sorry this was late! every time i've gotten off the phone with my sister lately, my parting line is, "well, i'm going to go work on shades of green." but really, i just fall asleep with my laptop on my lap a lot.

but… last chapter sent shades of green over the 1,000 reviews mark! i was/am so giddy! thank you to everyone that reviews or even just reads. you guys are awesome!

*I don't own Twilight*

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Bella Swan

"Stay with you?" I looked back at Edward, my eyes wide. He was glaring at his father. I looked back at Carlisle and Esme, bouncing Audrey in my arms.

"We'll watch the baby while you go on dates. Sleepovers at our house aren't allowed and we'd prefer if you came home each night. We had set up a bedroom for Audrey for when she was a little older and you wanted time away – there's a crib and everything you would need."

"I…um, Edward?" I looked back at my fiancé, who looked absolutely enraged.

I held Audrey in his line of vision, his face softening immediately at the sight of our daughter.

"I just turned them down for the same offer," Edward said then took a deep breath and sighed, "but it's your decision, Bella."

"We should talk about it, right? Um, Carlisle… Esme… can I call you tomorrow? It's a big decision and Edward and I need to discuss things like this," I said.

Audrey grabbed a handful of my dress, gurgling and happy. She seemed to know she was back home, where she belonged.

"Of course, Bella," Esme said and got up, kissing the top of Audrey's head, then mine and Edward's, "we'd better get going. Carlisle?"

"Of course," Carlisle cleared his throat before standing, "Bella, please give our offer some serious thought. Edward, we'll be talking."

Carlisle's voice had an edge to it and I felt bad – clearly he wasn't happy with his son and the second pregnancy. They said their goodbye's then departed, letting themselves out. Edward didn't move until they left, at which point he got up and started pacing.

"B, I don't blame you if you think this is a good idea," Edward said as he paced.

"In some ways it could be beneficial… I mean, we never really did date. It was nice today, you bringing me flowers," I started but Edward interrupted.

"All right so you want to go? How often can we go on dates?" Edward asked anxiously but I shook my head.

"But I've been without you for eleven days, Edward. I know what it's like… and I know it would be different because we'd be dating but I can't stand waking up without you, I can't stand not going to sleep with you… I can't stand not spending time together. Worst of all, I can't picture taking Audrey away from you again. It was an awful thing to do and I'll regret it forever." I told him, biting my lip, "so unless you'd like me to go… I'd rather not."

"Thank God." Edward whispered as he strode across the room over and pulled Audrey and I against him.

When he pulled back, his voice was soft as he spoke, "Why did you do it? Take my baby girl and not let me see her for ten days?"

"I… I was stupid. I did the one thing I promised I'd never do… maybe I'm no better than my mother but I just freaked out, Edward. I ran and hid and I missed you every second—"

"You missed me every second?" Edward asked in a defensive tone. "B, at least you knew where I was. Alright, I knew where you were from your credit card statements but you turned your phone off, wouldn't accept calls at the hotels and they said you also asked them to keep visitors away, too. You could have called… even for a second. You could have texted me and let me know how my daughter was. Bella, I love you but honestly, if you ever pull this shit again… we'll be done."

I nodded because I understood. I'd leave me too.

"You're right. I was wrong. You should be even angrier with me, Edward. I'd take it back if I could," I whispered.

"I'm not happy with you. I admit it, B. I've been so happy to have you back that I haven't wanted to ruin it by talking about it but we did need to. I still… I don't understand why you ran from me when yeah, I grabbed you but you should know I'd never hurt you. I saw your hand coming at me and I reacted."

"It was stupid… instinct. Your hair was in your eyes and I always move it away," I defended myself.

"When we were fighting like that, Bella? It just… I don't know, maybe over time I'll understand more baby, but at this moment, I don't. I just need you to swear to me that you'll never do it again and I need to know that you understand that if you do, not only are we over but I'll call the cops. You can't keep my kids away from me," Edward finished. His voice sounded pained and hurt and angry.

I had never hated myself more in that moment. I knew we had to make major changes if we were going to spend our lives together. Get married and have this baby and any others that we might decide on.

"I wouldn't blame you for a second if you did that," I said. I looked up at him, worrying my lip between my teeth.

"If you ever need time to yourself… that's fine. If you want to go stay at a hotel for a few night or my parents', I won't be happy but you won't be taking my daughter with you. You want to go, Audrey stays here," Edward said forcefully.

I nodded. He was right.

