Continuing the EPOV outtake with Chapter 10. Can anyone explain to me why Edward is so darn wordy? He had so much more to say than Bella did in her version of this chapter… Maybe it's pent up from us ignoring him until Chapter 7?

Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Any publicly recognizable content is the property of the original creator. No copyright infringement is intended.

Previously:

Bella held up a hand and I stopped immediately. "Just hear me out, please," she begged.

I nodded reluctantly. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her further. My worried thoughts about the guarded expression in her eyes distracted me so much that I almost missed what she said next.

"Edward, it's – I'm just going to throw this out there – if I really am pregnant, then the baby is yours."

Chapter 10 Outtake
EPOV

I'm sorry, what was that?

The baby is yours… The baby is yours… The baby is yours… The baby is yours…

Thanks for the instant replay, brain. That was clearly rhetorical.

Oh shit, I was talking to myself now. Was I having a nervous breakdown? My mind was on information overload and I was having trouble focusing. I tried to compartmentalize all the thoughts running through my head so that I could process everything. There were three things I knew for sure at that moment.

One: Bella was not a figment of my imagination, no matter how hard I had tried to convince myself of that fact for the last two months. She was real, and she was right here in front of me.

Ok. So far, so good. Very, very good. No matter what other craziness was about to occur, I was definitely ecstatic to see her again.

Two: Bella was pregnant, and she claimed that it was mine. A vision flashed before my eyes in an instant – Bella and I curled up together on the couch, snuggling close while surrounded by our families, my hand resting on her swollen belly…

Of course, there was no proof it was mine, other than that the dates seemed to line up. There could eventually be a paternity test, but I wished I could just take her word for it. Did I believe her? I had thought I knew her well enough, but look what happened the last time. Did I trust her? Well … that brought me to number three:

This wasn't supposed to happen.

I momentarily saw red, and had to pace around the room to burn off the excess anger before I did something I would regret. I couldn't hold back from voicing my biggest concern to Bella, hoping more than anything that she would have a perfectly good reason and put my mind at ease.

"No, no, you're wrong. How could it be mine? You…" I clearly remembered what she'd told me that night, and fixed her with a glare that dared her to deny it. "You told me you were on the pill!"

It wasn't that I was upset about the outcome; it was so much more than that. How could she lie to me about something so important? I had trusted her, not just with my body, but with my heart. But which was the real lie – the birth control, or the … our … baby?

Her eyes were soft, and oh-so sad. "No, I said you had nothing to worry about. I've never been on birth control. I thought… I thought there was no need."

What did that even mean? I waited impatiently for her to explain herself. I was trying to hold on to my anger, but her heartbroken expression was quickly crumbling my resolve.

"I was married for three years, just out of high school." That was news to me. No wonder she had been so vague about her life before moving to Seattle. "Jacob and I had our whole life planned out: where we would live, what we would do, how big our family would be. We started trying for a baby immediately after the wedding, but it … it never happened."

The mere thought of her trying for a baby with another man – and what that would entail – had me gritting my teeth.

She looked down quickly, but I could still see the fresh tears on her lashes. "The doctors said I couldn't get pregnant," she whispered.

Oh, god. My poor Bella.

"I had never done anything like that before … being with you, I mean. I didn't plan on that, I just – you're so amazing, and smart, and sexy, and everything I thought I might have wanted in a man, and you were looking at me! I knew that I didn't have anything to offer you, but when you asked me to come in, I just … I just wanted to throw away the fear for one night. One amazing night. I'm … I'm so sorry, Edward. I won't ask anything of you, I swear. I can do this on my own. You don't have to worry about-"

The frantic tone in her voice had continued to increase at an alarming rate, until I could barely understand her rushed words. When it finally dawned on me that she was excusing me from any responsibility towards her or the baby, thinking I didn't want to be involved, I rushed to stop her. I gently lifted her chin to face me again, waiting until she made eye contact.

"Breathe, Bella," I urged her softly. "I'm sorry, but I just have to ask – is this why you left? You didn't want to … you didn't think you could talk to me about this? I would have listened, I would have understood."

I would have stayed.

"I know that now," she whispered. "But as much as I wanted you, I didn't want to tie you to me, I guess? I couldn't bear the idea of getting close and then not being able to give you a family, if you wanted one. Do you … do you want one?" she asked timidly.

