A/N: Hi again. Sorry it's taken me longer to post this chapter but I've had a few health issues lately and it's really hard to write when you're in pain! That's also why this chapter is probably my shortest to date, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer.

I just want to thank all of you once again for your wonderful support. I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you but I promise I read every review and treasure all of them.

Hope you like the next one.

Chapter 30

A couple of days later, Bella was sitting with Alyssa in her arms in Alice's hospital room. She was due to return to work the following day, along with Edward, but they were taking this time to get to know their niece. Jasper and Edward had gone downstairs to visit with Carlisle, leaving the three girls on their own.

"How's the feeding going?" asked Bella as she rocked the infant.

Alice shifted in the bed, grimacing slightly as the movement caused the dull stab of pain to radiate from her wound. "Ow! That hurt," she complained as she tried to find a comfortable position.

"Do you need more painkillers?" asked Bella. "I can get the nurse to bring you more."

"No, it's alright. It's only when I move suddenly. And to answer your question, I can't say I'm enjoying our feeds."

"What's the problem?"

"It hurts, for a start. And quite frankly, I'm over pain at the moment," said Alice, scrunching up her face.

"You'll start feeling better soon," said Bella sympathetically. "You said the wound was healing well, didn't you?"

"That's what the doc says, but I won't be able to drive for a few weeks, and that sucks."

Bella hid the smile that threatened. A grumpy Alice was not something you wanted to deal with on a regular basis. For someone that could hardly sit still, the enforced bed rest and the limitations on what she could physically do while her body recuperated from the caesarean was enough to make her crazy.

"But it was worth it, wasn't it?" asked Bella, looking at Alyssa.

Alice looked at her daughter and smiled tenderly. "Yes, she's worth it." She reached out and touched the baby's cheek. "She's beautiful, isn't she? I'm thinking she's going to have Jasper's eyes."

"Why's that?"

"I know most babies have blue eyes at birth but hers are a really deep blue already. I'm almost certain they'll stay blue."

"If that's true, poor Jasper will be fighting off boys sooner than he wishes. I think Alyssa is going to be very popular with the boys, with her dark hair and blue eyes."

"God, don't let Jasper hear you say that!" giggled Alice giggled. "He's already talking about getting a shotgun and having it ready by the front door, in case any male gets any ideas!"

They were laughing together when Alyssa began making little whimpers as she stirred from her sleep. Opening her eyes, she stared up at Bella for a few moments before her face scrunched and she let out a wail of protest.

"Oh dear. Looks like someone's hungry, I think," murmured Bella with a smile.

"I'm not surprised. She's got an appetite, my daughter," said Alice as she grabbed a pillow. With Bella's help, Alyssa was soon feeding. Alice looked guiltily at Bella.

"Bella?"

"What?"

"Can I tell you something?"

Bella frowned. "Of course, Al. What is it?"

Alice bit her lip for a moment before she spoke. "Um, I…I don't like breastfeeding. In fact, I hate it," she whispered as she looked down at her baby. "Am I an awful person?"

Bella reached out and took Alice's free hand. "Of course not! It's perfectly alright to feel like that. Breastfeeding isn't for everyone. Is there a specific problem that's making you feel that way?"

Shaking her head, Alice replied,. "Not really, other than it really hurts. I know that eventually goes away but I'm just not enjoying it. It's messy, and I don't feel comfortable feeding her in front of others, except for you and Jasper. And Mom. I want to put her on formula but I'm afraid I'll be looked at as being selfish and irresponsible."

"If that's how you really feel, then you need to do what's best for you and Alyssa. If you put her on formula, Alyssa will do perfectly well and you can still have the closeness and bonding while you feed her. It's better for her that you are relaxed and happy, rather than tense and unhappy every time she needs a feed. Don't worry about what anyone says, it's your body and your baby and you know that you're doing the best for her. I would suggest you feed her for another day or so, because the colostrum will help her immune system but after that, put her on the bottle. I'm sure Jasper will enjoy feeding her as well."

Alice smiled. "Thanks Bella. I feel better now. It's just so uncomfortable holding her with these stitches but I'll feed her for another day or two."

"No problem. We have some samples here on the unit that you can try. Some formula'sformulas suit some babies more than others but they all contain the nutrients they need. Do you have bottles and things?"

"No. I just expected to be breastfeeding afterwards."

"Okay. How about I get you what you'll need and I'll bring it in tomorrow. We have a steriliser on the unit but I'll get you one for home. I'll show you how to use it when you're ready."

"Thanks Bella. You're the best." She changed Alyssa's position and continued feeding.

