Standard Disclaimer – I don't own Twilight or any of the characters from the story. All song selections have been provided by my amazing beta, NoWayWithWords. She is the greatest! She has set up a YouTube playlist that includes the songs chosen for the chapters. If you would like to check it out, see my profile for the link.

The song for the chapter is "Ordinary Miracle" by Sarah McLachlan..

Chapter 34 – Home and Family

The construction on my house was officially declared finished on October 10th. They even had the rooms painted exactly like Esme wanted. The only thing left to do was move in and decorate, so Esme said she was going to make arrangements to ship all of the furniture to me. I was so excited; I was ready to move into my own place. I was also ready for Lucy to have her own room, so I wouldn't have to trip over her toys in the middle of the night when I got up to go to the bathroom.

Esme told me that the furniture would arrive on the 15th and that she would have the movers set it all up for me. She expected to have everything done by the 17th. Since we were finished with the CD, I didn't have any obligation to hang out at the studio, so I decided to wait for the movers at the house. My dad took Lucy for the weekend so she wouldn't be in danger of being accidentally trampled by the movers, thank God.

The weather had cooled down a little, but I had not broken down and bought any maternity pants yet. My stomach was too large for any of my clothes, with the exception of a few sun dresses that had empire waists but didn't look like maternity clothes, so I wore one of those with a button up sweater that I left open. This made me look like I was shooting for comfortable, not pregnant. I hoped the movers would fall for it and not notice the bulge that was starting to look like a cantaloupe protruding from my stomach.

When the first truck pulled up, I went out on the porch and watched them back in. The little guy got out and confirmed that this was the right house before he opened the back of his truck. Everything he had was clearly marked and wrapped in protective blankets. His helper got out and they started unloading things from the back of the truck. Just as they were about to start bringing things in, a black Mercedes pulled up.

I was holding the front door open for the movers when Esme climbed out of the car and waved, "Bella! I'm so glad you're here!"

She ran over and gave me a big hug. I felt her bump into my belly, but she didn't seem to notice. She just raved about how good the house looked.

I gave her the grand tour and pointed out all of the places that had been repaired, as if she had not been following along with pictures and updates that she received from the contractors. She looked over every detail closely and made a few notes that she wanted to discuss with the contractor. Overall she was very pleased with the house.

She directed the movers on what she wanted placed in each room and how she wanted it all set up. She was on the ball. I was glad that she was there, so I didn't have to worry about it so much. Once they had the rug laid out on the floor in the den, she had them bring in a big chair and instructed me to sit down and relax. I was more than happy to oblige.

They had everything unloaded from the first truck in a couple of hours. As that truck pulled away, another truck was waiting to back in. It was carrying furniture that was supposed to go upstairs, so Esme was running up and down the stairs making sure everything was just right and they didn't bump the walls. I was impressed with her energy. Once they had the beds upstairs and were putting them together, Esme came down to sit with me.

"So, Bella, where is Lucy today?"

"She's with my dad. He didn't want her getting in the way of the movers, so he took her home with him. He's going to bring her back on Sunday and come see the house."

The movers came back down for more things, so Esme had to get up and make sure they put everything where she wanted it. The movers carried in the last of their load and put it in the various rooms before they left. As they pulled out, the last truck pulled in. This truck carried mostly boxes of things that needed to be unpacked. It wasn't large furniture, like the other two trucks. Esme had them haul all of the boxes in and place them in the rooms that they belonged in before she let them leave.

It was getting late, so Esme said, "Ok, everything is here now. I'm going to head to the rent house that Carlisle and I are staying at on the other side of the island. I'll be back over here tomorrow to unpack all of this stuff and set it up. Will you be here?"

"I can be here in the morning, but I have something I have to do in the afternoon."

She smiled. "Great. I'll see you tomorrow then." She kissed my cheek and left.

