My Mate Saga (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Fourteen

  "I just love you so much!" she crooned sweetly.

Edward's chest swelled with pride. He'd never get tired of hearing her say that.

"I love you too, my darling, more than anything in this world."

Bella looked up at him, surprised.

She was sitting on the ground next to her last kill, a massive white tailed buck. The others were all anxious to get going, it was a few hours till sun rise, they had been traveling for days and were only miles away from Carlisle's territory but Bella had planted herself firmly in front of the drained carcass and was tearing off small pieces of flesh to hand feed Jake.

She blinked at Edward with those large eyes that made his insides melt. "Oh, I love you too, sweetheart, but I was talking to Jake," she admitted with the decency to at least look a bit contrite. Her cheeks flushed pink as she gave the happy puppy an appreciated scratch behind his little ear.

Jake beamed up at her with the doggy equivalent of adoration.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Edward growled furiously. She'd been coddling the damn dog the entire journey and he was burning with envy.

Over a puppy.

He would have found it humorous if it wasn't happening to him. He would have laughed without fail if it was happening to say, Emmett. But as it was he found himself passing the time contemplating a creative list of ways to eliminate his canine competition.

Jake could have a terrible accident.

"Edward, why are you looking at him like that?" Bella asked wearily, scooping up her tiny friend and holding him tightly against her chest.

Apparently Edward had been less subtle about his intentions than he thought.

He worked quickly to fake a bright smile. "No reason, love. The little guys just really cute, that's all," he crooned towards Jake.

The animal narrowed his dark eyes at Edward, his ears folding flat against his head in a clearly suspicious expression... he was on to him.

Bella grinned at her mate, fooled and delighted that Edward was playing nice. "I knew you two would get along eventually," she bragged. The little female jumped to the tips of her toes and brushed her soft lips against his. Edward purred happily.

Jake growled in her arms.

"Hey! Jake, be nice!" she reprimanded.

Edward childishly stuck his tongue out at the miniature red brown wolf when Bella turned her back.

'Game on, mutt.'

"Jake's full, baby. We're ready to go." Edward nodded and bent low for her to hop on.

"Fucking finally," Tanya hissed when he started the group into a run.

At this point in the journey the strawberry blonde was constantly green with envy, irritated at Edward's willingness to appease Bella's wants and needs. Edward just snickered; he couldn't wait to get her home. Maybe he,as a gentleman, couldn't retaliate for her derogatory comments towards Bella but Rosalie loathed the youngest Denali sister and would put her in her place without hesitation.

Carlisle and his family controlled a massive stretch of land by the town called Forks and an Indian reserve called La Push. It was in the heart of a nature reserve and ideal for an animal eating vampire coven. Plenty of diverse wildlife, very little human interaction.

"It's so beautiful," Bella breathed in awe as she took in the vast stretches of plush grass and healthy vegetation. Edward resolved to take her out during the day sometime soon, when it wasn't cloudy or rainy and the colorful wildflowers were open in the sunlight.

"This is your home, love. This is all ours," he told her proudly. He wanted to give her the world but he was glad to start with a safe home for her and their little one. Not Jake.

"Are you excited to meet your new family?" he inquired mid-run.

Bella buried her face into his neck, he couldn't see her expression but he was sure it held the same nervousness and apprehension it always did when he mentioned their impending arrival.

"What if they don't like me?" she asked, her lovely voice crestfallen.

His mate was obviously scared and every instinct Edward possessed screamed at him to comfort her, to hold her tight and kiss her until her fears were gone, but they were so close and he needed to get her settled into her new home first and foremost.

He kept in the lead of the Denial sisters as he cooed to her soothingly. "That's absurd, angel. They'll absolutely adore you. They've been waiting years for me to find someone. My parents are going to be thrilled," he told her truthfully.

"I know they have. But what if they've been waiting all this time just to be disappointed. What if I'm not enough?" she claimed, running the fingers of her free hand through Jake's reddish brown fur. She briefly amused herself with the realization that it nearly matched the exact shade of Edward's hair.

He scoffed as he hurtled over a familiar stream that lined his home territory. He knew his family would be able to hear their approach from this point on.

"Baby, please don't think like that. You're a thousand times more than I ever dared to dream. They'll love you just as much as I do." He knew it was true. Esme and Carlisle would be over the moon and Alice, "My sisters might even love you more than they love me."

"Really?"

"Really."

Bella giggled and kissed his jaw. "Thank you."

