Author's Note:

I'll be brief since I've made you all wait so long for an update. Just want to say thanks for continuing to read and review!

We're back with Bella heading into lunch with the families. It's the first gathering with Alice after her apologies, so let's see how it goes…

Chapter 31

BPOV

"You ready for this?" Edward asked as we pulled into his parents' driveway.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I said as I climbed out of the truck. I smiled as Charlie and Sue pulled up behind us and Maggie jumped out of their car.

We all gathered on the porch before entering the house and I took a deep breath, then smiled as my dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gave me a quick squeeze before we stepped through the door. Once inside, Esme greeted everyone in the foyer and led Sue and I back toward the kitchen while Edward and Charlie joined Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle outside. Maggie went to the playroom to find her cousins, making her displeasure known when Edward wouldn't let her drag Grandpa Charlie and Grammy Sue with her.

In the kitchen, I sat on a barstool beside Rose, who was chopping vegetables and asked how she was feeling. We all chatted for a couple of minutes before I finally couldn't stand it any longer. I had to ask.

"Is Alice coming?"

"Yes, she said she would be here," Esme responded, glancing at the clock. "But you know she's always late, and it's not even noon yet."

I simply nodded and shared a look with Rose, knowing we were both hoping that Alice didn't disappoint. Esme sounded so hopeful that things would be okay moving forward, and I didn't want to see her heart break again if her daughter acted selfishly by not showing up or making a scene if she did come.

I grabbed a knife and a second cutting board and started chopping alongside Rose as conversation flowed around me. I got lost in my thoughts and only contributed when necessary. I wanted today to go well, but I couldn't shake the fear that something would upset Alice and any progress made would be lost. The fact that Jasper was still living here didn't help my confidence in the situation. I had been surprised to find him here when I had to stop by a couple of days before. Edward had been surprised as well when I'd relayed the conversation to him. As I mindlessly chopped an onion, I found myself replaying the scene in my head again.

I hummed along with the radio Thursday afternoon as I pulled into Carlisle and Esme's driveway to pick up Maggie. Esme had picked her up from day camp since Edward and I had met with the baker today to decide on our cake design and flavors. I had a copy of the sketch to leave with Esme and she wanted me to look a couple of pictures for bouquet ideas as well, so I'd told Edward I'd get Maggie while he went home and got dinner started.

I pulled up and immediately noticed Jasper's truck sitting on the other side of the driveway. I frowned, wondering what he was doing here since I'd assumed he and Alice would be holed up for a while now that she'd apologized and ended their separation. I made my way into the house and followed the sound of Maggie's voice to the family room. I found her there with Jasper, and no Carlisle or Esme in sight.

"Hey, Bella," Jasper said, looking up from the game he was playing with Maggie as I stepped into the room.

"Mama!" Maggie yelled and ran to give me a hug.

"Hey, baby!" I said, hugging her back, then looked over to Jasper. "Hey, Jas, how are you?"

"I'm okay," he said, then started cleaning up the game.

"Where's Nana and Papa?" I asked.

Maggie just shrugged, but Jasper answered. "They went out for dinner. They were going to wait until you or Edward came to get Maggie, but there wasn't any point in them waiting when I'm here anyway, so I sent them on. Esme said the pictures of flowers are in her office."

"Oh, okay, thanks. I'll grab them before we leave," I said, then sent Maggie to clean up any messes she'd made and gather her things before we went home. I dropped down in the chair across from the couch Jasper was seated on when she left the room.

"What's going on, Jasper? I must admit that I'm surprised to see you here. I thought Alice talked to everyone on Monday." I knew she had apologized to everyone else, so I'd assumed she'd talked to Jasper as well.

"She did," he confirmed. "But we still have a little work to do before I go back home."

"Oh," I said. "I'm so sorry, Jas. I thought everything would be fine with you two after she apologized."

"You have no reason to be sorry, Bella. Alice did apologize and we've talked a lot this week, but I'm not ready to just move forward like nothing ever happened." He paused for a moment before continuing when I didn't say anything. "I've had a lot of time to think over the last couple of months, and I realized that we've had some issues for a long time and things finally came to a head."

"Really? I thought you guys were happy. I hate that my relationship with Edward was the cause of this," I said as I looked down at my lap, feeling the guilt bubble up inside me that I had caused damage to so many lives.

"Bella, look at me," Jasper said sharply, so I raised my eyes to his. "This is not your fault. Alice's behavior toward you and Edward may have been the straw that broke the camel's back, but that's on her and me, not you."

