Few things to say before we get on with this chapter ... first and foremost, thank you Angelnlove52 and Moonstruck Kitten for all your help! Thank you to my readers for sticking with me even when I'm MIA. Now on that note, my updates are going to be random as I've been having A LOT of troubles with my laptop as of late and I really have no idea when I'll be able to get it fixed or just get a new one, but have no worries, each and everyone of my stories will be completed. Now, with that said, if you'd like to wait until the stories are complete to read that is totally understandable, THEY WILL BE COMPLETED!
Now about this chapter, anyone who read the original posting of this story know what is about to happen, I have not in anyway changed the plot of this story. Yes, I may have added things here and there but the plot itself has not changed. I do not apologize for what is about to happen. I'm sorry if it upsets someone, but in order for my future chapters to take place this needed to happen. Rest assured I do still promise a HEA!
No copyright infringement intended.
CHAPTER 24
The ride back to Bella's was quiet to say the least. I knew she was having a hard time accepting the reality of what was. I wanted nothing more than to console her, but I wasn't doing any better than she was.
It was total fucking bullshit! How I could have been so fucking stupid was still so very much beyond me.
I heard Bella say something when she returned to the living room after putting Masen down for the night, but I couldn't be sure what she said. I was otherwise preoccupied.
"What?" I asked, bringing my eyes up to meet hers.
"Headache?" she asked, gesturing to her head.
I shook my head. "No. Just dreading the phone call I have to make. I really wished I'd never have to do this."
"Me too," she whispered, sitting down next to me. "But, unfortunately, you do …."
"I know I have to. I just don't want to see her … not without …."
I don't know why I said that. I knew there is no way she was going anywhere near Tanya—I could never ask that of her … at least not then. It wasn't healthy for her or the babies and they were my first priority.
Yes, her blaming Tanya for my accident was a bit irrational, but considering what I'd put her through over the years and her being four and a half months pregnant, I'd gladly take the irrationality for the time being.
Shaking her head, she quickly said, "Uh uh … I can't do it, Edward. I … I can't."
"I know, baby. I didn't … I … I don't know what I meant, but I know you can't see her. And that's fine."
She didn't say anything, just nodded while I picked up my cell from the table and started scrolling through my contacts. "Do you, um … do you want me to leave?" she suddenly asked, sounding so incredibly nervous.
Why in the world would she ask that?
"What? No. Why would I?"
"I don't know, I just—"
"I have no secrets from you, Bella—"
"Good, but if—" I already knew where she was going with that statement, and no, I didn't want her to give me privacy—Bella and I were in this together.
"I don't," I quickly interrupted. "If you want to listen, you sit your cute, little pregnant butt right there and listen."
"My butt is anything but little," she retorted.
That was a whole other conversation in itself—one we'd definitely be having later.
"I beg to differ," I argued. "And when we see your doctor I'm sure she will too." My girl didn't say anything—she knew I was right. "That's what I thought … speaking of your doctor, when is your next appointment?"
She stuck her tongue out then replied, "May 3rd… 8:15 in the morning." I just nodded, programming it into the calendar on my phone. "Are you going to go?"
What is with these questions tonight?
"Of course," I replied, staring at my phone. "Why wouldn't I go?"
"I don't … I just …."
I quickly turned to her, pulling her into my arms, and spoke, "Bella, nothing between us, and I mean absolutely nothing, has changed …." I looked down for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Sure, I could handle this, someone else having my child, Bella was another story all together. It was easy for me to say we would make this work, but she was the one making all the sacrifices. Taking a deep breath, I jumped off the proverbial cliff. "I need you to tell me if you can't do this …. I won't live without you, Bella, not again."
"Edward, I can't … I can't ask you to give—"
"Baby, I want you to listen to me for a second, and really listen, okay?"
She nodded but didn't say anything.
