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 this story would still be sitting in a file folder on my desktop.
Warning – there's kind of a long A/N at the bottom, but there's some important stuff there. =)
When You Least Expect It
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ohana
EPOV
Something told me that I never should have let Bella walk away to take that phone call. I had a feeling deep in my gut that it wouldn't be good, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that it would be Bella's ex-mother-in-law calling.
When Bella told me what she wanted, I was livid. Pissed off at Karen Newton and even more so at myself for letting Bella take the call alone. Bella wasn't alone in caring for Kaden anymore. I wanted to help bear the load of raising him with her – if she'd let me.
When I found her in my music room, shaking with anger and tears pouring down her beautiful face, it broke my heart. I knew then that I'd do anything to make sure I never had to see that look on her face again.
After some of our guests had left and it was only family who remained at our home, we sat down and discussed the phone call that Bella had received. Charlie berated himself for giving Ms. Newton Bella's phone number, but like everyone else, I could understand why he did it. My father and I agreed that we needed to call and speak to Jared, my sister's fiancé, about the situation. He was a lawyer and his firm specialized in family law – Jared would be the perfect person to speak to.
Jasper suggested that I get in touch with my management company's lawyers to see if there was anything they could do, but this was a personal matter, and I didn't want it getting leaked out to the media that I was doing everything within my power to protect a little boy who didn't belong to me – yet.
Bella's outburst shocked everyone. She was truly angry and with her exhaustion from the day's activities, I shouldn't have been surprised. I knew it wasn't anyone in the room that she was angry with, and I was relieved when my mom announced that the conversation was over and that everyone needed to relax and we'd regroup and discuss it again later.
I sat with Bella, rubbing lazy circles on her back, trying to relax her. She sat quietly next to me with her head in her hands. I left her briefly to walk Charlie out.
"You really care about them, don't you, son?" Charlie asked, stopping at the door to his truck.
"Yes, sir. I'll do anything for them."
Charlie grunted.
"Bella has become so independent – especially in the last few years. Mike had become lazy, so Bella took everything onto her own shoulders. She's very stubborn, but I can see that she's trying with you. Bella seems to be happier than she's been in a long while."
"I want her to be happy. I love to see her smile and hear her laugh – it's music to my ears. And Kaden … he's amazing."
Charlie nodded.
"He is that. Little Man reminds me so much of Bella when she was little. My wife would have loved him."
"Bella told me a little bit about her – she sounds like she was an incredible woman. Lord knows she played a part in how wonderful Bella turned out."
"She was my everything," Charlie whispered. "My girls were my world. We lost Renee sixteen years ago, but the pain is so fresh that it feels like yesterday."
Charlie shook his head trying to dispel his thoughts from the road they were taking.
"If you're what Bella wants, it isn't my place to tell her otherwise. My only hope is that you'll treat her with the love and respect that she deserves and that you'll love that little boy like he's your own."
I nodded.
"Those are my intentions, Sir."
"Good. Now you better get back in there to our girl. She'll need you tonight."
I shook Charlie's hand once again and watched him drive away.
Back inside the house, I saw that Bella hadn't moved from the couch. I sat down next to her once again and resumed my gentle caresses to her back. I suggested that we go outside and enjoy the warm evening with a glass of wine. Bella grabbed the wine and glasses as I built the fire out in the pit. I took the bottle of wine from her and I poured as she held the glasses.
Together, we settled onto the sofa. Bella was so warm and wonderful in my arms. We sipped our wine and spoke softly to one another. Our trip to Hawaii was only a few days away and we had a few things to take care of before we left.
Bella giggled softly.
"What?" I asked.
"Think about all the crazy things that have happened lately; the paps, Lauren, the paps, the break-in … does it ever feel like it's too much or that it's going to end?"
I pulled Bella closer to me – a nearly impossible feat because she was already situated between my legs, lying against my chest.
"Whatever comes at us, we'll deal with it together," I murmured against her hair.
I leaned my head back and gazed up at the stars above us. They were hard to see, but I knew they were there.
I woke hours later, and the sky was lighter and someone had thought to drape a blanket over us. I looked over to find my dad quietly building a fire in the pit.
"Hey," I said softly, trying not to disturb the angel in my arms.
"Good morning, Son. I didn't mean to wake you but I didn't expect you to fall asleep out here either."
"Yeah, me either. I should pick her up and get her inside."
Carefully, Dad helped me to maneuver enough so that I could scoop Bella up into my arms and carry her inside. Once inside our bedroom, I laid her down carefully on the bed, pulling off her shoes before tucking her under the blankets. I shed my own shoes, jeans and shirt before crawling in next to her. Once I was settled, she curled into me and laid her head on my chest. Several times during the night, I slipped out of our warm bed to check on the little boy in the room across the hall. The mere thought of someone being able to burst the happy bubble Bella had created for him made my heart hurt.
