The Promise
by Laura Spudzmom
Epilogue - 5 years later
Laughter floated through the humid Texas air as Bella sat in the shade of the porch, sipping a cold glass of lemonade. She grinned as she watched her husband tumble around in the grass with their five year old son, tickling him mercilessly as he giggled and squealed.
“Mama! Save me!” he yelled as he hopped up and ran from his growling father.
She laughed and caught him in a hug as he launched himself into her arms. “Is daddy being scary again baby?” she asked as she ruffled his sandy-blond hair.
He rolled his eyes. “No Mama, we’re just playin’, that’s all.”
“Well, good,” she said as she set him on his feet. “Then you don’t need me to save you, do you?”
“No Ma’am, I’m a man now. I reckon I can save myself.” he said with his chest puffed out.
She stifled a smile and glanced at her grinning husband as he sat watching, his arms draped over his bent knees.
“A man now, are you?” she asked with an arched brow and he nodded.
“That’s what Daddy said.”
“Well,” she said while smoothing his sandy bangs away from his eyes, “Then it must be so, but I hate to lose my baby boy.” She gave him a sad look and he frowned and climbed into her lap where he looped his thin arms around her neck.
“Don’t be sad Mama.” he whispered. “I can still be your baby boy—sometimes—if ya want.” He looked up into her face. “Like, you can still read me stories and tuck me in at night. I’m okay with that.”
She laughed and hugged him close while kissing under his jaw, drawing a giggle from him. “Thank you baby,” she said as she placed him back on his feet. He took off back to Pete and tackled him again as she watched on, smiling.
He—and his daddy—were the light of her life. She couldn’t imagine a day without either of them.
Taking a sip of her drink, she leaned back and thought about all they’d gone through to get here, on their sprawling ranch in Texas hill country.
They’d realized, very quickly after waking from her change, that both of them were far from being normal vampires. Their hearts beat, they could eat and drink, but they also needed to ingest blood, although not as often as most vampires, and as long as they did, there was little to no bloodlust, which allowed them to raise their son.
Another blessing they’d discovered over time was that they didn’t age or sparkle in the sunlight. Basically, they could look and act like regular humans, which had baffled everyone in the Cullen coven.
One last letter had arrived from her grandmother, very shortly after she’d awoken. It had explained what the woman had done—what spells she’d cast—to change Bella and Peter. She’d also shared that knowledge with Bella so she could add it to the Grimoire.
Bella had taken it another step further though and had performed the spells on the rest of the Cullens who now enjoyed a more normal existence. The real shocker was the restoration of all of the females fertility, which they’d discovered after Esme became ill.
Carlisle being Carlisle had immediately performed tests and to the great shock and eventual joy of them all, she’d been pregnant.
Little Calista Cullen would be four very soon and her ‘cousin’—the son of Emmett and Rosalie—little Emrys, would be four a mere six weeks after that.
The real shocker to all of them was the announcement of the newest little Whitlock that was due in another four months. Yes, Jasper, who swore he wasn’t father material, had finally overcome the guilt of his past and his misgivings and Alice was now expecting a little boy. They’d already named him too—little Reese Thomas Whitlock. Bella couldn’t wait.
She smiled to herself, just thinking about all of them. She missed them terribly, but they visited often enough that it made up for it. There had even been talks of them building individual homes here on the ranch and she was ecstatic at the prospect.
Even the last hold-outs on the child-bearing front—Edward and Charlotte—were talking of settling here. They’d finally married last year and had been traveling on an extended honeymoon since.
She was shaken from her thoughts when Pete sat down and pulled her into his arms. “Hi baby doll,” he said before kissing her brow.
She kissed his jaw. “Hi yourself, handsome. All done playing with Holden?”
He arched a brow and looked down at her before shaking his head. “For the time bein’. He’s down for a nap, finally. Boy has more energy than he knows what to do with. Be glad when his cousins get here.” He glanced at her. “When did Jasper and them say they’d be here?”
“Jasper and them,” she chided his grammar, “said they’d be here around six, just in time for dinner.”
He nodded. “Good. Holden’ll be happier than a pig in sh…oomph! Damn woman, what’d ya do that for?” he asked with a pout while rubbing the ribs she’d elbowed.
“I’ve warned you before about that mouth of yours, mister,” she grumbled.
He leaned down with a wicked grin and nipped her neck. “And here I thought ya loved my mouth. ‘Least that’s what ya was moanin’ last night if I recall.”
Her lips quirked into a smile. “You know what I mean, you wicked man.”
He sucked at her pulse point and she tilted her head. “Hmm…you are talented with that mouth of yours, Mr. Whitlock,” she breathed and he gave her a low, dirty chuckle as his hand strayed to her breast.
“Care for a refresher, Mrs. Whitlock? We got time…”
She tilted her head to look at him and smiled. “Take me to bed, husband.”
He grinned. “My pleasure, wife.”
