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 prereader EdwardsMyObsession1971 – without them, I'd be a hot mess!

When You Least Expect It

Chapter Thirty-Six

Blue Balloons

I felt a huge blanket of peace fall over me as I looked up and realized that Edward was standing in Alice's loft. He was home safe and sound – two days early. I'd never been more relieved or excited to see anyone my entire life. If only I wasn't running out the door to get Alice to the hospital.

I'd been with Alice to the doctor the day before and she warned Alice that she was beginning to dilate – it was early but she assured Alice that the baby was fine. She instructed Alice to go home and rest and stay off her feet as much as possible.

Bed rest wasn't Alice's forte. In fact, getting her to settle down was like pulling teeth. I tried to distract her by doing laundry – washing all the things that were bought for the baby. I'd pull them out of the dryer and carry them into the bedroom for Alice to fold so I could put them away.

Kaden helped by checking out all the baby's toys making sure they were suitable to play with.

"Baby needs a Mater, Mama," Kaden announced one afternoon.

"Okay, Little Bear, we'll have to see if we can find one kind of like yours for the baby. Maybe we can find one a little smaller so it'll be easier for the baby to hold."

"We can ask Ewward … he finded dis one, maybe he can find a little one."

"Maybe he can, baby. We can ask him when he gets home in a few days okay?"

"Will we get to see Ewward when he gets home, Mama?"

"Of course we will, Little Bear. When Uncle Jazzy gets home, we're going to go back to Edward's, and we'll stay there with him for a little while so Mommy can find us a new place to live. Would you like to stay with Edward?"

"Yay!" Kaden squealed. "But, Mama … why can't we just live with Ewward?"

If it were only that easy. I'm sure that Edward would just love Kaden and me moving in with him and encroaching on his sprawling bachelor pad. True, Edward had a spacious house, but when it came down to it, there really wasn't room for Kaden and me. I couldn't ask Edward to give up his guest room to make a room for Kaden, it wouldn't leave him any room if his parents or sisters wanted to come and visit, and I'd never ask him to give up his music room – it meant too much to him, and his music is something he needs in his life to bring him a little bit of peace.

"Baby, it's a little more complicated than that."

Kaden furrowed his brows and looked at me again.

"What's compedicated?" He asked.

"Not compedicated, Little Bear. Com-pli-cated. It means that there is more to it than it seems."

"Oh. Doesn't Ewward want us to live wif him?"

"I don't know, baby. Edward and I haven't talked about it."

"Well you should, Mommy, cuz I wanna live wif Ewward."

If Kaden had given it more thought he probably would have thrown a ring-tail tantrum demonstrating just how much he wanted to live with Edward but I was thankful that he didn't. I don't think my heart could have survived it. It was all too clear to me how much my little boy loved Edward. He loved him like a little boy loved his dad – he looked at Edward like he was his hero; Edward could take away any hurt and make any bruise feel better.

In the days following the break-in, Kaden asked why we didn't go home and I explained to him that our condo had been broken into and it wasn't safe for us to go back there. He flippantly told me not to worry about it – that Edward would take care of us and he wouldn't dare let the 'bad guys' get us.

If only things were as simple as a three-year old made them out to be. Then again, maybe they were.

After an all too brief reunion with Edward, I conceded to allowing him to watch Kaden so I could go to the hospital with Alice and Jasper. I couldn't get in touch with my dad, and I didn't want to have to drag him to the hospital – it wasn't an appropriate place for a toddler.

I kissed Edward softly and stepped into the elevator behind Alice and Jasper. With a swift wave goodbye, he faded from my sight.

It wasn't that I worried about leaving Kaden in Edward's care – I knew that Edward would take good care of my son. I was slowly learning that Edward loved Kaden as if he were his own son. I'd seen for myself how they were together, and the way they acted – if I didn't know better, I'd guess they were father and son. The love between them was amazingly strong – they'd built this bond in so little time and it made me love the both of them more each and every day.

"Sorry you didn't get much time with Ed," Jasper apologized softly as Emmett drove us to the hospital.

"It's okay, Jazz. I'm relieved that you guys showed up when you did. I hated the thought that I'd have to call and tell you that Ali went into labor without you, so everything worked out as it should have."

"No shit. You have no idea how happy I am that Ed finished up early. We couldn't wait to get back here to be with you and Ali. Something told me that my son would come early."

"Of course, he's just as tenacious as his mother and he's not even here yet," I giggled.

"Hey! I resemble that comment!" Alice giggled before shrieking in pain.

"Oooh, God! Emmett hurry! It hurts, it hurts!" Alice cried.