The next morning, I got up bright and early and put on another sundress. The weather was a little warmer today, but breezy, so I grabbed a windbreaker and headed out the door. I was just unlocking the door when Esme pulled up. She smiled at me warmly and said, "Bella, you look lovely. Simply radiant."

"Thank you. You look good yourself."

She was wearing a cute little sweater with some nice pants. She looked like she was ready to go shopping or to a country club for lunch.

We started downstairs in the kitchen. I pulled things out of the box and unwrapped them as Esme hung them on the wall or placed them where she thought they might look best. She told me that someone was coming the next morning to hang all of the curtains and blinds for me. I was glad to hear that because the idea of trying to stand on a ladder with my stomach the size it was made me uncomfortable.

We finished the entire downstairs and were heading up to start on Lucy's room, when Esme stopped me. "Bella, dear, do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

"No, Esme, go ahead."

Esme turned and took my hand as she looked me in the eye and asked, "Is that my grandbaby you're carrying?"

I instinctively put my hand on my stomach. She didn't seem upset. She almost seemed hopeful. I thought about what Charlie had said about how upset he would be if he didn't know that he had a grandchild running around in the world. Esme was so nice to me, I didn't want to do that do her, so I said, "Yes, it is."

She hesitantly reached out and said, "Can I touch it?"

I smiled. "Of course."

She put her hands on my stomach gently and the baby kicked. She jumped and started to laugh, "I felt it."

"Yes, it just started doing that a couple of days ago."

She wiped at a tear and had to sit down. "Why hasn't Edward told us?"

I sat on the bed beside her and replied, "He doesn't know yet."

Before she could ask why, I explained, "He ended our relationship when he found out I was trying to adopt Lucy. He made it very clear that he doesn't want children at all. He even tried to convince me to find another family for Lucy. He wanted me to give up this house and move into an apartment in LA so I could be closer to him. I just couldn't do any of that. I love it here. I love Lucy. I have friends and family here. I'm not going to walk away from all of that."

"So he doesn't know about the baby?"

"No. I found out that I was pregnant the morning after we ended our relationship. Later that day, I found out Colleen had killed herself. Everything just happened so fast after that. I had to deal with the funeral, the house was under construction, I was in the middle of recording the CD, and everything seemed to be going crazy."

"So now that things are settling down, are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know. I don't want him to think that I was trying to trap him. It was a complete accident that I got this way in the first place. I was on the pill, but the antibiotics I was taking for my ear infection apparently canceled them out. I knew he didn't want kids. He made that point very clear. If I had known that there was a chance that my pills would stop working, I would have used some other contraceptive. I would have never knowingly done something like this when I knew he didn't want it."

"So this happened while you were on tour together. When is your due date?"

"March 1st. I'm actually going for an ultrasound this afternoon. Would you like to come with me?" I hoped that the pending ultrasound would distract her from being angry that I had not told Edward about the baby.

Apparently it worked, because her eyes lit up. "Oh, Bella, can I really come? You don't mind?"

I laughed. "I don't mind at all. The appointment is at 2:30. We can ride down there together. My doctor said that they might be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl."

The rest of the morning was a flurry of activity as we unpacked and set up everything. We finished almost everything by the time we had to leave for the doctor's office. The only thing left to do was haul out all of the empty boxes.

Esme was practically bouncing in her seat as I drove us to the doctor's office. She had called Carlisle and told him that she was going to be late. She didn't tell him where we were going. She said she was going to ask the doctor to print out a picture for her to show him as a surprise.

When the doctor was finally ready to see me, Esme followed us into the ultrasound room. The doctor squirted the cold goo on my bulging belly and got the machine ready. He typed a few things and asked if I wanted to know the baby's sex or not. I told him I wanted to know so I could decorate the baby's room.

Esme gave me a huge smile and said, "So that's why you didn't want to decorate that last room."

I smiled and nodded as the doctor began taking measurements. He got a good profile picture of the baby's face and fist. He showed us the baby's foot; he moved around and then came at it from another angle before he said, "Look, Bella. Do you see right there?"

