CH 6...
"Renesmee, are you almost ready, baby girl?" Bella called out to her daughter. Seconds later, the child appeared wearing her new pink floral one piece bathing suit, pink flip flops, wide brimmed pink hat, and pink Minnie Mouse sun glasses.
"I'm ready!" Nessie announced with her hands on her hips attempting to pose just like she'd seen Aunt Rosalie do a dozen times.
"Well, don't you look pretty." Jasper commented with a smile. "Someone's ready for the beach. Now all we have to do is get your mom to finish getting ready and we can get going." Jasper scooped the child up in his arms making her giggle. He tickled the child's sides for a moment, then planted her back down on her feet.
"MOM, hurry up!" Nessie ordered, then turned on her feet walking out totally nailing Rosalie's dramatic style. "Mom...that's different." Bella glanced at Jasper. "Okay, I'm coming. I'm coming! But you do know that I had to help her find all of her things, and get her packed up for this 'day at the beach' and get the food together. I will be ready in a few minutes. Just go and get everthing in the car, please." she told him, pushing Jasper out of their room so that she could get dressed in peace. Just when Bella finally managed to get the clasp on her bikini top fastened...by herself, Jasper came in, "You ready darlin'?" Smiling at his timing, Bella grabbed her black saronge, smiled at him and said, "Yep, finally."
Pulling into the parking space at La Push beach, Bella rattled off strick instructions for Nessie to follow as she applied sun screen to Nessie's face and arms.
"Don't go near the water with out your dad or myself." "Stay were we can see you..." "...and don't pick up anything that isn't a rock or a shell."
"Yes Mama." Nessie smiled, waiting as patiently as she could to be let out of her car seat.
"I'll get everything out. Can you get The Munchkin out of the car alright?" Jasper asked.
"Yep. Come her, baby girl." Although her belly had expanded even more recently; Bella could still lift her daughter. She just didn't know for how much longer she'd be able to do so. By the time Bella and Nessie reached the sand, Jasper had two blankets laid out, the lawn chairs set up and the umbrella pitched.
"Wow you're speedy!" Bella commented, smiling and kissing him on the cheek. "I wanna make a sand castle!" Nessie announced, jumping up and down. "Okay, stay close." Bella told her daughter. "Is this okay, Mama?" Nessie asked pointing to an area of sand about three feet in front of the blankets. "Perfect. Do you have all your tools?"
"Yes, Papa got them for me." Nessie smiled proudly hold up her brand new plastic pink and white bucket and shovel. Sitting in one of the lawn chairs, Bella took the sunscreen out of her bag.
"Jasper, you need sunscreen. Come here." she told him. Jasper complied, letting her apply the lotion to his shoulders, back, arms and chest. "Here, put this on. I don't want that gorgeous face getting burnt." she told him, squirting lotion into his palm.
"What about you?" "I can handle myself, thank you." Bella smiled pouring some into her hands and applying it to her arms. "You can't reach your legs or back. Let me...gimme." Jasper noted, holding out his hand for her to hand over the sunscreen. Jasper quickly applied the lotion to her legs and feet. Being six months pregnant, she couldn't really see her feet anymore; and so she had forgotten about protecting them.
"Stand up and I'll get the back." He pulled her to stand up and applied lotion to her shoulders, back and the back of her legs. "Okay. All done." Jasper stood behind his wife enveloping her in his arms. Bella squirted just a dab more sunscreen into his palms and he rubbed it over her belly. "Can't forget about Bump, can we." He cooed. The sun was shining, but there was enough breeze to keep relatively cool and the two just stood there wrapped in each other enjoying the scenery as Jasper mindlessly ran his fingers along Bella's stomach. Bella leaned into his chest watched her daughter work very hard on her sand castle.
"It won't work!" Nessie finally yelled.
"Let me see." Jasper said, walking up to her. "The sand is too dry, sweetie. You need some water. Why don't I take you in the water for a while and when we get out; I'll help you build the best sand castle 'ever'!"
The little girl nodded her head with excitement and Jasper picked Nessie up and swirled her around on their way to the water. Luckily, it appeared that they had the beach to themselves, as it was late morning on a Tuesday. Sitting in one of the lawn chairs; Bella took her worn copy of Scence and Sensibility from her bag; opened it up to the page she'd last left off at and began reading. In truth, she could have picked just about any page and began reading. She had read the book at least a dozen times and had it basically memorized. Getting lost within its pages, Bella heard her daughter giggling loudly and when she looked up, Jasper was playing airplane with her. Holding her from underneath, he'd drop her just short of the water's surface, then raise her back up above his head. The pair were completely enjoying themselves.
Some twenty minutes went by, when Bella was startled out of her reading by the sudden wet sprinkle from both Jazz and Nessie. They stood right above her laughing at their surprize attack. "Not nice, guys." Bella complained, rubbing the water drops into her skin.
"I didn't think you'd be out this fast." Bella said.
"Some seaweed attacked us and I couldn't convince The Munchkin that it wasn't a sea monster. So we have decided to work on the sand castle for a while." Jasper explained, setting Nessie down on her feet. "Go get your bucket and we'll go get some water to work on that castle." He instructed. He leaned down, gave Bella a quick peck on the lips and ran to catch up to Nessie. Bella stretched her back, watching the water, then she laid down on the blankets to soak up the sun's rays.
"How are you doing darlin'? How's Bump?" Jasper asked, laying beside her on the blanket. "I'm good. My back's a bit sore and he's kicking up a storm. But basically, I'm good. Where's Nessie?" Bella asked, craining her neck.
"She's deeply engrossed in sand castle architecture. Do you want a back rub?" he asked as his hand went beside where hers was resting on her large belly. "Oh, felt that!" he said, sitting up. Leaning over, Jasper spoke to her belly. "Masen, it's Papa. I know you don't have a lot of room in there; but take it easy on your Mama. Okay. Be nice. You'll have more room to move around soon enough." Bella smiled at her husband. He'd talk to her belly as if the baby were right there. Not a bit self conscious. As soon as he rubbed her belly, the baby responded. "He's settled now." Bella finally told him. "Good boy!" Jasper said, planting kisses to her distended belly. "Are you hungry yet, did you want something to eat?" he then asked.
"What I'd really like is to lay on my front. But, that's not going to happen for a while." Bella said, hugging herself. "Let me think for a moment." Jasper replied before jumping up. He quickly set to work digging in the sand on the opposite side of his wife. Within a few minutes, Jasper had a hole carved out.
"Ta Da!" he announced, pointing. "Try it out." Jasper said, covering the whole with the blanket. Bella smiled, turned over (with a little help) and wiggled around a little until she was comfortable with her belly and chest nestled in the whole. "Is it too big...too small? I don't want it to squish."
"It's perfect! There's a little room in there to move. Can I have that towel for my head, please?" Bella pointed to the rolled up towel and Jasper handed it to his wife. "Thank you, this is perfect." Bella smiled, relaxing again. Jasper sat beside her and rubbed her back. Bella hummed in contentment and Jasper leaned down, planting a soft kiss on Bella's cheek.
"Babe, it's time to turn over." Jasper whispered into Bella's ear about half an hour later. She had fallen fast asleep. "Too comfortable...five more minutes." she groaned. "Sorry, you're getting pink. Come on." With some help, Bella was extricated from the hole and deposited flat on her back. Immediately, she bent her knees and cradled her bump, smiling at her husband.
"Doesn't take much to make you happy. Does it?" Jasper smiled back. "I was dreaming about the night that Masen was concieved. At least I think that was the night. Don't you remember? It was right over...there...I think?" Bella said, pointing over her shoulder to a secluded rocky area to down the beach. Just behind the rocks was a mildly grassy inlet that one wouldn't know about without really exploring. Jasper's eyes got large, "Oh, yeah. That was a fun evening." Jasper agreed and the pair started laughing.
