Chapter 35
Disclaimer: We still own nothing but a reformed Doucheward who is most definitely a major Swoonward.
A special thanks to our pre-readers Jasper's Woman, L, Jiff Simpson, Luee Fishes.
This is the last official chapter. *sniffles* Thanks to all of you you've stayed for the ride. We love you :D
My dearest Heather - We did it! Thank you so much for asking me to co-write this with you. It has been a blast and truly has been an honor. Love you! In fact, I love you like a frozen hard banana dipped in chocolate, that Jackson takes a bite out of in slow motion! Like that! LOL! Until next time! *mwah*
Steph- It seems like yesterday that you and I started this story for a O/S contest. I had no idea that we would end up here lol. I had a lot of fun giving you the nail-biting cliffhangers. ;) Thanks so much for everything, mi amor. I love you more than this perfectly imperfect couple that is absolutely perfect for each other! :D *mwah back*
Chapter Songs:
"Never Thought" Dan Hill
"I Won't Give Up" Jason Mraz
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" Glee Version
"Because You Loved Me" Celine Dion
EPOV
I knew that, for as long as I lived, today was a day that I would never forget. Bella was going to become my wife. I was the luckiest bastard on the planet. When I called Mom to tell her that Bella had made me the happiest man alive by telling me she would marry me, Mom immediately offered to contact the wedding planner at the hotel to make our wedding a memorable one for my love and me.
I knew there was one other thing that would make today perfect for her. Jacob. He didn't hesitate when I called and asked him to fly down with my mom for the wedding. He knew that it would mean the world to Bella and to me to have him attend our wedding. Jake and I had definitely come a long way from when I was a foolish dick and thought with my fists.
When I saw Bella walking down the aisle toward me on Jacob's arm, my heart literally stopped for a moment. She was an angel so beautiful she took my breath away. As soon as I took her hand in mine and began my vows, I knew that life didn't get any better than this. She was my everything. Forever.
After the ceremony, we posed for a few pictures. Unsurprisingly, Mom had even made sure there was a wedding cake for us. When I fed Bella her piece for the camera, I was extremely grateful that I was partially hidden behind the slice of cake. Instead of simply taking the cake out of my fingers, she sucked my fingers into her mouth, seductively swirling her tongue around each before grazing them lightly with her teeth as she released my fingers from her mouth. The first touch of her talented tongue caused my cock to harden. She was using her favorite blow job techniques on my fingers. While she looked sweet and innocent at first glance, the gleam in her eyes said she knew exactly what she was doing.
I kissed her quickly on the side of her neck and whispered in her ear. "You are going to pay for that, my love."
"I look forward to it," Bella cooed back softly. "Esme, Jake, thank you so much for being with us today."
"It was my pleasure," Esme said.
"Thanks for helping get this planned so quickly, Mom. It was everything that I wanted for Bella and me," I said as I squeezed Bella's hand in mine. "Jake, it was great for you to come and walk Bella down the aisle. I know that having you here, celebrating with us, means the world to Bella. Thank you for helping make this perfect for her."
"Edward, I know she's in the best of hands with you," Jake admitted. "I'd like to make a toast," he lifted his champagne glass. "To Bella and Edward, you've come a long way through many twists and turns to become the happy, confident people you are today. While you are strong apart, together you have an unbreakable, unshakeable bond. May your future together be filled with all of the love and happiness that you have earned."
"To Edward and Bella," Mom said as we all clanked our glasses together. Mom looked down at her watch. "It's almost time for our flight, Jake. Bella, Edward, I am so happy for you," she hugged me and then Bella. Jake hugged us both, and Bella and I waved as we watched them leave the hotel.
I wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her close to me and leaned down to kiss the side of her neck. "I love you," I told her.
"I love you, too," she said. I took her hand securely in mine; our fingers entwined together as I led her to the bank of elevators.
BPOV
I looked down at where our hands were joined together. Edward's thumb found my ring finger and rubbed the rings there. I looked up at him and smiled.
"You like that, don't you?" I asked.
"Like what? Holding your hand?" He smirked with his crooked grin.
"No. You like that I've got your rings on my finger."
"You have no idea," he replied with a gruff voice. "I absolutely love it." He brought our linked hands up and kissed my ring finger. I looked into his eyes and my breathing hitched. I shivered from the intensity of his gaze and felt the moisture begin to pool at the apex of my thighs. If there wasn't a camera in the elevator, I would have asked him to take me right here, right now.
After what seemed like an eternity, we finally reached our floor. As the doors opened, I let out a squeal of surprise as Edward scooped me up in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck. My fingers played with the fine hair at his nape, while I kissed his Adam's apple.
I felt Edward suck in a breath as he carried me to the door of the room. It took some maneuvering for him to get the key card in the door and get it opened.