"To be completely honest, there has only ever been one woman who I thought I'd want to build a family with." I had had a few relationships in the past, but none of them had come anywhere close to having the same connection as I'd felt with Bella. "And I thought she was lost to me."

"So…" She looked up at me with hope-filled eyes.

"I do, I want to try doing this with you, if you'll let me? You do want the baby, right?" She'd said they tried to have kids for years, so she must want to be a mother, right? Did she still want that? I didn't know what I'd do if I couldn't have both her and our baby, but I'd figure something out. I had to.

"I mean, if you don't, then I understand, but I hope I can convince you to keep it until it's born, and then I can–"

I paused when Bella pressed her fingers over my lips. It was so tempting to kiss them, but I waited anxiously for her words first.

"I want this too, Edward. More than you can ever imagine. And I would love to try to make it work with you, if-"

That was all I needed to hear. I lunged forward and pulled her lips to mine. She tasted just as good as I remembered and I wanted more, more, more. When I finally came back to my senses, I realized that I was practically molesting her on top of the table. She didn't seem to have a problem with it, either. I slowed us down with a few last gentle pecks, and kept her ensconced in my arms as I wasn't ready to let her go yet.

Bella giggled, wriggling around as I playfully rubbed my stubble across her cheek. I met her eyes again, and reveled in how much more alive she looked, with her sparkling eyes and full smile and mussed hair. I imagined I was in a very similar state.

"Sooo…" Why didn't I know what say now?

"Sooo…?" Bella echoed me.

As thoughts of our future looped through my mind, I suddenly had a very frightening thought. I knew I had Bella's support, but what about the rest of her family? What would they think about this? Her parents… Oh no. "I guess I need to call your dad, then, huh? Tell him I knocked you up? Oh shit, you said he was a police officer. I hope he doesn't shoot me…"

I was seriously worried about it, so I was immensely confused when Bella let out an amused snort in response. "Don't worry about it. He'll probably give you a pat on the back and say, 'Good job, son'."

Uhh … sorry, sweetheart, but I'm not betting on that outcome. Luckily her next sentence made me feel a little more relieved. "My dad has been there for me throughout this whole thing, with Jacob and then … after. As long as you're planning on sticking around, he'll love you."

Love… Bella's dad wasn't the one I really wanted to love me, but it would have to do … for now. We weren't anywhere near ready for that yet, but I hoped I would be able to at least show her how much she meant to me.

I smiled and gently stroked her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere."

As I was trying to figure out what we should do from here, the ultrasound machine in the corner caught my eye. This would be what I normally did for patients around Bella's stage of pregnancy, and I could only imagine how different and how amazing it would be to share this with her. I gave her a teasing peck on the nose and reluctantly stood up.

"Lay back, I want to show you something." She must have seen the excitement on my face, because she immediately reclined. I practically skipped over to the machine and rolled the cart back to the side of the exam table. I turned it on and started prepping the probe. "Lift your shirt up just a bit. This will be a little cold."

I rubbed the probe gently along her tummy, trying not to stare at the smooth and silky exposed flesh that I had once had the pleasure of exploring intimately. I focused instead on the machine and carefully searched until we could suddenly hear the quickly-pulsing heartbeat. Bella gasped, and I turned my own tear-filled eyes to meet hers. Until that moment, I had never truly understood the joy and amazement that newly expectant parents always seemed to feel their first time in this room. I thought I had an idea, but now … now I really knew.

And it was the most wonderful, awe-inspiring feeling I had ever experienced.

"That's the heartbeat!" Bella exclaimed, looking to me for confirmation.

I laughed at her excitement, nodding, all the while watching the screen closely. I continued adjusting the probe until I found the right spot and was able to point out the shape of our little one growing inside of her. I stared in awe for a few moments before turning back to look at Bella, somehow unsurprised to find her in tears again. Happy tears this time, I hoped. I gently wiped her cheeks, then pulled her close to me. I would never let her go again.

"I never thought I would…" She broke off, not needing to say any more.

"I know."

"And you think we can…"

Although she sounded a little more confident now, I could tell she was still hesitant. "Yes, Bella. I really do," I reassured her.

"Thank you, Edward." She pressed a tender kiss to my lips, as if to seal the bond between us, which I knew would only become stronger over time as we grew and learned together.

"I'll always be there for you," I vowed, both to Bella and to our unborn child, resting my palm lightly against her stomach. "Both of you."