Chapter Eleven: What I'm Feeling

Bella POV

"He...he makes me feel alive again." I sighed into the phone later that night. "Mom, I didn't think I'd ever be okay after I lost Edward."

"Sweetie, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that." She told me. "When you refused to see Aiden after he was born, I was scared for you. I was scared that you'd never bounce back or be happy again."

"I was stupid to not want him." I said, looking into the living room and watched Aiden play with his Hot Wheels. "He's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I know." She whispered. "He always will be."

"You don't think he'll ever resent me?"

"Resent you?"

"For not having Edward or something?" I asked. "I don't want him...resenting me or wanting nothing to do with me because Edward isn't around."

"Bella, when he's older, he'll understand why Edward isn't around."She told me. "There isn't anything you could have done to save him."

"I know." I whispered.

"So, tell me more about this Emmett." She said, changing the subject. "I mean, I knew he's pretty good looking since I saw him at Aiden's birthday this year, but what's he like?"

"He's...well, he's like Edward in a lot of ways...but very different at the same time." I mused. "He's smart, funny, ambitious...and his eyes. Mom, did you see his eyes?"

"I wasn't paying very close attention." She laughed.

"They're blue...like a vibrant blue." I breathed, thinking of his eyes locking with mine. "And, he's a pretty good kisser."

"A good kisser, huh?" She asked. "That's always a plus."

"For sure." I laughed. "When are you guys coming again? I miss you."

"Bella, you just left."

"I know." I sighed. "I still miss you and I know Aiden does too."

"Well, we were thinking Thanksgiving."

"Good. I really want you to meet Emmett...like really meet him and talk to him."

"I'd like that too."

"Mommy?" I heard Aiden's small voice ask from the living room.

"I gotta go, Mom." I said, standing up. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, kiddo." She said as I hung up. I walked into the living room and saw Aiden huddled in the corner, gripping his hand.

"Aiden?" I asked as I walked closer. "Aiden, sweetie, what are you doing?"

"It hurts." He wined. "Mommy, it hurts."

"What does?" I asked, kneeling beside him and finally seeing the blood gushing from his small hand. I picked him up into my arms, and saw the nail that was sticking out of the ground, his blood all over it. "Oh, Aiden." I sighed, walking over and getting a wet wash cloth, putting it around his cut hand.

"Shhh, mommy is going to get you help." I whispered after he'd began crying from the pain. Even as a baby, Aiden wasn't much of a cryer and I knew he was in a lot of pain. I strapped him into his car seat, and made my way to the hospital. He was hystarically crying by the time I parked the car in the lot and rushed him into the ER.

"Hi, my son cut himself on a nail that was sticking up in our living room." I told the nurse at the desk.

"How old?"

"Two." I said as she handed me papers. I filled them out as quickly as I could and went to hand them to the nurse. "Is it possible to have Dr. Cullen treat him? He's a family friend."

"Sure." The nurse smiled. "Follow me." I picked Aiden up and thankfully, his sobs had died down once the nurse put ice on his hand as I filled forms out. We were taken to a smaller room and sat down on the bed with him in my lap.

"Hello." Carlisle said as he walked inside. Aiden perked up at the sound of his voice, but didn't take his head out of my shoulder. "Aiden, what happened, buddy?"

"Ouchie." He wined.

"He was playing in the corner of the living room and cut his hand on a nail that was sticking up." I explained as Carlisle forced Aiden out of my grip. "I don't know where it came from..I was really careful when checking the room."

"Something might have been pushed out of place, exposing the nail." Carlisle suggested. "My daughter, Bree, cut herself on wood that we hadn't sanded down enough when she was a little older than Aiden."

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked as Carlisle removed the gloves.

"He's going to need stitches, and I'm going to give him antibiotics so it doesn't get infected, but he'll be just fine." We spent the next twenty minutes in the room while Carlisle stitched his hand up. Thankfully, the cut wasn't very deep and it only took five stitches in all. Thankfully, Aiden had calmed down enough and let Carlisle do his job and it didn't take any longer than needed.

"Okay, what did Carlisle say not to do?" I asked after he was all done.

"Play with them." He answered, not taking his eyes off of his hand.

"Right." I laughed, hugging him tightly. "Thanks so much, Carlisle."

"It's my job." He said proudly. "Now, Aiden I'm going to need to see you in seven days so I can take these out. You can just bring him over and avoid this." He offered, turning to me.