He pointed to an image on the screen that was very obviously a penis.

"I'm having a boy?" The words were almost squeaky.

The doctor and Esme both laughed at the same time. The doctor said, "Yes, my dear. You are definitely having a boy. Have you started thinking of names yet?"

I shook my head. "No, not yet. Now that I know it's a boy, I'll have to start working on it."

"Well, this is only your 20th week. You still have a little time yet."

The doctor printed out a few pictures for Esme and then ejected a DVD from the machine. "Here you go, Bella, your first home movie of the baby."

I thanked him as he cleaned the goo from my stomach and we left.

Esme cried as soon as we got in the car. "I'm going to have a grandson. He's so handsome. Look at that face." She held up the picture of his profile. "And look at that cute little foot." She showed me the picture of the baby's foot. When she held up the picture of the baby's penis, she said, "He's going to be just like his daddy."

I laughed and said, "For his sake, I hope so."

We drove back to the house so we could haul all of the cardboard boxes out into the garage before the people came the next morning to hang the curtains. The landscapers were also supposed to come in the morning to fix up the yard. When we finished hauling boxes out, we sat down on the couch in the den.

Esme took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she told me, "Edward has always been a hard headed boy. When he was little, he used to hate to buy new shoes. He wanted to keep wearing the shoes he had before, even though he had grown out of them or worn holes in them. When I finally convinced him to get new shoes, he would go out and search for a pair exactly the same as the pair he just grew out of. He wouldn't even consider anything else and he was so stubborn about it. He really tried my patience, but eventually he would break down and get a different pair of shoes. Once he brought them home, they were suddenly the best shoes he had ever owned and he wouldn't settle for anything less."

The image of a pouting, messy-haired little boy made me laugh. "That sounds like Edward."

She nodded. "You know, to this day, if he finds a pair of shoes that he likes, he goes down and buys six pairs of them, so he won't run out for awhile. It's strange. Anyway, the moral of my story was to point out that he resists change, but once he realizes that he has to change, he goes for it. It's like the ties that were holding him back suddenly break and he launches into action. He doesn't slowly adjust to it; he jumps in with both feet. When he said he didn't want kids and he wanted you to come to him, he was just resisting. He will keep resisting until he realizes that there is no other option, and then he will come running back to you. Don't hold his resistance against him. Tell him about his son. Give him a chance."

"But what if he still doesn't want it? I don't think I could deal with that kind of rejection. He's hurt me enough already."

"I suspect that he will be shocked at first. This is completely unexpected. He may even lash out at you for it, but once he calms down and starts to think about it, he will see the error of his ways. He cares a lot for you, Bella. He asks about you every time I talk to him. I think he really missed you when he was gone. Now that he's back, I think he is too ashamed to call you himself. Though he probably wouldn't admit it, I'm sure he has been stressing about how he was going to get news about you now that your house is done and you won't be talking to me as much anymore."

I put my hand on my stomach and felt the baby move. "We'll still talk, Esme. We still have a baby's room to decorate."

She laughed. "Yes, we do. Do you have any ideas on how you would like to decorate it?"

I smiled and said, "I was thinking about doing a monkey theme in brown and light blue. We could even throw in a little light green if we want."

I could see Esme picturing it in her head. "We could find the furniture in dark wood. I think I know the perfect place to get it." She pulled a little notebook out of her purse and start jotting down ideas. By the time she was finished, she had a sketch of how the room was going to be done and a list of ideas that she was going to research.

As we left the house, Esme asked if she could tell Carlisle about the baby. I told her that she could, but made her promise not to tell Edward yet. I still needed a little time to figure out how I wanted to break it to him. She reluctantly agreed and promised to come back the next day to supervise the blinds being put up and meet Lucy when she came home.

