All Things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer; I just like to play with her characters.

No copyright infringement is intended.

HUGE thanks to my wonderful betas darcysmom and twimom817 and my pre-reader EdwardsMyObsession1971 – without them this would be a mess.

Note – Seems y'all were pretty even in what you thought Bella wanted Edward to stay over for. Most of you were right. So in homage to another not so nice reader – this is rated M for Mickey Mouse. A little lovin' will happen but it's not going to happen all at once. ;) JS.

When You Least Expect It

Chapter Twenty-Four

Stay

Kaden and I had spent a wonderful day with Edward. He'd taken us to Disneyland and while I was incredibly worried at first, Edward asked me to trust him. It wasn't easy for me to do so but I did anyway. It hurt my heart that he had to hide behind a moustache and beard just to walk around in public. When he told me he'd shave it off because I didn't care for it – my heart soared. It was the first time I realized that he cared about my opinion.

I was exhausted by the time we left the park, and I was thankful that Edward didn't mind carrying Kaden. He refused to get into his stroller, and he was cranky and irritable. Kaden only wanted to be held by Edward so of course Edward scooped him up and didn't think twice about it. I hated that I couldn't sit next to Edward in the backseat. I had a SUV but it was small and not really conducive to three people in the backseat – especially with a car seat. I angled my body in the front seat so that I could have at least a little bit of contact with Edward. We didn't have much alone time over the course of the afternoon and I really missed the contact with him.

I must have drifted off in the car because the next thing I knew, Edward was opening the passenger door and helping me out of the car. I asked him if he'd mind getting Kaden out and carrying him into the house for me.

"Of course not." Edward responded.

I walked ahead to unlock the door and turn some lights on. I held the door open for Edward and he carefully carried Kaden inside. We got Kaden into bed and pulled up his blankets. Edward kissed Kaden's forehead and whispered goodnight to him. The sight of Edward's small gesture made my heart ache.

I whispered goodnight and kissed my son on the cheek before stepping out of his room. Edward quietly followed me back down the hall to the living room. We stopped a few feet short of the couch and Edward reached out and pulled me into his arms. He thanked me again for spending the day with him but it was completely unnecessary. Even with the news that my divorce had been finalized, I'd never had a better day. It was only superior to the day we'd spent at Huntington Gardens and that was because Kaden was with us. If there was one thing I was sure of – it was that I didn't want the day to end.

I nuzzled my head into Edward's chest and all but begged him to stay with me.

"You want me to stay?" He asked incredulously.

I nodded into his chest. Edward pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed.

"Hey, Emmett … you can head home …"

I tuned out the rest of his conversation. I was way too tired and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed with Edward beside me and go to sleep.

"Come on, beautiful, let's get you to bed."

I led Edward down the hall and into my bedroom. I quickly pulled out a pair of sleep pants and a tank top while Edward used the bathroom. When he came out, I took my turn doing my nightly routine. I stepped out of the bathroom to find Edward sitting on the bed – still in his clothes.

He held out his arms to me and I walked over and stood in front of him, cupping his face.

"Bella … are you sure you're comfortable with this?"

"Edward, I wouldn't have asked you to stay if I wasn't comfortable. Besides … it was an invitation to stay with me- not an invitation for anything else."

Edward blew out a breath I hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just that … Bella, I want to do things right with you. I don't want to rush."

"We won't, Edward," I assured him. "I just want to sleep but I don't want to be alone. We didn't have much time to ourselves today and I know it won't really count because we'll be sleeping but you're here and I can at least … hold your hand."

"I think I can do better than that, Bella."

I crawled into bed and Edward shrugged out of his shirt and jeans to join me. In just his boxer briefs and t-shirt, Edward crawled into bed beside me. I settled down on my pillow and Edward curled up behind me, wrapping his arm around me and twining our fingers together.

"Is this okay?" Edward asked nervously.

"It's perfect," I sighed.

It was so comfortable laying there snuggled up against Edward. The warmth he offered enveloped my entire being. A few soft whispers passed between us and soon I was lulled to sleep by the gentle sound of Edward's steady breathing.

"MOMMY!" Kaden screamed.

I thought maybe I was dreaming. I was so warm and cozy in my bed but then I heard Koda whimpering from the floor below me and I heard a heavy sigh from beside me.

"Mommy!" Kaden cried again.

I looked over at the clock beside my bed and it read three-eleven a.m. I sat up and the light came on behind me. I glanced back at Edward briefly before getting up and making my way to Kaden's room.

His room was shrouded in darkness when I entered and I knew immediately what the problem was. I turned on the bedside lamp and gathered my crying son up in my arms.

"Mommy," Kaden sobbed. "It's dark in hewe."

"I know, Little Bear," I cooed, rubbing his back.

"I gotta go potty …."

I rose from the bed and carried him quickly to the bathroom. I stayed with him while he did his business and then helped him wash his hands. We walked hand in hand back to his bedroom but he was hesitant to go in.

"I wanna sweep in your bed, Mama."

