cookie! See how pretty it is?"
It had green icing with red, pink and purple ornaments and was covered in sprinkles.
"Thank you, baby. It's the most beautiful cookie ever," I replied.
"Hey, what about my cookies?" Keely whined.
I sat at the kitchen table in between my twin girls and wrapped an arm around Keely's shoulders, "All my children make beautiful cookies."
Alice brought the finished empanadas into the dining area and set them near where she had already set out salsa and sour cream to top off the little treats. I stood back up, "Time to put in the simosas, right?"
Alice giggled, "We're being very multi-ethnic today, aren't we?"
"I thought it would be quite festive," I replied.
I popped the simosas in the oven and went back to sit with my girls. Alys sat in her highchair with some green and red frosting on her face and hands.
"Is the baby girl liking her Christmas cookies?" I asked.
Alys gave me a big grin before reaching for the last piece of cookie that sat on the tray of her chair.
Once dinner was ready, we dug in and gathered in the living room to watch a movie. We sat around talking, laughing and eating until, one by one, the kids began to doze off. By the time Edward and I were walking the twins down to their room, it was almost midnight.
"We're never gonna get to sleep, Mommy," Keely whined.
"Yeah, can we come sleep with you two, Daddy – please?" Aina asked, giving Edward the puppy dog eyes I'm sure she learned from me.
"Well, if you two can't sleep, then why would you want to keep me and your mother up all night?" He asked. "We want to be good and get to sleep before Santa arrives."
"We promise to sleep if you let us sleep with you," Keely said as she pulled on my arm to emphasize her point.
"Sorry, you two," I said. "You've got to be big girls and sleep in your own room."
"Aw man!" They whined.
EPOV
I woke up at four in the morning to set the presents under our tree. Bella still insists that we have the kids believe there is a Santa Claus, so that means no presents out before Christmas morning.
My parents came by around eight – just a few minutes before Charlie and Sue drove in. Bella had coffee and cinnamon rolls ready for everyone before we began opening presents.
However, my confrontation with Jacob was still bothering me. And, my dad could sense my unease. He took me aside and sat me down in the kitchen.
"What's wrong, Son?"
"I think I may have another difficult situation to handle," I said.
"With whom?"
"Jacob – he came by yesterday and told Bella he wasn't ready to settle down with Lizzie. But, it was pretty obvious what he was trying to do – he was trying to show Bella that he can't be happy with any girl but her."
"And what did you say to him?"
"That he was no longer welcome in our home."
Dad sighed, "Well, at least you two tried to get him to realize his obsession. Are you afraid he may come back?"
I nodded, "I mean, I told him not to…but that doesn't mean he won't."
"Do you think you may have another James situation on your hands?"
"No, Jacob's not a psycho, even if he is delusional," I said. "He definitely would never threaten my children. That much I know."
Dad took a sip of coffee and thought for a moment, "Well, what does Bella think about all of this?"
"She understands the situation – she knows what Jacob's trying to do. I know it hurts her to push him out of her life, but she'll do anything for our family."
He nodded, "If you need anything, you let me know, OK?"
"Of course," I replied.
We walked back in to open up presents. Bella sat in the big arm chair with Alys in her lap and gave me a concerned look. I smiled weakly to let her know we'd talk later. Both grandmas's had a baby in their lap and an older twin at their side – always watching over their little brothers.
It was insane, the amount of baby accessories my family bought for us. Nevermind the truckload of clothes supplied by Auntie Alice; my parents bought us every possible bit of baby furniture they could get their greedy little hands on. Even things we already owned.
"Mom, Dad, you know we already have a changing table, right?" I asked.
"Yes, but you got it back when Aina and Keely were born," Mom said. "It's time for a new one with a new set of twins."
I guess she had us there. Besides, it was Charlie who brought out the big guns – a pair of corgi puppies that sent the kids into a frenzy.
"Puppies! Oh my God! Thank you, Grandpa!" Keely and Aina screamed as the little balls of fur scampered about their feet.
"Those people out near Ozette still breed corgis," Charlie explained. "I got two for you guys and one for Leah."
"Oh, where is Leah today?" I asked Sue.
"Well, Seth couldn't make it home for the holiday, so she and Emily flew out to see him," Sue said. "I'm going to head out before New Years."
Aina held up one of the pups and brought it to show me, "Look Daddy, isn't he cute?"
"He is indeed," I replied. "You know your mom used to have one just like him."
