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

No copyright infringement is intended.

HUGE thanks to my betas darcysmom and twimom817 as well as my pre-reader EdwardsMyObsession1971 – these ladies make my writing prettier.

Happy St. Paddy's Day - I'm exhausted so I'm posting earlier than usual. It's your lucky day ;)

When You Least Expect It

Chapter Twenty Nine

Happiest of Birthdays

The morning after we arrived in Morocco, I woke up alone. I panicked a bit until I realized that Kaden was probably with Emmett. If we were alone, he probably wouldn't have left my side and surely would have woken me up. I stretched and as I extended my arms across the soft, cool sheets, a stiff sheet of paper fluttered to the floor. I looked over to see a notecard lying on the carpet. I picked it up, and my name was written on the envelope in a surprisingly elegant scrawl. Inside was a note.

Bella,

I'm sorry I couldn't wake up next to you. The time we got to spend together last night was far too short. I promise I will make it up to you this weekend. I'm sure that you will need to go out shopping today if you want to make dinner tonight. Emmett and Jasper will go with you – the only thing I ask is that you be careful. I can't wait to celebrate my birthday with you and Kaden.

Yours,

Edward

Edward's note was incredibly sweet and put an instant smile on my face. Our time together the night before was entirely too short, but we were both exhausted and it was understandable as to why. Kaden, amazingly enough, slept the entire night. I was sure that he'd wake me in the middle of the night and be bright eyed and bushy tailed but that wasn't the case.

After deciding that I should get out of bed and find my son, I made my way into the living room to find Emmett and Kaden lying on their stomachs eating bowls of cereal and watching cartoons.

"Mornin' Sunshine!" Emmett bellowed from his spot on the floor.

"Good morning, Emmett," I giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"From the look of things, you'd think there were two kids here instead of one."

"Ahh, Bella … life's more fun if you can embrace your inner child."

I shook my head and went into the kitchen in search of coffee. I smiled when I peeked into the refrigerator and saw my favorite creamer. Edward had done good.

I walked back into the living room and settled into the corner of the couch.

"What's the plan for today?" Emmett asked through a mouthful of cereal.

"Emmett!" Kaden giggled. "You don't tawk wif your moufful."

"Sorry." Emmett grinned sheepishly.

"Well, today is Edward's birthday and I would like to make him something special for dinner. So I guess that means that we should find a market. There's got to be somewhere we can get fresh vegetables, meat and maybe some bread?"

"Beats me, Bella," Emmett shrugged. "I'm sure Jasper will know where we can go. He sent me a text a little while ago and said he'd be back in a couple hours. He's going over some things with Ed, and then he'll be on his way back. He'd like us to wait to go to the market until he can go with us."

"Okay. Maybe while we wait we can go for a swim? It looks like it's a beautiful day outside."

"It's nice out and from what I've heard, that pool is all ours."

"Mommy! I wanna go swimmin'!" Kaden squealed.

"Okay, okay," I laughed. "Let's go get changed and we'll go out to the pool for a while. Maybe Mister Emmett can take a picture we can send to Edward."

I set Kaden's cereal bowl in the kitchen sink before taking his hand and leading him back to the bedroom to change him into his swimming shorts.

"Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"I thot we was gonna see Ewward today?"

"We are, Little Bear, but he's at work right now. When he's done working he'll come back and then we'll see him. Today is his birthday and we're going to make him something special … would you like to help me?"

"Uh huh! But, Mama … I don't want Ewward to be like Daddy."

Kaden's face scrunched up in a scowl. It was the first time in a couple months that he'd mentioned Mike. Before the divorce, when Kaden mentioned him, I'd answer whatever questions he had. Not once did I ever say anything negative about Mike or his actions. I couldn't bring myself to do that to my son. I figured I'd answer his questions or reply to his comments as best I could and when he got older, he could form his own opinions of his father. But after Mike gave up his parental rights, I wasn't sure that was the right course of action anymore. However, it would break my heart to tell my son that his dad didn't want him.