That evening, Jasper and Alice helped me pack up all of Lucy's and my things and move them into my new home. They loved the way the house had turned out. We had changed a few things since our first draft of the cabin look, so that it was more modern, but still rustic. It had all the warm feelings of a home that was lived in. I didn't want it to look and feel like a showroom floor. I loved it. The first things that I put on the mantel were a picture that Laurent had taken of me and Lucy playing and the framed ultrasound that Alice had given me the day I found out I was pregnant.

Once I had everything unpacked and put away, I told Alice about my conversation with Esme. She agreed that Edward should know, but told me that I should do it when I felt the time was right.

I slept in my own bed that night. Even though there were no blinds on the windows and I was in a strange house all by myself, I still felt comfortable. It felt like home. I would have slept all night and half the day if it weren't for the sun shining in the window and my bladder that seemed to get smaller and smaller as the baby got larger and larger.

Esme and Carlisle came over the next morning. Carlisle was all smiles when he saw my bulging belly. He asked a ton of questions about how I was feeling. Was I suffering from any heartburn or indigestion, did I have any skin irritations, what foods was I craving, did the doctor suspect any complications, was the baby's growth rate going according to schedule? I answered all of his questions to the best of my ability.

He was about to ask something else, when I took his hand and put it on my belly. The baby was shifting around and gave a little kick. Carlisle lost his train of thought and was instantly fixated on the baby moving in my stomach.

"Hi, little man, I'm your grandfather. I look forward to seeing you when you come out, but don't rush it. The longer you stay in there the better off you'll be. Your mommy is doing a great job of taking care of you and making sure you have all of the nutrients to grow to be a strong, healthy baby, so give her some slack and let her get some rest every now and then, ok?"

It was cute watching this grown man talk to my belly. When I looked up, Esme was standing there with a camera taping him. I smiled and said, "He felt the baby move."

All of the curtains and blinds were hung, and the landscapers were hard at work, so Esme and I went down to the grocery store and stocked up on things like food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. While we were gone, my dad and Lucy arrived. Carlisle introduced himself to my dad and they immediately got on the subject of their new grandbaby. I hadn't told my dad that it was a boy yet, so Carlisle gladly filled him in on that little detail and showed him the pictures.

When Esme and I pulled up, both men came out to help carry in the groceries. Lucy came bolting out the front door screaming, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" as she ran into my arms. I picked her up and gave her a kiss.

"Lucy, this is Mrs. Cullen. She is the nice lady that decorated the house for us."

She reached out and hugged Esme. "Thank you. It's pwetty."

"You're welcome, Lucy. I'm glad you like it."

"It has butterflies. Come see." She hopped down from my hip and dragged Esme upstairs.

By the time they came down, Lucy was calling Esme "Nana".

By the time we finished unpacking all of the stuff we bought at the grocery store, Carlisle's new name was "Papa Doc."

I turned to Esme and apologized, "I'm sorry that she just gave you a title like that." I was worried that she would be annoyed that some strange child was not referring to her as Mrs. Cullen.

Esme shook her head and grinned. "I'm honored that she is calling me Nana. It's what I used to call my grandmother. What does she call your mother?"

"She named my mom and Phil, 'G-ma' and 'G-pa.' She calls my dad 'Papa.'"

"Does she give names to all of the older people that she meets?"

"No, she usually just hides from them. She likes to smile for the camera and she is not usually shy, but she never just reaches out and hugs someone. She keeps a safe distance and clings to me until she feels comfortable."

"Then that makes me feel even more special. I know that it's not my place, but I would love to consider her a grandchild just like I do the one you are currently carrying. It would be wrong to be a grandmother to one and not the other. All children need love, regardless of whether they are related to you by blood or not."

I felt my heart swell for this wonderful woman. "Thank you, Esme. I appreciate that. Lucy can use all the family she can get."

Just then, Lucy came running into the kitchen with her baby doll.

"Nana, hold Rat," she requested.

Esme looked confused, so I had to explain how the baby doll came to be called Rat and where the term came from. Esme thought it was both funny and sad at the same time. She did make the comment that it was a good thing Lucy wasn't in charge of naming the new baby, because who knew what she would come up with. I thought that was funny.

