Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Author's Note: I added to the last chapter, sorry . . . I just wasn't happy with it. You may want to reread the last couple of pages!

Chapter 38 Tips

BPOV

I awoke to stare into the molten gold eyes of my husband. He was trying, I was certain, not to wake me. I had slept in, in fact . . . well. The rays of light coming in the window foretold only what the clock would confirm, I had slept till nearly 9am.

"Good morning love", he whispered softly into my ear with a velvety voice that could only be described as liquid sex.

I struggled to wake fully, his purring attempting to lull me back to sleep but his body's actions igniting a fire in me that I needed to address.

"Feels like a really good morning, sweet heart", I said. My leg hitched over his hip as we lay facing each other.

He gently traced kisses down my chest to take the nipple that was unoccupied by his hand into his mouth. I ran my nails up his back and grasped at the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him tighter to me and effectively forcing more of my breast into his mouth.

I came unglued. It took only moments before my body was being rocked in orgasm, all the while holding me tightly to him and giving me the most delicious kisses imaginable.

"Oh God . . . EDWARD!", I screamed at the top of my lungs, frantically gripping him to me as I writhed in pleasure, my husband nuzzling me softly and continuing to purr loudly.

He put a hand on each of my hips as he rolled me to my back, arching his back and letting out a roar that I'm sure scared anyone within miles of our home. It was completely wild and feral, unhinged. I knew his fingerprints would be on my hips in the form of small purple circles, but I didn't care. Edward like this was magnificent . . . and he was mine.

I held him close, his cheek against my throat and his arms around me as his length hardened within me again. His hips started gently moving, as they had been when I awoke. He propped himself up on his elbows, moving strands of hair from my face as he kissed me.

"A really good morning, love", he said as he continued to kiss the edge of my lips and lick his way down my neck.

"Mmmnnn", was all I could manage as my stomach growled.

"Breakfast time for the human?", he laughed.

"Please", I whispered. He was gone. Human speed was unnecessary in our home and I immediately heard the rustling of pots and pans in the kitchen. The covers had not yet settled to the bed from whee he had laid above me. I could not imagine that I would ever be that fast, even as a vampire.

I took a human moment in the bathroom, taking the time to shower before slipping on some lounge wear and joining Edward in the kitchen. He had already prepared coffee, orange juice, scrambled eggs, sausage, toast and was just finishing up slicing some fruit in a cup for me.

"Baby, how can I eat all of this?", I asked him.

"Baby. Remember? And if he is anything like me, he will be hungry all the time. I remember vaguely that my mother was always astounded by the amount of food I consumed", he told me as he came to sit behind me at the counter, positioning his body around the stool where I was sitting so that he could press his chest to my back and have his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder and I felt his cool breath against my neck.

"You're awfully sweet this morning, Edward", I told him as I reached up to cup his face with my hand and kiss him.

"I love you", he said and I could feel his smile, "Both of you". One of his hands had slipped inside the waistband of my sleep pants and he was tracing circles on my belly where he knew the baby to be.

"How's your breakfast, love?"

"Amazing, as always. Do we have any plans for today, other than getting the guest rooms ready?", I asked.

"Well, we need to call Charlie and tell him there will be a rental car waiting for him when he arrives. I didn't really want you to have to drive down and then back up the mountain, Alice saw you getting carsick."

It was times like this that I appreciated Alice's gift. I hated the feeling of nausea and throwing up was way down on my list of top ten fun things to do.

"I wanted to talk to you about your Mom and Phil. I have a trade to make in the market this morning, and I wondered if you thought I should include Phil in this one. It stands to increase by several hundred percent by later today or in the morning. Should I call it to him?"

"Sure, sweetie. He agreed to take the initial investment out and replenish their savings, right?"

"Yes he did and I thought I would ask him to put twice his investment back in savings, though you know we would never loose money for him!", Edward told me.

"I know you wouldn't, but who is to stop him from investing on his own. You can't keep giving him tips, just on the rare occasion."

"As you wish. Let me go call and make our trades as well, unless you want to make the buys", Edward offered.

"I do", I giggled and ran ahead of him towards our office.

"Yes, that's right. Purchase as much as your funds that are available in the account will allow. Yes, just offer $1.50 per share and wait for it to buy. Yes, Bella is purchasing it for us as soon as I'm off the phone. Yes. This one will need to be sold probably early this afternoon. That soon. No, I'll call you or Bella will call. Okay, keep your phone on. No, it's good that you were going to be home today anyway. Fine. Talk to you then, bye.", I said as I clicked my phone off and leaned over the computer Bella was typing into.

"How many shares, Edward?", I asked.