"Really?" Keely asked as she held the other puppy.
"That's right," Bella said. "I used to have a little guy named Basher."
"Let's name one of these puppies Basher," Aina suggested.
"Well, that one looks the most like him," Bella said, pointing to the pup in Aina's hands.
"Do you like that name?" Aina asked the puppy, who replied by licking her face wildly.
"I think he does, sweetie," Mom laughed.
"What about this one?" Keely asked. "What should we name him?"
"Whatever you want, baby," Bella said. "What do you think would be a good name?"
"Ummm…how about…Mac?" Keely said.
"That's a cute name, Keely," Alice replied.
The older kids put on their warm clothes and headed out to the backyard to play with the puppies while Bella and Alice fed the babies in front of a nice, warm fire in the living room. Despite this nagging feeling I had that we hadn't seen the last of Jacob, I felt so very happy and content.
"You seem to feel much better than you did earlier," Dad said as he sat near me on the couch.
"It's amazing what some good family time can do, isn't it?" I asked as I sipped some coffee.
"Indeed," Dad replied. "Makes an old man feel a little misty, too. I remember when that little baby in his mother's arms was you."
I smirked and turned to him, "Carlisle Cullen, you big softy."
"He, it's OK to get sentimental in your old age," he replied. "Just wait for those big moments – the kids' graduations, their weddings, when they start to have kids. You're going to watch it all with a tear in your eye. And I'll be watching from…well, some other place."
"Not for a long time, though," I said.
He got suddenly quiet and stared at the lukewarm coffee in his cup. I stared at him incredulously.
"Dad…what is it?"
"Not now, son," he replied. "I'll tell you later."
"No," I hissed quietly so I wouldn't alarm Bella or Alice. "You can't do that to me."
I stood and motioned for him to follow me to the study. He sighed and walked into the little room after me. Once I closed the door, we sat down and I began my interrogation.
"What's going on? Is there something wrong with you?"
He put his head in his hands, "I went in for my yearly physical last week, and the doctor said I had an enlarged prostate. So, he ran some tests and found that I have prostate cancer."
It felt like someone hit me in the stomach, I couldn't even speak. Why did things like this only ever happen to good people? I felt the tears begin to sting at the corners of my eyes and Dad sighed and shook his head.
"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you today," he said.
"It's not like it would have hurt any less if today wasn't Christmas," I said. "Have you started Chemo therapy yet?"
He shook his head, "Next month. They'll try to shrink it down and then they're hoping to operate soon after. Luckily, they did catch this in its early stages – they said I've got a sixty percent chance to live."
Sixty percent? Such a little number to carry such incredible significance.
"Does Mom know?"
"No, and please don't tell her," he said. "I'm trying to figure out a way to break it to her gently."
I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest. It became harder and harder to hold back the tears, but somehow I kept it together.
We walked back out as the kids came in from the outside for some of Mom's homemade hot cocoa. I had a cup, but it didn't make me feel any better at all. I wasn't sure if I was going to tell Bella or not.
She could already sense I wasn't myself right now, it was only a matter of time before she asked what was wrong. We got to bed around midnight again, and, as if on cue, she turned to me as she got into her nightgown.
"What was bothering you today? Ever since you and your Dad went into your study, you've seemed a little down in the mouth."
"You saw that, huh?" I asked, trying to keep things light. "It was nothing, just some guy talk."
That seemed to set off her worrying radar, "What is it, Edward? Is something wrong with Carlisle?"
I never give her enough credit for being exceptionally perceptive. I turned to her and she finally saw the pain in my eyes. She gasped and sat next to me, throwing her arms around my neck.
"How bad is it?"
"Pretty bad," I whispered. "He has prostate cancer. But, he said they've caught it early and he'll start Chemo therapy next month."
She whimpered slightly before burying her face in my neck for a good cry. I held her close and rubbed her back gently.
"Shhhh, it's going to be OK, Angel," I said. "Dad's strong – he's going to beat this."
I think I was trying to convince myself of that as much as I was trying to convince her. We were both so exhausted we fell asleep as soon as we hit our pillows. And, unfortunately, I couldn't fight the horrible images that plagued my sleep, though. Pictures of Dad looking sick and frail; of Mom, Alice and Bella crying, dressed in black in the rain – at Dad's funeral.
I woke up in a cold sweat. I made the decision then to do everything in my power to help my father – starting with getting him the best doctors in the nation.
I would make a few calls in the New Year – I had some favors to call in.