SHE THREW HER ARMS ABOUT HIS NECK, lunged herself at him, her tears, salt and hot and happy, filled with love, falling anew. "Oh, Edward." Quiet words, for they were not alone, but so very potent.
His arms, strong, so beautifully strong he could pulverize rock and metal to dust without much effort at all, came about her, fingers running up and down the long, thin bones of her spine, pried her away from him. He didn't say anything for several seconds, or it could have been minutes, Bella wasn't sure, simply kissed her face, her neck, throat, and clavicle, any part of her he could reach, that was exposed to him. "When I was certain your blood was clean, no trace of James's venom remaining in your system, I forced myself to stop drinking of your sweet, sweet blood." A pause, a sweet kiss pressed to her wrist, cold, gentle fingers tracing the blue map of her veins. "I realize now the reason why I had to force myself to stop, it was not because of my vampiric nature, a monstrous part of me, for no part of me is monstrous, not with you, mon beau trésor, and I never wished to drain you of your sweet blood, but because I wanted to prolong the intimacy, the pleasure, for as long as I could."
He traced the tiny blue veins on the skin of her face, small, so small they were in perceptible to humanize, a fire erupting there, where his fingers caressed her, slow, loving, gentle. "When I drew away from your wrist and you threaded your fingers through my hair as you so often do now, pulled me down for a soft, sweet, warm kiss, uncaring of your heart's-blood yet staining my lips, called me your angel . . ." He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his irises, two bright, beautiful jewels of emerald green, they were shining, beautiful and immortal, and Bella thought she could see his soul reflected in them. "It undid me, mon beau diamant, mon précieux trésor, made me long for privacy, to go somewhere I could kiss and hold you close, where I and I alone could tend to your wounds, for you were, are, and will always be, mine to take care of, cherish, and love throughout eternity."
Her mind reeled with this information, her heart expanding with love, tears pricking at her eyes anew, but . . . "Jasper?" Because Bella knew he'd been there, had no doubt felt the love and intimacy pouring from her and Edward.
Edward's lips twitched, his beautiful, immortal, emerald green eyes glowing with age and power. A strange, beautiful thing, one she hadn't seen manifested, known was possible until that very moment, for vampires to hold power inside them, but it must be, there's special abilities and gifts growing in strength and magnitude over time. The power coming off of her beautiful fiance and future husband, a power that was separate from his mind reading ability yet very much a part of him, it was warm despite the cold temperature of his skin, tasted of honey lilac with a hint of lavender and freesia.
Tiny lines marred her forehead as she thought, something disturbing occurring to her. They really knew very little about the supernatural world, and that, it didn't bother her so much. What did bother her, however, it was how little they truly seemed to know about vampiric nature, biology, and physiology. Her hand clenched in his hair, and she played with the soft silk strands to calm herself, because she just realized something, something important, they didn't even know how it was that vampires came to be. Perhaps, later, when they were alone, just the Masen family, they should ask Edward's beloved mother, Elizabeth, to tell them everything she could about the supernatural world, though more specifically vampires and their history.
Cold knuckles against her cheek, fingers running, carefully, slowly so as not to ruin her hairdo, over her hair. "Where do you go, mon coeur, what is going on in that beautiful, secretive head of yours?"
She shook her head, pressed a warm, soft kiss to his neck, where, if he'd been human, he'd have a pulse. "Nothing, only of how little we know of the supernatural world, vampiric nature, biology, physiology and history." Another kiss, this one, warm and wet, pressed to his shoulder. "I reckon we have a lot of questions of our own to ask your beloved mother, Elizabeth, when we are alone with her, just the Masen Evans Family, have the difficult conversation. I know she cannot tell us everything, but perhaps she can give us some much needed context and history." Yet another kiss, this one, warm and wet, too, pressed against his lips, which soon turned into a blood kiss. "Jasper?"
