A/N: This was our entry for the TFLN Contest, and we had a blast writing it. We were blown away and excited when the results were announced tonight, and that we had won in three separate categories:

Judges Pick for Packy 2.0 and TheFicChick

Tied for 3rd place in the Public vote

2nd place in the Judges vote

Thank you all who read and voted. And a huge thanks to lellabeth and GeekChic12FF for hosting, to all the judges, validators, and the secret keeper. This contest was amazing, so thanks for your hard work and for putting it together!

TFLN Contest

Pen Name: PlotBunnyWranglers (aka ericastwilight and kyla713)

Twitter Handle (if applicable): PBWranglers

Title: Running Home

Summary: While out for a night with the girls,Bella gets a text that sends her running home.

Pairing: Edward and Bella

Beta: kyla713

Rating: M

Prompt(s) used: (615): I mean can we take a second to high five on our sex life? I love us.

Word count: 6003

It had been a couple of years since Bella had done something like this—a Saturday night out for drinks with the girls. Not that she hadn't wanted to, but between work, husbands/boyfriends, kids, and just life in general, there just hadn't been many opportunities for any of them. Finally, they had been able to coordinate their schedules, and since Edward had been called into work earlier that afternoon and the kids were with their grandparents, she had decided to join them.

For two hours, they had been chatting and catching up, until Alice groaned, holding her stomach from all the laughing. "I haven't had this much fun in so long."

"Well, that's not saying much for your man," Rosalie chided playfully with a wink. "Barely six months in, and already a night out is more fun? The sex life can't be that bad yet."

"Jasper is great, when he's in town," Alice said with a whine. "This new job of his keeps him traveling and miles away from my bed. It's not fair."

Bella shook her head, sitting back and enjoying the loosened muscles in her shoulders, the effect of the wine from earlier. It had been a long week of household errands, combined with band rehearsals, practices, and games. Between her roles as wife and mother, she was lucky to have a moment to relax.

Alice's complaints about the worldly Jasper continued, but she was soon eclipsed by Rosalie. "Meanwhile, I have Emmett still trying to convince me on this marriage thing. I love him, I really do. After six years together and having Emma, I don't see why a piece of paper is so important. We don't have anything to prove and it's not going to make us feel any different. We've spent more time arguing over that than anything else. After going down that aisle twice already before he even turned thirty, you would think he'd be the one with misgivings about it."

"Maybe third time's lucky?" Bella responded with a shrug. "He really does love you, Rose. And he's creeping up on forty now, as well. Marriage can be so much more than a piece of paper."

"Says the woman who slipped off her graduation gown with her bridal one already in place," Rose teased, with a wink, to which Bella rolled her eyes.

It had been a running joke between the four of them for years, since she and Edward had gotten married the summer following graduation. Yet, twelve years and three children later, they were still going strong; a fact that made Bella not regret that decision they'd made in their senior year whatsoever. Despite the struggles they had when Amanda was born barely a year into their marriage while Edward was still working toward med school, they promised to always make their marriage one of their main priorities. And that carried over through the birth of their son, Nathan, three years later, and the surprise they'd received in discovering they were pregnant with Elizabeth nearly two years before.

Rose's smile slackened a little and she began shaking her head. "There's always the chance of it being a third strike, too, you know? Things are good and Emma's happy, why fix what isn't broken?"

"Well, Emma also just turned four, and will be starting school in another year or so. And she hasn't even attended daycare, so take it from us," Angela started, gesturing her hand between herself and Bella. "These kids are cruel in school. They make fun of every little thing they can think of, and Mommy and Daddy not being married? That's a big one, no matter how common it is nowadays."

Bella's head bobbed emphatically in agreement with Angela. Between the two of them, they had four school age children, and just the stories alone they'd heard of things said and done to other's kids was enough to infuriate them.

Rose took a sip of her drink and began shaking her head. "And if we do get married, they are just going to find something else. Emma knows her mommy and daddy love her, and that's really all that's important."

"Just saying it could be a contributing factor to Emmett's persistence. You know his sun rises and sets around that little girl."

"I know it does, and I love him for it. But on a completely different and somewhat selfish note, the last thing I want to happen to us is that black hole your sex life gets sucked into once the honeymoon period is over. You know, once the 'oh my god, I can't believe we're really married and he's really mine' wears off, it's right back to the 'oh man, I have to wash his dirty underwear' or 'damn it, will he ever learn to load a dishwasher?'. So what's the difference? After six years and a child, I think we are doing pretty damn good with at least twice a week."