"The Cullen's are without a doubt the loveliest creatures we've encountered in our five hundred years, inside and out," Kate added, "You'll fit right in, young one."

Bella beamed at the pretty blonde appreciatively. She really did like Kate.

Jake began snoring against Edward's back with volume that would rival a much larger dog. They found out early on that the little animal intensely disliked the jostle of travel via vampire and often napped to avoid the blurred view of their surroundings as they moved at an alarmingly fast pace.

"Slow down," Edward instructed as his party grew close to his home. "They can hear us approaching but until they see us they won't know if we're friend or foe. We're down wind." He didn't want them to think they were under attack.

Sure enough, when they crossed the last line of trees and entered a large green covered clearing Edward's excitement was palpable. Eight Cullen's were lined up in a defensive position, waiting anxiously for the intruders. Even Charlotte, Jasper and Alice's teenage child, stood by her parent side. Her suitor, Peter, flanked her left side in a protective stance.

The Cullen's narrowed their eyes to study the assumed threat but it was only seconds before Alice was screaming her head off.

"Edward! Oh god, its Edward!" she cried, causing everyone else to follow suit.

Esme gasped and collapsed into the arms of an elated Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper cheered boisterously. Rosalie, who was busy glaring maliciously at Tanya, threw a grin their way.

Edward stopped a few paces shy of his family and lowered himself for Bella to jump off. He still kept himself planted protectively in front of her, more for her mental well being than her physical safety. He knew she wasn't in any danger but she was still noticeably fearful. She'd never seen a coven this large and it was overwhelming.

There was no holding Alice back, the tiny black-haired sprite had her arms around his neck in a stranglehold and was producing noises one might expect from a bird or an excited mouse. "Oh, Edward! I knew you'd come back! I knew you'd come home!"

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around his favorite sister. "I've missed you so much, Ali-cat."

Esme was next, nearly knocking her daughter over in her eagerness to get to her missing son. Her body was racked with sobs as she embraced her eldest child.

"It's ok, mom. I'm home. I'm so sorry," he whispered into her soft caramel colored hair. He'd been so consumed with Bella he hadn't realized how much he missed his family.

"We were so scared," she sniffed, "When you didn't come back from your hunt and we went looking for you..." she tailed off, unable finish her statement, too over come with raw relief.

Carlisle stepped forward to help Edward comfort her. "It's good to have you home, son," he smiled warmly, hugging Edward around Esme's small clinging form. He took a step back to offer a diplomatic 'hello' to the Denali sisters.

Edward put his arm around his mom and turned her slowly to face Bella. She had made herself so small and quiet that she had nearly gone unnoticed in the excitement of Edward's return. She was shaking lightly, snuggling Jake like a security blanket.

"Mom, Dad, I have someone I want you to meet," he announced, brimming with love and pride. "I found my mate. This is my Bella."

Esme's response was predictable but still frightening. Thankfully, Bella had enough foresight to drop Jake to the ground before he was crushed by the intensity of Esme's hug. He clawed at her leg, desperate to be picked up again as Esme swayed Bella's small body ecstatically from side to side.

"Oh Edward, she's beautiful!" she cried without releasing Bella, "Carlisle look! Isn't she gorgeous?"

Bella was rigid and wide-eyed, clearly startled by the overly warm welcome.

"Mom, maybe..." Edward shot his father a pleading look.

Carlisle cleared his throat gruffly, trying to choke back a chuckle. "Esme dear, perhaps you should give Bella a bit of space. You're scaring the girl."

She wasn't listening to either of them. Esme seemed to be deeply distracted, studying Bella carefully. Then- much to Edward's absolute horror- his mother started sniffing his mate. Not even discreet whiffs, but long, heavy drags of Bella's scent!

"Oh Jesus. Dad!" Edward groaned, mortified.

Carlisle looked equal parts amused and embarrassed as he peeled Esme off the stunning brunette. She struggled against him with surprising force as he pulled her away. Edward swept in to gather Bella into his arms; he could hear Emmett and Jasper rolling on the ground with whooping gaffas.

"Carlisle, let me go!" she squirmed. "You can't keep me away from my new daughter and my grandbaby!"

Everyone stopped moving and gaped.

Unfortunately Emmett was the first the find his voice.

"Eh, Mom, I know Edward doesn't exactly have my dashing good looks, but I'm still pretty sure that thing is a wolf cub... not his first born," the oaf reasoned with mock sincerity, pointing to Jake who was whimpering at Bella's feet.

"Although I can see where you were confused. The hair is similar," Jasper added wistfully.

