A/N... Okay, guys, here's the last and final chapter of Sin & Innocence. :( I know, I know. I've been a wreck this whole week anticipating this final post. My nerves are shot, because I hope that you've enjoyed this ride.
I think that you're expecting a long jump in time, just from your reviews, but I think you'll be surprised at just the route I took. There were some loose ends that needed touching on, and I've been holding the one thing back that you've all seemed to forget. ;)
I've really loved getting to know new names, playing with you guys on Twitter, and every single last review you guys have sent my way. I've enjoyed teasing you, laughing with you, and watching my closer friends squirm with every cliffie. LOL I love you all, and I hope that you'll stick around with me, because I'm not done writing, just taking a break.
And I really hope you'll see me at the bottom.
CHAPTER 26 – Epilogue
Three months later... January...
BELLA
"Him moved, Mommy!" Bethy gasped, her eyes wide as her hand was splayed flat on my stomach.
"Him did," I giggled, tucking her hair behind her ear.
I laughed, not because she hadn't felt Samuel kick before, but because he'd kicked her in the back while we were laying together on the couch. It was like he was shoving her off of him. The sibling rivalry had already started.
"What's so funny?" Edward asked, emerging from the hallway.
He was dressed in heavy boots, jeans, and a thick hoodie, because he said that if he didn't shovel the snow off the sidewalk, someone – and he wasn't naming names – would end up on their ass. Personally, I think it was himself he was referring to, but he would never admit it.
And he was a damn good sight for sore eyes, because he'd just gotten back from helping Jasper and Emmett make some emergency repairs to Jasper's dad's house. A storm had damaged the roof pretty badly, and the boys offered to help. Edward had flown them all to Texas, and it had taken almost four days to get it finished.
"Him kicked me!" Bethy told him, her voice incredulous and clearly offended, and I had to hide my laugh behind my hand.
Edward grinned, shaking his head and kneeling next to us. "Ah, he did, huh?" he asked, placing a warm hand to my stomach, but I moved it to where the wriggling was still going on.
"There, baby," I told him, watching as his face softened to a loving expression.
"Easy, Samuel," he crooned, placing a kiss over my shirt and rubbing my stomach soothingly. "We all have to share Mommy. Enjoy having her all to yourself for now, buddy," he chuckled, giving me a wink. "And you can totally blame the chili dogs for lunch on your sister."
"He has to like chilwi dogs," Bethy stated, and I half expected her to roll her eyes. "Who doesn't like chilwi dogs?"
"You tell him, little sweetness," he chuckled, kissing her sweet nose before standing up. He cupped my face, bending down to kiss my lips. "I'm going to shovel the snow. And then I'm going to try and finish the changing table. Okay, love?"
"You're staining in the winter?" I asked him.
He laughed, shaking his head. "I had heaters in there, but it's stained. I just need to add the knobs and attach the top part. I didn't get a chance before I left."
"Oh," I sighed, nodding a bit. "I should waddle out to the office and check on the girls. They had a few security jobs and one prospective client call to make."
"Just...don't overdo it, sweetness," he ordered, helping me to my feet. "The doc said..."
"I know," I whined, rolling my eyes up to his. "I'm only walking in there. It's not like I'm guarding some rock star. And I should thank you for setting Alec on me for four days like a rabid mother hen."
He smirked, but nodded, walking me to the front door, because there wasn't a force of nature that could stop his over-protectiveness. Not that I wanted him to stop, because it was one of his most loving features.
"Come on, Bethy," I called her. "Maybe Aunt Makenna will have a new art project for you."
"Yay!" she sang, hopping down from the couch and bolting out the door, her little boots leaving sweet footprints in the snow all the way to Gravity's office door, which she swung open and darted in.
Edward made sure I didn't slip down the porch steps, keeping a firm hand on my elbow as he walked me across the yard. Again, I wasn't stopping him, because he was right about the doctor. Dr. Sandler had made it perfectly clear when we went for my five month check up that I was to take it easy. My blood pressure was just a touch too high, not to mention this baby was bigger than Bethy had been, so my feet were constantly swollen, and my back was throbbing by the end of the day. I wasn't to really work, other than desk work, I wasn't to pick Bethy up, nor was I allowed to drive. I was just this shy of being ordered to bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy, so I had to truly watch myself.
I took a deep breath at that last thought, looking up at Edward and pulling my oversized jacket closer around me. "I promise to sit inside and behave," I vowed, grinning up at him.
"As if that's possible," he chuckled, cupping my face and kissing my lips. His nose wrinkled as he let out a deep exhale, causing his breath to puff around him in the cold, crisp air. "I know you're bored, baby. I know this is hard. It won't be much longer."
"I'm not arguing, Edward, but God, I am really bored," I giggled, shaking my head. "At least let me live vicariously through my employees," I begged, grabbing both sides of his face. "Please?"
He laughed and let me squish his face as I kissed him roughly.
"That's fine, baby," he said, still laughing. "Just don't walk back without someone with you. Got me?"
"Yes, sir," I purred, kissing him again.
He pointed a finger at me. "You're to be merely a figurehead in there. No stress, no pacing, no running off to save the world."
"I'm six months pregnant, Edward. Besides the stress, how much of that other shit do you think I could do?" I laughed, my head falling back.
"You'd find a way," he muttered, pouting like a child. "Just...do something harmless, like paperwork or some shit."
"Okay," I chuckled, starting for the office door, but stopped and turned to him. "Hey... I really missed you, you know."
His smile could have lit up the sky on Fourth of July, but he closed the remaining distance, his hands slipping up either side of my face. He pressed his forehead to mine, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss. The things his lips and tongue did made the chilly weather non-existent.
He broke away from my mouth, which caused me to whimper, but his voice was sweet, smooth, sexy, like melted chocolate. "Oh, sweetness," he sighed, his eyes still closed, "I fucking hated it. How the blue hell did I sleep before I met you?"
I giggled, rubbing his scruffy jaw lightly. "You had to suffer in order to appreciate the good shit," I said, chuckling when a laugh from him pushed out against my cheek.
"You are the definition of good shit, baby," he laughed, kissing me quickly and grabbing the doorknob. "Here, love. Get inside before you catch a chill. I'll be out here if you need me."
The place was its usual busy, noisy self. Rose was on the phone, leaning back in her chair as Caleb played in his playpen next to her desk. Makenna had already set Bethy up at the conference table with paper and crayons, having gone back into the computer room with Alice. And it was that room I was aiming for.
Makenna held my chair as I sat down next to her, while Alice was busy on the radio. Up on her screen was the layout of an arena marked with locations for where our security would be for a concert coming up that night in Portland. Our boys had been hired to be the personal security for the band.
"How's he doing?" I whispered to Mack, because I knew she'd understand who I was talking about.
"Kurt, check in," she said over her headset, giving me a wry smile.
"Kurt here," he stated. "I'm with Alec. We're picking up the subject now at the airport."
I grinned, because he sounded good, calm, even though this was his first real job. I'd told Alec that I wanted Kurt to shadow him for the first few jobs, because he was our most experienced.
