Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

With the school year getting to be in full swing, I won't be able to update as often as I have been and I apologize for that in advance - but don't worry, I'm set on seeing this story through :) I also wanted to go over a few minor changes I've made to the canon Twilight/Life and Death universe- so, there's a few things happening in this chapter, including a bonding moment between Beau and Royal as well as Charlie inviting Jules, Bonnie, and the Clearwaters over for Thanksgiving. Firstly, I expand a little on Royal's backstory and how it affected him in order to more closely reflect Rosalie's character (especially in her love for children and how much she wanted to be a mom) and sort of set the stage for a better relationship to play out between Beau and Royal. Secondly, Lee and Sarah's mother Holly did have a heart attack at some point before when this fic takes place (caused by seeing her son Lee transform into a wolf) but survives, unlike her counterpart Harry, so she is mentioned in this chapter. This was mainly done because I just felt it would have been easier for Lee and Sarah to leave Sam's pack and want to help Jules out with Beau and the Cullens at this point in time if they didn't just go through the trauma of losing a parent (although they are still going through the stress of having a parent recuperating from a health scare); that they had enough stability in their lives to make such a big decision. And just a little fun fact about the cover image I picked out for this fic - it's actually a black-and-white version of a photo I took on a drive back home from a friend's school in Washington! No, not in Forks exactly, but still in the same state, haha. It really is a beautiful place to live.

As always, thank you for reading and for all the support! I hope you enjoy! :)

29. THANKFUL

I gnawed at my fingernails, mulling over tomorrow night in my head. I'd went over with Archie my sudden decision to come clean to Dad about everything and I made sure to get his approval. I sighed again and gripped hard at my temples. Looking down, I started pacing around my room. When the room got too small for me though, I ventured deeper into the house. Not seeing where I was going, I turned into the living room and it felt like I walked into a brick wall.

"Watch it." It was Royal.

"Sorry." I started up, my voice cracking.

"Whoa, what's wrong with you? You look kind of terrible." I stopped dead in my tracks – was he actually concerned? Willing to converse with me of his own freewill? I just stood there, gawking up at him.

"Uh… huh?" I noised in a deep, stupid voice. He rolled his eyes at me.

"You can tell me, you know." What did he want from me? Money?

"Um… it's nothing, really."

"Fine then. If you don't want to tell me-" he tried to sidestep past me but I stopped him. He was my brother-in-law after all, so I should at least try to make an effort, too.

"No, it's just… I'm going to come clean to my dad about what's been going on." He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head like he understood it.

"I see. So, how are you planning to do that?"

"Throw myself at his feet and beg his forgiveness for being a dirty, no-good liar, for one thing." I said only half-jokingly. Royal almost smiled then.

"Word of advice, Beau – I think you should just let my sister do the talking. She's very good at it." He patted my shoulder. I just blinked.

"Wow. Uh, thanks." My jaw was still on the floor. It's like I was a nerd who finally got accepted at the school dance by all the cool kids in one of those cheesy teen movies.

"You know, it's actually kind of insulting to me for you to react that way." He laughed once.

"Sorry."

He sighed. "Wow, Edy was right – you do apologize way too much."

"Sor-" I began but stopped myself. He sighed again.

"Look – I'm actually thankful that Edy found you, and I'm excited for the both of you. Really. So you should be, too. Things like that don't happen every day for… individuals… like us." He looked away then, out the window. Like he was wanting to fly away somewhere; to escape. He turned back towards me before I could say anything about it, though.

"I bet you didn't think I was the type, but a part of me wanted something like that, too – I wanted all the gold and all the mansions; sure, but what I actually wanted even more than that was a family to share it all with – a wife, kids. Grandkids. Just people to provide for, I guess." He sighed; looked out the window again. "I had two little sisters I loved very much. In ways, I felt more like a dad to them than a brother because my dad was rarely ever home himself. Maybe that's what ignited that dream. When I met Rowena, I thought I had it made; that life was surely going my way. It was only a matter of time. As long as I had her, I had all the gold and the fancy houses and the dinner parties. I had that possibility of family life I wished so hard to attain; like a goal to read a hundred books before summer ended for no real reason other than to just say you did it. But I fell for her, too. Hard. At least, for the illusion of it all. Maybe I should have seen it coming." He chuckled bitterly. "She was pregnant, you know." My jaw fell open. He never told me that part before. "Obviously, it wasn't mine - that much I knew. But I didn't care. I had already raised my sisters; I could raise this child, too. That's exactly what I thought. One step closer to the dream; perhaps also a testament, if you will, to how much I thought I loved her." He shook his head, a fool looking back on his foolish deeds was how I'd describe his face, even when I didn't really see anything foolish about it. "And, well, you know how that all ended." His lips pressed tight together in a hard line.

