Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.
Chapter 29 Thanksgiving
EPOV
My wife was amazing. Ever since the first day I had brought her to our new home, she had woken up wanting me and had not gone to sleep at night without me having her. Not to mention the times in between. Sometimes the nighttime and the morning were connected, as I remained in my wife the entire time she slept. I loved it, as did she and the heating blanket that had become our favorite travel item went anywhere we did. We had no need for it at home, of course, as we had a separate heating system just for our bedroom and we hadn't needed it on Isle Esme as the tropics were plenty warm enough all on their own.
Here in Renee's house however, the air conditioning kept the rooms just at 70 degrees and Bella needed the heating blanket to comfortably sleep with me, that is without her teeth chattering. I thought she would be reluctant to make love under the same roof with her mom, but I was wrong. Our routine continued in spite of our whereabouts, we just adapted. Her moans could be muffled by my mouth covering hers and I attempted to keep my growls to a minimum. Those that escaped were thwarted in their attempt to make it into the open air by my wife's mouth fastened securely to mine and her tongue attempting to stifle any sounds coming out of me.
She was over three months pregnant now, though she had only conceived about nine weeks ago. One of my favorite past times was to lay with my head on my wifes' stomach listening to the babies' heartbeat. It was clear as day and quite strong. Carlisle would do an ultrasound when we returned home and check the progress and development, but the baby seemed fine and Bella . . . well Bella just absolutely glowed. We had agreed to take each day for the gift that it was and to be happy, to cherish this time together and face whatever happened when the time came.
Bella had decided that she wanted to tell her mom about the baby and I had reluctantly agreed knowing that if Renee knew, Charlie would find out. Renee would probably be supportive and understanding, something that would be quite helpful to Bella just now but Charlie would not. If his past behavior was any indication, I would need to keep him out of touch with her to keep him from upsetting my wife.
We had arrived unexpectedly, sort of. We had taken the boat up the Amazon with my family for part of their hunting trip, Emmett trying to hunt anacondas had proven just too much of a spectacle to pass up, but we had left early. Alice had seen a very sunny day on Wednesday when we had been scheduled to fly into Jacksonville, so I rearranged the flights so that we arrived Tuesday, early evening. Twilight in fact, so that we could get a rental car and surprise her mom. I had requested dark tinting on the windows of the car and that had to be ordered in advance as well. The tinting would be necessary to drive Bella around to do the various shopping she wanted to do on Wednesday in preparation for the holiday meal. We had been flying all day from Brazil and Bella was visibly tired when we arrived in Jacksonville.
"Would you like to call you mom, love, or shall we just drive over and surprise her?", I asked as they brought the car around to where we stood at the terminal.
"Let's surprise her. I never have the chance to do that anymore and it might be fun! It's what, seven o'clock? They should be home and not in bed yet. Let's go!", Bella tried to sound enthusiastic through all the tired.
We pulled up to Renee's house, I had gotten the directions ahead of time off the internet and hadn't needed to call to ask how to get there. The squeals coming from her mom when she opened the door were deafening. I wasn't sure how someone could make those noises and not be in excruciating pain, but she was right there in front of me, happily hugging my wife and continuing to make those sounds.
"Mom! I'm so glad to see you!", Bella exclaimed, "Phil, I'm glad to see you, too. I know it's only been a couple of months, but it seems like ages since I saw you!"
Renee hugged me and Phil shook my hand as they welcomed us into the house.
"I just made up your room today so that I would have one less thing to do tomorrow, honey. Fresh linens and towels in the bathroom as well. Should I send Phil out for the suitcases . . . wait, how did you get here, we were picking you up at the airport tomorrow I thought", her mom rattled on.
"We rented a car, Renee. I thought it would be easier since Bella wanted to do some shopping tomorrow for things to make for dinner and I can get the suitcase from the car". I told her.
"Come on Edward, I'll walk you out there", Phil said putting his hand on my shoulder.
