A/N: Alrighty so this chapter is the baby shower =D Hope you enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: This is really getting tiring: I don't own Twilight.
BPOV
"Bella, love, it's time to wake up," Edward's voice rang through my ears, the best alarm clock I could ever ask for. I blinked my eyes open slowly and was greeted by the smooth, pale skin of Edward's muscular chest. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to the soft skin without a second thought, eliciting a moan from Edward.
"Ungh...you need to stop doing that, or we won't be ready when Alice gets here," he mumbled. I looked up to his face and his eyes had closed, and he wore a gentle smile on his lips.
"I think I might need some help in the shower this morning," I whispered huskily. Edward jumped off the bed and flew to the bathroom, throwing his clothes off behind him, not even checking to make sure I was coming.
An hour later, we were both clean and hungry. I got dressed quickly in a sundress I had bought on my last shopping trip and headed downstairs where Edward was making me breakfast. I took a seat at the bar and he slid a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me.
"Are you ready for Alice?" he asked, his eyes glittering in amusement. I rolled my eyes and stuffed a piece of bacon in my mouth.
Edward was spending the day with all of the guys today; they were going to a Mariner's game while I suffered through my baby shower. I was eager to be able to start putting the babies' rooms together, but I wasn't ready for a party. It's September now, and I'm seven months pregnant. I felt tired all of the time, and walking any distance caused me to start breathing heavy. The last thing I wanted was to sit in a room filled with people, all watching me try to maneuver around my enormous midsection.
"What are you thinking about, love?" Edward asked softly. I turned to face him, but his image was blurred by the tears pooling in my eyes. A soft sob escaped my lips and Edward was at my side in an instant, his arms wrapped around me comfortingly.
"Bella, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked anxiously. I sucked in a ragged breath and wiped the tears from my face before lifting my head to look into his eyes. His brow was creased with worry, and his right hand was stroking my cheek lovingly.
"I just feel like a whale, and I'm exhausted even though I just woke up, and I want to cry, and scream, and laugh all at the same time," I wailed, new tears falling. Edward chuckled softly and pulled me back into his chest, running his fingers through my hair.
"First, you are not a whale, you are just pregnant with twins. Second, Carlisle told us you would tire easily these last few months because of all the strain being put on your body; just try to rest and don't hesitate to ask me when you need help with anything." He pulled back and kissed my forehead lightly before continuing."And third, mood swings are normal during the third trimester. Don't feel like you have to hold anything back; if you want to cry, scream, or laugh, just let it out. You don't need the added stress of trying to look happy all of the time," he finished, chuckling lightly.
"I love you so much. You're perfect, you know that?" I sighed. He hooked a finger under my chin, and tilted my face so he could kiss me.
"Just remember that when your hormones tell you to rip my head off," he laughed. I rolled my eyes but smiled at him and finished my breakfast. I was watching Edward clean up the kitchen, since he had refused to let me help, when there was a knock at the door. It flew open before either of us could reach it, and my nightmare began.
"Oh god, you're up! I brought everything, so we're going to start setting up, and you are going to get comfortable on the couch, as that is where you will be the rest of the afternoon. And don't even think about arguing because I would rather strap you down than face the wrath of Edward if he found out I let you climb on chairs and go up and down the stairs to hang streamers and blow up balloons." Alice waltzed into the room with Rosalie and Esme trailing behind her, all loaded down with bags.
"Good morning to you too, Alice," I sighed. Edward rushed over to help carry all of the bags and I waddled over to the table to see what they had brought with them. There were dozens of bags of green, blue, yellow, and pink decorations: streamers, balloons, plates, forks, napkins, cups, tablecloths, gift bags, ribbons, confetti, and God knows what else.
I turned to Alice to ask her why we needed hundreds of dollars worth of decorations for a small party, but she was nowhere to be found. I looked around the room and noticed that they had all disappeared. I slowly made my way over to the front door and opened it, only to be greeted by four walking gift towers. On closer inspection, I realized that it was Alice, Rose, Esme, and Edward, each carrying a mountain of presents.
"Oh my God, Alice! What did you do!" I exclaimed. I stepped out of the way and held the door open, closing it after they had all made it safely inside. The set their gifts down in the living room and Alice pulled Edward over to help her set up a small table that was sitting in a box, disassembled, by the front door.
"Alice, please tell me you did not buy a table just to put the gifts on. You could have just set them on the floor," I sighed, placing a head on my forehead.
"You can't put them on the floor, Bella! Don't be silly. I needed a table for my breakfast nook at home anyways, so I'll just use this one when we're done with it, okay?" she sighed.
"Fine," I grumbled. "But did you really have to bring so many decorations? You're just going to have to take them down in a few hours, you know."