Jasper and I gently reminded her to breathe as Emmett sped through the city streets.

Several hours later, I called Edward to check in and let him know that Alice was still in labor. She had progressed a little bit, but her dilation seemed to be stuck at a seven.

"She's not in pain is she?" Edward asked concerned.

"No," I giggled. "She was given an epidural hours ago."

"Well that's good. Hopefully, it put her in a better mood than she was in when I saw her."

"Marginally. She's sleeping now. How's Kaden? Was he excited to see you?"

"Baby, I don't think excited is the right word." Edward chuckled. "Screaming and tears were involved."

Listening to Edward recount what had happened when Kaden woke from his nap brought tears to my eyes. I knew Kaden would be excited to see Edward but I never realized how much. I pressed my fingers to my lips to hold in my sobs as Edward continued to tell me about the afternoon he'd spent with Kaden. It was early evening and they had long since left Alice and Jasper's loft and were now cozied up on Edward's couch eating Easy-Mac and drinking apple juice.

"Easy-Mac, Edward?"

"What can I say? I'm not much of a cook and it's what he asked for. We're going to have Graham Crackers and frosting for dessert."

"Oh boy … better you than me. He'll be wired after having all that sugar. Just make sure that he brushes his teeth before he goes to bed, please."

"Of course, I will, baby. As soon as this cartoon is over, I'm going to give him a bath. Em went over and got Koda from your dad's, and Kaden and Koda had a ball playing in the dirt in my backyard this afternoon."

"And what did you do while they were playing in the dirt, handsome?"

"Umm … I mayhavehelpedthembuildamudpile," He mumbled.

"A MUD PILE? Edward! Are you serious?"

"We're boys … we like dirt and mud. Besides we needed something to put in our dump truck and our tractor was the perfect thing to dig up the dirt with."

I shook my head in disbelief that this man who spent thousands of dollars on expensive suits and walked down red carpets could sit down in the dirt and play trucks with my son – and he was excited about it. I wish that I could have been there to see it because I'm sure they were absolutely adorable together.

"I don't doubt that it wasn't, baby. I'm glad you boys had fun together today."

"We did. Hey, beautiful, I'm gonna get Little Man into the bath – can we call you when we're ready for story time?"

"You better! If I can't be there, maybe I could at least be on speaker phone?"

"Absolutely. We'll call you in a little bit."

"'Kay. Oh! Edward … don't forget … no bubbles. If you even mention them, he'll freak out."

"Huh? Oh! Jesus, I'm glad you said something, baby. I would have completely forgotten."

"I know. That's why I'm the Mom." I giggled.

"I love you, Isabella."

Edward had only ever called me Isabella a handful of times, but this time, it was different. It meant – more.

"Love you too, Edward."

Jackson Avery Whitlock was born at 2:36 a.m. Alice wasn't progressing quickly at all and sometime after I'd spoken with Edward and Kaden and listened to Edward read "Peter Pan", the doctor came in and said she'd like to put Alice on Pitocin to see if it would move things along. By two a.m. she still hadn't seen enough progress and decided that she wanted to take Alice in for a C-Section. By that time, Alice didn't care – she was tired and miserable and was more than ready to meet her son.

Unbeknownst to me, Emmett had come back to the hospital and waited in the waiting room. The nurse assured me that she would come and get me as soon as Alice made it back to her room after her delivery, and it was there that I found Emmett sound asleep in a chair.

"Do you know him?" The nurse asked quietly. "He's been here for hours."

I nodded.

"Yeah, he's a friend of mine. I'm sure he's waiting here for me."

The nurse smiled softly at me and went back through the doors we had just walked out of.

"Emmett," I murmured. "Wake up."

"Hey, B." he smiled. "How's Ali?"

"They just took her into surgery. What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come back and wait for you so I could take you back to Ed's when you're ready to go."

"Aww, Em, that's awfully sweet of you. How long have you been sitting here?"

"Since around eight p.m. or so," He admitted sheepishly.

"Jesus, Em. You could have called me. I think you scared the nurses."

"Nah … I talked to one of them earlier and told her I was here waiting on a friend who was in with a friend in labor. She said I was allowed to wait out here for you."

"Again, that's really sweet of you, Emmett, but you didn't have to wait out here all night. I could have called you when I needed a ride."

"Ahh, it's okay, B. I passed the time just fine. I … I uhh … talked to Ed's sister. She wanted us to call and let her know how Ali is."

"Edward's sister? Which sister?"

"Rosalie."