Edward's eyes glowed anew, quiet laughter shaking his strong, beautiful frame. "We gave him quite a shock, bride of mine." He tipped her chin up, his eyes two beautiful emeralds filled with love. "Bloodlust and uncontrollable thirst, those were the things Jasper expected from me, for I had never tasted human blood before, was akin to a newborn vampire in that respect, but love, intimacy, and protectiveness, protectiveness not of a predator protecting its meal from others, but of a husband or romantic partner protecting his wife?" A shake of his head, the blood kiss he took from her leaving her breathless for several seconds. "No, he definitely was not expecting that, was all confused, actually wondered if I had been replaced by some other creature."
Fingers running up and down her throat in time with her heartbeat, the action, slow and languid, making her relax, lean further into him. "The thoughts of all the Cullen family members, they were all shouting at me, even Rosalie's, stunned by how I was able to do that, just stop drinking of your sweet, sweet blood once your bloodstream was clean, free of James's venom, especially because this was the first time I drank any kind of human blood, coupled with how much your blood called and sang to me, still does."
He tensed, his arms flexing about her body, these memories, while mixed with a little pleasure, still painful for him, because Bella, she had been in pain, and Edward, he didn't like that one bit, anymore than she liked him being in pain. "I ignored them all, my only thought to get you, my heart and soul, away from the ballet studio, the scent of burning vampire flesh, fast as I could, take a look at your injuries. So I took you into my arms, like how a groom carries his new bride, ran with you fast as I could to the small cabin in the middle of the woods Carlisle had rented, where I knew some medical supplies and drugs awaited."
She twined her fingers with his, brought his hand to her lips, kiss the back of it, this gesture one of comfort, waited for him to continue without saying a word. Instead of doing so right away, however, he slid a hand, slow and gentle, down over what had been her broken leg, which was now completely healed. "I laid you down on the small double bed, and because your skin was still boiling hot, feverish, as if, God forbid, you yourself had caught the Spanish influenza or some other disease, stripped off my shirt, ran my hands all over your body, steering clear of the places that are only for a husband to touch, in an attempt to cool you down. After that, I initiated an IV line, administered drugs and sedatives which would put you to sleep not, but would ease your pain, make you relax, created a makeshift brace and compression bandages for your broken leg."
A kiss pressed to her neck, over her throbbing artery, blood rushing to the surface, the place where his lips touched her throat without breaking skin, coloring her soft, creamy white skin. "Then, mon amour, once I had administered all the drugs, did everything I could to ease your pain, I laid down beside you, kissed and held you, and you, mon doux, slid your hands, which were hot, so very hot, too hot for a human body temperature, to rest over my still heart. It was then, as I was holding you, kissing you, trying to cool you down, that I started thinking of gifting you my beloved mother's bracelet, which you are wearing now, of how her betrothal ring would look on you, what you would do if I proposed to you right then and there, though, technically, we are both so young, as though I look seventeen I am a hundred and three years old."
"I remember." A soft whisper, Bella inhaling the sweet, addictive, intoxicating scent of his skin, his blood calling to her though she wasn't a vampire yet—was fully human. Her memories of that time were fuzzy, but now that Edward was bringing them up, she could see them clearly in her mind's eye, and those memories, though they were mixed with pain, they were memories she wouldn't forget anytime soon, would cherish through eternity. She touched her fingers to his cold cheek, traced his lips. "I put it down to a daydream, too, as you had never kissed or held me like that before." She pushed her forefinger passed his lips, wanting him to feed, bring her pleasure only he could. "How did Carlisle know what drugs and materials to bring? I mean, you said Alice had foreseen that James's bite, his venom, would change me, make me like you. Did Carlisle not naturally assume I would come out of the ballet studio as Alice had foreseen, a newborn vampire?"
A soft laugh that was jagged, harsh at the edges, yet twined with his love for her. "It was not Carlisle but I who insisted on bringing all the drugs and materials, for you are right, mon amour, he assumed you would come out of the ballet studio a newborn vampire just as Alice had foreseen. No one in the Cullen family or that I know of, for that matter, is willing to bet against Alice, the only exception being myself, for I know exactly how her ability works, know the loopholes and blind spots." Edward cocked his head to the side, his expression shifting, clearly having heard something she hadn't. "We will have to continue this conversation later, I am afraid, as everyone is returning. Know this, however, not once while you were in the hospital did I leave you or let anyone else, even Carlisle, tend to you, only making a small exception when we were in front of Charlie and Renee."