"Unless we discuss it, I think you're right. Audrey needs stability and there's nothing stable about me taking her with me."

Edward nodded, playing with the ends of my hair.

I took a deep breath before continuing.

"But I do think it would be good if we weren't together twenty-four, seven... but you'll have the firm… I thought it was an awful idea at first but the more I thought about it, it's a good idea… as long as you're not going to spend every waking hour there," I told him seriously.

Audrey fisted my hair and stuffed her fist into her mouth. "Audrey…" I said, trying to carefully get my hair back without getting it yanked. Edward carefully untangled my hair from her chubby little fist and took her from me.

I realized he still hadn't gotten much time with her and felt guilty all over again. I handed her to him and marveled about how tiny she looked when he held her.

"I won't be spending every waking hour there, B. Thirty, forty hours a week, max. I promise, it won't be like Jasper… he opened a private, pediatric practice where he's the only doctor. He's on call constantly and until he finds a partner and more staff, that's how it will be. I don't think he expected the influx of patients that he's gotten.

"Then with Emmett… he's just obsessed with Twilight. He's been a control freak since we were kids, always freaking out that if he's not there, it'll be a total disaster. I have a partner who wants to work a ton of hours, who doesn't have a wife or kids. Plus, we'll have interns and legal secretaries, baby. I'll be a partner but one that handles all the pro-bono work and the major cases," Edward explained.

I nodded, soothing Audrey's curls. It might be the color of Edward's but thankfully, it wasn't out of control like his. She didn't have a lot of hair yet but at the base of her neck – where most of her hair was – were little curls.

"I believe you, Edward," I said and smiled up at him.

He leaned down and kissed me softly.

"I'm glad, baby," Edward said as he soothed my hair like I had just done with our daughter's. "I told my parents that I knocked you up again."

"I know, I was eavesdropping," I smiled a little at him.

He shrugged and looked apologetic, "It's fine, Edward… they were the main ones I didn't want to know though."

"Why?"

"Honestly… I don't want anyone to think I came back because the baby. I decided I was coming back today, before we knew about her," I told him, grazing my fingers over my stomach without even really realizing it.

Edward reached down with his free hand, covering mine with his much bigger one.

"Her?" Edward asked with raised eyes and a little bit of a smirk.

"Mother's intuition," I insisted with a laugh.

"So, now that they know anyway… we can tell other people?"

I shrugged, "Sure."

"I'm so fucking glad you're back," he whispered seriously and I felt my eyes fill with tears.

"I won't do that to you again," I promised, wiping my eyes.

Edward pulled me against him and we stood there until Audrey started fussing.

"Let's put her on the floor for tummy time and we'll look at all the pictures I took," I told him and he agreed. I laid out a blanket on the floor with the Boppy and Edward laid her on the floor so she was propped up on the pillow. She fussed for a few seconds but stopped as she put her hand in her mouth.

Once Audrey was settled in, Edward sat on the couch. I went and grabbed my phone, camera and laptop. While we waited for the pictures to load onto the laptop, I showed him the pictures on my phone.

"Wow, B… she's changed so much in such a short period of time. Her hair's grown a lot," Edward said, smiling. I had taken a ton of pictures with both cameras, which he ooh'd and aww'd over.

We spent about an hour looking at pictures, one of us checking on Audrey every few minutes. She was pretty good with tummy time; she loved trying to hold her head up.

I gave him a commentary on each picture, telling him exactly what was going on when I took it.

Once we were done, Audrey was yawning and clearly ready for bed.

I went to pick her up but Edward beat me to it, stating, "I need some father-daughter time with my girl."

So Edward went to change her into pajamas and put her to bed. I went into our bathroom and made sure my hair looked fine before washing my face.

I debated putting on some sexy lingerie but honestly, I wasn't sure that I was in the mood. I put on plain white boy-shorts and one of Edward's t-shirts before climbing into bed.

I leafed through a book that I had been reading before I left, forgetting which page I was on.

Edward walked in about thirty minutes later and flashed a grin at me before disappearing into the bathroom.

"She kept crying when I put her in the crib," he called out to me.

"What'd you do?" I called back, frowning.

I knew I'd spoiled her by letting her sleep in bed with me and that she wouldn't go back to sleeping alone easily.

I just forgot to warn Edward.

"I kept picking her up but she'd fuss because she was tired and you know how sometimes she doesn't like to fall asleep being held? I think it was one of those nights. Finally I just left her in her crib and she stopped crying after like two minutes then was out like a light," he responded.

