AN: This may be the fastest turnaround time between chapters, lol. Hopefully the next one will be similar. I need to thank SwallowedxInxThexSea for being an awesome beta while she could and Frankie and ask for taking over. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing beyond the plot and new characters. Still. That won't change.

Chapter 23 – New Arrival

BPOV

When I saw Jasper and Edward race into the other room, I knew something was wrong. I hurried after them to see Alice frozen, in the dining room. Alice never stopped moving.

"I think my water just broke," she whispered.

Once that sunk in, I squealed and hurried to help her.

"Do you feel okay? Do you need anything? How fast do you need to be at the hospital?" I said quickly.

"Bella, don't worry. We've had an overnight bag packed for a week," Alice said with a laugh. "Don't freak out."

"My best friend is having her first baby and you want me to not freak out?" I said.

"Please don't freak out," she continued. "In about two hours or so, I'll screaming my fucking head off every ten minutes and crushing my husband's hand. I'd like to stay sane for a while."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Got it. So, we stop by your place, grab the overnight bag and head to the hospital?" I asked.

Rose stepped in then, having packed up all her things. "Wouldn't it be better if Emmett and I stopped to get the bag while the rest of you went straight there? After all, the overnight bag isn't very important until after the little one is outside your stomach."

Alice nodded. "Thank you, guys. And Bella, can you call my parents on the way?"

"You got it," I said with a smile. "Now, come on. You've got yourself a baby to push out."

Rose and I helped her move from her frozen spot before Jasper finally knocked himself out of whatever stupor he'd been stuck in. He rushed forward and scooped her up into his arms, not even letting her walk. Edward chuckled and took my hand as we headed out the door.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked. I explained what we'd decided and he just nodded.

"Emmett, come on," Rose called as we got into the living room.

"Babe, the game's not over yet," he answered, unaware of what was happening.

"I don't care. It's time to go." She stood behind him with her arms crossed. He still didn't look up.

"But, Rosie-"

"Emmett, Alice is going to have her baby. If you don't get your ass off that couch right now, I'm leaving you here and you won't get near me for a week at the least. No sex, no fun times, no nothin'. And you definitely won't be able to see the kid," Rose informed him.

His head spun around. "You can't be serious! You love those mid-morning fun times!"

"Uh, Emmet?" Edward butted in, his hand still in mine. "She's fuckin' serious. Get your ass off the couch."

Edward's big, burly cousin took a hard look at his fiancée before jumping off the couch and making great time to the door. "What are we waiting for? Let's get a move on, people!"

Rose smiled smugly before following him.

"Huh," I said thoughtfully as we all walked out. "I can't decide if he would respond better to withholding food or not."

"Food, no. Beer? Maybe," Edward responded.

I laughed until we were well on our way to the hospital.

Within the hour, the maternity ward's waiting room was full of Alice's friends and family. Joshua was avoiding his parents and so spent more time with Edward and me. The two men were getting to know one another better as I read one of Alice's baby books.

"So, do they really hurt a lot? The tattoos?" Joshua asked.

"Not as much as people make it out to," my boyfriend answered. "Once you know how it feels, it's not bad. The first few minutes are the worst while you're getting used to it."

"Right. I'll take your word for it. So, you're thinking of expanding?"

"Yeah. We've had more traffic than ever the past few months and our space is too small to keep up with it. We've been trying to think of ways to make it more appealing to other demographics."

At that point, I tuned them out. My mind was more focused on the fact that I was about to be a godmother. I knew I would end up with babysitting duty and I needed to know how to care for a baby. Never once had I babysat in high school. I had no idea what I was doing. Hopefully Jasper and Alice had read enough of the baby books by that time to know what they were doing….

"What are you thinking about?" Edward whispered, his lips grazing my ear.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," I said. "My best friend is married and in there having a kid and I'm out here scared to take that leap. I have no idea how you put up with me." (If she's a little panicky, this could be expanded upon, for a bit of a rant. It would ease into the epiphany a little bit more.)

He chuckled. "Bella, you are a wonderful woman. You're only twenty-four; you don't need to have everything figured out. Everything will still be okay if you wait a few years to start a family. I'm not going anywhere."

