Bella

We stand in the hall bathroom of our apartment, staring at two plastic sticks with pink lines on them.

"A watched pot never boils," Edward mutters.

"What?" I ask, all jittery.

"Maybe we should go to another room for the next three minutes."

"Okay." We go to the kitchen and stand there just as we did in the bathroom, each waiting for a cue from the other. When our eyes meet, we both give a nervous laugh. "This is silly."

Edward grins and puts his arms around me. "It's not silly. It's just…unnerving, waiting for a plastic stick to possibly change our lives."

"What if it's positive?" I ask, biting my lip and looking up at him. Even though his reaction was far better than I anticipated, the whole thing was still a huge shock. It's certainly not something I was prepared for in any way.

He shrugs. "What if it is?"

"You're being awfully nonchalant about this."

"I'm trying not to expect anything one way or the other. If it's positive, then we deal with what comes next. If it's negative, we move on. We love each other. We're happy together. That's what's important."

"We have a lot of big talks ahead of us," I say, picking at a loose thread on his sweater.

"Yeah."

I lean my head against Edward's chest and listen to his steady heartbeat. Baby or no, I think it's safe to say our bubble has been popped, dropping us smack dab in the middle of reality. There are many discussions to be had, the type that will be determined by the test results.

"Has it been three minutes yet?" I whisper.

"Yes," he whispers back. But neither of us can move.

Eventually, he tilts my face up to his. "I love you no matter what." Then he kisses me sweetly. But sweet melts into needy, and I pull away with swollen lips.

"Now we're just procrastinating, I think."

He nods and kisses me once more before taking my hand and leading me into the bathroom. Again we stare at the sticks, at one line in each window. My heart flutters. "What does it mean?"

Edward peeks at the instructions again, furrowing his brow in concentration. "I think there's supposed to be a plus sign in one of the windows if it's positive."

I grab the creased paper from his hands and compare the illustration to the real thing. Two lines...no plus sign... "They're both negative," I say, collapsing against him.

He holds me and kisses the top of my head twice before turning me to face him. "Tears?" he asks, brushing away the one that falls from my wide eyes.

"Relief, I think?"

"Talk to me," he whispers, gathering me into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's okay. You've had a lot to deal with over the last couple of days."

"Are you relieved?" I ask, looking up at him.

"In a way. Once I started imagining it, I think I got a little excited at the prospect of a little Bella or Edward."

Tears fall in earnest now at his words. Not tears of sadness, or happiness, or even relief. I'm in awe over him, and right now, crying seems to be the only way to express my emotions.

He puts a hand on my abdomen. "One day, maybe," he says. "But we'll be prepared for it then." He chuckles a bit and buries his face in the curve of my neck.

"I love you, Edward."

"Mmmf," is his only answer. He raises his head and graces me with favorite smile. "Let's get that food cooked and get over to Rose and Emmett's."

He tosses the box with the instructions and tests into the trash before we leave the room. I start out the door, but he grabs my hand and pulls me back to him. "Promise me you won't check out next time. You know nothing you tell me will change how I feel about you."

"I promise," I tell him, standing on my tiptoes and wrapping my arms around his neck, leaving a kiss there so he knows. I promise.

"Damn, girl," Jasper says, shaking his head and groaning as he chews. "This is the best pecan pie I've ever had." We're all so stuffed from Thanksgiving dinner, but we cram more in anyway, sitting around the TV and watching some football game I have no interest in.

"Ooh, that's right," Alice says. "You haven't had Bella's pecan pie before."

"Quite the occasion," adds Emmett. "Not to mention my wife's apple and pumpkin pies. I plan to have at least a slice of each." He stretches and rubbed his belly. "In a little while."

"I don't think I'll need to eat again for a week," says Jake. "You ladies did an awesome job."

"I take issue with that 'ladies' remark," Emmett grumbles. "I slaved over that turkey for hours."

Edward and I are nestled together in the chair-and-a-half in Rose and Emmett's living room. He whispers declarations of adoration into my ear every now and then. I've never felt closer to him than I do now.

"You two look like you've kissed and made up," Jessica observes just before Alice kicks her in the ankle. "Ow! What the eff, Alice?"

Alice bats her eyelashes. "What?"

I shake my head, unwilling to take them on, but Edward clears his throat. "Just a misunderstanding. Everything's fine."

"Oh, good," Jake replies. "I was afraid I'd have to pummel you."

I roll my eyes. "Can we just drop it?"