I heard water running and the sounds of him brushing his teeth. I smiled because these were the simple things I'd missed.

"Oh, I'm glad she went down without too much trouble… she slept in bed with me the whole time we were gone," I admitted.

Edward walked into the bedroom, flipping off the light in the bathroom. He was wearing boxers and looked amazing, "Ah, I thought so. She wanted to sleep with mommy, huh?"

"And Daddy… I think she's missed you," I smiled at him. He grinned and leaned over to kiss me before going over to the television, "You want to watch something?"

I shook my head, "No, you can turn it off."

"Tired?" Edward asked, looking slightly disappointed. I could tell he was looking forward to… something.

I shrugged, "Maybe a little."

Edward's came over and got into bed next to me, gently kissing my lips. I parted my own and his tongue was immediately in my mouth. His hands slid down my sides and I felt his hand slide up, under my shirt.

His light touch tickled my bare skin, leaving goose bumps, until he reached the sides of my breasts.

He stroked my breast gently and it felt good until he moved his hand and palmed my overly sensitive breasts.

"Ow!"

My breasts were slightly more swollen due to the new pregnancy but the worst part is that my nipples were swollen and painful – so much so that breastfeeding and pumping was difficult. I didn't want to discontinue but I was definitely trying to calculate if there was enough frozen breast milk to last until Audrey was at least twelve weeks.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Bella. I forgot…"

I moved his hand away and smiled at him, "Its fine, I'm fine…"

I sat up and he pulled my – or his, really – t-shirt over my head.

Edward grinned at the sight and I lay back down and Edward pulled me against him. We laid in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

I thought about how lucky I was that he had taken me – not just Audrey – back. A lot of men wouldn't have done that. It was probably the worst thing I've ever done in my life and I'd always regret it.

I thought about Carlisle's offer and I wondered if I should have a long talk with the Cullen's and explain to them that the whole thing, really was, my fault.

I thought about Renee and how I should call her; invite her out to see Audrey. Maybe she could come for the wedding early and meet her granddaughter. If Audrey ever had a daughter and kept her from me, I'd be very hurt. Renee might not be the best mom but maybe she would be a good grandmother. It was an easy act, you got to play with the baby when she's happy then hand her back when she cries. It's actually perfect role for Renee, pretty much what she had done with me as a child.

I thought about Rose and Alice and how much I missed them even though I was still embarrassed to call them. I know Edward said they didn't think I was shoving my money in their faces and that they all came from well-off families so they could buy what they wanted, when but I was self-conscious. In a few days, I'd call them and invite them and their babies over. The three of us were pregnant together, which was crazy.

I thought about this pregnancy and wondered if it would be much different than Audrey's. I just hoped labor went as fast. I couldn't wait for the ultrasound at my next appointment, in a month, to make sure the baby is good and healthy. I really wanted a second girl but a boy would be pretty cool. I just hoped that the baby was as healthy as Audrey seemed. Audrey was so perfect that I knew we'd been spoiled. I remembered when Charlotte was born, she cried night and day for months. I hoped this baby wouldn't do that.

I thought about… food, just as my stomach growled. I covered it with both hands, blushing. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and I'd read how much more you need to eat when you're breastfeeding and pregnant.

"You're hungry, aren't you? Fuck, you haven't eaten at all. Let me grab you something," Edward said and before I could protest, he was out the bedroom door. I grabbed the t-shirt and pulled it back on.

After fifteen minutes, Edward still wasn't back so I sat against the pillows on the bed and flipped on the television and DVD player, finding The Hangover still in there from the last time we'd watched it so I put it on and waited for Edward.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, Edward was waking me up, "Come on, baby… you've gotta eat."

It smelled like… eggs and bacon and… something else that smelled delicious. My stomach growled louder, "Mmmm…"

Edward was laughing, "B, wake up."

I snuggled deeper into the bed until the smell of food got closer, right under my nose. I blinked my eyes open and saw a carefully arranged plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries.

"Oh! This is way too much, Edward! I should be cooking for you," I sat up. Edward settled the tray of food across my lap. There was a glass of milk along with a tiny vase with one of the flowers from my bouquet. I noticed Edward didn't have any food, though. "Aren't you eating?"

"No, my parents brought over fast food earlier. I ate then and there was some for you but it didn't look great and I know you'd rather eat fresh food," Edward said, shrugged.

"Thank you for doing this," I said before I dug into my food. I didn't realize how hungry I was because before I knew it, it was gone.

