Disclaimer still applies.
Many thanks to jbeaucage for all her help!
*Halloween*
Enjoy!
**********S*C**********
Present Day
Bella shook out of her heavy jacket and hung it in the closet before going in search of her husband. She thought it strange that Edward and Lottie hadn't greeted her at the door, as was their usual routine on Wednesdays.
Bella's love for cooking and the fact that she was married to possibly the most unselfish man on the planet had afforded her the opportunity to add a culinary course to her schedule. The class met every Wednesday from nine until noon. Unfortunately, this meant that Bella would be away from Lottie one day more every week than she'd planned, but Edward was nothing but supportive.
Bella couldn't recall seeing any man fall into the role of caring for an infant as easily as Edward Cullen had. The adoration he held for his child, for all his children, was evident in everything he did. Whether it was helping Anthony and Marie with homework, cuddling Lottie before bedtime, or letting all three children pile on top of him while they watched cartoons together in the family room, he was a natural.
Edward had made it clear that he enjoyed Wednesdays immensely if only for the fact that for an hour before Anthony and Marie arrived home from school, he had Bella all to himself well, with the exception of having to share her with the baby.
As a matter of fact, he'd prided himself on the fact that he could usually have his wife naked and moaning his name within ten minutes of her pulling the car into the driveway.
"Edward," Bella called softly, conscious that Lottie may be napping.
No answer.
"Edward," she called a little louder as she made her way to the hallway which led to their bedroom. As soon as she heard the water running in the shower, she relaxed.
She found Lottie in her crib, dressed in a fuzzy yellow sleeper and playing happily with her feet. When she glanced in the direction of the changing table, however, it resembled a disaster area.
Everything that was usually kept on top of the table was lying on the floor, along with an array of baby clothes and at least one shirt and pair of pants that belonged to Edward.
Bella grinned, knowing she was going to receive an earful from her beleaguered husband.
She checked the time, and glanced to make sure that Lottie was still playing happily before slipping out of her clothes and quietly entering the bathroom.
Edward was just rinsing the soap from his body when he felt two slender arms snake around his waist from behind. He grinned widely, "I should tell you that my wife will be home at any moment, so we'll need to make this quick."
Bella responded by taking a step back and smacking his bare ass. Hard.
"Ow!" Edward blurted out a laugh as he turned to face his smirking wife.
"Angel, if you think for one moment that I didn't know it was you behind me, then all I can say is that I'm going to have to spend the next hour convincing you that there is no one," he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, "who affects me", he kissed her cheek, "the way that you do," he made sure to rub his burgeoning erection against her stomach as he trailed soft kisses along her neck.
"Mmmm," was Bella's response just as his lips met hers once again.
Before she got too lost in the moment, Bella wanted to make sure that Lottie was okay. "Is everything alright? The bedroom looks as if you had a challenging day."
At her words, Edward stopped his movements and grimaced. "I was rocking Lottie and feeding her a bottle when," he hesitated, "well, I guess there's no other way to say it. Our daughter shit all over herself and me."
Bella pressed her lips together to keep from cracking up.
Edward quirked an eyebrow, "Go ahead and laugh. You know you want to. But I fail to understand how something so noxious, vile, and downright funky, can come out of such a sweet, little, cherubic being."
"Edward, Lottie isn't your first child; I'm sure that Anthony…"
"No," Edward cut her off, "never, Bella. Anthony never produced anything the caliber of what our little princess is capable of. Believe me, I'd remember." He shuddered just a bit, causing Bella to finally lose control and break down into a fit of giggles.
It wasn't long before Edward was laughing along with her and not long after that before the laughter ceased as Edward began to kiss Bella's soft flesh. By the time his lips found their way to her breasts, Bella's giggles had been replaced by moans of desire.
A short time later, during one of his more lucid moments, Edward realized that he'd gladly allow his daughter to soil his clothing any day if it meant he'd be rewarded with a round of hot and steamy shower sex with his beautiful wife.
**S*C***
Even baby Lottie was dressed as a pumpkin, although she was going to stay behind with her grandparents while Anthony and Marie went out trick-or-treating.