"Does Jasper know how you feel? Is he okay with it?" asked Bella.

"Yes, I told him. He says whatever I decide is fine with him. If we bottle-feed, he'll even take the night feeds."

"Wow, now that's an offer I wouldn't knock back," laughed Bella.

"Don't worry, I'm not about to," agreed Alice as she made the burped the baby burp.

They were laughing when Jasper and Edward came back in the room. Edward sat down next to Bella, softly kissing her temple as he took her hand in his.

"Here Edward, get some practice before it's your turn," said Alice, indicating the now dozing baby.

Edward grinned and picked up his niece, holding her tightly against his chest. "Hello, little one," he murmured as he kissed her head. He looked quite comfortable holding the tiny infant as they talked. Alyssa stirred a couple of times but Edward gently rubbed her back and she settled down again.

Bella didn't think he'd ever looked so desirable as he did while holding the baby. It always did things to her. She still felt like she had to pinch herself sometimes, to reassure herself that this wasn't all a vivid dream. To think that an ordinary person like her could be married to a man with not only movie-star looks, but with a beautiful soul as well, who loved her so much was hard to believe at times.

She really hadn't been looking for someone when they met. Like she'd told him, she had been content with her life, not missing someone special in her life. She had her friends and her work and that had been enough. Maybe in later years she may have wanted someone to share her life with, and she did want a baby someday, but at that point, she was content.

Until she'd crashed into the bronze-haired, green-eyed dream that was Edward Cullen. If he'd only had his looks, she probably would have been able to resist him, hard as that would be. Hell, she was only human. But coupled with his warmth, sense of humour, intelligence and his all encompassing sexiness, she'd had no chance of resisting his allure. Not that she wanted to, anyway. And even though her intimate experiences with men were limited, she felt sure that Edward was in a class of his own when it came to lovemaking. God, she only had to look at him to get that tingly feeling in her body. The more she had him, the more she wanted him.

At that momentmoment, she felt the baby move and she automatically reached down to touch her stomach. Now that she knew what it felt like, she felt the movements often. She felt that the movements were getting stronger already but she couldn't feel them with her hand. She hoped it wouldn't be long before Edward would be able to feel their baby.

They heard voices and footsteps coming towards the room before Esme and Victoria came into view.

"Where's my little grand-daughter?" asked Esme as she kissed Alice and Jasper.

"Here Mom," replied Edward.

"Hello darling," crooned Esme as she took the baby from Edward and covered her little face with kisses. "God I love that baby smell."

"Hi Victoria," said Bella, as Edward stood up to let her sit with Robbie. "Hi, little guy. Gosh, you can tell how much he's grown since he was born, can't you? He looks huge next to Alyssa."

"I know," agreed Victoria. "He's still tiny to me and then I look at Alyssa and see how much my little man's grown. Haven't you, pumpkin?" she crooned, nuzzling her son's neck and earning a grin and a gurgle.

"Goodness, we're going to have a menagerie of babies soon," said Esme. "How wonderful. If any of you need a babysitter, I'm your man, you know."

Esme was revelling in all the babies. To have her children around her, happy and fulfilled and with their own children was all she'd ever wanted for them. And she considered Victoria as one of her children now, with Robbie a grandson. She hoped Victoria would find someone to make her happy. After seeing her with Jacob at Edward's wedding, she was hoping something would happen there.

They were chatting for a while when Alice asked Victoria if she had enjoyed herself at Bella's wedding. They were all intrigued to see a deep blush suffuse her face.

"Um...yeah...it was great. It was my first wedding, you know," she replied.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," smiled Bella. She was tempted to make a comment about Jacob but restrained herself. The poor girl didn't need teasing from them.

After leaving the hospital Bella and Edward drove into Port Angeles to get the feeding equipment Alice needed. They walked into the large baby goods store, looking around at the seemingly endless rows of baby paraphernalia. There was a whole row of different cots and cradles, another full of baby carriages. There were walkers, rockers, bouncers, play mats, baby baths, toys, bed linen and any number of assorted items.

"Wow! I think we came to the right place," breathed Edward in awe. "If we can't find what we need here, there's something really wrong."

Bella nodded in agreement. "Shall we have a look around before we get the bottles for Alice? We're going to start looking around for baby furniture soon so we might as well see what's available."

"This is going to be fun.," grinned Edward grinned, rubbing his hands together.

They ended up spending almost two hours looking around before Bella pleaded a need for food. Edward was engrossed in everything,everything; he was like a kid in a toy shop.

"Wow, look at this!" was his common catch phrase as he discovered another piece of equipment or item that took his fancy.