"What do you mean, Little Bear?"

"Daddy didn't come home. I want Ewward to come home. I miss him."

"Oh, Little Bear," I whispered, pulling him into my arms. "Don't you worry, baby. Edward will come home. He misses you so much. He was so sorry that he missed you last night, but he picked you up and gave you kisses and he put you into bed last night."

I obviously wasn't expecting the conversation to change from Mike to Edward so quickly but I was thankful for it none the less.

"He tuckted me in?"

"Yes, he did." I smiled.

"Can he tuckted me in again tonight?"

"I'm sure he will if you ask him to, Little Bear."

"Mommy?"

"What, baby?"

"I love Ewward and I want him to be my Daddy."

My heart melted a little at his admission and as much as I wanted to say those three little words – I couldn't. Not yet anyway.

"Oh, Little Bear … that's an awfully heavy title for Edward right now, I think. I know you need a daddy, baby and I want nothing more than to give you one, but you have to give me some time, okay?"

"'Kay."

I wiped away a few errant tears before I began to rummage through our luggage to find my swimsuit. Moments later, we stepped out the doors leading from our bedroom to the back patio. The pool was clear blue and sparkling in the sun. Emmett had thrown a few towels on one of the loungers and was dipping his toes in the water.

"It's nice and warm." He grinned.

"Good," I smiled back. "Can you take a picture of us to send to Edward before we jump into the pool and look like drowned rats?"

Emmett chuckled and stepped inside to get his camera.

Jasper arrived a couple hours later, just as we were sitting down for some lunch. There wasn't anything in the kitchen to eat so we opted for room service again.

"You guys ready to head out and do some shopping?" Jasper asked.

Once we'd finished our lunch, Jasper took us to the marketplace. There was booth after booth of vendors selling their wares. From rugs and textiles to jewelry and clothing – they had everything you could imagine. It vaguely reminded me of the Fashion District in L.A. – the only thing missing were the 'Made in China' stickers.

I fell in love with the deep, rich colors immediately. Sure, I'd seen them in pictures and on TV but that didn't compare to seeing them in person. I made a mental note where a particular vendor was so I could come back the next day or maybe even with Edward over the weekend.

We made our way to the vendors that offered locally grown fruits and vegetables. As we walked, Jasper and Emmett kept a keen eye on Kaden and me. At some point, Emmett heaved Kaden up on his shoulders in an effort to corral him.

I bought some beautiful eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and potatoes thinking I could make stuffed eggplant. When I found a vendor selling spices, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Fresh saffron, smoked paprika, and imported Saigon Cinnamon. That was all in addition to fresh ginger and turmeric. I couldn't wait to get back to the villa to create – my mouth was watering already.

The spice vendor was able to tell us where we'd be able to get some fresh lamb chops nearby. We found our way to the meat market and I felt like a deer in headlights. I didn't know which way to go first. I found what I wanted, and after a couple more stops, we traipsed our way back to the villa, our arms laden with our purchases.

I convinced Kaden to lie down quietly for a while, hoping that he would fall asleep while I went to work on our dinner. After marinating the lamb in some homemade yogurt I'd found at the market, I set out to make a cake for my birthday boy. I knew that Edward had a weakness for chocolate so I made him a rich chocolate cake layered with chocolate buttercream, topped with a chocolate ganache and white chocolate shavings. I wasn't a pastry chef by any means, but where desserts were concerned, I could hold my own – and I made a mean chocolate cake.

Edward and I managed to text each other a few times over the course of the afternoon. Light conversations filled with harmless banter seemed to be the order of the day.

Kaden came ambling out of the bedroom as I finished assembling Edward's cake. He'd been asleep for nearly three hours.

"Mama … you make cake?" He asked, pointing at the cake on the counter.

"Yes, Little Bear. I made Edward a cake."

"Ewward coming home soon?"