I felt my brow furrow in confusion and Jasper sighed before speaking again. "Bella, you've known me since we were kids. You and Alice were my first friends when my family moved to Forks. That was middle school, and you know I was smitten with Alice the minute I laid eyes on her. And in all these years, do you know how many times I've told Alice no?" I just smirked at him because the answer was practically zero.

"Exactly, not many," he continued. "Even before Alice and I became a couple, I would have done basically anything she asked. And I don't regret that, I love her, but after thinking about our life together, it became painfully clear that Alice wouldn't do the same for me. When we were in college and my parents moved back to Texas, I thought about transferring schools and following them, but Alice wouldn't even consider going with me. She wouldn't even discuss it, so I stayed. Every life choice I've made since the seventh grade has been made with Alice in mind. I'm not saying that I haven't been happy, and I don't regret the choices that I've made, but I won't live in a marriage that one-sided anymore."

"God, Jasper, I had no idea you felt that way. I'm such a horrible friend. I've been so wrapped up in my own life." I shook my head, appalled at my own self-centered behavior. "So, what are you saying? Do you think you guys can work it out? Do you want to work things out?"

"You're not a horrible friend. I haven't wanted to talk about this much. To be honest, I didn't really know I felt this way either, not until I had a little distance and a whole lot of time to think. Walking away from her is the hardest thing I've ever done, and I hope we can work things out, but I'm not willing to go back to the way things were."

"I don't blame you. Do you mind me asking what Alice has said? Is she willing to work on things?"

"Yeah, she seems to be. Our talk didn't exactly go smoothly when she first came to me on Monday. I'm glad she apologized to everyone, and I was pleasantly surprised when she told me she's been seeing a therapist, but she wasn't thrilled when I didn't immediately jump back in with both feet. After I explained my feelings, she stormed out, and I'll admit, I thought that was the end. I've been looking at apartments for a while, and I almost pulled the trigger and signed a lease Monday, but Esme talked me out of it again. Asked me to give Alice just a little more time. Then, Alice came back the next day and we were able to have a more productive conversation. We started couple's therapy today, and Alice is continuing with hers. I'm going to go on my own as well."

"Do you mind me asking how today went?" I asked and Jasper shook his head.

"Today went well, I think. I was shocked at Alice's willingness to admit to her faults, not to say that our problems are all on her. Plenty of the blame belongs to me. I've never felt like Alice was a terrible partner, and I know she loves me, but I've let her get away with a lot over the years, so that's only made things worse over time. I'm feeling fairly optimistic, though."

"That's great, Jas. I hope things work out, but you know we're all here for you, no matter what," I said. Jasper nodded, but our conversation was cut off when Maggie ran back into the room.

"Okay, Mama, I got the playroom picked up and I'm ready to go," she declared.

"Okay, let's head home, then," I said as I stood up. I started to hug Jasper goodbye, but I stopped and asked instead, "Jasper, what are you doing for dinner? Edward's grilling some chicken, I think. Why don't you come over and join us?"

"You sure? I was just going to throw together a sandwich or something here. No point in cooking just for me."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Come on over," I said, and he nodded and told me he'd be right behind us. I texted Edward to let him know, then got Maggie loaded in the car. I thought about what Jasper had told me on the way home, and I couldn't help feeling hopeful that Alice had been sincere in her apologies if she was willing to work this hard on her marriage.

I was broken out of my thoughts when Maggie, Tyler, and Kate ran into the kitchen begging for a snack. When Rose reminded them we'd be eating lunch in about an hour, they turned the puppy dog eyes on their Nana. Rose and I laughed when the three of them shot us a triumphant look when Nana caved. Then we laughed harder at the dejected looks we got when the offered snack was carrot sticks and broccoli instead of the brownies they'd had their eye on. They took what they could get, though, and settled at the breakfast table as Edward and Jasper came inside and grabbed a beer for the guys.

It was shortly before one when Alice arrived. We'd all migrated out onto the back deck by that point, talking and watching the kids, Carlisle, and Charlie kick a soccer ball on the lawn. I'd managed to relax up until that point, but my nerves came back full force when she stepped outside. It seemed I wasn't the only one feeling tense when I noticed Alice wringing her hands and heard the cautious greetings that were exchanged. Jasper stood and kissed her on the cheek before offering her the lounge chair he'd been sitting on. He excused himself for a moment, then came back with a glass of wine for Alice and another beer for himself.

After a few awkward minutes, the conversation finally picked back up with the focus on Rose and the baby, and I found myself relaxing a little. Alice was engaged in the conversation and seemed to be trying to act as normally as possible. It was far from how things had been in the past, but we all had to start somewhere.