"From the moment I saw Masen standing in that doorway, I knew he was mine. There was never any reason for me to make you say it—I was just being a dick …. I had the same pull to him the second I heard his voice as I've always had to you ... I also knew in that moment there was no way I could ever not be a part of his life. I have the same feeling, the same pull to the twins …. I don't have that with … Liam …."
I was having a hard enough time saying his name, let alone being his father.
"I have no pull, no feeling in me saying I'd be lost without him … you wouldn't be asking me to give up anything. Just by being with you, Masen, and the twins, you're giving me everything. Nothing else matters."
Tears were falling freely down her face as she pulled back to look me in the eye.
"Edward, I love you for that … and as much as I wanna beg you to walk away, I can't. When you were in the hospital, I thought about what I did to you … to Masen, and while I've always known it was wrong, I knew then just how big of a mistake I made …. If … if you hadn't came out of this, Edward … three months just isn't enough …. I was sooo wrong, Edward. Masen needed you in his life from the beginning, and I took that away from him … from you. I can't do that to Liam, as much as I hate his mother, this isn't his fault. He's innocent, he deserves to know his father just as much as Masen and these two do. I'm not going anywhere, Edward. I love you, and refuse to live without you again … I just … I need some time to adjust, that's all."
That was understandable.
"Take all the time you need," I replied, kissing her forehead. "You tell me what you can handle and we'll go from there …."
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and seemed rather reluctant.
"Okay, can you be around him? Not Tanya. Just him."
"I … I think so?"
Nodding, I said, "Okay, so we'll just take it one day at a time."
She nodded, her lip tucked securely between her teeth when suddenly a smile appeared across her face. I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Well, um … I guess one good thing did come out of this …."
I narrowed my eyes at her in question. "Yeah, and that would be?"
"Masen got his little brother."
It took me about two point two seconds to figure out what she was saying.
"Girls?"
She nodded, smiling widely. "Uh huh. I gave you your first son and soon your first daughter … well, daughters, though one will technically be born first."
Bella giggled, and it was the best sound I'd heard since I woke up … well, right there next to my son's excited shriek when he walked through the door of my hospital room.
These two … four, are my life. As long as they're by my side, I'll be the noble man and step up.
I leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. "Exactly as it should be," I whispered, pulling away.
She smiled and brought her lips back to mine, gently pulling my bottom lip between hers as she pulled away, sighing, "God, I missed you."
"I know, baby. But, I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere, okay?"
She nodded, bringing her lips back to mine. Our kiss quickly became heated, and before I knew it, she was straddling me while my hands worked at removing her shirt. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss, pulling her top over her head. I was delighted to find she wasn't wearing a bra, but the size of the girls really grabbed my attention.
I ducked my head, pulling one of her fully erect nipples into my mouth, and Bella let out a whimpery moan, her head falling back as she arched her back to give me better access—her pregnant belly pressing into my chest. Talk about strange, the last time I was with Bella, I couldn't even tell she was pregnant, let alone feel the evidence, now it was kicking me in the chest.
I chuckled, pulling away from her breast. "Wow … that's … different …."
Bella laughed, rubbing her belly as she settled back on my lap. "Yeah, they seem to like you touching me. They've been doing this whenever your hands are touching any part of my body, since before we left the hospital."
I brought my hands to her belly, while she placed hers over top of mine, and they went wild under my hands. Bella giggled. I, of course, was already smiling. She had said when we were still at the hospital, they knew it was me, and it seemed she might be right.
"Shouldn't you two be sleepin' like your brother?" I cooed to my baby girls.
"Sorry daddy," Bella replied with a laugh, patting the sides of her abdomen. "But this is our playtime."
I looked up to Bella and she was all smiles. "Are they always active at night?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, though not quite like this …."
I lowered my mouth to Bella's stomach, whispering, "Well, Daddy is just as excited to feel you kicking in there, as you are to feel me, my little angels … just don't hurt Momma too bad." I placed a kiss on her bump and sat back up. I shouldn't have been surprised to see tears in her eyes.
"Why the tears, baby?"