Jasper had taken her for an early dinner in Port Angeles, taking the scenic route home. "Let's go to the beach." he suggested as he drove along the winding road. It was nearing 9:30PM and pitch dark as Jasper parked the Jeep.
"It's so clear out tonight." Bella said, wrapping her shall over her shoulders as they gazed out the windshield.
"Come, let's go for a walk." Jasper said, taking her hand. Holding a couple of blankets in one hand and Bell's hand in the other; Jasper led her carefully down to the shore and they walked in the moonlight for about thirty yards; coming to an area out of view from the car. Behind several fallen tree trunks, mixed with large boulders and sea grass there was an area of flat ground. Jasper stopped there, laying the blankets down. Bella, shoes in her hand, stared out at the water; a beautiful view from where they were - even in near pitch dark.
"I didn't know this was even here." Bella said. Jasper took her hand, helping her to sit on the blankets. "Isn't this better than staying in the Jeep?" he asked, sitting beside her. A light breeze blew past and he pulled her closer to him, laying them both down. They stared up at the star filled night sky. "Happy Anniversary, Bella." "Hmm, Happy Anniversary, Jasper. I can't believe it's been two years already." she replied.
"Are you happy?" he asked.
"Why would you ask that. Of course I'm happy." she responded, looking into his eyes.
"For the record, I am amazingly, utterly, absolutely happy, Jasper Whitlock!" "Are you happy?"
she countered.
"Completely" he said kissing her deeply.
"Hmm, Jasper?"
"Yeah?"
"Make love to me."
"Here...now?"
"Uh huh..."Bella sighed.
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
"It's ready!" Nessie called out. Sitting up, the two smiled at what they could see of the little girl's castle creation from where they were sitting. "Oh sweetie. It's great! You did such a good job." Bella told her. "It has a lake, Mama." Nessie told her, pointing to the ring of missing sand surrounding the castle.
"It's called a moat, Munchkin." Jasper explained "Are you ready for the water now?" he asked, standing up. "Okay, we're coming." Jasper reached out taking both of Bella's hands to help her up.
"Well, that's the best sand castle I've ever seen. You did such god job, sweetie." Bella kissed her on the top of the head as they waiting for Jasper to come back with the water for the moat. "Okay, ready?" Jasper asked, before pouring the water in. Nessie giggled with delight.
"I'm hot. Who wants to go int the water?" Bella asked.
"I'll go if Papa goes." Nessie chimed in. Smiling, Jasper scooped her up in his arms and the three walked into the water.
When they spent a sufficient amount of time in the water they were ready for lunch. Bella sat cross legged - or close to it - on the blanket across from her daughter and set up a small plate of food for the child. Jasper sat behind his wife ready for her to lean back against him when she grew tired and the trio snacked and drank lemonade.
When Nessie was finished, she busied herself by digging through the sand around the blanket, looking for treasures. Jasper snapped a few photos of her and Bella and set up the timer to take a few shots of just the two of them. Soon enough it was turning cloudy and they decided to pack up and head home. Nessie insisted that as soon as they got home she was going to show her Aunt Rosalie the shells and rocks (her treasures) that she'd found.
"Oh my God! That's so tiny! I can't believe they make clothes that small!" Bella and Jasper were spending the day in Port Angeles before heading back for Lamaze class at 7PM.
Bella smiled at Jasper's statement. "Yes, they do, and that's not even the smallest size. Look at these shoes. Aren't they just so cute?" Bella counter, holding up a very tiny pair of tennis shoes.
"Jasper, Jasper Whitlock? Is that you?" A petite, pretty, hispanic woman with long dark hair walked towards them. Jasper quickly reached for Bella's hand, grasping it tightly and his face immediately took on a pensive expression. Bella came closer to her husband, wrapping herself around him as best she could. She didn't know this woman; but she felt the need to protect Jasper from her.
"Maria, it's been a long time." he replied with no inflection to his voice.
Maria made a slight move towards Jasper to hug him; but his body language was broadcasting "not in a million years, lady." like a neon sign. So, Maria kept her distance; but smiled all the more, in an effort to show she was no threat.
"Hi, I'm Bella. Jasper's wife." Bella smiled kindly, but emphasized the last word. "Bella, this is Maria, my ex. Before Alice, before I was adopted even. I lived in Texas." Jasper said, looking at his wife only. "We dated in high school and some in college until he finally broke up with me. Oh, he had every right to." Maria admitted.
"I was a very immature, territorial and possessive young woman back then. Jasper, I do want to apologize to you for my behavior. To put it plainly... I was a bitch! I don't know what he ever saw in me. I didn't deserve him." Maria smiled genuinely.
Shocked by her total admission and obvious sincerity; Jasper could only stand there, with his mouth agap. Bella took the opportunity to deflect the conversation a little.
"Are you here shopping for yourself, Maria?"
"No, my good friend has a baby shower coming up and I still haven't found the right gift."
"Does she know what she's having?" Bella continued, letting Jasper digest the encounter.
"A girl"
"Well, it may seem impersonal; but why not get her a gift certificate? That way, she can get whatever she wants - or needs."
"I don't know why I hadn't thought of that!" "Brilliant. Thank you. Congratulations on your little one by the way. You're glowing."
"Well, I don't know about that. But, thank you. This little guy will be our second." Bella said, patting her belly. Jasper tuned back into the conversation and placed his hand over hers. "We have a little girl at home, too." he added, not completely sure if he did so to hurt Maria, or not. "Well, I should let you finish your shopping. Bye Jasper. It was nice to meet you, Bella."
Bella smiled as Maria walked away. Rubbing her husbands back, Bella looked him dead in the eyes and said, "If you ever want to talk about her; let me know. If not... that's fine too."
Once Jasper got over the shock of Maria popping up in Washington - of all places; they continued their search for baby furniture. They found a beautiful set of furniture that they really wanted. But, couldn't really afford. So, they made sure to look at options and alternative. There was still time and Bella's baby shower was going to be soon. Once they knew what they had; then they'd know what else to get. They had a relaxing lunch at a quite outdoor cafe and just enjoyed strolling up and down the street peering into the shops before heading back home. People that passed them would smile and wish them luck, or offer congratulations. It was a very good day.
"Okay everyone, good job. See you next week. Dad's don't forget to pick up a copy of the video on your way out tonight." Jasper stood up from the mat and held out his hands for Bella.
"Heave!" he joked. Bella grinned despite herself. As soon as she was up though, she got dizzy. "Easy!" Jasper steadied her.
"I'm good. Just need a second." Bella said, as her vision cleared.
"You guys okay?" Jane, the instructor asked. "Yeah. We're good." Bella replied, holding her large seven month pregnant belly. Jasper picked the pillows up off the mat and took Bella's hand.
"Jasper, you be sure to watch this DVD. Okay?" Jane instructed, handing it to Bella, who smiled wickedly. "I'll make sure he does, Jane." she said. He groaned noticeably to which Jane chuckled. "Thanks for walking me out. You guys are so sweet. I'll see you next week." Jane said, walking out of the community center where the birthing class were held.
"Can we make one stop before going home?" Bella asked. "Sure, where do you want to go?" Jasper asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
"7-11...cravings." "Ice cream and Dorritos?" Jasper asked with a smile and turned the car in the direction of the mini mart.
"What flavor would you like?" Jasper said, unbuckling his seatbelt.
"Mint chip, please." Bella told him. Jasper cringed, but nodded. They pulled up to the town's only convenience store and Jasper checked with her to see if there was anything else she needed. Once he paid for the items. Jasper took the wrapping off the pint of ice cream and popped it into the mini mart's microwave for 20 seconds. He cashier watched him quizzically. "Pregnant wife...cravings." Jasper said by way of explanation. "Oh, with mine it was Chinese take out... all the time." the cashier told him with a smile.
"You heated it up? Thank you!" Bella said as she took one of the chips and scooped up a healthy amount of softened mint chip, stuffing it in her mouth. "Hmm. So good!" she sighed. Jasper smiled, buckled his seatbelt and put the car in gear. "Do you want some?" she asked. "No, darlin'. It's all yours." Jasper told her.