Bella smiled indulgently as she watched him while looking around more slowly herself. She looked at the various cradles and cots, amazed at the variety. They ranged from the traditional wooden style to the more modern, clean lines. As she walked down the aisle, a particular cot caught her eye. It was made from maple wood and was in the traditional style, with the rails beautifully carved. She liked that it wasn't too fussy. The base was able to be raised and lowered for comfort. After admiring it for a while, she continued looking around but kept looking back at that one.

"Like that one, do you love?" he asked as he drew her close.

"It's beautiful. It's just like what I imagined for a baby's room," replied Bella.

"Well then, let's buy it."

Bella shook her head. "No, not yet. We've only just started looking and I might see something I like even better." She doubted she would, but wanted to be sure.

"Okay, love," he replied, kissing her temple. "Hey, come check out this playpen. It's awesome."

Bella could only giggle as he dragged her away to see yet another baby item.

After getting everything they needed for Alice and having lunch, they headed back to Forks in the late afternoon.

"You really enjoyed that, didn't you," smiled Bella as she stroked his cheek.

"Oh yeah, that was so much fun. I didn't know there was so much stuff available. I mean, we don't see the babies once they leave the hospital and we didn't have any babies around growing up, so it's like a whole new world. I'm warning you now, I'm probably going to get one of everything," he grinned at her.

Laughing, Bella shook her head. "And just where are we going to put it all? My apartment isn't that big."

"We'll have to make sure the house we build has enough room for all the toys and stuff."

"Edward Cullen! You are not going to spoil this child rotten," warned Bella with a stern voice.

"Awww, you're no fun!" He gave her an adorable hang-dog look.

Damn mit, she couldn't resist that look. "Well, maybe you can spoil him or her a little bit. I don't want an obnoxious brat."

He smiled widely and squeezed her leg. "Thanks Mom."

"You're impossible."

o-o-o-o-o-o

About a week after they returned to work, Bella was relaxing at home alone. Edward had been called back in to the hospital and Bella was catching up on a couple of her favourite programs when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Jake! Come in," she greeted, opening the door.

"Hi Bella." He leaned down and kissed her cheek as he passed her. "Nice threads."

Bella laughed as she followed him into the lounge room. It was a warm night and she was wearing a pair of Edward's boxers as they stretched enough to fit comfortably around her waist. She'd pinched one of Edward's old uni t-shirts for herself. It was lovely and soft from numerous washes and best of all, it smelled like Edward.

"I'm in dire need of some bigger clothing," laughed Bella.

"Wait until the end, you'll be huge! Edward will need a hoist to get you up."

Bella punched him in the arm before sitting down. "How's it going, Jake?"

Jake just shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I guess. Where's Edward?"

"He got called in to the hospital."

Jake just nodded and didn't say anything. Bella couldn't help noticing that he looked slightly nervous.

"Is there something wrong?"

"N...no. Why would there be something wrong?" denied Jake. "Can't I just want to see my best friend?"

"Of course you can. You just seem nervous."

Jake shifted in his seat, sighed, and looked at Bella. "Okay, there is something I wanted to talk to you about," he admitted.

"What it is? It's not about Charlie, is it?"

"No, nothing like that. Um...ah...I. God, this is embarrassing," he huffed.

"Jake, you can tell me anything. You know that," reassured Bella, rubbing his shoulder.

"I wanted to ask you about Victoria," he said in a rush of words. Bella thought she could see a faint blush creep over his tanned skin.

"Victoria? What do you want to know?"

Jake leaned back in the seat and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I don't know. Whatever you can tell me."

"Do you like her? I saw you were really enjoying yourself with her at the wedding."

"Yeah, I do like her. She's gorgeous. I really enjoyed dancing with her but I didn't really get much of chance to talk properly to her. I'd like to get to know her better but I don't want to make a fool of myself." Jake looked at her. "Should I take a chance?"

"Is this just a physical thing?"

Jake shook his head. "No. Well, yes, I am attracted to her. I think she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She's like one of those porcelain dolls. But that's not all. I felt this connection as soon as we spoke. I haven't felt like that before and it freaked me out a bit. That's why it's taken so long to speak to you about her. You know her and I need to know what you think."

Bella was feeling mixed emotions. On one hand, she was glad that Jake was taking an interest in someone. On the other, she worried that he was interested in someone who'd had such a hard time in the past. Victoria was bound to have a huge amount of baggage from her past and Jake would need to be strong to overcome them. He also had to contend with the fact that she had a baby and that they came as a package.