"Oh god, I'm so jealous," Angela groaned, gesturing her hand toward the server for another drink. "But I think you have very little to worry about if you still have it that good after the baby. Once I had Marcus, when we weren't either too tired or too busy, Ben just looked at me different. I wasn't just his wife anymore, I was his son's mother, too. Don't get me wrong, I know he loves me and if we never had sex anymore, we wouldn't have had Claire, but even she was conceived on one of our anniversary weekends. In college, we couldn't keep our hands off each other, and now it's like we're in that comfortable, settled type of life. Aren't women supposed to be the one with frequent headache excuses?"

"Nah, it's just that their sexual peak was about a decade ago, and we're hitting it now," Alice added with a pathetic whimper.

Throughout the entire conversation, Bella had kept her smirk from peeking through by sipping her Coke, after switching to non-alcoholic beverages an hour into their get-together. However, at Alice's comment, she couldn't stop the snort that escaped her, drawing the attention of all three women.

"Come on, Bella. Am I lying? You and Edward have been married a lot longer than Ben and I have, and have one more child than we do. How often do you guys get around to it?" Angela asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Bella held her hands up in surrender and shook her head. "I have no comment. That's between me and my husband."

All three women crossed their arms over their chests, narrowing their eyes with remarkable similarities, until Alice spoke up. "Bella, we've all spilled on our sex lives. Your turn."

"I didn't ask you to," Bella rebutted. They all continued to glare at her expectantly, so she leaned forward on the table. "Okay, are we talking days or instances?"

Angela's eyes widened almost comically. "You mean, that actually makes a difference?"

"Oh, most definitely. But either way, I've got Rose beat."

Rosalie choked on the sip of her drink she'd just taken, and then gazed at Bella with wide eyes. "Wait, you have sex more than twice a week?"

"Let's put it this way. The only way I don't have sex more than twice a week is if we fall asleep after the first round on Sunday, and I get my period Monday morning. Now, can we please move on?"

Rose leaned forward on one elbow, waving her finger at Bella. "Oh no, you're not getting out of this that easily. You guys have been married forever and have three kids on top of that. He works insane hours, and you have your hands full all day with the kids, where the hell do you get the energy, or time for that matter?"

Bella shrugged non-chalantly, but an effortless smile stretch across her lips. "We just make time, whenever we can. Joint showers, lunch breaks while the baby is napping and the older kids are in school. Hell, if he hadn't gotten called into work today, we would have totally been taking advantage of the kid-free time before I came out, if I even made it out the door. We are moderately successful at least ninety percent of the time, but it's a bad week if we don't at least manage it four days."

The kid-free weekends usually happened every other month, alternating between both sets of grandparents. However, it wasn't until that weekend that they felt Elizabeth was finally old enough to start sleeping over and joined her siblings. So, of all the weekends that her husband would get called in to cover someone's shift, it wasn't fair it had to be that one.

"That is just so not right. Only six months with Jasper, and already, the old married lady has a better sex life than I do? What is wrong with this picture?"

"And I'd like to point out that I said days, not times," Bella said smugly, but then felt the vibration of her phone in her back pocket. Worried that it might have been a call about the kids, since they were with her parents, she pulled it out, but smiled when it was simply a text from her husband.

I'll be getting off work pretty soon, they found someone else to cover the rest of the night. How late are you going to be?

Bella glanced around the table, watching her friends still chattering on enviously about her sex life, and then lowered her eyes to her phone. That depends. How soon is pretty soon? Is it a "be naked when I get there" or "I'll be naked when you get there"?

She pinched her lips together while her leg bounced anxiously under the table.

Well, that depends, too. If you're home in the next twenty minutes, be naked when I get there. If not, I'll be waiting patiently for your return, my love… completely naked ;)

Bella's shoulders shivered and her smile stretched further. When they decided to get married two months after graduation, at ages nineteen and eighteen, even their closest friends had some doubt that they would make it. They'd had statistics thrown in their faces about failure rates of teenage marriages in the weeks leading up to it, but they didn't care. Now, twelve years later, it made her insanely proud to say that she and Edward were more in love now than they were the day they said "I do". He could still affect her just as much as he did when they first got married, and with something as simple as a few words in a text, as she could for him, too.

I'll race you home :P

"Hey guys, that was Edward. He's getting off work soon so I'm gonna head home," Bella said, attempting to keep her voice calm and level despite the fire being stoked by her husband at the moment. Surprisingly, she managed to withdraw the money for her tab rather successfully despite the anticipation coursing through her, and a little extra. "Next round is on me."

"Really, Bella? You're leaving us to get laid?" Alice whined, pouting as her eyes followed the money Bella tossed on the table.

"Okay, I know you won't understand this, because you don't have kids yet. However," Bella responded and then turned her gaze to Angela and Rose. "We haven't had a night completely to ourselves since before Elizabeth was born, so it's been over a year. Kids are with their grandparents, we have all night, childfree, uninterrupted time. Tell me you wouldn't jump at the chance, too."