Hours later, I woke up to warm kisses on my chest and a gentle, yet steady grip on my growing erection.
"Mmm … morning," I grumbled out with a smile.
"Good morning, baby," Bella grinned against my chest.
"Fuck that feels good, baby, but what about Kaden?"
"Your parents took him and my dad out to breakfast. We have the house to ourselves until they get back."
I smiled as Bella continued kissing down my chest. With a beautifully wicked grin, she kissed the tip of my cock and I watched with rapt attention as she sunk my length between her luscious lips.
"Jesus, fuck, Bella."
Her only response was an increase of pressure of her mouth on me and nimble fingers gently massaging my balls. As much as I enjoyed Bella's lips wrapped around my aching cock, I wanted it to be buried deep inside her; I wanted to feel her soft, full lips on mine; I wanted my breath, warm on her skin just so I could see the pebbling of her flesh.
"Bella, please, baby … that feels fucking incredible, but I want you up here … I need to be inside you."
Bella whimpered and I reached down, grazing her shoulders with my fingertips, hoping I could coax her from her current position between my legs. Moments later, she crawled back up my body, kissing her way up my chest, until we were level with each other.
"Hi," Bella smiled sheepishly.
I kissed her softly – sloppily.
"Hi," I grinned back.
My hands made their way down her body, over her backside to the backs of her thighs. With a gentle tug, I helped her to straddle me – her warm center exactly where I wanted it. She lifted slightly and slid down over me – both of us sighing in relief.
"I love you so much, Bella."
Bella nodded her head fervently.
"I love you too, baby," She whispered.
After a few moments, we began to move in sync with each other. Our bodies slid against each other tenderly. There was no better feeling than making love to my Bella. Every inch of her body was committed to my memory like mine was to hers, but every time was better than the last.
We came together, loudly and passionately – falling over onto damp sheets, completely unable to leave each other's arms. Bella snuggled into my side, resting her head on my chest as I ghosted my fingers up and down the length of her arm.
An hour later, Bella was still soundly sleeping in our bed, her hair a halo of mahogany splayed across her pillow. I knew that my parents and Charlie would be back with Kaden any minute and I was eager to call Jared and see what he could do for us where Karen Newton was concerned.
"Da … Ewward!" Kaden grinned as he came running into the kitchen.
I picked him up and swung him around in my arms before setting him on his feet.
"Hey, Buddy. Did you have a good breakfast with Papa Charlie, Papa Carlisle and Nana Esme?"
"Uh huh! We had stwawbewwy pancakes and dey was yuh-uh-mmy! But dey wasn't as good as mommy's pancakes."
I couldn't help but chuckle at his adorable face when he crossed his arms in defense of Bella's cooking.
"I bet they weren't Little Man."
I turned my attention to something my dad and Charlie were talking about when I felt a tug on my cargo shorts. I looked down to see Kaden standing at my feet. I reached down and pulled him up to my level.
"Daddy," He whispered, "Can I go upstaws and wake up mommy?"
"No, Buddy. Let's let mommy sleep for a little while longer."
I poured myself a cup of coffee and joined my parents and Charlie at the dining room table while Kaden curled up on the couch with Mater and his cartoons. We were joined by Jasper a few moments later and we initiated the phone call to Jared.
Five minutes into the conversation, Bella walked in and silently sat down on my lap. Wearing her pajamas, and a look of worry on her beautiful face, Jasper told Jared she'd joined us.
"Bella, what was the judge's ruling where Kaden is concerned?" Jared asked.
"He ruled that because Mike had signed away his parental rights, sole custody of Kaden went to me and Mike was to sever all contact with Kaden until he turns eighteen."
"Can you fax me that paperwork?"
"I'll have to find it – I have it filed away."
"We'll get it to you, J," I piped up, thinking that even if I had to help Bella go through everything she owned to find it – we would.
"Jared," Bella spoke softly, "Please tell me that she can't take my son away."
"Bella, no one is going to take your son from you. Ms. Newton doesn't have any legal rights to Kaden, therefore she can't demand that you share custody with her nor can she demand visitation. If she's granted visitation, it will only be because you've found the goodness in your heart to give it to her."
Bella laid her head on my shoulder and her body seemed to relax into me at Jared's words. I knew that was exactly what she'd needed to hear ever since the dreaded phone call came in.
"Edward, you guys get me that paperwork and I'll look it over while you're on vacation and when you get back we'll get together and talk about it, okay? I don't want you or Bella to worry yourselves unnecessarily."
"Sounds good, Jared. We'll do our best to find those papers this afternoon and I'll have Mom and Dad get them to you."
Bella and I spent the afternoon going through all her things looking for her divorce and custody papers. She hadn't signed them that long ago but because of the hasty move, they were packed in an unlabeled box.
