It had been four long months since Bella had been in New York, and what a long four months it had been.
Bella, Alice, and Rosalie had arrived home from their shopping trip laden with their new purchases. Bella was protesting heavily because Rosalie and Alice wouldn't let her pay for her things. It was the first of their "annual" shopping trips, which were now taken every month, despite Bella's protests.
It seemed that six of us had become a tight knit group. We all found a way to meet up in New York once a month all together, EJ included. Carlisle and Esme even came with us for the latest trip, saying that they wanted to meet the woman we had all been talking about. They loved her too, of course.
Alice and Jasper announced that due to Alice's new line and the new hospital in Seattle, they were moving closer to Forks. They were now only a twenty minute drive away. Rosalie and Emmett moved as well when Emmett bought another shop in Forks. He has successfully run the two shops from Forks for a month now, and is thinking about opening a third.
We also got to meet Bella's ex when he applied for a job at Emmett's new shop in Forks. Jacob Black was the most idiotic man I had ever met. I couldn't see how anyone could even think of letting Bella slip through their fingers. Perhaps if we weren't in the situation we were in, we could have been close, but we barely spoke full sentences to each other.
It appeared that I hadn't quite come to terms with Tanya's death until a few weeks after Bella left. I had finally decided to clean out her side of the closet. I had been proud of how well I was doing and how fast I was moving on until I got to a blouse at the back of the closet. She had worn it when I proposed, and she hadn't worn it afterwards, wanting to "savor the memory". I broke down and was a mess for a week. I didn't eat, didn't sleep, didn't shower. I blamed myself for her death, for if I hadn't gotten her pregnant, she would have still been here today. The what if's ran through my head, and I don't think I would have pulled out of the depression if it weren't for EJ. I became better, though I was more hesitant and cautious about everything.
Rosalie had gone into labor after eight months of pregnancy. She lasted long than any of the doctors said she would, and after three hours of labor, Vera Esme and Henry Carlisle were born. They were a very healthy four pounds and twelve ounces and five pounds and seven ounces, respectively. Vera already had Rosalie's eyes, and Henry shared Emmett's curly dark hair. Both parents were proud and happy, and both were more than ready to show them off to Bella.
Eric James Cullen was my pride and joy. He smiled at least eight times a day, and I had already filled up three memory cards worth of pictures. He cried less now and babbled more. His favorite thing to do was to roll over on his back, and he refused to nap without sucking on his pacifier. He couldn't sit up by himself yet, but he did love to sit on my lap when I played piano. He accompanied me to New York for the last visit, and Bella cooed over him for hours. They shared a special bond, and it was obvious that EJ thought of Bella as his mother.
We all waited in the airport now, save for Carlisle and Esme, ready for Bella's plane to arrive. Rose and Emmett had appointed Alice and Jasper to look-out duty, for they were too busy keeping the twins occupied. They were one month old, and Bella hadn't seen them yet.
"Are planes usually this late?" Chief Swan grumbled from next to me. He was happy that Bella had fit into a new group of friends; he still felt bad that she had to move down to help him. He positively enamored with Alice, and was still hesitant around me. I think he was just worried that Bella would fall in love and get hurt again.
"I don't know Chief." Jasper said.
"What are you doing over here? Go look for her! Shoo!" Rosalie ordered.
"Your aunt is crazy." I told EJ. He was sitting on my lap, sucking on his pacifier and surveying the busy airport with wide eyes.
"I heard that." She said.
"It's all that Mike character." Chief Swan grumbled. I fought to hide my smile. Bella had been planning on coming home two months ago, but her editor had requested a follow up. Bella, being the kind person she is, couldn't refuse. When I had spoken to her earlier in the week, she complained about missing her home. I couldn't blame her.
"Seriously, she'd better get here soon or else we're going to have some cranky twins." Emmett said. He had softened as a father, and what he lacked in patience, he made up for in heart. He was determined to give his children the best life possible, no matter the cost. He was still the same childish, immature Emmett we had always known, but nothing could keep him from his family.
"Flight 249 from New York now arriving. Flight 249 from New York now arriving." A nasally voice droned from the intercom system.
"That's her! That's her! That's…a weird lady with a uni-brow. Eww…"
"No, that's her…or a very small man dressed in drag."
"That's…oh, thank God that's not her. That woman has no taste."