"Bella, it has been a very long time, and I want to savor every moment with you as we make love. This is the first time that we will be together as a married couple," he told me as he carried me to our room and placed me gently on my feet.
He moved to stand behind me. I felt his hands at the top of my dress, and he released the first hook of my gown and kissed the bared skin of my back.
"We are going to take this slow," he said as he undid another hook and kissed my back again. "Fuck, Bella. I can't wait to see what you've got on under this dress," he murmured as he discovered the top of my sheer, lace corset.
He continued to place kiss after kiss on my back between the ties of the corset after each of the dress hooks was released. My breathing accelerated to the point I was almost gasping for breath, and my skin was on fire with each brush of his lips against my skin. We had barely started and I was sure that I was going to die of pleasure at any moment.
As he released the last hook, my dress fell and pooled at my feet. I heard Edward gasp. I was standing before him in my corset, g-string, garter, sheer thigh-highs and flats.
I kicked off my shoes, turned around, wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I had. Our tongues exploring each other's mouth as our hands roamed over each other's body. Edward's hands gripped my bare ass and pulled me into his body. I could feel his arousal against me and couldn't wait to have it inside of me.
I reluctantly pulled my mouth away from his and stepped back. "Bella?" Edward asked.
"It's only fair that I take my time undressing you like you did for me," I said as I slid his jacket off and threw it on the chair by the bed. I stroked my fingertips lightly down his throat before loosening his tie and pulling it over his head. Then, I untucked his shirt; my fingers grazing his taut stomach making him shiver with excitement.
As Edward had done for me, I torturously took my time removing his shirt. I unbuttoned first one cuff, kissing the inside of his wrist and repeated the action on the other sleeve. I pushed the button through the hole at his neck, and kissed the bared skin. Button. Kiss. Button. Kiss.
As I reached the last button, I bent down and kissed his navel, swirling my tongue inside before moving my lips back up his chest. I moved my hands back up his six-pack to his chest, where my fingernails flicked his nipples. I replaced my fingers with my lips, sucking first one of his nipples in my mouth, biting gently then laving it with my tongue then paying similar attention to the other.
The moment I slipped the shirt off his shoulders, Edward's lips attacked mine again. Kissing Edward was always indescribable, but this was so much more. We were telling each other that we were everything to the other. That we loved each other more today than yesterday. That we would always be together. Forever.
I moved my hands from his shoulders to the button of his slacks, slipping it through the hole, then slid the zipper down slowly with my fingernails lightly scraping his erection through his boxer briefs. Edward shoved his pants down and kicked his shoes off then his pants and underwear out of the way.
Edward grabbed me by the ass and lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I could feel his cock against my center, and I began to move my hips so his erection was moving up and down my wet slit through my g-string.
Suddenly, I was on my back on the bed with Edward lying on top of me. His lips and hands were instantaneously everywhere. They began to roam against my back, his fingers untying the knot on the back of my corset.
"Roll over, baby," Edward ordered huskily, and I immediately obeyed. His fingers unlaced each hole of my corset, unwrapping me as if I was the most fragile gift he had ever received. His hands and lips roamed my bared back. I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt his tongue at the indention at my lower back, just above my ass. Then his lips literally kissed my ass as they continued down the backs of my thighs, knees and calves as he unhooked and unrolled my stockings.
He moved his mouth back up my legs again, and I felt his hands stroke my inner thighs. Just when I thought he would be where I needed him most he turned me to my side. Our legs entwined together as his mouth kissed my shoulder down to my chest.
Edward's hands leisurely pealed the corset down my chest. He kissed each inch of naked skin before exposing more of it. When he finally removed the corset, his lips, teeth, tongue and fingers devoured my breasts and nipples as I had his.
I arched my back pushing my breasts closer to Edward's face and hands, begging him to give me more, and he did. He bit my nipple with a mix of pleasure and pain then sucked my breast deep within his mouth. I threw my head back with a groan as my body reveled in the ecstasy his body was giving mine.
I rolled onto my back, and Edward moved on top of me. His mouth moved down my chest, across my stomach to my pelvic bone. He slowly peeled my underwear and garter belt down my legs, and his fingers began to explore my wet folds. His thumb firmly rubbed circles around my clit while he put two fingers inside of me, curving them upward to hit my g-spot then pulling them almost all the way out before returning to my g-spot. I moved my hips in time with his fingers as he pressed a third inside me.
The moment his thumb was replaced by his firm tongue I felt the spasms begin inside of me. My hips arched off the bed pushing his tongue more forcefully on my clit, and my walls clenched tightly against his fingers as they continued to move in me.
Edward slowly removed his fingers, and brought them to his lips. He sucked them into his mouth. It was one of the hottest things I had ever seen. The look of sheer pleasure on his face as he cleaned my essence from his fingers was almost enough to make me cum again.