It had been Wes' suggestion to hire him, train him, even teach him guns. Kurt's record – both mental and criminal – had held him back, and he'd been having a hard time getting back to school and finding a decent job. His father had worried that he'd fall back into the wrong crowd again. So after a very long, very detailed discussion with my crew, we'd sat down and had a talk with him.
Jasper, Emmett, and Edward had taught Kurt guns – how to shoot, clean, and handle them. I'd enrolled him in a martial arts class first thing, because he'd needed not only the discipline, but the ability to defend himself. Alice had taught him everything else – how our company worked, what type of jobs we took, and how, no matter what, all things stay within the company. He'd taken to it like a fish to water. All of it. He was young, easy to teach, and eager as hell to prove himself. He also knew that he was filling some damn big shoes, because he was taking Sam's place on the team, and Kurt felt honored.
Mack handed me a headset, and I tugged it on, saying, "Deep breaths, Kurt. You'll be fine, honey."
"Thanks, Bella," he chuckled nervously.
"Bells!" I heard over the radio.
"How ya feelin', darlin'?" Jasper crooned.
"Like a giant balloon," I chuckled. "But I'm good. You boys be careful and have a good night, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," they all called back.
I pulled off the headset and set it down onto the desk, looking up at Rose as she leaned in the doorway.
"You look like hell," she teased with a wink.
"Thanks. You, too," I laughed, shrugging. "I don't sleep well without Edward. And there are only so many cartoon movies a mom can take without snapping," I said, tapping my temple.
"We should've just stayed together," Alice muttered, looking about the same as Rose. "The house was too damn quiet without Jazz's snores."
We all laughed, but it was true. Our men were our guardians, sometimes our cooks, and our best friends. It had been that way from the moment we'd met them.
We looked up at the security camera when an alert sounded that the front gate was being opened. I recognized Carlisle's BMW instantly, but he wasn't alone. Another car pulled in right behind him, which turned out to be Eleazar.
Both men exited their vehicles, but it was Eleazar that spoke first.
"I should kick your ass all over these damn woods, son," he growled loud enough for us to hear him from our spots inside, pointing a finger at my husband.
"You can fucking try," Edward sneered, shrugging.
"Oh, hell," Rose, Alice, and I muttered together, heading for the door.
"Makenna, stay with Bethy and Caleb, please," Rose stated before letting us outside.
"Yeah, sure," she said quietly, but I was pretty sure her eyes weren't leaving the security cameras.
We quietly fell out of the office doors, Rose holding onto me as we made our way closer to the three men through the snow. Edward was leaning against the outside wall of his wood shop, the snow shovel casually gripped in his hand.
"How the fuck did you do it, Edward?" Eleazar snapped, his face red with anger and venom as he glared at him.
"Do what?"
"You know fucking well what! Where were you last week?" Eleazar asked, his demeanor calming down just a bit, because my husband wasn't flinching. At all.
"Texas," Edward stated nonchalantly with a shrug. "Jasper's father needed some repairs done on his house after a storm. Em, J, and I flew down there to help."
"Mmhm," El sneered, eying him with disbelief. "You just happened to fly down to Texas at the same time I'm transporting prisoners to Guantanamo Bay, knowing that we stop off in Texas for a refuel."
My eyebrows shot up, and my head spun to Rose. "They didn't," I hissed to her.
She sighed, shaking her head and shrugging. Alice grunted, folding her arms across her chest as we continued to listen.
"How'd you know? How'd you do it, Edward?" El asked, now sounding resigned to it all.
"El," Carlisle finally interrupted, placing a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder. "Christ, son, did you order and carry out a hit on Kenny Porter?"
The name alone seemed to cause Edward's smooth mask to slip and shatter, because his fist pounded and cracked the shed wall next to him.
"Did you think I'd fucking forget?" he yelled, throwing the shovel down to the ground. "He put a fucking gun to my girls' heads. He threatened Bethy, starved her, gave her cough medicine to shut her up, and he laughed through it all, Dad! Bethy still has nightmares about 'The Mean Man.'"
I grimaced, but he was right. Bethy would occasionally dart into our room late at night, squirming her way in between us after having a nightmare. They were fewer now than they were at the beginning, but I knew they bothered Edward. How much it bothered him, I'd had no idea. Until now.
El sighed, his hands falling to his sides in a defeated gesture. "Dammit, Edward," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "He would have spent the remainder of his life locked up as a terrorist."
"Not. Good. Enough," Edward growled. Again, his fist pounded the side of the wood shop. "You're just lucky I waited until you finished your case. You can have the other two witnesses. Kenny was dead the second he put the gun to Bethy's head the day he took her from me. Right fucking in front of me." Edward stood tall, practically swelling up as he stepped closer to Eleazar. "Now... Are you here to arrest me for something?"
"Hell, no!" Eleazar scoffed, waving him off, but Carlisle stepped forward anyway, placing himself as a shield to his son. "I don't have any fucking proof it was you. It was a flawless fucking hit. Made it look like suicide."
Edward's mouth twitched in pride, but he said nothing as he picked his shovel back up, his eyes catching sight of us. Suddenly, guilt flooded his face.
Rose sighed, saying, "I had a feeling something was up. Those three were awfully secretive the day before they left."
"I can't say that I blame them," Alice murmured, shrugging when we looked to her. "I can't, Bells. I'm sorry. Jasper said he'd never seen Edward so broken as he watched Bethy with a gun to her head drive away. Something about that kidnapping changed us all."
I rubbed my stomach where Samuel was kicking just a bit. He seemed to react when my emotions were flying high – good ones or bad. And at the moment, I wasn't sure what I was feeling, except a touch betrayed. Edward could've told me what he'd been planning.
Rose and Alice went back inside the office as Edward made his way toward me, and I had a feeling Jasper and Emmett were about to get an ear full. Carlisle walked Eleazar to his car, and they were still talking when my husband came to stand in front of me.
"Bella, I..." he started, but I held a hand up.
"Don't," I said, eying his now bleeding hand. "Take me back to the house."
He huffed, but gently took my arm and guided me through the slippery snow and up the front porch steps. Once we were inside, I turned on him.
"Bathroom, now. I'll clean that hand up," I told him.
He nodded, his shoulders slumping a bit as I followed him down the hall to our room. He said nothing until he plopped himself down on the closed toilet. He looked up at me, his eyes deep green and remorseful.
"I-I'm s-sorry I-I d-didn't t-tell y-you," he sputtered softly, looking at his feet and not my eyes.
I reached up, grasping the zipper of his hoodie, and tugged it down, revealing a plain white t-shirt underneath. He shirked out of it, carefully working his now injured hand through the sleeve. I set his arm on the vanity, and I could feel his eyes on me as I got out the first aid kit.
"That was really fucking dumb, Edward," I said softly, shaking my head and starting to clean his knuckles. "You could've messed up. He could've arrested you, for real."
"I wouldn't have..."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Now is not the time for you to get all smug and shit. How'd you know when to go?"
"Felix," he muttered, looking away from me. "He knew what I wanted, and he agreed. He did it behind El's back as a favor to me – for Bethy. He was with the transporting team and allowed us a...window of opportunity."
"And Jasper's dad... Was that all bullshit?"
"No," he snorted humorlessly. "No, just really good timing and an excellent cover."