Two hours later, their bags filled with goodies collected from willing neighbors, Anthony and Marie dumped their treasure on the kitchen table to be meticulously inspected by their very protective father.
"Some guy was hiding behind the bushes in front of his house, and when he jumped out, Mommy screamed!" Anthony excitedly relayed the events of the evening to his grandparents while the whole family laughed.
"Who was it?" Charlie asked his daughter with a smile.
Bella shook her head, smiling as well. "Ben Anderson. I wanted to smack him."
"After that," Marie began with a giggle, "Mommy kept hiding her face in Daddy's coat when we was walking up to the doors."
"were walking," Edward corrected.
Marie grinned, "were walking up to the doors."
Everyone laughed again.
"Sounds like you had an interesting evening," Charlie remarked while rubbing his chin with his hand. "But I think your mother and I have you beat." He paused and quirked his head toward the doorway leading to the family room, indicating that Bella should follow him in there.
"What happened?" Bella asked, once she was certain that the children couldn't hear.
"Let's just say that I got to follow up on a promise I made a little over a year ago." Charlie said smugly.
"What was that?"
"I got to arrest Will Peterson." Charlie's smirk turned into a wide smile when he took in the surprised expression on his daughter's face.
"What?"
"He showed up soon after you left with the kids. He was surprised to see me here, and almost polite, at first. But you know Will, that didn't last long." Charlie scowled. "Said he wanted to see Marie in her costume; said you'd okayed it."
Bella narrowed her eyes in anger and frustration. "I most certainly did not." Bella was fuming. "He tried to horn in on Marie's Halloween, but since tonight is not on his usual visitation schedule, I was perfectly within my rights to deny him…"
Charlie held up a hand in an effort to calm his daughter. "Hold on, Bella. No one's questioning you; we all know Will's a liar."
"Oh, sorry." Bella calmed down somewhat before her eyes opened wide as she remembered what her father had said. "Dad, you arrested him?"
Charlie smirked and nodded. "Yep. I know a drunk when I see one, and he was definitely drunk. I questioned him for a few minutes; he denied drinking and refused a breathalyzer."
"Whoa," Bella continued to stare at her Dad as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"That horse's ass could have struck a kid, driving around in that condition, so I took him into custody."
"Fucking A!" Edward called from the doorway where he'd obviously been eavesdropping. He sauntered into the room, grinning from ear to ear. "Please tell me that you handcuffed him?"
Charlie's eyes were dancing with delight. "Hell yes I did!"
Edward held out his fist toward his father-in-law. Charlie studied it with pursed lips.
"Come on, Chief, don't leave me hangin'." Edward pleaded with a smile.
Charlie laughed then and proceeded to bump fists with his son-in-law.
"I would pay a thousand bucks to see that piece of shit in handcuffs," Edward said with a slightly wistful expression on his face.
Charlie quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I think if you sweet talk your mother-in-law, she'll let you see the photos for free."
Bella's mouth fell open in disbelief, "Mom took photos?"
"You know her and that damned camera; she always has it with her…" Charlie explained.
"Well, you never know when something important may happen. I could make a pretty penny off of a newsworthy photo…" Renee had suddenly appeared in the doorway, curious as to what was going on.
"In Winter Harbor, Renee? Really?" Charlie teased.
"Stranger things have been known to happen, Charlie Swan," She gave her husband a pointed look before turning back toward Bella and Edward. "Besides, your Dad looked hot." Renee informed with a giggle as she brushed her hand along Charlie's upper arm.
Charlie cleared his throat, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Oookay," Bella responded, looking a bit uncomfortable herself.
"What? Can I help it if I found it sexy to watch my husband arrest that fool? I wish he'd given your Daddy a reason to hit him while he was at it. Although," she paused and grinned wickedly, "that may have been more than I could handle and still keep my clothes on."
"Mom!" Bella scolded, as Edward guffawed.
"Oh, Bella, you need to loosen up, sweetie."
"Alrighty," Charlie interrupted, "I think it's time I took my wife home, she's getting as nutty as her Aunt Mimi."