I reached down and pushed his underwear down his hips, and Edward pulled them the rest of the way off. I gripped his cock firmly in my palm and rubbed my thumb over the head. It was Edward's turn to throw his head back and groan in pleasure as I began to stroke him leisurely.
After a few strokes he grasped my wrist and pulled my hand from him. "If you keep that up, I'm going to explode all over you. I want to cum in you, Bella."
I spread my legs wider allowing Edward's hips to settle between mine with his hard cock now against my swollen core. I stroked Edward's lips with my thumbs as my fingers lightly caressed his cheeks, then his forehead. We both smiled at each other as my hands moved from his scalp to the nape of his neck. He was undeniably the most beautiful person I had ever seen.
He kissed my forehead, and his hands pushed a strand of my sweat-dampened hair from my brow. We linked our hands together as we looked deeply into each other's eyes.
"Forever," I told Edward as he lined himself up, and I felt the head of his cock nudge my entrance.
"Forever," Edward agreed as, inch by incredible inch, his cock entered me. Once he was completely inside of me, we both smiled and sighed contentedly. I was so glad we waited until now. I couldn't imagine anything better than this very moment, finally being one with Edward.
He pulled almost all the way out then pushed back in with a circular motion to his hips. Out. In. Out. In. He set a languid, almost dream-like, pace that I easily followed. Each time his hips circled with his full penetration, he hit my g-spot with his cock. I could feel myself building up to another orgasm but it was just out of my reach.
I removed my hands from Edward's and pulled him down for a searing kiss. The strokes of our tongues matched the rhythm of his thrusts.
We were covered with a light sheen of sweat, and the sounds of our bodies coming together filled the room. Flesh met flesh, but it wasn't nearly enough. I wanted him even deeper inside of me. I pulled my knees up to my neck and grabbed Edward's ass tightly, my fingernails digging into his flesh. His hands grabbed my ass and pulled me closer to him.
I could feel his balls hitting me each time he thrust inside of me. I felt the very moment that Edward finally gave in and lost control. He began to pick up speed and his thrusts became faster, harder.
My stomach clenched, and my legs began to shake when he thrust even deeper than I thought possible. Suddenly, my orgasm slammed into me with my walls contracting tightly around his cock as Edward began to pour himself deep inside of me, filling me completely. I had never felt this much pleasure in my life. For the first time, I understood what it meant to truly give yourself to someone.
Finally spent, we embraced each other tightly with contented smiles on our faces. Edward kissed my forehead, each eyelid, my nose, each cheek, my chin and finally my lips. Then, he moved beside me pulling me tightly to his side, not breaking our embrace. With smiles on both of our faces, we fell into an exhausted slumber.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
The next three weeks were utter bliss. Edward and I just couldn't get enough of each other. If we had an hour break between classes, we would meet at home for a quickie before going back to class with shit-eating grins on our faces.
Despite the fact that our condo had an extra large hot water tank, every time we took a shower it ended up as a cold one. We were utterly insatiable. But with the months of foreplay that we had given one another, it wasn't particularly surprising.
We did find time to study between our wild bouts of near animalistic sex. We had found a very easy way to turn our study sessions into sexy times. Each time we got a question right, we took off an article of clothing. I didn't think I would ever look at a set of study cards the same way again. Despite the fact that we spent as much time having sex as we did in our classes, we both completed our first semester at OU with a 4.0 GPA.
Once Christmas break arrived, we packed our bags and headed back to Washington to spend the holidays with our family. The twins had just been released from the hospital and were in perfect health despite being born prematurely. We couldn't wait to get our hands on them.
Edward and I decided that we would wait and purchase all of our Christmas gifts once we got to Washington. There was no way that we would have been able to fly out with all the goodies that we planned to buy our nephews. We only had a two-page list of clothes and toys we wanted to buy the boys.
The only person that I was trying to figure out a gift for was Edward. What could I get him that he didn't already have? I had a few ideas. I just needed to figure out which one would be perfect since it was our first Christmas as a married couple. Christmas was two weeks away, so we were going to have tons of time to spend with the family.
We took the early bird flight the Sunday after we finished our finals. Despite my protests, Esme purchased first class tickets for us. I guess it was a good thing she did since I slept the entire trip. Edward even had a hard time waking me up once we landed. He was worried that I was getting sick. I assured him that we had been extremely busy lately with our classes and all of our extracurricular activities.
Instead of being having Esme or Alice pick us up at the airport, we rented a car. We wanted to be able to go shopping or run any other errands without being an inconvenience to anyone.
Before heading to Esme's, where we would stay during the holiday, we stopped by Emmett's and Rose's house to see Liam and Anthony. Emmett was waiting at the door as soon as we shut off the ignition. Edward almost ran up the steps to get to his namesakes.
"Hey, bro," Emmett said as he hugged Edward.
"Hi, Emmett," Edward said as he looked over Emmett's shoulder expectantly.