Edward tightens his arm around me, and Jake saves me from further questioning by switching the attention to Ben and Angela. "What's with you two?" he asks. "You've been making googly eyes at each other all day."

"Jesus, Jake, do you always have to be picking on someone?" Rose asks. "I think Jessica's nosiness has rubbed off on you."

Jess narrows her eyes at her, but her smirk tells us she knows it's in jest.

Jake must have picked up on something, though, because Ben and Angela suddenly have a deer-in-the-headlights look. "How about some good news?" Ben says, patting Angela's knee and gazing at her. She blushes, and I wonder if they pulled and Rose and Emmett and ran off to get married.

They seem to have a silent conversation with their eyes before looking back to the rest of us. Ben nudges Angela in the leg, the smile that breaks out over her pretty face is radiant. "I'm pregnant," she says with a shrug.

The room goes silent for a beat before everyone talks at once. Edward kisses me on the temple before he stands to congratulate them.

"Are you okay?" Alice asks me inconspicuously when everyone else is gushing over the parents-to-be.

"Definitely." I told her as soon as we arrived that the test was negative and assured her that everything is fine between Edward and me.

"How far along are you?" asks Rose.

"Twelve weeks."

"Twelve weeks?!" Jess and Rose exclaim in unison.

"Holy crap, Ang, and you just found out?" Jessica asks.

"We found out three weeks ago. Didn't want to say anything yet, just in case," Ben explains, putting his arm around Angela.

"So are you getting married, then?" Jess asks. Sometimes I wonder if she has a brain-to-mouth filter at all.

"We've sort of always known that we would eventually."

I glance over to where Edward sits on the couch to see him watching me. I smile to assure him for the last time that I really am fine. I love you, he mouths, and my smile doubles in size.

When everyone is finished picking at the food, there's a group effort to clean up. One of the best things about my friends is how we all pull together effortlessly to do things like this without even thinking about it. Alice washes dishes, Angela rinses, and I dry. My friends truly are an amazing support system. They're my chosen family. Holidays are admittedly hard for me since I haven't spoken to my father since the night he showed up to arrest James. I spoke briefly with my mother on the phone while the guys were immersed in the football game, and she sounded so happy. She put her new husband Phil on the phone to say hi and forced her sullen teenager of a stepson, Seth, to mumble a hello as well. I can't even think of him as my stepbrother—nor Phil as my stepfather—because I've never met either of them face to face.

But these people around me now? Theyre my family. Even Jasper, and especially Edward, are part of that family now. I love that thoughts of Edward and family coincide. One day we'll start our own little family, and I'll never allow our children to doubt whether there's room in my life for them. I'll make time for them every day. A lump in my throat as I turn my focus to Angela's profile.

She must feel my gaze on her, because she turns to me with a question on her face.

"I'm so happy for you, Ang." I lean my head on her shoulder. "You've always wanted a big family, and now you're finally starting one."

She laughs. "I have a big family." She gestures around the room, mirroring my sentiments.

"How did your parents handle it?" Alice asks.

Angela's dad is a preacher, and her mother is practically a saint.

"They were shocked, just as I knew they'd be. But once we got past that, they were overjoyed. They've always known we'd get married one day, too. They said that no matter what, a baby is a blessing and a miracle, even if it comes earlier than planned. Honestly, they're thrilled."

"I'm so glad," I tell her. I dry the last of the dishes and hand them to Emmett to put away in the cupboard, then go to Edward, who sits at the table with the rest of the guys. He pulls me onto his lap and runs his fingers lightly over my arm.

"What did Mike want with you last night, Bells?" Jake asks, a look of disdain on his face. "I was working up a few choice words for him before Edward intervened."

Edward tenses slightly, and I put my hand over his to let him know it's okay. "He apologized."

At least three other pairs of eyes glance my way. "He said he had some sort of problem that he was getting help for, and he was sorry for everything he'd done. That's the gist of it."

"What kind of problem?" Rose sneers.

"I don't know. That's all he said."

"Drinking," Emmett says simply.

"What? Do you know for sure?"

Emmett nods. "I mean, I went through that stuff with my dad and all. I know what it looks like."

I think back to my confrontation with Mike in the park. He was unkempt and angry. I remember thinking he looked hungover. It makes perfect sense. Edward seems to tense then, and I wonder what's going through his mind. I promised him I wouldn't retreat inside my head anymore. I only hope he'll promise me the same.