Dang.

"What happened to the baby?" I asked without thinking.

"I'll never know." He shrugged, furrowing his brow. "All I know was that there was no baby anywhere by the time we got… reacquainted." A vicious glint of a smile flashed across his face when he said that last word. "By then it had already been a year. Of course, if there was one, I would've raised him or her myself, or at least put them with someone who could give that child all the love they deserved." He sighed, turning to look at me again. "So, now you know." He started up the stairs.

"Wait, Royal!" I called after him, holding up my hand. He turned to look at me, waiting. I sighed. "I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for telling me, I know that couldn't have been easy for you." He nodded once and showed me the faintest hint of a smile.

"You can pay me back in kind by letting my niece or nephew go on a weekend fishing trip with me someday. It was tradition, you know. One of the few things I could remember my old man by."

"You got it." I nodded, smiling.

And just like that, the load didn't feel so heavy anymore. For the both of us.

…

The next day, Jules swung by earlier than usual because she was going home earlier to help her mom prepare something for dinner at my dad's. The little hand barely moved past 3:00 PM when she stood up and gathered her things.

"That's my cue." She said with a little shrug, pointing to the face of the clock on the far wall. I saw her off.

"Drive safe. We'll see you guys tonight." I said to her on the porch. She saluted me with two fingers and revved up her motorcycle, speeding away. I was happy she'd be there tonight. Happy she knew; happy she was there for me. I guess it also made it easier that almost everyone I'll be seeing tonight knew what was up save for Dad. I was going to have to be the one to change that though, and the thought made me hyperventilate just a touch.

Closing the front door behind me, I went upstairs and knocked on Edythe's bedroom door.

"Edythe? You ready in there? We have to hurry up or we'll be late to Charlie's." The door swung open and she pulled me inside. She was tugging up at the zip on a pink floral dress, but you could tell she was having a little bit of trouble with it.

"Need help with that?" I offered, taking her shoulders.

"If you would be so kind." She answered in a quiet little voice. I couldn't help but laugh at that - it was a new side to her. And it was totally adorable. I moved the curtain of her bronze hair aside, and then my face flushed red as the beautiful contour of her back and shoulder blades were revealed to me. Without meaning to, I ran a finger down the hollow of her back where the zipper would meet, admiring how soft her skin felt underneath it. When I finally remembered what the heck I was supposed to be doing though, I quickly buttoned the top clasp of the pink dress and tugged on the zipper again. There was some resistance on the zipper's part as I pulled it over her waist but the fabric had a little give to it and I managed to make it go all the way up.

"How's this? Can you breathe?" I asked nervously, biting my lip.

"Don't need to." She laughed and went over to the full-body mirror, doing a quick once-over of my handiwork. "Thank you." She smiled and I was rewarded with another kiss. She went back to the mirror and flattened the fabric down against herself, resting one hand on top of and one hand below the gentle curve of her stomach that was just barely starting to show.

"You know, I never thought I'd get to see myself like this, ever." She sighed, content. "To look into the mirror every day only to be met by the same reflection; the same exact image for an entire century. It gets tiring, somehow." She moved her hands a little; running them up and down the front of her dress then smiled again. "You don't know how happy I am to see myself differently for once."

I came up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and covering her hands with mine. Leaning down, I inhaled the sweet, intoxicating scent of her neck and pressed my lips against it, tightening my arms around her. She laughed and turned towards me, stretching her head up a little to reach my lips with hers. Her cool hand was pressed against my cheek and I brought mine up to meet it before we kissed again.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you, too." I answered right back. "And you too, of course." I said, looking down at her stomach when I felt another fluttering movement against my other hand.

Edythe's cool, soft lips brushed over the skin of my knuckles. "He says he loves us too." Her voice was quiet, but she was beaming up at me. "Now come on. We don't want to keep Charlie waiting." She chuckled then pulled me by the hand to the door.