I opened the rear door to get our suitcase as Phil stared at the car. "Mercedes, Edward?", he asked. "Yes, I believe so", I answered, "I wanted something with tinted windows and this is what they had. Eyes are sensitive to bright light and after being on the island for a couple of weeks, I'm looking forward to shade!", I laughed, trying to blow it off so that it all made sense.
"One suitcase! I'm impressed, Edward. Is that your doing or Bella's? Every time we go anywhere I think Rener packs the kitchen sink to take along. I never remember us going anywhere with less than four cases!", he added looking astounded.
"Well, we had most of the luggage shipped home, Bella only wanted to bring one suitcase with us. Actually, she only packed one to leave from Highlands with, but Alice packed 4 for us and I have no idea how many she filled with her shopping trips in Rio. She is addicted to clothes", I frowned as I told him.
It was true, Bella had packed only one suitcase out of the four that we had on our trip and the two extra that Alice had purchased to hold all the things she had bought for us. We had gone through them on the island and selected what we thought we would need and was appropriate for Florida in November. I had brought slacks and button downs for the holiday and jeans or shorts and t shirts for the other days. Bella had chosen to wear a comfortable sundress today, her sunburn had turned into a dark tan and she looked amazing. Shorts and t shirts completed her wardrobe, much to Alice's dismay, with a nice dress for Thanksgiving day.
We had both packed sleepwear, much to our dismay. Clothing was something I had gotten really used to not wearing. I hated seeing Bellas' body covered so that it was more difficult for me to see and admire it. She didn't know it yet, but I had purposefully taken all the underwear out of the suitcase before she closed it! I couldn't wait to see the surprise on her face when she got dressed!
Phil and I made our way back into the house and he showed me to our room.
"If you need anything, just ask or if you see it just use it", Phil said from the doorway, "I think the girls are in my room talking. I'll just go and tell them we're back inside."
Lucky for us there was at least a bathroom and a hallway between our room and theirs. Maybe we could be quiet, but no promises. I had gone without all day while we were flying and I had become very unaccustomed to that. I walked over to the door to Renees' room and leaned against the doorway. Bella saw me and from the sparkle in her eyes, I knew what she was about to do. She was so excited she just could not keep it in.
"Mom, Edward and I have some news to share with you", Bella told her.
"Is everything alright, was someone hurt while you were out of the country . . . Brazil wasn't it? You two are getting along still, right?", she looked at me suspiciously.
"As a matter of fact, Mom", she said as I walked over and placed my hands on her shoulders as she sat at the foot of her mother's bed, "We are getting along perfectly." "Edward is an amazing man", she said as she took one of my hands in hers, "and the baby will be just as amazing."
"Baby? Baby, Bella? But I thought . . . you . . . but . . . baby? Are you sure?", she stuttered.
"We're positive, Renee", I added, "Carlisle has confirmed it already."
"We're expecting this spring, Mom. The due date is still a little unclear, but we are really excited about the baby", Bella told her.
Renee hugged her and congratulated us and seemed happy for us. Phil had a rather dubious look on his face and I knew from his thoughts that though he was happy for us, he worried that Charlie was going to hurt Bella's feelings about the baby when he found out.
My wife stood and I hugged her to me, her mother and Phil's thoughts reflecting how cute they thought we were together and how in love we were. They genuinely wished us the best and wanted everything to work out for us. They thought we had a lot going in our favor. . . and they were right.
Bella had a snack with her mom before wanting to go to bed and I watched some television ballgame with Phil while I waited for her. They planned the menu and Bella went through the refrigerator to see what ingredients she would need for the meal. Her mom was relieved that she wanted to do most of the cooking and they both apparently agreed that Renee was a terrible cook. Phil had invited a few members of the team over that had no family in town, so there would be about ten of us for dinner and Bella seemed comfortable with the idea of cooking that large a meal.
"Sweetheart, it's late and you've been traveling all day. Let's get to bed so you can get up early to do the grocery shopping in the morning. You need your rest", I said to Bella as I entered the kitchen where she sat with her mom.