"Look kids, no offense or anything, but I know my daughter when I see her and that is definitely h…not. I meant to say that is definitely not her."
EJ and I remained in our seat, leaving me more time to laugh at their guesses. The final woman to walk by had been hanging off the arm of a man with no shirt and a Mom tattoo. I heard someone's quiet steps behind me, and I heard someone plop themselves down onto a chair next to mine. I glanced over and found a very tired looking Bella herself.
"Hey g-"
"SHH!!!" Bella clapped a hand over my mouth and shushed me. I looked at her in confusion, trying to ignore the feeling of her soft fingers over my lips.
"Don't tell them I'm here yet. I need a second to prepare." She whispered.
I nodded, and she removed her hand and slumped back in the uncomfortable chair. Rose and Emmett were trying to occupy Vera and Henry as they searched for Bella, and Alice had somehow gotten onto Jasper's shoulder. Charlie was up at the desk, making sure that her flight arrived. We would have been fine for another minute or two, if EJ hadn't decided he was bored.
"Ow!" Bella shot up a second after the pacifier hit her head. "Eric sweetheart, I already have a headache."
"Bella?!?" Four heads swung around to look at us incredulously.
"Found her." I said warily, unsure of how draining this experience would be for the weary traveler.
"Bella!!! I'm so happy to see you!" Alice said as she hopped off Jasper's shoulders and ran over to Bella, enveloping her in a hug.
"Me too, Alice." Bella said as she hugged her back.
"Hey there Bella. It's good to see you again." Jasper said jovially as he pulled Alice a safe distance away. He could tell how tired she was and decided to remove as much stress as possible.
"Hey Jasper. Where's Rose and Emmett? I want to see the babies." Bella said. She was trying to act upbeat, but she looked absolutely dead on her feet.
"Hey Bells." Rosalie said softly, one arm cradling her daughter and the other gently leading Emmett to the right direction. He was too busy trying to get Henry to sleep to notice anything.
"Oh, Rosalie. She's beautiful." Bella breathed as she set eyes on Vera.
"This is Vera Esme Cullen." Rosalie introduced. "And that is Henry Carlisle Cullen."
"They're perfect, Rose." She whispered reverently. Vera stared back at her with her wide blue eyes and Bella smiled.
"Oh! Hey there Bella!" Emmett whispered loudly when he realized who was there.
"Bells?"
"Dad?" Bella's head shot up as she glanced around, searching for the familiar voice.
"Hi Bella, I got your luggage." The Chief said as he awkwardly shuffled three suitcases over.
"I didn't think you were coming." Bella said softly. She walked up to him and gave him a hug. After a second, he wrapped his arms around his daughter's slim frame. His cheeks turned a red color, and in that second, they had never looked more alike.
"It's nice to have you home. And hey, I got the cast off." He said, trying desperately to change the subject.
"Have you been going to physical therapy like you're supposed to?" Bella threw back immediately.
"Oh. Well…um. You see…erm…" He sputtered.
"That would be a no." She decided. "That's going to change."
"Back and in business." Charlie grumbled, rolling his eyes. "You're more of a parent than I am."
"You're a great parent, Ch-dad." Bella disagreed. She seemed to wilt as she stood, drooping more and more with each passing second.
"It looks like Bella's tired. How bout we head home?" I suggested as I shifted EJ and grabbed Bella's carry on bag. She glared half-heartedly, but did nothing to stop me.
"Sounds good to me. These two need to get to bed. I didn't realize when they said 4, they meant 7." Rosalie said wryly as she readjusted Vera's little designer hat.
"Oh, I'm sorry guys. You didn't have to wait for me." Bella said.
"C'mon Bells, it's half the fun!" Emmett boomed, momentarily forgetting the tiny sleeping child in his arms. Henry began crying loudly and the look on Emmett's face was priceless. "Uh-oh. Shh, Henry, Daddy's sorry. Shh…"
Rosalie rolled her eyes and bade us good night before swaying out towards the parking lot, Emmett following in her footsteps.
"Well, we should probably get going too. Jazz has got a new patient in the morning at some ridiculously early time-"
"Alice honey, five isn't ridiculous." Jasper interjected, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder.
"It's before the sun rises!" she protested.
"Alice…he thinks…he thinks he's a vampire." Jasper muttered quietly.