I knew I didn't have an extra bulb to replace the one in his nightlight but I also wasn't sure how Edward would feel about putting Kaden in my bed with us. Then I worried about Kaden's reaction to Edward. I didn't have a chance to over think it because Kaden ran straight for my bedroom.

"Mister Ewward!"

"Hey, Buddy," Edward said sleepily as he held his arms out to Kaden.

Kaden crawled onto my bed and into Edward's waiting arms.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Edward asked as I sat down on the bed.

"Uh uhh. Had to go potty and da wight was out."

Edward nodded, squeezing Kaden to his chest.

"You want to sleep in here with me and Mommy?" Edward asked softly.

"Uh huh!"

I settled into bed facing Edward and Kaden. I fluffed my pillow and moved a bit allowing room for Kaden on my side of the bed. When he settled in, Edward reached over and turned off the light.

"Thank you," I whispered, in appreciation for so much more than the light.

"You're welcome," Edward whispered. "Everything all right?"

"Mmmhmm."

I felt Edward's hand come to rest on my hip and I scooted closer to him and Kaden, brushing my hand down Edward's chest. He caught my hand with the one he had resting on my hip and brought it to his lips.

"Goodnight, beautiful Bella."

The next morning, I woke up and the bed next to me was empty. The smell of coffee assaulted my nose and I realized that there was a steaming cup on my nightstand. Sitting next to my favorite mug was a note.

Bella ~

Kaden woke up early, so we are watching cartoons in the living room. I found your creamer and thought you'd appreciate the coffee. Take your time, we'll be fine.

~Edward

I thought it was so sweet of Edward to get up and take care of Kaden. I loved him for letting me sleep in – even if it was only for a little while. I took a tentative sip of my coffee and it was perfect. Only Edward would remember how much creamer I liked in my coffee from a passing conversation.

I showered and dressed before going into Kaden's room to get his clothes out for school. When I walked out into the living room, Kaden and Edward were still watching TV.

"Mommy!"

"Good morning, Little Bear." I smiled. "Good morning, Edward."

"Good morning," He smiled back.

"Are you hungry, Little Bear?"

"Uh uhh, Mister Ewward made me ceweal."

"He did?" I asked surprised.

Edward nodded sheepishly.

"I hope that way okay. He was hungry and you were still asleep. I didn't want to wake you."

"It's fine," I giggled. "However … Kaden is not allowed to watch cartoons in the morning before school and he knows that."

I glared at Kaden for a moment and he hung his head knowing that I'd talk to him about it later.

"Kaden … you need to apologize to Mister Edward because he didn't know you weren't supposed to watch TV before school and you didn't tell him otherwise."

"Sowwy, Mister Ewward."

Edward looked up at me properly chastised and I turned to go into the kitchen. As I stood at the counter, refilling my coffee cup, Edward came in behind me and stood next to me.

"You're not mad are you?"

"No, Edward. I'm not mad. I can't even really be angry with Kaden but he knows better. It was new for him this morning – having you here. It was sort of like his mornings with my Dad watching cartoons. But since we moved here, I had to make the rule of no TV in the morning because otherwise we're late."

"I get that. I wanted to make sure that I didn't step on your toes by getting up with him. He woke me up with this adorable grin on his face and I couldn't tell him no."

"Thank you for taking such good care of him. You know that you didn't have to – you could have woken me up."

"I could have – but I didn't want to. I wanted you to sleep in for a bit. I was happy to take care of him. I know I didn't have to – I wanted to. Like I wanted to take care of you by letting you sleep in. It really wasn't a big deal, Bella."

"It's a big deal to me, Edward. You gave me a few minutes to myself and an uninterrupted shower. You have no idea how good it felt to have a shower without a three year-old barging in on me. It's not often that I get that."

I leaned over and kissed him softly. I wanted him to know how much I really appreciated what he did for me that morning. Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him.

"I'm glad you asked me to stay last night," He murmured into my neck.

"I'm glad you stayed."

We kissed for a few moments before I heard Kaden wrestling with Koda and she barked.

"Kaden?" I asked, breaking away from Edward's embrace.

"Mommy! Make Koda sing for Mister Ewward!"

I rolled my eyes. It was silly of me to think it could have been anything else. Koda was too protective over Kaden and my son knew better than to be mean to my dog.

"Does she really sing?" Edward asked from behind me.

I nodded and walked over to sit down on the couch. I called Koda over and commanded her to sit. Koda obeyed and waited for my next direction.

"Koda, sing."

"Arrrrooooo …" Koda sang as Kaden clapped and cheered.

"Again, again, Mama!"

"What's the next verse Koda?" I asked.

"Arrrrooooo …"

"Good girl," I praised as I rose from the couch.

"I've never seen a dog do that before," Edward chuckled.

"Koda sings pwetty." Kaden smiled.

"Yes she does," Edward nodded.

I grabbed Koda a few treats and sent her to her bed to eat them. Edward seemed impressed that she minded so well.

