As promised, I got this one out much quicker! My city is in another lockdown, so I've had a little more time to dedicate to writing. Hopefully the next one is out just as speadily!This chapter is a little bit more of a light one. The it still has some angst ;) hahaha

BPOV

The rest of the week passed by smoothly and I began to feel more like myself. Saturday was my birthday, and Dad and Sue were coming into the city for dinner at one of my favourite Italian restaurants, Segreto di Famiglia. They would be coming by my apartment for a little while before we headed to the restaurant to meet the others, then they would be staying the night at Emmett and Rose's and driving back to Forks Sunday morning. I was sad that I wasn't able to see my father as often as I had gotten used to the last few years, but I could never regret my decision to make my stay in the city more permanent.

On Saturday morning I went to the cafe close to my house that had quickly become my regular. It was a small building close to the corner that led round to one of the busier streets. The bricks had all been painted white, making it stand out along the fairly drab street. There were a couple tables outside on the sidewalk, but even with the umbrellas to ward off the nearly ever present rain they got very little use. Inside there were plants dotted around, bringing the green of the outside in. When it was cold outside, and the cafe was busy, condensation built up on the wide front windows and gave the appearance of a hothouse. There were a few comfortable armchairs arranged around the room, while the majority of the space was taken up by the wooden tables and mismatched vintage chairs. A long glass cabinet filled with different pastries, cakes and premade sandwiches ran along the length of the room, connecting to the counter where the large brass coffee machine, adorned on top by an eagle with wings spread wide, stood in pride of place. A thick aroma of coffee hung in the air, complemented by the smells of breakfast coming from the kitchen at the back. I found an empty armchair after ordering a coffee and french toast, spending the next hour getting lost in the latest book I'd been reading.

On my way home I was distracted by a beautifully vibrant bouquet of poppies, daisies and vivid purple snapdragons, which I couldn't help but buy. I walked the rest of the way back to my apartment with a smile on my face, cradling the flowers.

I had never been someone who particularly liked their birthday. It always brought up thoughts of my mother, which only made my heart ache. I had never known her, but what little I did know, or could understand, made me long for the love and connection only a mother could give. I had never felt like my childhood, or life, had been lacking, except for that one thing. It meant that I usually liked very little fanfare on my birthday. I didn't want my friends and family to make a fuss over what was, in essence, just a regular day. They hadn't listened to me this year, however, insisting that a milestone like turning thirty deserved some sort of celebration.

A knock at my door just after five interrupted the chapter I had just started. Surprised by the noise, I was startled to see I had spent the entire day lost in a fictional world. I couldn't help but smile as it reminded me of how I used to be able to spend entire weeks during the summer holidays moving between my bedroom, the living room, or even outside on a blanket if the weather allowed, doing nothing but devouring novel after novel.

Opening the door, I was greeted by the sight of my father carrying a large, wrapped box and Sue holding a large bouquet of flowers. I was surprised to also see Seth, Sue's son, standing behind them with a large grin on his face.

"Hi guys," I greeted them, ushering them into the warm apartment as they each wished me a happy birthday. "It's so nice to see you, Seth," I said, giving him a hug.

"I hope you don't mind me crashing," said Seth as he gave me a firm squeeze before we parted. "I heard there'd be dinner involved, so I decided to hitch a ride."

"Don't be silly," I laughed, slapping at his arm playfully. "Of course, you're always welcome. Though you'll probably have to sleep on the couch and Rose and Emmett's."

Seth threw his head back as he laughed. His long black hair shaking with the vibrations. "You don't have to worry about me, I can fall asleep anywhere."

"It's true," Sue interjected. "When he was a toddler I used to find him dead to the world, hanging halfway off whatever he was sitting on, head thrown back with his mouth wide open." She laughed at the memory, earning a light-hearted groan from her son.

"What have you been doing today, Bells?" Dad asked, walking over to the single armchair next to the sofa and sitting down, as I quickly ducked into the kitchen to put the gorgeous flowers in a vase. The colours complemented the ones I had bought myself earlier in the day, but with a few delicate blue hydrangeas and bright pink freesias. The smell filled the kitchen and I knew that by the time I got home tonight the whole apartment would smell of the delicious sweet perfume.

"Nothing much, actually," I called back from the kitchen. "I went out for breakfast at my regular cafe, but I basically spent the day reading. It was glorious." I came back into the room, taking a seat on the sofa next to Sue and Seth.