CH 7
"I'm so glad you were able to make it, Angela. Naturally, it rains the day of my baby shower." Bella smiled as Angela shook out her umbrella and stepped into the foyer.
"Of course I came! I've missed you. You look amazing." Angela beamed. Bella simply smiled.
"Come in, come in. Presents go by the fireplace." She motioned to Angela.
"Is that Nessie? She's gotten so big. She's beautiful. She looks like Edward." Angela stated, noticing the latest framed photo on the mantel.
"Oh, Bells. I'm sorry." Angela added when she realized what she'd said.
"No need. She is beautiful and she does look like him." Bella assured her best friend. "So, how have you been?" Bella chirpped, changing the subject.
"Good, busy. I started working at the local newspaper about four months ago." She pulled a business card out of her bag. "Staff Photographer, Forks Ledger" "Ang, that's great."
"Thanks, you gotta start somewhere, right?" Angela wanted to get a job with a paper in Seattle, but with the wedding planning and all. She figured it was better to stay local for a while.
"Is Jessica coming?" "She should be. I invited her." Just then, the doorbell rang. "I've got it." Rosalie called out. "Speak of the Devil. Jessica, you made it!"
"Of course I did. I'm not going to let a little rain keep me away." Jessica replied. Noticing the pile of gifts, Jessica set hers down before giving Bella and Angela hugs.
"Well, guys. There's food in the kitchen. Esme had it catered in. Help yourselves." Bella said leading them into the kitchen.
"How are you and Mike doing?" Bella asked Jessica.
"Good, busy at the shop though. Now that Mike's parents have retired and we are running the store. We get a lot of tourists and hunters coming through." Jessica explained. "His parents haven't completely embraced the idea of retiring, though. They are 'heavily' in our lives." she continued, with an obvious eye roll.
"That must annoy you a bit, huh?" Bella replied, knowing full well that Jessica preferred the attention be on her.
Since it had been a while since she'd spoken to Jessica, and she was having a generally great day. Bella figured that she could live through another one of Jessica's 'I'm so put upon. It's all about me' rants. "You have no idea!" Jessica began.
Fifteen minutes later, Bella had heard all about Mike's picky mother (according to Jessica) and his father's ongoing health issues. Anything that took the focus off of Jessica, was a cause for extreme annoyance. Good thing Mike worshipped her. They really were perfect together. He was an attentive, supportive fiance. Bella was more than happy to have encouraged Mike to go after her in high school. He was far to immature and entirely to 'look at me, look at me' for her liking to be of any interest to her. Then she found Edward and her path was set.
"Time for presents!" Esme happily announced. Everyone gathered in the living room on the couches. Rose was in charge of noting what gifts were from whom as Esme dolled them out.
"From Rosalie and Emmett" Esme said, placing the large gift wrapped box in the floor beside Bella. "It's big!" "There's more than one gift in there." Rose explained. Bella took the first wrapped present out of the box and read the label, 'To my nephew, From Aunt Rosalie' "Those are baby slings. So you can carry him hands free. I'll show you how to use them later." Rose explained with a smile.
"I got you a couple different ones. So you have a spare." In her right hand, Bella held an olive green and white paisley print sling. In her left hand, a matching sling in purple and white. "I love them. I was looking at these online. Thank you." Bella hugged her sister-in-law.
She then pulled another gift out of the box. "To my nephew. From Uncle Emmett. It's a stuffed Teddy Bear in a baseball jersey."
"Aw" "Not very practical. But very Emmett." Rosalie confessed. "I love it." Bella defended. The last two gifts consisted of a set of 'onesies' and matching bibs. Esme handed the next gift over.
"From Angela" Bella read taking the bow off of the package, revealing a large gift basket filled to the brim with baby products. Shampoo, wipes, lotion, powder, two bottles with little blue teddy bears on them , diaper cream, a blue pacifier, and a teething ring. "Angela, this must have cost you a fortune!" Bella exclaimed in shock.
"Bella, you've been pregnant for seven and a half months now. I've had plenty of time to collect all of these things." Angela explained.
"Thank you so much." Bella said. The next gift was from Jessica. "His first snow jacket and snow shoes. They're so small. Thank you, Jessica." Bella made sure to gush over the gift.
"Here comes a really big one." Rose said. "From Esme and Carlisle" Bella ripped the paper off the box, "A stroller! This is like the Porche of strollers! I can't believe you guys did this. Jasper and I looked at this one." Bella squealed.
"It also has a detachable car seat/carrier." Esme explained, pointing to the picture on the box. "That's not all, but for the rest, we have to go to your room." Esme explained.
An emotional Bella stood, with a bit of effort and followed her. Everyone else followed along and when they got to the door Esme told her to open it. Inside their bedroom was the matching oak rocking chair, changing table and bassinet set that they had found in Port Angeles. The chair was placed in front of the door leading to the deck with the changing table up against the wall by the closet and the bassinet at the foot of their bed.
"Oh My God! This is the one we wanted. This is too much! You guys shouldn't have. But, thank you." Bella shouted, turning to hug both Carlisle and Esme. Smiling, Carlisle explained that the set was a gift from all the grandparents. Overcome, Bella cried. She was not allowed a long cry however, as Rosalie was inssistent that they continue opening gifts. "This one is from your mother specifically." Esme said as she placed the box on Bella's lap. She opened the card taped to the front.
"Bella, my beautiful, strong girl. I love you so much
and am so proud of the woman you've become. You
are a better Mother than I ever was. I can't believe
how lucky I am to have had you. Thank you for
giving me another grandchild to love. I'm sure this little one
will be just as amazing as Renesmee. I love and miss you. Mom"
Bella was openly crying as she passed the card on. Rene's gift consisted of a sterling silver picture frame with a sticky note that read, "Family Portrait...I WANT ONE! Love Mom. Phil had had everyone on his minor league team sign a baseball, which was also in the box, unwrapped. Bella smiled at that. Finally, there were a couple of $100 gift cards. One for Bath & Body Works and Baby Gap with a note.
'Treat yourself and look for something adorable for my grandson. Oh, and shop online. It should be a breeze for you. You're better at the 'tech' thing than I am. I'm working on it though, Mom.' "Wow, she shouldn't have done that." Bella finished, wiping tears from her cheeks.
"There's another gift here..." Esme handed the small box to Bella. She peaked under the red bow and read the label. "To Bella. With all my love, Jasper." Bella opened the small box exposing a one and a half-inch sterling silver locket. The locket was etched with an intricate design that she couldn't quite make out; but was sure that it meant something. Etched on the back was the Cullen crest. Bella held up the locket by the sixteen inch silver chain showing it off.
"Oh, Bells. That's beautiful." Esme said. Bella passed it to Rose who after examining it opened it up. "Bella, there's a picture in here." She said, showing her. Inside, was a recent photo of Nessie. Bella smiled as Rosalie passed the locket on.
"What a pretty design." Jessicia said, passing it to Angela. "It's lovely."
"Would you like me to put it on?" Esme asked.
"Thank you." Bella replied, fingering the locket once it was on her neck.
Is it safe to come in now?" Emmett checked from just outside the front door.
"Yes, dork! The party ended a while ago." Rose said, pulling him into the house. The only remaining evidence from the baby shower, were the gifts strewn by the fireplace and the bits of leftover food that Esme was attempting to merge into what she was preparing for dinner for the guys.
"Did you guys have any luck? Where's Carlisle?" Esme asked.
"No. We should have gone fishing instead. Carlisle is in the garage." Emmett said, just as Carlisle came into the house.
"Hi everybody. How was the shower?" he asked, kissing his wife.
"Really nice. Bella loved everything." Esme told him. Bella walked in just then.
"Carlisle, thank you so much for the stroller. It's too much, though." she told him. "Nonsense." he replied, waving her off. Bella hugged him anyway.