I started to answer but was interrupted by the ringing of my cell phone.

"Hey, handsome. We were just talking about you. Were your ears ringing?"

"Maybe," Edward replied. "Who were you talking to?"

"Kaden," I giggled. "He's anxious to see you."

"I can't wait to see him either. Is he having fun there without me at least?"

I explained that Kaden had fun at the marketplace only because he insisted on hanging off Emmett like a monkey off a vine.

"He just woke up from a nap, so he should be raring to go when you get here." I grinned.

"Good. I called to tell you I'll be done here in a few minutes. I should be there in a half hour or so."

"Perfect. Be careful, we want you here in one piece."

"Ewward!" Kaden cried.

"Edward … do you have a minute before you go? Kaden wants to talk to you."

"Of course! I always have time for him … and you."

I smiled before passing the phone to Kaden who anxiously took the phone to the couch to talk to Edward. I listened to Kaden talk animatedly about going to the airport and flying here on a 'big plane'. I could almost picture the grin on Edward's face as he listened on the other end. A few minutes later, Kaden walked slowly back in the kitchen dragging his feet.

"Ewward say he home soon, Mama."

"Okay, Little Bear. While you wait do you want to help me cook dinner?"

He nodded and I picked him up to sit on the counter and help me finish stuffing the eggplant. Once we'd gotten it in the oven, I took out a pan and braised the lamb before placing it in the oven too. I decided at last minute to make a couscous thinking that I'd be more likely to get Kaden to eat it as opposed to the eggplant.

A few moments later, our ears were met with the sound of Edward coming in the door. I helped Kaden down and he ran to greet him.

"EWWARD!" he squealed.

"Hey, buddy!" I heard Edward say tiredly. "How's my favorite little man?"

"Good. Me and mommy swimmed today."

Kaden was so excited to tell Edward about every aspect of our day, and from Edward's tone of voice, although tired, he was eager to hear about it.

"You did? Did you have a good time?"

"Uh huh! Den we goed shoppin'. Mommy's cookin'."

"I know she is. It smells amazing in here, Bella."

Edward came around the corner with Kaden held firmly in his arms. Kaden's little fists tightly gripped Edward's shirt like he never wanted to let go. It was adorable to see and it warmed my heart immensely.

I greeted Edward shyly and he came right over to me and kissed me sweetly on the lips. His lips were so warm and soft against mine and I would have liked for the feel of it to have lingered on for a few more moments but it was cut short by the squeal of my son.

"Eww! Ewward! You kissed Mommy and Mommy's a girl!"

"What's wrong with Mommy being a girl?" Edward asked, his face full of amusement.

"Girls. Are. Yucky."

I had no idea where Kaden had gotten that idea from, but I had to bite my tongue to keep my laughter from bubbling over. His face was so serious as he told Edward that girls were 'yucky' that it was as if he truly believed every word he was saying. The entire scene was quite comical.

"Oh, Buddy … Mommy might be a girl but you don't really think she's yucky do you? 'Cause I don't think she's yucky. Your mommy is amazing – after all, she takes you to cool places like Disneyland and the Zoo. She makes you special dinners that you love and she reads you your favorite books. Not all kids have a mommy as cool as yours."

I wondered for a brief moment if Edward thought that was really true or if he was saying it to placate my son. There was something in his face as he looked between Kaden and me, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Ewward?"

"Yeah, Buddy?"

Kaden went on to tell Edward that his friend's mom made his friend eat tofu. He'd ever eaten it before, but he went on to tell Edward that it was yucky and that I would never make him eat anything yucky. Edward confirmed that fact with him and chuckled under his breath.

"Ewward?"

"Yeah?"

"I love my Mommy."

I watched as Edward touched his forehead to Kaden's and silent words passed between them. It was a very sweet moment and one that I knew I wouldn't soon forget. I had to look away before the tears could form.

"Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes," I announced.

"Do I have time to clean up or …?"