"He's right", Renee agreed, "and thank you for taking such good care of her, Edward. She is positively glowing."
Bella stood and kissed me, really kissed me in front of her mom and I did nothing but encourage her, putting my arms around her and holding her tight to me. Renee finally coughed and her thoughts betrayed her embarrassment. She had an idea that her daughters' rest was not the only reason I wanted her to come to bed, and she was right . . . though we did manage to be somewhat quiet.
I woke Bella before the alarm. I had been awake holding her the entire night while she slept, her leg hitched over me under the electric blanket. Rather than waking her, my touch seemed to comfort her as she slept. My hand running over her leg or hip did not disturb her in the least. The most it ever did was cause her to nuzzle closer to me or arch into my hand, her breathing never altered . . . unless it was morning and time to wake up.
God I loved mornings.
I loved the first glimpse I got each morning of her chocolate brown eyes and the way her lips searched for mine. Apparently she was not the only one that could not get enough sex now that she was pregnant. I was becoming just as insatiable as she had become.
"Bella, we need to get going to the store before the cloud cover lifts. I really want to be able to go with you, love", I said.
It was all I could do to bury my face in her neck and try to stifle my growls and whatever the hell else noise that I was making as I came apart for her. The purring started, of course. It had started lasting most of the night as well lately, as long as we were joined I didn't seem to be able to stop myself from purring. Bella absolutely loved it, something about it being better than having a pet kitten in bed with her.
Emmett would surely have my vamp card pulled if he ever got wind that she said something like that to me. I would never EVER live that down.
"Sweetie, could you just promise to keep the purring just between us, it would be really embarrassing if anyone else found out that I purred while I was with you", I asked her shyly.
"My lips are sealed sweetheart, as long as you promise to continue doing it. I really love it, I think it's so sexy, it makes me want you again and again", she whispered in my ear.
Done. If that was what it did to her, done. She could put it on a billboard for all I cared. I would never stop purring if it got me Bella in response!
~oooOooo~
We got out of the house undetected and stopped at a little diner for Bella to have breakfast before we went grocery shopping. She said she only had a few things to pick up, but forty minutes later and half a cart full of whatever the hell she kept pulling off the shelves and we were still only halfway through the store.
"Bella, I can have a meal faster than you can even shop for the ingredients for one! This is nuts! How many things go into one casserole, anyway?", I asked her.
"This casserole has peanuts, broccoli, cream of celery soup, mayonnaise, eggs and shredded cheese . . . oh an then the butter and bread crumbs on top. How many ingredients is that?", Bella asked.
Eight.
"Then there is the turkey and the stuffing, of course. Stuffing has bread crumbs, cornbread, buttermilk, eggs, celery, onions and butter. That's . . . "
Edward cut me off, " . . . seven."
'See! My point. You have to buy all these things, mix them and then wait for them to cook. I take a short run, sink my teeth into somethings' neck, drink its blood, and done. Way less trouble and I get exercise at the same time!", Edward gloated.
"But you, my husband, get no flavor choices. Same old thing everyday, blood, blood, blood."
"That is so not true, as you will eventually see. Deer is entirely different from elk or rabbit, lion is different than bobcat, and bear is different from all of the rest! Lots of flavors 'on tap' so to speak. Doesn't get any fresher than that and no preservatives, Bella!", he bragged with a grin on his face.
"Edward, do you even remember human food, the taste I mean?", she said as she turned to walk down yet another aisle.
"No, I really don't think I do", I said as I continued to push the cart and she kept putting seemingly random things in it.
"You take bites of food though, from time to time."
"Yes, when I can't avoid it. You've seen me swallow food. I had some cake even at your birthday party, remember?"
"Do different things taste different to you?", she questioned as she entered the fresh produce section and picked up some green leafy thing and sniffed it.
"Um, I don't think so. Would dirt from the yard taste different to you than dirt from a flower pot or dirt from the desert?, I asked her, "It's still dirt!"