"Think he'll notice if we don't say anything?" She asked, suppressing a laugh like she already knew the answer to that. She pressed the dress fabric to her again, making that gentle curve even more noticeable.

"Well, I think my dad might have some questions, especially if you keep on doing that." I said with a laugh and felt my face heat up again.

"I'm counting on it." She said with a big smile and after shrugging on our coats, we walked out the door together.

…

"I'm driving." She laughed brightly.

"Um, no you're not." I sprinted to claim the driver's seat of the Volvo but obviously, she beat me to it and slammed the car door shut in my face. I trudged over to the passenger side of the car giving her a dark look, my eyes never leaving her smiling pink lips. I continued to stare at her as I slid into the seat beside her. "Fine, you win. But go slowly." I finally said, elongating the word for emphasis. "It's practically winter already, so there might be some ice on the road. Safety first."

She pursed her lips. "You have no faith in me." She started the car then but I stopped her.

"Here." She narrowed her eyes at me as I pulled the seatbelt down over her lap and clicked it into place. "Much better. You may now proceed." I gestured to her then the cool gray road ahead of us. She let out a little huff as she pulled out of the driveway but to my absolute shock, accelerated down the street at a very sensible pace.

"Happy?" she grumbled, but I could still hear the grin in her voice.

"Very." I assured her and leaned back a little in the seat.

We got to my place – I mean, my dad's place – a quarter to four. Jules, Bonnie, and the Clearwaters wouldn't be here for another two-ish hours, plenty of time to fill him in on old news. I just had to figure out how exactly to do that.

Edythe parked us perfectly in my old driveway. Getting out of the car, I closed my door with the softest little "thud" not wanting to alert my dad of our presence just yet, at least not until after I could breathe properly again. My nerves came out in a wheeze, and Edythe caught my arm and gave it a tiny shake.

"Oh, Beau. Don't be that way. He's your father, he'll understand."

"Yeah… that's what I'm kind of afraid of." I sighed and stared out in front of me at my looming house which made a giant shadow over us. Edythe started forward with a big smile on her face and yanked on my arm, practically dragging me to my old front door and knocked on it very loudly, which I'm pretty sure she did on purpose. It wasn't two seconds before Charlie met us on the porch and his eyes softened, an expression of deep relief evident on his face. There was the shadow of a beard forming on his chin and I knew that meant he'd been busy worrying. It made my stomach flip-flop again and without even thinking I pulled him into a hug.

"I've missed you, Dad." I whispered, happy I still had him in my life; that it wasn't goodbye – not yet, at least. And hopefully until much further notice.

"Missed you too, kiddo." He said in a voice just as quiet before going to hug Edythe.

"Hi, Dad." She said in a smiling voice, tossing me a sly, happy look.

"Come inside, you two. It's freezing out there." Dad stepped to one side of the open door, giving us some room to enter. We passed by the dining room which wasn't set yet and I could smell in the air nodes of gravy and turkey stuffing and my mouth began to water. "Wow, Dad. That actually smells great." I said, sounding a lot more surprised than I should have been. Not taking offense at the implication of my statement though, Dad just laughed.

"Yep. Turkey's already in the oven." He said proudly. He led us past the kitchen and into the living room, motioning for us to take a seat on the worn green couch as he eased himself into his favorite recliner.

"Must've been some bug, huh?" Dad started, gnawing on his moustache. I looked to Edythe, but she motioned for me to continue.

"Um, yeah, about that…" My voice trailed off. Dad tilted his head.

"I take it that the two of you are feeling a lot better now though, right?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah, totally." My voice cracked and I tugged on the collar of my shirt. Dad narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me just then and I sang like a canary. "Actually… I wasn't really sick." I admitted and turned to look at Edythe again, pointing a guilty finger in her direction. "Just her." My cheeks flushed twenty shades of red. Dad's eyes flicked up towards the ceiling and I watched as he shifted his moustache from side-to-side, looking genuinely confused there for a second. A beaming smile played across Edythe's lips and we squeezed each other's hands, still looking at Charlie. It was only after another minute though that I saw him putting two and two together, so to speak.