"Wow, baby."

"I have to eat enough to support myself, Audrey and this new baby," I reminded him before I sighed dramatically and gestured to my stomach, "My body is running a marathon, Edward!"

Edward chuckled, "Want more?"

I debated, "Just eggs? Wait, I can get it myself."

"No… you stay and rest. Your body must be awfully tired from that marathon," Edward laughed as he kissed my forehead.

I started watching the movie seriously, it wasn't far into it. I watched and Edward returned a few minutes later, a full plate of steaming eggs in his hand.

Taking it from him, I tried to wait for it to cool down before eating but still ended up burning my mouth.

"You're such a good cook," I moaned as I sat back and rubbed my stomach. Edward chuckled, taking the tray when I was done and putting it on the side of the bed.

"You were just so starving that anything would have tasted great," Edward joked, leaning over and kissing my forehead again.

I angled my head so that I could kiss him on his lips, which turned into a make out session. Edward palmed my ass before pulling away from the kiss and examining what I was wearing.

"Back into this?" he asked, tracing the neckline.

"Mmm, it smells like you."

"I can't see much of you, it's too baggy."

I laughed.

"I'm just surprised, usually you wear sexy stuff to bed," Edward said.

My cheeks flushed. Edward went back to kissing me, kissing down to my neck and along my collarbone.

Kissing my neck, he sucked hard enough that there would definitely be a mark. I moaned softly.

Edward grabbed my ass again, squeezing roughly, making me moan.

"Do you promise that on our honeymoon we'll –"

I couldn't believe that after the day we'd had, he was asking about this so I tried to change the subject.

"Our honeymoon… we can't go on our honeymoon when I'm pregnant!" I insisted. I wanted to be able to relax, to drink on our honeymoon. I wanted to go somewhere exotic and warm and sit on a beach all day.

"So, we're not going on a honeymoon?" Edward asked, surprised.

"Well… we will… just, next year. Maybe for our anniversary… if this one's born in April, by September… she'll be what… five months? We can go on our anniversary then," I told him seriously.

Edward groaned softly but then smirked, "We can work on number three on our honeymoon then."

I laughed softly, "Three babies two years, why not?"

Edward squeezed my ass again, wanting to get back on point, "What about this?"

"What about my ass?" I pushed against his hand.

"It's amazing. And I was promised anal on our honeymoon," Edward complained.

"Aww, poor Edward… being forced to wait to have anal sex," I laughed at him before cupping his cheek and kissing him softly, "One time, soon, we'll have your parents watch the baby and we'll go out on a date… then we'll see what happens after that date," I told him seriously.

He looked like you told him the Cubs won the World Series. The grin on his face was adorable.

"We're resting for the rest of the night, then."

"But… wait, I want sex," I whispered, kissing his neck, up to his jaw line, nipping gently.

"I want to save it all for that night," Edward insisted, "I want to get off before we do it so I last longer even though I don't think I'll last long at all," his voice sounded contemplative and I could tell he was seriously trying to think this out.

"Alright, alright… we'll plan out the details later," I giggled.

Edward nodded but he still seemed deep in thought. I reached over and turned off my lamp, yawning loudly.

"You must be exhausted, B. Long day, huh?"

I nodded, snuggling under the covers. Edward got under the covers too and pulled me against him, inhaling deeply.

"God, I've missed falling asleep with you," he whispered in my ear.

"I had so much trouble falling asleep," I whispered back, my eyes filling with tears, "I couldn't sleep without you."

"Baby… oh, B, don't cry. We'll be fine, we're together now."

"Forever?" I asked, looking up at him with wide, watery eyes and sniffled.

Edward wiped a tear away before kissing me a few times with his full lips.

"Forever," Edward promised.

"Thank you, Edward," I whispered.

Edward turned the television off with the controller before turning his light off. He held me tight against him and I was almost asleep before he spoke again.

"Rose and Alice are coming over tomorrow to see you. Sleep tight, B."

Sleep tight? Now that was the last thing I would do.

they're making progress – bella didn't say yes or no before speaking with edward in private. also, he confronted her about leaving and made it clear what he would do if she did it again. what are your thoughts?

reviews will get you a preview of something.

STORY RECS:

The Velveteen Mother by krismom – it's sweet and funny and some of the things that esme does remind me of my mom.

Relative Wind by Mac214 - DILFward, not as you're used to. he is also referred to as mougar so you know it's a funny story. fantastically written.