I dabbed antibacterial medicine on the split skin, looking over at him. "I would think that you could let it go after Lilith. That should've been enough," I told him, but he was still staring toward the shower and not me. "That's the last blatant hit you're pulling, Edward. I mean it."
His head snapped around, and he finally met my gaze. His eyes were sharp, but still filled with worry, like an admonished child. The man was terrified of my temper, but his ass was fearless when it came to going to prison for killing an insignificant idiot that had threatened his family.
"Look, I get it," I sighed, picking up a roll of gauze. "Believe me, I almost pulled the trigger on Kenny myself when you guys were interrogating him, but you are not a mercenary anymore. You wanted out. You'll stay out. Now that everyone involved in that bullshit is gone, you can officially retire that case. Got me?"
He nodded slowly, his eyes flickering from my face, to his hand, to my belly, but he still stayed quiet. Only his fingers twitched when I wrapped his hand.
I let out a deep breath, grasping his strong jaw and forcing him to look at me. "I almost lost you, Edward. I won't go through that again. Something could've gone wrong with just the three of you," I said, picking up his wounded hand to make sure it was wrapped well enough. "I told you this before. You work for me, or not at all, or even make furniture all damn day, but your sense of revenge is too much. I thought the way things went down with Lilith upset you, and then you go and pull this?"
"It's finished, Bella," he stated simply, but firmly, his brow furrowing. "This was different. I just... I couldn't..."
"I know," I huffed, shaking my head. "To be honest, I'd forgotten all about him. He was a disgusting troll of a man. He could've rotted away in Cuba, baby."
"No," he growled softly, his uninjured hand balling in a fist, and I saw what watching his child get taken had really done to my husband.
It had scared the shit out of him. He'd felt useless, like a failure, because he couldn't get to his baby when she'd needed him the most. He couldn't have prevented any of the shit that Bethy had gone through while she was out of his sight, and he probably would live out his whole life seeing the muzzle of a gun pressed to a three-year-old's head every time he closed his eyes. And it had probably all boiled over when Felix had called him. Edward had seen a means to an end.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, cupping his face. "It's my fault all this shit with Lilith started in the first place. I'm sorry about all of it. You have no idea. Bethy, you, Sam... It's all my doing, because I just couldn't keep my mouth shut back then."
"No, Bella," he gasped, pulling me between his legs. "No one blames you, baby. I swear. Lilith made a choice, just like Kenny did." He wrapped his arms around me, placing kisses on my belly, only to set his chin on top of it, like it was a shelf. "I had to end it, sweetness. I just couldn't let him get away with it, and he was still pompous at the end. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I'm sorry that it upset you. It's the last time it will ever happen again."
I kissed his forehead, breathing in deep the smell of him – all crisp outdoors, sanded wood, and shampoo. "I love that you can protect us, Edward. I love that you wouldn't let a fly near us. That's a part of you that I love deeply, but a pure hit – without letting us in on it – could've ended badly."
"Alec knew."
I huffed a humorless laugh. "Of course, he did." Edward smirked, but let me pull back from him a bit to continue. "In an emergency, our lives are in your hands. Promise me that you're done. You wanted to be done, baby."
"I do. I am," he urged, his face the picture of sincerity. "Kenny was the end of it."
I studied his face and saw that he meant it. He could now tell his daughter that "The Mean Man" was completely gone, dead, and buried the next time she had a bad dream. He'd needed to fix it. And he had. Permanently. It wasn't what he'd done that had me upset; it was that he'd gone behind my back. He could've gotten hurt or killed or even arrested, and I wouldn't have known why until it was all over.
I caught a glimpse of his newest tattoo, the Cullen family crest, peeking out just below his white t-shirt. Its meaning was family first. And that's what he'd done – put his family ahead of everything else. He'd taken care of the last remaining threat – no matter that the asshole would've been in prison the rest of his life. It didn't fucking matter to Edward. I reached out and traced my finger along the graceful scroll, understanding completely. Yes, he'd been upset when he'd shot Lilith, but he'd stopped her just in time, pride filling him when he'd succeeded in catching her. Yes, he'd lied about where he'd been, but he'd done it protecting me, because stress was just something that I couldn't handle, and nothing could happen to me or Samuel as far as my husband was concerned. But it was Bethy's nightmares that had caused this hit, this hiccup in judgment, because it was the harshest reminder of it all. It was a slap in his face every time she crawled up in our bed, clinging to her daddy like hell itself was on her tail. And for that alone, I just...got it.
"Don't lie to me again," I stated softly, letting it all go, because it was done and there wasn't anything I could do about it. In fact, deep down, I was proud of him, in a way; he'd completely closed the book on one scary ass turn of events. "I wouldn't have been able to get to you, to help you, if something had gone wrong."
"I won't, baby," he vowed, shaking his head and pressing another kiss to my stomach. "Samuel, tell Mommy that no one has my back like she does, but that—" he grinned up at me "—she shouldn't be stressed out."
"Shut up," I laughed and groaned at the same time, rolling my eyes. "Being all cute right now won't help you."
He chuckled, his cheeks turning a touch pink. "Fine," he sighed, his forehead landing on my stomach. "I love you. I'm sorry. It's all over, sweetness. I needed to end it. All of it."
I nodded and sighed, and again, I couldn't blame him. Alice was right. Bethy's kidnapping had changed us all. We'd become vigilant and vengeful, angry, and so very scared. Hell, I could imagine that Jasper and Emmett had only added fuel to the fire once they'd found out about Kenny's move from Washington to Cuba.
Samuel gave one good kick, just about where Edward's forehead rested, and we both laughed. Edward pulled back and rubbed his fingers gently over the spot.
I giggled. "Yeah, and that goes for me, too."
"Fair enough...both of you," Edward chuckled, kissing my belly, and then pulling me down to his lips. "It's you, love. Always you that I want to work with. Not make furniture, not bum about the house all day...you."
"Good. Then behave, please."
"I will. I promise."
~oOo~
EDWARD
Three months later... March
"Mr. Cullen?" I heard behind me as I paced like a fiend in Bella's hospital room.
I was still in the hospital scrubs I'd been wearing when they'd booted me from the delivery room. My head snapped around to see Dr. Sandler, and my heart flew and sank at the same time.
"He's perfectly healthy," she said with a bright smile, handing Samuel over to me. "We may have taken him early, but you wouldn't know it. He's eight pounds and ten ounces of strong boy."
I blinked back tears, my arms shaking as I took him gently from her. And God, he was just fucking flawless. He blinked up at me with giant brown eyes just like his mother's, and I could see that his hair was just a shade darker than mine.
"Bella?" I rasped, looking up at the doc.
"She's good and stable, but as you know, she's out. We'll bring her back in a few minutes," she answered calmly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She's fine, Edward. We took him early, because he was putting too much stress on her."
I nodded, swallowing nervously and looking back down at my son. Bella had tried so fucking hard to stay calm, even going as far as confining herself to bed the last few weeks, but Samuel had just taken his toll on her, and as I looked at him, I could see why. He was big and strong. He squirmed against the blanket they had him swaddled in, murmuring his displeasure at being away from her.
"Patience, buddy," I sighed, pressing my lips to his forehead. "I want to see her, too."