"Jake, I'll be honest with you. Victoria has had an extremely hard life. You know some of it, but it's up to her to tell you whole story. She's had to deal with a lot and she's bound to have issues because of it. I'm not trying to put you off, but you need to know that you would have to deal with that. Despite that, she's a lovely girl and a wonderful mother and if you are strong enough to help her work through her demons, I think you two would make a great couple. Does the fact she has a baby bother you?"

He shook his head. "No, not at all. He's a cute little thing. I know the father was the dirtbag who threatened you. He sounds like a complete monster."

"He was. He's no loss to the world and she's well rid of him but she suffered greatly at his hands. I don't know how easy it would be for her to trust a man after that. You would have your work cut out for you."

"Yeah, I figured that. But there's something about her that I just can't get her off my mind. Maybe if she got to know me she'd see I'm a good guy."

Bella took his hand. "You are, Jake. You're a great guy. She couldn't do better than you but you would have to show her that."

"So, what should I do? Should I ask her out?" asked Jake.

She thought a few moments. "I think you'll have to tread really lightly here. Patience will probably be your greatest tool. Why don't you come with me to Esme's house? You can talk to her in her environment and she'll feel more comfortable. You can see if there's any interest on her part."

Jake nodded his head. "Sounds like a good idea. When can we go?" he asked eagerly.

"I'll let you know. I'll give Esme a head's up." She looked steadily at Jake for a few moments. "Jake, before we do that, I need to know how serious you are about this. This can't be another fling or diversion for you. Victoria's been hurt enough. I'd be really mad at you if you hurt her as well."

"I don't want to hurt her. This is different to anything I've experienced before. I know I'll have to go slowly and hope she'll let me be what she needs. I want what you have with Edward. I thought I'd have to leave Forks to find someone but then I saw her. I'm tired of being alone, Bella." Jake's face was so earnest, Bella knew he was deadly serious.

She put her arms around him and hugged him. "I know you are, Jake. I've been worried about you. I really hope this works out for you. You deserve to be happy."

Promising to speak to Esme, Bella waved Jake off before heading to bed. Edward hadn't returned home yet but she was tired and she soon fell asleep.

Later that night, she felt the bed move as Edward climbed into bed, trying not to wake her.

Turning around she snuggled up to him and kissed his shoulder sleepily. "Hi," she greeted huskily as his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her lips gently.

"Hi baby. Sorry I woke you."

"'S'okay. Love you."

"Love you too. Go back to sleep, love," he urged, slowly rubbing her back. Within minutes, they were both asleep.

o-o-o-o-o-o

On Edward's advice, Bella decided to speak to Esme first in order to get her thoughts. She knew Victoria better than anyone. When Bella told Edward about Jake's visit, he'd crowed in victory.

"I knew it! I knew he was into her at the wedding," he'd exclaimed.

Bella had glared at him. "Edward! This is a not a laughing matter. He really likes her but I don't know if she's ready for another relationship. I'd hate to see either of them hurt."

"Sorry love. It's just that he had that look that I'm sure I had when we first met. I hope it works out."

She was now on the phone with Esme and had explained what was going on.

"Why don't you invite him to come with you when you come for our Sunday family lunch? Alice is coming as she's feeling much better now. It'll give him a chance to just talk with her, without any pressure."

"That's a great idea, Esme," agreed Bella.

When Bella asked Jake if he wanted to go to the Cullen's family lunch, he agreed eagerly. They arranged for Jake to travel to Esme's with them and Edward kept smirking as he watched a visibly nervous Jake in the back seat of the Volvo.

"Relax Jake," urged Edward. "You'll scare her off if you keep looking so tense. She'll think you don't want to be there."

"I know. I know. I just feel like a kid going on his first date, or something," replied Jake.

"You'll be fine," reassured Bella. "Just be yourself and she'll see you're worth taking a chance on."

As it turned out, the lunch went really well. Esme worked it so that Jake sat next to Victoria during lunch and they struck up an easy conversation. Bella had noticed that Victoria had looked slightly flustered when they first arrived and had greeted Jake but had relaxed over the meal.

After lunch, Victoria excused herself to feed Robbie. Afterwards, she came back with him and Jake made a fuss of the baby, even holding him in his lap. Esme smiled indulgently at the two of them, having a good feeling about this.

Alice quickly caught on to what was going on, her matchmaking radar set on high. She made sure they were thrust together as much as possible and making little remarks extolling some virtue about each of them.

Bella followed Alice into the kitchen when she went in to warm up Alyssa's bottle. "You're not being very subtle, Al."

"I know. Jake's going to have a hard road, I'm just trying to lay some paving stones to help him out."