She didn't want to stop speaking yet, had so many questions for him, like, for example, if he hadn't left her once, gone hunting, during the duration of her stay at the hospital, how was it his eyes had stayed golden? Then she remembered what his beloved mother, Elizabeth, had said—that the color of his eyes, it was not solely because of his diet, but a sign of his potential, what he could become. Then she had another two questions, the first being, if he'd known all along he wouldn't leave her, why hadn't he interrupted her, let her believe she convinced him to stay with her when he was already going to stay regardless of whether or not they had the conversation they did at the hospital right before she got discharged? The second being how it felt to go on a hunt, drink mountain lion blood, after drinking her own blood, blood that was tailor-made for him. She glared playfully at him, kissed him, quick and fast, full on the mouth. "You, my beautiful fiance and future husband, my love, have a lot of explaining to do."
Then there was no more time to talk, Edward's beloved mother, Elizabeth, coming back, her footsteps light and graceful against the wooden floor. She carried with her a tray containing two different puddings, both of them the same flavor—chocolate, one of them smaller than the other, and the puddings . . . they were beautiful, had flowers, the bigger one having roses, while the smaller one had lilies, etched into them, which meant she'd likely used special pudding basins, like the ones a great English Country House used. Not surprising at all. Also on the tray were too equal, delicate jugs made of blue porcelain, decorated with what seemed to be hand-painted white roses and hummingbirds, which must contain custard.
She touched a hand gently to Edward's cold shoulder, the touch that of a mother who loved her son, ruffled his hair, then pressed a kiss to Bella's forehead before she sat down beside her beloved son.
Rather than shifting her to her own seat, Edward simply shifted her so she was facing the table, but remained in his lap, clearly not willing or ready to let her go, even if she would be sitting right next to him, centimeters apart. She was more than content with that, tilted her head to look back at him, saw those beautiful, inhuman, emerald green eyes were dark, filled with memories, glowing with power, a powered that, now that she was aware of it, she could feel rapping around her, a warm, protective blanket. She didn't want to stop talking, had so many questions for him, but she had to wait until they were alone again, or, at least, until it was just the three of them, Edward, his beloved mother, Elizabeth, and herself.
She decided to distract and busy herself by placing sweet, warm kisses to his throat, letting her teeth lightly, gently, not hard enough to break skin, draw blood, graze over his pulse, what happened next, it was strange, so very strange, and Bella knew it wouldn't have happened with any other vampire or couple, for that matter—blood rushed to the surface, though the temperature of his skin was cold and he had no heartbeat, should have no blood running in his veins, begging her to bite down, drink, feed. The blood, she knew, it was warm, so warm and soothing despite the cold temperature of his skin, the fact that he had no heartbeat. A shudder of pleasure rippled over her, she was thankful she would only ever drink Edward's blood, blood that was tailor-made for her.
A quiet growl, soft, hard, cold, insistent lips against her own throat, very sharp, inhuman teeth grazing her pulse. "Careful, ma belle sirène, you are playing a very dangerous game with your fiance and future husband." The words, softly spoken, were for her ears alone.
Her heartbeat and breathing spiked slightly, however, it wasn't from fear, for she would never, ever be afraid of Edward. She knew Edward wasn't threatening her safety, her life, was simply warning her that she was getting under his skin, that what she was doing felt good, too good. Another kiss pressed to his throat, Bella letting her teeth graze his skin again, a little harder this time, hard enough to just break skin, draw a single, luminous drop of ruby red blood, darted out her tongue to lick it off, feeling his skin already healing at rapid speed. "Ah, but my love, I like playing dangerous games with you, getting under your skin, making your stupid, perfect self-control slip."
A single finger running down her cheek, her throat, over her lips, and though his skin was cold as ice, a fire, hot, so hot, erupted over her skin, followed the path of his finger. "Later," he said and the single word was a sensual promise, a private whisper for her ears alone. And she knew instinctively she'd gotten under his skin enough that if he wasn't so old-fashioned, clung to the values his beloved mother had instilled in him, he'd take her to the sheets, make love to her when they got back to their own, little home. The thought made her thighs clench, the vee between her thighs ache, wish that they were married already
.