I grinned seeing the blush on his dimpled face. He liked her. I had seen them chatting back and forth when we were in Napa for the Fourth of July but I hadn't thought anything else about it.

"You like her," I giggled, nudging his arm.

Emmett reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah … I guess I do."

"You guess or you know?" I prodded.

"Damn, B. All right, I guess I know I like her. Happy now?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Does Edward know?"

"Not yet and I'd like to keep it that way if you don't mind. Rosie and I are still just talking. She's pretty cool."

"I guess." I shrugged.

"What? You guess? What's that about?"

"She's still warming up to the idea of me, I guess."

"Don't worry about it, B. She likes you. She's just protective of her brother."

I sat down hard in the chair next to Emmett.

"Should I call Edward now or later?" I asked.

"Later. He wants to know when we're on our way home."

I nodded and fell back in the chair. We sat silent for a few minutes when Jasper burst into the waiting room with a shit-eating grin on his face. I looked up to meet his grin.

"Well?" Emmett asked.

"My fiancee and son are perfect! Six pounds three ounces, nineteen inches long and perfectly healthy. They'll bring him to the nursery in a few minutes so you can see him through the window."

"Alice did okay?" I asked, worried.

"She was amazing, Bells. They're getting her settled in her room. You can go in and see her for a few minutes. Are you going to head home soon?"

"Yeah, I'm beat, and Edward is waiting for me to come home. I'll be back tomorrow."

Jasper led me back to see Alice who was getting settled in her bed. She smiled sleepily when I walked in.

"Have you seen him?" She asked.

"Not yet. I'll see him on my way out. How are you?"

"Numb … but I'm sure I'll be sore later. Can you pull up my blanket? I'm freezing."

I pulled up her blanket and tucked it around her.

"How's that?"

"Much better, thank you. Now give me a hug so you can go see my son and go home to see your man."

I leaned down and did as she asked.

"Congrats, Ali. I love you," I whispered.

"Love you too, Bella. Thank you for everything."

I hugged Jasper and promised him that I'd see them later that afternoon before heading to the waiting room so I could see Jackson from the nursery window. He seemed so small bundled up like a burrito, but he was beautiful. Suddenly, I found myself wanting nothing more than to go home and tell my own son how much I loved him before curling up with Edward.

"I called Ed. I told him we'll be there soon," Emmett said quietly from behind me.

It felt good to walk through the doors of Edward's house. It was warm and familiar. As I ascended the steps, I felt a sense of home and I knew it was because of the man who was patiently waiting for me. I crept into the guest bedroom to find Kaden fast asleep and wrapped around Tow Mater – as usual. I kissed him and whispered that I loved him. I couldn't wait to take him to the hospital to see his new little friend.

Edward's room was dark as I entered and I realized that the bed was empty. Wondering where he might be, I made my way down the hall to peek into his music room which was dark as well. I sighed and descended the stairs, hoping I'd find Edward in the living room and I wasn't disappointed.

Edward was stretched out along the length of the couch, his gorgeous riot of hair splayed against the armrest. Clad only in a pair of loose fitting basketball shorts, the view of his naked chest and bare feet in the moonlight was enough to make my breath catch. Long lashes rested on his flushed cheeks and he'd never looked more innocent or peaceful. I knelt down next to him and cupped his cheek with my hand, lightly tracing along his cheekbone with my thumb. I touched his forehead with the lightest of kisses, hoping I could wake him gently.

"Mmm, Bella," He breathed, stretching and settling further into the couch.

The thought of him murmuring my name in his sleep brought a smile to my lips.

"Hey, handsome. I'm home. Time for you to get up off this couch so we can go to bed," I murmured into his ear.

I kissed his cheek tenderly and looked up to see his eyelids fluttering.

"Bella?"

"Hi, baby." I smiled.

"Hey … God you look exhausted." Edward frowned.

"I am," I admitted. "Can we go up to bed?"

"Yeah." He yawned. "I'm sorry, Bella. I was waiting for you to get back. God, I missed you."

I continued to kneel on the floor as he sat up and took my face in his hands. He kissed me sweetly and smiled at me. I followed him silently up the stairs and into his room.

"I brought some of your things back from Alice's …" He trailed off as he tugged off his basketball shorts, leaving him in his boxer briefs.

"Thank you," I smiled.

I quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth before stepping back into the bedroom. Edward was sitting up in bed, sleepily waiting for me. He'd laid out a shirt and boxers for me to sleep in but I opted to forego the boxers, choosing to sleep in his soft, threadbare t-shirt.

Edward groaned as I pulled off my bra, letting it fall to the bed. I immediately turned to cover myself, thinking that maybe because we'd been intimate didn't mean that we were ready to start dressing in front of each other.

