Chapter 31

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Chapter Songs:

"Secrets" One Republic

EPOV

I had to admit despite the God awful early time we started fishing. I had a lot of fun fishing with Jake and Billy.

While we were out on the water, Billy seemed so much younger, so much more relaxed, so much happier, and he was also the only one who caught any fish. It was like even nature knew that Billy was the one who needed to be nurtured this morning.

The next few days passed quickly in a haze of activity. Late Monday afternoon, Bella and I went shopping for groceries for Thursday's dinner. We even got all of the ingredients to make her pecan rolls. I groaned when she reminded me that Jake and I were supposed to be awake at the crack of dawn to help her make them.

When I texted Jake to tell him that he had to be at the house 5 a.m., his response had me in tears. Bella saw his text and shot one back of her own. Jake's answer was almost instantaneous that he would be there.

Tuesday morning came way too early, but Bella had a huge pot of coffee ready when I trudged my way downstairs. Jacob arrived a few minutes later looking about as awake as I did. He went through so much coffee that we might as well as set up an IV of caffeine. Less than an hour into the task I realized I never knew how much work went into making Bella's world famous rolls. Hours later, when we finally sat down to enjoy them with Mom and Alice, it made all the fatigue fade away instantly.

I got an excited text from Emmett early Wednesday that they would arrive in Forks just before dinner time. I hadn't seen him since before I left for school. I had watched my twin marry the love of his life, Rosalie. I remembered his bubbling excitement as he rubbed her stomach after the ceremony, even though her pregnancy wasn't visible yet.

Sure we had talked on the phone, texted and emailed, but I missed my twin. I was so thrilled to see him again. Mom was excited too. She said that the only times she had seen Emmett and Rose were when she went to Seattle to visit them. For some odd reason, they never had the time to come here to see her or Alice. I didn't know about Dad and I didn't ask.

Alice had been driving us all crazy because she was dying to see her Emmett Bear. After a while, Jasper finally talked her into going downstairs to watch a movie. I honestly didn't want to think about what was really happening down there with my best friend and my little sister. There were just some things in their relationship that I preferred being in the dark about.

The aroma in the house was mouth-watering. Not only had Bella and Mom prepared Emmett's favorite dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy and 6 loaves of homemade bread for his arrival, but they had been cooking cookies and pies for Thanksgiving all afternoon. I told them it looked like they had cooked enough for the entire neighborhood.

Bella simply smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "Did you forget that Emmett is coming? He eats just as much as the entire neighborhood, don't you think?" Bella asked with a smirk and a wink.

A few minutes later, I heard a car coming up the drive and raced to open the door. Emmett got out of the car with a huge grin on his face. "Edward! I'm so glad you're here," he waved as he walked to the passenger side of the door and helped Rose out of the car. She smiled up at him as he wrapped his arms around her and helped her up the front porch.

Unlike the last time I saw her, she most definitely looked pregnant now. People always talk about women glowing when they were pregnant. I never really understood what they meant. But one look at Rosalie and I finally understood. She looked beautiful.

"It's so good to see you, Emmett," I said as we embraced each other tightly. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, E," Emmett said roughly. "I'm so glad that you and Bella were able to make it up here for the holiday. I know that things have been difficult lately, and it truly means the world to me and Rose that you are here."

"Who are you, and what did you do with my twin?" I joked with him. "You've become an adult."

"Me?" he bellowed and pointed to himself. "I'm not the only one. You have most definitely grown up as well." We were interrupted by a throat being cleared. "Oh, sorry, Rosie baby. Let's get you inside." Emmett ushered her inside, and I followed them in.

"Hello, Rosalie," I said as I reached to shake her hand. "You look amazing. Being pregnant definitely agrees with you."

"Thank you, Edward. You definitely look a whole lot better than the last time I saw you," Rose stated. "You look very happy as well."

"I am. I think I am the happiest I have ever been," I told her honestly.

"Emmy Bear," Alice screamed as she threw herself exuberantly at Emmett. "I've missed you so much, Em," she said into his neck.

"I missed you too, Ally," Emmett said as he put her on the ground. "Hey, Jaz. Good to see you," Emmett added as they shook hands.

"Emmett, Rosalie, welcome home," Mom said with a huge grin as she hugged Emmett then Rose. She patted Rose's bulging stomach. "Hello, beautiful baby. I love you," Mom said as we all laughed. "What's so funny?" Mom asked us.

"It's not like the baby can hear you, Mom," Emmett said. Rose shot him a nasty look.