Edward made a mental note to destroy his brothers at a more convenient time.

"Grandchild?" he repeated softly, stroking Bella's cheek with the back of his finger. Not yet daring to hope.

Esme rolled her eyes, leering at her discourteous sons. "You mean you didn't know? Can't you smell her, girls? She's very newly pregnant," she beamed at Bella, while nodding her heads towards the sisters.

Kate cleared her throat, "We didn't want to ruin the surprise," she confessed, giving Edward a sheepish grin.

Edward looked between Kate and Bella. "You mean you knew, and you didn't tell me?"

"I'm sorry Edward, I wanted to wait till you had joined with your family," Kate explained, Irina nodding in agreement while Tanya glowered at the ground.

He didn't think today could get any better but it just had. His joy was suddenly uncontrollable and Bella squealed when he spun the two of them around and pulled her tight against his chest. It felt as though his family was no longer there as he pressed kisses across every reachable inch of her skin.

"Bella! You're pregnant! We're pregnant. My God, I'm going to be a father!" he rambled into her hair.

Bella laughed and relaxed for the first time since they'd arrived. She nodded, flashing her exquisite white smile. "I heard, baby."

Her ease was short lived.

Her mate dropped to his knees and buried his face into her flat stomach, running the tip of his nose smoothly over the cloth-covered skin. The blissful rumble in the back of his throat resonated as a deafening purr.

Bella turned beet red. Edward's entire family was watching the scene with different degrees of reverent awe. Suddenly his mother sniffing her seemed drastically less humiliating.

As much as she wanted to pull away, Bella knew Edward was in the happiest mood. So she let him enjoy himself while she blushed deeply and tried to hide her face from her new found family.

It was the gorgeous blonde that came to her rescue. Physically flawless and immaculately dressed, the woman managed to appear angelic while maintaining a hard, dangerous edge uncommon in the female vampires.

"Why don't we let them get settled in before we catch up?" Rosalie suggested. She could tell that Bella was starting to panic and if his mate suffered some sort of break down, Edward would be inconsolable, "You look like you could use some rest and I'm sure you're anxious to show Bella her new space, right Edward?"

He looked over at her distractedly but nodded in agreement. He very much wanted to have Bella alone, to bask in the glow of their new discovery, but he wasn't above showering her with attention right there in front of the coven or anyone else who wished to watch him worship her. He wanted the world to know how much he adored the little creature.

Carlisle chuckled at the small cries that come from Esme and Alice. "Go on, son. We'll take good care of the girls. Get your mate comfortable and we'll all talk tomorrow. There's too much to discuss to proceed with a weary mind."

"My den has been left the same?" Edward wondered.

Esme looked offended, "Of course, Edward. I kept it clean and waiting. We never would have given up hope that you'd come home."

Edward tore himself from Bella for a painful moment and gave his mother the attention she was craving. He was very much the prodigal son but she still loved him unconditionally. He knew his Bella would be just as good to their child as Esme was to him.

"Yeah, I asked mom if I and Rosie could have your room since you were probably dead and she chewed me out pretty bad," Emmett sulked, kicking at the pebbles at his feet. Once again Edward resolved to deal with him later. He was fairly curtain his giant brother was only partially joking. Edward had the largest den aside from his father's and Emmett had and groaned at the injustice.

He scooped up his female and gave his family an appreciative grin before he made his way to his old cave. Jake followed along as fast as his tiny legs would carry him.

"And how long will the pregnancy take?" Bella wondered.

"Well that depends how far along you already are. If we conceived say... two weeks ago we only have five and a half months to go. Six at the very most," he hummed proudly, his mind running rampant with images of an endearingly round Bella. 'She's really mine now.'

"6 months! Edw-" Her cry died in her throat as he carried her into their new den. It had a small mouth that opened into a vast cavern fill with opulence most vampires would be unable to even dream of. "Oh my!"

Everything was just as he left it and the absence of small critters and insects told him that his mother had in fact been tirelessly keeping house for him.

Large plush rugs lined the rocky floor, thick wooden dressers him and his brothers had carried in to protect and hold their clothing crowded the walls, and his favorite—a large, heavily blanketed mattress on a low platform sat in a far end corner. He even had a small love seat next to a bookcase that housed his own personal collection of literature, although he read more for practice than leisure.

Edward strode to the back of the space and lowered her onto the crisp, clean linens of their bed. He snickered when he looked at her pretty face, her pink lips parted in an awed 'o'.