"Go on in," Emmett laughed. "The babies are waiting to be formally introduced to their Uncle Edward." My husband didn't have to be told twice.
"Hi, Emmett," I said as I finally made it up the steps. I had no idea why I was so sluggish today. Maybe Edward and I had been working out too much lately.
"My sister!" Emmett bellowed as he picked me up, hugging me tightly while spinning me in a circle.
"Hi, Brother Bear," I told him. "It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you, too," Emmett told me as he ushered me in the house. Edward was already sitting on the couch with both babies cuddled in his arms. I pulled out my phone and started snapping pictures immediately. It was the cutest damn thing I had ever seen.
"They are absolutely exquisite," I told Emmett. Emmett's grin widened at the compliment.
"Of course they are," he said smugly. "They're my spawn."
"Emmett, you are not the reason the boys are so handsome," Rosalie said as she came from the kitchen with two bottles in her hands. She sat them on the table and came over to hug me. "Welcome to the family, Bella."
"Thanks, Rose," I said.
"So is being married to Edward as good as you thought it would be?" she asked me as I moved to sit next to Edward.
"No. It is so much more than I ever imagined. It's amazing," I admitted as I reached over to take one of the babies from Edward. He immediately pouted at the loss of one of his nephews. "Edward, you have to share with me." As soon as I had the swaddled bundle settled in my arms Edward's frown turned to a huge smile.
I bent down and kissed the baby's forehead as I held his hand in mine. "He smells so good," I whispered. Rose handed me the bottle and sat down across from me.
"I agree. Babies smell wonderful," she told us.
"Which one do I have?" I asked.
"You've got Anthony, and Edward is holding Liam," Emmett answered for her.
"How do you tell the difference?" Edward asked.
"Liam has a little birthmark under his left ear. Anthony doesn't," Rose said. "Otherwise, they are completely identical. Had we not found the birthmark, Emmett wanted them to be tattooed. I immediately nixed that plan."
Edward and I fed and burped the babies. Well, I burped Anthony. Edward couldn't get Liam to burp no matter what he tried.
"Emmett, Liam obviously has your stubbornness," Edward grumbled.
"It just takes practice, honey," I told him as I began to pat Liam's back while Edward held him. Liam shocked Edward by suddenly burping up enough formula to cover Edward's entire shoulder. Edward cringed and turned a little green. For a minute, I was worried he might throw up, too. Even when Rose, Emmett, and I burst into gales of laughter, Edward's expression didn't change.
Emmett picked up my cell from the table and snapped some pictures of Edward in his sodden state. Rosalie grabbed Liam and began to clean him up.
"That was classic," Emmett chuckled as he sat the phone down.
Rose put Liam in the bassinet in the corner and smacked Emmett in the head as she sat back down. "Don't worry, Edward, the first time one of the twins spit up on him, he did puke."
Emmett's smile disappeared immediately. "You said you weren't going to tell anyone, Rosie," he hissed.
"Emmett, you should know by now that sometimes I tell you something to placate you. I'm not going to let Edward think he's the only Cullen with a weak stomach."
As much as I hated to do it, I got up and put sleeping Anthony in the bassinet next to his brother. They were like magnets and squirmed in their sleep until they were cuddled against one other.
"Oh my God, that is precious," I said. "Do they sleep cuddled that close together all the time?"
"Yes, they do. We've taken so many pictures of them like that, we'll be able to do one entire photo album of our cuddlers cuddling," Rose giggled.
I didn't want to move as I watched them sleeping together. Edward came up beside me wiping away the remnants of the baby's spit-up from his shirt with a damp cloth. When he fingished, he wrapped his arm around my waist and looked at them.
"Wow, they are going to be as attached to each other as you and I were, Emmett," Edward said.
"Yeah, Mom told me the same thing. It seems you and I always cuddled like we were each other's missing half. We couldn't even take a nap unless we were together," Emmett said. "I have to admit, E, you and Bella looked mighty fine holding those babies. Any plans to have some twins of your own soon?"
Edward and I looked at each other with grins on our faces. We hadn't discussed when we wanted to have children. We both just knew that we did want them.
"Whenever it happens, it happens," Edward smiled as he looked down on the sleeping babies. "It would be amazing," he added almost solemnly. I smiled when I saw the expression of awe on his face as he looked down on the twins. It would be amazing to have his child. I couldn't imagine the joy I would feel being pregnant with his baby.
We had dinner with Rose and Emmett and decided to stay the night there and drive to Forks the next day. We just couldn't get enough of the babies.
That night, after we made love, Edward wrapped his arms around me and placed his hands on my abdomen.
"You know I meant what I said earlier, right?" Edward whispered.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Babies," he answered. "I would be ready to be a dad tomorrow, if it was possible. Just the thought of your stomach swollen with our child makes me happy." He nipped at my ear playfully.