"Bella, you promised I could throw you a baby shower, and that is what I'm doing. I want my little niece and nephew to have the best of everything, whether they have been born yet or not. So quit complaining and go sit on the couch," she demanded. I sighed heavily but did as she said, knowing I would never win.
"Well, I'm going to head over to pick up the guys; you girls have fun. Bella, behave and let them take care of you, please. I love you," Edward kissed me softly and leaned down to press his lips to my belly.
"Yes, sir," I teased. "I love you too," I kissed him one more time and he headed for the door, grabbing his keys on the way. With a little wave he walked out the door, and I was left with the whirlwind that is Alice.
I spent the next two hours watching Alice order around her mother and Rosalie, decorating every square inch of the living and dining rooms. She looped streamers around the entire room, hanging balloons from strategic places, and spread tablecloths and confetti on all of the tables. Esme laid out a spread of finger foods on the breakfast bar and was making punch in a large crystal bowl. Rosalie was grumbling about evil pixies while she stacked all of the gifts on the table Edward set up before he left.
"Okay, I think that's everything," Alice proclaimed. The three of us let out a collective sigh of relief and she glared at each of us individually. "Our guests should be arriving soon, so Bella, you might want to go ahead and use the restroom before the party starts." I nodded my head in agreement and Rosalie helped me rise to my feet.
When I came back from the bathroom a few guests had arrived. I looked around and saw Charlie's new girlfriend, Sue, and her daughter, Leah, sitting on the loveseat. Angela had made the drive up and was sitting in a chair flanked by Sara and Megan, two girls from my classes. Shirley arrived just as I was greeting everyone, and I welcomed her in, leading her to an empty chair. We all sat and talked for awhile until the doorbell rang and the last guest arrived.
I turned in shock when I heard a familiar voice, and tears immediately formed in my eyes when I saw my mother standing in front of me. I stood from the couch and walked to her as quickly as possible and wrapped my arms around her, sobbing lightly into her shoulder.
"Oh baby, don't cry," she said soothingly, rubbing my back.
"I'm sorry, it's just my hormones," I chuckled lightly and pulled away to smile at her reassuringly. Everyone joined in my laughter and I led her over to the couch with me. We took our seats and Alice stood to address everyone.
"Well, I would just like to thank everyone for coming. As you all know, Bella and Edward are expecting twins in about two months, so they re using our gifts as a jumping off point to start working on the nurseries." There was a chorus of 'awws' through the room, and I flushed in embarrassment as Alice continued. "She has assured me that they have names picked out, but she refuses to share them until they are born, so don't bother asking." She glared at me playfully and everyone chuckled. "At Bella's request, we are going to skip playing any games and get right to the good stuff," she giggled.
She walked over to the breakfast bar and gestured to the food, inviting everyone to help themselves while she made me a plate. Once everyone was seated with their food and drinks, Alice moved on to the next activity.
"Okay, we're going to go ahead and get started with the gifts, since I think it might take awhile," she gestured toward the mountain of wrapping paper and we all chuckled. She moved over to the table and started lining up gifts to hand me. My face flushed pink as every pair of eyes focused on me, and Alice started passing me gifts.
I spent the next three hours opening gifts, with most of the time filled with talking and laughing. I actually enjoyed myself, which was surprising. I had another teary moment when I opened a gift from my mom and Esme; it was a scrapbook with a silhouette of a maple tree on a gold cover. It was the Cullen family tree, traced back for over ten generations. My name was written beside Edwards towards the top, leaving a few blank lines above our names for our children and future generations. I opened the front cover and began flipping through the first few pages that were already filled. I took my time, studying the pictures of Edward and I, starting in diapers and ending with a picture of the two of us that Esme had taken the morning we left for Seattle. I hugged them both tightly, thanking them repeatedly, and everyone in the room was dabbing at their eyes with Kleenex.
When the sun had finally gone down, I thanked everyone for coming and for bringing so many wonderful gifts, and promised to keep everyone updated with my pregnancy. I collapsed back onto the couch once my guests had left, and watched Alice, Rose, Esme, and my mother clean up from the party. My mother and Esme left once the cleaning was done, and Alice and Rose headed back to their duplex to wait for the guys. I fell asleep on the couch, wanting to see Edward when he came home.
I woke up only a few minutes later to Edward lifting me in his arms. I'm not sure how he is still able to carry me, but I didn't complain. I leaned my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, happy to have him home. I vaguely remember making it to the room and having Edward strip of my dress and climb into bed beside me. I fell into a deep sleep, exhausted but happy, with Edward humming softly in ear.
A/N: Before you say anything, I realize that I did not tell you any of the other gifts. I promise, I will get to that in the next chapter. It would have just been too much to put in this one. R&R plz!