"Are you planning on eating tonight, sweetheart?", she asked me as she stopped and turned to face me.
"If I have to and can't avoid it I will, why?", I looked at her wondering what the hell she was getting at.
"How about you try one mouth full of each thing I make and describe each one to me and lets see if there are any differences in flavor to you, will you try?"
"Ahgggh! Bella! If you really want me to I will, but that's just gross. You might have to be there when it all comes back up, and that's even worse!", I threatened.
"Deal. I'll be there when it goes in and when it comes out. Just an experiment, okay?"
"Damn it, Bella! How do I get in these positions with you where I say yes to the damdest things! This is just torture, you just have no idea yet! In fact, I'm doing this to you when the time comes, and you can remember that you had it coming, that you did it to me first!"
I continued to grumble all the way past the cashier, out of the store and to the car.
~oooOooo~
"Hey Mom!", Bella said as we walked into the kitchen loaded down with bags of groceries.
I set them down on the counter and started taking everything out of the bags so that Bella could put them where she wanted them.
"Well, did you two buy out the store? You're up so early this morning, can I make you breakfast?", Renee offered.
"We already ate. Edward and I went to the diner earlier, before the store. I wanted to get back and start cooking. Dinner is at 5, right?", Bella asked.
"Right baby. Edward, what's your family doing for Thanksgiving this year?", Renee inquired.
"They are staying in Brazil, taking a tour up the Amazon to go hunting. Dad just bought a new boat and they wanted to stay on it a little longer", I told her, trying to stick as close as possible to the truth.
"It's really a great boat, mom. Edward and I stayed with them a couple of nights, up the coast of Brazil, but then we flew here to have Thanksgiving with you", Bella hugged her mom as she spoke.
"That sounds exciting baby! I hate for you to miss out on fun like that to come here!"
"Believe me Mom, Edward and I were so excited about the baby, I couldn't wait to get here and tell you!"
"I'm thrilled for you, but why did you decide to have one so soon? Wouldn't you like college or travel first, or something? i mean, did you guys plan this baby?"
Bella ducked her head down and blushed, turning to me.
"Actually Renee, we didn't ever plan on having children. I wasn't supposed to be able to father a child so we never worried about birth control, but it seems Carlisle was wrong about that!", I told her.
"Oh! You must be tremendously thrilled to know that you two can have a family then! Wow! This is an even bigger deal than I thought! I'm happy for you both and what a relief to know that everything works!"
"Mom", Bella said with a smug look on her face, "We already knew that everything worked!"
It was priceless. The look on Renee's face was just priceless she was so embarrassed. She turned to me and I just shrugged my shoulders and winked at my wife.
"Yep", I allowed," Everything works!"
We all broke out in laughter, thank God, because the tension was getting unbearable.
I remained in the kitchen and chopped, cut and stirred anything Bella asked me to, stealing kisses whenever possible and chuckling to myself at the odd thought that crossed Renees' brain during the day.
The meal was almost ready, the house set up and everything prepared when Bella suggested we have a shower and get dressed.
Make My Day.
I had no problem showering with her in her mom's house or anywhere else. I had seemed to have lost any need to feel embarrassed about being with my wife anywhere and I seemed not to care who knew it. Renee noticed when I followed Bella to the bathroom, towel in hand. I stepped into the shower behind my wife. Pouring the shampoo into he hair and lathering it filled the room with the fragrance of strawberries. I didn't relate to strawberries, but that scent I now equated with Bella. It was so easy to be here with her, natural even. She turned around to face me as the water cascaded over her face rinsing her hair and it was as if we both decided at the same time to forgo any charade of foreplay. Her arms went around my neck as I lifted her and held her to me, her legs encircling my waist.
I stood in the shower holding her, I could have stood there for days, never tiring. We were still but for our soft kisses and quiet sounds. We stayed still, holding each other for a long moment till Bella squealed, the warm water having turned suddenly cold.