She started wiping her tears away, reaching for her shirt, which I handed to her but refused to let her off my lap.
"Bella?"
"I … I just feel bad. You never got the chance to bond with Masen, and … I just feel bad."
I was thankful as fuck she didn't end that with Liam. Because there was absolutely no way in hell, I was EVER going to bond with him in that way. I shuddered violently just at the thought.
"Baby, Masen and I are just fine. Our bond is fine. I am sure of that." She nodded but she didn't look convinced. "Bella, I mean it. You saw the way he reacted when he walked into that room. We're fine."
Tears fell from her eyes as she nodded again, saying, "I know you're right, Edward. He talked about you nonstop while you were … while you were in the hospital."
"See?" I replied, wiping her tears away. "Didn't we agree no more talking about the past?" I needed to get her head away from it before she put too much stress on her and our daughters.
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded, not saying anything.
"We have the rest of our lives to be together, Bella. Chances are Masen won't even remember I wasn't around—"
"But pictures, Edward," she interrupted. "He'll—"
"Baby, he's three … almost four, we've got a long time before we have to worry about any of this, if we ever have to worry about it—"
"You're right," she interrupted again. "I'm sorry. I'm just being a weirdo." She placed a kiss on my lips then climbed off my lap. "You better call the skank …."
I sighed, collapsing back against the couch. "God, do I have to?"
"Unfortunately, you do," she replied, settling in next to me on the couch.
I groaned, picking my phone back up. After scrolling through the contacts, I found the one I was looking for and hit the talk button.
Tanya answered on the first ring, "Oh, Edward, thank God your okay. I've been sooo worried … nobody would tell me anything—"
"Yeah, I didn't call to talk about me, Tanya," I quickly interrupted. "But, as far as no one telling you anything, they really had no reason—"
"I'm the mother of your son," she interrupted.
I rolled my eyes. "So? Had I died you would have been informed. Now, as far as Liam, I've talked to Mr. Jenks, he's informed me he's already filed the papers with the court?"
"Yes," she hissed. "He did. Before I even had a chance to discuss—"
"What was there to discuss? I believe I was more than fair …."
"You were. That's not what I was talking about …."
"Okay, then what exactly did you wish to discuss?"
"Well …" she hesitated.
"Tanya …."
"Fine," she growled. "When we drew up the visitation order you were single—"
"You can just stop right now," I interrupted through clenched teeth. "My relationship with Bella isn't open for negotiation Tanya. She is a PERMANET part of my life. If you have a problem with that then there is no reason to continue this conversation. You'll get your support—"
I felt Bella tense up beside me and immediately pulled her hand into mine, squeezing it softly, hopefully relaying SHE has absolutely nothing to worry about.
"Oh," Tanya interrupted. "You'll just give up knowing your son—"
"Let's get one thing straight right now, Tanya!" I hissed. "While he may have my blood, I don't even know him, or he I …. I'm trying to do the right thing here, but I WILL NOT have you dictating my life! So the choice is yours really …."
"I don't want Liam around—"
"Fine," I interrupted again. "I'll have Jenks draw up the—"
"I didn't say I didn't want you to—"
"Bella and I are a package deal, Tanya. If he's with me then he's going to be around Bella …. Take it or leave it!"
She didn't say anything at first, but then huffed out, "Whatever, Edward. So when are you going to come see him?"
"I'll be picking him up Friday—"
"You can't possibly think—"
"I am not coming to your house to see him, Tanya," I snapped, about finished with the damn conversation. "The agreement clearly stated—"
"I know what the agreement stated, Edward," she interrupted. "But he doesn't even know you."
"He'll be fine. I'll be there at six on Friday, have him ready and don't bother packing anything, we'll get him anything he'll need."
She didn't like my answers but agreed anyway.
I hung up the phone wondering what the fuck I just got myself into.
**Author's Note**
I'm really not sure what to say… other than to ask you to PLEASE REVIEW!