"Oh, Charlie, give it a rest." Renee answered with a roll of her eyes.
Edward was still laughing when they pulled out of the driveway.
"Have to hand it to your dad," Edward remarked after they'd gotten all the children to bed.
"Why's that? Putting up with my crazy mom?" Bella laughed.
"Nah, your mom's awesome, by the way," He grinned widely. "I was speaking of arresting that loser. I want those fucking photos and I want to post them on Facebook." Edward couldn't seem to stop smiling.
Bella wasn't sure how she felt about Will's idiocy. On one hand, she was glad he'd been brought up short for his stupidity, but on the other she worried about her daughter's reaction. In this small town, word of her father's arrest was sure to travel and she didn't want Marie to suffer any embarrassment because of it.
Still, Will deserved whatever punishment he received and more.
Bella's thoughts wandered back to October a year before….
*********flashback, one year earlier*******
"I'm so sorry, Edward," Bella moaned as she leaned over the toilet bowl, awaiting the next wave of nausea. "I'm ruining our honeymoon."
It was the second morning of their honeymoon cruise, and also the second morning in which Bella was awakened by a crippling bout of seasickness.
"Angel, please stop apologizing." Edward said with a sigh. "You're not ruining anything. However, I think you need to realize that, no matter how much you argue, I'm taking you to see the ship's doctor."
"No, Edward, I'll be fine, really." Bella's protest was weak at best. "I don't want to be a bother."
How could she honestly expect her husband not to be concerned?
"Isabella," it was rare for Edward to use her full name, "no arguments. It will bother me a lot more if I spend our entire honeymoon worried about you."
"Oh," Bella hadn't thought about that, and felt remorseful all over again. "I'm so sorry…"
"Angel, stop." Edward's hands soothed her upper arms as he left a soft kiss on the top of her head. The nausea had passed, and Bella leaned back against her husband's chest, exhausted.
***S*C***
Edward stood by quietly as the nurse recorded Bella's weight, pulse, blood pressure and temperature. "Why are we seeing you today, Mrs. Cullen?"
"Because my husband insisted," Bella blurted without thinking and then laughed lightly at the expression on Edward's face.
Edward arched an eyebrow in challenge and smirked. "My wife, having grown up in Maine and spent a great deal of time on the water, insisted that she didn't need any motion sickness meds before boarding the ship. For the last two mornings, she's had a pretty rough time of it…" By the time Edward had finished speaking his smirk had morphed into a look of real concern for his wife's health.
"Seasickness?" The nurse gave Bella a sympathetic smile.
Bella nodded in response.
"Happens quite often," She then turned back to her notes. "When was the first day of your last menstrual cycle, Mrs. Cullen?"
Bella was a bit taken aback by the question. She tried to think. Where was her little pocket calendar in which she always kept track of her periods? She realized that she hadn't packed it in her suitcase to take on this trip…
She wracked her brain trying to remember when she'd had her last period.
"Bella?" Edward's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"Um," Bella hesitated as she gave him a confused look and then turned back toward the nurse. "I don't know. I mean, I keep track but I don't have my calendar with me…" Try as she might, Bella couldn't remember having a period since the children had started back to school over a month before.
"That's alright; I'll note that you're not sure."
Bella nodded absentmindedly. Now that she thought about it, a little part inside began to panic. She pushed that aside, certain that, with everything that had been happening since the wedding, she'd merely forgotten.
The doctor was a tall man who appeared to be in his fifties. He had an air of authority that intimidated Bella a little. "You're not currently taking anything for seasickness, Mrs. Cullen?"
"No, sir." She answered in a meek voice. "I didn't think I'd need it."
"Hmm." He grunted before leaving the room, only to return a moment later, carrying two items; a specimen cup sealed in plastic and a small bottle containing several white tablets.
"These should help with the nausea." He stated as he placed the bottle of medication in Bella's hand. "And this will determine whether or not you're pregnant."
Bella's mouth fell open in surprise, and she didn't dare even glance at her husband.
"But, I'm on the pill." The words were barely a whisper.
Doctor Banner merely shrugged. "You are aware that the pill is not a hundred percent effective, correct?"