"A vampire?" Alice hooted. "Now that is ridiculous!"
"And what happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?" I asked wryly. Jasper shot me a frantic look, urging me to keep quiet. Alice had an interesting past, and the only thing she asked of Jasper was for them not to keep secrets. Since Jasper was a psychiatrist, this was a constant problem. Usually, he told her the gist of the patient's problem and if it got resolved, nothing more. I rolled my eyes at him and he smiled in relief.
"Alice is right though, we do need to be going. It's nice to have you home, Bella." Jasper said warmly before they turned to follow Emmett and Rose. And then there were four…
"Here dad, let me take one of those."Bella said.
"No, I've got it. Why don't you and Edwin-"
"Edward." She corrected.
"Right, Edward," he said sheepishly. "Go and get the car. I'm sure he wants to get his little one home soon too."
"You two drove together?" She asked skeptically.
"It hardly made sense to drive two separate cars when we only live a few minutes away." I shrugged. Chief Swan nodded in agreement, and Bella eyed the two of us suspiciously.
"Kay." She said, though it was clear the subject was far from dropped.
"I'll wait by the doors." Chief Swan said as we walked off.
"Can I hold him?" Bella asked after a moment of silence. I looked at her in confusion for a moment before she giggled.
"The baby, Edward. Can I hold EJ?" she rephrased.
"Of course," I chuckled as I passed him to Bella. She cooed at him for a second and he happily gurgled back, grabbing at her fingers with his sticky ones.
"He's really grown." She mused.
"It has been four months." I pointed out.
"What did my dad say to you?" she asked suddenly.
"I'm sorry?" I asked, trying to play dumb.
"You know what I said. What did he talk to you about?" She asked, glaring at me. EJ grew tired of being ignored and began grabbing at various locks of Bella's hair.
"No Eric, what did Daddy tell you about pulling on hair?" I scolded, reaching over and replacing her hair with his pacifier.
"And now you're changing the subject. Stop that and answer me." She demanded.
"He's just being a concerned parent." I told her, hoping that would end it.
"And?" She asked expectantly.
"And…he told me about Jacob Black." I confessed. She flushed and groaned, obviously not happy about that particular admission. "But it's not that bad! You told me the simple version and he told me a few more hairy details, that's all."
"Look, can we just forget that he ever said anything about that? It was in the past and I just want to forget about it." She plead as she ducked out of the way of EJ's pacifier, which was on a dangerous collision course with her eye.
"I'm not going to judge you on your past, just as I hope you won't judge me on mine." I promised.
"I wouldn't dream of it." She insisted. We walked to the car in amiable silence, and I noticed how Bella seemed to droop more and more with each step she took.
"Long flight?" I asked sympathetically.
"You have no idea." She groaned. I grimaced sympathetically. I had been on multiple awful flights, raging from a screaming infant to the large sweaty man sitting next to me who had vomited profusely during takeoff and any turbulence.
"Screaming baby?" I guessed.
"I was sitting in the middle of a couple in the midst of a nasty divorce. The woman was pregnant with either the pool boy's child or the personal trainer's child, and the man was trying to run off with his step-daughter, who was engaged to said pool boy." She shuddered.
"That's…disgusting."
"Especially considering that this was a couple in their mid-fifties."
"That's…really unnecessary."
"Needless to say, I'm exhausted." She said with a wry smile. I chuckled and move to dislodge the pacifier from Bella's hair.
"Eric James Cullen, you are not being very good today." I scolded him again. Bella laughed, and I realized just then how much I missed that musical noise. EJ smiled up at her and she gave him an Eskimo kiss, giggling once more.
"No, he's fine. He's already made my day so much better." She said happily. I grinned, feeling incredibly happy to have our skewed family of nine together again. Of course, no one would be able to tell for how long, since Bella might kill us for the surprise welcome home party tomorrow, but I would enjoy the bliss for as long as I could.
"After you," I said as I opened the exit door in a horrible British accent, earning another addictive laugh from Bella. We laughed and joked all the way back to the car, enjoying being two old friends catching up again. I helped Bella into the backseat after EJ was carefully buckled into his carrier and started the car. We drove up to the doors in silence, and when I glanced back, I noticed Bella nodding off.