Edward

"Edward!" my mom cries over the phone when I call to see how their Thanksgiving went. "Darling, how was your holiday?"

"Hey, Mom. Great. We had dinner with friends, watched football, all that good stuff."

"I'm so glad. And how is Bella?"

"She's great. Makes a pecan pie that rivals yours, by the way."

She laughs. "We'll have to put that to the test. When are you coming to see us? You'd better bring her with you next time. I'm dying to meet the girl who's made my son so happy."

"Christmas. She's already agreed to come with me. And speak of the devil," I say, grinning at Bella as she walks into the room.

"Put her on!"

I kiss Bella's hand as she sits next to me. "Mom wants to talk to you."

A horrified look freezes her face.

"She can't bite you through the phone," I whisper.

Bella rolls her eyes at me but takes the phone and says a timid hello.

"Bella!" Though the phone is no longer near my ear, I can hear my mom's exuberant voice plain as day. "It's so wonderful to hear your voice."

Bella grins, seeming to relax, and I go to our bedroom to change, giving her a chance to talk without me eavesdropping. "It's nice to talk to you, too. I've heard so many wonderful things about you from Edward." Her voice fades away as I reach our room.

I lie back on the bed, rubbing my forehead. Tension set in as soon as Mike's appearance was brought up at dinner, and I know Bella felt it. We haven't had a chance to talk about our little spat at the bar, since we had more important things to concentrate on. Now that we know for sure there's not a baby in our immediate future, we have to talk about what happened. I still feel like an ass-hat for the way I handled things, and Bella obviously feels overwhelmed by my instinct to protect and defend.

She wanders back to the bedroom as I'm undressing for bed. "Your mom's sweet." She smiles and runs her hands over my bare biceps, placing a kiss on my shoulder.

"That she is," I say fondly. "They're looking forward to meeting you at Christmas."

"I could tell." She sits down on the bed and pulls me back down beside her. "Now, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing's really bothering me, but I think we should talk about last night."

She winces. "I'm really sorry for overreacting the way I did."

"No. Bella, I know you were worried. I'msorry for being a… I don't know. A caveman."

She giggles but looks down at our joined hands. "I was afraid. And I know—I know—it's stupid, but I was scared you'd freak and leave me."

"I would never leave you," I tell her, trailing my thumb from her cheekbone down to her chin. "Especially if you were having my baby. Do you not understand the strength—the ferocity—of my love for you?"

She swallows hard, and her brown eyes turn darker. "I do. It was just…a lot to think about all at once."

I nod and tug her hand, and we lie back on the bed facing each other, grasping hands. "I understand. But please, please don't pull away from me when you feel that way."

Her eyes leave mine, focusing on some spot on my chest. "I know. I'm sorry. It's my gut reaction. Look at my relationship with my parents."

I put a hand on the side of her face. "Holidays must be hard for you."

"I was thinking about it earlier. I look around and watch everyone eating and laughing and cleaning up… And I knew that I was with my family. I can't even describe how wonderful that felt."

"And I can't tell you how good it feels to hear you say that." I lean in to kiss her, and she kisses me back softly. She sheds her jeans and sweater, and we maneuver our way under the covers and snuggle together. It's the second night in a row I don't spend inside her, but at least tonight I'm beside her. We express our love in other ways—whispering our thoughts, our love for one another, and instead of being so wrapped up in each other that we can't tell where one ends and the other begins, we fall asleep confident in our future together.

Bella

I sit on the crinkly paper on my doctor's exam table on Monday morning, waiting for her to come back in and give me some sort of news. Edward sits on the swiveling stool nearbly. He insisted on coming with me for moral support.

Dr. Marcus wanted to do another pregnancy test just to be sure that the negative result was correct. It makes me a bit nervous. When she breezes back into the room, my heart flutters in anticipation.

"Well, you're not pregnant."

I breathe a sigh of relief, and Edward grins and winks at me.

"I noticed in your chart that we switched you to a low-hormone birth control a few months back. That's probably the culprit. Not having a period isn't a bad thing. You should be perfectly fine as long as you take your pills as directed." She gives me a smile and pats my knee, telling me to come back any time I have questions.

We walk out of the office, and Edward puts his arm around me. "Sorry if that was awkward for you," I mumble.

"What?" He laughs.

"Don't guys get squeamish about stuff like this?"

He shrugs one shoulder. "It's important for me to know this stuff. You're important to me." He opens the passenger door of the Volvo for me before going around to get in and start the car. He stills for a moment, though, looking as though he has something to say but doesn't want to.