"Did you have a good time?" "I did." "How was the hunting?" Esme asked. "No good." Emmett chimed in, unhappily.
"Oh, sorry." "I don't mind, myself. Emmett was really hoping to catch something, thought." Carlisle explained.
"Jasper & the squirt aren't back yet, huh?" Emmett asked, looking at his watch.
"Nope. I bet she's run him ragged." Bella replied sitting at the dining table. "He loves it. He's been looking forward to it since the first mention of the shower." Carlisle explained.
Jasper felt that it was not fair to make Nessie stay at a party that wasn't for her, with no other children to play with. So, he had planned a special 'Daddy/Daughter Day' for just the two of them. He was vague on the details of what they were going to do. But knowing Jasper, it would be special and Nessie would have fun. Wether he would actually survive it - is another matter.
Eventually, Jasper trudged into the house with a passed out Nessie drapped over his shoulder; and a deflating balloon trailing behind them. Bella met them at the door, taking the new small stuffed pony out of her daughter's hand before she kissed Jasper 'Hello'. He laid the child down on the closest couch.
"Hello." Jasper said, patting Bella's big belly. "Hi" Bella said, leaning into him. "How was your day?" Jasper asked. "Great. Even better now." she told him. "I see you got my gift." he said, fingering the locket as it rested just above her cleavage. "I love it. It's exquisite." she told him. "Do you recognize the design?" he asked, curious if she had figured it out. "I think so. Are those initials?" Jasper pointed to the etching and explained.
"B, for Bella...R, for Renesmee...J, for Jasper and M, for Masen. Did anyone figure it out?" "I don't think so. Everyone was too busy telling me how lucky I am and how much I'm loved. Which I am." she said. "I love it. It really is beautiful." she said, kissing him again. "Come, we're all in the kitchen. Oh, you should see what we got from the grandparents!" Bella said. "I know, my folks told me about it." he replied, smiling and taking her by the hand.
"Jasper, you're back. How was your day? Where's Nessie?" Esme asked still at the stove. "Fun, exhausting... but fun." he replied, stifling a yawn. He tried telling them all about it, but the only words they were able to understand in between his yawning were...petting zoo, cotton candy and ducks.
"Nessie fell asleep fifteen minutes before we... pulled up to the house." he was finally able to say. "You should go have a nap, too. We'll keep some dinner warm for you. Go on." Esme nudged. "We should put Nessie in her own bed. Come on. I'll help you." Bella said.
"I've got this now Jazz. Go lay down for a bit." Jasper planted a kiss on Nessie's forehead after he'd deposited her in her own bed; then kissed his wife before walking out of the room. Bella removed her daughter's shoes and covered her with a blanket. "Sleep tight, baby." she said, turning off the light and walking out. When she entered their bedroom, she saw Jasper fast asleep on their bed. She laid next to him, snuggling up to him as best she could with her large belly in the way. Jasper was so deeply asleep that he didn't stir when the bed dipped, or when she ran her hand through his hair moving it away from his eyes. Eventually, she too closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
Bella woke later to her daughter quietly talking to her belly. She was sitting in the tiny space between her parents legs telling her baby brother all about her day.
Smiling at her beautiful daughter, Bella tapped her hand. "Did you have a good nap, baby girl?" Bella quietly asked. "Uh-huh. did you, Mama?" Bella nodded her head. She looked over at Jasper who was still asleep.
"We need to be quiet because Papa's still sleeping. Okay?" Bella whispered. "Did you a fun day?" Nessie nodded, then proceeded to tell her mother all about her special day with Jasper. Bella happily listened as Nessie explained in her very special 'almost five year old language' everything she saw, ate, heard and did with Jasper. It seemed to Bella as if he had squeezed about a weeks worth of activities into a ten-hour day.
"Wow. Sounds like you had a great day. Why don't you go tell the others about it and ask Grandma Esme to give you dinner." Bella urged. Nessie eagerly agreed before she scurried off the bed, she pecked her mother on the cheek and gave her belly a kiss too.
"How long was I out?" Jasper finally asked, wiping his eyes. "About an hour, I think?. Did she wake you? She was telling the baby and me about her day."
"It's fine." he said, fluffing the pillows under his head. "How's the Bump doing?" he asked, noticing that she was rubbing her belly a lot. He placed his hand over hers. "He's good. Been quiety most of the day. But he's awake now, and on the move. Can you feel him?" she asked taking his hand, pressing it into her. "Oh, yeah! There he is." "If you push, he'll punch back." she told him. "Wow, that's incredible." "I know." Bella giggled.
"I made you something. Well, it's for the two of you really." Jasper turned to his bedside table and pulled out a portable CD player and a CD. Bella propped herself onto one elbow trying to see what he was doing. She gave up and situated herself with pillows behind her. "Here" he said, handing her a mixed CD. "It's some classical music and one that I composed." he added. "I put Edward's piece is on there. I thought you'd like to play them for the baby. He can hear music now, right?" Jasper wondered. Bella nodded. He handed the player to her and she slipped the CD into it.
"Which track is it?" "Edward's is track 10." he replied.
"No, which track is your song?" she asked, rolling her eyes slightly. "Oh...track 4." he smiled. Bella put the ear buds in and advanced the player to track 4. Jasper couldn't tell if she liked it or not because she was crying. After she finished listening to that track, she pulled out the ear buds.
"Are you alright? What did you think?" Jasper asked anxiously. "I...that...there are no words. That was beautiful. I love it, thank you." she said, kissing him. "I don't know what I could give you that would even equal everything you've given to me."
CH 8
"Oh my god! That's not right." Jasper cringed, turning both white AND green at the same time. They had finished practicing their Lamaze breathing exercises and Bella insisted that they finally watch the DVD that Jane had given them.
"That's natural child birth, my love." Bella laughed, patting him on the arm. From his place behind her, Jasper hid his eyes in the crook of her neck and wrapped his arms more securely around her.
"Jasper, you won't even be at that end. You won't see anything." she assured him with amusement. "Too late. I can't 'unsee' that!" He muffled, blindly pointing to the TV screen. "Is that even a word...unsee? I thought guys were supposed to be tough? What about all those movies you watch and stories you read? That's pretty gross stuff." she chuckled.
"It's not the same. Those are special effects." Jasper replied. "That's like something out of Aliens!" he exclaimed.
"Okay, I give. We don't have to finish watching...you are a chicken!" she relented, laughing. "Yes! And proud of it. I can't believe you are willing to got through that to have a baby?" Jasper cheered, reaching for the remote. "Not like I have much choice on where he comes out. Besides, you forget about the pain. Once you have the baby."
"Yeah? Well, I won't be forgetting about that ever."
"How's your sandwich, Munchkin?" "Good, can I have some more juice, please?"
"A little, yes." Jasper opened the thermos and poured cranberry juice into Nessie's paper cup. "Bella, more juice?" Jasper asked. "No thank you. A picnic was a great idea."
"I'm just glad the weather's cleared again. We've had a lot of good weather this year. Best take advantage of it while we can." Jasper picked up his camera and snapped a few shots of his girls.
"You finished with your plate?" he asked before reaching for it. Bella took the last bite of her sandwich and handed the plate and napkin over. "You all done eating Nessie girl?"
"Yes" "Can you help me pick up?" The child nodded, handing him the plates, utensils, and bits of bagged food. Jasper quickly stuffed everything back in the picnic basket while Bella leaned back using her hands for support.
"I wanna go for a walk." Nessie announced eagerly. "In a bit, honey. Can you draw me some pictures? I haven't seen any new pictures of yours in such a long time." Bella cajoled, not up to moving just yet. She pulled a sketch pad and crayons out of her bag, handing them to the her daughter. Nessie happily settled on the corner of the blanket, and after great thought she picked up a yellow crayon, touching it to the paper.
Jasper sat behind his wife; who was 'sort of' sitting indian style and wrapped his arms around her. "Hello there." she smiled, covering her hands with his. He nuzzled the side of her face and grinned, "Hi".