"Oh, no." He said, clasping his hands together and pressing the middle of his touching fingers to the tip of his nose. Edythe rested one hand in her lap, tucking it between her thigh and under the faint, gentle curve of her torso. Dad pinched at the space between his eyes and let out a long, loud sigh before scrubbing a hand over his lips. "Let me guess, Beau... you didn't listen to me, did you?" Can I just die now? I guess seeing the mortified look on my face, Edythe brought a fist to her mouth, pretending her laugh was a cough.

"Beau and I-" she started up when she finally stopped laughing at me. She motioned a finger between us, a radiant smile flashing across her face. "We're going to be parents, Charlie." Her voice when she said that was filled with such an immense happiness that I had to stop and stare; it was all the joy in the world concentrated into the single breath of a phrase. Her eyes wavered a little, like they were filling up with tears and I realized just by looking at her how special this must be for her; how special this is for us and my chest tightened a little.

And then Dad made this noise with his throat and his mouth fell open, looking at me then Edythe then me again. My stomach flipflopped.

"Um... surprise?" I added with a wince. Dad was dead silent, his face hard-set like stone. His hands clenched themselves into two threatening fists atop his lap, and I could most definitely feel the whole "Mortal Danger" thing coming on which Arch was telling me about earlier when I saw the look on Charlie's red, red face. He lurched up from his chair with a huff looking directly at me, and I prepared myself for imminent death. My eyes narrowed in legit fear now as I saw Dad put both his hands on either side of his hips. His eyes burned a blazing brown and his lips twitched.

And then they pulled themselves up into the biggest, brightest smile I'd ever seen on him in my life.

"Well. What else can I say? Congratulations, kids."

He held his arms out wide open. My jaw went slack and became one with the wooden floor while Edythe on the other hand let out a bright, cheery laugh.

"Bring it in. Give this old grandpa a hug, you two." His voice grew thick but he was still all smiles as he wrapped his arms easily around the both of us. Edythe's hand held mine as we touched them both to Dad's back. When he finally released us, I saw that he was looking at Edythe.

"You're freezing. Aren't you cold, hon? Let me get you a blanket." Before Edythe could even answer, Dad all but sprinted to the couch at top speed, grabbing the blue blanket hung on it and threw it over her shoulders. She smiled a silent "thank you" at him.

"Have you told Renee yet?" Charlie asked. I shook my head.

"You're the first." Though it was a lie, I knew it was a necessary one to tell. "I really don't think Mom's ready to be called "grandma" yet."

"You… certainly have a point." Dad agreed with a deep nod and laughed a little. "I guess you might want to hold off on that for now. Maybe next time she comes up here." I nodded at Dad's suggestion. "Was this why the two of you didn't want to head up to school just yet?" His voice was soft; non-judgmental. It was a relief to hear his words come out like that. I shrugged and bit my lip - though it wasn't the whole truth, it was close enough. "Yeah. It really threw us for a loop."

"Oh, I bet it did." He nodded like he understood it all and laughed again.

"You don't know the half of it." I muttered. Edythe gave my knee a warning squeeze like she was telling me to shut up. I guess that was wise, Dad didn't need to know anything else.

"Do you need any help preparing the food for tonight, Charlie?" Edythe asked and quickly stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt. She laced her fingers tightly in front of her and showed Dad a helpful smile. Charlie moved his hand up and down in the air, motioning for her to sit down again.

"No, I can't ask you to do that-"

"Please, I insist." She flashed her dimples at him. The light-colored contacts she was wearing made her eyes look even bigger and she fluttered her lashes a little at him. Dad kind of just blinked at her and his cheeks flushed the lightest shade of pink. I guess even he couldn't help it, either.

"Well. Alrighty then." Dad quickly mumbled and got to his feet. "Maybe you two can help me toss the salad." He started towards the kitchen and we followed after him. Edythe slid her hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. When Dad was out of earshot, I leaned down and began to whisper in her ear. "You don't have to do this, you know. Just leave it to me." I offered. She smiled and shook her head. "But I want to. Come on." She tugged on my hand again. By the time we got in there, Dad had already taken out the greens and the vinaigrette dressing, a big glass bowl ready to go on top of the kitchen counter. Edythe and I came up beside him and we took turns tossing the salad, one of us sprinkling in splashes of dressing while the other mixed everything up. Later on, Dad had me check on the small turkey in the oven every couple of minutes.