"You know," Dr. Sandler said with a wry smile, "there's this obnoxious group of people out in my waiting room..."
I grinned, shaking my head. "Yeah, I can't take them anywhere, really."
She chuckled and nodded. "Yes, well... Perhaps if you showed them proof, they might calm down. Because there's this short thing in there that can't be still to save her life," she stated proudly, because she'd been the doc to deliver Bethy.
"Got it," I chuckled, kissing Samuel's forehead again. I looked back up at her. "Thank you. Will you..."
"I will personally come and get you when we bring Bella back to this room, Edward," she urged, grasping my shoulders and steering me out into the hallway. "Go brag, Dad. He's as pretty as his parents."
I laughed, because we'd picked the best doctor for mine and Bella's personalities alone, not to mention she was a phenomenal OB-GYN. She'd known exactly what both of us had needed to hear for the last nine months. She'd never held back her displeasure on something, but she'd stayed calm, used humor to get us to focus, and had never let us panic.
"I'm going, I'm going," I said, shooting her a wink on my way down the corridor. I gazed down at Samuel, who seemed to be just a touch overwhelmed at all the bright lights and movement, but whispered, "Oh, brace yourself, little man. This will be...something."
Using my shoulder, I silently pushed the waiting room door open, shaking my head at the sight before me. My entire family and crew had pretty much taken over the whole damn room. Jasper sat with Alice in the farthest corner, her head on his shoulder. Emmett was on the floor with baby Caleb, who was the crawling definition of trouble these days, while Makenna, Wes, and Rose were all trying to occupy Bethy's time with books, toys, and crayons. And that was just one side of the room.
On the other side, there was Alec and Sarah – who had just gotten married the month prior in a quick little ceremony – and Abby, who was giggling with Kurt over some game they were playing on his phone. Aunt Kate, Mickey, and Obie all were staring up at the TV in the corner, though all three of them had glazed-over eyes, obviously not seeing a damn thing that was playing. Esme and Eleazar were huddled together in the corner, deep in quiet conversation.
They were all worried, because this had been an emergency, and I was pretty sure they'd all panicked when the doc said she was taking Samuel early. Not that my ass was any better, because I'd just about fallen apart in the delivery room.
But the most important figure was at the window, his forehead practically pressed to the glass as he gazed unseeingly out into the rainy Seattle weather. My dad was nervously wringing his hands behind his back, his color just this shy of ashen, because his love for me and Bella knew no bounds. He was almost sick with worry.
"Daddy!" I heard, and all eyes landed on me.
I put a finger to my lips, and Bethy grinned and nodded, but she was the first one to make it to us. I knelt down, and she stepped closer to take a look.
"Here, big sis," I said, kissing her temple. "Your little brother is just perfect," I told her, but it was for the rest of the room, as well, and I could feel a touch of the tension leave them.
"He's cute," she giggled, using my shoulder to pull herself closer. "He still smells funny."
I laughed, kissing her neck loudly. "You were cute and smelled funny, too."
"Nuh uh," she sang, still giggling. "Where's Mommy?"
Leave to the now four-year-old to ask the tough question, because despite my happiness with the bundle in my arms, I was pretty damn sure my worry was all over my fucking face, like a neon sign. I placed my hand on the back of her head, pressing my lips to her forehead, squeezing my eyes closed as I inhaled the sweet scent of her shampoo. The memories of alarms and beeping in the delivery room made my whole body shake.
"Edward, son?" my dad urged, his voice just a touch shaky.
I nodded that I'd heard him, but I answered my daughter. "Mommy's sleeping," I told her. "She started to get really weak, so they decided that Samuel should come home early with us. They had to give her something to calm down and go to sleep. She'll be awake soon, little sweetness."
Another release of tension left the room, and a few of the girls sat down in relief. Esme let a small sniffle out, and I glanced up at her, and then back to Bethy, because my little girl was looking at me like she didn't believe me. She could spot bullshit a mile away – just like her mother.
"Relax, baby," I sighed, cupping her face and making her look me in the eye. "I'm worried, too, but they tell me Mommy will be just fine."
She nodded, blinking up at me with pure trust and hope.
I finally stood up to show off my son. Most of the statements made me laugh, and they came at me from every direction.
"He looks just like Bethy when she was born!"
"Oh, the chubby cheeks!"
"He's got Bella's eyes."
"But your hair!"
I laughed at the last one, because we tugged off Samuel's little cap, and sure enough, his hair went everywhere, just like my own. But it was my dad's voice that stopped us all.
"He looks just like you the day you were born," he said, begging me with silent, pleading eyes to let him hold my son.
"Here, Poppy," I sighed, handing him over. "Can you remember that far back, old man?"
"Shut up, son," he laughed, rolling his eyes. "You're not that old. Hell, I'm not that old."
I grinned, but felt a tug on my sleeve, and I let Esme pull me away from everyone.
"What happened?" she asked, cupping my face. "You look sick with worry."
"She..." I sighed, shaking my head and looking down at my feet. "She started to fail. So it escalated from just monitoring her cramping, to taking Samuel...like that," I whispered, snapping my fingers. "Fuck, Esme... I've never been so scared. All these alarms went off, she couldn't speak... Even when Bella's had guns to her head, I'd never been that scared."
"It was an enemy you couldn't fight, son. That's why," she soothed, rubbing my upper arm. "What do they say?"
"That she's fine, stable," I rasped, squeezing my eyes closed. "She's in recovery."
"Then you have to trust them, Edward," she said, always the calm voice.
I was shaking my head before she even finished. "I'll feel better when she tells me what for. When she's awake and ordering me around, then I'll be okay."
She grinned, letting a sniffly chuckle out. "Fair enough, son."
"Will you and Dad stay?" I suddenly burst out. "I know that everyone has to get back eventually, but will you..."
"Of course," she stated, kissing my cheek. "We'll keep Bethy, too. Okay?"
I nodded, swallowing thickly, but we both looked up when Dr. Sandler leaned in the door of the waiting room.
"Do I have to give you something to calm down, Edward?" she snarked, rolling her eyes. "She's fine. And she's back in her room. She's still sleeping, but she'll come around in a bit."
I grinned, because the whole room had chuckled at her question to me. I took Samuel back from my father, placing a relieved kiss to his little hand that had escaped his wrap.
"Can I see her?" I asked.
"Yes, of course."
"Daddy," Bethy gushed, rushing to me, but my dad scooped her up.
"Not yet, little one," he crooned to her. "You can see Mommy soon, but let's go downstairs and see what kind of ice cream we can find, huh?"
"Strawberry?" she asked him, and I chuckled, because my baby girl couldn't get enough strawberry ice cream.
"One can always hope for strawberry, Bambina," Alec laughed, touching her chin with his fingers.
"No, chocolate," Abby said softly, grinning up at Alec, who scooped her up with a laugh.
"Screw this!" Emmett boomed. "There's a shop right around the corner. We're all going," he sang, bouncing a giggling Caleb – who was the spitting image of his father, all the way down to his dimply grin – in his big arms, but on his way by, he whispered just to me. "Go... Go be with your girl. We'll get out of your hair for a few, huh?"
I nodded, following the doc back down to Bella's room.