"Do you like it?" he breathed. "If there's anything you need I'll get it for you. Just name it, Isabella, and it's yo-"

"It's prefect, Edward. I've never seen anything so beautiful," she interrupted, putting him at ease. "Where do we sleep?"

He chuckled and patted the bed underneath them. "Right here, sweetheart."

Her eyes widened and she looked around once more. "This is ours?! It's such a large coven. Where does everyone else sleep?" she worried.

He laughed again and cupped her jaw as he leaned in to kiss her contentedly. "They sleep in their own separate dens. This is our own personal space, with our own personal things," he purred in her ear.

"I've spent my whole life building a home, gathering luxuries; just waiting for the day I'd find someone to share it all with. I can't find words to express the elation, the bliss that comes from finally having you here with my family. Seeing you spread across our bed. You're more beautiful than I ever imagined." He wrapped his arms around her narrow waist and pressed hot, open mouthed kisses across her chest and neck.

He could hear the dog's heartbeat and light breathing nearby and tried to ignore the fact that the animal was making himself right at home on one of the warm carpets.

She moaned, nearly as aroused as her mate but still too curious to stop her line of questioning. "You mean we don't have to share?" she gaped.

"Of course you don't have to share anything. Everything I own I collected to make you happy. In fact, don't even let in Emmett in here. The brut is a rotten thief," he joked.

Bella thought she might be dreaming. She hadn't even seen some of the things in her new den but they were rich and beautiful and she knew that she was very lucky. "I'm glad we came here," she mused, "If we went to Arizona to find my coven, we would be sharing a cramped cave with my mother and father," Bella snorted, imagining Charlie and Edward accidently spooning in their sleep.

Edward grimaced. "We'll it's a very good thing we won't be sleeping in front of your parents," he purred against her throat. He ran his hand up her inner thigh and hitched her long leg over his hip. "I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands off you and I doubt your father would appreciate me acting on these particular urges."

Edward pressed his covered erection into her core and was more than pleased with her answering whimper.

"What about your family?" she protested weakly.

"What about them?"

"What if they come in here while...?"

"While I'm making love to my mate?" he smirked at Bella's blush and cupped one of her full breasts, "They just watched my mother give me the most important news of my life. As badly as they want to meet you I know they'll give us time to celebrate properly."

Bella giggled. "That's very kind of them."

Edward hummed in fervent agreement. "Extremely kind. We shouldn't allow their sacrifice go to waste," he whispered huskily, "I want to see all of you."

Before Bella could oblige him by carefully removing her dress, he hooked and finger into the neck and tore the fabric clear down the front, leaving her complete exposed.

"Edward! This is my only dress!" she cried, trying in vain to pull the ripped pieces back together.

He scoffed, annoyed, and cuffed her small wrists in one of his hands to stop her squirming. "I would never leave you without clothing, darling. I have tons of choices in that chest," he gestured to an oak dress in the back of the room in which he had collected beautiful things for his future mate. He hoped his sisters hadn't raided it in his absence.

"Now be a good girl and lay still for me. I want you. Now, Isabella."

Bella calmed and stilled as instructed. She watch with wide eyes as Edward removed his own clothes in a similar fashion. She thought it wasteful to ruin perfectly good garments like the but it was obvious he had extras.

"You're perfection, my darling. If I lived a million years I'd never find a lovelier creature," he professed in reference to her uncovered curves, laid bare for his hungry gold eyes.

He lowered his body on top of hers and kissed her lips tenderly, their bodies melted together seamlessly. It was beyond enjoyable to have a clean bed and a private space to make love at their leisure. Edward regretted not being able to take her like this their first time.

He kissed his way down her body, paying special attention to his mate's perfect belly. His words were soft and loving promises for their future and Bella purred softly to the constant praise from her beloved.

He pressed two fingers inside of her core, over come with the need to be inside her and was relieved to discover that she was already wet and ready for him. He spread her legs gently and with one painfully slow thrust was fully sheathed in her moist heat.

"Bella!" he groaned, just slightly louder than her simultaneous moan. His movements inside of her were softer and slower than ever before but the knowledge that Bella was carrying their child made the experience unfathomably more intense.

He couldn't love the little female any more if his life depended on it; she already consumed every part of him.

Irrationally, he worried his child could already hear his voice from inside her mother's womb so he didn't dare risk his usual risqué commentary but instead preoccupied his mouth with whispered sweet-nothings another oral exploration. He nipped and sucked and kissed his favorite spot, just under the curve of her jaw, and was rewarded with her incoherent murmurs of appreciation.