"So, are you two looking forward to parenthood?" Dad asked, putting a dollop of canned cranberry sauce in the bowl of stuffing.

"Very much so." Edythe piped in a bright voice. Hearing her answer, I quickly nodded to match her enthusiasm.

"Yeah, definitely. It's pretty crazy, though." I admitted with a shrug. "But I'm excited, too."

"Well, I'm very happy for you both." Dad and Edythe smiled at the exact same time and I wondered what was going through their minds. Seeing the look on my face, Edythe motioned for me to come closer.

"Yeah?" I whispered.

She let out the silvery echo of a chuckle. "He's remembering when he and Renee brought you home. You were kind of a surprise too, you know. But he wouldn't have it any other way." I laughed a little thinking about that – looking at Charlie now, it was hard for me to imagine the guy who married a beautiful girl he met on the beach after one brief whirlwind summer romance; even harder to believe I could have ever surprised him in any way.

"What are you two kids whispering about over there?" Charlie called from across the kitchen with a smile.

"Nothing." I answered him. "Nothing at all."

…

I helped set the table, circling around once, twice, three times; first with plates then with napkins and utensils which I neatly arranged on top of them. Dad brought out the small turkey, putting it in the center of the dining room table while Edythe came by with the salad, poking some stainless-steel salad tongs into the big, leafy greens to serve it with – not that she was going to eat much of anything on the table anyways. I wondered how she was going to swing that, but I guess it wasn't too big of a deal since our guests were already in on her secret and it was only Dad you had to worry about. Of those guests, Jules and Bonnie were the first to arrive. I heard the doorbell ring and let them in, stepping to one side to give them some room to enter.

"Hi Bonnie." I raised my hand up to wave at her. She narrowed her eyes warily at me and sighed. "Hello there, Beau." She finally said, pressing her lips together and nodding her head once like it hurt her to see me. When she passed by me though, she touched my arm and gave it a gentle squeeze before wheeling herself into the kitchen to say hi to Charlie. I watched her disappear around the corner before turning my gaze back on Jules.

"Hey Jules." I greeted her like I didn't already see her this morning.

"Hey Beau." We hugged it out and right when we pulled away, Jules whammed a rectangular Pyrex dish covered in plastic wrap hard into my chest and I kinda gagged feeling the sudden impact. "Ouch." I muttered under my breath. She laughed out loud when she saw my face. "We got you guys something." She pointed at the glass platter in my hands.

I looked down and from underneath the clear plastic wrap I saw what it was– brownies. I remember Bonnie used to make these all the time for us growing up and I smiled. They were my favorites, and Jules knew that.

"Thanks." I said with a laugh. We started walking together to where everyone else was and the instant I stepped foot into the kitchen, it felt like an arctic wind was blowing through the place in the look Bonnie gave Edythe and vice versa, and I think Edythe actually even hissed at one point. Of course, this was all happening when Dad's back was turned on them. Me and Jules gave each other a knowing look and laughed super quietly at the exact same time together. Jules started towards her mom and I started towards Edythe, taking her hand in mine.

"She's on our side." I reminded with a quiet chuckle, leading her to the living room so it was just the two of us.

"Old habits die hard." She whispered viciously into my ear. I was about to say something, but she shushed me with a little wag of her finger. "And that is only if at all." She stared up at me again with her beautiful glittery eyes and this angry little pout so I had to look away, lest my face would melt off completely with all the burning red patches on my cheeks which her look inspired in me.

"Beau? Are you alright?" Concerned, she turned me round to look at her again but laughed when she saw the splotches.

"Wow. I guess I am pretty good at that." She mused with a chuckle.

"Just try to be nice, okay?" I mumbled, looking everywhere else in the living room but at her.

"Always am." She beamed.

"Keep telling yourself that." I showed her a grin and nodded very slowly. Tracing the red blooms on my cheeks with the tips of her fingers, she laughed again, flashing the whites of her teeth.

"You're impossible. Utterly absurd." She purred, throwing her arms around my neck and covering my lips with hers. My arms tightened around the curves of her hips and I pressed her tighter to me.

…

The Clearwaters arrived just before seven. Saul told my dad that Holly had stayed behind because she was tired – she had a heart attack last year I know, so she was probably still recovering. But a part of me couldn't help but wonder if she just didn't want to see Edythe long as she could help it and the thought made me almost upset, though I couldn't really blame her. Instead, I just shook my head and tried not to think about it.