"Bella," Edward breathed, suddenly behind me. "Don't be shy. You're beautiful and have absolutely no reason to turn away from me."

He gently caressed the skin of my back as I slid the shirt over my head and turned to face him. As I turned, the soft touch of his hand stayed beneath the cotton of my shirt. His other hand came to rest on my hip.

"I've missed you so much," Edward whispered.

"I've missed you too, handsome, more than you realize."

I leaned down to kiss him sweetly before undoing my jeans and sliding them down over my hips and kicking out of them. I wrapped my arms around Edward's shoulders, letting my fingers tangle in his soft hair. Edward's grip on my hips didn't lessen as he pulled me on top of him, effectively laying us both on the bed.

"Edward," I giggled.

"What?" He asked, his eyes gazing into mine, a beautiful, sleepy crooked smile on his handsome face.

The look in his eyes was so intense, I hated to look away but I could feel tears bubbling to the surface, and I didn't want to cry – not now. Instead, I squeezed my eyes shut and gently ghosted the tip of my nose against his giving him Eskimo kisses.

"I love you," I breathed.

"I love you too, Bella. I promised you I'd come home to you and here I am."

"Here you are," I whispered, opening my eyes to him once again. "Thank you for coming home to me and taking such good care of us."

I kissed him ardently, sweeping my lips gently against his, feeling the warmth and softness of his flesh against my own. Edward fervently returned my kisses with long sweeping strokes of his tongue against mine. My center rested against him as I straddled his waist and I could feel him hot and hard beneath me. Shamelessly, I ground myself against him, reminding us both how good we felt together. I gasped when his hips bucked up into me but I knew it was only because he was feeling everything as acutely as I was.

"I need you, Bella," Edward whimpered.

"I need you too, baby," I breathed against the stubbly skin of his jaw.

Slowly and silently we undressed each other, the only sound in the room was the faint smacking of our lips as they pressed against each other's flesh. Edward carefully rolled me onto my back and we let out a collective sigh as he pushed into me gently. We held a little tighter to each other at the complete feeling we felt when we were joined so intimately. This – this was the reunion I'd been aching for.

Skin on skin, arms that couldn't hold tightly enough, lips against lips, unspoken words that couldn't convey enough – only our hearts beating wildly between us translated what words couldn't articulate. Languidly, Edward thrust into me, his hips rocking against mine in a rhythm we created. Warm lips travelled down my neckline and left open wet kisses on the sensitive skin behind my ear before making their way down my collarbone and further yet to the valley between my breasts.

From the moment Edward touched my skin, I felt like I had been lit on fire, and the inferno burned hotter and hotter as he coaxed me closer and closer to where I wanted to be. The moment his warm, wet tongue circled my nipple, I arched up to him and he took my sensitive bud into his mouth and suckled it. He learned quickly that I loved his mouth on my breasts, just as I learned that he loved my mouth on his cock.

"Oh God, Edward," I hissed. "Yes, just like that."

His arm slid behind me and he pulled us to a semi-sitting position with me straddling his lap once again as he knelt on the bed. He was so much deeper this way and I loved that I could feel every inch of him that he had to offer me. I whimpered slightly as I adjusted to the new position but my displeasure was quickly forgotten once I started moving against him.

"That's it, beautiful. God, I've missed being inside you, Bella."

"You feel so good, baby. So, so good."

My fingers continued to play with the hair at the nape of his neck as I kissed him slowly and reverently. I worked my body over him, rising up his length only to push back down over and over again until we both fell over in sated bliss.

"I love you so much, Bella," Edward whispered in the darkness.

My head rested on his chest and the beating of his heart was lulling me to sleep but I heard his confession loud and clear.

A/N: Sorry to disappoint y'all that it wasn't Edward's POV this go around, but you'll be happy to know that he'll be back next week. ;)

Thank you for reading and for all the awesome reviews. Can't thank y'all enough for those.

Just a little note … as this is winding down, I'm looking at the other two stories I've started and I'm thinking I will start posting one of them just before this one finishes. I may tease a little bit of it or at least give ya a glimpse as to what it's about here soon – if you're interested.

Come say Hi on twitter … I'm kare831. I'm also on Facebook (though I rarely check it ..hehe) – Kare Masen.

Next week's teaser will hopefully be up on the Fictionators later today … I cut the timing a little close but if it's not, I will send it out to those who review ;)

Have a great week and I'll see y'all next Monday! (BTW … Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there – at times it's the hardest job, but I know I wouldn't give it up for the world.)