[Disclaimer] All things Twilight belong to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back my lovely readers. The beginning of this chapter is a flashback scene I don't know how you feel about that kind of thing. It's just a test for me and I don't know if I'm going to use it again.

This chapter here is dedicated to the-poetry-of-ink and mydsgirl. Hope you'll enjoy

**Chapter75**

"I'll put a post-it on those so that you know how to warm them up in the microwave." I stated while I stuffed the Tupperware boxes into the freezer.

He frowned and looked up from his newspaper, taking another sip from the black coffee in front of him.

"I've managed to feed myself perfectly while you were away at college."

"Ch…Dad, you know that I like cooking for you. And when I'm living in Seattle, I won't be able to do that."

"You could stay here, you know. This is the perfect place to raise children."

"Dad, we're not having this discussion again. I'm not really that keen on small town life and Edward says that his company is probably going to send him to Alaska anyway."

"Alaska? He's going to make you move to Alaska?"

"He has a name. We're going to live in Seattle, at least for the next two years. So, if you want to visit me…us you don't have to fly across the country."

I poured myself a glass of milk and swallowed it down with the rest of my apple pie.

"Please take the rest of the cinnamon rolls away before I munch them down as well. It's not like I need those extra calories. I'm already eight pounds above the average weight."

"Since when are pregnant women supposed to be on an average weight?"

"Oh come on, Dad, you know what I mean."

"You have issues with your weight just like your mother."

"Renee is thin."

"She doesn't eat because she's too busy with running after men that are almost half her age."

"Hmm,"

He stood up from his chair and put the dirty plates into the dishwasher before he cleared his throat nervously.

"You shouldn't have married him, at least not that soon."

"Dad, I don't understand why you're so against it. Renee says that he's a great catch."

"Because he dazzled her, that's all. He's an arrogant prick and I don't trust him at all."

"You're not the one who is going to live with him, are you? I love him and we're going to be happy."

"I hope so, Bells. But I still don't understand why you had to marry him that soon."

"You know why, Dad." I mumbled, placing my hand around my rounded middle. The baby kicked against my palm.

"A pregnancy is not a reason to get married. Not today. Jeez, Bella, this is not the eighteenth century."

"I don't understand why you don't like him. He's polite, he's handsome, and he comes from a good family."

"Being rich doesn't make them a good family. I can't believe he made you sign a fucking prenuptial. You should have thrown it right back into his stupid grinning face."

"Dad, please. Don't mention it to Edward again."

"Kay, won't bring it up again. But try to remember that my offer is still up – If you want me to shoot him for you…accidentally of course, I'd do it."

"Dad, you're impossible."

"Just saying it like it is. I just bought a new shovel by the way…"

"Dad!"

"Hello? Earth to Bella?"

I cringed and dropped the Tupperware box I was holding on the kitchen floor.

She kneeled down to pick it up again and placed it on the counter. Then she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly from behind.

"You're not really here, are you?"

"I was just thinking." I mumbled, turning around to plant a soft kiss on her gorgeous mouth. The tip of her tongue slipped between my slightly parted lips when I gasped for air and I twisted my hands into her hair to pull her closer.

"About what?" she asked breathlessly when I finally managed to pull back.

"The past….just forget it, it doesn't even matter anymore."

"Hmm,"

"We need to do some grocery shopping. Do you want me to go?"

"No, we can go together. I really don't want to be alone in this house."

XXXX

"Mommy, can I have one of those? Jane says it tastes good." She pleaded while her tiny mouth twitched into a crooked smile.

Ali suppressed a giggle before she leaned over and whispered into my ear.

"Too bad that Jane didn't tell her that Broccoli tastes good that would have been really helpful."

"Auntie Ali, can I go to Italy with Jane this summer? Jane says that it's so pretty there. Oh, please say yes!"

"Why aren't you asking your mom?" she asked her, putting the package with the neon colored marshmallows back into the shelf.

"Because I think that you'll say yes."

"Honey, you're a little too young to travel so far on your own."

"But I want to go! Jane says that…,"

"Lilly! I don't care at all what Jane says or doesn't say. There is no way; I'm letting you fly across half the world on your own."

"Auntie Ali, please. I really want to go."

"Maybe when you're older,"

"See, mommy, Auntie Ali would let me."

"Lilly…,"

There was a shrill scream at the other end of the aisle and when I turned my head I saw a little blond boy, who had thrown himself on the floor and was yelling so loud that it painfully hurt my ears. I instantly pitied the poor mother, because I knew that it was always her that would be blamed for her child's tantrum.

The mother kneeled down and lifted him up while his screams turned into desperate sobs. She walked down the aisle, while the little boy in her arms kicked against her side. What a little brat.

"Please, Jamie, don't be like that. Jeez, you're stubborn like your father."

"Daddy! Daddy would let me have it!"

"Your father isn't here right now. I don't care what kind of crap he allows you to eat when you're at his house but I won't…,"

"Jessica?"

She cringed; it was obvious that she was embarrassed now. Not by me of course, but about her son's outburst. Jessica was usually good with kids.

"Bella! Oh, it's so nice to see you. Mike told me that you're here to sell your father's house."