When he felt her flutter around him, he himself was on the verge of release. He drove into her just a little hard and just the slightest bit faster and she finally cried out.

"Oh! I'm so close! I'm... oh Edward!" she wailed into his naked shoulder.

"Yes, Baby! Come with me, angel—WHAT THE FUCK?!" he roared as ten pounds of fur and teeth came barreling at him with all its might. The puppy clawed at the back of his neck ferocious, and fortunately futilely, as Edward struggled through his lust to figure out what was happening. "JESUS BELLA! GET YOUR MUTT OFF ME!" he howled.

He grabbed the attacking animal by the scruff of its neck and was about to hurl it across the room when Bella plucked it from his grasp. "You have to be fucking with me! What is that things problem?!" he seethed. His arousal was almost instantly gone and he was left cranky and unsatisfied.

Bella curled around the tiny growling puppy, sheepishly protecting him from her mate's wrath.

"You were on top of me and I was screaming, Edward. He thought you were hurting me," she explained. Jake looked up at her as if in conformation, seeming extremely pleased with himself. Bella gave him a tight 'you're in so much trouble' smile.

"Hurting you!? Bella I want that thing out!" he snapped, holding a small throw pillow in front of his privates as though Jake would make note of his lack of clothing. "And for the love of all that is holy will you put the mongrel down! You're naked, Bella!" he cried, uncomfortable with any living thing so close to his mate's uncovered chest.

She looked at him like he'd struck her and his anger quickly turned to panic. "Y-you'd take him away from me?" she stammered. "He's just a baby. He'd die without us..."

"He'll drive me insane, Isabella. If that thing interrupts every time I try to make love to my-"

"He won't! He'll learn. I promise! Just give him time. Please don't make me turn him away," she begged, petting the oblivious pup comfortingly.

"Darling, you're pregnant and I don't really feel comfortable having a wild animal in our home," he fought weakly. He didn't know why he even tried arguing with her. He was essentially incapable of telling her 'no'.

"That's silly. He can't hurt us, obviously, and if he's fit to eat he's clearly safe to be around. Please let him stay."

Edward took a cleansing breath a nodded despite his every impulse. He wouldn't win this battle as a ground soldier. This called for a special undercover mission. The dog would have to go discreetly and Bella couldn't know it was his doing. "Fine, but he is not allowed to be on the bed, is that understood?"

She breathed a sigh of relief and placed Jake on the ground to keep from further infuriating her mate. "Yes, my love."

The dog sauntered off happily, his job well done, and curled up into a snoozing ball on a nearby carpet.

'Tiny cockblocker,' Edward growled mentally.

Bella stalked across the bed on all fours, eager to make up for her pet's inconvenient rescue. Edward laughed lightly and pulled her into his arms.

She gave her body to him willingly and this time she was careful not to scream.

...

The two lovers snuggled in the large, warm bed, Edward's head rested comfortably on Bella's firm stomach. He purred softly as she scratched his scalp with her fingernails.

"I have something for you," he remembered excitedly. He pushed himself of the bed and walked to a dresser on the far side of the den. He pulled on a pair of boxers but didn't pull out any night clothes for his mate, content with keeping Bella completely naked in his bed.

He opens a drawer he seldom touched, a drawer that held one of his most prized possessions. The large velvet box was in pristine condition. Although his sisters coveted the trinket he had never allowed them more than a brief peek.

He presented it to Bella now, years after he acquired it for some obscure concept of his future love.

Bella smiled wildly when he handed her the case, delighted by the unknown gift.

"For me? But you didn't even know I existed!" she laughed.

He smiled indulgently at her, adoring the bell-like ring of her amusement. "Of course I did. I just had no way of knowing when you'd finally come into my life. You made me wait an awful long time, love."

Bella blushed lightly and pecked his lips quickly before returning her attention to the mystery. "What is it?" she wondered, rattling the box like a curious child.

"Open it, baby," he urged, sitting in front of her to catch her reaction.

She pushed up a tiny golden clasp and lifted the heavy lid. Her hand flies to her mouth as she covered her high pitched gasp. "Oh my!"

It was the most beautiful treasure she'd ever seen. Elaborately woven gold and colorful green gems gleamed back at her, shimmering proudly against its black background. It was so structurally magnificent she almost didn't realize its purpose.

"That insignia is the Cullen crest, Isabella. All of our females bare it," he told her smugly, "I had yours made by an extremely skilled vampire coven in Peru, though the emeralds are Colombian."