~oOo~
BELLA
I struggled to come up out of the deep foggy feeling that seemed to surround me. I felt heavy and listless, unable to open my eyes just yet. My body felt like it was weighed down, achy and sore with every breath I took, but it was the sharp sound of an infant's unhappiness that brought me back to the present.
Samuel.
"Easy, Samuel," I heard the sweetest voice soothe – a voice I associated with calm and comfort. "She'll wake up soon. She's the strongest person I know, pal. Trust me on that."
Samuel seemed to gurgle back an argument, which only caused my husband to chuckle softly.
"Oh, I see how it is," he snickered. "You're gonna be Mommy's boy, aren't you? Can't say that I blame you..."
I wanted to laugh at them both. It took all I had to wrench open my eyes, only to squeeze them shut again in order to make them focus. When I could finally see around my room, my gaze locked on my two men. Edward was practically curled around Samuel, sitting lengthways along the sofa at the window. His knees were bent up, his feet flat, and his back propped against the arm, but his arms were wrapped around a noisy, squirming bundle of blue blankets.
"She's beautiful and smart...and so brave, little man. You have no idea what she went through to get you here," he whispered, but I could hear the fear, the worry, the stress taking a toll on him.
I winced, remembering how I hadn't been able to move, to speak. I remembered them telling Edward they were taking Samuel right then, but after that, things were blurry. Although, I was pretty sure that my husband had meant every difficult step throughout my pregnancy.
"Sh-She already l-loves y-you s-so m-much," he sputtered to Samuel, his voice cracking just a bit. "And that's a big deal, buddy, because when Mommy loves someone, I'm not sure there's anything she won't do for them."
I blinked back tears, shook my head, and finally said, "Hey..." My voice was soft and raspy, but his head shot up.
"Christ, Bella," he gasped, carefully getting up from the sofa and leaning over me, our son still in the crook of his arm. "I was so worried, baby."
"Is he? I mean... Is everything..." I started, unsure of what I was asking, because it had been really scary the last few moments I was awake.
"Oh, God," Edward said, his brow wrinkling, but the sweetest, biggest smile crept up his handsome face. "He's fucking perfect, love. Here," he said, sitting gingerly on the edge of my bed. "I think it's time you two met... um, face to face," he chuckled, shifting around until he could lay Samuel across my chest.
Tears streamed down my face at the little clone of his father – all except for my eyes. Samuel was every dream, every imagining that I'd had since I'd found out I was pregnant again, only more. He was Edward made over, and he was just...perfect.
"Hey, Samuel," I sniffled and smiled at the same time, leaning into Edward's kiss to my temple. Wearily, I lifted my arms in order to hold him. "You have to be the handsomest man I've ever seen," I giggled softly, tracing his sweet features.
Edward laughed, pressing his forehead to my temple, but he let out a long, shaky breath in my ear, like he'd been holding it in forever. "Fuck, sweetness, I'm glad you're okay. You scared the shit out of me. Don't ever fucking do that again."
I nodded silently, turning to nuzzle his scruffy face, because I knew it had been pretty fucking hectic in the delivery room. "I'm sorry," I whispered, trying to kiss whatever part of my husband I could reach, finally making contact with his chin. "What happened?"
He huffed, pushing himself up again and swallowing nervously as he fiddled with Samuel's blanket, his hat, only to finally let one tiny hand wrap around his finger, his brow furrowing just a bit. "He was ready," he said simply, shrugging one shoulder. "He was draining you, Bella, but they tell me you're fine, and he's fine. He's over eight pounds of strong boy," he said, grinning when Samuel let out a long contented sigh as he gazed up at me. "See, bud? I told you Mommy was gorgeous," he whispered, kissing my head again, only this time, his hand cupped my face, tucking my hair behind my ear. "I need to let them know you're awake, baby."
"No...not yet," I gushed, shaking my head. "Let me have you two...just for a minute. Okay?"
I knew there was most likely a huge group of people waiting to hear something. I knew my baby girl was probably climbing the walls. And I knew eventually, life had to shift into a completely different gear, but I just wanted, for one quiet moment, to cuddle with my boys.
"Sure, love," Edward soothed, tracing his fingers down my cheek, under my chin, only to bring my lips softly to his. He shifted again, carefully and slowly laying himself along my side. He slipped his arm underneath my head, curling both of us to him.
"Who's here?" I asked.
"Everyone," he chuckled. "And then some."
I smiled and nodded, finally leaning down to kiss a drifting off Samuel. "And Bethy?"
"Thinks he smells funny, but that he's 'cute.'"
I giggled, my head falling back to his arm, and I turned to face him. "Did you tell her she was both?"
"I did," he laughed. "She didn't take the news so well."
"I bet not," I snickered. "You can't tell a girl she smells funny, Edward. What's wrong with you?"
He chuckled, burying his face in my hair. "She wants to see you, baby. She's probably climbing up one side of my dad and down the other, because he was brilliant enough to take all the kids for ice cream."
I nodded, sighed, and looked up at him. "Okay," I finally relented, closing my eyes when his lips pressed to my forehead.
He slowly extricated himself from us, but reached for Samuel. "Let's let him sleep, Bella. He's had a busy day." He grinned when I giggled, shooting a wink my way, but he rolled the bassinet next to the hospital bed, laying Samuel down so gently that he barely even stirred.
He stood up tall, and it was then I noticed that he'd changed back into his regular clothes – jeans and a button-down black shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His shoulders were broad, proud as he gazed down at his son, though he carried himself like he was exhausted. His hair was in such a sexy disarray that I could only imagine how many times he'd pulled at it in frustration.
He gave me my favorite crooked smile, ran hand through his hair probably for the millionth time, and said, "I'll be right back, sweetness."
Just watching him walk toward the door made me realize that something was missing, something hadn't been acknowledged since I'd opened my eyes. His hand reached for the door, but I stopped him, because he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, like he was just a touch lost, and like he'd just run the length of forty football fields. He was strong and tall, he was handsome and sweet, and he was the pillar we all leaned on. Suddenly, my love for Edward was overwhelming.
"Edward, wait," I said, tears streaming down my face. "I'm really sorry I scared you. I love you so much."
He was across the room in an instant, his hands bracing on either side of my head as he pressed his lips to mine frantically.
"God, Bella," he rasped, emotions finally releasing from him. "It's okay, love. You don't have to apologize to me. You did so fucking well," he whispered urgently against my lips. "I-I'm j-just g-glad y-you're b-both o-okay," he sputtered sweetly. "I love you, too...so fucking much."
I cupped both sides of his face, gazing up at him. "You needed to know..."
He smiled, shaking his head, but kissed me softly. "Oh, I know... You've done it all for me, love. I really know..."
I nodded, kissing him before he pulled away to stand back up.
"Now, let me go get them before we have a riot in the waiting room," he said, rubbing his face roughly. He picked up my hand, kissing the top of it. "They've been worried about you."
With that said, he gave me one last glance and walked out into the hallway. I turned my head, watching my baby sleep, and sighed in perfect contentment. We'd made it through every bump you could possibly imagine, just to get to where we were. My nose wrinkled at the bad times, but I chuckled at some of the good, all while staring at Samuel.