Chief Swan and I sat in awkward silence all the way back, fearing that any noise would wake either Bella or EJ, who were both fast asleep. When we arrived back at the Chief's house, we made sure to shut our doors very quietly. After unloading the luggage at the front door, Chief Swan went back to the car to wake up Bella. But when I arrived at his side, she looked too peaceful to wake up. I unbuckled her seatbelt and scooped her up in my arms. Chief Swan shot me a glare, but after looking down at his sleeping daughter, he opted to say nothing.
"Where should I set her down?" I whispered once the Chief and I were inside his house. He grumbled incoherently for a moment or two while he took off his coat.
"Upstairs, first door on the left." He mumbled, shooting me a warning look. It was clear that he was not happy to have a man escorting his daughter up to her bedroom.
"Thanks," I said in a hushed voice as I started up the stairs.
Once I arrived at the correct door, I had to fumble for a moment to support Bella's head and open the door, and she stirred.
"Whaa…?" She mumbled in a thick, sleepy voice.
"Shh, Bella. Go back to sleep." I told her gently. She complied, resting her head on my chest and clutching onto my shirt with tight fists. I smiled down at her and pushed the door open with my shoulder. I had to stop for a moment and inhale the aroma that was wafting through the room. It smelled like strawberries and freesia and happiness. Just like Bella.
The real problem occurred when I tried to set her down on her bed. She laid down and cuddled into the pillow, but refused to unclench her little hands. I tried to just walk away, but her hands were gripped too firmly. In the end, I had to pry each of her fingers away from my shirt and wrap them around her blanket before she relaxed. I straightened out, smoothing my shirt in the process, and surprised myself when I bent down to kiss her forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Bella." I wished her before shutting off the light and closing the door. After bidding Chief Swan a good evening, I made my way back home.
***
The next morning, EJ and I were supposed to go over to Emmett and Rosalie's place to babysit Vera and Henry for a while so that they could meet with an advertising company. Emmett's garage was taking off and he was starting to look into giving business that extra push so he could try and open another one.
Unfortunately, as soon as I got EJ to bed, I fell asleep. Without setting my alarm. So I woke up with a start five minutes before we were supposed to be at Emmett's. The drive alone would take fifteen minutes, much less getting ready.
"Shit!" I cried as I looked at the clock through bleary eyes. I leapt out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom, determined to make it to Emmett's in twenty minutes. I saved time by brushing my teeth while I was in the shower, and I threw on sweats as soon as I toweled off.
I'm…too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts.
"Emmett." I growled. The phone was nearly done ringing by the time I got to it, so I was running low on patience.
"What?" I snapped.
"God Edward, who killed your puppy?"
"Emmett, I'm running late. If you need to get your meeting, I have to go…"
"That's what I was calling about." He interrupted. "The meeting isn't going to start for another half-hour."
"In that case, I'll see you soon. Bye." I said quickly, hanging up.
"Five minutes, five minutes, five minutes…" I muttered incoherently under my breath as I raced around the house, trying to grab everything I'd need for the day. In my haste, I knocked over a pan that was sitting on the stove, unwashed and filled with day-old pasta. The clatter it made caused EJ to wake up and freak out.
His little screams echoed in the normally silent house, and I raced up the stairs to grab him and a change of clothes and race off.
"Shh, EJ, Daddy's here. Everything's fine." I told him as I crept over to his crib. He continued to cry, despite my pleas. In fact, he never stopped. Twenty minutes later as I sped into Emmett's driveway, he was still crying, though a bit more quietly.
"Edward!" Rosalie cried as soon as I got to the door. She had somehow managed to open the door with the twins in her arms, and unfortunately, they were crying too. "Thank God you're here! Emmett left thirty seconds ago and I need to go follow before the meeting starts!"
I half-smiled and tried to avoid letting the section of my hair that managed to still be wet drip on EJ and make him more upset as I jogged into the house. As quickly as I could, I set EJ down in one of the baby swings set up in their living room and ran back to grab the twins. As soon as Rosalie gave them a kiss n their foreheads, she all but sprinted out the door.
I blew that wet chunk of hair off my forehead and shut the door before slowly turning around. There were three screaming infants locked in a house with me for who knows how many hours.
God help me.
So this is shorter than usual, but I wanted to get it posted. And yes, I should be forced to live with that annoying chick on American Idol (I think her name is Tatiana?) for several days at least cause once again, I was a crap updater.