"Sounds perfect," laughed Sue, while Dad and Seth chuckled.

"You always did prefer to do things quietly," Dad reminisced. "Never wanted parties, either. Whenever you did have one, it was because Emmett insisted you needed to have one and you just went along with it."

"Remember my tenth birthday when everyone except Angela left before the sleepover began because they were bored?" I asked, smiling.

Dad laughed again. "Emmett thought you were going to be so upset because all those girls didn't want to be at your birthday party, but you just shrugged it off."

"That was one of my best birthdays as a kid. I got all the sleepover food and hung out with my best friend. What more could you want?" I knew my brother didn't really get my aversion to birthdays, but he had come to respect my preference as we grew up. Not that he didn't try to squeeze as much of a party in when he could.

"Presents are always pretty good," Dad added. "Speaking of." He gestured towards the large box he had put down on the coffee table.

"What your father is so eloquently trying to say is that he got you something, and he hopes you like it," said Sue, rolling her eyes.

Learning forward, I drew the sage green box to me. The base of it was square of around nine inches, but it was about twice as tall as that. I pulled at the dark green ribbon that was tied in a bow on the top, holding the lid down, before lifting it up and off.

Inside was a glass dome on a wooden base which housed an intricate wood carving of two orcas swimming. A piece of knobbly drift wood had been rounded and smoothed to look like the frothy surface of the ocean. The bodies of the two orcas were made up of five smaller parts angled to create the impression of movement, as if the pair were skimming across the waves, and attached to the base by an odd arrangement of little metal pins of different lengths. There was a small crank handle on the side of the domes base, much like you'd see on a music box.

"It's beautiful," I said in awe, studying the details of the carved and painted creatures.

"Emily just recently opened a gallery to display and sell local artists' work. We went to the opening and saw these beautiful pieces. Her cousin from the other side of her family actually makes them," Sue explained. "Charlie was riveted by them, and actually bought one of a fish that night."

"They actually move," added Seth, pointing to the crank on the side. When I wound the crank the orcas began to dip and rise in unison, their wooden bodies undulating in fluid motion. "My cousin Tayen calls them Organic Automatons. He makes all sorts of different native animals, but his sea creatures are definitely the best."

I looked at my father, glassy eyed. "Dad, it's amazing. Thank you so much." I got up and gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before sitting back down and winding the handle to make the orcas begin to swim again.

"You're welcome,' Dad said gruffly. "It reminded me of when you were little and we'd go down to the cliffs to watch the dolphins and orcas swimming down below. You'd get so upset when one was swimming alone, saying they'd get lost if they didn't have their partner and never be able to find their home again."

I remembered those times well, looking out over the endless water with my hand held safely in my fathers larger one. "The ocean is such a big place and the thought of them being separated broke my little heart," I shrugged off with a light laugh.

We sat and talked for a little while longer, before heading out to meet Emmett, Rose and Jasper at the restaurant. Segreto di Famiglia was a trendy Italian restaurant with a creative pasta menu. The room was wide but welcoming, a large square bar made a statement in the middle of the room and divided the space. The walls were decorated with exposed brick arches surrounded by white plaster, making the space feel very clean and modern. Bench seating ran along each side of the room, upholstered in red and white gingham as a nod to 'traditional' Italian restaurants. Above each table hung woven pendant lights with edison bulbs, casting an ambient, golden light over everything.

Rose had reserved one of the larger tables towards the back, and they were already seated when we arrived. Everyone hugged and kissed, Emmett, Rose and Jasper wishing me a happy birthday.

Both Dad and Sue were shocked by how pregnant Rose was looking, but Dad waggling his eyebrows at Emmett and slapping him on the back had everyone laughing.

Joyful conversation flowed around the table as the evening continued. Dad caught Emmett up on the latest goings on at the Forks Police Department, while Rose and Sue were talking about how Rose had been doing lately. Seth was regaling Jasper about a bike he'd gotten to work on recently at the shop, while Jasper peppered him with questions. I flitted from one conversation to another, basking in having my entire family together for a night.

After we had ordered our dinners and our drinks had been delivered, Emmett lifted his glass and gathered our attention. My brother had no shame and therefore had a habit of making a fool of himself, especially if he knew he could embarrass me.

"Firstly, I wanted to say happy birthday again to my wonderful little sister. Bella, I am forever thankful to have you as my sister. You are one of the very best people I know, and could ever know. I know you hate having the attention on you, so let's just raise a toast and move on." Emmett punctuated this with a wink as we all laughed and took a sip from our drinks. "In the spirit of celebrating Bella's birthday the way she likes to, preferably focused on someone else, Rose and I have something we want to share with everyone."

