Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, I am just a penniless writer who aims to please.
Bella's body was changing more and more every day. She was now twenty-two weeks along and at five months pregnant she was sporting a small bump under her loose fitting t-shirt. She had yet to feel the baby move or kick but the doctor told her on her last visit that it was still a little early and that if she didn't feel any movement within the next couple of weeks she should be worried.
Paul would rub lotion over her stomach every night because her mom had said that it was good to tackle stretch marks early. He was adjusting to the changes in Bella's body even better than she was. He found himself staring at her when she undressed and marveling at the swell of her stomach with his child safely inside. Her breast were growing larger by the week and she'd already had to go up a size since becoming pregnant and they would only get bigger. There was something about seeing the woman that you love carrying your child that made guys come unglued.
Paul wanted her all the time and luckily being pregnant hadn't changed her libido. There were nights where they welcomed the sun before finally exhausting themselves and they drifted off to sleep in a tangle of limbs with the sheets twisted around them. There was no telling when her lustful urges would kick in. Not that he was complaining.
Bella was working on school work when her phone rang one afternoon.
"Hello?"
"Hey, honey," Renee greeted her.
"Hey, Mom."
"I have a surprise for you," she sang.
"You do? What is it?"
"I'm coming down for a four day weekend next weekend."
"What about school?"
"We have a teacher's work day on Friday but it only lasts until noon and then we're out of school on Monday for President's Day."
"That's awesome," Bella said with an excited laugh.
"Isn't it? I've found a place to stay and everything."
"I can't wait to see you."
"So Valentine's Day is in a few days. Do you have any plans?"
"We'll probably order take out and stay in."
"It's your first Valentine's Day together and it will be the only one that you have to yourselves. You should do it up big!" Renee encouraged.
"We want to spend a quiet night at home."
"Isn't that what you always do?"
"No, he usually works at the bar on the weekends. He's taking the entire weekend off so that we can have some time alone. We're locking the door, we're turning off our phones and focusing on us."
"Since you put it that way that does sound romantic."
It had been Paul's idea to shut out the rest of the world for the weekend and just focus on them. They hadn't made time for themselves in a while. Seeing each other only at night was nice but they needed more.
Paul had taken the news that Renee was coming to town the way any son-in-law who rarely saw his mother-in-law would. Their first meeting had been awkward but he was hoping to work through it. The past was in the past and they needed to work out their differences for Bella's sake. He would be the bigger person for a change and call a truce.
Being with Bella made him want to be a better person. He was facing his problems and with her help he was working through his issues and long buried demons. Bella brought out a side of him that he had never seen. Sam and Leah saw a change in him after Leah had given him her version of a wake up call. He had needed it and he was doing better now.
Valentine's Day had never been an important holiday for Bella before and she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. While Paul had had girlfriends on Valentine's Day before he had seen it as just another day. Now he saw it as a day to devote to Bella. Where was the guy who never backed down from a fight? Where was the guy who never answered to anyone? That guy had vanished when Bella came into the picture. He still had his fighting nature and was still stubborn to the point of aggravation but he was more selective about the causes that he fought for. He had someone else to think about who was counting on him.
XXXX
Bella didn't expect to see Sam's jeep in the yard when she got home from work on Friday. Sam only let Paul borrow it when they were going out of town. The car that Charlie had given them for Christmas was there primary car. Something was up.
Bo was lying on the porch in his usual position by the door when she walked up the stairs. She ruffled his fur and played with his ears before opening the front door. Her backpack and Paul's duffle bag sat by the chair.
"Babe?"
"Shit," Paul said from the bedroom.
"You're not hiding your secret love child in there are you?" she asked, taking a step towards the room.
"You're home early," he said from the door.
"I am going to ask you again, are there any children in our bed room?" she said with a light laugh.
"I wanted to surprise you."
"With what?"
"We're going to Seattle for the weekend," he said with a wide grin.
"Shut up," she said in astonishment.
"I wanted to have the jeep packed before you got home."
"This is really nice; but why are we going to Seattle?"
"There's this winter carnival that they have every Valentine's Day and I thought you might like to go."
"With a Feris Wheel and a Tilt-A-Whirl and everything?" she asked.
"Yeah. It's supposed to be nice, like in the sixties and no rain all weekend."