He trailed his finger along the charm bracelet he'd given me for my birthday. It didn't have much, but what it did have only proved exactly what he was saying. There was a B charm and an E charm, but he found a way to intertwine them. I wasn't about to take them apart. There was a rose that reminded me so much of the tattoo design he'd drawn. But the one my eye was drawn to was the simple, engraved ring.

It reminded me that nothing needed to be elaborate to be worthy. Nothing needed to be extravagant to have a deep meaning. The inscription – "Always Yours" – was perfect and it didn't need any explanation. It perfectly defined our relationship.

I looked up at Edward and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. "You are amazing, do you know that?"

He smiled, but didn't respond. "I think I want to get that tattoo soon," he finally said. "Now that Rose is a little calmer, I can trust her to do it."

"I can't wait to see it," I said. "It'll be beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled as I laid my head in his lap to rest. Listening to my friends and family, and having Edward so close, I fell asleep quickly. When I woke up, Edward was running his fingers gently through my hair.

"Hey," he said quietly. Looking around, I noticed the others had fallen asleep while waiting.

"Hey. How long was I out?" I asked, stretching a bit.

"A few hours. I slept for a while too, but you kept moving around and that woke me up."

"How's Alice doing? Do we know?"

Before he could answer, Jasper emerged from the hallway, snuggling a small, blue bundle. His face was beaming and he couldn't take his eyes off his newborn son. I hurried over, selfishly not waking anyone else up as I went to meet my godson.

"Hey," I said when I got close enough.

My friend finally looked up, still beaming. "Hey, Bella," he said. He glanced back down at the bundle in his arms, as if to make sure it was still there. "Meet your godson. Alexander Matthew Whitlock."

I smiled and looked down at the boy. His little face was scrunched up as he snuggled into his blanket, trying to get comfortable. I gently touched his cheek with the back of my finger and he looked right at me. His gray eyes shone just like his mother's as he looked right up at me. His tiny hand reached up to grasp my finger.

That moment sealed my plans for the future. I saw an image of Edward in this position holding a small boy with a small tuft of bronze hair and deep brown eyes. It was a beautiful sight that I hoped would come true one day.

"He's beautiful," Edward whispered.

I looked up to see my boyfriend looking between me and the newborn. He had a sweet, tender expression on his face. He was thinking along the same lines I was.

Edward had mentioned us starting a family once or twice and I knew he was excited about the idea. That meant marriage was on both our minds, but he'd avoided mentioning anything about that too often.

After James, I wasn't sure I could handle another engagement. Seeing how he changed after the engagement was announced was like watching a switch being flipped. He instantly became a different person. Logically, I knew that would never happen with Edward. He loved me and did everything he could to treat me with respect. But some tiny part of me in the back of my mind was scared that it could happen again. I didn't want that.

Seeing his face as little Alexander clutched my finger, though, solidified the thought that Edward would never react like James. He would never be the ultimate dictator in the relationship. He would hold my opinion in high regard, rather than only showing me off as a trophy.

I loved Edward. I trusted him. And I wanted to be his wife.

I was pulled back to the present by a small whimper from the little boy in my friend's arms. He pulled away from me and curled further into Jasper's chest. It was a beautiful sight.

"He's going to be the most selfish kid ever," I said. "No one's going to want to put him down."

Jasper chuckled, trying not to shake his son. "You're right. I need to get him back to Ali. She only got to hold him for a few minutes before they cleaned him off."

"Yes, go. We'll let everyone know that you're okay. Go give your son back to his momma," I said, pushing him back toward Alice's room.

Edward wrapped his arms around me as we watched our friend walk away.

"He looks so happy," I said.

"That he does. But he'll start getting gray hairs pretty quick," Edward said. "As soon as he starts losing sleep."

I smirked and looked up at him. "All that means is that we can offer to babysit and spoil the hell out of him."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You're going to be the best aunt," he said. Then he lowered his voice to say the next part. "And you're going to be the best mother one day."

My smile softened. "You're going to be a wonderful father someday too. I just know it."

We walked back to the waiting room to see that the others had woken up. Rosalie, Emmett, and Joshua were sitting in the corner, talking quietly. Alice's parents were reading a magazine about renovations. Jasper's parents were talking between themselves. Joshua noticed us first.

"Hey, where'd you two get off to?"

"Jasper came out," I said simply, but my smile was sure to give me away.