"Have you guys decided on a name?" Alice asked Rose and Emmett.

"Yeah, I think we've finally landed on both a girl and a boy name, so now we just have to wait," Rose said.

"Are you willing to share?" I asked.

"No, Rosie said we have to keep them a secret until the baby comes," Emmett said glumly, then his face brightened. "Sucks for you guys! It's bad enough not knowing the gender, but at least I know the names."

We all laughed at Emmett's taunting and at Esme's scowl. She'd made no secret of her dismay at them not finding out the sex until birth. I didn't really blame them, though. As much as I wanted to know as well, they had known ahead of time with both Tyler and Kate, and since they already had one of each, they'd decided to let this baby be a surprise.

Shortly after that, Edward and Emmett, who had been manning the grill, declared lunch was ready and we all gathered around the outdoor table to eat. Conversation flowed around the table, and I was feeling pretty good about the day. The kids were teasing Carlisle and my dad about their soccer game when Maggie spoke up.

"Mama, did you see me score? Papa and Grandpa Charlie were too slow to catch me!" she cackled as the grandfathers groaned. Before I could answer her, though, I saw Alice stiffen across the table and her head jerk in Maggie's direction. I glanced at Edward, and he seemed as tense as I felt, braced for the worst. I wasn't going to apologize for Maggie calling me mom, but I wished I had thought about the fact that Alice didn't know about that development. Not that I would have changed it or asked Maggie to tone it down for her, but still, I had a feeling it wouldn't go over well. Before anybody could say anything further, Maggie tried again to get my attention.

"Mama! Did you see?!" she asked again. I decided to ignore Alice and turned to Maggie.

"Yeah, sweetie, I saw that. You gotta take it easy on Papa and Grandpa Charlie, though. They're getting old," I teased. The kids laughed as Carlisle and Charlie sputtered indignantly at me calling them old, but further talk was cut off when Alice's chair scraped back away from the table. I grabbed Edward's hand under the table, expecting her to throw a fit.

"Excuse me," she mumbled, then turned and walked quickly into the house. I looked at Edward and his face registered the same wary expression mine did. I wasn't sure what to think. I looked back down the table and saw Jasper drop his head and scrub his hands over his face. He looked up and smiled at me sadly, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. It may not have been the outburst we'd been halfway expecting, but Alice's reaction to Maggie calling me mom wasn't good. I started to stand to go after her, hoping to talk to her inside rather than risk a confrontation if she came back out, but Esme stopped me.

"Please don't, Bella," she said quietly, then spoke to the group. "Does anybody need anything?"

Conversation started up again after a minute, but it was obvious that everybody was tense. My anxiety spiked again several minutes later when Alice came back out and sat down. I was braced for a fight, knowing Alice would have no problem creating a scene, even with my parents there. I also knew Charlie would stick up for me and harsh words would be said. It seemed like everyone around the table was waiting for something to happen, but after a minute, I began to relax a little. Alice had taken her seat and resumed her meal, even asking Rose to pass her the pasta salad as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Once it seemed the moment was over, the conversation picked back up and we all finished our lunch.

After we ate, the kids talked all the guys into another round of soccer, so us ladies cleared the table and worked on cleaning the kitchen. I was in the process of transferring leftovers to storage containers when Alice walked over and touched my arm.

"Bella, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked quietly. I glanced around and saw Sue and Esme talking, but Rose was watching Alice warily. I nodded and Alice walked out of the room, clearly expecting me to follow. I turned and patted Rose on the arm to stop her when it looked like she was going to get up from her perch at the island.

"I'm fine," I murmured as I passed her and followed Alice out of the room.

I found Alice in the family room and approached her cautiously, still braced for the worst, but Alice didn't look angry.

"Bella, I just wanted to apologize for lunch," she said. "I'll admit I was surprised to hear Maggie call you mama, and I needed a few minutes to myself."

"I get that, Alice, but I'm not going to apologize for filling that void in Maggie's life. I love that little girl as if she were my own, but she's the one that wanted to call me mom. It wasn't forced on her," I said defensively, cringing inwardly that I felt the need to explain anything to her.

"Bella, I'm not upset about it and of course you have nothing to apologize for. It just caught me off-guard, but I'm learning to think before I act or speak. Instead of lashing out like I would have in the past, I took a couple of minutes to compose myself," she explained. "I'm not going to lie, there's still a little part of my brain that immediately wants to defend Tanya. It's become a habit over the years, but I'm learning to override that habit. That's why I walked away. My gut reaction was to say that you're not her mother and that you can't erase Tanya from her life completely, but I know that's not what you and Edward are trying to do. By taking a few minutes to myself, I was able to calm down and think rationally and not let that gut reaction take hold."