"Found them!" Bella called from somewhere in the back of her dad's garage.
I breathed a deep sigh of relief and took the envelope from Bella as she handed it to me.
"Let's go home so we can fax these to Jared, and we'll make hard copies for my parents to give him later."
After my parents left, Bella and I spent the next few days getting ready for our trip to Hawaii. We were looking forward to a few days of relaxation, and Kaden couldn't wait to hit the beach.
"I'm glad we're going on this trip, but I know reality will hit me hard as soon as we get home." Bella sighed as she dumped a load of clothes on the bed to fold.
"What do you mean reality will hit you?" I asked softly, pulling some of the clothes toward me.
"Well … for one, you'll be going back to work and I'll be meeting with people for the restaurant. That part I'm actually looking forward to. Rob said it's in my hands completely – he trusts my judgment and I can't wait to get started. Second – I need to figure out a new place to live. Kaden and I can't live here forever – you've been so wonderful to us and we can't begin to thank you but …."
I rounded the bed and cut her off, gently placing my finger on her pillow soft lips.
"Bella … I told you that you and Kaden could stay here for as long as you wanted. Please don't feel like you need to hurry and find a place to move to because that's not the case. I love having you both here. I know it's not exactly ideal because Kaden's in the guest room right now, but maybe we can find a solution for that."
As I finished, Bella began to shake her head.
"Edward, I don't want you to change how you're living for us. When we get back, I'll look around and see what I can find."
A few days later, Bella and I found ourselves lounging on a black sand beach in Hawaii. Kaden sat between us playing in the sand.
"Having fun there, Buddy?" I asked, looking up from the book I was reading.
"Yep! Can we go in the wattaw soon, Daddy?"
"Sure thing, Buddy."
I leaned over and gave Bella a kiss before scooping Kaden up and carrying him down to the water. We'd been in Hawaii for two days, and since we left home, Kaden had called me 'daddy' regularly. I couldn't help but smile at him every time it crossed his lips. No sooner was the word out of his mouth than Bella was widely smiling at the both of us.
Later that night, after we'd put Kaden in bed, Bella and I sat out on the patio; Bella with a glass of wine and me with a bottle of beer. The sun had long since set but the sky wasn't quite dark and the twinkling of the stars was only beginning.
"I want you and Kaden to stay – to live with me," I said softly, nuzzling Bella's soft shoulder.
"What? Edward …."
"Bella … please think about it. It makes the most sense."
"Edward, I'd love nothing more than to tell you we'll stay, but I feel like we're encroaching on something that is solely yours. I mean, you have to look at it objectively. You have this massive, beautiful home but it's really not kid friendly. Kaden's staying in your guest room. I can't ask you to give up the room that your parents sleep in just so Kaden can have a bedroom."
"Are the sleeping arrangements your only hang up?" I asked.
Bella bit down on her bottom lip as she pondered my question.
"Bella … if that's all it is, I've already thought about it. We have a couple of options. There is a guest house out past the pool. I've never really used it. We could clean it up and remodel it to use when we have guests over. Kaden can have the guest room and we'll decorate it however he wants. If you don't like that idea, we can find a new house. Something with a little more room for everyone. We can look for something together – as a family."
I looked over to see Bella's eyes brimming with tears.
"You want us to be a family?" Bella asked quietly.
I pulled Bella into my lap and wrapped my arms around her tightly.
"Bella, I love you. I love Kaden, and I want more than anything for the three of us to be a family. I know that you're not ready for anything more than my promise that I'm not going anywhere – that's okay, I'm fine with that, but you need to know that I'm in this for the long haul. You two are it for me – you're everything I'll ever want and everything I'll ever need."
I kissed up her neck and along her jaw, finally stopping at her lips.
"Can I think about it?" Bella sniffled. "It's not a no – I just … need time to process."
"Of course you can, baby. Take all the time you need."
We stayed quiet for a few moments, the warm breeze swirling around us and the sound of the ocean relaxing us as we swayed on the porch swing.
"Edward?"
"Hmm?"
"I love your kitchen."
Bella's admission was so soft and sincere but I couldn't hold back my chuckle.
"I know you do, baby. I think if you'd admitted that after we'd first met – even then – I'd still have done whatever I could to make it a kitchen you loved. If you'd told me you wanted it completely remodeled, I would have done it."
She looked up at me incredulously.
"You wouldn't have done that. Even if I hated it, I don't think I would have said anything. I was so grateful to find a job – and after I fell into a routine, I loved it. You're the easiest boss I've ever had the privilege of working for."
"The easiest huh? I'll show you easy."
I grinned as I pressed my lips to hers and swept her off my lap, carrying her into the house. She squealed in my arms as I tickled whatever skin I could reach. I managed to close and lock the patio door behind us and I carried Bella upstairs into our bedroom.
