Sorry for the long hiatus on this story, I've not had a lot of time to write with a baby, but I'm back and I will be writing as often as I can - with a hyperactive 1 year old, I'm not sure how often that will be but I will try to get something out at least once a week.

Here we go!

I should not have sat down here. I am never getting back up, I live down here now.

I know I should have just waited for Edward to get home, but my brain has gone into nesting mode now we're so close, and I can't seem to sit still. I've been organising and reorganising the nursery for the past three weeks, constantly changing where I want things and cleaning non-existent mess. It means I have swollen feet and an ache in my back every few hours, but I cant stop myself.

And now I need to pee. Wonderful.

"Listen, Bug," I say quietly to my protruding stomach. "Mama is gonna try to get up now. Please, please, do not jump on my bladder until I'm closer to the bathroom this time, OK?"

I feel a small kick on my left side and take that as her agreement, and slowly try to edge myself up off the floor. Its not an easy task, at all. At eight and a half months pregnant, I look like I'm trying to smuggle a giant watermelon under my top, and boy does it feel like that too!

I've managed to pull myself up onto the rocking chair when I feel a sharp pain at the side of my stomach. It takes me breath away, but after a moment its gone. I hear the door close downstairs. Edward is home.

"Edward." I shout, rubbing the ache in my back while I rest. "I could use a hand."

"Coming." Keys drop onto the table, footsteps up the stairs, he walks into the room and his eyes go wide. "Um, Bella..Why are all the clothes out?"

"I wanted to make them easier to get to. I liked the way we had them the first time, so I'm putting things back." He tries to hide his little grin; he organised them the first time. Smart-ass. "But then I got stuck down there and I really have to pee."

"I told you to wait for me, you shouldn't be overdoing things now." He holds out his hand to help me up off the chair, and places a quick, sweet kiss on the top of my head.

Bug makes her presence known by flipping around to sit directly on my bladder. "Be cute in a minute, she's doing somersaults." As I waddle to the bathroom holding onto Edward, I glance down at my bump. "Not cool, we had a deal." Flip, jump, wiggle on the bladder. Not cool, baby.

Edward somehow managed to convince me to take a break, promising that we will continue to arrange the clothes tomorrow on his day off. For now, he has me sitting on the comfy chair, with my feet up in his lap giving me a foot massage. Not a bad way to be help captive, I'll admit.

My body may be relaxing, but my mind is going a mile a minute as I look around the room. Seeing things that need to be moved, or covered, and picturing where I want her toys to go.

Edward suddenly stops and rest my feet on the chair next to him, "I almost forgot, there was a package on the doorstep when I got home." He leaves the room and comes back with a small box, and my mind goes through all the things I have ordered and what it could be. We're still waiting for the steriliser, and the baby food processor. It looks about the right size for either of those.

Excited, I pull the box closer and start to pull at the tape. Hmm, doesn't feel heavy enough to be one of those.

When I get into the box, there is a card and a letter at the top, with some blue tissue paper underneath. My stomach twists. She wouldn't have, would she? Edward seems to be thinking the same thing, a scowl starting to form on his face.

I open the letter first, and I'm not shocked to see my Mother's handwriting.

My dearest Isabella,

I am truly sorry about what happened at the baby shower. Things were said that shouldn't have been, and I regret that I wasn't able to stay for the full party.

I hope that you enjoy these gifts for the baby and that they will know that they have a loving Grandmother in their life, no matter what goes on between us.

Sincerely, your Mother.

My hands are shaking as I put the paper down. I want to rip it into a million pieces, and throw the box into the fire without even looking at it. But Edward has already started picking things out one by one, and with each one the angry feeling grows in my stomach.

Most are just simple vests, or grows. A few small teddies and trinkets. All in different shades of blue.

Then the 'Best Grandson' items appear and I push the box off the sofa and kick it away.

The memory of what she said at the baby shower just a month earlier surfaces, and I want to scream.

Balloons flutter around me as I enter the bar, it'd midday and the room looks so bright and airy you would think it was a different place. Alice has worked her magic over the past few months and transformed it into not only the best nightclub in Seattle, but also a wonderful venue for her party planning business. As I look around the room, I can see all the little touches she has added just for today and it warms my heart.

Everything is bright and colourful, with emphasis on pinks and yellows, with lots of beautiful pastel colours thrown in. Alice wanted to do a gender reveal, but we just couldn't hold it in before the party so it would have been pointless. I've promised that if we ever have another, she can do whatever she likes. That seemed to go down well.

The little Pixie appears in-front of me, practically vibrating with excitement. "So, do you like it?"

"Oh Alice, its beautiful."

I'm still staring around in awe when Edward walks down the office steps. He stops at the bottom, wide eyed and looking around. "You did all this in the two hours I was upstairs?" He asks incredulously.

"Oh please," laughs Alice. "I did this in an hour, I've been testing party games since I finished."

Her excitement is infectious and I start to feel the buzz myself. "Is there anything I can do? What time are people getting here?"