"Like you don't talk to the baby all the time yourself, Em," Rosalie stated firmly. "You're the one who found that information in the baby books that research shows that it is likely they can hear the outside noises and voices," she scolded causing Emmett to blush.

I noticed Bella standing off to the side and went to go get her.

"B, I've missed you," Emmett said as he enveloped her in a tight hug and picking her up off the ground.

"I've missed you too, Em," Bella said with a laugh.

"Bella, this is the love of my life, Rose. Rose, this is the love of Edward's life, Bella," Emmett said.

Bella reached out her hand to shake Rose's. "It is so nice to finally meet you. You look absolutely stunning. Impending motherhood looks incredible on you," Bella added.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too. Emmett and I are thrilled about becoming parents," Rose said as she patted her belly. I didn't know a lot about pregnant women. Maybe it was because she had been so slim before, but she honestly looked like she was going to give birth any second, not in 2 months.

"Dinner is ready. Bella and I made your favorite, Emmett," Mom said.

"Hot damn!" Emmett fist pumped. The next thing we knew he began dancing in a circle and singing. "I'm getting pot roast with mashed taters and lots of gravy." We all laughed at his antics. He may have matured in many ways, but I was thrilled to see that the comical, entertaining Emmett was very much alive and well.

"I also have a surprise for you for breakfast in the morning," Bella said as she went to the kitchen. She came back out with an enormous bowl covered in aluminum foil and handed it to Emmett.

He opened up the package and began jumping up and down. "Your pecan rolls. I could eat these up right now," he said giddily. "It wouldn't hurt me to eat just one before dinner," he mused.

He bent down to take a bite and bit into thin air. Rose had taken the package from his hands. "Em, your mom and Bella spent a lot of time making dinner for us. We will eat pot roast tonight, and I promise that you will get to eat at least one of these tomorrow."

"Just one?" Emmett whined. "Baby, there are 4 in there."

"I know that. Your spawn suddenly have a craving for pecan rolls," Rose closed her eyes and took a bite of one of the rolls and moaned. "Damn, Bella. This is the best thing I have tasted in ages," Rose said while taking another bite.

I looked over at Emmett, and he looked like a kid at Christmas who had just been told Santa wasn't real.

We all were biting our tongues in an effort to not laugh at the scenario unfolding in front of us. No one, I mean no one, ever came between Emmett and his food. This was a sight that none of us imagined happening and also showed just how much Emmett really loved Rosalie. Before her, he never would have let anyone come between him and Bella's pecan rolls.

After she demolished one of the rolls, she closed the package and gave it back to Bella. "You better keep these for us until tomorrow or Emmett won't get any, just Baby and me," Rose grinned as she rubbed her belly. "I know myself well enough to admit I have no self-control when it comes to food right now."

Dinner was a boisterous affair. We were all excited to just be together after all this time and enjoying each other's company. I couldn't remember the last time all of us had been together for a happy occasion.

It was a good thing Mom and Bella overcooked, because Rose was giving Emmett a run for his money in the eating department. She even wolfed down an entire loaf of bread by herself. I didn't know where on earth she could be putting it. The only place she looked pregnant was her stomach.

While Mom and Bella began to serve dessert, homemade turtle brownies, I remembered that Emmett said he had some huge news for all of us. "So, Emmett, you wanted us all together to tell us something. What's up?" I asked.

"Well, Rosalie and I have known this for a while, but I wanted to be able to tell everyone I love about this face-to-face," Emmett said with the biggest grin I'd ever seen him wear on his face. He got up to stand behind her and reached to take one of her hands in his. "We're having twins," he shouted eagerly.

"Oh my God," Mom said. "I'm going to get two grandbabies to spoil absolutely rotten. I'm so happy for you both." She had tears streaming down her face and hugged Emmett and Rose. "What are you going to have?"

"We asked the doctor not to tell us yet," Rose said and Mom looked almost crushed. "It was even Emmett's idea for it to be a surprise for us. He said if we could wait this long to tell you all we were having two that we could wait a little longer to find out what we are having."

"I can't believe you have been able to keep this a secret for this long. You were always the one who told every secret they knew to anyone who would listen," I joked as I hugged him.

"I told him the same thing," Rose grinned. "I was sure that he would accidentally blurt it out. I'm the one who almost let the cat of the bag tonight when we first got here."

"Yes, you almost did, my love," Emmett said as he embraced her tightly.