Bella took a deep breath as she felt Edward's hand soothe her back. "Of course."
Fifteen minutes later found them awaiting the results of the test. Neither said a word, but Edward made sure to study his wife's face. She'd been very honest that she didn't want another child until she finished school, and that was over a year away.
Edward, on the other hand, was thrilled at the prospect of becoming a father again. Especially with Bella as the mother of his child. She was the opposite of Jackie in every way…
When the doctor re-entered the exam room, Edward and Bella watched silently as he closed the door behind him, his expression giving nothing away. "Well, it seems that you are, in fact, pregnant, Mrs. Cullen. I would surmise that the nausea you are experiencing has more to do with that and less to do with motion sickness."
Bella sat there wide-eyed and blinking as she tried to absorb this new information. "But…" Her mind couldn't formulate another thing to say.
"Those pills are perfectly harmless, and have been known to work wonders against morning sickness." Doctor Banner paused. "Obviously, as soon as you arrive home, you'll want to schedule an appointment with your doctor."
Bella seemed to finally gather her wits at that point, and rose from her seat to shake the doctor's hand. "Thank you, Doctor. I'll do that."
"You're welcome. Take care, and please don't hesitate to come see me if you have any questions or any other problems."
"Thank you, Doctor." Edward said in a low voice.
***S*C***
Bella drew in a deep breath and released it. "Well," She paused and gave him a small smile. "I suppose I'm thinking that I need to re-read 'What to Expect When You're Expecting'; it's been a while."
Edward grinned. "I can't help it, Bella, I'm so fucking happy right now."
Bella laughed. She could see the joy in his eyes as he spoke.
"I can tell," she whispered as she stroked his cheek.
"I'm sorry; I know you wanted to wait before we had a baby but…"
Bella placed a finger against his lips to silence him. "I'll admit that I'm a little stunned, but I'm happy about this. Truly happy. Yes, I'd hoped to finish school first, but the thought of having a baby with you…" She sighed, "I can't imagine anything more wonderful," she admitted as her eyes filled with tears.
Edward leaned in to give her a lingering kiss.
As much as he wanted, at that moment, to stay in the cabin and make love to his wife, his protective nature needed to make sure that she ate a proper dinner.
Later that night, however, he didn't hesitate showing his Angel exactly what she meant to him.
Bella cried again out of sheer happiness, knowing how different this pregnancy would be from her last.
She looked forward to sharing every moment of it with her adoring husband.
***S*C***
Bella had feared Esme's reaction. Her mother-in-law had never been overly warm, although after the way Jackie had treated her son, Bella could hardly blame her.
Add to that the fact that Bella and Edward had opted for the small wedding in July rather than the society event that Esme had been planning, and Bella was certain that she wasn't one of Esme's favorite people.
Imagine her surprise when Edward's mother was every bit as excited by the news as her own mother had been.
"You look stunned, Angel," Edward remarked after ending the call to his parents.
Bella blinked a few times while gathering her thoughts. "I fully expected your mother to lecture me."
Edward frowned. "About what, particularly?"
"Burdening her son with another child so soon," Bella answered with a slight shrug, "Face it, Edward, you've gone from a father of one child to a father of two, soon to be three, and it's all happened rather quickly…"
Edward held up a hand to stop her, "The more accurate description would be that I went from being a lonely single dad to being someone who has a family he can't live without. You and Marie," he paused to glance down and place a hand on Bella's still flat stomach, "and now this new little one, mean everything to me, Angel."
"I love my son with all my heart and was never happier than the day he was born, but this time I get to experience bringing a new life into the world with a woman I love, and who loves me. I can't tell you how fucking great that feels."
Bella smiled. "You don't have to tell me, I know exactly how you feel."
Edward returned her smile. It was true. They'd both escaped loveless marriages, thankfully with their souls intact and two beautiful, well-rounded children to show for their efforts.
***S*C***
The only blip came in the form of a phone call from Bella's parents.
"No fucking way!" Edward exclaimed while speaking on the phone with his father-in-law. "Sorry, Chief," he muttered, apologizing for the choice of language as he raked a hand through his hair in agitation.