"And obviously hard," I laughed quietly as my hand reached behind me to stroke his growing erection. Edward moaned then threw me on my back and entered me quickly. Now it was my turn to moan.
"Oh, fuck, baby," I told him as he began to move inside of me. It was hard being quiet, but the last thing we wanted was for Emmett to advertise our sexual exploits to the whole family. We knew he would get a kick out of that.
"Who knows? We've been going at it like rabbits, so maybe I'm already pregnant." I said with a yawn after we finished our second round of love-making.
As I drifted off to sleep, I thought I heard Edward say that he hoped I was right. That night I dreamed again of a beautiful green-eyed baby boy with his daddy's crazy bronze locks.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
The next week passed by quickly. We went shopping in Seattle to buy Christmas gifts for everyone. It was a good thing that Edward and I went alone, because the presents for the twins filled up the trunk and most of the back seat of the car.
As soon as we got home from shopping, I went upstairs to take a nap. I was beginning to think I had picked up a bug because I just couldn't shake the fatigue that was plaguing me.
Esme and I planned the menu for Christmas dinner. We had gotten Jake and Billy to agree to spend the day with us. Christmas was going to be absolutely perfect since my entire family was going to be there.
I still hadn't found Edward his "big" present yet. I framed a picture of him holding the twins and got him a Christmas ornament that said "Our First Christmas." We'd already put it on the tree at Esme's so we could enjoy it.
I woke up one morning with Edward gone with only a note on his pillow. He had gone shopping to buy my Christmas present and was with Emmett. I definitely wasn't going to be seeing him for a while. I got dressed and went downstairs to fix a cup of coffee and hopefully eat a pecan roll for breakfast, assuming Emmett hadn't eaten them all before he left with Edward.
Rose was sitting at the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee when I entered the kitchen.
"Morning, Rose," I said as I poured myself a cup of coffee. "Where's everyone else?"
"Morning, Bella," she said. "Alice and Esme took the twins to see Santa yet again. I think the three times I've already seen them with Santa was enough for me." Rose chuckled. "I decided to stay here and finish wrapping gifts while everyone was out. I was able to save you a pecan roll for breakfast." Rose said as she placed a plate in the spot next to her.
I joined her at the table and took a drink of coffee. I immediately spit the coffee back into the cup. "This tastes awful," I told her.
"Really?" Rose asked as she took another drink of coffee. "Mine tastes perfectly fine, and it's from the same pot."
I sniffed at the coffee in the mug and my stomach turned. I put the mug on the table and covered my mouth as I made a mad dash to the nearest bathroom.
"Bella, are you okay?" Rose asked at the bathroom door. I had just rinsed my mouth out and was still feeling a little nauseous.
"I must have some kind of bug. I've been really tired lately and now I'm puking. Happy holidays to me," I groaned at another wave of nausea hit me. I barely made it to the toilet in time.
When I got back to the kitchen, Rose was dumping my coffee in the sink. She went to the fridge and poured me a glass of Sprite.
"Try this," she suggested. "I have a feeling that it just might help settle your stomach."
I took a small sip, and it didn't seem to taste horrible like the coffee had. "You're right. This doesn't taste too badly. I just hate it that I'm getting sick right before Christmas."
Rose was silent for a moment while she studied me carefully. "Bella, I don't think you're sick at all," she announced.
"You just saw me get sick," I told her as I took another cautious drink of soda.
"How long have you been fatigued?" Rose asked.
"Well, I've been exhausted since we left Norman. Why?"
"Do you think your stomach is settled enough for a short ride in the car?" Rose asked.
"I think so. Where are we going?"
"To the drugstore to pick up a pregnancy test," Rose said. I think I heard a thud as my chin hit the floor after hearing her words.
"What? There is absolutely no way that I'm..." I stopped back to think about when I last had my period. "What's today's date?"
"You know exactly what day it is. It's December 23."
I counted the days in my head again. I was definitely late. My hand drifted down to my stomach. I looked up, and Rose was smirking at me.
"Let's go," I told her.
We picked up three different tests. I didn't want any doubt at all about the results. Time seemed to go at a snail's pace as I nearly wore a hole in the carpet in the bedroom while I kept eyeing the ever-slowly ticking clock.
I looked at Rose sitting with a huge grin on her face. "What are you hoping they say?" Rose asked.
"If you had asked me that question a year ago, I would have told you that I was praying that it was negative. But now, with Edward, I can picture him with our baby in his arms. I can even see him puking after he gets a surprise explosive diaper and smiling after he cleans the baby up. I am more than ready to be a mom. I know we're both young and in school, but Edward and I have faced so many challenges in our lives. A baby with him, it would be the most incredible gift I could ever receive. Together, I know that Edward and I would be incredible parents."