~Fin
Laughter floated through the humid Texas air as Bella sat in the shade of the porch, sipping a cold glass of lemonade. She grinned as she watched her husband tumble around in the grass with their five year old son, tickling him mercilessly as he giggled and squealed.
“Mama! Save me!” he yelled as he hopped up and ran from his growling father.
She laughed and caught him in a hug as he launched himself into her arms. “Is daddy being scary again baby?” she asked as she ruffled his sandy-blond hair.
He rolled his eyes. “No Mama, we’re just playin’, that’s all.”
“Well, good,” she said as she set him on his feet. “Then you don’t need me to save you, do you?”
“No Ma’am, I’m a man now. I reckon I can save myself.” he said with his chest puffed out.
She stifled a smile and glanced at her grinning husband as he sat watching, his arms draped over his bent knees.
“A man now, are you?” she asked with an arched brow and he nodded.
“That’s what Daddy said.”
“Well,” she said while smoothing his sandy bangs away from his eyes, “Then it must be so, but I hate to lose my baby boy.” She gave him a sad look and he frowned and climbed into her lap where he looped his thin arms around her neck.
“Don’t be sad Mama.” he whispered. “I can still be your baby boy—sometimes—if ya want.” He looked up into her face. “Like, you can still read me stories and tuck me in at night. I’m okay with that.”
She laughed and hugged him close while kissing under his jaw, drawing a giggle from him. “Thank you baby,” she said as she placed him back on his feet. He took off back to Pete and tackled him again as she watched on, smiling.
He—and his daddy—were the light of her life. She couldn’t imagine a day without either of them.
Taking a sip of her drink, she leaned back and thought about all they’d gone through to get here, on their sprawling ranch in Texas hill country.
They’d realized, very quickly after waking from her change, that both of them were far from being normal vampires. Their hearts beat, they could eat and drink, but they also needed to ingest blood, although not as often as most vampires, and as long as they did, there was little to no bloodlust, which allowed them to raise their son.
Another blessing they’d discovered over time was that they didn’t age or sparkle in the sunlight. Basically, they could look and act like regular humans, which had baffled everyone in the Cullen coven.
One last letter had arrived from her grandmother, very shortly after she’d awoken. It had explained what the woman had done—what spells she’d cast—to change Bella and Peter. She’d also shared that knowledge with Bella so she could add it to the Grimoire.
Bella had taken it another step further though and had performed the spells on the rest of the Cullens who now enjoyed a more normal existence. The real shocker was the restoration of all of the females fertility, which they’d discovered after Esme became ill.
Carlisle being Carlisle had immediately performed tests and to the great shock and eventual joy of them all, she’d been pregnant.
Little Calista Cullen would be four very soon and her ‘cousin’—the son of Emmett and Rosalie—little Emrys, would be four a mere six weeks after that.
The real shocker to all of them was the announcement of the newest little Whitlock that was due in another four months. Yes, Jasper, who swore he wasn’t father material, had finally overcome the guilt of his past and his misgivings and Alice was now expecting a little boy. They’d already named him too—little Reese Thomas Whitlock. Bella couldn’t wait.
She smiled to herself, just thinking about all of them. She missed them terribly, but they visited often enough that it made up for it. There had even been talks of them building individual homes here on the ranch and she was ecstatic at the prospect.
Even the last hold-outs on the child-bearing front—Edward and Charlotte—were talking of settling here. They’d finally married last year and had been traveling on an extended honeymoon since.
She was shaken from her thoughts when Pete sat down and pulled her into his arms. “Hi baby doll,” he said before kissing her brow.
She kissed his jaw. “Hi yourself, handsome. All done playing with Holden?”
He arched a brow and looked down at her before shaking his head. “For the time bein’. He’s down for a nap, finally. Boy has more energy than he knows what to do with. Be glad when his cousins get here.” He glanced at her. “When did Jasper and them say they’d be here?”
“Jasper and them,” she chided his grammar, “said they’d be here around six, just in time for dinner.”
He nodded. “Good. Holden’ll be happier than a pig in sh…oomph! Damn woman, what’d ya do that for?” he asked with a pout while rubbing the ribs she’d elbowed.
“I’ve warned you before about that mouth of yours, mister,” she grumbled.
He leaned down with a wicked grin and nipped her neck. “And here I thought ya loved my mouth. ‘Least that’s what ya was moanin’ last night if I recall.”
Her lips quirked into a smile. “You know what I mean, you wicked man.”
He sucked at her pulse point and she tilted her head. “Hmm…you are talented with that mouth of yours, Mr. Whitlock,” she breathed and he gave her a low, dirty chuckle as his hand strayed to her breast.
“Care for a refresher, Mrs. Whitlock? We got time…”
She tilted her head to look at him and smiled. “Take me to bed, husband.”
He grinned. “My pleasure, wife.”
~Fin
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.