Chapter 14
At twelve weeks, I looked like I was about six months along, and I defiantly felt pregnant now. My back hurt, my ankles were swollen, and I was beginning to feel my balance shift off-center as my bump grew bigger and higher. My breasts were so swollen I had gone up almost two cup sizes, and they were so tender even the slightest touch would make them ache. The only thing I liked about the pregnancy right now was that there was only about four more weeks before I would finally have my baby in my arms.
Because there was only four weeks left, everyone had started a guessing game on the baby's gender. We hadn't been able to see anything on the last sonogram, and Carlisle didn't think we'd be able to see a clear image of anything other than the outline of the baby. Although I didn't care what the baby was, as long as the baby was healthy, I hoped beyond hope that the first baby I gave Jacob would be a boy. I had always dreamed of having a little boy that was a miniature Jacob, and another that was a miniature Daddy. And there was a strong feeling I had about this one being a boy.
xXx
Jacob
There was about four weeks until the baby came, and we had just started putting together the nursery. The only thing we had done up to this point was take out a small portion of the wall between our room and the baby's, put a door up, and paint the walls a light green color. For weeks, the furniture had sat in boxes in the middle of the room, waiting to be put together. I had finally realized a few days ago that if it wasn't put together by the end of this week, it wouldn't be put together when the baby was here.
Of course, the day that Ness and I finally got around to putting everything together, it was hotter than Hell outside. Even with the A/C running in our house, it was still hot for someone who was running above 108 degrees. I was sure that the temperature outside had broken the record high for July. But, to see Nessie in her favorite pair of shorts and her swollen, voluptuous breasts practically fall out of her triangle bikini top, I would gratefully sit in an oven.
I couldn't help but stare at my wife. She was just so fucking sexy; and it didn't help that her breasts were my favorite part of her. There was nothing that I wanted to do more in that moment than to touch her; and usually, she was just as eager to be touched. The thought of holding her large, soft, heavy breasts in my hands was enough to get me going.
"Jacob!" Nessie snapped. She had tossed one of the Classic Pooh Bear stuffed animals towards me.
"Yeah?" I tossed Piglet off of me, picking up the screwdriver, finishing up the crib.
"I asked 'what about Alyssa'?" Her tone was not pleasant.
"What about Alyssa?" I pushed myself off the ground, turning behind me to grab the mattress. I set it on the springs of the crib and turned to face Nessie.
"I was asking if you thought it be a good name," she crossed her arms. "But I can see that you'd much rather be staring at my chest."
"Ness," I sighed. "I'm sorry. I got distracted trying to put together the crib, and—"
"Oh, please." She huffed. "I wanted to maybe get some names for our child, but if you'd rather stare at my breasts all day, maybe I'll just think of one myself." She turned on her heels, and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
"Damn it," I sighed. I have got to learn to control myself.
I figured I should leave her alone for a while. I finished with the crib, moving it to the corner of the room that Nessie had wanted it in. I lifted the springs so the mattress sat higher in the bed, and began to make it, wrapping it with the sheets and blankets that had been strewn across the floor. I picked up the stuffed Piglet that Nessie had tossed at me, and put it on the shelf next to the other stuffed toys.
I finished putting together the rest of the room, and decided to go out for a quick run. I headed into the bedroom, and found Nessie curled on our bed, a book on pregnancy and child development in her hand.
"Hey Baby?" She didn't look up.
"I'm going to go for run," I sat on the edge of the bed. She didn't take her eyes off of the book.
I sighed. "I have my phone if you need me." I stood, giving her a kiss on her hairline.
I stood at the doorway, waiting for a response from her. When there was none, I left, closing the door behind me.
As soon as I was outside, I got undressed, and phased, letting out a howl to let everyone know that I was out if they wanted to join. Sam and Leah were phased, and after a few minutes, I felt Seth and Paul. I ran over the fight Ness and I had over in my head, and wasn't surprised when I heard Leah's laugh.
You got what you had coming to you, she laughed. Maybe you should try keeping your eyes to yourself?
Wow, Leah. I huffed. Great advice. Very helpful.
I'm just saying, Leah started. It sounds like you're having women problems, and as a woman…
Barely. I laughed.
Suck it. I could practically see Leah sticking her tongue out.
I felt Leah phase back, and Seth popped in.
That sucks, dude.
Eh, I shrugged. She's been on and off like a light switch. It's hard to pick up on her mood sometimes.