"When I watch you both with Liam and Anthony, I sometimes wonder if I turn my back, would you take off with them. You're almost as in love with them as Emmett and I are, and they are my life," Rose said. "Well, it seems I've distracted you long enough, Bella. It's time."
As I walked into the bathroom, I closed my eyes until I got to the counter. I took a deep breath and looked down at the results and smiled. I knew exactly what I was getting Edward for Christmas now.
Rose was sworn to secrecy, and the tests were hidden very well. I just had to make it to Christmas without anyone else figuring out what I was hiding.
Christmas dinner was incredible. Esme and I prepared a feast: glazed ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, salad, cornbread dressing, steamed vegetables and homemade bread.
I didn't want to eat much because I wasn't sure if there would be something like the coffee that would set my stomach off and send me sprinting to visit the porcelain God again. Instead, I nibbled a little on everything, making sure it wouldn't upset my stomach and reveal my secret ahead of time.
After dinner, everyone gathered around the tree to exchange presents. Emmett had a blast opening all of the presents for the twins. He was, after all, Rosalie's third child.
Edward and I gave Rose and Emmett a very practical gift. It was for a weekend away for just the two of them with Edward and me as their babysitters. Emmett was thrilled at the prospect of having his wife all to himself for a few days.
We gave Esme and Alice a mother/daughter spa day for them to get the full treatment. Jasper got a gift card for Amazon. It wasn't us being lazy. The boy read more than any person we had ever met.
I gave Billy a framed picture of me and Jacob from the wedding and some new fishing gear. Jacob got an open-ended ticket to Oklahoma City. We knew that he had the money to come anytime he wanted, but we knew with the ticket that we could guarantee a visit sooner, rather than later.
Edward and I exchanged our small gifts first. We broke out in laughter as we looked in the boxes.
"Great minds think alike, love," he leaned in and kissed me. "I love it."
"I love mine too." We'd given each other pictures of us with Anthony and Liam.
Edward handed me my "big" gift, and I handed him his.
"Can I open mine first?" I asked. With shaky hands, I opened it to reveal the most beautiful charm bracelet I had ever seen. There was a heart with the date of our wedding engraved on it, an OU charm, an ice cream cone, a music note, Washington and Oklahoma, my birthstone and Edward's birthstone. "This is incredible, baby. Thank you so much." I put out my wrist and Edward put it on me.
"I made sure to leave room for us to add more charms to celebrate other milestones we'll share down the road. My turn," Edward said as he opened his box. Sitting on the tissue paper in the box was a ziplock bag with the pregnancy tests in it. "Bella," he whispered, his hands shaking as he looked inside the clear bag.
With tears in his eyes, he sat the bag aside and carefully unfolded the tissue paper. The first tear slid down his cheek as he pulled his last present out of the box. It was a yellow onesie that simply said, "I love my daddy."
Edward placed the garment back in the box and pulled me in his arms, kissing me hungrily. "God, Bella. I love you so much. Thank you. Thank you," he told me.
"Merry Christmas, Daddy," I told him as I felt a tear slip down my cheek. His thumb wiped it away before he kissed me again.
"Merry Christmas, Mommy." Mommy. I was going to be someone's mommy. I rubbed my hand on my belly and smiled as Edward's hand covered mine. Life most definitely could not get any better than this.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
EPOV
In March, I got a phone call from Mom. After being granted her divorce from Carlisle, the judge made sure that he left their marriage with what he came in with, nothing. Unfortunately, Carlisle continued to harass her to the point that she had to have a restraining order issued against him. She told me that she had had decided to put the house on the market and had been looking for a new home in Oklahoma. She quickly added that she wasn't the only one who was looking at places not far from Bella and me. Emmett, Rose and my amazing nephews were also going to be moving here, too.
Alice and Jasper got a lot of mock verbal attacks from Bella and me when we heard they would be attending Oklahoma State University in the fall, which happened to be the University of Oklahoma's biggest rival. There's nothing like a good dose of family rivalry over college sporting events during future holiday celebrations to keep things lively. Other than Alice's and Jasper's choice in schools, Bella and I were ecstatic when we heard the news. Our entire family was going to be near us when our baby was born.
Bella's pregnancy was smooth, for her at least. I was the one who suffered morning sickness for the first three months of her pregnancy. I even cried with her the first time we heard the heartbeat, the first time we saw our miracle on the ultrasound, when we found out the baby's sex. Despite Mom's and Alice's best efforts we kept mum on whether or not we were having a boy or a girl.
We did cave and let Mom and Alice decorate the baby's room. It was done in beige tones. Bella and I ordered the accent pieces in the color that would work for our baby. We kept everything that would give away the baby's gender in a temperature controlled storage locker not far from our condo. As soon as the baby was born, I would hand over the keys and let Mom and Alice finish the nursery so it would be ready for our bundle of joy when it got home.