"Buy as many as you want. This one we will sell this afternoon so the funds will be cleared again by later in the week for another trade opportunity that's coming up. I need to trade for the family account as well but it will purchase several million shares. I want to make sure there are adequate funds in Mr. Banner's endowment account. Alice tells me there is another surgery coming up soon and the hospital wants to be paid in advance since there is no insurance.", he told me.

"Just in time", he said.

I heard the door as he said it. We closed the laptops just as Esme and Alice walked into the office, their arms full of catalogs and fabrics.

"Well, if you don't mind love, I'm going to go get my breakfast while you sort all this out with Mom", he gestured to all the papers now overflowing on our desks.

"Okay, but put a shirt on, you want to be attacking the wildlife, not them attacking you!", I yelled after him as he flew up the stairs. Calling after him loudly was not needed, of course, as he could have heard it every bit as clearly had I whispered.

"Good morning, Bella!", Esme cheerfully said.

"Nice to see you in one piece this morning, sister. After that roar we heard a little while ago, I was afraid he was having you for breakfast!", Alice smirked.

"He was", I muttered, forgetting that she could hear things that I only intended to say to myself.

Both she and Esme smiled and I laughed that they had heard me, my blush giving away my embarrassment.

"Don't be embarrassed", Esme pleaded, "I am thrilled for you and my son. I have waited an awfully long time for him to have a mate and to hear those noises coming from his room. Please don't let it bother you that we hear. He has listened and heard all of us for decades!"

"Thank you, Esme. You're right, of course. It just still takes some getting used to", I told her as she smiled and hugged me.

We looked at catalogs and on line and finally chose furniture from a manufacturer in town that could be delivered in the morning. The walls did not need painting, as the house was all but brand new and linens and window treatments were a snap with Esme and Alice around. We ordered Christmas decorations as well to be delivered in the morning, though I insisted that Edward and I would go and pick out our own tree. Family tradition and all. They finally gave in, unable to budge me on that point. We headed into town to buy wreaths and Christmas lights for the houses and I needed groceries for the house, though Esme had stocked my kitchen to prepare for my return.

When we returned with our purchases, Edward walked in with Jasper and Emmett, announcing that they had finished the lights on the house and yard that Esme had wanted and wanting to know what I wanted done with our house and yard. I showed Edward what lights I had bought, along with the box they had brought down the hill with them and he started on the house while the rest of us started lining the trees along the driveway. We could not, of course, ignore the gazebo by the lake and some of the trees down there as well.

Vampire speed came in incredibly handy for projects like this and the trees and lake took on a fairytale like appearance as the twinkling lights could even be seen in the filtered sunlight of a cloudy afternoon. I couldn't wait to see it at night! Edward had even outlined the roof of our house in soft, pale blue. I stood with my hands on my hips just watching as he effortlessly scrambled like spiderman up the walls and roof of our house. I just shook my head and went to sit on the porch grabbing a blanket off the back of one of the rocking chairs there, as it seemed to be getting colder as the day progressed.

Dinner was cooking in the kitchen, I had made Charlie's favorite pot roast for tomorrow night and I had steaks marinading for grilling with him when he got here tonight. The rest of the family was not joining us, obviously to avoid eating!

"Woops", I heard Edward's voice as his face appeared, hanging upside down from the roof and peering at me as I sat on the porch. He looked comical, just his head visible, upside down and his hair hanging wildly toward the ground. His antics didn't phase me.

"Are you finished yer?", I asked as I looked up at him.

He jumped easily to the porch and moved to sit beside me.

"I am", he smirked, "Unless there is anything else you want done with the lights outside, one of us needs to call Phil and tell him to sell. Alice just reminded me before she flitted home, that the highest value would be at about three in the afternoon, and it's almost that now."

"Okay. What does he stand to make, Edward?", I asked.

"Looks like a little more than a thousand percent for today, love. They should come out with somewhere between 22 and 24 thousand", he told me.

"My mom will be on the moon when she finds that out, you know that, right?", I said.

"Well, remember that Phil agrees to put the two thousand back in savings and I'm going to talk him into putting double that back just to be sure", Edward insisted.

We went in the house and Edward and I traded the family as well as our stocks and received our profits as we waited for Phil to make his trade. I could hear my Mom screeching in the background when she saw the profit and I was thrilled for them. Phil brought up the transfer back to savings and Edward walked him through the process. They now had about twenty thousand in the account to invest with and their savings had been replenished. Good.

I went in to make the final preparations for my Dad's arrival. I had flowers on the table as well as in the living room and his bathroom and fresh towels and soaps and shampoo. I tossed the salad and checked on the steaks, asking Edward to fire up the grill so that it would be ready when he arrived. I was so excited to see him, it had been almost three months since I had left him in Forks, and so much had happened since then! I even had a photo album I had done with pictures from our cross country trip home after our visit with him.