Paul showed up a few seconds later. You will not believe the chaos that is my house. Rach's sick, and so is Elizabeth. They're miserable, which means that Madeline and Mikah are miserable, because they're not getting the attention they want. Between the screaming, the heat, and the sickness, you would think the world's ending at my house.
How are you out here? Seth asked.
I'm sure Rach would rather have you home. I agreed.
The only reason I escaped was because my mom's helping out, but even then I don't think she's going to be too happy with me when I go home. And after Mom leaves, with bath-time and bed-time, it's going to be a living Hell.
I'm sure Ness and I can take a kid or two off your hands if you need. Ness is beyond pissed off right now, and she could use a distraction.
You're a fucking lifesaver, Jake. Let me call Rach real quick to make sure that it's okay for the night.
Holy hell this wife and family stuff sounds hard, Seth commented when Paul left.
You wouldn't be wrong, I sighed. Don't get me wrong. I love everything about my life, but sometimes…
Well, Sam spoke, I can tell you that you shouldn't even think about touching her until she says it's okay. Otherwise you're going to find yourself in much deeper shirt than you are in right now. I've learned my lesson on that one, and it wasn't pretty.
How do you tell, though? I questioned. One minute, she's all over me, demanding that do it right then and there. But then other times she'll get mad at me for even the smallest glance. How do you tell which mood she'll be in?
Honestly? You can't. Her hormones are just too out of whack to do anything about it. Let her tell you when it's okay and when it's not.
Paul phased back, catching the end of my conversation with Sam.
Isn't pregnancy just wonderful? Paul chuckled.
Tell me about it. Apparently I can't look at my own wife anymore.
Ah, Paul nodded knowingly. I know Rachel's your sister, but let me tell you—
Oh, God, Paul, please, no. I begged. Whatever he was going to say about Rachel I did not want to hear it.
I was just going to say she hardly lets me near her when she's pregnant. So I know how you feel.
So that could have been worse.
Anyway, so you wanted me to get a kid or two?
Yeah. Would it be alright if both Madeline and Mikah came over? Rachel doesn't want either of them to get sick beyond the sniffles they're getting.
No problem. I'll run it by Ness, and I can be over within the hour or so. Did you want us to feed them dinner?
That'd be amazing. Paul sighed, relieved. You know what Madeline likes, and I'll pack a few things of baby food for Mikah. Rachel wants them to have a few veggies but I'm sure a night off won't kill them.
I'll be over in a bit. I nodded towards Paul, and headed back towards the house.
xXx
I was in the nursery folding some of the baby's clothing when I heard Jacob come back in the house. I was still mad at him, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk to him yet. I couldn't believe that he would ignore me for my chest. For Christ's sake, I'm pregnant! My breasts are engorged with milk, and not something for Jacob to ogle at.
Jacob opened the door to the nursery, and I continued to ignore him, turning my attention to the onesies I was folding.
"Hey," Jacob said, his voice cautious.
I heard him walk into the room, and he stood next to the dresser.
"Is it alright if we take in Madeline and Mikah for the night?" It was fine with me, but I wasn't going to answer him quite yet.
"Ness, please," he begged. "I know you're mad at me, and I'm sorry. Just please answer me."
"That's fine," I replied, my voice stoic.
"I'm really sorry, Ness." Jacob put his hand over mine.
I looked up from the clothing, and into his eyes, which were full of remorse. I sighed, and looked back down at the clothes.
"When are they coming?"
"I was on my way to get them now, if that's alright."
"Fine," I replied.
"I'm going to make them dinner when I get back, and you too." He said. "Think about what you want, and I can make it as soon as I get home." He leaned in for a kiss, but I moved my head away.
"Alright," he sighed. "Did you want a drink before I left?"
"Already had one," I motioned towards the empty glass next to me.
"Oh, okay." Jacob moved his hand. "I'll be back soon. I…I love you,"
"Yeah," I replied.
I heard Jacob sigh, and the door click behind him.
When I was done with the clothing, I went back into our room, knowing that I was going to have to clean up a little bit before my young niece and nephew got here. I wondered how we were going to handle both Maddie and Mikah, but I figured we'd need the practice with our own coming within the next month.
As I cleaned, I felt a flurry of movement in my belly.
"Oh," I smiled, moving my hand to my bump. "Hello, there, little one."
He fluttered in response.
I sighed, and sat on the edge of the bed. I ran my hand down the length of my belly, feeling a fist move in response.
"Mommy can't wait to meet you," I cooed. "Daddy's excited too."
I felt a foot press against my skin, and traced its outline.
"You probably heard us fight, huh?" I sighed.
More fluttering.
"We didn't mean it. Not really. I just got frustrated, really. We still love each other, don't worry."