"Thanks." I sighed, putting Aiden's coat on. "I appreciate it."

"As I said, just doing my job." He said as he stood up and walked us to the door of the hospital. "I'll get him his antibiotics tonight and drop them off?"

"Sounds good. Say bye, Aiden."

"Bye!" He screeched...he'd clearly forgotten about the pain in his hand. from a few hours ago. The drive home didn't take long and after stopping at Wendy's for a kids meal, Aiden had completely forgotten about the stitches in his hands. The two of us sat at the table that evening, and I was enjoying my time with him a little bit more tonight. I was a complete klutz as a child, and even into my teens and I couldn't imagine what my mother was thinking each time we got into the car. It was a terrifying experience tonight and I never wanted to do this again. Ever.

I wrapped his little hand up in a plastic baggie and put him in the tub for his bath. As usual, the bathroom was soaking wet by the time we were done and by the time we got out, he was complaining about his hand hurting.

"Mommy is going to see what she can do." I said as I finished pulling up his PJ bottoms. "Stay here."

"Okay." He whispered, grabbing his elephant from behind the bars to his crib. I walked into the bathroom and got poured him a small dosage of Children's Tylenol and went back into his room. He gagged and squinted his face, but it went down easily and after swallowing, was already at his bookcase, picking out a story. "This one."

"Aiden, we've read this a hundred times." I huffed when I saw that he'd picked Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

"Please!" He wined as the doorbell rang. I picked him up off my lap and set him down as I went to answer the door. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Emmett standing there, a white paper bag in his hands.

"What are you doing here?" I asked after giving him a quick kiss.

"Carlisle told me about what happened to Aiden." He shrugged. "And, I offered to bring you this."

"What?" I asked, taking the bag from him.

"Aiden's antibiotics."

"You only offered so you could see me." I laughed, letting him inside. "But, I'm not complaining."

"EM!" I heard Aiden shout from behind me. I turned to see him, with his smile wide.

"Hey, little guy." Emmett laughed. "How do you feel?"

"I gotta boo-boo today." He said, holding up his hand. "But, Carlisle made it better."

"He always does." Emmett laughed.

"Will you read to me?" He asked after he'd dragged Emmett to his room. "Please?"

"If it's okay with your mom." Emmett said, pointing to me.

"Sure." I whispered, sitting down on the floor in front of the rocking chair. Emmett read Aiden his book, and Aiden was out like a light as I put him into his crib. Emmett left us to have out mommy/son moment, and I was out of the room within minutes. I walked out and smiled when I saw Emmett sitting on the couch, wine glasses and a bottle of wine on the side table.

"I hope you don't mind." He laughed as I sat down next to him.

"Not at all." I sighed as he opened the bottle. "It's been too long since I've had a good glass of wine...at home anyway." I said, remembering the wine he'd bought me last night.

"Well, here is to a speedy recovery for Aiden." He said, clinking our glasses together.

"Here! Here!" I laughed, taking a sip. "Thanks for coming by."

"No problem."

"I mean it, Emmett." I whispered, turing towards him. "I...I forgot what this felt like."

"Like what felt with?"

"This." I said, pointing to us. "Being close with someone. Being able to be honest about everything and not even giving it a second thought."

"Yeah." He seamed to gulp before taking a big sip of his wine.

"Aiden really loves you." I added. "While we were in the ER, he kept asking if you were gonna come and sit with him. And, the look on his face when you showed up. It's like the look...the look a kid gives his dad after coming home from work."

"I'll never be Edward." He whispered.

"No." I sighed. "No one is ever going to replace him as Aiden's father. Aiden will always know who Edward is. But, he can have someone fill that void for him."

"Bella,"

"I know we just started dating, but my son...that little boy in there...loves you to death, Emmett." I told him. "I want him to have someone to throw a baseball with. Or teach him how to use a lawn mower. I need him to have that father figure."

"Are...you...are you asking me?" He asked, and I could see the sweat dripping down his brow.

"Not if you don't want to." I whispered. "But, if you don't plan on...being there for him...please back off."

"Bella,"

"Emmett, I can't have him losing someone else." I told him sternly. "He's the most important person in my life, and I can't have him getting attached to you for you to walk away."

"I don't want him feeling like I'm trying to replace Edward."

"He'll know you aren't." I assured him. "Trust me, he's going to know all about Edward and everything he was. He will know who his father was. But, his father can't teach him how to play baseball."