"Good thing we got cold water thrown on us, I would have stayed in that shower all day with you", Bella said smugly as she dried herself with the towel. We had neglected to bring clothing into the bathroom and Renee snickered audibly as she watched us walk to Bella's room with only a towel around each of us, obviously having heard Bella's calling out my name. You had to love her mom, she just wanted to see Bella happy and loved that I made her so happy.
~oooOooo~
"Dave, Joey, Mark, meet my wife's daughter Bella and her husband Edward", Phil Introduced us as his team mates came in the door. And the introductions continued as Jose, David, Jim and Rusty arrived. They all seemed nice enough, I couldn't really blame them for the thoughts they had about Bella, she was beautiful and anyone in their right mind was bound no notice. Most of the thoughts were harmless enough - just an appreciation for her beauty and some mild fantasies. Some thoughts of what a lucky bastard I was and how I was too young to appreciate what I had. Assholes. Fucking little they knew about anything.
After the blessing, we all sat down to eat the feast before us, everyone complimenting the cook on how good everything looked and smelled. I squeezed Bella's leg under the table, she needed to know that I was always so very proud of her and her abilities.
The guys on the team filled the conversation with talk of their new manager trainee, the condition of the field, their bonuses for the year. One of them asked me what I did for a living. It was a question I should have been prepared for, but I had always just gone to high school or college and had never really thought about an answer to the question.
"Bella and I haven't yet decided if we will be attending college or not next year. We're taking a year off and I'm involved with my families businesses", I told them.
Their thoughts gave the meaning of the smiles and snickers away as the conversation eerily came to a halt and the subject abruptly changed.
Kid is going nowhere.
Probably expecting to live off their parents for awhile.
Kids is just milking his parents, on the family payroll.
Little prick, too busy fucking to care about anything else or the people supporting them.
He looks like being married, they need to drop this charade and go back to school.
I was used to ignoring peoples minds, just tuning them out, but somehow it disturbed me that they would consider that I thought that little of Bella, that I would act in any of the manners that they imagined. I excused myself and went to help with the cleanup in the kitchen, leaving the humans to play with each other. I felt no need to defend myself to them.
I had most of the clean up done, . . . vampire speed came in handy when left alone to perform a task. Bella had stepped out onto the porch to get some air, she apparently was put off by the commentary as well. I just wasn;t sure what the story should be, and I would have to consider it in the future and not be caught unprepared.
I was drying my hands when my attention was again brought to the conversation among the guys in the living room. Renee had gone in with a fire lit under her.
"Boys", she said sternly, demanding the attention of them all, including Phil," You will not disrespect my son-in-law in my home. I won't have it. He is too mature and too much of a gentleman to defend himself to you, or perhaps he is too self assured to care, but I will not have it."
"Come on, Renee", the one called Mark said to her with some familiarity, "You know those kids have no ability to support themselves, you guys will be sending them money and paying off student loans till the cows come home and you know it! They are too young to be married!"
She blew. God love my new mother-in-law, she was just as fiercely protective of me now as she was of Bella . . . though I did wish there was some way of stopping what she was about to do.
"For your information, that young man is worth more money than all of you together will see in a lifetime and he made the money HIMSELF. He happens to be a financial genius and HE invests for most of his family, though his father is a respected doctor and Chief of Staff at a hospital!"
She eyed them one at a time as she spoke,
"David, will you ever drive a Aston Martin Vanquish? How about yachting off the coast of Brazil before flying your wife to her moms so she could tell her about the child you were expecting?
Jose, did you take your wife to your mothers private island for your honeymoon?
Mark, did you give your wife an R8 just because you wanted to say sorry?
Joey, when was the last time you had a new house built for your wife's birthday?
Jim, ever sent your in-laws first class plane tickets so that they could come and visit your wife?
Rusty, ever designed a necklace for your wife and had it covered in diamonds and sapphires for her?
I didn't think so. You know NOTHING about this young man, yet you choose to think badly of him. Shame on you. Since he has no need of defending himself, I feel compelled to demand an apology from each and every one of you in some subtle way this evening, do you understand me!", she declared and stormed out of the room, chastising Phil for allowing them to behave that way.