"Bella, what is that?" Jasper questioned as Bella jerked ever so slightly in his arms.
"Oh, the baby has the heck-ups." she replied, nonchalantly. "I didn't know they could get them in the womb." "I guess you missed that section in the book, huh?" she said, patting her very large belly. "It'll stop soon."
"Here Mama." Nessie smiled, handing Bella her first drawing. "Oh, Thank You, sweetie." Bella beamed studying the crayon drawing of what she assumed was a yellow Sun high in a blue and green scribbled sky with two 'mostly brown' trees and bunches of purple specks she figured were flower bushes. "It's very pretty. Can you make me some more pictures?"
Happily, the child set about starting a new drawing. "How's he doing now?" Jasper asked. "Uhg! He's restless." She grunted, pushing on her belly. "I need to lie down." Jasper immediately moved, giving Bella space to stretch out. She settled on her right side, using his thigh as a pillow. "Settle down, little one." Eventually, the baby did so, and the discomfort passed. Bella closed her eyes, enjoying the sounds around her.
"Here Mama!" Nessie held her drawing about three inches from her mother's face. "Oh, let me see." This drawing, Bella couldn't decifer. Fortunately, Nessie was not at all interested in her mother's reaction. She wanted to go exploring. "Can we go for a walk now?" she whined.
"I'll take you. Let Mama rest here for a while." Jasper extricated himself from Bella and gave her a rolled up jacket for her head before he took Nessie's hand, walking off. Bella, eyes closed, listened to the two of them and could tell that he had her distracted from walking to far off, by studying the ground - looking for interesting treasures. This also ensure that the child would want to come back and show her mother what she'd found.
Which, some time later... she did. Jasper aided Bella in sitting up while Nessie laid each precious find carefully out on the blanket.
"Look at this Mama!" - an almost perfectly round rock with black and white bands around it. "See this, isn't it neat!" - A piece of petrified wood about five inches long. "This is my favorite!". "Isn't that a bird skeleton? Should she even be touching that?" Bella worried. Jasper just shrugged.
"You feeling any better?" "Yeah, let's go explore some more. I want to see what else my daughter can find." Bella, with help again from Jasper, Bella finally got to her feet. She was now carrying the baby low and big; which made her somewhat top-heavy. Difficult to balance sometimes.
"Renesmee, stay where we can see you!" Bella called out, holding Jasper's hands as she waddled along beside him. "Nessie, you're going too far." Jasper warned. The child had managed to make it about thirty feet before he called her back. Skipping up to her parents, Nessie handed a small bouquet of wildflowers to her mother smiling up at her. Jasper told them to 'hold it' while he snapped a photo of them.
"Thank you, baby!" Bella said, smiling back, smelling them. Nessie skipped along just ahead of them, eyeing the ground for other treasures. "Look!" she screeched.
"It's a nest, sweetie." Jasper explained, kneeling down. "Wow, there's eggs in it too." He picked it up, showing it to them before taking a picture of it with his camera.
"Can we keep it?" Nessie asked carefully. "No. Those eggs need to hatch. We don't want to take them away from their Mom & Dad, do we?" Bella asked by way of explanation; while patting her large belly, trying to sooth the slight ache she was experiencing.
"I'm not sure where it fell from." Jasper inspected the tree under which they'd found it. "Can you reach any of the branches?" Bella asked. "Uh, yeah." he replied. "Wait, I want to say Bye !" Nessie announced. Jasper held the small nest with it's three tiny eggs up to her. "Bye, Bye. Be Good!" "Ready?" he asked before placing them on the thickest branch he could reach. Within a few seconds, two birds flew up to the nest and flitted around it. "Happy Family Reunion." Jasper smiled, looking down at Nessie. She giggled and skipped on her way to look for the next discovery.
"Oh, Papa look!" she squealed.
"That was fast!" They said in unison as Renesmee trotted up to them holding something in both of ther hands. "What is that?" Bella was the first to ask. "A turtle? Are there even turtles around this area?" Jasper replied. "It could have escaped from someone's yard, I guess?"
"Can we keep him?" You have to give the child credit for persistance. Jasper looked to Bella. Neither knew quite what to say. "Well, we should take it to a vet. If it doesn't belong to anyone and if the vet thinks it would be a suitable pet...Then, maybe you can keep it." Bella explained. Nessie jumped up and down, clapping. Jasper handed the turtle back to the child and watched as she walked on ahead of them having a staring contest with her new discovery. Smiling, Jasper took a picture of Nessie face to face with the turtle.
"Ugh...Whoo!" Bella cringed, grabbing her belly and leaning forward. "What, what's wrong?" Bella took several cleansing breaths before she could answer. "Braxton-Hicks contractions." she finally replied. eyes closed. Jasper gulped, "You okay?" he asked, holding her belly with one hand and cupping her cheek with his other.
"Where's Nessie? Don't let her get too far away." Bella grunted, eyes still closed. Jasper scanned around quickly. "She's not far. She's playing with the turtle." he smoothed her hair back.
"Are you okay?", he asked again. "Yeah, that was just a strong one." she breathed, rubbing her belly and back simultaneously. "God, he's big." Bella remarked about her current size. "Nessie, come on. We're heading back to the house now." Jasper instructed.
"What have you got there?" Carlisle asked his grand-daughter when they walked in the door. "A turtle" Nessie showed off proudly. "She found it on our walk. I'll take it to the vet. It might belong to someone. Although, it's kind of a remote area for a domestic turtle." Jasper said. "I told her that if it's wild and if the vet thinks it appropriate, that she could keep it. We'll have to see though." Bella further explained. Carlisle bent down to inspect the small creature. "He's kinda cute." he told her. "Can we go to the vet now?" Nessie said.
"Alright, go get in the car. I'll be right there." Jasper relented. "Do you want to come?"
"Sure, I'm up for it. Besides, if I don't; there's no telling what the two of you will bring home. I need to supervise." Bella answered. "See you later, Carlisle."
"So, what do we have here?" Dr. Rachel Torez asked, picking up the small turtle for inspection. "We found it in the woods near our home today." Jasper explained.
"You did?" the doctor asked Nessie specifically. "I did."
"I didn't think that there were any turtles around this area. And, we live outside of town in a remote area. But we thought maybe it was a pet." Bella told her, sitting on one of the two small chairs in the exam room. "Well, pet turtles aren't usually micro-chipped. But, let's see." the vet said, waving the sensor wand over the turtle.
"No chip. There's an animal sanctuary in Port Angeles. They have a few turtles."
"Can you tell if it's one of those snapping turtles?" Bella asked getting up to pace hoping to relieve the slight cramp she was now feeling. "It's not, but this kind will grow very large. It'll take about forty years. But they do get big, and they live a long time."
"Would this be an appropriate pet for a small child?" Bella asked.
"How old are you, sweetie?" "Almost five." Nessie replied, holding up five fingers.
"That's a bit young for this kind of pet." the vet admitted. Nessie's face fell.
"But, I know that at the pet store there are some turtles that live in water that are so tiny that you can keep them in a bowl in your room. They are a lot less work than this guy here. He needs his own space, fenced off with lots of things to eat and fresh water every day. Why don't you go to the pet store and check the little ones out?" Nessie lit up at that suggestion and batted her pleading eyes at both Jasper and Bella, "Can we?" Jasper looked to Bella for a decision.
"Okay, we'll go look. I'm not promising anything." she told her daughter. "Okay, I'll call the animal sanctuary to come pick this little guy up. Thank you for bringing him in." Dr. Torez said, shaking each of their hands.
Two hours after leaving, they returned a medium size round bowl. A bag of small pebbles and a small box that could have been leftovers from a chinese restaurant. "How'd it go?" Carlisle asked. "Well the big guy will be going to a sanctuary in Port Angeles." Bella explained. "So, what's all of this, then?"