She shook her head, forced herself to bring her emotions and her body to heal, because what she was feeling, her emotions, only one beautiful man—Edward, her beautiful fiance and future husband, should be privy to them, and no one else. She had no doubt Jasper had, or was coming back to the house, along with Alice, and if he felt what she was feeling right then, it would be a betrayal, a breach of her and Edward's privacy, make the Cullens privy to her and Edward's love life.
A soft, warm, musical, low, male chuckle, a sweet kiss pressed to her nape, his cold, sweet, addictive, intoxicating breath washing over her skin, making her crave him, his sweet, sweet blood, though she wasn't a vampire yet, was fully human. "You, mon doux, will tell me what it is that you are doing right now later, as Jasper is quite confused by the emotions he is getting from you, and I, ma belle reine, am most intrigued."
Then Alice and Jasper walked into the dining room, followed by Carlisle, Esme, Renee and Phil, and finally Charlie, who was busy putting his phone away, in the back pocket of his pants. They all took a seat at the table, blinked several times, taken aback by the way Edward was holding Bella, the way they were snuggled close together. He took charge of the pudding on their side of the table, serving first his beloved mother, Elizabeth, pouring some thick, rich, vanilla custard over the slice of pudding, then, because he and Bella were so close and there was no point in getting two plates and two pairs of cutlery dirty, served himself and Bella on the same plate, began to feed her even as he ate himself, uncaring when everyone at the table, save for his beloved mother, Elizabeth, and Bella, looked at him as if he'd grown three heads.
There were several minutes of tense, awkward silence . . . well, tense and awkward for everyone else, because Edward, Bella, and his beloved mother, were quite happy, contented, to remain as they were, then Charlie cleared his throat, looked between Edward, Bella, and his beloved mother, Elizabeth. "I'm sorry to bring up what are no doubt painful memories, Elizabeth, but why is it that you went missing from Edward's life for such a long time? I mean, three years, it may not seem like much at first, but it is, especially with the way I can see you and Edward love each other very much, are so very close."
Elizabeth's expression shifted, morphed to one of sorrow, and Edward leaned in close to his mother, laid his head against her shoulder. Because, Bella thought, unbeknownst to Charlie, Renee, and Phil, Elizabeth had been missing from Edward's life for quite a long time, nearly a century, mother and son having just reunited. Elizabeth set down her fork, began lovingly stroking Edwards hair, took Bella's hand in her free hand. "Because, Charlie, after the death of my beloved husband, I had to take care of some things, finances and property, and I didn't want to be dragging my beautiful boy, my beloved son, around and around, from country to country. I'm sure you can understand that?"
A nod, Charlie looking awkward, his eyes darting all around the room, not meeting Elizabeth's, searching for a change of subject, something else he could ask her that was less painful for her and Edward. It was Bella's mother, Renee, who saved his skin. "So when did you and Bella meet then? I can see the three of you are quite close, and anyone who doesn't is quite frankly blind."
Elizabeth's face brightened, her eyes glowing with motherly pride and love, both for Edward and Bella. "Oh, very shortly after they started dating. Though I was very busy at the time, I made time, wanting to meet this mysterious girl that brought such joy into my beautiful boy's voice and eyes, asked him to bring her to our family home in Chicago so we could meet, as I had just gotten back from England, was quite tired. Of course, because my beloved son can't keep anything from me, as he's such a mama's boy, he told me all about her the first day he saw her." A glance at the grandfather clock mounted on the wall in front of her, her beloved son, and Bella, the oak wood dark and ebony, a stark contrast against the yellow gold Roman numerals and hands, Edward's beloved mother's eyes glinting as she turned to look at Edward and Bella, then everyone else at the table. "Oh, it's 3:30, tea time, a very beloved, family tradition, I reckon. Would you like to join us?"