"Hi, Saul." I greeted and took from him another rectangular Pyrex like the one Jules and Bonnie had brought brownies in, only this was a platter of green bean casserole instead.

"It's been a while, Beau." He showed me a tight smile and didn't even bother to look at Edythe, who was standing right next to me. He quickly disappeared into the kitchen to greet Dad. Coming up right behind him was Lee and then Sarah.

"Hey, guys." I showed them a little wave.

"Hi Beau! Hi Edythe!" Sarah gave each of us a big hug before joining her dad in the kitchen. Lee on the other hand just kind of mumbled a quick "hello" or at least the semblance of one. He was following behind his little sister but stopped just then and looked right at me.

"Jules in there?" He asked, angling his chin in the direction of the kitchen and dining room.

"Um, yes?" I answered in a shaky voice. He scoffed once and his lips parted a little so you could see the whites of his teeth grit behind them, his jaw hard. "I honestly don't know what she sees in you, but you better thank your lucky stars that you have a friend like her who's willing to stick around even when it hurts. There's no one better. I hope you realize that and can grow a pair; find it in you someday to stop torturing her. She deserves so much better than that." His eyes narrowed angrily when they met mine and I swallowed hard at the truth in his words. I felt a lump forming in my throat like it was choking me and my heart dipped into the pit of my stomach, making me feel almost sick. Just like his dad, Lee pretended not to see Edythe and it felt like only a biting, gelid wind was left in his wake, like coming down the stairs one day and realizing the front door was left open all night when it was below freezing outside. Jules. I had the sudden urge to go and see her again and started following after Lee, but Edythe pulled me back to her with one tug.

"He's still hurting. That's why he said all those things." She told me, trying to get me to stay. I could feel my arms tensing underneath Edythe's fingers and I let a breath out through my nose; stopped walking. I guess Jules was only in the other room anyways. We'll meet again soon enough. Remembering something else though - a big something at that, too - I gasped.

"Beau? What's wrong?" Edythe asked, taking my shoulders.

"I'm sorry." I began, realizing she still deserved an apology, too.

"Sorry? About what this time?" She let out a quiet laugh.

"About … you know, what happened between Jules and I," she inhaled a sharp breath and closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I know it wasn't your fault. I don't blame Julie, either. She was hurting, too."

But I had to wonder to myself, was being hurt enough to justify being careless with someone else's feelings? How I was careless with Jules when Edythe left? I clung to her, pushing her down into the water just so I could stay afloat. When Lee said those things, that was exactly what flashed through my mind; it was what made me feel the absolute worst. I tried to shake the thought away for now, wanting to concentrate again on what I was getting at with Edythe because I knew I was being careless with her feelings, too. My eyes found hers again and I touched her cheek. "I'm also sorry for, you know, forcing such a difficult position on you, especially tonight. I just want to thank you for putting up with us all." I tried to laugh but it didn't really come out right. She was looking up at me now, eyebrows drawing up and lips forming the gentle curve of a bow.

"Apology accepted." She brought her face nearer to mine and covered my lips with hers.

…

It was a noisy dinner. Loud, boisterous laughter echoed out all around us at inside jokes, fishing horror stories and the best days of our parents' lives. Whenever there was a lull or a small dropoff in conversation and someone would ask someone else to pass some turkey or casserole or stuffing or salad to them, Dad would glance at me and Edythe expectantly, wondering if we were going to announce our good news to the guests. We didn't have to I know, and it wasn't very good news to most of them anyways but I wondered if we should do it just for show; to carry on the charade. Dad might question things otherwise since we didn't really have a good reason not to tell his best friends, if you know what I mean. Edythe filled up her plate with just a couple of bites of everything and actually smiled genuinely when she brought the fork to her lips, so I'm guessing the baby must have liked the food because I knew for a fact that my wife did not. Both Bonnie and Saul were looking incredulously at Edythe from across the table, trying to hide that they were looking in the first place.