"S'alright," Chief Swan assured. "I don't want Bella getting upset, er, especially in her delicate condition, so I'll leave it up to you to tell her about this."
"Sure thing, Charlie," Edward answered as he saw his wife watching him intently from the bathroom doorway. "And thanks again."
Edward kept his eyes on Bella as he ended the call.
"What's wrong?" She asked, crossing the room until she was seated beside him, worry evident on her face.
"Nothing is wrong," Edward said in a clear voice while looking into her eyes. "There's been a small incident, for lack of a better word, and I'll give you all the details as long as you promise to remain calm."
Bella took a deep breath as she attempted to slow her racing heart. "Okay, but please tell me the children are alright?"
"They're absolutely fine. Angel, do you seriously think we'd be sitting here if they weren't?"
Bella shook her head and relaxed a little. "No."
Edward tried to smile, but Bella could tell that he was making a valiant effort to hide his anger.
"It seems that, when Will showed up for his supervised visitation today, that bitch Lena was there."
"What?!" Bella jumped from her spot on the sofa, suddenly seething.
Edward stood and took her hand in his. "Calm down, okay. They scheduled to meet at Pizza Hut. Will arrived first, and was having lunch with your parents and our kids when Lena suddenly showed up with her girls."
"She's not allowed anywhere near Marie!" Bella was wringing her hands and becoming more upset by the second.
"And your parents were quick to inform both of them of that. Lena denied knowing that Will would be there visiting with Marie, but your parents didn't buy it."
"Marie was visibly upset at the sight of her, and your Dad threatened to arrest them both for going against the court order, so Lena and her kids left without having lunch."
Bella calmed down a little. "How did Will behave after that?"
He wasn't nice, but didn't step too far over the line either, knowing your father would be more than happy to toss his sorry ass in jail."
Bella nodded. "I need to call Marie."
"Angel, I think it would be better if you calmed down first. Marie is fine now, but if she senses that you're upset, she won't be. That little girl worries about you just as much as you do about her."
Bella sighed and gave her husband a grateful smile. "You really are the most amazing man," she began as she wound her arms around his waist. "Thank you for keeping me grounded."
"Thank you for doing the same for me, Angel."
By the time Bella spoke with Marie, she could tell that the incident with Lena was long forgotten.
It turned out that Renee Swan was much more astute than her daughter realized. As soon as they left Pizza Hut, she whisked the children away to shop for Halloween costumes, so by the time that Bella and Edward spoke with them that evening, the incident with Lena wasn't even mentioned.
Instead, they got to listen to Anthony excitedly go on about his Captain America costume, "And guess what? My helmet has a big letter 'A' just like my name!"
Marie, who had recently become obsessed with fairy tales, had fallen in love with a Little Red Riding Hood costume. "It's so pretty, and I get to wear a long red cape!"
"My mother is brilliant," Bella stated after ending the call.
Edward couldn't argue with that assessment.
***S*C***
Bella and Edward decided that, even though they'd already told their parents, they would wait until after arriving home to tell Anthony and Marie.
They both silently prayed that the children would welcome the news, but Anthony and Marie weren't always predictable.
As much as they were loath to say goodbye to the warm Caribbean sun, by the time their ship pulled into port in Miami, they were anxious to get home.
***S*C***
Upon hearing the news, Marie asked if the baby would arrive before Christmas.
"No, honey. We won't know for sure until my first doctor visit, but the baby won't be here until winter is over."
Marie smiled then. "Can I hold the baby?"
Edward laughed and hugged his daughter. "Definitely."
Marie was so excited that she clapped her hands before bolting into the family room, returning a couple of minutes later with her doll stroller. "Mommy, my dolly can share her stroller with the baby."
Bella smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm. It was obvious that Marie was happy with the idea of a new sibling; however, Anthony still sat quietly chewing his pizza.
"Is the baby a girl or a boy?" he asked after Bella explained to Marie that, although she was grateful for the offer, the baby would have to use a 'baby size' stroller.
"We won't know for a while, son," Edward explained.
"Oh, okay." Anthony frowned, still deep in thought.