"All you need to do is sit and enjoy yourself." She hands me a pink concoction with an umbrella, and guides me towards a very comfy looking chair at the main table. "Everyone should be here in about 10 minutes, Emmett is dropping off Esme and picking up Edward."

I remember my first meeting with Esme; I thought meeting my boyfriends Mother for the first time while I was 2 months pregnant with his baby would be a disaster, but honestly, she is the nicest person in the world and made me feel so at ease. I knew she had been working away over this week so I wasn't sure if she was even going to be able to make it today, so hearing that she was going to be here was the best news.

"I still don't understand why I can't stay." Edward half grumbles from the bar.

Alice waves him off as she resets the games she had been 'testing', "Because we are having some much needed girl time, while you have guy time. I think Jasper said something about Laser tag, but Emmett wanted to play poker so I'm not one hundred percent sure what you'll be doing." She looks up from the game with a small grin. "Don't worry, we will save opening gifts till you get back, I'm not heartless."

This seems to put the smile back on his face, along with the mini sticky toffee pudding that he sneaks behind Alice's back.

Esme is the first to arrive, Emmett trailing behind her, his arms loaded with gifts. As I make my way over to them slowly, Emmett starts to open his mouth.

"Emmett, if you make one more penguin joke, I swear to God I will tell Rose where all your hidden piles of sweets are!"

He shuts his mouth pretty quickly after that.

"Was there anything left in the store Mom?" Edward smirks, a slight twinkle in the corner of his eye.

"I couldn't hep myself, I'm just so excited for my little Granddaughter." She wraps me up in a warm hug, "How are you dear? Are you still getting that back pain?"

"I'm fine Esme, it comes and goes but it's nothing major. I'm so happy you're here, I didn't think you were going to make it."

"Are you kidding me, I wouldn't miss this for the world." She places a quick kiss on my cheek, then squats down to talk to my belly. Something I find a lot of people doing recently. "And hello to you too, little girl. Grandma is very happy to be with you today, I hope you'll be good and let Mummy enjoy the day, no sickness or pain today please."

I laugh softly as she straightens up and smiles, before joining Alice organising the gift table…which we may need to add an extra table to. Now I see where Alice gets her love of shopping.

People slowly start to filter in and the room is filled with happy, smiling faces.

Edward has been peeking at the gift table for 5 mins, and as he picks up a box to shake it I see Esme give him a small tap on the wrist. "Later." She scolds, "Alice will call you when we are done with games and food, go and enjoy your day."

"Fine, but I will be very upset if even one present is opened without me." He twirls his finger around the table, pretending the count them all. I can't help the little giggle that escapes, he can be so childish sometimes. He turns to me and wraps an arm around my waist, resting his hand protectively on my stomach. "Enjoy your party, call me if you need anything."

"I will, have fun."

The boys wave from the door, looking slightly scared by all the women in the room. They look extremely happy to be leaving.

Rose appears and guides me back to my seat, a playful look on her face. "Come on, lets start the fun!"

Three hours later the room is ringing with laughter from friends and some of their kids too. We have played so many fun games, from the usual to the unusual; diapers have been pinned on the baby, I have eaten strange concoctions in jars trying to guess the contents, but I steered clear of the bizzare game with different types of chocolate in nappies. I don't want to be put off chocolate forever, I quite like it.

We've stopped for a moment to have a bite to eat. Alice has included many of my strange cravings on the table, which made me happy, though they don't seem to be going down well with everyone else. My plate is filled with ham sandwiches, salad, coleslaw..the usual buffet food..and then I've got celery dipped in peanut butter, cheese and pickles, and a peanut butter, jelly and bacon sandwich. I can't explain it, I just have to eat them.

Alice is about to light the candles on my cake, something I have been waiting for because the candles I bought are amazing and they sparkle when they are lit, when the door crashes open and someone tumbles through the door.

I already have a sinking feeling, which is confirmed when I see who it is. My Mom.

She straightens up, wiping a spot on her dress as she scans the room to find me.

"There you are Isabella, I thought I'd got the wrong place." She totters down the stairs in her too-high heels and the wave of whiskey hits me before she even gets close. No prizes for guessing why shes late.

I plaster a smile on my face. "Hi Mom, I'm so glad you could make it."

She wobbles slightly, holding her head up as she glances around and notices everyone looking our way. She clears her throat and speaks a little louder than before, "Well, Phil was meant to have a press conference for the game, but he cancelled so I could be here with you."

Esme comes forward to break the tension that has settled in the room; it always does when my Mom is around. "It's so good to finally meet you, Rene . I'm Esme, Edward's Mother."

Renee doesn't respond. She's looking round the room at the half finished food and the games we've already completed. "Honestly Isabella, I didn't think you would start without me."

I'm taken aback slightly by her comment, unsure how to respond.

Rose speaks up for me, "I'm sorry Ms. Swan, we waited for a little while but the party did start 3 hours ago."