"And you didn't wake us up?" he asked, glaring at me.

"You guys were all tired. Besides, he could only come out for a few seconds. We didn't want to scare the poor kid by all crowding around Jasper and fighting for attention."

"Is Alice alright?" her mother asked.

"Jasper said she's perfectly fine, but I doubt she's going to put that kid down anytime soon," Edward said with a chuckle.

They tried to get us to give them hints about the gender and name of the baby, but we wouldn't budge. We knew Alice and Jasper wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. I wouldn't have been surprised if there was a bet set up.

Eventually, Jasper came back out and told us that we could go visit. Edward and I held back, letting the others get in and finally figure out the mystery. We all crowded into the room, though Emmett and Rosalie stood by the wall with Edward and me to let the family have their time together.

"Everyone, meet baby Xander," Alice said, beaming.

"What's his full name?" her mother asked as she studied her grandson.

"Alexander Matthew Whitlock," Jasper said proudly.

Everyone took turns cooing over both Alice and little Xander. I was right; that boy would be spoiled.

I looked over to Edward's friends. Rose was wrapped in Emmett's arms as she gazed longingly at the scene in front of her. It was clear that she wanted to be the one holding a tiny bundle of joy. Judging by the way Emmett held and comforted her, he wanted the same thing. It was sweet to see them when they weren't about to rip each other's clothes off.

Eventually, Alice started yawning and we could all see her eyes start to droop. It was rare to see her lacking energy, but no one could fault her in that situation. We all said our goodbyes and left quickly, leaving the new parents alone with their son.

I spent that night at Edward's. We threw in a movie, but barely watched any of it. Edward had other things on his mind. When he finished showing me how much I meant to him, we lay together in his bed.

"You were beautiful today," he said. "Seeing you with Xander was amazing."

I shrugged and traced random lines over his torso. "It's not a big deal."

"It really is. You're going to be a wonderful mother one day. I can't believe that you will be anything less than loving, caring, and perfect for the job," he said, lifting my chin to look me in the eyes. "You're nothing like your mother. No child will ever accuse you of forcing your plans on them. You are amazing, baby. Don't ever forget that."

"Thank you," I smiled, kissing him gently.

I fell asleep that night envisioning Edward playfully chasing around two little boys and a little girl who all looked like a mix of the two of us.

"Bella!" Alice called to me from across the room. "Thank god. Can you take Xander for a little while?"

It had been almost a month since they took baby Alexander home from the hospital. We were all getting ready for Emmett and Rose's wedding after New Year's as well as Christmas in just a few days. Honestly, I couldn't fathom how we could have more to do.

"Of course," I said, holding my arms out for the sleeping newborn.

She passed him to me, heaving a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I need to help Rose and I need both hands. He should be fine for a while; I already fed him and changed him recently. But try not to let him sleep too long. It's Jasper's night to take care of him, but it doesn't matter. We need him to sleep when we sleep. The boy just wants his own schedule and-"

I put one hand on her shoulder – definitely making sure that Xander was well supported. "Ali, sweetie, take a breath. I can handle one sleeping little boy while you help Rose. Go."

She nodded and hurried off. I chuckled and looked down at the boy in my arms.

"Your mommy's a little nutty, huh, baby boy?" I whispered with a soft chuckle. I kissed his forehead.

Within a few minutes, I realized that there was no way those two would be free for another few hours. I let them know that I would meet them over at Twilight, since it was only a few stores down. They teased me about Edward as I left. I responded in kind by sticking out my tongue.

Xander woke up on the walk over, cooing and clawing at my shirt. I chuckled and repositioned him. He continued clawing at my shirt, looking for even more attention. I tickled his tiny tummy as I walked into the shop, causing him to squirm and gurgle in pleasure.

"Hey, Bella," Pete said when he saw me. "Aw, is that your friends' kid? Edward was telling me about that."

"Yep, this is the little guy," I said, bouncing him in my arms.

"You look great with him," Pete said with a smile.

"Am I hallucinating or do I hear a little kid out here?" Edward asked as he came out from the back room. His face brightened when he saw me. "Hey, baby." He came over and kissed me before saying hi to the baby in my arms.