A hand pressed against my skin, and I pressed mine against it with a sigh. "I know. I'll talk to him when he gets back with your cousins." I laughed softly. I still had a hard time wrapping my head around being an aunt sometimes, let alone adding to the extended family.
I heard the Rabbit pull into the driveway, but I didn't go downstairs. I'd let Jacob stew in his guilt for a few more minutes before I talked to him. I heard him playing with them for a little bit, their laughter echoing through the house. Jacob was afraid of being a father, but I knew that he'd do great, after watching him interact with his nieces and nephews.
I got off the bed, and made my way downstairs, pulling on one of Jacob's muscle shirts, which I had stretched out in the course of the last twelve weeks.
"Guys, I think I hear Aunt Nee," I smiled, hearing Jacob use the name that had somehow become my nickname in the nearly six years since Elizabeth had been born.
"Nee?" I heard Maddie next, followed by a "Nee" from Mikah, who had just learned to make the 'ee' sound.
"Yeah," Jacob prompted. "Maddie, go get her."
I stopped on the stairs, watching as Maddie pushed herself up and made her way towards me.
"Nee!" She squealed, her arms outstretched. I heard Jacob laugh, and saw him out of the corner of my eye. He was holding Mikah on his hip, standing in the entryway to the living room.
"Nee!" Maddie squealed again, as she climbed up the stairs.
I smiled, kneeling as best as I could to pick her up. I groaned as I rested her on my hip.
"You're a lot bigger than I remember," I commented, giving her a quick kiss on her nose.
She giggled, and wrapped her arms around my neck. I carefully made my way downstairs, and followed Jacob into the kitchen. There was a tray of frozen chicken nuggets sitting on the counter, and Jacob lifted them as I set Maddie on the counter. I stood in front of her so she wouldn't fall.
"Aunt Nee's back just can't take you right now, sweetheart," I smiled sadly. I gave her a kiss on her hairline.
"Do you want me to make you anything?" Jacob asked hesitantly. I reached out and took Mikah from him so he could put the tray of frozen nuggets in the oven.
"I can make you something else, if you want…"
I shook my head. "Nuggets are fine." As I handed Mikah back to Jacob, I grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him closer to me.
"Give me a hug," I gave him the puppy eyes I knew he couldn't resist.
With a free arm, he wrapped me as best he could into his chest. "I'm sorry," I murmured.
"No," Jacob pulled away. "It was my fault. I'm sorry." He moved a piece of hair from my face, smiling.
"It's not my fault you're so sexy,"
I laughed, and playfully slapped his chest. "Jacob! We have impressionable children present. And if they start repeating what you're saying, I'm sure you're going to have a fun time trying to explain to your sister why they're running around saying things like that."
Jacob swallowed. "Right. She may not like that."
"There's a time and a place, sweetheart." I got on my tip-toes to give Jacob a small kiss.
When I turned back to Maddie, she stretched her arms across my bump, resting her head on the top.
"Are you saying hi to your cousin?" I smiled, running my fingers through her hair. I felt her nod against my belly.
"You know, you can talk to her. She'll move if you do."
Maddie lifted her head, her eyes wide. "She will?"
"Try it," I prompted
"Hi, baby," she spoke against my belly. "I'm Maddie. Mikie is here too but he can't talk good yet."
Within a few seconds, the baby moved, performing a small somersault inside of me.
"Aunt Nee, she moved!" Maddie grinned from ear to ear. I heard Jacob chuckle in the background.
xXx
Jacob
Nessie continued chatting with Madeline, as I continued with dinner. I buckled Mikah in a high chair, pushing him into the kitchen so he was near us. I tossed a few Cheerios pieces on the tray of the high chair, which seemed to make him happy for the time being.
I searched for something to pair with our meal, and settled on fruit cups—those are good, right? I set the four-pack on the counter.
"Oh, honey, no," I assumed that Nessie was talking to Madeline, so I continued with dinner.
"Jake," Nessie called.
"Yeah?" I turned from the milk I had been pouring.
"The fruit cups won't do," she lifted the pack, and tossed it to me.
"Why?" I inspected the cups. "They're fruit, right?"
"But all that juice?" Nessie raised her eyebrow. "I'd rather save that clean-up for a different day. Especially with Mikah here."
"Oh," I swirled the cups, and realized that they may indeed have too much juice in them. "Then what can they eat?" I searched the fridge for a moment, and pulled out a bunch of grapes.
"Kids like grapes, right?"
"Maddie might, but Mikah'd choke," Nessie replied.
