A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up...had to go see the Hunger Games with my 14yo son last night...again...*grin* Let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Chapter 10

"I was thinking Elizabeth or Vanessa are good names for your baby." This is what greeted me as I walked into the kitchen the next morning.

I paused in the doorway, not making my presence known, wanting to hear the rest of the conversation, given that I was pretty sure the two people involved had never spoken to one another before.

"I don't know Alice, they seem a bit much, especially when you pair it up with Swan-Cullen," Bella answered. "I don't want to saddle a baby with a long name that is impossible for it to live up to, you know?"

"Well, how about something simple like Molly or Emma?" Alice offered. I didn't hear Bella's response, it may not have been verbal but I did hear Alice's laugh that followed shortly thereafter. My best friend and my-, my what exactly? I couldn't call Bella my girlfriend, babymama just seemed so trashy and mother of my child so formal. She was just Bella, always had been, always would be.

"Molly is a nice name, so cheerful," I heard Mom join in. I crossed my fingers, hoping that Mom was taking our conversation from last night to heart.

"It is, but Edward should have a say too, don't you think?" Bella said and I felt a huge grin spread across my face. At that point, I decided I needed to enter the kitchen, get in on this conversation but not make it look like I had been eavesdropping, even if I had. I did my best to force the smile from my features and walked into the kitchen, pretending that I had no clue what was going on.

"Edward!" Alice called out as I walked in and she rushed over to give me a hug. I returned it, happy to see her even though we had seen one another a couple of weeks before back out East.

"Heya Alice," I greeted her. I pulled back from Alice, gave Mom a smile, then turned to look at Bella. She was staring at Alice and I, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Morning Bella," I said, earning me a grin and a head nod in response.

"We were just discussing baby names Edward," Alice announced as she returned to her spot at the counter. I walked over and stood at the end, closest to Bella but didn't close the distance. I glanced down at her stomach, seeing the round evidence of our baby and involuntarily, my hand reached out to touch it. I stopped right before I laid my hand on Bella and looked up in a panic.

"Do you mind?" I asked, nodding toward where my hand was paused. I watched as Bella bit her bottom lip then slowly shook her head. My hand resumed its forward motion until it rested upon her cloth-covered stomach and let it stay there. I felt kick under my hand and before I knew it, I was kneeling down, my face level with Bella's stomach and I started talking.

"Feisty, are ya? Good morning baby, I hope you don't give your mother a hard time today, with all that kicking. Be a good girl and we'll see you soon," I said softly, letting my hand move gently over the baby. I could feel the movements beneath my hand as the baby moved and pushed against its prison and I smiled. I looked up at Bella and found her smiling down at me, her hand resting on the side of her stomach. When she saw I was looking at her, her hand moved, grabbing mine and pulling it over to where hers had been only moments before.

"If you touch here, you can almost feel her foot trying to break out," Bella told me. Her hand held mine in place and I could feel what she was describing but I was more excited about the fact that Bella was holding my hand. I smiled again, this time directly at Bella and got one in reply.

"Is that normal?" I asked, unsure since I hadn't had much experience with the baby up to this point.

Bella nodded and let her hand fall from mine. I took it as a sign that I should remove mine as well and I rose back up, shoving my hand into my pocket, wanting to hold onto the sensation of her hand on mine for a little while longer.

"She's active, but not anything that the doctor is worried about," Bella assured me.

I nodded in relief. "When is your next appointment? Have you seen the doctor here in Forks yet?"

"Next week," Bella told me. "I'm still only going every month until the last month, then I'll have to go more frequently."

"So, names," Alice called out, reminding us that she was still present and wanting to be part of the conversation. "I kinda like Elizabeth, but Bella thinks it's too much for a baby."

I ran my hand through my hair and made it look like it was the first time I was hearing these names. "I have to agree, it's a mouthful."

"You could always give her a nickname, like Bella for Isabella," Alice said cheerfully. "What names do you like Edward?"

I frowned slightly. I hadn't thought of any baby names, didn't know I was supposed to actually and gave Alice a shrug.

"I dunno, the baby doesn't need a name for a few more months, we have time," I told her. Alice looked affronted and her mouth fell open in shock.

"You don't want to know now, so you can have things with her name on them when she's born?" Alice asked.

I shrugged and glanced over at Bella. She looked at me helplessly and I wondered how long Alice had been bugging her about the name. I loved Alice but she could be a bit much, especially if you weren't used to her. I decided diversionary tactics were in order.

"When does Jasper come home Alice?" I asked and my plan worked perfectly. Alice was off and running at the mouth about Jasper and his summer plans. While Alice continued to talk, Mom placed breakfast in front of the three of us and Alice continued to talk as she ate, amusing Bella.