"Hey," I said with a smile. "I didn't want to be stuck with Alice and Rose in wedding mode for three hours. I decided to take the little guy on a trip to visit my favorite tattoo parlor in the city."

"This better be the only one you even go to," he said, mock-seriously.

"Well, it just so happens that this one has a seriously hot tattoo artist that I happen to have a thing for," I teased.

"Well, I guess that explains a lot," he sighed dramatically. "You tell him he's a lucky man."

"You too are sickening," Pete said.

"I've seen you with Danielle, man. You two are no better than teenagers after prom," Edward threw back.

"Yeah, yeah," the younger man grumbled as he flipped open his phone. A stupid grin appeared on his face, so the text must have been from Danielle. Then he glanced up at my boyfriend. "Don't say it."

Edward just smirked before turning his attention back to me and the baby in my arms. "God, you look beautiful," he said as I smiled down at Xander.

"It's just me with a baby, Edward," I said, cocking an eyebrow at him. I walked over to the couch in the waiting area and set my godson down and knelt next to him. "It's not like I look any different than usual."

"Yes, you do," he insisted. "You look so happy, Bella. When I met you, you were a completely different person. You acted happy, but I could tell you weren't. Since you broke away from your mother's wishes, you've really looked happy. It's amazing. Being with you during this has been amazing. Seeing you now with Xander, it only makes me want to give you everything like that. You were born for this kind of a life and I want you to have it."

I sighed as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. "You're such a cheeseball," I muttered. "What happened to that carefree badass who saved me that night?"

Edward chuckled in my ear and his voice dropped to a husky whisper. "Oh, he'll come out to play with you, baby. But for now, you'll have to settle for the good twin."

I looked up at him and smiled. "I think I'll manage."

I spent the next few hours distracting Xander from missing his mommy. It was hard for a one-month-old to be too far away from his mother. I did my best to keep him occupied, but every half hour or so he would start crying. I changed his diaper once, but after that I knew he was hungry. He was too young to have anything we could find and Alice failed to pack a bottle. Edward tried to calm him down too, talking softly to him about how "amazing your Auntie Bella is" and how special he was. It helped for a while, but until I started singing to him, nothing really helped.

Finally, Alice and Rosalie strode in. my best friend hurried over and snatched her son right out of my arms.

"Hey, baby boy!" she cooed, kissing all over his face. He gurgled in happiness, but clutched at her shirt as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. "Oh, no. I forgot to pack a bottle, didn't I? Edward, do you mind if I…"

"Oh, sure. Uh, you can use the back room if you want," he said, showing her the way.

I sighed and sat back in the couch. "Thank god. I don't know if I could take him crying again," I said.

"You and me both. I think even Pete wanted to learn about child care," Edward said.

"Oh, come on. It couldn't have been that bad," Rose scoffed. "The two of you are frickin' naturals." It was obvious she was a little bitter about how we handled Xander at the hospital while she and Emmett were skittish.

"Rose, when you hear his little cry, you will do everything you can to make it stop," he said as he sat next to me. "It's heartbreaking."

"Oh my god," she exclaimed. "I can't believe I didn't see this before. You have officially handed in your man card."

"Hey, that's not fair. Just because of one remark?"

"Bella tattled about your cheesy lines, mister. You're in the negatives now."

I focused on my hands as Edward's head whipped around to face me. Picking sides in this fight would not end well. I was already dreading a night without Edward – thanks to my mother demanding a real family dinner – and I didn't want him to be mad at me. Also, I'd already confessed to Rosalie, so I couldn't deny that without serious consequences.

"I guess I can deal with that as long as you don't want me to give up the physical proof," he laughed.

"No, I was thinking you don't even deserve that anymore," Rose replied.

I laughed as Edward's jaw dropped. I could tell Rose was joking, but Edward obviously feared for his masculinity. "Come on, Rose. I thought you wanted me to get laid," I said, trying not to laugh as Edward's face contorted further in surprise. "That thing you want to get rid of just happens to be my best chance at that."

Rosalie narrowed her eyes at us before sighing in defeat. "Fine, whatever. But don't come crying to me when it shrivels up and falls off on its own. And Bella? It's not a 'thing'; it's a cock. Say it with me…"

"I know what it is, Rose," I snapped. "Just because I don't feel like saying it among present company, doesn't mean I am incapable of saying it."