"Alright, you think of something then."
Nessie thought for a moment, her eyes looking around the room. "There," she pointed to the opposite counter, where we had a cantaloupe sitting.
"You can cut it up into small pieces, about this big," Nessie demonstrated with her fingers how small the pieces had to be.
"It's ripe, so Mikah can eat it and he won't choke. Did Rachel and Paul give you any jars of baby food for him?"
"Yeah," I went into the living room, where I had put all of their stuff. After digging around for a few minutes I pulled out a couple jars.
"So we can feed him the stuff out of the jars, the cereal, and the melon," Nessie said. "And if he has any bottles with him, we can give him one before bed."
"Sounds good," I set the jars on the counter, and while I was waiting for the nuggets to finish, I watched Nessie interact with Madeline and Mikah.
It seemed as if she knew everything about having kids, and I was kinda stuck on what it was like to have our own. Hopefully having the two of them over tonight would help me learn, because it seemed like there was a lot to learn in four weeks, and I should know how to take care of a child before he came.
When the nuggets were done, Nessie helped me move the kids into our rarely used dining room, and I brought dinner, separating everything onto four plates. I helped Nessie feed them, and I paid close attention to how she fed them; Madeline was able to eat unassisted, but Mikah needed help. I noted that Nessie kept his food off the tray on the high chair, and presented him with small pieces of food at a time. She said that young children have to be fed this way, because otherwise they'd just play with their food instead of eating.
I cleaned up dinner as Nessie played in the living room with Madeline and Mikah. After everything was cleaned up and in the dishwasher, I stood in the doorway of the living room, watching the three of them. Both Madeline and Nessie were playing some-sort of singing game with Mikah, and he giggled, clapping along with Ness and Maddie as best he could. At one point, Nessie sat Mikah in what was left of her lap, and held onto his wrists, helping him clap. He seemed to eat that up, and his gleeful laugh could have been heard for up to a mile. I was able to snap a few pictures of the three of them, sending the pictures to Rachel.
Everything was all fun and games until it came to bath and bed time. Mikah had been alright to put to bed—Nessie showed me how to make formula, and Mikah eagerly drank it. He sat patiently through his bedtime story, but as soon as I had put him in the playpen, he began to scream.
"I don't get it," I looked from Mikah, who had begun to cling to the mesh, begging to get out, to Nessie.
"He had his bottle, and bedtime story, his stuffed dog is in the playpen with him, he has his blanket…"
"Sometimes kids don't like to go to bed," Nessie explained, beginning to pull me out of the bedroom.
"Just leave him alone. He'll cry himself out."
"Alright…" I wasn't sure, but Nessie seemed firm in her belief, so I didn't question her.
After getting Mikah to bed (kind-of), it was time for Madeline's bath. Nessie couldn't kneel on the bathroom floor as well as she used to, so bath time was left up to Uncle Jay. Madeline was content to have me strip her of her clothing and pull-up, but as soon as the water hit her skin, she began to scream, twisting herself in my arms, trying to get out.
"Mads, come on," I sighed. "Just get in the tub."
"No!" She somehow managed to squirm out of my arms, and ran out of the bathroom and down the hall. I heard Nessie giggle softly as I got up and chased Madeline down the hall. She squealed with laughter when I caught her on the stairs, and I carried her back into the bathroom, where Nessie was putting bath toys and a small amount of bubble soap in the water.
That seemed to change Madeline's mind, as she eagerly climbed into the tub, playing with her toys, pulling the bubbles close to her body. She didn't mind me as I washed her body, but when it came to her hair, it was another story.
"Maddie, it's not that bad, sweetheart," Nessie crooned, reaching her hand out to stroke Madeline's arm, as she began to scream.
"You're fine, lovie." She continued, as I poured clean water over her head, careful to avoid her eyes.
Madeline soon calmed down, and I continued to let her play in the tub until her fingers began to prune. To my surprise, she made it just as difficult to get out of the tub as she had made it to get in. Nessie held out a towel over her lap, and I set Maddie on top of what was left of her lap. Nessie rubbed the towel over Maddie's skin, and she began to giggle wildly as Nessie wrapped her in what she called a "Maddie Burrito".
Nessie managed to carry her to our room, where Mikah had indeed cried himself out. She signaled for Maddie to be quiet, and we crossed our room into the nursery, where Maddie decided to dress herself.
"I can do it!" She screamed, when I kneeled down to help her.
"Madeline," Nessie started. "You need to be quiet when Mikah's sleeping, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." Madeline whispered. "Have to be quiet when Mikie's sleeping. Sshh…" she pressed her fingers to her lips, and Nessie and I copied.