"Does she ever wind down?" Bella leaned over and asked me quietly. Alice was telling Mom all about her visit to West Point to see Jasper a few weeks before the end of the semester.

"She will talk until she falls over or is distracted," I advised her. "If you want to distract her, Jasper is the perfect thing to get her off whatever topic you are tired of talking about. Of course, then you'll get tired of hearing about him, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

Bella nodded thoughtfully and returned to her breakfast. "Will you go with me to see my dad today?"

"Sure," I responded automatically. "Why?"

Bella hesitated and shrugged. "I just feel weird being there, he's acting strange around me and if you could help distract him, I can get what I need and get out of there."

"Okay, yeah, when do you want to go?" I asked, pushing my plate back.

"Whenever is good for you," Bella offered.

"Let me get rid of the short one and then we can go," I replied, nodding toward Alice. I looked over to find her and my mother watching Bella and I, their conversation apparently long over.

"I know when I'm not wanted," Alice sniffed, a big grin on her face. She hopped down from the stool she had been occupying, gave Mom a hug, then walked over to Bella and I. "If you need anything at all, I'll be happy to help however I can," Alice told Bella.

Bella grinned and nodded. "Thanks Alice, I appreciate the offer." Alice bounced in happiness, gave me a quick hug and then was gone.

"Let me my shoes on and we can go," I told Bella and walked out of the kitchen. I returned a few minutes later, ready to go to find Bella alone, still in the same spot where I had left her. She looked deep in thought and I cleared my throat to get her attention. Her head snapped up and she turned to look at me.

"Sorry about that, I seem to check out a lot lately. Pregnancy brain," she told me with a grin.

"It's fine," I assured her. Together we walked from the house out to my car and I helped Bella into the passenger's seat, then got in myself.

"No truck?" I asked, having mentally noted that her truck wasn't in the driveway.

"No, I found someone in Seattle who was an old car collector to buy Oscar," she told me. "At least he went to a good home."

I laughed, finding it amusing that we were talking about her truck like someone might talk about a puppy.

"You are welcome to drive my car, if you want," I offered, gesturing to the early 90s Volvo my parents had bought me back in high school. I hadn't upgraded to a newer car, like Emmett had last year, since all it did was sit in the driveway unless I was home for the summer. Now that I was home though, it might be time to get a new one, one that would fit a baby seat.

"I need to go car shopping but I really hate it. Jake picked Oscar out and restored it for me, I didn't really have to do anything but drive it," Bella told me, then frowned. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the source of that frown: Jacob Black, Bella's ex-boyfriend.

"I probably should look into something newer as well, now that I'll be home to drive more often. We can go together if you want," I offered, trying to get her mind off Jacob.

Bella nodded but didn't say anything, just stared out the window as we drove to her father's house. We pulled up, parking along the curb out front and when I turned off the engine and made to get out, Bella's hand on my arm stopped me.

"What is it?" I asked, looking first from her hand to her face. Her eyes were darker than normal, shinier too and when she blinked and a tear fell, I knew it was due to her crying. "What is it Bella?" My voice took on a panicked tone and she sighed and shook her head.

"Jake is here," she told me. "I haven't seen him since we broke up."

"He knows about the baby right?" I asked and Bella laughed, though it wasn't a happy one.

"Yeah, he knows," she said bitterly.

"We can come back later, once he's gone," I told her. I pulled her hand from my arm and took it between the two of mine. I rubbed it lightly, offering the little bit of comfort that I felt she would allow, even though I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and hold her tightly.

"No, I can't," she said, glancing at the house, then back at me again.

"We have all the time you want, no rush," I told her and watched as she shook her head.

"No, it has to be today, I just want to get it over with and I haven't been exactly truthful with you," Bella said hesitantly.

My hand stopped moving on hers, though I didn't release it. I looked at her, wondering what she had been lying to me about.

"What is it?" I asked cautiously, not knowing her well enough to be worried or not.

"My mother is here and I couldn't face her alone," Bella told me.

"Okay," I said, nodding a little bit. "We can get through this, right?"

Bella sighed and looked at the house once again. "She isn't exactly in favor of the baby," Bella explained. "She's, well," she hesitated.

"Look, let's just go in, face them and get out of there as quickly as we can, okay?" I told her, squeezing her hand once again. I released it and got out of the car, hoping she would follow me. When I saw she hadn't, I walked around, opening her door and pulling her from the car, leading her up the walk that led to her father's front door. I knocked once we reached the landing and didn't have to wait long before the door was wrenched open and an older version of Bella was standing in front of me. She looked first at me, then at Bella standing slightly behind me. She laughed and called out into the other occupants of the house.

"Bella's here with her bastard child and the idiot who knocked her up," she said.