"Nessie, you want to show grandpa?" Jasper coaxed her and she held up the box for him to take. Opening the lid, he saw two tiny dark green turles squirming in a bit of water. "Well, that's different." Carlisle admitted.
"The vet suggested these as an alternative. Easier to care for and they won't grow at all. They can stay in this bowl in Nessie's room." Bella explained. "Have you named them yet?" Carlisle asked. "Yep, George and Pinky." she told them.
"Random...but okay." Jasper responded, chuckling. The three adults smiled at each other. "Let's go set them up in your room, sweetie." Jasper nudged. "So, which one's George and which is Pinky?" Carlisle asked before they walked away.
"That's George..." Nessie explained, pointing to one of the two 'seemingly identical' dark green turtles. "and that's Pinky. She has a spot on her foot. See?" Nessie showed him, pointing to the other turtle. Sure enough, there was a peach colored spot on it's front left foot.
"Okay. Good to know."
"Now, sweetie. You know that you can't leave them out of the water, right? They have to stay in the bowl." Bella explained for the third time. "Yes Mama."
"I'm going to take a bath. I need to soak in the tub. Can you keep an eye on Renesmee? I don't know if she really understands about those turtles yet?" Bella asked her husband.
"No problem. You want me to get the water running for you?" Bella nodded. "Bubbles or bath oil?" he asked. "Bath oil, please." "Okay, water's running. I'll be with Nessie. I'll check on you in a while, okay?"
"Wonderful" Bella replied, kissing him. Jasper had dimmed the lights and lit candles. All she had to do was turn on music. Once she'd taken care of her bladder and... other things; Bella removed her locket and carefully climbed into the tub and lowered herself into the creamy scented water which came up to just over her chest. Immediately, her back relaxed and she sighed.
"Oh, yeah. This is better. Huh baby?" Bella whispered, holding her large belly. Bella was able to drift off for a bit; only waking when she heard a light tapping on the bathroom door.
"Who is it?" Jasper slowly opened the door, peeking his head inside. Bella smiled at him, motioning for him to come in. "I brought you some tea." He offered her the cup and sat down on the toilet seat.
"Thank you, honey." she took a sip of the warm liquid and rested the cup on her baby bump - which was poking out above the water. "That's a cute look." Jasper chuckled lightly.
"Are you making fun of me?" Bella countered. "No, not at all. I've just never seen you do that before." "Oh. Who's watching Nessie?" "Emmett"
"Well, if you can stay here a while, can I ask you to do something for me?" she asked. "Anything." "Will you rub my hands? There puffy and stiff."
"Of course, here." Jasper set his tea down and took one of her hands and set to work. "Oh, that is AMAZING. I can feel the release all the way up my arm. Oh, Thank you!"
Once Jasper was done with both hands; he added more hot water and they chatted for a bit. Eventually, he helped her get out of the tub. Since getting out was slightly more problematic and dangerous than getting in.
As he was wrapping the plush robe around his wife he had to ask. "Bella?"
"Hmm?" "Won't you let me photograph you? I would never let you be uncomfortable." he begged. "I just really, really, really want to do this. Please?" Bella thought for a moment and even surprized herself when she agreed.
"Really? Great. I'll get the camera set up. Can you wait here for just a moment. Don't do a thing! No make-up. Nothing. Promise?" "I promise." she grinned, holding up three fingers.
Once he left her alone in the bathroom, Bella ran her brush through her long hair and brushed her teeth; even though she knew she didn't need to. Jasper came back in the bathroom a few minutes later to get her. "Ready. Come this way, my dear. We won't be disturbed. I made sure of it."
"What do you want me to do Jazz?" Bells asked, fiddling with the tie belt on her robe. "Do you mind standing in front of the deck doors? The light is best over there? He asked.
"What do you want me to do now? Bella asked.
"Just do whatever you feel comfortable with." He said as he fiddled with his camera. Bella lowered her robe off her shoulders and opened it just enough to reveal some cleavage and her bump.
"Great, Babe." Jasper immediately started shooting pictures. Several seconds later Bella asked him what she should do next.
"Remember the pose you gave that time you asked for a massage. I loved that." he answered with a huge grin.
Bella gulped, but figured since she'd already done it once; she could do it again. She let the robe slid off her body and posed, as best she could to the original, with her expanded size. Holding her belly, she leaned against the doors and looked straight through the camera to Jasper; and it stopped him cold.
"So perfect. Hold that." He snapped a few shots before asking her how she was. "I'm okay. What now?"
"I'll give you this throw and you can use it to cover up a bit if you feel like it." Bella wrapped the throw around her hips and tied the two ends in a loose knot. She then covered her chest with her hands.
"How's this" She asked, posing. Jasper didn't respond, he just smiled and snapped pictures. Finally, he spoke, "Unbelievable. You are amazing." Bella blushed with a smile and he quickly took a few more shots.
"Would you like to get on the bed? Just get in whatever position is comfortable and let me know when you're ready."
Bella climbed onto their bed leaning back against the pillows and using the throw across her lap to cover her lower half; she placed her hands at the base of her belly. While her long hair draped over her left shoulder.
"Okay" Bella said with a thoughtful, distant look to her eyes. Jasper snapped several photos of just her face, then full body. "Okay, thank you my love." He said, leaning over to kiss her cheek and help her up. "Did you want any profile shots?" Bella asked once she was standing.
"Of course. If you wouldn't mind?" Bella stood profile with her left hand on her belly and her right hand bent, touching her hair. She looked through her bent arm into the camera.
"Have you ever done any modeling? You really know how to pose." Jasper told her with pride. Bella simply shook her head. "How's this?" she asked posing for the final shot. A profile shot of nude Bella looking out; one arm over her chest; the other under her belly. "Amazing, my love. Once I get these on the computer; will you look at them?" Jasper asked with hope.
"Of course I will; you took them." She replied, slipping back into her robe before kissing him sweetly.
"What are you listening to?" Rosalie asked Bella a few days later. She was laying on the living room couch with the CD earphones placed on her belly. "Jasper made a CD for the baby to listen to." she replied handing the headphones to Rose to listen and skipped ahead to Jasper's track. Rose listened quietly, then handed the headphones back to Bella. "I don't recognize that one. It's beautiful, though."
"It's Jasper's. He composed it." Bella told her.
"Wow, he's good."
"Yeah, I know. He also put my favorite classical pieces on here and Edward's piece. It was a wonderful surprise. I love it. So does the baby. It calms him right down - most of the time."
"Won't be long now. One more month." Rose said, patting Bella's belly. "I can't wait. I'm huge and he's not even done 'bakin' yet." she kidded. "What do you think of Nessie's new friends?" Bella asked, changing the subject. Rose frowned, not knowing there were new members of the family. Bella proceeded to relay the story of how George and Pinky had come to be.
"Well, I think she can handle two tiny water turtles. It will give her something to focus on and take care of when the novelty of a baby brother wares off. But, were on Earth did she come up with George and Pinky?" Rose asked, perplexed. Bella could only chuckle.
"I was thinking about having a soak in the jaccuzi? You want to join me? Just slightly warm water? Come on Bells, please?" Rose plead.
"Fine. I'll meet you out there, though." Bella replied, holding her hands out for Rosalie help pull her up. "Deal. I'll see you outside."
"What are you doing?" Jasper asked as he came out of their bathroom. Bella was fishing in her dresser drawer for the infamous polka dot bikini. "Rose and I are going into the jacuzzi...no jets...no bubbles." She explained before he had the chance to object. With the bikini in hand, Bella kissed Jasper once on the lips, and walked into the bathroom.
"Jasper, help me with these?" she said, exiting the bathroom several minutes later wearing the bikini bottoms and holding the top to her chest. Jasper hooked the clasps quickly for which she gave him a peck on the cheek.
"God, you are stunning." he gasped, staring at her. "Jasper, really? You've gotta be kidding me! I'm as big as a house?" Bella blushed, gave him one more full kiss and then walked out of their bedroom.