The door swung open, and I grinned as Edward came in with Bethy tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and she was giving him hell.
"Down, Daddy," she commanded. "I want to see Mommy...the right way. Not upside down!"
"You didn't tell me that," he countered back to her, spinning her down to the floor.
I covered my mouth to smother my laugh when she glared up at him once before turning around.
"Mommy!" she sang, rushing to the side of the bed.
"Hi, pretty girl," I said, reaching out to twirl her hair around my finger. "Are you being a good girl?"
"Yup!" she said, nodding fervently. "Poppy got us ice cweam, and I arm westled Unca Em in order to get to see you first."
I laughed. "And you won?"
"Yup," she said again, beaming like a ray of sunshine.
"The matches are still going on," Edward chuckled, jerking a thumb behind him. "My money's on Esme."
"I don't blame you," I giggled, looking up when a nurse came into the room.
"Can we go home now, Mommy?" she asked, giving the nurse a scathing look when the woman stepped in front of her, but Edward scooped her up in order for her to see me.
"Soon, little sweetness," he crooned to her, kissing her neck. "We all want Mommy home soon...it's been a long twenty-four hours."
I locked eyes with him for a moment, smiling softly at my family. I wondered – if only for a moment – how much would change with the addition of Samuel. I wondered where I'd have ended up without the strong, sweet, handsome man standing in front of me, currently telling his daughter in an adorable whisper what the nurse was doing to me.
The nurse smirked, giving me a wink as she took my blood pressure. "Thought that man of yours was gonna blow the place up when you gave us a bit of trouble, Mrs. Cullen," she teased, though she was looking only at me.
I laughed, covering my face, because I couldn't imagine what he'd have done had something gone wrong. He was sweet, polite, and kind. He was the best husband and father a woman could even conceive existing, but he would have lost his mind had something gone wrong. She had no idea how true her words were.
Edward chuckled, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
I waved her closer, giving Edward a wink. "I'm sure we're all lucky that we didn't have to find out."
Edward gave me warning in the the form of a deadly raised eyebrow and a sexy ass tilt to his head, but before he could say anything, my hospital doors flew open, allowing in everyone. I grinned up at them all, leaning into hugs, snickering at exaggerated hushes, and shaking my head at them all trying to get to me. They were – for all intents and purposes – my crazy family, my closest friends. But it was the warm, firm hand linking its fingers with mine that I held onto, and as I glanced over to Edward, closing my eyes as he placed a long slow kiss to my forehead, I couldn't feel luckier than I did right then.
~oOo~
A year later... March
My eyes rolled back into my head when a warm, strong, calloused hand slipped stealthily underneath my t-shirt, cupping my breast fully and causing my nipple to peak high and hard. For a brief moment, I was reminded of the very first time I'd ever stayed at Edward's home over five years prior. He always seemed to wake up warm, snuggly, amorous. If we happened to be in bed at the same time, he'd wake up groping, kissing, grinding. He was hard, pressing himself closer to me and dragging his teeth along the spot just below my ear that drove me crazy. He whispered of dangerous, naughty things in a raspy voice that dripped sex, carnal longing, and love – things I wanted every time he uttered them.
Nothing had changed.
"Baby, we have people coming..." I groaned, my ass arching back to him, seeking something, anything. My body reacted against my will when it came to him, and it probably always would.
"The only one I care about...coming is you, sweetness," he rumbled in my ear, dragging his tongue up the shell of it.
I laughed softly and moaned at the same time, feeling his smile against the skin of my neck. "Birthday party, Edward... Remember?"
"Yup," he grunted, gliding his flattened hand down my stomach and diving underneath the waistband of my underwear. "I remember..."
My breath caught sharply in my throat when his fingers seemed to seek out exactly where I wanted him, so I rolled onto my back, my legs falling open, despite how much we had to do today. My eyes locked with dark, needy, and slightly mischievous ones, and I couldn't help but pull him closer. Broad strong shoulders loomed over me, Edward's elbow braced at my head, while the other hand continued its exploration of just how much he affected me.
"Mm, so wet, love. Were you dreaming about me again?" he crooned, his voice velvet and smooth against my throat.
"Maybe," I teased, weaving my fingers into his hair and pulling his face to mine.
I was just about to kiss him stupid, despite the fact that neither of us had been up yet. Morning breath was not important when a hard, strong, sexy ass man was grinding his cock against your leg as he told you how he wanted to take you six ways from Sunday. I just couldn't care about the tiny details at that point. Hell, I could barely remember my name at the moment. But it was the sound of tiny thumping feet that caused everything to come to a standstill.
I grinned, but sighed in defeat, my head falling back to my pillow as poor Edward's fell to my chest, a small huffing laugh escaping him as he tried to calm himself down. My girly parts screamed in protest when his hand left my underwear.
Our door flew open, and I watched as my handsome boy padded into the room on two chunky, yet still a touch wobbly legs.
"Guess it's time for a big boy bed," I muttered, pushing Edward off of me.
"Yeah, it's finished," he sighed back, but his loving gaze at our little boy was hard to miss. "I'll set it up today."
Our one year old was too smart and too strong for his own good. He'd been escaping his crib for a few weeks now, and his most favorite morning activity was running to us first thing. Samuel loved his morning kisses.
"Muh-ma! Da'ee!" Samuel chirped from the side of the bed as he patted the mattress, wearing camo footie pajama bottoms and a camo shirt that read, "My mommy loves bad boys" – a hilarious gift from his Aunt Alice.
"There's my birthday boy," I sang, reaching down and pulling him up onto the bed.
He curled into me with a giggle, his little body wriggling closer and closer, because he was my cuddle monster. Where Bethy was on the go twenty-four-seven, it seemed, Samuel was my sweet, snuggly one. He was shy and funny. He was quiet and so very smart. And he was still the spitting image of Edward, except for the deep, chocolate eyes that matched my own.
Edward chuckled, stretching out beside us and propping his head up on his hand, his elbow on my pillow. "Escaped again, huh, little man?"
"Yeah," Samuel said softly with a sweet grin and a tilt to his head.
"Tell Daddy you're just too cool to be contained," I giggled, smooching his neck until he squealed and writhed in my lap.
"Coo', Da'ee..." he giggled, which made his dad laugh.
"I'm convinced you're part...monkey," Edward growled, pulling his son to him and tickling his tummy.
"No!" Samuel laughed, sitting up straight between us when his dad stopped tickling him.
I giggled at them both, because I couldn't help it. They were practically identical, and so very cute. I reached up, trying to calm Samuel's hair, but it was of no use. Sleep combined with its natural craziness made it impossible to keep down.
"Don't bother," Edward murmured wryly. "It won't do any good."
I laughed, kissing his cheek. "Experience talking, baby?"
"You have no idea," he chuckled, shaking his head and sighing deeply as he pressed his lips to the top of Samuel's head. He turned to me, kissing the side of my neck. "Since I can't finish what I so wanted to, I might as well get shit started for the day," he crooned in my ear, giving my skin one last open mouthed kiss.
"Shit!" Samuel piped up, and I rolled my eyes up to Edward.
He barked a laugh, getting up from the bed. "Hundred bucks in the swear jar. Got it," he stated wryly, still wearing a ginormous grin.