"What? I told you she was an amazing dog."

Edward just shook his head at me in reply.

"Come on Little Bear, let's get you dressed. We have about ten minutes before we need to leave for school."

"I'm gonna call Emmett and have him pick me up," Edward quietly said from the doorway between the kitchen and living room.

"You don't have to do that. I can drop you off at home after I take Kaden to school."

"I don't want you to go out of your way."

"Edward, stop. I'm not going out of my way and you know it. It's not a big deal."

After I dropped Kaden off at school, I took Edward home. Emmett was waiting for us in the driveway.

"Looks like you got a reprieve from the paps … they were here earlier this morning when I pulled in."

Edward grimaced and shook his head. I knew he wished they would leave him alone, but he knew as well as I did that it wouldn't happen as long as he remained one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood.

"Do you have a few minutes?" Edward asked shyly.

"I have all morning," I grinned.

"Can I take you to breakfast?"

"Sure."

I wasn't surprised at all when Emmett pulled up in front of Chateau Marmont. I knew it was one of Edward's favorite hotels because of the privacy it offers.

"The brioche French toast is really good here," Edward whispered as the Hostess showed us to our table.

"Better than my crème brulee French toast?" I asked, raising my brow at him.

"No," he chuckled, "Definitely not better than that."

We gave our orders to our waiter and I couldn't help but look around. I'd never actually been inside the Chateau before, and it was beautiful – very old Hollywood.

We talked as we ate our breakfast. I asked Edward how he felt after spending the previous day and night with my son. His answers were pleasantly surprising and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face when I thought of Edward and Kaden together. They seemed to enjoy each other's company and that made me immensely happy.

Unfortunately, our time with Edward was getting shorter and shorter. He was getting ready to leave to film his next project in Morocco. Edward kept reassuring me that we'd be able to email and text and occasionally Skype if our schedules allowed. One thing I was sure of – I'd miss him while he was gone and it would be considerably more than I'd missed him while he was in Australia. I was falling hard for Edward Cullen and for once, I wasn't trying to stop it.

"I hate that I'm not going to be able to see you and Little Man for eight weeks," Edward said one afternoon.

He'd brought me back to the Huntington Gardens as promised. In four short days he'd be leaving for Morocco, and we were both dreading it. Since our trip to Disneyland, we'd spent more time together. More often than not, it was at Edward's house because it was more secure. Thankfully, I never had a problem with the paparazzi following me home. They must have assumed that I was a household employee and never inquired any more about it.

"Please don't remind me," I murmured.

"You'll have Alice around more to keep you company."

I promised Jasper that since he was accompanying Edward to Morocco, I would watch out for Alice and go to her doctor's appointments with her. Her doctor had advised her to cut back on her hours at work since she was on her feet so much. She hated every minute of it but decided that it would be a better alternative to strict bed rest. At six months pregnant, Alice was already a high-maintenance mom-to-be.

"If she doesn't drive me completely crazy. I don't remember being like that when I was pregnant with Kaden."

Edward chuckled.

"What were you like when you were pregnant with Kaden?"

"Fat."

"Aww, Bella. You couldn't have been. I bet you were beautiful."

Edward smiled the most gorgeous smile and he had a faraway look in his eyes. He was breathtaking.

"What are you thinking about?' I asked.

He shook his head and looked at me, his eyes so expressive and full of adoration.

"You and what you looked like when you were pregnant. Did you have a hard pregnancy with him because of the fertility issues?"

This was definitely one topic that Edward and I hadn't discussed before. I don't know if it was because it was a bit of a sensitive topic for me or if I thought he wasn't interested in it. Edward seemed like he really wanted to know and if he was asking, I wasn't going to deny him the answers he needed.

"Actually, it was wonderful. I wasn't sick at all. There were certain foods I had to stay away from because even the thought of them would turn my stomach but for the most part it was a great experience."

"Do you want more kids?"

"I always wanted more …" I smiled. "I don't think I want Kaden to be an only child. Siblings would be good for him … so yeah, I guess. I'd probably have to go through the fertility stuff all over again but that doesn't matter because it's worth it."

I couldn't bring myself to regret going through a year of fertility treatments to get pregnant with Kaden. All the poking and prodding, tests and ultrasounds, going to appointment after appointment for one thing or another - it was all worth it in the end. Every time I took a pregnancy test and it was negative – my heart fell. But the one time it was positive – I had no words for how elated I was.

"He's amazing, Bella. He's healthy and happy – there's not much more you could ask for. He's also crazy about his mom," Edward winked.

"He's my world …." I smiled.

"Let me be a part of your world too, Bella," Edward whispered into my neck.

A/N: I know I say it every week, but I couldn't appreciate your lovely reviews more if I tried! (Well, I could - I guess I could reply to them but I try and spend my free evenings writing trying to get these two to their HEA.) Know that I do read each and every one - they make me laugh, they make me say "aww" and they encourage me to keep writing this little ditty. I truly feel blessed because I have the BEST readers! =D Thank you all!