Charlie scratched his head awkwardly, and Edward tensed, let out a hiss through his teeth that was much too low for human ears to hear, the only reason why Bella heard being that they were so close—his hold about her becoming fiercely protective. She wondered why, what Charlie was thinking, found out seconds later, she, too, tensing, wrapping herself around Edward in a way that was polite for company but that made her feel safe, loved, and protected. "Actually, Elizabeth, I was not expecting this lovely lunch to take so long, agreed to meet old family friends, Billy and Jacob Black, so we can watch the game." He turned to Renee and Phil. "Do you guys want to come, too, or would you rather stay here? Sue Clearwater will be there, too, Renee, and you can talk to her while Billy, Jacob, Phil, and I watch the game."
Phil took her mother's hand, gave it a squeeze. "We'll go with you, Charlie. Besides, I'm sure Billy, Jacob, and Sue will be there, at the wedding, so it's best to acquaint ourselves with them now." Bella became even more tense in Edward's arms, because that, Billy, Jacob, and Sue coming to her and Edward's wedding, it was never happening—over her and Edward's dead body.
Soon, Bella, Edward, Elizabeth, Esme, Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper were being hugged and kissed goodbye, Bella's mother telling her she'd talked to her later, that she had a huge surprise for her—no doubt her not so secret, thanks to Edward and his mind reading ability, pregnancy, that she and Phil would stay in Forks until after the wedding.
Soon as they were gone, were far away enough that they wouldn't overhear, she buried her face against Edward's neck, inhaled the sweet, addictive, intoxicating scent of his skin, one hand against his still heart. "Billy, Jacob, and Sue, they will not be coming to our wedding."
"No," he agreed, one hand stroking, slow and easy, gently, lovingly, over her back, "they will not, mon coeur."
A cold hand against her shoulder, a hand that wasn't Edward's but Alice's, trying to pry her away from him, separate them. "Come on, Bella, you can kiss and cuddle with Edward all you want later, when the two of you get to your house, but right now he needs to go to the bathroom, choke up everything he ate." Bella heard a flinch and discussed in Alice's voice. "I don't know how he did it, ate so much, as if he was human and the food didn't taste like dirt to him. I'm sure he can feel it all, a congealed blob inside his stomach, is eager to get it out."
Bella and Edward both ignored her, and Edward, he began massaging Bella's shoulders and back, applying just the right amount of pressure, making her relax and lean into him. Alice must have insisted in her thoughts, her intentions more than just to let Edward go to the washroom, choke up the food he'd eaten, because after a couple of minutes Edward let out a hiss through his teeth. "No, Alice, I will not relinquish my Bella to you, even should I have a need to gerarditate the food I ate, which I do not, as it dissipated harmlessly inside my body."
A gasp from all the Cullens in the house with them, but before they could speak, ask any questions, Edward's beloved mother, Elizabeth, stepped forward, put her arms around Edward and Bella both. "I will take my leave now, go prepare some things, meet you and your Bella in your home." A pause, a silent question, one only Edward could hear, then a nod from Edward. She stroked Edward's hair affectionately, her eyes filled with pride and deep, motherly love. "Oh, my beautiful boy, I am so very proud of you."
Then she was gone, and Edward turned to face the Cullens, ready, but not very willing, Bella thought, to answer their questions, spend much longer here, for he wanted to be with her, kiss and hold her in their home, their own, little cottage, that was a prelude of what was yet to come when they got married, moved first to Chicago, then later, after she gave birth, to one of what were no doubt two beautiful English country houses, before they spoke to his beloved mother. it was Carlisle who spoke, his golden eyes glowing with curiosity and interest. "How were you able to eat so much food? What do you mean the food dissipated harmlessly inside your body? Didn't it taste like dirt to you? You seemed like you were enjoying it a lot." Before Edward could answer those questions, Carlisle asked another one, this one a repeat of an earlier question. "How did you manage to heal Bella's leg overnight? Yes, medicine has advanced a lot, but even modern medicine is incapable of accomplishing such feats."
