“Yeah, I’ll come in. I’m not sure what I want yet.” She got out of the car before he could argue.

Edward took her hand and led her inside, holding the door for her. She tugged her hand free and headed for the snacks while he made his way to the milk.

“So, you already have cravings?” a man asked Dana. She looked up to see the paparazzi had followed them inside. Three of them were in the store, snapping pictures and watching their every move.

She forced herself to remain friendly. “Nothing specific.” She reached for a granola bar and added it to her basket.

“That’s a hell of a rock. When’s the date? Did he propose before or after he found out you were pregnant?”

“You guys never take a break do you?” she asked.

“Nope, so?”

She chuckled. “Sorry, guys, no easy answers today.”

They shrugged casually. “That’s okay, we don’t mind a challenge.”

“I can see that,” she said, smiling.

“So, were you guys using birth control or was this planned?” he pushed.

She ignored his question. “You know if you guys plan on following me around you could at least make yourselves useful and make a few suggestions here.” She gestured towards the snacks.

“You can’t go wrong with chocolate. My wife is in her third trimester and that always seems to make her happy,” the larger man suggested.

She nodded and grabbed a few bars of chocolate knowing Cole would sneak one for himself and his sister. “You can eat that much chocolate?” one of the men asked, probably hoping to discover if she was a secret chocolate addict.

“No, I have two children, a fiancé and some in-laws to think about.” She moved onto something salty, just in case.

“My sister swore by those breakfast bars when she was carrying my nephew,” the smaller man said.

“Sounds good to me,” she said, grabbing a few. “Well, gentlemen, you’ve been very helpful.” She made her way to the register.

“Here,” Edward said, placing the milk on the counter in front of her. He also placed several fruit pies on the counter. “I’m getting these before you send me out again like last night.”

She shrugged shyly. “I got a craving.”

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “That’s okay.”

Dana pulled out several folded bills the same time Edward pulled out his wallet. “You let a woman who's carrying your children pay for her food?” one of the men asked in mock disgust.

She sighed and put her money away knowing Edward would never let her pay with or without an audience. She turned to look at them. “You guys are so helpful.” They chuckled guiltily.

Edward paid and carried the bags out. He held the door for her and ignored the paparazzi as he helped her into the car. “Aren’t you afraid she’s going to get fat eating like that?”

He grinned and shook his head. “She’s carrying twins, and she eats very healthy ninety-nine percent of the time. Give her a break.”

“Will you still love her if she gets fat?” one of the men asked.

Edward ignored him and sat down behind the wheel.

“Well?” she asked when he shut the door.

“Well what?”

“Will you?”

“Oh, of course I will. It will just mean more of you to love and more cushion for the pushing.” He wagged his eyebrows for her. She playfully slapped him as a flash went off.

“Uh uh, looks like they just got a story of you beating me,” he said, laughing.

“That’s not funny!” she said, trying not to laugh.

“I don’t think so either. I think it’s about time it came out about the beatings and abuse you inflict on me,” he teased.

“Yeah, but you like it,” she said sensually.

He looked at her and grinned hugely. “Damn straight.”

********

“I know you’re kidding, Mom,” Edward said.

She shook her head. “Nope, you get to sleep on the couch.” She gestured towards the basement couch.

“Let me get this straight, you have a problem with me sharing a room with my pregnant fiancé?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yup, you know the house rules. No unmarried couples share a room,” Eleanor said as she made up the couch for him.

“Stop giving your mom a hard time. It’s fine. I plan on having the same rules for our kids,” Dana said.

He scoffed.

“Do you like the idea of Elizabeth sharing a bed with a boyfriend two doors down from us?”

Edward looked appalled. “That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because she’s my little girl and I’ll kill any boy that touches her,” Edward informed her.

Dana and Eleanor laughed as they said goodnight to him and made their way upstairs. It wasn’t over, far from it. Now that he had a green light from the doctor and ten weeks of fantasies, all featuring Dana, there was no way he was being kept away from her tonight, no way in hell.

She was sleeping in his old room. That would work in his favor. There was a terrace right beneath the window. He already snuck up there an hour ago and unlocked it, knowing his parents were going to do this. They were extremely old fashioned when it came to what happened beneath their roof. They were more than fine with Dana’s pregnancy because they knew more than a month ago that he was going to propose.

He turned the television on and threw a DVD in, knowing that all he had to do was buy some time. The kids were in the guest rooms, Amy was in her old room, and his parents were notorious for going to bed by nine o’clock sharp. He would just wait until eleven, sneak outside, climb into Dana’s room, and show her how much he missed and loved her.

It was only ten o’clock when he couldn’t wait any longer. He left his shirt crumbled on the floor and made his way towards her. Ten weeks was too much to ask of a man when he has someone as incredible in bed as Dana. The things they did made his eyes roll back in his head.

He already knew five things he was going to do with her by the time he snuck out the back door and made his way to the front of the house. He was careful not to make any noise as he made his way around. None of the lights were on except for his old room. It made him smile to think that she was waiting for him. He wouldn’t keep her waiting for long, oh hell no.

Edward carefully climbed up the old terrace. “Ouch!” He winced as a thorn bit into his knee. His mother was trying her hand at gardening, a very recent hobby. He pulled himself up to the window and tested the window by gently pushing it up. It moved. He smiled and pushed it the rest of the way up. Without pausing, he pulled himself through the window and dropped on the floor with a loud “oomph!”

He looked up to see his parents sitting on the edge of his old bed with their arms folded across their chests, staring at him with amused expressions on their faces.

What the hell?

“Pay up,” his father said. He watched as his mother slapped a twenty in his hand.

“How did you know he wouldn’t be able to wait past ten?” she asked grumpily.

“He’s been away for nine weeks and she’s been on bed rest for almost a week.” His father spoke as if he wasn’t in the room. “I knew the doctor gave him the green light by the way he was drooling after her tonight.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t that difficult. I’m more surprised you let me take ten o’clock and even more surprised that you bet he would come up here after one in the morning.”

She looked irritated. “I thought he would use his brain and wait until he thought we were deeply asleep and the kids were asleep before making his way up here.” She narrowed her eyes on Edward. “You just cost me twenty bucks, young man. You’re doing the breakfast dishes in the morning.”

James chuckled. “Thanks son, you just earned me twenty dollars and an easy morning.” He winked.

Edward pulled himself to his feet. “Um, so where’s Dana?” he asked as casually as he could despite the situation.

“She’s sleeping with Cole. He had a nightmare about a half hour ago. He was looking for you, but we told him you were downstairs and he didn’t want to wait,” Eleanor said.