"You know that I'm going to expect this every year, right? Something big and you're going to have to out due yourself every year?" she asked seriously.
"What?" he asked his eyes wide, his mouth slightly slack.
"I'm kidding," she said with a scoff.
He gave her a dark look before rolling his eyes. He brushed past her to grab the bags and headed out the door. She turned to face him when he came back inside. She pulled him to her and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. She leaned in to place her cheek to his.
"I appreciate what you're doing; never forget that," she whispered.
He groaned, not able to be mad at her; even if he had only been joking. She always knew the right thing to say to make him loose his resolve. She kissed the corner of his mouth before pulling away. She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water.
"If we leave now we can be there by six."
"Okay, just let me change," she said walking into the bedroom.
"What's wrong with what you're wearing?"
"These pants are getting uncomfortable. Did you pack my Levi's?"
"They're in the dryer," he called to her.
She walked out of the bedroom in a pair of bootie shorts and a plaid shirt open with a cami underneath. She sifted through the dryer until she found the jeans she was looking for. He leaned against the laundry room wall watching her. He loved that she wasn't ashamed of her body.
Once she was dressed he took her by the hand and led her out to the jeep where Bo sat shot gun. It took some coaxing but Paul was able to get him into the back after a few tries. The dog's head hung over the seat, resting on Bella's shoulder. She scratched his neck and he licked her palm lazily.
The drive to Seattle was filled with talk, music and laughter. Bella couldn't remember a time when Paul was so at ease. Three hours later they pulled into a roadside hotel. Bella and Bo waited in the jeep while Paul went inside to get them a room.
Paul was able to get them a room and the motel allowed pets as long as they didn't make a lot of noise. Bo was quick to defend his master and Bella and would not hesitate to make a scene when need be. He was not a dog who's bad side you wanted to be on. Bella lay on the bed with Paul on his side next to her. He draped an arm over her stomach, his hand resting on her hip and his head on her shoulder. She ran her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes, content.
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Sam told me about it a few weeks ago. He and Leah went a couple of years ago."
"Why isn't he taking Emily?"
"She gets motion sickness and she doesn't like heights."
"Lucky for you, I don't have either problem."
"I am lucky," he agreed with a sigh.
"You're corny too," she teased.
He rolled over on top of her, his steady gaze meeting hers before leaning down to press his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her and he rested his weight on his arms. He planned to leave her breathless and wanting for more and that was going to take time. His taunted her by tugging her bottom lip into his mouth and biting down on it until she opened her mouth to him. His tongue swept into her mouth and her gasp was swallowed by his mouth.
Her arms traveled down his chest to fist his shirt in her hands. She pushed it up his stomach, letting her nails drag over his skin gently in her wake. He pulled away from her to pull his arms from the shirt and it was over his head a second later. She leaned up to quickly shed her top shirt but decided to leave her cami on for the time being. He unbuttoned her jeans and made slow work of pulling them down along with her underwear. She growled in annoyance and he grinned evilly at her once they were finally off.
"You aren't getting what you want so just get over it," he taunted.
"We'll see."
"Yeah, we will," he countered.
He made a big deal of working his way back up to her, leaving ghost kisses on her legs, her inner thigh, pushing up her shirt to place more kisses over her stomach, his fingers replacing his lips milliseconds later. The straps were pushed down her arms before she had a chance to protest and he pulled it over her stomach and over her hips to her legs before chucking it over his shoulder.
"That was so not necessary," she said with a laugh.
He ignored her, unclasping the front clasp of her bra before letting her rise up so that he could pull it off. He wasted no time and his hands were roaming her body once more. He wanted to learn every curve of her changing body. He loved her body no matter how it looked and he was going to show her that that would never change.
He cupped her breast that now almost filled his oversized hand, his thumb brushing over the nipple to bring it to attention. She cupped his neck, watching him with rapped attention. He took his time massaging her breasts before finally placing his lips over a taut, puckered nub. She hissed, her eyes fluttered closed. She had no other choice but to submit to him and what he had planned. She would repay the favor in kind.
XXXX
Noise came at them from each side, but they didn't care. Venders hawked their goods, game operators enticed people to come to their booths and yells mixed with laughter from the rides. It was a balmy night, not roller coaster riding weather and Paul hadn't let Bella anywhere near the Tilt-A-Whirl but they had rode the bumper cars and stood in line twice for the Ferris Wheel. He had tried almost every fair food imaginable while she stuck to hot chocolate and corn dogs.