A shrug, Edward's arms, strong, so strong yet gentle, flexing about Bella's waist, fingers caressing her skin through her clothes. "The answer, Carlisle, and no, all the food I ate tasted not like dirt to me, actually tasted quite exquisite, even better than I remember, is quite simple, the same reason why my beloved mother, Elizabeth, is able to eat with my Bella and I, though she has no need for human sustenance, love. And by 'dissipate harmlessly inside my body', I mean exactly that, there is no trace of human food in my stomach or anywhere in my body, for that matter. As for how I healed my Bella's leg overnight," two fingers under her chin, lips hard and insistent against her own, the kiss all too brief, "she fed from me, from my blood, and my blood, akin to my venom, can heal her." Edward left out the pleasure and intimacy they felt when they fed from one another, and Bella was very, very glad for that, because, akin to her and Edward's love life, it was, quite frankly, none of their business.
Another round of shocked gasps, Carlisle going to the kitchen, fast like a vampire, though not as fast as Edward, her beautiful fiance and future husband, coming back with a very sharp knife. Bella paled, all the blood draining from her face, her heartbeat picking up speed, realizing what Carlisle intended to do. It was silly, she knew, a knife wouldn't probably hurt Edward, and he'd wrestled with things far more dangerous—mountain lions, when he went hunting, but she didn't like the thought of Edward or anyone else, trying to cut him.
A sweet, passionate kiss pressed against her lips. "Fret not, mon doux ange, no harm will come to me." He held out one arm even as he kept the other round Bella, and Carlisle rolled up his sleeve, ran the blade along his arm. The blade . . . it didn't just bend as it usually would when ran over vampiric skin, but completely shattered, turned to dust, the particles so fine they looked like silver glitter.
There were so many questions in Carlisle's eyes, so much he wanted to know, but Bella and Edward, they couldn't tell him everything for three reasons. One, they didn't even know everything themselves, two, some things were much to private, should be privy only to her and Edward, and three, they had things to discuss with Edward's beloved mother, Elizabeth, things that no doubt would be painful, and Bella wanted to spend some time alone with him before that, wanted him to kiss and hold her close, to feed from him even as he fed from her.
Edward, her beautiful fiance and future husband, though he couldn't read her mind, he must have been thinking the same thing, because he picked her up, like how a groom carried his new bride, having set her down shortly after Charlie, Renee, and Phil left. "I cannot tell you everything, Carlisle, give you all the answers you seek, partly because Bella and I know not everything yet, partly because some things are private, intimate, should be privy only to Bella and I, and partly because we would like to spend some time alone before my beloved mother, Elizabeth, meets us at our home. If you will excuse us."
Then they were running, fast, so fast, the strength, speed, and power of him making her ache, crave him. She kissed his throat, the cold, hard, smooth skin familiar against her lips, pushed his suit jacket aside, began unbuttoning his shirt, trusting him to hold her safe, because Edward, her beautiful fiance and future husband, beautiful, strong, he would never let her fall, let her come to harm.
Getting to their cottage, he took her upstairs, to their bedroom, gently laid her down over their bed, then shrugged off his suit jacket and shirt, fast like only he could, body coming over her. He kissed her lips, her jaw, and she arched her neck, exposing her throat and artery to him, begging for a blood kiss, to be intimate with him thus. He gave it to her, biting down softly over her pulse, careful not to inject any venom with his teeth, his tongue, cold as ice, soaked with venom, flicking out to lovingly lick at the blood pouring forth from the wound he'd created, making her moan, arch her back, thread her fingers through his hair, pulling at the soft silk strands in just the way he liked. All too soon, he pulled away, broke the blood kiss, but not before making sure her skin was completely healed, soft and smooth once more. She heard him swallow hard, rinsing his mouth with his own venom so Bella didn't taste her blood when he kissed her, his tongue licking along his lips to wipe any residue of blood.
"My Bella," he pressed a sweet, chased kiss to her lips, "my bride‐to-be, my darling wife," Edward slid down so he could press a kiss to her abdomen, over her for now, empty womb, through her clothes, "mother of our future child, Mrs Masen."
His words coupled with his actions, they made her eyes roll to the back of her head, her mind go nearly incoherent, but . . . "Make sense, the legend does not, my love, at least not when it comes to the growth of our future child."