I turned to my baby boy. "Let's get you changed and dressed, okay, buddy? You've got peeps to see today," I told him, scooping him up and clambering off the bed.
Samuel nodded, giving me a sweet giggling, "Peeps!"
~oOo~
"Oh, it's like Mini-Me," Rose chuckled, gesturing across the yard.
"Wow, you're one to talk," I laughed, my head falling back. "Have you looked at your two boys lately?"
"I know, right?" she snickered, shaking her head. "Even worse, Caleb has Emmett's sense of humor," she chortled, pointing toward the grill just as a now two-year-old Caleb decided to squirt his dad with a water gun, which only resulted in a chase through my yard. However, Emmett was letting his son think he was getting away.
But it was the wood shop my eyes fell back to, and I couldn't help but grin. Edward was pulling out the parts of Samuel's new big boy bed that he'd been working on for weeks, getting it ready to take into the house, but it was the shadow at his feet that was too much. Both were dressed in black cargo shorts, sneakers, white t-shirts, and of course, black backwards baseball caps. I totally did that shit on purpose.
Jasper, Carlisle, and Edward slowly took apart Samuel's crib, storing it in the basement. Piece by piece, they carried the new bed in, setting it up with the mattress we'd bought a month back. We'd known it was time, though it seemed awful fitting to set it up on his first birthday.
Emmett called that the hotdogs and burgers were done, and more people than I knew what to do with joined him at the tables we'd pushed together.
I got up from my seat on the porch swing and walked down the hallway to see how Samuel's room looked. I leaned in the doorway, watching Edward attach the safety rails to the new bed. All his help – including the tiny one – had left him at the mention of food.
"They won't work," I chuckled, shrugging when he looked at me over his shoulder. "He'll still escape."
"Well, he sleeps like a ticking clock," he laughed, standing up straight and gazing down at his work. "He rotates all damn night."
My eyes raked down my husband and right back up, because he'd started something that morning, and I desperately needed him to finish it. He was just hot, standing there in a shirt that clung to every muscle, his capable hands slowly picking up all his tools.
"Hmm, we should try that rotating thing...every direction on the bed," I purred, leaning against the wall and looking up through my lashes. I wanted to laugh when his head spun my way like it was on a swivel, his eyes darkening instantly.
He smirked sexily, his eyebrow raising as he walked to me after dropping the tools back onto the mattress. "Mmhm, we...can," he rumbled, bracing his hands on either side of my head. "I'm sure we...have."
I grinned, nodding slowly. "Oh, I'm sure we have, too. I'm just...saying..."
"I created a monster this morning, didn't I?" he asked, his voice taking on a whole different tone as he skimmed his nose down my cheek to my neck. "I'm sorry I couldn't finish what I started, love. Believe me, I so wanted to see you come for me. I love hearing you cry out my name first thing in the fucking morning."
My whole body shivered at the pure sensual mood that was practically oozing from him. It was like the man could flip a switch. Or maybe I'd flipped the switch, and he'd just run with it.
I moaned, because I couldn't help it when his body pressed to mine, when his fingers slipped into my hair almost forcefully, when his lips nipped with teasing kisses. I definitely couldn't ignore the way he breathed me in, like he needed the scent on my skin in order to stay alive, and the way that he smelled like sunshine and cut lumber and smoke from the grill. The hint of beer on his tongue was the last straw.
I gripped the sides of his t-shirt, pulling him closer at the same time he dove for my mouth. Frantic, hurried, wet sounds filled the small room as we kissed like maniacs, like teens sneaking off from the adults, not wanting to get busted copping a feel. Warm hands cupped my ass at the same time hips pressed to mine. Tongues slipped and swirled together, imitating what Edward wanted to do to me with other parts of our bodies.
My own fingers found their way to just inside the back of Edward's shorts – kneading at his ass and causing him to buck into me a little – and not his hair, because for some twisted, kinky reason, I wanted that damned hat to stay on when he took me hard.
"Mommy!" Bethy's voice rang from the front door. "Gamma says it's time for Sammy's cake!"
Edward's forehead fell to my shoulder, a hissing, but snickering, "Fuck," leaving his lips.
I couldn't help but laugh, my head falling back to the wall with a soft thump. "Christ, Edward, this so isn't over..." I warned him, hugging his strong shoulders close when he laughed against my skin.
"Right," he agreed, kissing my cheek, my nose, and finally, my lips, "but apparently, we shouldn't be alone together..."
I grinned, pushing him off of me, calling, "Coming, Bethy."
"No, you aren't," Edward said with a pout, rolling his eyes at my laugh. "You could've been, but you're not..."
"Is that the word of the day, baby?" I cracked up, leaving him alone in Samuel's room to clear his...head.
By the time I reached the screen door, all I heard was, "It should be, dammit!"
I was still laughing by the time I made it to the table.
~oOo~
EDWARD
"Sammy started it!" Bethy protested as we marched both kids into the bathroom.
"Cake!" Samuel chimed in just to add fuel to the fire, I was sure of it. He may have been only a year old, but he'd already learned how to push his sister's buttons.
"He's a year old, Bethy," Bella sighed, but her amusement could barely be contained, because the food fight had been hilarious.
"And he threw cake at me!" my daughter countered, sounding just like her mother when she argued back.
I had to bite back my laugh and my smile, only shaking my head as I practically frog-marched my daughter down the hall. Hell, I was afraid to barely touch her, because she was covered in cake and icing and what looked like potato salad.
The party had been damn fun. Our whole family and crew had shown up, bringing their own kids. There had been hotdogs and burgers, sodas and beer, even chips and dip, but it was the birthday cake that had brought us to this moment, brought us to a tub filling with bubbles and warm water. My son – while everyone's back was turned as they'd started to leave for the night, mind you – had decided that he'd needed more birthday cake...by the tiny fistful, of course. However, when his big sister had told him not to, he'd taken his tiny fist and tossed it at her. And boy, she'd been pissed, resulting in the cake fight of the fucking century.
"Strip!" Bella ordered, pointing to Bethy, her voice leaving no room for argument as she proceeded to remove Samuel's clothes.
I chuckled softly at Bethy's put-out face, but knelt in front of her. "Here, little sweetness," I sighed, still smiling, but gathering up her shirt in order to wrench it off her head.
"He started it," she whispered just to me, jerking a thumb behind her, which made Bella finally crack a smile.
"Sometimes, it's best not to interrupt a man and his snacks, baby," I chuckled, shrugging a shoulder. "It would be like me taking away your bowl of popcorn when you're watching a movie."
"You wouldn't!" she gasped.
"No, but it's the same idea, Bethy," I laughed. "It was his cake, his birthday. He was partying the best way he knew how."
"Cake!" Samuel piped up again, grabbing Bella's face with two pudgy hands.
"I didn't throw cake when I was a baby!" she huffed, holding up her arms once we had her stripped.
"Yes, you did," Bella and I chanted together as I set her into the tub.
The butterball that was my son was already in, covered in bubbles and happily splashing with a toy helicopter in his hand.
"Took me forever to get the cake off the walls of the kitchen," Bella muttered, her eyes rolling when I laughed again, but she looked up at me. "Have you got...this?" she huffed, gesturing to the slick kid filled tub. "I need to make up Samuel's new bed."