Renee scowls at Alice. "Dwyer."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's Mrs Dwyer. It's rude to start without all the guests present."

I can see Rose getting angrier with each word that comes out of her mouth, but she takes a breath and speaks calmer than I could right now. "It's rude to arrive to the party so late. But its not a problem, we still have food left and we can get back on track with things. We were just about to do the cake if you'd like to join us."

Renee sniffs but stays silent. The knot in my stomach continues to twist.

Alice and Rose turn their attention to the cake. They have their back to us all, lighting the candles I chose as I wait patiently to see if they are as amazing as I thought they would be.

Angela hits the lights and Im blown away by the amazing cake and my perfect candles. The cake has one of my scan pictures, edited to show our little girl more prominently. I absolutely love it. The candles are exactly as I pictured; they are like pink sparklers, dropping glitter down onto the cake as they burn. Its amazing and I cant hold in the squeal that escapes.

I hear a disapproving noise from the direction of my Mom, but I try to ignore her. I wont let her ruin my day.

The lights come back up and Esme dishes out the cake - which I now know that she made specially for today. Knowing the effort she went to to make such a wonderful cake for the party makes me feel very lucky to have her in my life.

Alice calls Jasper to let him know that we're nearly done, and we'll be doing presents soon.

I'm halfway through my second piece of cake - Rose insisted that Bug have a piece too - when I hear the sound of paper being torn. I turn around, expecting to see one of the smaller children with a box, or for one to have fallen and torn. What I didn't expect to see, was my Mom rifling through them.

"Mom! What are you doing?"

"Well you weren't going to open them any time soon and people want to know what you think." She reaches for another box but I grab it back from her.

I'm so angry, I can feel it radiating out of me. "We're waiting for Edward to get here, so he can open them with me." I start to put away the items she has opened and carelessly strewn around the table, but she keeps grabbing things and examining them.

She's holding a beautiful pink vest set between two fingers, like its offends her to hold it. "You are going to turn him gay."

I stop, confused. "Edward? Edward isn't gay."

"I mean that thing," She jabs her finger towards my stomach. "You'll turn him gay with all these pink clothes."

I see Edward enter the room out of the corner of my eye, but I cant take my eyes off Renee. "Ok, first of all, that is not true at all. You cant turnsomeone gay just by introducing a certain colour. And secondly, I'm having a girl." I pause, waiting for her to say anything. "Which you would know, Mom, if you read the invite properly. Or, you know, responded to my messages, or called me back any of the times I call and you don't answer. A real Mother would know these things."

For a second I think I've gotten through to her, she looks upset. But her next words floor me.

"Get rid of it. I want a boy."

The room goes quiet. I'm waiting for her to say something else, for this to somehow be a joke. I don't know how it can be, but a part of me wants to believe my Mom wouldn't be so heartless.

"I just want what's best for you, Isabella. Girls are a hassle, they're a burden you don't need and wont be able to handle, you would be better off getting rid of that thing and having a boy."

I've heard enough.

"Get out, Renee." I barely recognise my own voice, I can feel the anger rising inside me, pouring out into my words. "I'm sorry I was such a burden to you, but you can rest assured that I wont be anymore. I have moved heaven and earth to make you happy, but its never enough. I'm done trying to appease you, when nothing is ever good enough. When I'm never good enough. That's not how I want my little girl to grow up, so if you cant be happy for us and love your Granddaughter, then I don't want you anywhere near her. She doesn't need to be poisoned by you. Get out. And don't come back."

I pick up her gift - the only one on the table that isn't wrapped, just a half broken cardboard box with what I can see is blue tissue poking out of the top - and push it into her arms. I can feel Edward radiating with anger next to me. He want to say something, but he's holding back.

Esme leads Renee out of the door, slamming it behind her with a few curse words I never expected to come out of her mouth.

The room is still silent.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sorry I ruined the day." My voice catches.

The gifts she sent are a slap in the face. It feels like her way of telling me that although I have cut ties with her, she will still poke her nose where it doesn't belong, and still somehow find a way to upset me even when she isn't around.

Without a word, Edward packs everything into the box and takes it into the kitchen. I hear him taping it back up. He drops it back outside the door and comes to join me on the sofa.

"I'm sorry baby." He whispers as he wraps his arm protectively around me. As if holding me close will stop me from hurting.

"I just don't know why she hates me so much. I thought I was a good daughter, clearly I was wrong."

"It's not you, you are amazing. It's just something she needs to come to terms with on her own, I'm not sure what the problem is but once she figures it out I'm sure she will explain and apologise for hurting you so much. She'll change her mind, you just wait"

I highly doubt it, I don't think she's even capable of change. But his faith in people being good is a wonderful quality to have, so I don't say anything.

Our quiet moment is ruined when I feel a sudden sharp, shooting pain across the side of my stomach again. It takes me breath away and I curl into myself.

This doesn't feel like any pain I've had before. It doesn't feel like a contraction either.

"Somethings wrong!"