"Then, I'd be happy to be the baseball coach." He laughed, pulling me into him. Our lips brushed together, before I heard a window breaking and a deathly scream coming from Aiden's room.

"Aiden!" I yelled, jumping up from the couch and racing towards his room. "AIDEN!"

"Mommy!" He yelled as I opened the door and turned on the light. I looked around the room and saw no one but Aiden in there and sighed relief. Tears began streaming down my cheeks as I raced to pick him up.

"Shhh." I tried to sooth as I held him in my arms. "Mommy's here. You're okay."

"He was scary, mommy." He sobbed as I glanced over at Emmett who was pale white.

"Who?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"The monster."

"It's okay, baby." I soothed, rubbing his back. "He won't be coming back."

Aiden didn't sleep for the rest of the night and I held him in my arms until morning came. Finally, as the sun was coming up, he'd fallen asleep and I called he school, telling them I wouldn't be in that day. Emmett did everything he could to find the guy who'd broken in, but there was no trace of him anywhere, and the police hadn't found any fingerprints to show who it was.

As Aiden slept, I packed us both a bag. There was no way I was staying here while this creep was out there and I had already made plans to stay at Jasper and Alice's for a while.

"Mommy!" Aiden called as I was getting his toothpaste from the cabinet.

"I'm in here, darling!" I called. "I'll be right in."

It had been a month since the break in and the police still didn't have any leads. But, Aiden and I had to move on, and we were moving back into our own house.

Through everything that had happened, my bond with Emmett only grew stronger. He was there with me all night the night the house had been broken into. He was on the phone with me every night for two weeks until I could fall asleep on my own. He was there when I thought a tree branch broke a window, and I thought it was the same guy.

Emmett was there with me.

Tonight, Aiden would spend one last night with the Whitlocks since Emmett would be taking me on our...third date. I got to see him often, but since I had Aiden, it was normally the three of us together. I took one last look at myself before grabbing my bag and going downstairs.

"Mama looks pretty!" Aiden screeched as I came down the steps.

"Thanks, baby." I smiled, ruffling his hair. Him and Melody were already best friends, and Alice was already planning their wedding. "Do I look good?" I asked, turning to Alice.

"Emmett won't be able to...stop complimenting you." Alice laughed when she realized the babies were paying attention to what we were saying.

"Look what I found!" Jasper yelled as he came inside, dragging Emmett by the jacket. "Some weird guy on the street."

"Daddy!" Melody squealed. "That's Em!"

"Is it?" He asked, looking over Emmett. "Humph. I guess it is."

"Let me get my coat." I smiled, after kissing and hugging Aiden goodbye. Today, the two of us were spending the night in Forks and planned on just being together. He took me to the nicest restaurants in town, and then we spent the rest of the night, walking in the park, despite the cold weather.

"Are your parents coming in for Thanksgiving?" He asked after he'd bought us hot chocolate from a local shop.

"Yeah." I smiled, getting excited with it being only a few weeks away. "It would have been too hard to go back. Alice's parents are coming too."

"Sounds fun." He said, nodding his head. I stopped walking, and held back. He wasn't being his normal self tonight.

"Emmett?" I asked and he stopped, turning around. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"You're a really bad liar."

"I just...I hate the holidays."

"Oh." I whispered, catching up to him. "You know what?"

"What?"

"So do I." I smiled, causing him to ease up. "I never really liked Thanksgiving anyway. You wait all day to stuff your face. What's the point?"

"Well..."

"I know the real reason we celebrate it." I laughed, punching his side. "I personally don't see why we need to eat ten times more than normal. They didn't even have turkey at the first Thanksgiving.

"Seriously?"

"There is no proof there was." I shrugged. "It could have been any large bird."

"Don't tell my aunt." He laughed. "Esme loves her turkey."

"I promise I won't say anything." I laughed as he pulled me into his side. We walked for a bit more before finding a park bench to sit on. I snuggled up to his side and we just gazed at the stars together. With it being such a small town, there were no city lights interfering with the view of the stars.

"Look!" I shouted, standing up and craning my neck more. "A shooting star."

"Wow." He whispered. "Beautiful."

"Yeah." I whispered as our eyes locked. My breathing became heavy as he leaned into me. We'd shared kisses before, but there was something about this kiss. It was slow, tender, but there was plenty of passion. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist as I squeezed his neck so hard, I thought he'd sufficate.