"They're totally mystified by how human I look right now." Edythe explained with a quiet laugh, whispering it in my ear. "It almost makes me want to take this whole human thing one step further." She flashed me a puckish grin and during one of those lulls in conversation I mentioned earlier, Dad gave us that look again and this time, Edythe pushed her empty plate away from her and stood us both up, hooking one arm under both of mine and whisking me to my feet so quickly I almost fell over backwards. Dad was grinning from ear to ear while Bonnie and Saul just stared at us, an unreadable expression on their faces. Jules gave me a small, discreet "thumbs up" sign and showed me a smile that almost looked like she was making fun of me while Sarah's eyes were shining with excitement. Lee just kind of rolled his eyes at us and shoved a giant spoonful of casserole into his mouth, chewing it very fast, though his nostrils looked like they were flaring. Needless to say, I don't think he was too thrilled about it.

Edythe was looking directly at Charlie now and nodded at him very slightly before scanning her eyes over everyone else. And just like that, I knew the charade had begun.

"We have a very special announcement to make." She started and laced her hands in front of her. Her voice rose with excitement despite the fact that everyone kind of already knew. "Beau and I…" she bit her lip, motioning from me to herself, "we're going to be parents. Surprise!" She flattened the fabric over her torso again, making the gentle curve of her stomach that much more noticeable. Bonnie and Saul's eyes widened a little because now they actually had proof that it was all true; that this was for real. Dad on the other hand was nodding proudly.

"Wow, that's amazing news. Congratulations!" Jules was the first to speak. Only I could tell there was a hint of laughter in her voice as she said these words. And the Oscar goes to… I muttered sarcastically in my head but grinned at her. Like I said, with Jules, you'd always be in on the joke.

"I'm so happy for you both!" Sarah was next. Her eyes lit up – I mean, this was technically the first time we were officially announcing it to her - and I knew she meant those words completely. It made me smile too, she just had that effect on you. As if his little sister's enthusiasm rubbed off on him, even Lee managed a quick, almost genuine "Congrats."

"Very happy for you both." Saul's voice was gruff as it left his lips and he leaned back in his chair, still holding his fork tight in his hand. Bonnie was the last to speak. She lifted her head, narrowing her eyes.

"Congratulations." Her hard voice was edged in ice, but I don't think Dad noticed.

"Thank you." Edythe graciously bowed her head, acknowledging both Bonnie's icy words and everyone else's prior comments regardless if they were made with the best of intentions or not. I mean, you really had to hand it to her. She squeezed my hand one last time as we sat back down again. Conversation resumed around the table once more, but things were a little quieter this time around. Just before dessert was served, Edythe pressed two fingers to the space between her eyes and squeezed them shut, like she suddenly had a bad headache.

"I think I might need to go lie down for a bit. I'm so sorry." Her voice was regretful, but I couldn't tell if she was only saying that so she wouldn't have to eat any more human food or if she was really feeling sick. She pushed the chair out behind her and stood up, head lowered. My body tensed as I watched her walk up the stairs to my old bedroom at Dad's urging and I thought to follow her. Jules handed me one of her mom's brownies.

"Here, maybe you can take this up to her." She said loudly so everyone could hear. Dad nodded his approval. "Great idea, Jules." He showed her a small smile which she returned and wrapped my fingers over the napkin the brownie was on. "Thanks." I whispered and after giving her shoulder a squeeze, I hurried up the stairs and turned down the hall, letting myself into my old room. Edythe was already propped up on the bed.

"Hey." I said, closing the door softly behind me. "Are you okay?" I slid in beside her. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine. Just needed to change my contacts." She gestured to her eyes. "Wouldn't want to freak out your dad, right?" She chuckled once, but was looking down. Her palm was pressed into my mattress and she leaned all her weight on the one spot. "And…" she started with a hesitating breath. "I was reading their thoughts – Bonnie's and Saul's, that is. They're very… conflicted. It was exhausting to overhear, they're very stressed about it." She pressed her lips tight together and rested her hand on her stomach. "And your son was kicking at my ribs again, of course." She smiled and shook her head. "But I must say, he quite enjoyed his first Thanksgiving meal for the most part. He was just full." She laughed. I chuckled.

"But there's always room for dessert." I showed Edythe an easy grin. I opened the paper in my hand to reveal the little square of chocolate goodness and ripped off a small piece, bouncing it around in the palm of my hand before holding it out to her. "Bonnie made these all the time when I was growing up. They're my favorites, maybe he'll like them too. Here, try it." She took the little piece from me and ate it, closing her eyes. She opened them a few seconds later and nodded her head. "Approved." She laughed, laying herself back down on my old bed again. I joined her then, our hands holding on tight to each other between us.