"What's bothering you, buddy?" Edward asked as he prepared himself to reassure Anthony that the new baby wouldn't take away from the love and attention that he and Marie already received from their parents.
"Daddy, we can't let the baby have garlic." Anthony said, his tone urgent.
Huh?
Bella and Edward both stared at Anthony; confused expressions on their faces.
"Um, Anthony, babies don't eat garlic." Bella assured in a soft tone.
"They don't?"
"No, sweetie."
Anthony frowned again as he thought about that. "Then why did my friend Ricky say that his new brother was cryin' all night 'cause he had garlic?"
Edward shook his head, obviously still confused. "I don't know, he must have meant something else…"
"He said the baby's tummy hurts all the time, and Ricky's mommy has to rock him every night. I don't want our baby to cry all the time."
"That sounds like colic," Edward paused.
Bella bit her lip and smiled "Yes, colic or maybe cahhlic…" She announced in the best New England accent she could muster. "Did Ricky say the baby had cahhlic, Anthony?"
"Yeah, garlic." He nodded.
"I'm sorry Edwahhd, ouwah son is still listenin' with New Yawk eayahs." She giggled loudly at the expression on Edward's face. "Aftah he's been heyah a while, he'll undahstand the Mainglish bettah."
Edward, Anthony and Marie were all laughing by this time.
"You sound like Grandpa Charlie's friend, Mister Cutler." Anthony observed.
Bella nodded and smiled. "Mister Cutler has a very pronounced accent. And I bet Grandpa Charlie sounds a lot like that when they're together, doesn't he?"
Marie and Anthony both nodded, still giggling.
After explaining to Anthony that Bella and Edward would do their best to keep the baby free from colic, their children changed subjects to one a little more pressing: since Halloween was in two days, they needed to decide whether they would go trick-or-treat in their neighborhood or in Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Renee's.
*****end of flashback******Return to present day*****
"Honey, again?" Bella asked as she peered over Edward's shoulder at the computer screen. She turned and spoke to the baby in her arms, "Lottie, your Daddy is obsessed."
Lottie merely smiled at her Mommy.
"Baby, I can't stop," Edward admitted as his wife giggled. "This is so awesome. I could hug the shit out of both your parents right about now."
"Um," Bella paused, an amused expression on her face, "Oookay. I suppose that's a good thing?"
Edward laughed. "It most certainly is. I mean, look at this. Your Dad practically had that douchebag in a choke hold before flipping him around and putting the cuffs on."
"Edward, I can't believe you've made a slide show out of those photos." Bella was still smiling, but her eyes held a hint of worry. "Promise me that you won't let the kids see those. I'm not sure how Marie would feel about what happened…"
"No worries, Angel. Forget what I said about posting these on Facebook. As much as I'd like to humiliate that asshole, I couldn't do that to Marie." Edward swiveled his chair around to face his wife, using the opportunity to pull Bella and Lottie onto his lap. "These are for my eyes only," he said before depositing a kiss on Bella's lips, "just like the photos of you in the black lingerie."
"Edward," Bella gasped and glanced toward the door as if she expected to see Anthony and Marie standing there.
Edward laughed again. "Don't play coy, Angel; I'm the guy who knows firsthand what a sexy little vixen you really are."
Bella could feel her face heat up at his words, but all the same, couldn't stop her lips from turning up into a big smile.
"Well, I'm going to put Lottie to bed." She stood and walked toward the door, turning to face him before leaving the room. "If you can manage to drag yourself away from photos of my Dad and Will, then maybe I'll try on that lacy little number in question."
Edward was shutting down his computer before the words were even fully out of Bella's mouth.
******A/N*****
Two chapters to go. Hoping to finish and post in the next couple of weeks.
Teasers posted on my blog (for whatever story I'm working on at that moment) every Thursday.
For those of you who are fans of "Wrap You In My Arms" a final future take for that story will post very soon. It will prepare the way for the sequel, "Into My Arms".
Join us on Facebook in the group Emmamama's Stories.I'm Emmamama88 on Twitter, and Annie Author Vandv on FB as well.
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