"As much as I would love to stay and chat with everyone, it has been a very big day. These two have exhausted me," Rose said with a yawn to her stomach. "I'm going to go to sleep before I pass out standing up. Thanks so much for an incredible dinner."

"Let me go tuck my wife in, then I want to sit down and visit with my twin," Emmett said as he led Rose up the staircase.

I followed Bella into the kitchen and hugged her close to me. "I can't wait until the day that is us, happily married and expecting a baby," I bent down to whisper in her ear.

"I can't either, Edward," Bella sighed as she stroked my cheek and kissed my lips tenderly.

"When I think of seeing you pregnant with my child," I murmured. "I just don't think life could get any better than that." Bella smiled even more at my words and kissed me again.

"Go spend some time with your brother, babe. I am going to help get this mess cleaned up since we are going to start all over again tomorrow," Bella said as she got another handful of dishes.

"Mom, where did Jaz and Ally go?" I asked as I passed her in the dining room.

"His grandparents are here from out of town, and he and Alice are going to spend some time with them tonight," she answered.

"Hey, Edward," Emmett said as he bounded down the stairs. "Let's go to the basement and play some pool."

"Sounds good, Em." I followed him downstairs. As soon as we made it to the basement, Emmett's face was no longer happy. It looked serious, almost angry. He sat down on the couch and I joined him. "What's going on, Emmett? Is everything okay with Rose and the twins?" I asked my voice filled with concern.

"They are fine. All three are very healthy, thank God," Emmett said. "I need to tell you something. This is something that only Rose knows. I know that you don't keep anything from Bella now, and I totally understand that. But please, do not talk about this if there is any chance Mom or especially Alice could hear."

"Of course, Emmett," I agreed.

"Do you remember the day that I came to you and told you that Rose was pregnant?" Emmett asked.

"I remember every word of it, Em. You were afraid that Mom and Dad would take it badly."

"Come to find out, I did have reason to be concerned," Emmett began. "Not long after Mom left the room, Dad told me that Rose was just using me. That there was no way an older woman would want a thing to do with someone like me unless she was just after my trust fund. He told me that I needed to break it off with her or he would disown me. He said that he'd cut me off entirely."

"Oh, Emmett. I wish I could say that surprises me, but nothing about Dad's actions could surprise me anymore," I assured him.

"I told him that I loved her, and that I had no doubt that she loved me. He said that he was not going to support our marriage in any way, shape or form. I told him that was fine by me. If he wanted to be that way that we didn't want him in our lives. Unfortunately, he didn't stop there." Emmett's eyes began to well up with unshed tears.

"What in the hell did that bastard do to you, Emmett?" I asked.

"It wasn't what he did to me. The next day I got a frantic call from Rose. She asked me to meet her at her apartment. Dad had asked her to come into his office at the hospital for a little chat. He called her a gold digging whore and said that if she knew what was good for her that she would get out of my life and stay out. He gave her this check, Edward." Emmett reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded, worn piece of paper.

My eyes bulged out of my head when I saw the check made out to Rosalie Hale in the amount of $250,000.

"Dad also told her to make sure that there was nothing to tie her and me together. He said that even if she gave birth to my bastard child that he wouldn't accept her or our child in his life. He assured her that the child would get no financial support from him ever. He ordered her to fix it, leave Washington and never come back."

I sat there shocked as I heard Emmett talk about Dad's brutal actions. What could you say to your brother, one of the best people you've ever known, who was more than bullied by your father, someone who was supposed to love him without reservation? I shook my head. I couldn't believe that I had been that way too. I thanked God everyday that I was not the monster that our father was. That I wasn't the monster that I used to be.

Emmett continued, "I guess Dad didn't realize that Rose had much more than the amount of that check at her disposal. When her parents died, she not only received their insurance money, but also the money from her dad's very successful insurance franchise. She didn't need or want his or mymoney for anything. We were more than able to take care of ourselves and anyone else who came along."

"Why didn't you tell me or Mom about it when this happened, Em?" I asked.

"Edward, I love you. You are my twin. You're my other half. When you were broken, I was broken. You had just begun to pull yourself together. You were finally getting healthy mentally and physically. I didn't want to risk you falling apart again. Honestly, I had no idea how you would feel if I told you that Dad told Rose to have an abortion. That he fucking ordered her to kill our babies."

A/N: So Carlisle was an even bigger douche than we thought he was. What other surprises await them during Thanksgiving vacation? Some major drama may be on the horizon. Anyone have a guess what else might happen?

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