…

Saul, Lee, and Sarah left first a little before ten, then Jules and Bonnie around eleven. Edythe and I were helping Dad clear the table and put the leftovers away in the fridge. I started on the dishes, soaking the messiest platters with water and a squirt of dish soap before scrubbing them out a couple minutes later. Edythe went to wipe down the table but Dad stopped her, touching her wrist.

"I'll take it from here, thanks hon. You've been on your feet so long, go and sit down." He took the cloth from her and smiled from below his moustache.

"I really am perfectly fine." She assured him with a smile and gently took the rag back from him. Dad shifted his jaw, raising his eyebrows a little, kind of in concern, before letting out a sigh.

"Sorry, sorry. I was like this with his mom too, you know." He motioned his chin in my direction and chuckled.

"You've nothing to apologize for." Edythe showed him another winsome smile.

"I'll tell you what – I'm sure I have some of Beau's old baby things sitting around somewhere in the house. I'll be right back." He pointed a finger somewhere behind him and dashed up the stairs before we could even say anything. Edythe and I exchanged a smiling look – it felt nice that Dad was so excited for us; that he was supportive. After finishing off the last of the dishes I came up behind Edythe, bringing my hand over hers as we wiped down the table together.

"Thanks, you two. Knew I had these somewhere." We turned to see Dad lumbering down the stairs with this giant cardboard box in his arms that was nearly blocking his view. Quickly, I ran over and took it from him, putting it down on the fresh-cleaned dining room table. Dad opened the top two flaps on the box and showed us what was inside – old baby clothes, toys, bibs, and blankets. It wasn't too much (Mom had the rest), but it was a pretty decent collection. "All yours." Dad smiled.

"Wow, thanks Dad." I said, flashing him a grin.

"This is perfect." Edythe declared.

"I'm glad. Thought you might have some use for them one day… just didn't think it was going to be this soon." Dad chuckled. Though his words seemed to suggest otherwise, I could tell he was really, really happy. "I'll help you load all this up in the car-" he started but I stopped him.

"No worries, Dad. I got this." I took up the massive box in my arms again before he could even protest and started towards the door. Edythe and Charlie were trailing after me though, eyes wide and arms held out to steady me in case I was going to fall flat on my face because apparently, they had absolutely zero faith in my fine motor skills. It was almost insulting. I set out to prove them wrong though and somehow, I managed to make it down the porch steps in one piece even with the big old box obscuring my vision. Ha, in your face! I laughed triumphantly and tossed a smug look over my shoulder at Edythe especially. Of course, right after doing that I walked straight into the hood of the Volvo and the box whammed hard into my chest and made me let out a choking cough. Edythe sprinted towards me at top human speed but realizing I was more or less alright, she broke out into the biggest grin. She wrapped her arms over her torso and her shoulders were literally rolling with her silent laughter. I blew up a breath and narrowed my eyes at her. It only made her laugh even harder.

"Oh, Beau." She finally breathed out when she was done, wiping an invisible tear from her eye.

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, laugh all you want," I grumbled.

"I already did." She said, but then let out another bright, ringing chuckle so apparently that was a lie.

"You okay there, sport?" Dad came up to us then and clapped my back with his hand.

"I'm grand." I muttered.

"Here." Edythe already had the trunk of the Volvo open and held her arms out, taking the box from me and setting it down easily. It was no effort for her at all, you could tell. Even Dad looked kind of impressed. It was almost time to go, so Edythe and I ushered Dad back into the house and we went to grab our coats. I held Edythe's out for her to slide on before shrugging into my own, and we stepped outside again onto my old porch.

"It was really, really great to see you, Dad." I meant that. I hadn't realized just how much I missed him.

"Same here. The both of you. And congratulations again, kids. You two are going to be great parents." Dad pulled us into another big hug.

"Take care of yourself, Charlie. We'll see you soon." Edythe assured him and gave his hand a squeeze. We started towards the car and once we were both buckled up inside, Edythe pulled out of my old driveway and entered onto the main road. Dad stayed looking after us until we were out of sight.