"I can dress myself, Uncle Jay," Madeline repeated, this time whispering.
"Oh, okay," I nodded. I remained kneeled on the carpet, making sure that Madeline was able to put on her jammies the right way. When she proved to us that she indeed could dress herself, Nessie and I clapped lightly, and she beamed.
"Are you ready for a story?" Nessie smiled.
I lifted Madeline on my hip as I stood, and Nessie reached out to take her in her arms.
"Dinosaurs!" Madeline smiled.
I reached into her bag to pull out her nightly bedtime story, Oh My! Oh My! Oh Dinosaurs! I handed it to Nessie, as she settled herself on the rocking chair.
"Dinosaurs happy," Nessie began, her voice soft. "And dinosaurs sad. Dinosaurs good, and dinosaurs bad…" she changed her voice as she read, happy, sad, and angry tones fluctuated as she continued with the book, smiling as her voice changed to fit the tone of the book. Madeline giggled, picking up on the change of tone.
As she read, Madeline's eyes began to droop, and her body curled around Nessie's bump, her thumb finding its way into her mouth. She found her little niche on Nessie, and fell asleep as Nessie finished the book. Nessie smiled, closing the little cardboard book and setting it on the dresser next to her.
"She fell asleep quickly," I commented, wondering why it took Mikah so long and Madeline so fast.
"She's had a long day," Nessie smiled. "She must have tired herself out."
"Yeah, running around the house bare-assed," I laughed.
I lifted Madeline off of Nessie's lap, careful not to disturb her sleep. "I'm assuming putting her with Mikah isn't a very good idea?" I laughed softly.
"I mean, you can try," Nessie pushed herself out of the rocking chair. "But Mikah may not think it's a good idea. I don't mind if she sleeps with us tonight."
"Not at all," I opened the door to our room, and let Nessie go ahead. I followed behind her, and shut the door quietly, so Mikah didn't wake up.
Nessie took Madeline from me, and settled her on the bed next to her. I grabbed a clean pair of boxers from the drawers, and changed in the bathroom, so that if Madeline were to wake, I wouldn't traumatize her. When I walked back into the room, both Nessie and Madeline were settled underneath the sheets; Nessie was untying her bikini top, and slipped it off from underneath the shirt.
I climbed into bed, situating Madeline so she was in between Nessie and I. I gave Nessie a quick kiss, and she turned on her side, facing the middle of the bed. I did the same, and stretched my arm out, covering the both of them.
"After tonight, do you think we're ready for this one?" I rubbed my hand over her abdomen.
Nessie laughed. "I'm not sure what you mean by 'ready'."
I sighed. I wasn't sure if I was ready to voice my fears yet; but it was either now or never.
"I just…" I searched for the right words. "How do you know you're ready for a baby?"
"Why do you ask?" Nessie lifted her head, resting it against her arm, which was propped against a pillow.
"Just…a thought," I said.
"Well, you can't ever really be ready for a baby," Nessie started. "I mean, you can read books, research it on the Internet, go to classes…but when it comes down to it, you can't really be ready. You just have to kind of have to go with it."
"You seem pretty ready," I smiled. "I mean, just look at how you take care of Madeline and Mikah. You're pretty much already a natural at this."
"Just because I know how to babysit doesn't mean I know how to be a mother," Nessie replied. "The two are completely separate things."
"Maybe you're right," I sighed, and turned on my back.
"Jacob, do you think that you're not going to be a good father just because babysitting doesn't come easy to you?"
"I'm not saying that…"
"Jacob I've seen you with your nieces and nephews. You're great with them. And yeah, babysitting's hard. The only reason why I know what I know is because of the years I've spent babysitting. And a lot of this stuff you just learn by doing. You just learn as you go."
I felt Nessie's hand on my shoulder. "You're going to be fine, Jacob. I'm worried about being a parent, too, but it's going to turn out alright in the end. Don't worry about what's coming up. Just worry about right now—although there's not much to worry about right now. So just get excited. We're going to have a baby, Jacob. Our baby."
I sighed, and turned on my side, facing Nessie. "I guess you're right," I smiled.
"I'm always right," she tapped my nose with her finger.
"I love you, Jacob." She moved her arm, and settled back down into the bed.
"I love you, Renesmee."
I smiled, watching her as she fell asleep, her arm wrapped around Madeline, Madeline curled around Nessie's bump. I rested my hand overtop a portion that was not taken up by Maddie's body.
"I love you too."