They walked down the main fairway with his arm draped over her shoulders and she was folded into him for warmth. He saw a fun house up ahead and she noticed it a few seconds later. They waited in line to go inside as the wind picked up and the roller coaster was temporarily shut down until the wind died down.
Inside the fun house Bella gripped Paul's hand as the floor pitched underneath them. A room of mirrors was next and none of the images looked like them but it was good for a laugh. Once they were outside again she announced that she wanted cotton candy.
"Are you going to share?"
"No," she said with a teasing smile.
"Not even a little?"
"I'm eating for two now," she reminded him.
She had changed her diet to include meat as long as it was all natural, grass fed product because her doctor wanted her to have a more well balanced diet. She pulled off a chunk of fluffy candy for him and shoved it into her mouth at the last second with an innocent look.
"You are mean," he said with a pout.
She rolled her eyes before pulling off a piece twice the size of the other. She held it out to him as a peace offering. He drew her fingers into his mouth, his tongue swirling over the tips to rid them of the sticky substance. Her breath hitched at the contact, his eyes portraying the lust he had for her.
"Okay, I think it's time to leave," she said, her voice wavering.
"We can have more fun on our own," he said suggestively.
They were back at the motel half an hour later and Paul was glad that he'd thought to pay the owner's son to watch Bo for the night. They had a night to themselves with no disruptions.
XXXX
Bella planned to go home and rest for an hour before she had to pick up Renee. She was dumbfounded when she saw Charlie's cruiser in the yard along with Billy's truck. Bo met her at the door like he normally did, nudging her hand with his nose until she petted him.
Charlie sat at the island reading the paper and Billy could be heard from the baby's room along with Seth. Bella looked at her dad expectantly.
"Paul and Sam went to get your mom, she got an earlier flight," he explained.
"But why are the three of you here?"
"Seth's blowing up a air mattress for your mom to sleep on and I came to let him in, since I have a spare key."
"Okay, then why is Billy here?"
"You know how much he likes bossing people around," he said with a armed shrug.
"I heard that," Billy called over the noise of the pump being used for the mattress.
"Wait, I thought that mom was staying in Port Angeles," Bella said as the news sunk in.
"Her plan has been to stay here from the beginning; at least that's what she told me. Paul told her that she could stay here over a month ago."
Paul and her mom had planned this a month ago? How had they been able to keep it from her?
"Your doctor called a little while ago and left a message on the machine. She had something come up and wants to know if it's okay to move your appointment to this afternoon," Charlie said to change the subject.
"Did she say what time?"
"Whenever you could come in."
"I'll call her now."
After getting off the phone with her doctor's receptionist she didn't have time before her appointment to thank the three of them for coming over. She made it to her appointment with ten minutes to spare. Half an hour later her doctor was running a wand over her jelly covered stomach and she found out the sex of the baby. She asked for a CD instead of a picture so that she could surprise Paul. It's facial features were more refined and she could see that the baby would possibly be a Paul look alike. They made the decision to keep the baby's sex a secret from everyone else until the baby was born.
Billy's truck was absent but Charlie's cruiser remained when she got home. She was nearly knocked over by her mom when she walked through the door. Bo joined the melee in her defense, it was obvious that he was on the fence about Renee.
"Hi," Bella said breathlessly.
"Take off your coat and let me look at you," Renee demanded.
Bella hung her coat and bag on the back of the chair before turning to face her mom. She pushed her hair behind her ears nervously as Renee gushed over how she was all baby and she had a glow about her. Paul and Charlie were nowhere in sight.
"Are you taking your vitamins?"
"Every day," she answered with an assuring nod.
"When do you find out if it's a boy or a girl?"
"Paul and I want it to be a surprise."
"But you know?"
"I found out today," she said with a coy smile.
Her eyes shifted to baby's room wondering if Paul and her dad were there.
"They're down at Sam's. He is such a nice guy, not very talkative though. I think I might have gotten on his nerves on the way here."
"I doubt it, Sam has nerves of steel. He's a really nice guy."
Someone knocked on the door and Bo barked his dissaproval.
"Hush," Bella scolded as she walked to the door.