"I appreciate that. I'll be honest and say that I was prepared for that type of reaction from you, and I was pleasantly surprised that you handled it the way you did. I'll also say that Edward and I have no intention of letting Maggie forget Tanya completely, but she deserves what Tanya wasn't able to give her."

"I agree. And I'm glad that you're the one to give that to her, Bella. I really am. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for making you and everyone else uncomfortable at lunch," she said as she started to step away. "If you'll excuse me, I'm hoping to catch Jasper for a few minutes before I leave."

"Of course, and thanks for explaining," I told her sincerely, then added, "Oh, and Alice? No matter what happens with us, I'm rooting for you and Jasper."

"Thanks," she said with a soft smile, then turned to walk outside to find Jasper.

EPOV

I smiled to myself in the dark as I lay awake listening to Bella murmur in her sleep. When I heard my name, I pulled her closer and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. I closed my eyes again, trying in vain to will myself to sleep, but I just couldn't get there. It was a little after midnight and my body was tired, but my mind was wide awake. We'd had a good weekend, but I was still tense from the gathering at my parents' house earlier in the day. We'd been home for hours, but I couldn't seem to relax, even though the day had gone much better than I'd anticipated. For some reason, though, I was having a harder time with the Alice situation now than I had when we hadn't been speaking at all. Bella had told me about Alice apologizing and explaining her actions after lunch, and I was impressed to say the least, but I was still struggling with the whole situation. I'd forgiven Alice before she ever apologized, but I had begun to realize that I still harbored quite a bit of resentment for the way she'd treated Bella and me.

I sighed as I gave up the fight for sleep and carefully extricated myself from Bella. I got up and pulled on a pair of basketball shorts over my boxers, then made my way downstairs. I treaded lightly as I passed the guest room to avoid waking Charlie and Sue, but I was surprised to find Charlie, clad in plaid pajama pants and a Forks PD t-shirt, already in the kitchen.

"Hey, Charlie. Everything okay?" I asked softly.

"Hey, kid. I'm fine. Just snuck down for a piece of this cheesecake," he grinned sheepishly as he pulled the plate from the counter behind him where he must have hidden it when he heard me coming into the room.

I laughed softly as I walked to the refrigerator and pulled the rest of the dessert out. "Great minds think alike, I guess," I said as I cut myself a wedge and slid it onto the plate Charlie had pulled out of the cabinet and offered me. The two of us stood at the counter for a couple of minutes in silence, enjoying our midnight snack, before Charlie spoke up.

"So, what's really keeping you up?" he asked, causing me to look up at him in surprise. His perceptiveness shouldn't have shocked me, considering he was a cop, but I hadn't realized I was that transparent.

"I don't know, really. I just couldn't settle down."

"Everything okay with you and Bells?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course," I said.

"So, it's your sister," he stated matter-of-factly. I felt my eyebrows shoot toward my hairline, surprised once again. "You were tense all day, Edward, and yes, it was obvious." Charlie chuckled.

"Okay, fine. Yes, I was tense, and still am. I know she apologized, and I want to believe her, but I can't seem to let go of my anger completely. Hell, I think it's worse now than it was when we weren't speaking at all," I told him, realizing that what I said hadn't made a whole lot of sense, so I continued trying to explain. "I think I just resent the fact that Bella and I have had this thing with Alice hanging over our heads all this time, and now, even though she apologized, I'm still stuck worrying and waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"I get that. Alice has been the main source of stress since the beginning of your relationship, but you can't control her. Worrying about what could happen every time you interact with her won't stop it from happening. You just need to focus on the good, focus on Bella and Maggie and let Alice sort herself out. You don't want to miss out on the forest by looking at the trees," Charlie said. I snorted a quiet laugh at his succinct advice. Charlie was a man of few words, but the words he chose usually packed a punch.

"You're right. I should have learned the day my parents brought her home from the hospital that I'd never be able to control or predict what Alice was going to do," I chuckled.

"Well, hopefully, things are on the right track now and she'll be on her best behavior from now on. I certainly hope so, anyway. If she pulls this crap again, I won't keep my mouth shut. Bella might be grown, but she's still my baby, and I don't like to see her hurt," Charlie said.

"I'm right there with you, Chief," I told him as we both nodded in solidarity over our protectiveness of Bella.