Esme, Carlisle and my Dad took turns entertaining Lucy while talking amongst themselves. They seemed to be getting along nicely, so I snuck upstairs and called Rosalie. She had been scheduling telephone interviews for me to do since the release of my new CD. She told me she would email me the time schedule and phone numbers that I was supposed to call. While she had me on the phone, she asked how the move was going. I told her about telling Esme and Carlisle about the baby and that I'd found out that I was having a boy. She was excited for me.

As soon as I made it back downstairs, the front doorbell rang. It was a delivery guy with an enormous bouquet of brightly colored flowers. It was so heavy that the delivery guy insisted that he carry it in for me. I had him put it on the kitchen table. The card inside read, "Congratulations on your new house. I hope these help brighten it up a little. Edward"

Esme came into the kitchen and looked astonished when she saw the bouquet. "Wow! That has to be at least 5 dozen flowers. Who sent you those?"

I handed her the card. "Your son. He sent them as a housewarming gift."

Esme sniffed one of the flowers. "He must really like you, Bella. I didn't even think the boy knew how to order flowers. It is more his style to send an overpriced bottle of wine."

I shook my head, smiling. "It's just as well that he didn't send the wine. I couldn't put it to use at this point, anyway."

Lucy came into the room and screamed, "Mommy! Look!" as she pointed to the flowers, as if I had not noticed them before. She ran over to the table and said, "Nana, look at flowers."

Esme picked Lucy up and said, "Here you go, sweetie. Now you can see the ones on top."

Esme pointed to each of the different flowers and told Lucy what their names were. I had no idea what they were, so I hoped Lucy didn't quiz me on it later. Instead I picked up my phone and called Edward.

It went to voicemail, so I left a message. "Edward, it's me. I just received the flowers. They are beautiful. Thank you. Your mom is telling Lucy all about them now. I'm sure you can hear it in the background."

Just then, Carlisle asked, "Bella, would you like me and your dad to get the grill fired up for burgers?"

"Thank you, Carlisle. That would be great. I'll be out in a second."

I turned my attention back to the phone and said, "Sorry, we're grilling burgers out back. I guess I should go help. I'll talk to you later. Bye." I hung up the phone and went to help Esme get everything ready in the kitchen.

Dinner was great. It was even better having everyone there. Esme and Carlisle left just before Lucy's bed time. As they were leaving, they were talking about looking at houses while they were there. They had always loved Mercer Island and now that they would have grandchildren on the island, it gave them the excuse to finally break down and seriously consider investing.

My dad decided he would head back in the morning, so he stayed the night in the new guest room which I had purposely decorated with him in mind. Esme and I tried to make sure that it was not predominantly feminine so he would feel comfortable staying in that room. He waited until I had Lucy tucked in bed before he called it a night and went to bed himself.

I was so relieved when I went into my room and noticed that I couldn't hear my dad snoring. It was something I always hated about living at home. That man could saw some serious logs. I climbed into bed and turned out the lights. Just when I was on the edge of sleep, I felt my baby boy kick and shift. I put my hand on my stomach and smiled. He and his big sister would never lack for love.

A/N: Hello everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will be from Edward's point of view, so you can see how he's taking things. I wanted to thank you all for the wonderful reviews and kind words. It really brightens my day when they come in. I'm sorry that I really don't have time to respond. Things are still quite crazy in real life. It looks like they are going to be putting even more responsibility on me at work. To say that I'm not really that excited about it is an understatement. I know that it will be crazy at first, but eventually it will settle down and I will get into a good routine. It's just going to take some time.

As I'm writing this author's note, I got a review from irishmic calling Edward "fuckedupnessward" and "spoiledassward". It made me laugh. I love it! Yes, he is definitely spoiled and a little fucked up. Hopefully we will start seeing a change in heart in the next chapter. I don't know for sure yet, because I'm still writing it.

Wish me luck!

A Little Distracted