Edward heard him first, of course, his eyes leaving the book he had been reading as he sat in front of the garland draped fireplace.

We stood on the porch and waited as he pulled into the yard.

"Dad!", I yelled as I ran to hug him.

Charlie reached out an arm, clearly not used to this kind of a display from me, and seeming somewhat taken back by my enthusiasm.

"Hey kiddo", he said as he hugged me with one arm, the other still holding onto the car door.

"Edward", he said as he reached out to shake hands.

"Good to see you, Chief", Edward said to him as he stepped forward to greet him.

"Good to be here", he answered, then looking at me said. "You look good, Bells. I guess all that traveling agrees with you or was it the tropical air?"

"I think it's all of it, Dad. I loved the drive back, I took pictures to show you and I have the album waiting in the living room", I told him as we walked into the house with Edward following.

"Something smells good", he said.

"That's pot roast for tomorrow. Edward has the grill ready in back for us to have steaks tonight!"

"I'll just go put the steaks on", Edward said as he excused himself and went out back.

"Come look at the photos, Dad. I'm just so glad to see you!"

We went to sit on the sofa and look through the album, Charlie sitting beside me and placing his hat on the coffee table.

"Bells, what's the 'Congratulations' banner over the fireplace for?", he asked as he pulled his glasses from his pocket and put them on his face.

"Well, I wanted to wait and tell you with Edward, but I guess I can just tell you. Dad, we're having a baby!"

He didn't move. It kind of reminded me of how he looked in the hospital when Edward told him that he was taking me home with him. The only thing that changed in the next few moments was the color of his face and knuckles . . . one turning red and the other white. He didn;t say a word, but got up and went to his car, turning it around and heading back out our driveway towards the road.

Edward walked in to find me with the front door wide open, leaning against the frame. He smelled the tears. His arms were around me in moments.

"What's wrong, love", he asked.

"I told him we were having a baby . . . and he left. He didn't say anything, he just turned red, his hands clenched into fists and he took off the glasses he had put on to look at our photos and left", I sobbed.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. He's probably just shocked. Give him some time, that's all. He's only just driven up to Carlisle's", he told me.

"How do you know that?", I asked as I clung to him, tears streaming down my face and ruining his nice crisp button down shirt.

"I can hear the car, love. Vampire, remember?", he smirked as he tapped his ear. "Do you want me to cook your steak, or turn off the grill for now?", he asked.

"No, I want my dinner. We sort of skipped lunch and I'm starving!", I said as he wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs.

"That's my girl", he whispered into my ear as he hugged me, "You and me, that's what matters. You and me."

We walked back to the kitchen and I put away the plate for my Dad and the one for Edward. No need for him to punish himself and eat if he didn't need to make a show of it. I took a single steak from the container in the fridge and put it on a plate for Edward to take to the grill.

"Edward", I called to him after he went out the back door.

"Yes", I heard him answer.

"Could you cook mine rare tonight, please?', I asked.

I had my dinner at the coffee table as Edward and I laughed and talked about the photos I had out, my Dad temporarily forgotten. I had no intention of letting anything spoil our first Christmas together, our new home, or the fact that I as carrying Edward's son.

Edward seemed to be doing everything in his power to keep me from letting my father upset me, including holding his own temper. I knew him too well, though. I knew how furious he was, how he cold literally tear the man limb from limb for making me cry . . . and how he would restrain himself for my benefit. How had I ever been so lucky to have found this man and had him love me.

~oooOooo~

Carlisle POV

I came home from the hospital to find Charlie sitting in my kitchen talking to Esme. I knew he was expected, of course, but I thought they were having family time at Edward's house and the rest of us were going to be able to happily escape the facade of having dinner with them.

"Charlie, hello", I said as I entered the room and gave Petal a kiss hello.

"Carlisle, could I speak to you for a minute", Charlie said as he glanced at the rest of my family in the kitchen, "In private."

Petal squeezed my hand as if to tell me to take it easy on him.

He had no idea, of course, that there was no such thing as privacy in my house. I humored him, gesturing to my office and shutting the door. I showed him to the chair at the desk as i took a seat behind my desk. "Charlie, what can I do for you?", I asked.

"You can tell me what the hell is going on, why that boy of yours has my daughter pregnant already when she is just recovering from that horrible accident!", he bellowed at me, his fists clenching and his blood pressure shooting up way above what wold be considered safe and normal for a human.

"Have you discussed this with Bella and Edward?", I asked him calmly, entwining my fingers together on the desk and trying to appear casual..