Soft, warm, musical, male laughter, his sweet, addictive, intoxicating breath washing over the exposed parts of her skin. "Only you, mon coeur, have the ability to surprise me thus, your beautiful mind and thoughts ever a mystery to me." He sat up, brought her onto his lap so she straddled him. "Tell me then, mon amour, what is it that you are thinking?"
"Humans, " she wrapped her arms around his neck, played with the soft silk of his hair, "we age quite quickly, for our lifespan is quite short, that of a firefly's when compared to an immortal. By the same logic then, should our future babe, be it Edward or Elizabeth Catherine, not age, mature, far, far slower than a human babe, get to be a babe and a child for much, much longer, in concert with his or her immortality, the fact that he or she will live forever. I know he or she will most likely stop aging when his or her physical appearance reaches that of a seventeen-year-old due to the vampiric genes, but I reckon the growth pattern I am thinking of makes more sense than the one described in the legend you read."
A thoughtful pause, a kiss pressed to her pulse, then her lips. "Yes, right you are, mon amour. Perhaps the faster growth of the babes in the legend is because they have parents not to take care of them once they are born,as the father always abandons the mother, claims the children not until they are older, full-grown. That, it will not be an issue with you and our future babe, for I will never, ever leave you, will always protect you, take care of you, so perhaps our future child, be it Edward or Elizabeth Catherine, will be a babe for decades upon decades, though we will certainly notice any small changes as time goes by, for we will both be vampires, able to notice things humans notice not. Regardless of this, however, I reckon your pregnancy will still last just over eight months, give or take, and, of course, I will still be able to read our future child's mind even while he or she remains in your womb, and we will tell Edward or Elizabeth Catherine to move around gently as possible so as not to hurt Mama."
Edward tilted his head to the side, his eyes lighting up. "We will continue this conversation later, mon amour, as my beloved mother, Elizabeth, is here." He shrugged on his shirt and suit jacket, fast like only he could, then, because they both liked the feeling of when she was in his arms and he ran, he lifted her into his arms, like how a groom carried his new bride, took her downstairs, to the drawing room, where his beloved mother, Elizabeth, awaited.
She sat on the setee, Edward's beloved mother, three transparent mugs in front of her, on a small table carved of wood—transparent, made of glass, the liquid within them, rich and velvet, a red darker than blood. Steam yet rose from the three mugs, making Bella realize that this drink, it was a hot one, though it certainly couldn't be tea. Seeing the mugs, Edward's lips curved, likely because he knew what they contained within, had liked it a lot as a human, and he darted over to sit next to his beloved mother, Elizabeth, bringing Bella into his lap rather than letting her go. Elizabeth, she didn't say anything for several minutes, simply put her arms round them both, held them as a mother did her children.
Eventually, and Bella didn't know how much time it had been, didn't really care, she shifted, handed each of them a mug, but didn't say anything, break the comfortable silence. Edward, however, did. "Why mulled wine, Mama?"
A squeeze of his hand, Edward's beloved mother, Elizabeth, stroking his hair lovingly. "The conversation we are about to have will be difficult enough as it is. I reckoned while alcohol affects not you and I, we need a little something other than Bordeaux wine to help us get through it. While it is true that Port and Bordeaux wines are your favorite, a third option which you also love, my beautiful boy, is mulled wine, especially if all the ingredients come from our estates. I would fret over your beautiful bride-to-be, how the alcohol will affect her, except I know the two of you will probably feed from each other once I take my leave, thus the alcohol will dissipate from her system."
Bella's eyebrows knitted together, a little vee marring her forehead. "This drink, it usually contains Brandy, does it not?"
A nod, Elizabeth taking Bella's hand in hers. "Yes, but not this one, for I made it using only ingredients that are produced in our estates in England, and that, of course, includes all the wines."
Bella tilted her head back, glared playfully, lovingly, at Edward. "You, my love, have a lot of secrets yet, for you did not tell me our future home produces wine, too."
He kissed her, soft and honey-sweet, and Bella knew it for an apology kiss. "Yes, mon doux, but I also have eternity to tell you each and every one of them, mon coeur."
Elizabeth's face became solemn, serious. "Tell me, my beautiful boy."