When Bella's cravings kicked in and she wanted her double chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream smothered in her favorite French salad dressing from Mazzio's, I joined in having the cravings with her. Braum's special ordered extra half gallons of the ice cream for us because no other flavor would do. The manager at Mazzio's had a container of the dressing ready for us to take home every time we finished eating the lunch buffet, which was at least once a week.
The first time Emmett saw us eating our French dressing chocolate cookie dough sundaes, he took off running to the bathroom. We couldn't help but laugh that we had finally found something related to food that disgusted Emmett. No one had ever thought that would happen.
One Saturday afternoon at the beginning of August, the family had gotten together at Mom's new home to celebrate the fact that we were all together again. Emmett and I were grilling steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers, while Bella, Rose, Mom and the twins were relaxing in the air conditioned house.
When I heard Bella's scream, I dropped the platter of hot dogs on the patio and dashed into the house. My fear disappeared immediately when I saw the reason for her excitement: Jacob.
"Bella, love, that scream of excitement that I'm assuming was from seeing this guy here," I nudged Jake with my fist, "shaved at least ten years off my life." I kissed her on the lips and stood in one of my favorite places in the world, behind her with my hands propped up on her very pregnant belly. Baby Cullen quickly acknowledged me with swift kick to my hands.
"Hi, baby," I told it as I rubbed soothing circles on Bella's belly. "Hey, Jake. It's great to see you."
"Good to see you, too, Edward. Pregnancy definitely becomes you," Jacob said to Bella with a big grin.
"Thanks, Jake. I've missed you so much," Bella said. "I'm so glad you're here. How long are you staying?"
"Well, Bella, I'm moving back to Oklahoma. I guess I should also add that Dad is moving back here, too."
"Really?" Bella asked excitedly. "Oh, Jacob! This is perfect!" Bella shouted as she moved out of my embrace to hug Jake. "Now absolutely everybody I love is here." Bella's smile filled her entire face.
"That is definitely great news," I added. "Now we have one more person who can babysit for us if we need it," I joked.
A little later we all sat down to enjoy our dinner. I was a little worried about Bella because she wasn't eating much of anything.
"You okay?" I whispered.
"Yeah," she answered. "It's just this heat, even with the air conditioning it's stifling, and there really isn't much more room inside me for even a little bit a food." She rubbed both hands lovingly over her belly. "The baby has been really active today," she smiled.
"Must be because Uncle Jake is here," Jacob smirked.
"Sure, that's it," I said sarcastically which got a laugh from everyone.
"I think it's because the baby is trying to find a comfortable spot inside of me. I know that I'd love to be comfortable," Bella said as she stretched and yawned.
"It's that time isn't it," I kissed the top of her head as I carried our plates to the kitchen.
"Yep, it's time for my first nap of the day. Everyone, it has been great, and I hate to not eat much and run, but the only place I can sleep comfortably is at home," she told everyone as Jacob helped her out of her chair.
Mom got up and hugged her tightly and patted her stomach. "I don't think it will be much longer, Bella. I'll be holding my third grandchild in my arms in less than a week."
"It won't be that soon," Emmett said. "That baby has Edward for a father. I bet Bella will go past her due date." That comment earned him a smack upside the head from Rose.
"Don't you ever wish that on someone, Emmett! You'll be finding your happy place closed indefinitely if you ever think about saying something like that again. It's hard being pregnant."
"Amen," Bella yawned.
"Time for me to get my loves home," I told them. I thought I heard them betting on something as Bella and I walked out the door.
Our condo was literally freezing. Bella sighed in relief as soon as the hot summer day was closed out behind us.
"Let's go," Bella said as she grabbed my hand and led me to our bedroom. Bella had found that not only could she only nap in our bed, but that I had to be with her. She just couldn't get comfortable otherwise.
I kicked off my shoes and helped her get comfortable in the bed. She curled up into my side and was instantly asleep. I held my loves close to me, and soon after Bella I fell asleep.
Bella usually woke up from her afternoon naps before I did, but today something woke me up first instead. At first I wasn't sure what had roused me from my sleep then I felt the wetness by my hips.
"Oh, fuck," I whispered. "Either one of us pissed our pants or her water broke," I said to myself. I looked over at Bella, and she was still sleeping peacefully. I wasn't going to wake her up because I knew that she needed as much rest as she could get. We were going to have a very big day ahead of us.
The entire pregnancy I had kept my fears in check. I knew most of them were irrational, but my family had had more than its share of near-death experiences in the recent past. If anything happened to Bella or our baby, I just didn't know how I could survive it. They were my life.
I maneuvered out of bed, quickly changed my clothes and got a fresh set of clothes ready for Bella. I opened the closet door and got out the bag we had packed so it would be ready for this day. I felt tears prick my eyes. This was it. I was about to become a father.
I had just sent a text to Mom to tell her what was going on when I saw Bella begin to stir.