"What's up, babe?" I ask, rubbing his leg.

He turns to face me fully. "In light of recent events, I was just…wondering whether you'd want to add another form of contraception."

I smirk at his formal language. "That's a very clinical way to put it."

He relaxes a bit as he grins sheepishly. "Sorry. I wasn't sure if you'd want to start using condoms, too."

I chew the inside of my cheek. "She said everything should be fine as long as I keep taking the pills the right way, but if you want to use them, I don't have a problem with it."

Edward shakes his head and gives me a bit of a sly look. "Idon't want to use them. I just wondered if you'd feel more comfortable if we did." He brings his lips behind my ear and plants a soft, lingering kiss there. "I want to feel all of you. Nothing between us," he murmurs in a low, rough voice.

A hot flush spreads quickly through my body. We haven't had sex since two nights before Thanksgiving. Six days—the longest we've gone since Edward's trip to Chicago. I crave the intimate contact. My hand creeps slowly up his leg as he drives.

Edward closes the front door behind us and grabs me by the waist, pulling me back against him. "I've missed you," he says, grinding himself against me. He's hard. So hard. Thanks to my relentless teasing in the car, I've got him right where I want him.

I let out a long, slow breath and lean back. Maybe he has me where he wants me. "Me too," I whisper. His lips work me over as we make our way slowly to the bedroom. We end up in our bathroom instead, and he turns on the water in the bathtub without moving his lips from my neck. I love soaking in Edward's—our—huge tub when I want to relax. I move away and put on some music while he pours some bubbles in. When I come back, he pulls me to him for a long, slow, kindling kiss. I let him undress me, and we step into the warm water together, Edward leaning against the back of the tub, me between his legs. His erection is pressed between us, and I love the feeling of it. The fact that he gets so aroused just looking at or thinking about me makes me feel incredibly sexy.

Edward nudges me forward a bit and takes the loofah that sits on the side of the tub, massaging it over my back. "That feels so good," I groan.

He pulls me close again when he's finished and moves the loofah up to my neck and shoulders, lavishing attention on my front, lingering at my breasts. He rubs the sponge lightly over my already pebbled nipples, and I shiver.

"So perfect," he mumbles, abandoning the sponge and sliding his hands over my breasts. My breathing picks up, my heart beating wildly in my chest. When he pinches my left nipple, I moan and arch my back.

His hands slip down my abdomen and move to the insides of my thighs, pushing them apart. I hook them over his, and he palms me with his right hand, slipping a finger inside my body, pumping slowly in and out, teasing me. "That feel good?"

"Yeah."

He adds another finger. "How about this?"

"So good," I whimper.

He continues his gentle pumping and presses the heel of his palm to my most sensitive, swollen part. "And this?"

My answer is just a moan as I buck my hips into his hand, already coming at the rough contact of his guitar-callused fingers. "Yes, Edward," I moan lowly as I writhe, turning my head to push my face into his neck. His dick slips against my ass, and he shifts against me looking for some sort of relief.

"Fuck, baby," he growls. "I can feel you coming. Squeezing me." The second my orgasm dies down, he lifts my limp body carefully from the tub, takes me back into the bedroom, and lays me out across the bed.

We ravish each other with wet kisses and hot touches. When it becomes too much, he slips deep inside me. He stills for a moment as he always does, allowing me a moment to adjust to the feeling of being filled so completely. Our lips never part as he establishes a rhythm, pulling out, pushing in. Neither of us wants to rush it.

"I want this to last forever," I whisper. And I know from his gaze that he understands I mean more than just this one moment.

"Bella." His thrusts speed up a bit more, and he crushes his lips to mine. "I want you forever."

The room fills with murmurs, gasps, sighs. I part my knees wider and dig my heels into the bed as my nails bite into his back, urging him on.

"I'm close," I gasp, and he changes his angle, sliding against me in the most best way.

"Come for me," he says softly. "Again. I want to see your beautiful face when you come."

And I do, gazing intensely back at him, trying hard not to close my eyes in the throes of the delicious throbbing that pulls me under. He comes with me, pulsing deep inside, his eyes never leaving mine. "I love you so much," he utters against my lips.

"Edward." I don't need to say the words. It's all in the desperation of my voice.

He collapses on top of me, burying his head in my neck, and once again we fall asleep naked, completely fulfilled, tangled together in the afternoon sun streaming through the windows.