"How's the water?" Bella asked, stepping out of her flip-flops and into the water. The family had no real need for a pool. Living in the woods with all the dirt, tree leaves and creatures; a pool was more work than it was worth. Add onto that all the rain and clouds and they had settled on the more practical covered jacuzzi.
"Is the water temperature alright?" Rosalie asked once they were comfortably relaxing. "Yeah. I think I'll be spending the rest of my pregnancy in this jacuzzi. I'll have to ask you to look after Nessie for me." Bella informed Rose in all seriousness before a case of the giggles set in. "Seriously, I'll take floating over waddling any day!" Bella admitted. "Hey Bella, Emmett and I have looked into adoption."
"Really, Rose? I thought you weren't ready?" "It's not like it's going to happen tomorrow, or anything." Rose stated. "Well, I'm happy for you. If you're happy." Bella said, taking Rosalie's hand in hers.
"I'm nervous. We've had conversations in the past about adoption. I know that there are many older children out there that need a good home. I just don't see us going that route at this stage in our life. We would consider an older child, if we were a bit older. Like Carlisle and Esme did. But Emmett and I are only twenty-seven. So, we've been looking into international adoption for a baby. There are tons of baby's in other countries that we would be lucky to get.
"Have you talked to Carlisle and Esme about it at all?" "No, not yet."
"Can I help you with anything?" Bella asked, wanting to help. "You've got enough going on at the moment, Bella. But I'll take a rain check. Who knows, I might need you to peel me off the ceiling in the near future."
"You've got it. Whatever you need." Bella assured her. "From the things I've read online; these types of adoptions are complicated and have mountains of paperwork."
"Well, there's part of your problem right there, Rose. Never read too much into what you find online. It'll scare the 'bejeszus' out of you and make you regret looking anything up." Bella replied. Rose couldn't help but agree with a chuckle.
"Ladies, is this a private party. Or can I join you?" Jasper asked from just inside the open glass door. "You can. In fact, I have some computer work to do." Rose said, giving up her spot in the jacuzzi to Jasper. Before she got out of the water, Rose whispered a quick 'Thank You' to Bella for listening to her rattle on. Bella smiled back, mouthing 'You're Welcome' and signed that she wouldn't tell a soul what they talked about. Bella smiled as Jasper slid down into the water, cuddling up next to him.
"You feeling okay?" he asked. "Yeah. The water is great. I told Rosalie that if I could spend the next four weeks in this jacuzzi, I would." she replied. Taking hold of her hand under the water, Jasper kissed it. "You should have gone to the community center. There's a pool there you could float around in." "I know, but the community center is not very private. This is fine. At least there's enough room to float. Even if it's in one spot." She demonstrated for him.
"I don't even have to try. I'm naturally buoyant, see?" Jasper stood beside her with his arms outstretched underneath her - just in case. Her large belly bobbed along the surface of the water as she, did in fact - float.
"Feel good?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "Yes" she replied, swishing the water with her arms. Jasper kept one arm underneath her and transferred the other to her belly.
"You give anymore thought to that water birth option?" Jasper asked. "Yeah, I really want to do it. Are you okay with that?" She replied.
"As long as you're covered if something unexpected happens, I'll go with whatever makes you comfortable. Now, relax", he told her. Slowly, he spun them around in place to give Bella the sensation of being in a pool. Smiling, she placed her hand over his and squeezed it gently. Jasper stopped, leaned down and captured her lips in his. Bella reached her arm around his neck for better support and deepened the kiss. "Hm" she hummed, finally standing up, wrapped in his arms.
"See, told you it was nice in here." she smiled. "Ogh!"
"I think he likes the floating more." she grunted, holding her belly and breathing through the false labor pain. The Braxton-Hicks contractions occurred a few times a week now that she was nearing the end of the pregnancy. "Come here." Jasper said. Leading her to the ledge, he sat down and motioned for her to sit in front of him, between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her and massaged her belly. She leaned back against his chest and rest her head on his shoulder.
"You have the magic touch. I feel all 'dazed'. But, totally in a 'good' way." she sighed. Jasper kissed along the side of her face and at her temple while he simultaneously ran his fingernails over her belly.
"I could stay like this forever." "Well, eventually we need to get out. You're skin is getting really 'pruny' anyway." Bella glanced at her hands, "Ew, gross. I guess we should get out." she sighed.
"Bella, I finally had a moment to download the photos I took. Would you like to see them. I really want to show you?" Jasper asked as they walked, hand in hand through the house to their bedroom. Taking a deep breath, Bella said, "Sure, why not." Queing up the computer Jasper turned the laptop over to Bella so she could better see the pictures.
"They really turned out nice, I think? I didn't even have to do any editing. I did them all in black and white." He was a tad nervous of her reaction; so he was babbling.
"Wow, Jasper you're a really good photographer. These are great." Bella blushed. "My model was amazing!" He replied, smiling at her. "Do I really look like this? I'm...pretty." Bella stated. She couldn't stop staring at the images on the computer screen.
"You are gorgeous, Bella!"
"Jasper, could I show a couple of these to Rose? Would you mind?" Bella asked him. "Darlin', these are your photos to do with as you please. I don't care if you frame them, scrap-book them, show them off... or stuff them in a drawer, never to be seen again. I'm just happy you let me take them in the first place." he said, kissing her cheek.
"Thank you for making me look beautiful. I love them." Bella's eyes teared up. Jasper handed her a manilla envelope with printed copies of the photos inside. She smile brightly, despite the tears and kissed him before getting up - with some help - to go find Rosalie.
Knocking lightly on their bedroom door, Bella waited for Rose to respond. "Come in" she heard after a couple of seconds. "Hey Bells, what up? You been crying?" Rose got concerned, closing her laptop to give Bella her full attention.
"Oh, I'm good. I'm just emotional. I wanted to show you something. It's private though. Do you have a moment?" Bella asked, stepping further into the room and closing the door behind her.
"Come, sit." Rosalie pushed the mass piles of papers, forms and applications - along with her computer, to one side of her bed for Bella. "I... I've... Jasper took some photographs of me several days ago. Well, I let him, and I want your opinion. I'm just... overwhelmed. I've never been..."
"Bella, you're not making any sense. Are they bad? naughty? ugly?...what?" Rose asked anxiously.
"No, here." Bella sat and handed the envelope to her sister-in-law. "I'm beautiful." Bella simply said. "He made me beautiful." Studying the various photos, Rosalie said. "Oh, Bells. He didn't make you... you already are. He just shot it. I don't know why you always think yourself so plain. These are wonderful! I didn't know you could pose like this." Rose said, holding up one of the profile shots.
"I never really saw what others did... until now." Bella was beaming. "You should frame one of these and hang it in your room. I'm going to do that for you, alright? Would you mind?" Rose asked. When Bella didn't remark, Rosalie chose which photo she'd have framed and gave the rest to Bella.
A week later, Rose presented Jasper and Bella with a large wrapped gift. "You open it, Jasper." Bella insisted.
"Oh, man!" Jasper gasped studying the large matte silver framed black & white photo of Bella's final profile shot. Within an hour of opening the gift; Jasper had it hung in their room right next to the fireplace; where he could see it from their bed.
CH 9
When Bella woke up she knew before she even moved, that Jasper was no longer in bed with her. She heard the shower running and figured she'd go join her husband. Since he'd been so rude as to leave their bed so early in the morning. As quietly as she could, she opened the bathroom door and slipped in. She heard Jasper singing to himself and slipped her nightgown over her head, slid out of her panties and opened the shower door.
"Mind if I join you?" Bella asked stepping in behind Jasper. She wrapped her arms around his chest, kissing his back.
"I didn't even hear you come in. You are stealthy." He said, turning to face her. This blocked most of the shower spray from hitting her in the face. "Yes, I am. You left me all alone in bed. I had to come see what you were doing so early." she playfully pouted. "I'm sorry, I was trying to be quick, but you caught me." he replied, kissing her awaiting lips.