"Hey," she whispered groggily. She moved her hands down to help her sit up in the bed. The realization hit her the same time as a contraction, her face contorting in pain. "Oh! I guess it's time to meet you," Bella told her stomach as I went to help her out of bed and get dressed.
It wasn't a surprise to find our entire family had beaten us to the hospital. Jacob was pacing the floor like he was the expectant father.
"I guess you were right, Esme," Bella said as I wheeled her by my mother.
"No, Alice was right," Emmett grumbled. "I can't believe you've won the bet."
"Never underestimate me, Brother Bear. I told you she would go into labor today," Alice laughed.
"You bet on when I was going to give birth?" Bella asked through gritted teeth as she felt another contraction.
"Yep, it was his idea," Jake answered as he pointed at Emmett. "All of us got in on it, too. No one was even near Alice's guess though," he laughed.
All I could do was shake my head. "Really, Emmett? Just for that, Alice gets to hold the baby before you do," I smirked. I heard him griping about life not being fair as Bella and I entered her room.
Labor went by more quickly than the doctor anticipated. I don't remember what happened after I saw the anesthesiologist pull out the needle to help relieve Bella's pain. I woke up to my mother and Bella talking. I was sprawled out on the couch next to the bed.
"He lives," Bella giggled. "How's your head, Edward?" she asked.
I gently probed the back of my head and felt an egg-sized lump. "I fainted," I stated. I felt like an absolute moron. Here my wife, my life, was in pain, preparing to deliver our baby, and I fainted when I saw a damn needle.
"It's okay, Son," Mom told me as she patted me on the back. "This isn't the first time a husband has passed out when his wife has been in labor, and it won't be the last."
"Bella, love, I am so sorry," I kissed her on the cheek. "How are you doing?"
"It won't be long now," she smiled into my lips as she turned my face so our lips would meet.
Bella was right. The nurse came in to check on her and told us that it was time. I should have been embarrassed when the nurse said that she brought some smelling salt just in case I passed out again. There was no way that I was going to miss any second of my child's birth.
Mom said she was honored when we asked her to stay in the room with us while the doctor delivered the baby. Mom wasn't just my mom anymore. She was Bella's, too. Bella and I felt that it was only right that she be here to meet the baby before the rest of our family.
"One more push, Bella," the doctor told her. I was holding her up on her right side and Mom on her left. She grunted and bore down a final time, her eyes squeezed tightly against the pain.
A cry filled the room, and I felt tears prick my eyes. "It's a girl," the doctor told us. "Would you like to cut the cord, Dad?" he asked me. I knew that I couldn't find my voice so I simply nodded.
After I cut the cord, the nurse took the baby and a few moments later handed me my daughter swaddled in a pink blanket. There was no stopping the tears when I saw her face for the first time. "You are the most beautiful baby in the world. I love you," I whispered as I kissed her forehead.
I looked at my incredible wife who had a brilliant smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. I placed the baby in her arms, and Bella cuddled her close to her chest.
She kissed her cheek and reached down to hold our daughter's hand. "Your daddy is right. You are magnificent. I love you so much, baby girl."
I kissed Bella and our daughter. "Mom, we would love to introduce you to your first granddaughter, Emily Elizabeth Cullen."
"Emily Elizabeth. Elizabeth. You named her after my mother," Mom said quietly as she moved closer to see Emily.
"Would you like to hold her?" Bella asked. Mom nodded, and the moment she held Emily, I knew my mother was just as smitten as Bella and I were.
"Thank you, Bella," I said as I kissed her gently. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," she smiled.
I looked over at Mom again, and I saw Granny Platt looking down at her namesake with a smirk on her face. She looked at me, smiled and said, "You did well, Edward. You did very, very well."
Not everyone gets a second chance at life. If Granny Platt hadn't opened my eyes to all the pain that I had caused everyone, I wouldn't be here today. Life doesn't always turn out the way we expect it will. Mine turned out better than I had ever hoped or dreamed it would. I looked at the bundle in my mother's arms then at Bella. Getting here was a long road filled with more twists, turns and pain than should be allowed, but it brought me to this one perfect moment in time. It brought me to my family. Granny Platt was right. I had done well.
A/N: This is it. Bella and Edward got their promised Happily Ever After. The epilogue will have a little bit of a time jump and you will hear about Jacob's HEA. This story has been a blast and it is hard for us to believe in a few weeks we will finally hit the complete button to our first story. Thanks so much for reading.
If you are waiting on an update for New York Minute, it isn't written yet. My aunt died unexpectedly last week so I've not had any time to write. Hopefully it will be out next week. Sorry for the delay.
If the story goes missing you can find it on Archive of Our Own under our same pen name. Links to our stories are also on the front page of our blog twidictedbyrd . blogspot . com
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We also have a O/S The Right Wrong Number. We are still trying to decide if we will extend it into a full fic or not.