"Plenty of time, Edward. However, getting Kaden to leave you alone long enough so that you can do so might be a different story."

"Nah … we'll be okay, huh buddy? He can go hang out in the bedroom and watch some TV while I shower real quick and then we can come back out and have dinner with you. Sound good, buddy?"

Kaden squealed as Edward tickled him and he managed a giggled 'yes'.

I watched as my boys walked toward the bedroom and I shook my head knowing all too well how deep I was falling for Edward.

I set the table and poured myself a glass of wine before pulling a beer out for Edward and setting our dinner on the table.

"Bella, this is incredible. Really, really good."

"I'm glad you like it." I smiled.

I looked over at Kaden who was happily eating the meat and couscous I'd put on his plate.

"I heard all about Kaden's day – from swimming to the marketplace. How was yours?" Edward asked, looking over at me with a smile.

"It was good. The pool is nice and the marketplace was amazing. I'd like to go back before we leave."

"Yeah? Did they have something that caught your eye?"

"Yeah … a couple things actually. There was this beautiful lantern that I would love for my bedroom and a scarf for my dresser. Maybe it's silly but the color of the fabric was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I don't know when or if I'll ever get to come to Morocco again and it might be nice to have something simple to remember our trip."

Edward nodded with a wry smile.

"Maybe we can go back this weekend."

"I'd like that," I whispered.

When we finished eating, I cleared the table and started cleaning up the dishes. Edward asked me not to fuss over it, saying that the housekeeper could clean it the next morning, but I couldn't in good conscience leave the mess for the housekeeper.

Kaden kept Edward company in the living room while I cleaned up the kitchen. When I finished, I lit a single candle on Edward's cake and carried it out to the living room.

"Happy Birthday, Edward."

"Jesus, Bella. You didn't have to make me a cake."

"I know … but I wanted to. I'm allowed to spoil you a little bit for your birthday." I grinned.

"You already did spoil me. I got everything I wanted when you said you'd come here for the weekend."

Edward was completely adorable with his admission and I leaned over to kiss him sweetly. I gave him the honor of slicing the cake as I helped to serve it up.

"Oh my God, Bella. This is amazing," Edward grinned through his bite of cake.

I couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up through me.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it! Don't tell my mom, but this is the best cake I've ever had."

"Oh no," I laughed. "I'd never tell your mom that."

"You better not – you'd be on her shit list for sure."

"I'm on her shit list?" I asked worriedly.

"Oh, God, no, Bella. That's not what I meant."

"No, it's okay, Edward. I just worried after you came back from Australia and after everything that your mom had done for me that she and your dad were upset with me. I worry that they think that I'm ungrateful for everything they did for me and that couldn't be further from the truth."

Edward set our plates down on the coffee table and closed the distance between us, pulling me into his arms.

"Bella, they understand better than you think. I know and they know how appreciative you are. They have no reason to believe otherwise. I hope that doesn't play into your decision to go to Napa for the Fourth of July."

I shook my head no.

"Kaden's being so quiet," Edward whispered.

We looked over to where Kaden was laying on the floor to find him sound asleep. He seemed so peaceful and happy.

"Should we put him in bed?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. If you can carry him in there, I'll grab his pajamas."

Edward nodded and we rose from the couch to put Kaden into bed. When he was all tucked into bed in the room that Edward intended for Kaden and I to sleep in, I checked the nightlight and kissed him goodnight. I closed the door behind us as Edward stepped into the hall.

"Bella …" Edward whispered.

He reached his hand out to me and pulled me to him.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" He asked pleadingly.

I nodded and followed behind him as we stepped into his bedroom and closed the door.

A/N: SO close and yet so far ;) Next week, I PROMISE this will earn the M rating I gave it. I hope everyone who celebrates enjoyed their St. Paddy's Day – I enjoyed my Guinness immensely! =D

Thank you again for all the lovely reviews, I will see you next week and the teaser for chapter 30 will be up at Fictionators!