"Ahm, yes, that's right. I'm sorry to hear that the two of you are divorced."

"He didn't tell you that it was my fault, did he? For that is a mean lie and he knows it."

"No, he didn't. Look, Jessica this is none of my business."

"If you want to know the truth, it was all because of his stubbornness. My dad offered him such a good position in his law firm but he preferred playing the town sheriff here."

"You wanted him to work for your father? Why? Mike didn't even go to law school."

"Daddy would have hired him as his assistant. Well, it doesn't matter anymore."

Her son had finally stopped crying and she put him down on the ground again. He sniffed and she pulled out a tissue to clean his running nose.

"You must probably think that my son is a little brat. But he's just tired now and then there's the fact that he didn't handle the divorce that well."

"Hmm,"

"Your daughter is pretty. She seems to have inherited your heavy bone-structure though."

I inhaled sharply between my teeth and tried to remind myself that it wouldn't give a good example for Lilly if I punched Jessica straight in her pretty face now.

"You should be happy if your son didn't inherit your crappy character." Ali snarled at her, putting her arm around my shoulder.

Jessica's face turned into a bright crimson color that she tried to hide it behind a curtain of her brown curls.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It was mean…and what's between you and Mike is totally not my…,"

"Between me and Mike?"

"Oh, Bella, do you think I'm stupid? You're divorced and he's divorced, excellent time to bring up the good memories of the two of you."

"God, Jessica. You're not honestly thinking that we're going to get back together?"

"I don't care." She stated, not sounding like she didn't care at all.

"Are you jealous? That's ridiculous. Mike and I are just friends. I'm with someone I really love and…,"

"Lauren saw you at the diner with him and said you were flirting. He could barely keep his eyes off of you…or his hands."

"Don't you know by now that Lauren Mallory gossips like an old woman?"

"Yeah, I know she's pretty bubbly. But she usually tells the truth. I'm going to miss her when she's gone, although my father says he's glad about it. She didn't seem to be the best secretary he had. I wonder why someone offered her another job. Whoever it was must be an idiot."

XXXX

Ali poured some of the vanilla scented massage oil into her hands and started rubbing it into my skin in smooth circles.

"Don't stop," I mumbled, closing my eyes for a moment to concentrate fully on the gentle touch of her fingers.

"I won't if you promise me not to fall asleep. As much as I like your snoring…it kind of kills the romantic atmosphere a little.

"I promise."

"Fine," she whispered, leaning over to plant a soft kiss on my mouth that managed to set my entire body on fire when she nudged the tip of her tongue against my lower lip.

"Do you know what day we have?"

"Hmm, let me think…Tuesday?"

"That's not what I meant, Bella."

"I didn't miss your birthday, did I?"

She chuckled and continued massaging my shoulders in small circles.

"No, you haven't. That's in three weeks."

She stood up from the bed and walked over to the closet where she pulled out a silver wrapped present.

"Happy anniversary!"

"Isn't our anniversary supposed to be on the day we got married?"

"Yeah, that's right but that's so long and I really wanted to have a reason to give you this."

I opened the present and took the tiny pair of shoes between my fingers.

"I don't think I understand."

"They're for our baby." she stated cheerfully before she leaned forward to plant a kiss on the tip of my nose.

"I really want to have one with you."

"Ali, your brother said that he won't agree to being the donor."

"That's not true, Bella. He just said that he doesn't think he can do it…the way we suggested to do it."

"I don't understand how we can do it differently."

"Look, I thought about it and if he wants to be more…involved we should let him."

"Involved?"

"We could tell the baby that he's the father and let him do some of the…daddy stuff."

"But didn't we agree that we want the baby to be ours?"

"It will be ours, because it's going to live with us and we're going to love it. I wished I could have one of my own, but if that's not possible…I really want the…well, second best option we have."

"Do you think that Benjamin will say yes to this?"

She nodded her head while a smile flashed over her beautiful pixie face.

"We can talk to him when we go back to Seattle what will hopefully be soon."

"Hmm, yeah, I hope that too."

I nuzzled my head against the crock of her neck and sighed deeply.

The dog barked downstairs but after a few moments it turned into a low whimper followed by several choking noises.

"Fido!"

"Mommy, I think he's going to be sick."

"Lilly, what have you fed the dog again?" I called out, standing up from the bed again.

"Nothing!"

Ali sighed and stood up, putting the tiny pair of shoes, she had been holding back into the small box.

"I'll clean up his mess if you promise me to talk to her again about not feeding him with candy and stuff like that."

"Deal,"

I planted a quick kiss on her mouth and took her hand in mine before we walked down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen to get a cloth while I tried to calm down Lilly.

"Mommy? Oh, mommy, I think, he's really sick."

"Come here," I instructed but the dog just continued to choke until nothing but a trail of green liquid trickled out of his snout.

"What did you gave him?"

"Nothing, mommy, I just come down here because he was barking and then…,"

"Poor dog…" I mumbled kneeling down on the ground next to him.

"You have way more compassion for the stupid mutt than you ever had for your husband."

I raised my head to blink into a pair of hatred filled emerald green eyes before everything around me went dark.