"Well, we'd better hide the evidence and get back up to bed. Sue and I need to head home early," Charlie said as he took the cheesecake and placed it back in the fridge. I took our plates and put them in the dishwasher, then turned to wish him goodnight.

"Goodnight, and thanks, Charlie," I said before we left the kitchen.

"Thanks, Charlie, for what," a sleepy voice said from the doorway. I turned to see Bella standing there, rubbing her face.

"What are you doing up? You going somewhere?" I asked, noticing she had on a pair of yoga pants with the t-shirt of mine she'd been sleeping in, along with a pair of flip-flops.

"Emmett just called; Rose's water broke. I told him I'd stay with the kids until they wake up, then bring them up to the hospital in the morning," Bella explained, then turned to Charlie. "Daddy, I'm actually glad you're up. I won't be here in the morning when you leave."

"That's alright, Bells. We'll see you soon," Charlie said.

"Baby, you stay here and see your parents off in the morning, that way you can say goodbye to Sue as well. I'll go over and stay with Tyler and Katie, and we'll swing by and get you and Mags before we go to the hospital."

"Okay, thanks," Bella said as we all turned and headed upstairs. Charlie said goodbye as he split off into the guest room while Bella and I continued down the hallway. Once in our room, Bella crawled back into bed while I threw on a shirt and stuffed my feet into an old pair of sneakers.

"I'll see you in a few hours. Get some sleep," I said as I leaned down to kiss her.

"Thanks for going. You need to get some rest, too."

"I will. I'll crash over there after Rose and Em head out. I love you," I said as I walked out of the bedroom.

"Love you, too," Bella murmured, nearly asleep.

I smiled as I headed downstairs and out of the house. I climbed in my truck and drove the couple of blocks to my brother's house. I jumped out of the truck and walked toward the door, which swung open before I even stepped onto the porch.

"Where have you been? And you're not Bella," Emmett said.

"Gee, I'm happy to see you too, big brother," I said sarcastically as I walked past him into the house.

"Sorry, I'm just stressed. Rosie's water broke and we need to go," Emmett said anxiously as we stepped into the living room, where Rose was sitting on the couch, breathing deeply with her face scrunched up in pain.

"Shit, another one already? We have to go now!" Emmett exclaimed Rose when he saw her face. She just nodded and waited to speak until the pain subsided.

"Relax, Em, we have time," Rose said finally. "Hey, Edward. Thanks for coming."

"No problem. Bella was coming, but I told her to stay home so she could see Charlie and Sue off. We'll all come up to the hospital when the kids are up in the morning."

"Okay, sounds good. Emmett, why don't you go get the bag and put it in the car," Rose said, and we both laughed as he bounded up the stairs. "He's going to give himself a heart attack," she told me with a roll of her eyes. A few seconds later, Emmett ran back through the living room, and we heard the door leading into the garage slam before he returned, breathing hard from his sprint through the house.

"Okay, Rosie, let's go. Ed, thanks for taking care of the kids. See you later," he said in a rush, holding out his hand to help Rose off the couch.

"Emmett, seriously, calm down. We aren't in that big of a hurry. You act like we've never done this before," she said, remaining in her seat.

"Rosie, this last contraction was only about five minutes from the one before and I'm not going to deliver our baby on our couch, so let's go!" Emmett said again, still holding his hand out. Rose looked like she was ready to smack him, but before she could say or do anything, her hands went to her stomach as she grunted in pain.

"Alright, that's it. They're coming really fast. Ed, get the door, will you?" Emmett asked as he bent over and scooped Rose off the couch. I got up and hurried to do as he'd asked since he'd probably kick the door down if it wasn't open by the time he got to it.

"Emmett, put me down, you brute," Rose ordered through clenched teeth.

"Rosie, we have to get to the hospital," he whined as he continued to carry her. I understood his stress, but I couldn't help but laugh when Rose pinched him when he didn't put her down fast enough and they continued to bicker as they entered the garage.

"Good luck, Rose. Try to not kill my brother," I said, and kissed her on the cheek as I walked out and helped her into the car.

"I make no promises," she said.

"We'll be up with the kids later," I told her, then closed the door and shook my head as Emmett peeled out of the driveway.

I went back in the house and laid down on the sofa, where my sleepless night finally caught up to me. Two and a half hours later, I was awakened by a text message letting me know that Amelia Leigh Cullen had arrived.

Author's Note:

Well, there's the first big interaction with Alice. Seems she's actually trying to grow up a little. And baby is here! What did you all think?