I was so floored by her defense of me that I failed to notice what was occurring on the patio. Bella had been followed out the door by the youngest member of the team, Dave. His thoughts had been the most disturbing . . . and lustful towards Bella when he had first arrived. I saw through his mind that he had his hands on Bella's waist and the words I heard stopped me cold.
"Come on baby, you need to know what it would be like to be with a real man, not just some boy that can't even take care of you. Let me show you what I mean", he said as he tried to take her in his arms. She slapped him just as I seemed to appear beside her, forcibly removing his hand from her waist and effectively dislocating the arm from his shoulder. He yelped and grabbed his arm as the others came to see what was going on.
"If you ever touch my wife again", I said as I calmly stood there with my wife clinging to my side, "I'll rip that arm away from the rest of your body. Do we understand each other?"
His mind was racing. He had felt my strength and he believed I just might be able to do what I had threatened. "I'm so sorry. You're right, I was completely out of line. Bella, please forgive me", he said as he turned and also apologized to Phil and Renee, bidding them to please enjoy the rest of the evening and not let him spoil it. He then excused himself and left out the front door. Alone.
"Please, let's go back inside and enjoy the dessert that my wife made for us", I said as I gestured to the house and Bella headed in.
They all stood out there for a moment apparently stunned. Bella and I went to the kitchen. She assured me that she was alright and kissed me soundly. We started to prepare the dessert as I listened to the banter on the patio.
"Boys, you have just seen a teenager outclass us all", Phil told them. Let's go back inside.
Bella took the plates in and I carried the large tray to the table for her. They all came in and stood around the dining room table, their minds quiet. Phil was the first to speak.
"Edward, I'd like to thank you for handling that the way you did. You had every right to beat the shit out of him but you didn't. I want to apologize for not stopping this attitude when it first popped up."
"Yes, you are a very unusual young man", Renee said as she put one hand on my chest and her other arm around my waist, "My daughter is a very lucky young woman and you will be a wonderful father!"
There were congratulations and apologies all around from everyone. The most important comment was from my wife. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I'm so proud of you for controlling yourself!"
"Would you like to take a walk with me?", I asked her, "The beach isn't far from here."
We walked hand in hand for awhile in the cool night air, the ocean breeze blowing the salt spray and the clouds gently to the shore. Bella had her shoes off and was kicking sand with her toes with every step. We came to a jetty made of huge stones jutting out into the water, inch thick wrought iron holding some of the stones in place. We climbed up one of the flat stones and I sat behind Bella sat with her arms hugging her knees up to her chest, me behind her with a leg on either side of her and my arms around her. I rested my chin on her shoulder as we admired the shimmering reflection of the moon on the water and listened to the waves breaking.
"Bella, I'm sorry I didn't notice right away when he left to go on the patio with you. I should have been there."
"I handled it, sweetie. It's good that you weren't and thank you for hot really hurting him. I am just beginning to realize how strong you really are."
She pointed to one of the wrought iron bars near my knee, "Bending that is nothing to you, is it?"
I reached out and turned the top six inches of it into a circle using just a couple of my fingers. I then put my hand flat against the boulder beside us and pushed down, instantly pulverizing the rock into gravel.
"I guess I really have no idea how hard it is for you not to break things, just by touching them do I? I know how hard I clutch on to you when we make love, it must be incredibly difficult for you not being able to hold me the way you need to. Soon though, after our baby is born. Then we will have our time."
She paused for a minute, almost holding her breath as I softly traced circles over her belly where our baby was growing.
"Will it always be this perfect", she asked me, "Will it be like this, this feeling between us forever?"
"No, Bella, it won't", I told her as she gasped.
"Sweetheart, vampires mate for life. Once your changed, the love we share will continue to grow and bond us together. I'm told it intensifies for at least the first ten years, so . . . no, it won't be like this, it will be stronger."
Author's Note: A Safe Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and be sure and count your blessings this day.