"Just don't scare Victoria off. He's serious about this."

"So he should be. He'd have to deal with the whole family if he wasn't," she replied nonchalantly. "But I have a good feeling."

When they left, Esme made sure to let Jake know he was welcome to visit anytime. Jake kissed all the women goodbye on the cheek, and Bella noticed the tell-tale flush on Victoria's cheeks when it was her turn.

"Yep," said Jake dreamily as they drove back home. "I think this could be something special."

Edward and Bella just looked at each other and smiled.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Bella was standing at the kitchen counter cutting up potatoes for their evening meal when the baby kicked. She was now nearly halfway into her pregnancy and felt the baby kick regularly but Edward still hadn't been able to feel anything, much to his disappointment. This time though, she physically felt her stomach move against the wood. Gasping in surprise, she dropped the knife and placed her hands on her stomach, willing the baby to move again.

"Come on, sweetheart. Kick Mommy again," she breathed slowly.

As if the baby was listening, it kicked again and this time Bella felt the movement against her hands quite clearly.

"Edward! Edward! Quick, come here!"

Edward was reading a medical journal when Bella cried out and he literally threw it across the room in panic.

"Bella! What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly as raced into the kitchen, all sorts of awful scenarios in his head. "Baby, what's the matter?" He stopped as he saw Bella standing there with a huge grin on her face.

"Edward, quick, put your hand here," she urged, taking his hand and putting it against where she could feel the baby.

As if on cue, the baby moved and gave a strong kick. Bella looked at Edward's face and saw the ecstatic grin slowly appear on his face as the realisation of what he was feeling took hold.

"Oh my God!" he whispered. "I can feel him," he said in wonder.

"Him? How do you know it's not a 'her'?"

"I just have a feeling about it," he replied as he pressed his hands against her stomach, wanting to feel his baby move again. "Hey baby, what are you doing in there?" he asked.

Bella giggled. "You don't expect an answer, I hope?"

Taking her hand he led her back to the lounge. "I have to finish dinner," protested Bella half-heartedly.

"That can wait. I need to talk to my child."

He helped Bella lie down and then lay next to her, lifting up her top and placing his cheek against her stomach as he stroked her skin with his hand and waited for another movement.

He didn't have long to wait. He felt several taps against his cheek before he turned and kissed the spot. "He's having a party in there tonight, isn't he?"

"Feels like it," replied Bella with a smile as she threaded her fingers through his hair.

"Does it hurt?"

"No. It just feels funny. It really hits me that I have a little person inside me when it moves."

"Our baby," he breathed, kissing her skin again. "I love you both so much."

"We love you too, my love."

Edward moved up and took her in his arms, kissing her deeply. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" he whispered, his fingers tangling in her long hair. "You're so soft and warm. Seeing and now feeling our baby growing inside you makes you so damned sexy in my eyes. You were beautiful before but now you're spectacular. You glow and you're the essence of femininity, all rounded and soft. You're so desirable it drives me insane."

His last sentence was punctuated by kisses as their breathing became more laboured. Their hands began wandering and Edward didn't take long to have his hand on her breast, stroking her. "God, I want you, baby."

"What about…dinner?" she gasped as he rolled her nipple in his fingers.

"It can wait. I can't," he murmured into her throat.

Bella couldn't help but agree and soon only the sounds of their gasps and moans were heard in the room. Bella straddled him and they both moaned as she took him into her body and began rocking faster and faster.

"Yes!" he hissed as his hands on her hips helped her move. With her larger stomach, this position was more comfortable for her now and Edward only got more turned as he watched her glorious body move above him, her heavy breasts bouncing gently with her movements as he filled her completely.

It didn't take long for Bella to cry out with pleasure and slump down on his chest as she shuddered through her orgasm. Her climax triggered his and he moaned loudly as he came inside her.

They both lay together panting as their bodies cooled down. With her belly pressed against his, he instantly felt the bump against his skin.

"Oops!" he grinned. "I think we woke him up."

"Mmm hmm," she agreed drowsily. "I'd better finish dinner or we'll be eating at 10 tonight."

"I'll do it, love. You relax and look after the little one." With a kisskiss, he got up and collected their clothes.

"You're too good to me," she smiled as she dressed.

He leant down and gave her another kiss. "Nothing's too good for you," he declared before going to finish dinner.

Bella just shook her head and wondered once again, how she got so lucky.

It was a thought she was to have again several weeks later when a particularly sad case presented itself at the hospital and hit too close to home.

o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: I think the next chapter might bring a special delivery!

Let me know what you thought.