Once the door was closed and locked behind us, I set Bella on her feet. She was wearing a short sundress and I didn't take much for me to pull it over her head, leaving her in a pair of pale pink lace panties and a bra that matched. Her skin was perfectly sun kissed from the past two days of doing nothing but sitting on the sand. A lazy smile graced her face as I pulled her body toward me, lighting dragging my fingers over every inch of her I could touch.
"Edward," She whispered. "Why do you look at me like that?"
"Like what?"
Now I was confused. I hadn't meant for my gaze to be anything less than adoring but maybe I wasn't hiding my need for her well enough.
"Like I'm the most beautiful thing in the world and then you touch me like that – like I'll break."
"Bella," I breathed, "To me you are the most beautiful thing in the world – how could I be rough with something so incredibly beautiful?"
She looked up at me through her thick eyelashes as her teeth tugged on her bottom lip. I kissed her softly and slid my tongue along her poor worried lip. Bella's warm, wet tongue met mine, inviting me into her mouth and I followed eagerly.
Impatient hands fumbled with the tie to my board shorts and I almost felt Bella sigh with relief when she succeeded. She continued to push them over my hips and I stepped out of them, pushing her knees against the bed. Without breaking our kiss, I helped her to crawl up onto the bed. Excited to see all of her, I hurriedly unfastened her bra and threw it to the floor.
Breaking our kiss, Bella pushed on my chest and pulled that fucking lip between her teeth again, hitching her thumbs into the delicate lace of her panties and tugged them down. Watching her, I knew her need matched my own. Kissing her again, we fell to the mattress. Skin on skin, our hearts staccato against each other; lips against lips, soft and reverent kisses peppered against damp flesh as I pushed into Bella, her body cradling mine and welcoming it home.
I woke the next morning in a tangle of limbs and mahogany hair. Bella was curled into my side, her arms wrapped around one of mine facing away from me. I couldn't see her face, but I could hear soft, steady breaths passing her lips. Muted sunlight was peeking in through the thin curtains and I knew it was early. We were all still getting used to the time difference, but no matter what, we couldn't turn off Kaden's internal clock. Thank goodness we'd slipped into some clothes before succumbing to sleep.
I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the creature in my arms with the faint crashing of waves – almost like white noise in the background. I heard the creaking of the door and little feet padding across the bare wood floors moments before I felt the bed dip and Kaden snuggled in on my other side. I don't know how long I laid there –somewhere between consciousness and sleep but I woke to soft voices and warm bodies still snuggled up to me.
"Shhh … Kaden, don't wake Daddy. He's on vacation too, Little Bear. Let's go get some cereal and we'll let him rest."
I tightened my arms around them at the thought of them leaving. Warm lips brushed against my own and a wry smile crossed my lips.
"Where do you think you're going?" I asked sleepily.
"To feed this little monster and make you breakfast in bed."
"Mmm … is that so?"
"Yes, it is," Bella whispered against my cheek.
"I could get used to waking up snuggled up next to both of you."
"You might be in luck. I have the power to make that happen."
A/N: I hope all my readers in the U.S. are enjoying a lovely Memorial Day weekend. Here's to all the men and women, past and present who continue to protect the freedoms we hold so dear. Thank you for your time and service. 3
Dear readers – thank you so much for continuing to read and support my work. It means a lot – seriously. I did my best to get out review replies and send out the teaser since I missed it last Sunday. I apologize for not getting out all the replies. By the time I realized I hadn't gotten all of them done, it was time to post. My bad and I really am sorry. =( The response to this story is overwhelming in the very best way. There should be a teaser up for Chapter 40 on the Fictionators. If it's not there, it's not because I didn't submit it ;)
Next week the final chapter will post and then we'll only have the Epi to go. Both are finished and have been pre-read, we're just putting the final touches on them. ;) As I mentioned before, I'm planning several outtakes, and in light of the recent devastation in Oklahoma, I have signed up to donate an Outtake from When You Least Expect It to the Fandom4Oklahoma compilation. The way I have my outtakes planned, I want to post Kaden's POV last because I think his is the most important one of them all – HOWEVER – Mike's outtake is the one I was thinking of donating since it's the closest to being finished. So my question to you – my readers – is, would you mind waiting until September 1st to read Mike's POV? (Unless you can spare $5 for the entire compilation – which would be AWESOME, btw and you'll get the compilation sometime in mid-July.) As for the rest of the outtakes, I don't have a date as to when they will post - they are still in progress (I'm writing 3 at one time ATM) but you will find them under When You Least Expect It and each chapter will be marked as outtakes. I *believe* there will be 5 OT's total and I *hope* to post them all - with the exception of the donation to the compilation, soon after the epi posts. But we'll see how quickly I can finish them, okay?
Also … more info on "Never Let Go" – the next fic I'll be posting, next week!
See you then!