He pulled her to him and nuzzled her hesitantly. "Don't you like it?" he breathed.

Bella nodded and ran her finger across the tiny metal lion. "It's gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it."

"I would never put anything unworthy of you on your beautiful skin." He picked it up carefully and clasped it around her slender neck. His family crest nestled snugly into the hollow of her throat was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

"It's perfect," he gasped, his voice thick with emotion. "When I first had it made, demanding only the finest materials and craftsmanship, I never realized I'd have a mate so glorious she'd put the piece to shame."

Her eyes sparkled with adoration as she craned her neck down to study the piece further. "On what occasions do I wear this? It's so fancy," she laughed.

Edward frowned. "You're not to take it off, Bella," he warned firmly. "It belongs on your neck at all times. You'll wear it like my mother and sisters wear theirs. Removing it could be dangerous." He tightened his hold on her, running his fingers down her bare stomach.

"I understand Edward," she obediently said, lifting her hair up to allow him to place the fine jewel on her creamy white neck.

"You are a member of a reputable, well established family now, Bella. We experience a constant flow of visiting covens and nomads. It's important you are claimed properly," he advised, kissing the mark he had made right below her ear.

"Claimed properly?" she repeated, confusion laced in her words. "Am I not already yours?"

Edward sighed, settling in for a redundant explanation. "How much do you know about a male's connection to his mate, love?"

She considered her knowledge on the subject, "I know its unbreakable," she offered brightly.

He chuckled and tucked a lock of soft dark hair behind her ear. "That very true," he agreed, "I'll love you and only you for the rest my life. It doesn't matter if we are separated by time or space. There will never be anyone else for me.

"With us my bond to you was instantaneous, I knew you were the one the moment I laid eyes on you but that's not often the case. When a male chooses a mate he only has one shot at getting it right. One opportunity to pick a female that is beautiful, intelligent and can bare him healthy sons and daughters. If he picks wrong he's as good as dead, mateless and eternally heartbroken. A female will heal, be able to move on with another suitor, but a male would never recover."

"That's awful," Bella whispered.

Edward nodded in agreement before continuing. "Because there's so much at stake most males are cautious in committing to a life partner. If he finds a prospective female is unfit, unable to conceive or of poor temperament, he'll move on. Also if the female he desires already belongs to a rival he is unlikely to be able to beat he would be wise to find another more eligible partner."

"So, if I'm wearing the coven's crest..."

"There is hardly a male fool enough to attempt to steal one of our females away. My family, our family, is unusually large and subsequently powerful. Royalty in the eyes of many, although most find our eating habits strange. If I were ever to get separated from you, for any reason, I'd feel safest knowing you bore the sign of my coven's protection."

He didn't mention the Volturi coven, equally strong and just as large; the Cullen's had faced disputes with the three nomadic brothers and their small following of bloodthirsty 'friends' in the past. If there was anyone he had to protect his new mate from it was most definitely their unmated males Felix and Demetri.

"I'll fight for you, Bella, and you already know I'd kill for you. But we try to avoid confrontation when at all possible. If another male makes Riley's mistake, I'd have to kill him. It would be inhumane to leave him to suffer that kind of half life."

Bella shivered but nodded solemnly. "I understand," she conceded. "You're wrong about one thing though."

Edward arched an eyebrow in surprise. He was fairly sure that information was accurate. "What's that?" he challenged.

Bella ran her fingers through his hair and looked into his eyes with uncharacteristic seriousness, "I'd never heal if I lost you, Edward. My love for you is just as strong as the love you have for me. Please don't question that."

Edward beamed at Bella as he tackled her to the bed, keeping a wary eye on her guard dog. She giggled relentlessly as he kissed her to the full extent of his graduated.

"I've never been happy like this, Bella," he confessed as he lay carefully across her tiny body. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. You've given me a reason to live, and a child. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you but I'm never going to stop trying," he vowed.

Bella opened her mouth to prolong the lover's whispers but the only thing that escaped was a long, nose scrunching yawn. Edward laughed at her kittenish stretch and pulled the thick covers over both of them.

"I think I've kept you up too long, little one. We have such a busy night tomorrow. You need your rest," he cooed.

Bella giggled sleepily as she settled into his warm embrace. "Why? Is it your bothers turn to sniff me next?"

"If my brothers even think about touching you..."

"Kidding, Edward! Go to sleep. I love you."

"I love you too. Both of you."

"Jake too?" she asked hopefully.

"Isabella, I was talking about our child!"

"Oh..."