Emily, Leah, Alice, Esme, Jessica and Angela stood on the porch loaded down with packages. She stared at the six of them individually, asking them a silent question.
"Let us in so we can celebrate your baby shower," Alice said to get her attention.
"My what?" Bella asked in confusion.
"Alice contacted me on Facebook about throwing you a shower not longer after you told everyone. Esme and I have become close friends," Renee said with a smile.
"It's nice to finally meet you," Esme said, her eyes shining with kindness.
"Leah and Emily were in charge of the food while Alice was in charge of decorations and she invited Jessica and Angela," Renee explained.
Bella gave Alice a thankful look for remembering to invite the two people besides the Cullens who had made school bearable for her. Emily set up the food and Jessica and Angela pulled Bella to her room with a barking Bo following close behind them.
"Does he have an off button?" Jessica asked cautiously.
"Can it Mongrel," Leah ordered from the kitchen.
Bo settled at Bella's feet and the three friends talked animatedly.
"When are we going to see Paul again?" Angela asked.
"Hopefully before this kid graduates high school," Jessica said with a snort of laughter.
"He's busy, he's working two jobs right now."
"How's school going?" Jessica asked to change the subject.
"It's good. I just started my winter semester a few weeks ago. I'm going to take the fall semester off and make up for it next summer so that I can focus on the baby when it comes."
Ten minutes later Renee came to tell them that they could come out. The room was decorated with green and yellow balloons since the baby's gender was a mystery. There was a large sheet cake on the island and the rest of the food was still in the oven. Folding chairs had been set up in a circle around the solemn chair in the front room and the chair had green and yellow bows attached to each arm.
Esme was helping Emily and Leah with the food while Renee talked to Jessica and Angela. Alice wrapped an arm around Bella's waist and placed her head on her shoulder.
"I've always want to organize a baby shower," she said in wonder.
"Thank you for this, and thank you for including my mom in the planning."
"As if we could keep the grandmother-to-be out of the loop," Alice said with an exaggerated eye roll.
Bella smiled before placing a gentle kiss on her best friends temple.
"Where's Rose?"
"She and Emmett are out of town. Their wedding anniversary was on Valentine's day so Emmett surprised her with a trip to New York City."
"She sent a gift for the baby though," Esme said pointing to the table.
The fold out card table that Paul used for poker night was overflowing with presents.
"My mom's taking care of Seth tonight. He caught the flu bug that's been going around," Leah explained for her mother's absence.
They didn't play any baby shower games and Bella was glad that they didn't. They had never interested her and she thought that they were pointless. They opened presents after dinner and Alice found the baby book that Bella had bought not long after she had found out that she was expecting.
The first gift was from Leah and she had given Bella an I.O.U for a pair of booties and a hat that she planned to knit.
"I can't imagine you with a pair of knitting needles. That's just plain dangerous," Bella commented with a shake of her head.
"My mom taught me how to knit when I was ten thank you very much and I'm good at it," Leah interjected.
"I wouldn't doubt that, I would be more worried about you using the needles as weapons."
"Ask Paul how he got that scar above his lip," she said with a sneer.
Bella shook her head with a laugh. She had been so scared that Marisol had done something to him that she hadn't thought that it had been an inflicted by someone else.
"Once you pop the kid out I'll knit it some blue or pink booties with a hat to match."
"Thanks," Bella said with a smile.
Emily had gotten the baby some really nice pictures of animals that could be put up in the room and Sue had gotten Bella a baby safety kit which she had been meaning to get. Esme had gotten the baby a lamp to go on it's dresser and Alice had gotten Bella a designer diaper bag.
"That's a Burkin," Jessica said in wonder.
"Alice it's too much," Bella protested.
"If I am going to be a part of this child's life than they are going to be stylish, no exceptions," Alice said bluntly.
There was no use arguing with her. Jessica and Angela had gotten her a high chair which now sat in one corner of the kitchen and Renee had offered to paint the baby's room while she was there.
"Alice told me that you had gone with green and yellow and I promise that I can make it work," Renee assured her.
"Okay," Bella said looking at Alice for reassurance.
Alice nodded giving her a thumbs up in answer. Esme handed her the last gift and she pulled out a white bear with a blue and green stocking cap and scarf from Rosalie. She was touched to be able to spend time with the woman who meant so much to her. She would never forget it.