Hopeless Devotion ~ A Jasper Hale Story

Chapter Nineteen - Meeting My Daughter

The closer we got to the house, the harder it became to ignore the tiny heartbeats from inside it. Not because it tempted me. Because it didn't. And honestly? That was somehow freaking me out more. I could hear everything now. Every shift of Jasper's clothes beside me. The wind dragging through the trees. Water moving somewhere farther downhill. The world had gone from standard-definition to aggressively personal. Including the two smaller heartbeats waiting inside the house. One faster. Lighter. One stronger. Stranger. Renesmee and Adeline. Still absolutely insane that those were real sentences now.

"She's doing well," Jasper said quietly beside me.

I glanced at him. "That sounded suspiciously like the opening line of a medical presentation."

His mouth twitched slightly.

"She's healthy," he corrected. "Carlisle's monitoring everything carefully. Formula and donated blood are both working."

I blinked once. "Good. I'm thrilled my child's dietary needs sound like a science experiment."

"She prefers warmed blood."

"Of course she does." I sighed dramatically. "God forbid anyone in this family act normal for five consecutive minutes."

A soft wave of amusement brushed against me before I even saw his expression shift. Still weird. Probably always would be.

"She sleeps through most nights now," he continued.

"Most?"

"Occasional wake-ups."

"Fantastic. Love that I can make use of not sleeping."

That got an actual quiet laugh out of him. Small victory.

Then his expression softened slightly. "She looks for you."

Yeah. Okay. Didn't love that. I stared ahead at the house through the trees before rolling my eyes hard enough to compensate for the sudden emotional damage.

"Cool," I muttered. "That's not terrifying at all."

Jasper's hand settled lightly against my back as we reached the porch.

Grounding. Steady. I leaned into it without thinking. The second we stepped inside, the sounds hit harder. Heartbeats layered through the room. Fabric shifting. Someone tapping fingers lightly against wood. Renesmee's stronger pulse. Adeline's smaller one. 

And immediately—I noticed the hoodie. Draped over the couch as if someone had just abandoned it there. I stared at them for a second before snorting softly. Bella. Because Alice would rather set herself on fire than allow the living room to look remotely lived in. Somehow, my sister had become a vampire and still managed to decorate spaces like a tired college student. That was comforting, honestly. The room itself looked weirdly organized around the babies.

Bella sat near the middle of the couch holding Renesmee, who already looked way older than any baby had a right to. Months old at least. Alert dark eyes moved around the room with creepy little genius-baby focus while one hand fisted in Bella's sleeve.

Rosalie sat beside her, holding Adeline.

Smaller.

Definitely smaller.

Closer to a few weeks old, even if there was still something too aware in her expression every time her eyes moved.

Edward sat beside Bella in full protective husband mode. Emmett leaned against Rosalie's chair. Esme stayed nearby while Alice and Carlisle hovered around the edges of the room like everyone had silently formed some kind of defensive baby circle.

And then every single one of them looked at me. Awesome. No pressure.

"Wow," I said dryly, "this feels way too serious for someone who literally just fought a mountain lion."

Emmett grinned immediately. "Did you win?"

"Emotionally? No."

Bella laughed softly. And there she was. My sister. I moved toward her automatically before my brain caught up enough to remind me she was currently holding an extremely breakable super-baby. Right. Can't aggressively hug people while they're carrying infants. Good adjustment, Tiffany. So instead I crouched beside the couch and grabbed Bella's forearm tightly.

She squeezed back immediately. Solid. Safe. "You smell better," Bella said quietly.

I stared at her. "...That is genuinely the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Bella smirked slightly. "You're welcome."

I shook my head. "Wow. Near death really improved your people skills."

"That's rich coming from you."

Fair.

I stood again and immediately drifted back toward Jasper without thinking about it, fingers hooking loosely around his wrist. At this point I was basically attached to him by emotional support leash. Not my fault. He started it. His thumb brushed once over my knuckles.

Then—A smaller heartbeat sped up. My attention snapped toward Rosalie automatically. Toward Adeline. Rosalie stood carefully, watching me closely enough that it was almost funny. Honestly? Respect.

If someone had told me a month ago I'd willingly let my newborn daughter be held by a newborn vampire, I probably would've prepared an army.

Adeline looked up. And froze. Tiny green eyes locked onto me instantly. Not curious. Recognizing. Something in me stopped cold. Small hands lifted toward me immediately, reaching with complete confidence, as if there was never any question I'd take her.

A tiny sound left her. Not a word. Just soft little hums. "Mmm..."

"Oh," I heard myself say quietly.

That was—Yeah. Okay. That did something to me emotionally. Rosalie stepped closer and I reached automatically, every movement suddenly careful in a way I didn't have to think about anymore. I braced myself anyway.

For thirst. For instinct. For all the horrible things Jasper had spent weeks preparing me for. The heartbeat got louder the second Adeline settled into my arms. Fast. Warm. Alive. And none of it mattered more than the fact that she fit there perfectly.

No burning thirst. No overwhelming hunger. Just—Her. Tiny hands grabbed fistfuls of my shirt immediately while she leaned against me like she already knew this was where she belonged. Like she still knew me. My throat tightened unexpectedly. I could actually see her now. Really see her. Every tiny detail sharp enough to hurt. The shape of her cheeks. Her dark little eyelashes. The warmth of her skin against my cold hands. Human memories felt blurry compared to this.

Beside me, Jasper relaxed slightly. I felt it immediately. When I looked up at him, his expression had gone softer than I'd seen since before everything changed. His eyes moved between Adeline and me carefully, like he still couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

Honestly? Neither could I. I looked back down at my daughter as she settled more comfortably against my chest.

"Well," I murmured quietly, adjusting my grip with ridiculous levels of concentration, "this feels emotionally catastrophic."