Bella scratched her nails along his back and their kissing progressed. "Hmm" Bella moaned over and over. Jasper broke their lips apart and turned her away from him so that she was facing the tile wall behind the bench. He attacked the back of her neck with his mouth as his hands roamed her front, kneading at the flesh. Bella leaned into his touch using her hands to brace herself as Jasper worked her body like a familiar beloved instrument.
"Ah! go easy. I'm tender." Bella scolded as Jasper pinched at her breasts sending shivers down her back that even the warm water couldn't subdue.
"Sorry"
Jasper turned his wife back around a little too fast for her to collect herself. She swayed, leaning against the tiled bench. "You alright?" Jasper asked. Bella nodded sitting down. Giving her a moment, Jasper then took hold of her legs behind the knees and spread her open entering her briskly. Bella's breath caught for a second, then she wrapped her legs behind him, as best she could and Jasper made quick work of it and done in seconds.
He breathed a long satisfied sigh. Releasing Bella's legs, he slipped out of her. "That what you had in mind?" he asked, panting.
"What can I say. I'm pregnant and overloaded with hormones. You know you love it." she panted with a bashful grin. "At least I can't get pregnant. That's something. Right?" Bella giggled, holding her enormous belly.
From her place on the bench, she had perfect access to his member; which she grasped with her left hand. Jasper jerked, despite himself, but nodded for her to go ahead. Bella began pumping his length like one would do a stress ball. Eventually, he came - again, and again.
Jasper's knee's almost gave out. "Oh God, Bells. I need can't believe I'm saying this... but, I need to stop." He panted out. "Well, it can't always be about me. I think it's long overdue that you had some attention. At least I'm able to do this for you." she said, applying kisses to his toned abdomen as he collected himself. "Hand me the sponge and I'll wash your back." she said after some moments passed. Jasper turned around, adjusting the shower spray again as Bella ran the soapy sponge over his back and butt. He jerked a little when she did that but didn't remark on it. He turned around when she instructed him to and allowed her to wash his toned chest.
"My turn." he said, slightly out of breath. Applying more soap to the sponge, Jasper helped Bella onto her feet, turned her around and washed her back and shoulders with gentle pressure. He ran the sponge over her perky butt, kneeling down to get the back of her legs as well. Bella breathed deeply, relishing the attention.
She dropped her head and cradled her belly until he stood up again. Instructing her to turn around, he tenderly sponged her shoulders, arms and chest. "This alright?" he asked. "Hmm" she sighed in response offering a slight smile as he cleaned her belly. With more soap, Jasper finished washing her, working his way down from her belly to her toes. "There, all clean. Now we rinse." He said.
"Wait, can you do me a favor?" she asked shyly. "I thought I just did you a 'big' favor." he replied, winking. "Yes, and it was great. But, I need another... shave my legs? Please?" she begged, grinning.
"Haven't I been doing that for you for like, the past month? Of course, have a seat." He told her, turning the shower down to a trickle so that it wouldn't hit either one of them in the face. Bella smiled, holding up her left leg, which he took. Crouching down, Jasper ran the razor over her soapy calf being very careful not to nick her skin. "Just above the knee, please." Bella said, leaning her back against the tile. "I know, darlin'. There, other leg, please."
"Okay. All done." he announced a few moments later. "Now, we rinse off. Come on, let's get you up. God, you're HUGE!" he groaned. "... but beautiful." he quickly added. "I know." she simply said.
...
"Is that bag almost ready?" Jasper asked, waiting for Bella to finished with her overnight bag for the hospital. "Yep. All ready to go." Bella was now 8 1/2 months pregnant and ready for all of it to be over. The only thing she liked about being pregnant at this stage, was her increased libido. She couldn't get enough sex and poor Jasper was feeling quite used. Besides that, her size made in increasingly challenging to find positions where they'd actually fit together.
Jasper took the bag from the bed out to the car to store it for 'd-day' (delivery day) while she went back to the task she was previously working on before she'd been side tracked by the packing.
Laid out on their bed was a myriad of 'scrap-booking paraphernalia'. She was determined to get Masen's baby book finished before she actually had the baby, as there wouldn't be any time to do it afterwards.
Over the past two months, she'd gathered and categorized all the pictures taken over the course of the pregnancy. Ones from the baby shower, the beach, and those 'belly shots' Jasper had taken. Now, she had them in the order she wanted. She only needed to finish gluing them in the book. On the first page was a copy of the first ultrasound with stickers above it spelling out 'It's a Boy!". The second page held the first photo he'd taken of her when they'd found out.
On the later pages were the 'belly shots' illustrating the progression of the pregnancy interspersed with Nessie's artistic contributions. Scribbles of what she'd insisted were 'the baby'; and little quotes Bella had found throughout her reading that meant something to her.
Bella was currently trying to determine the best placement for a few of the shots Jasper had taken of them at the beach. "It's almost time for you to make your appearance Masen. This family sure is excited to meet you. You've got so much love around you, little one." she spoke softly.
"Smile!" Jasper said, and when Bella looked up he snapped a picture.
"Gotcha!" he smiled. climbing on the bed with her, handing her the camera. "That's a nice one. I'm going to print that." In the shot, Bella was smiling serenely, holding her belly. "How's the book coming along?" he asked, scanning over the bed at what appeared to him to be chaos; but, he was sure she had a system; so he didn't dare touch a thing.
"Good. Have a look so far." Jasper slowly turned the pages, smiling often. "I love this one." he said, pointing to a shot of both of 'his girls' in their bathing suits.
"You and that bikini. What is that about?" She asked seriously. When he didn't answer, she let it drop. "I remember feeling so huge that day. That was, what, two months ago? I've trippled in size since then!" she 'mostly' fake complained, leaning back on her hands and looking at her very large belly jutting out before her. "I will be glad to be able to breathe again. He's pulling on my lungs. I bet he's going to be a 10 lb. baby." she sighed.
It was true. The last trimester had seen the biggest growth spurt and she looked like a ginormous beach ball with tiny limbs. If they hadn't already gotten conclusive proof otherwise, they would have assumed she was having twins.
Sitting beside her, Jasper rubbed his hand across her belly, "Yes, but you're both healthy and it's almost over now." He then kissed her belly. "You Masen, be kind to your Mama, little man. She really deserves it."
She smiled, "He heard you." she grabbed her belly and breathed out slow long breaths. "You have a few weeks to go there. Don't be in such a hurry." "You alright?" "Yes. He's just kicking." "Do you want lay here and read for a while?" Jasper asked. Rolling her eyes in relief, she nodded vigorously.
"Yes, it's so quiet." Jasper added, rubbing this thumbs against her sides.
"It won't be much longer, though. Soon we'll have a crying baby in the house. Things could get very loud." she replied. "I wonder what kind of baby he'll be? A crier, or calm like Nessie was?" she thought aloud.
Her daughter was what some might consider a 'strange' baby. She never really cried all that much as a newborn; or later for that matter. When you looked at her, she'd just stare at you. No emotion, just staring. She was just as happy to be left alone as picked up and held. Now, four years later, things were different. She wanted to be the center of attention.
"Masen, are you going to to be a good baby, or are you going to keep us on our toes all the time?" Jasper asked holding her round form in his hands. "That answer your question?" Bella chuckled, having felt a definite kick under their hands. "Thank GOD we have backup to help with this apparent 'handful'." he said, lightly squeezing her belly.
"So changing the subject a little...all of the arrangements have been finalized, right?" Jasper asked.
"Yes, I wish that Forks hospital was set up for water birth, but Port Angeles is the closest. As long as there are no 'surprizes' I want to do it." she confirmed.
"However, if anything comes up and it's better for the baby to deliver another way...my plans are flexible." she affirmed. "Nothing went as planned with Nessie, and I'd really like to at least be conscious for this one!"
"Good point. So, only two more weeks to go then." Jasper smiled. "Hopefully?" "Let's get back to you reading to me?" Bella smiled. "Okay."
Sixteen days later...