"No, I haven't discussed anything. I saw the baby blue banner congratulating them over the fireplace and Bella told me she was pregnant. I left. Damn it, Carlisle, I left before I could say a single word. She had been through so much, I just had to leave. I couldn't congratulate her and I couldn't hurt her by telling her what I was thinking, not like last time I was here. I promised myself I would not have anything like that happen again, so I just left till I cooled down and figured this out", Charlie told me as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well, it's probably best that you left then, Charlie. Bella is extremely happy about this baby and Edward would have been enraged if you had said anything to hurt her feelings", I told him.

"What the hell are they thinking! They are only 19 for Christ's sake! Why would they risk this, tie themselves down when they can't possibly even be sure of each other yet. They have been back together what, six months?", he said jumping out of his chair and pacing back and forth.

"Charlie, he will never leave her. Edward will do anything to see that Bella is happy, haven't you seen that time and time again?"

"Yes, yes, I see that. But how do you know he will stay with her? He was head over heels the last time when he left, he could do it again. You weren't there, Carlisle. You didn't see what she went through. And now, with a baby, God it would be even worse. Why would they purposefully do this, why were they this careless, Carlisle?"

"Charlie, I'm going to tell you something about Edward that is, perhaps, not my place to tell. As his father, seeing that he is married to your daughter, I will share this one thing with you", I told him as I gestured for him to take his seat.

"Her being pregnant is my fault, Charlie."

"Your fault?", he said as he rose to his feet and glared at me, "What the hell does that mean, Carlisle?"

I looked at him for a long minute, just realizing what thoughts were passing through his mind.

"Charlie Swan! Don't be ridiculous. I don't mean that I had anything to do with her getting pregnant, just that it was on my advise that they didn't take any precautions against pregnancy", I said as I sat back down at my desk.

"What? Why would you have them act so irresponsibly?", he asked with a murderous glare on his face.

"I didn't. Charlie, I don't know if you are award of this, but Edward was a virgin as well as Bella when they married."

Charlie looked stunned. "You have got to be kidding me, are you sure?", he asked.

"Yes, completely sure. He had never been with anyone, so . . . knowing that there was no risk of any type of sexually transmitted diseases, I told them that condoms were unnecessary."

"But Carlisle, what about her getting pregnant? Some form of birth control, you're a doctor for God's sake!"

"Yes, I am a doctor, Charlie. Tests we had run on Edward years ago due to an . . . illness, had shown that he would never be able to have children, Charlie. He had struggled with knowing that he could not give her a family and in fact, it was part of the reason he left her to begin with last year. She knew this, of course, and she told him repeatedly that she didn't care, that she didn't want children . . . she only wanted him."

"Bella knew . . . and they were that serious before he left?", Charlie said, amazed.

"Yes."

I sat with my hands folded on my desk, letting him process the information.

"This baby is truly a miracle, Charlie."

"So, all this was a surprise to them as well . . . they never expected to be parents?", Charlie asked.

"No. We never did", Edward answered from the doorway, "But we have a little boy on the way and we could not be happier about it."

Edward shoved off the doorway that he had been leaning against and walked over to Charlie.

"Charlie, Bella is looking forward to spending time with you and you're right that the timing isn't perfect and that it would have been better to have waited for her body to have more time to recover, for us to be older . . . but the baby is here now. Now that you have some facts, you can understand why we are thrilled about this", Edward said to him in an even tone.

"Yes, I can understand", Charlie told him, "Edward, I left your house because I didn't want to say anything to Bella to upset her, I needed time to think. I want no occurrence like the last time I was here and I don't want to do anything to hurt her feelings or rain on her parade. She is obviously thrilled to be having this baby. I should have known you were responsible enough to have waited, if you had known."

"Congratulations, son", Charlie said as he held his hand out to Edward, "Is Bella at your house?"

"Yes, we finished dinner and she thinks I am outside cleaning the grill. I had a feeling you might be here and I wanted a word with you in private. I don't want her upset under any circumstances. She was crying when you left, but I had her smiling through dinner, looking at the albums she had out to show you. Her health is delicate . . . and upsetting her further is something I am not willing to risk. We would love to have you for the holidays, Bella really was looking forward to seeing you, but she is my wife and carrying our child. I WILL NOT have her upset", Edward said absolutely authoritatively.

"I appreciate that, Edward. If it's alright, I'd like to stay and spend Christmas with both of you. I had no idea of the circumstances and I'm sure glad I kept my mouth shut anyway", Charlie added.

"Well, I'm going home. It can only take just so long to clean a grill, after all", Edward said as he turned to leave. "Goodnight Dad . . . and I'm not mad that you told him", he said over his shoulder, though it was much too quietly for Charlie to hear.