"Just once?"

"Forget it, Rose."

"Party pooper," she whined before going to help Pete with inventory.

"Thank you for defending my honor," Edward said.

"You're lucky I love you," I teased.

"Mmm, I'm a very lucky man indeed," he said, kissing my cheek.

Leaving Edward to go home that night was hard. It might have sounded incredibly pathetic, but I wanted to spend every second with him and I resented my mother for demanding Edward-free family time.

My mother never warmed up to Edward. In the months that we'd been together, Edward and I worked around my mother to spend time with the rest of my family. When I started spending more time with the man I loved, my mother finally started trying to be a positive part of my life. I hoped she would finally accept Edward, but she was dead set against him no matter what he did.

"Isabella," she said excitedly when I finally got home.

"You knew I was coming home. It's not like I've been gone that long," I said, rolling my eyes.

I might have still held a grudge about her hating Edward.

"I haven't seen you in two days," she said, kissing my cheek. "Is it a sin to want to see my daughter?"

Only when you drag me away from the love of my life, I thought. I shrugged in response to my mother.

"Go get changed before your grandparents get here," she said, turning to go back to the kitchen. "Lord knows you don't want to shock your grandmother by wearing those god awful clothes."

So now jeans and a graphic tee were off limits in the house. Good to know.

I changed into a simple cotton sundress – possibly a bad idea considering the weather – before heading back downstairs. My grandparents had already shown up.

"Bella, dear!" Gran greeted me with a hug and a smile.

"Hey Gran," I said, trying to smile and turning to my grandfather. "Grampy."

"Still beautiful, as ever," he said, kissing the top of my head. "I presume your other half looks a bit down himself, hmm?"

"I would imagine so. And if he's not constantly checking his phone, I'd be very surprised," I laughed.

"Oh, goodness, are you still making that boy chase after you? Cut him some slack and let him catch you. A good roll in the hay would do you both some good."

"Mother! Stop filling her head with ridiculous fantasies. It's just a crush and she'll realize he's nothing soon enough," my own mother said happily as she led us all to the dining room.

"She'll come around soon," Dad said, setting his arms around my shoulders.

I gave him a small smile, but we both knew I didn't believe him.

The night went a bit better than I expected. My mother was civil whenever anyone brought up Edward, but would always change the subject as quickly as she could. I swear she was getting even more self centered and afraid of change as the years went on. She needed to start living in the real world.

I'd forgotten that it was my parents' anniversary that week. They insisted we make a toast, but of course my mother would pull out the wine I refused to drink. The only time I tasted it, I was sick for a week. Once was enough. Thankfully, she remembered and brought me a glass of whatever else they had open. It tasted a little off to me, but after a dinner including a jubilee of different spices and seasonings, anything else could taste a little off.

By the time I finally escaped, I was exhausted. I took my time going through my nightly routine and took a long, soothing shower. That seemed to help put me to sleep even further.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Edward's number as I settled in for the night.

"Hey, baby," he answered cheerfully. "I was wondering when you'd call."

"Sorry, I decided to get ready for bed first. I had planned on a quick shower, but it just felt so good," I said.

"Don't apologize. It's fine, Bella. How was your mom?"

"Still plotting against you as far as I'm concerned. The bitch just needs to get over herself and realize that you're amazing."

"When she realizes that you love me, she'll come around," he assured me.

"Does she not understand that now? Have I not made it completely obvious?"

"She obviously doesn't see what we have. But she will, I promise."

I sighed and looked at the drawing from The Little Mermaid he'd given me so long ago. I finally understood what it was like to take that freeing breath. Edward did that for me.

"I love you, Edward," I said quietly. "I just wanted you to know that."

"I do know, baby. And I love you too. So much. Now get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow," he said sweetly.

"Night, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella. I love you."

"Love you too."

It didn't take me long to fall asleep after I hung up the phone. Talking to Edward made me feel safe. Nothing mattered beyond how he felt for me. If he were to propose to me tomorrow, I felt I was finally ready to say yes. He was my life now.

AN: Good? Shitty? Let me know in a review! Double digits gets a teaser as always.

Next chapter: Surprise!

There are only a few more chapters left, guys. One more of each POV and an epilogue. Keep that in mind. :)

-Kaylee