"Yes, love," I snickered, smacking her behind on the way out the bathroom, which resulted in a glare from her and giggles from the kids.
"Mommy's mad," Bethy whispered, making a pyramid shaped tower of bubbles.
"Mommy's...frustrated. I'm pretty sure it's my fault," I whispered back as I sat on the stool by the tub, because it was true.
What had started as a glorious make out session first thing that morning had turned into an all day tease. All day. All fucking day. I wanted Bella almost to the point of pouting and tears, but there had been zero opportunity, and when there was, something or someone would interrupt. She'd caught me alone in Samuel's room as I put his bed together, I'd caught her in the laundry room as she rummaged around for candles in the junk drawer. She'd cornered me in the wood shed, and on and on. If we'd have gotten some sort of release, it might have been funny, but by now, all I wanted was the kids in their beds and my wife in ours.
It didn't take long to get the two of them to get clean. Bethy was quite capable of washing herself, and Samuel was more than cooperative for me. Once I had them out and wrapped in towels, I set them free.
"Little naked people on the loose," I called to Bella, who giggled from down the hall.
"Got it!" she called back as I let the water out of the tub. "Bethy...pajamas, please," she ordered.
"'Kay, Mommy."
After making Samuel's drink cup, I made my way back into his room. He was a giggly, yet sleepy little mess as Bella smooched all over his belly. His chubby legs and arms writhed as he tried to roll away from her.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, handing over his sippy cup. Immediately, he popped it into his mouth, and then dropped it on the bed for later. I brushed his hair from his forehead, placing a long kiss there.
"Goodnight, little soldier," I told him, though he hadn't quite gotten the grasp of the routine yet.
"Da'ee," he sang, smiling up at me.
"Love you," I whispered, kissing his hands and pulling the covers up around him, only for Bella to take my place when I left for Bethy's room.
"Bed, little sergeant!" I grunted, smiling when she giggled and dove under her covers.
"Yes, sir!" she laughed back, which caused Bella to chuckle from the doorway.
Bethy had been rather upset when Samuel interrupted her bedtime routine, so the only way I could placate her was to give her a promotion to Staff Sergeant – skipping three ranks, mind you. I had told her that she was in charge, that she was more experienced and had to show Samuel the ropes, and she'd latched onto it with a sweet giggle and an, "Okay, Daddy."
"Only sweet dreams, little sweetness," I told her, kissing her adorably puckered lips.
"Yes, sir," she said, a wide yawn taking over her face as I tucked her in. "Love you, Daddy."
"Love you, too," I said, turning out her light once Bella had covered her in kisses.
Bella started for the living room, but I caught her.
"Uh, no," I ordered, spinning her around toward our own bedroom door. "Alec brought the presents in, Esme loaded the dishwasher, the garbage is bagged up. Anything else...tomorrow," I growled low in her ear.
A sweet laugh escaped her when once I had our door shut, she found herself pressed against it. "Edward," she giggled, her head falling back with a soft thump.
"Uh uh," I chastised her softly as my lips hovered over hers. "I have some serious making up to do."
She grinned, happy and sweet, though her eyes darkened just a touch as her hands slipped up around my neck. I reached down, cupping her bottom and lifting her into my arms, only to press her back into the door.
"Where was I?" I asked her.
"Which time?" she laughed, kissing my lips roughly.
"Doesn't fucking matter," I growled, unable to not kiss her stupid.
With almost a sigh of relief from both of us, I finally claimed her mouth, grinding against her. Hips rolled, whimpers pushed out against cheeks, and my cock grew hard and throbbing immediately.
Bella pulled away from me with an almost gasp of air. She was just fucking gorgeous as she looked ravenous for me. With already kiss-bruised lips and flushed cheeks, I couldn't help but kiss her again, just because I finally fucking could.
"Bed," she finally ordered, panting as she lightly traced my jaw, my chin, my bottom lip.
"Yes, ma'am," I conceded gratefully, yanking her from the door, only to tumble her onto our bed.
I grinned down at her, bracing my arms on either side of her head, because I loved that this part of our relationship had never waned, had never fizzled out. We had two beautiful kids, tough jobs, and had been married for almost five years, and I wanted the woman that was currently tugging at my t-shirt more now than I had when I first met her. And that was fucking saying something.
"I love you, sweetness," I told her, pulling off my hat in order to reach behind me and tug my shirt off over my head.
"Love you, too, Edward," she said with the sweetest of smiles.
It didn't take long for all our clothes to be scattered along the bed and the floor beside it. And I fell back into her embrace with a chuckle, because we both seemed so damned desperate to finish what I'd started what seemed like forever ago.
"Let's see now... Where was I?" I asked with false sincerity and a furrow to my brow.
"Doesn't matter, so start over," she giggled, tracing her tongue along the ink on my arm, but her eyes were locked onto mine. However, she reached blindly beside her, her hand grabbing my baseball cap and thrusting at me. "But the fucking hat stays on."
A/N...So Kenny is gone and Kurt now works for Gravity. Those were two loose ends that I felt needed clearing up. For those of you Alec fans...he married Sarah! Yay! :)
I only skipped ahead a year, if only to give myself leeway, in case the plot bunnies attack. And they always attack. Trust me. I also wanted to show how our little man arrived, and prove that just because our fave couple was parenting two little ones, they hadn't lost that oomph that they always had. Plus, I couldn't help but toss in some sibling rivalry. LOL Not to mention Samuel's t-shirt that said "My Mommy loves bad boys," which was totally GooberLou's idea and I loved her for it.
Now the big thank yous...
JenRar... for every damn panicked email, every what if question, and every hilarious comment we've shared...Thank you. I couldn't have done the Gravity series or a ton of other things without you. I bow to you, and love you like crazy.
GooberLou... I don't even know where to begin with you. You're the captain of the Mercward debate team, first of all, because you've argued and guided me through all of it. You've let me root around in your brain, throwing ideas – no matter how fucking stupid – at you and you weren't afraid to tell me... "Don't do that!" LOL I'm sure it's not over...and you're totally welcome for Kenny. XD I'm sure you'd have been plenty pissed had he lived. Flove you hard!
MedusaInNY... Oh, my voice of calm reason. I love you. It's more than the blog and pictures and banners. It's the random emails that ask me if I'm hanging in there. It's the defense wall you put up when Sam died, and I hid behind you without shame. LOL It's the warm hugs you send my way just when I need them the most. Thank you, my friend.
And thank you for every review, every Tweet, every PM, every alert, and every favorited story. You guys have no idea how much they mean to me. Your outrage, your tears shed, your laughter, your hope for what was to come next... all of it pushed me harder to make this a better story. You humble me and I thank you all. Each and every one of you.
As far as upcoming projects. I'm working on an outtake for Angelward. For those of you that have read him, it will slip right in to where the last one-shot left off. This was an idea I'd had a long time ago, but never got a chance to add it into the series. I hope you guys will take a look when it posts. Like I said, I'm not done writing. Never done. So put me on alert and keep an eye out. You never know what will pop into my head next. ;)
Okay...for Mercward...let me hear you one more time. And until the next time. Later! :)