We all grew quiet in anticipation while Emmett and Rose smiled at each other, having one of those silent conversations couples have. Rose turned back to everyone, but her eyes settled on me. "While we were at our last prenatal appointment, we were asked if we wanted to find out the gender and we said yes."

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands. "It's a boy, isn't it? I've always thought it was a boy."

Both Rose and Emmett laughed at my actions. "There's a boy in there alright," Emmett chuckled. The table exploded in congratulations. I couldn't help but jump up and rush to hug Rose, followed by Jasper who came and wrapped both Rose and I in his arms. Dad had pulled Emmett up and was slapping his back again in the way men always do, while Sue clapped and smiled with Seth.

The joyous atmosphere continued once we were all seated again, wide smiles plastered to our faces as we turned back to the couple. "If you're this excited over us having a boy, then I can't wait to see how you'll all react to us having a girl too," Rose said offhandedly.

There was a pause of silence before the table erupted in a chorus of questions. "What?" "A girl?" "Are you having twins?" My breath caught and my heart stopped. I shouldn't have been that surprised, between the IVF and the fact that Rose was a twin herself. It was like I was watching everything happen in slow motion as Dad was once again clapping Emmett on the back and Jasper had pulled Rose into a firm hug.

Rose was beaming so wide her cheeks nearly engulfed her eyes. "We found out a while ago, but wanted to wait until we reached the second trimester just to make sure everything was okay. Plus we wanted to tell the whole family at once. We did tell Mom and Dad last week," she said, turning to Jasper. "But we swore them to secrecy."

When I was growing up I had always had dreams of having twins. Two girls to be precise. I'd seen two little girls in matching outfits, running across a grassy field towards me, only to be scooped up by a faceless man I knew to be their father. To hear that what I'd once hoped for myself was now happening for Rose stung, but I pushed my envy down and snapped back to reality. On wobbly legs I stood and moved to embrace my brother and then my sister in law, whispering my sincere congratulations.

"Thank you, Bella," Rose whispered in my ear, her voice heavy with emotions. I knew Rose often felt guilty for being pregnant when I had lost my child, even though she had never said it out loud. A small part of me was jealous of her becoming a mother, of being able to hold her beautiful, healthy baby in her arms. But I was truly happy for them and I wasn't going to let my green-eyed monster ruin this moment, or the rest of my birthday.

Our meals came and we returned to our excited, overlapping conversations, which were a little more boisterous after the good news. When it was time to decide if we wanted dessert, Rose waved her hand at the waiter, shooting a wink my way. Before we could even think of asking for the menu, a waiter came around the corner from the kitchen carrying a long plate lit up with candles. Much to my embarrassment my family started singing Happy Birthday as a whole tiramisu cake adorned with thin birthday candles and the words Happy 30th Birthday Bella! written in chocolate was placed before me.

After I had blown out the candles the waiter who had brought the cake offered to take a family photo for us. Everyone gathered around me, leaning in close. While I hated attention, especially on my birthday, my smile was honest. It had been a very long time since my whole family had been able to come together for something good. I hadn't wanted to do anything at all for my birthday last year, still being in recovery from the accident and having lost Jake barely two months before. Tonight was the first celebration I'd had without him where his absence didn't hang like a weight over everything. His presence was still felt, but it was joyful and warm, not unbearable as it had once been.

When we were all stuffed to capacity on cake and coffee, we waddled from the restaurant and made our goodbyes on the sidewalk. I promised Dad I'd see them tomorrow for breakfast at Emmett and Rose's before Jasper drove me home. We chatted happily on the trip, laughing and joking over tonight's big surprise, wondering how our siblings had managed to keep such a big secret from both of us for so long.

Back in the sanctuary of my own home, I sat down heavily on the sofa without even bothering to turn on the lights. The room was dimly illuminated from the bright glow of the streetlights outside, casting an eerie atmosphere. The rain had stopped earlier in the evening and the only sound that could be heard in the ghostly quiet was the drip echoing down the hall from the bathroom faucet. Reaching out, I began to turn the handle on the base of the wooden automaton, watching the orcas dance through the carved waves.

How's everyone doing so far?Are you liking sticking with one character for a while, or do you prefer switching back and forth between Edward and Bella's POV?