"Emmett?" I asked after I'd pulled away from him.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go back to your place?"

"Sure." He answered, smiling down at me. We weren't far from his apartment building, and it didn't take long before we were walking down the long hallway. This was it. This was what I wanted. He didn't waist anytime unlocking the door, and let me go in first like the real gentleman he was. He gently shut the door, and made sure Rosalie was out.

"All alone." He smiled after he'd checked the apartment. He took two, long steps and his lips were on mine again. He lifted me into his arms and had his lips on my neck as he carried me to his bedroom. He gently laid me down on the bed, and just stood over me for a few seconds before returning his lips to mine.

I moaned in his mouth as he began to ground into me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist to create more friction. He stopped the kiss abruptly and began to leave a trail of kisses down my chin, to my neck, to my chest. His left hand began massaging my breast as the other stayed firmly in my hair, holding on tight.

I reached up for the buttons on his shirt, and began slowly unbuttoning his shirt, taking my time for each one. Once it finally fell open, my breath hitched. I'd seen him shirtless countless times at the pool, but I'd never been this close to him. I raced my fingers over each muscle he had, and he moaned at the sensation.

He grabbed the hem of the shirt I was wearing, and I lifted my arms, showing him it was okay. He slowly slid it up over my head and dropped it to the floor. His lips met mine again as we moved further onto the bed. I maneuvered myself so that I'd be on top, and caught him off guard when I flipped us.

I took the time to look in his beautiful blue eyes before kissing him again. I left a hot trail of kisses down his neck, and down his stomach over each of his abs. My hands roamed his body, and finally stopped at the buckle of his jeans. I took my time, unbuckling his belt, unsnapping the button, and sliding the jeans down his muscular legs. My eyes popped out of my head when I saw what was underneath his boxers, but before I had time to react, he'd flipped us again.

He took his time, reaching behind me and unclasping my bra. He slid the straps off of my shoulders, and it soon met the rest of our clothing on the floor.

"Beautiful." He whispered as he lowered his lips down to my breasts. He gently sucked on each of my nipples to the point I thought I was going to explode with pleasure. When I couldn't handle anymore, he traveled down my stomach and stopped at the button on my jeans. He unbuttoned and unzipped them, and they were discarded, leaving both of us in only our underwear.

"Emmett." I sighed in pleasure as he began grinding on top of me. "Please."

"Whatever you want." He whispered, taking the elastic on my panties and stretching them so they'd slide off my legs, leaving me bare. "This is what you want?" He asked, making sure."

"Yes." I sighed, lifting my feet and pushing his boxers down. His cock sprang free and I couldn't help but staring. Edward wasn't small, and was good in bed...but Emmett...he was huge.

"We'll go slow." He assured me, brushing hair out of my face. He kissed me again to distract me as he slowly and gently pushed into me. My breath caught once he was finally inside, but out of pleasure and not pain.

"Oh..." I panted as he began to thrust into me. He continued to thrust into me sweetly, which was both enough for us. "Emmett."

"Oh...fuck." He whispered as a layer of sweat began to coat both out bodies. "Bella." He moaned as we both neared our climax. Finally, he thrust into me one last time, and I came apart.

"Oh my god!" I moaned as he stilled inside of me and peace came to my mind when I remembered the sweet, sweet, birth control I was on. He fell limp on top of me, both of our breathing heavy and slow. "Oh wow."

"That was..." He sighed as he pulled out of me and rolled over to my side. He pulled me close to him, and began playing with my hair. Once our breathing was normal, he kissed the top of my head and I just looked at me. "Stay with me."

"I can't." I told him sadly. "I have Aiden."

"Let Jasper and Alice take him." He practically begged. I saw the look in his eyes and finally gave in.

"Okay, let me just call them." I said, sitting up and looking for his phone in his jeans since my bag was in the living room.

"Emmett?" Jasper asked.

"No, Bella." I said as I laid back down with him.

"Hey, Bella. What's up?"

"Can you take Aiden for the night?" I asked, and I knew he'd cocked an eyebrow at me. "I'll...tell you guys tomorrow."

"Sure." He answered without a thought. "You two be good."

"We will be." I laughed, pressing the 'END' button and placing the phone on the nightstand. I fell back into Emmett's grip and sighed in contentment.

I was ready. I was ready to fall in love again. I would always love Edward, no one would take that away. But, I was ready to be with someone again. And I was falling in love with Emmett every moment we spent together.