Rose's arms tightened across her chest and she pursed her lips in frustration. "Fine, you're not wrong about that. But I'm still not liking you very much right now."

"You really suck, you know that, don't you?" Angela added, and Bella stood from the table, walking around to give them each a playful peck on the cheek. "You owe us some major girl time very soon. I'm talking manis, pedis, cocktails, the works."

"You got it. That actually sounds amazing, and we'll work something out. But first, I have a new dining room table to break in, and there's no limit to the amount of noise we can make tonight, so," Bella dragged out the "o", pointing toward the exit, but leaned down to Angela's ear one last time. "One last word of advice. Try joining him in the shower."

Angela's eyes widened and her hand rose to her mouth to prevent the sip she had just taken from her drink from spraying out. "What?"

"Make the first move. Don't wait for him to come to you. You're a strong woman who wants some time with your man, be assertive. Put the kids on the bus, get in that shower with him, and I can almost guarantee you, instant hard-on. Pretty much fool proof, trust me," Bella replied, adding a wink at the end.

"I hate you so fucking much, you lucky bitch," Rose muttered under her breath, while laughing, and Bella gave them all a wave before heading for the exit.

I'm on my way. On your mark…

Already in my car, baby.

That caused Bella's pace to speed up a little, but as she walked, she couldn't resist one more text.

Can we take a second to high five on our sex life? I love us.

Oooo….kay?

Bella got to her car and tossed her purse in before lowering into the driver's seat.

We just made an entire table of women very jealous.

Driving.

"Oh no you don't, mister," Bella muttered, starting up her car immediately and barely got her seatbelt on before she pulled out of the parking spot. Once her phone synced to her Bluetooth and she pulled out onto the main road, she said, "Call Edward."

"Hello, beautiful," his voice practically sang through the speakers in his amusement, followed by a chuckle at the sound of her soft huff of frustration. "Couldn't wait a few more minutes, huh?"

"How close are you?" Bella retorted anxiously, her eyes darting around as she took the corner a little quick.

"Isn't it a little soon to be asking that question, baby?" His teasing tone caused her to half growl-half shriek and his laughter increased. "Now what fun would it be if I told you that? Not to mention, I know how competitive you get. You might start driving recklessly just to beat me, and I would like my wife in one piece when I ravage her tonight."

To be honest, Bella really loved those games between them. Throughout his teasing and suggestive comments, there was still that concern and obvious love for her in everything he said.

"Oh no, after the night I just had, trust me when I say that I'll be the one doing the ravaging." She smiled widely when she heard his answering groan, all rough and deep. A little shift in her seat had her moaning and her husband coughing.

"Christ, you're killing me." She heard a muffled curse on his end. "Stupid fucking light."

Knowing he was safe at a stoplight, she added in a voice he could never resist, "Get ready for the ride of your life."

"Fuck, Bella."

"Bella-1, Edward-0, the checkered flag is mine," she said, laughing.

"I love you, but I'm almost home." His singsong voice had her pressing the gas, since she wasn't too far away, either. "And baby, you might be the one on top, but I'll be the one giving you the ride of your life and pushing you to the limit."

"Fuck, Edward. That sounds so good. Now, it's a tie." His answering chuckle was husky and just short of breathless, as worked up as she was.

The car coming toward Bella turned its directional on just as she flicked hers on as well. After a closer look, she realized she recognized the car. As they pulled into the driveway simultaneously, parking in their respective spaces, Bella's gaze met his through their windows. "You are mine," she mouthed, pointing first to him and then to herself.

Edward smirked, turning off his car and wiggling his eyebrows, and mouthed back, "Come and get me."

Her eyes narrowed as she thrust opened her door and shut it roughly behind her, meeting him at the front of his car and pulling him toward her by the front of his jacket. "You are in so much trouble tonight."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, baby," Edward replied, tugging her hips against him and sealing his lips over hers heatedly.

Bella's hands clasped either side of his face, returning his kiss with mirrored passion. They moved together without breaking apart once all the way to the front door. She was relieved that he had the coordination required to unlock and open it while still keeping one arm around her waist. The fire within her was at a nearly scorching level, and the moment they were inside the house, she shoved his jacket off his shoulders and to the floor in one swift movement. Desperate to feel his skin against her, she began working the buttons of her blouse as he lifted his scrub shirt over his head. A whimper escaped at the sight of her husband's bare chest. "Have I mentioned how much I love you lately?" Abandoning her task, her fingers danced up his trim abdomen and teased a nipple.

A low chuckle escaped him and he backed her against the wall, pinning her with his body as he unsnapped her jeans. "Feel free to say it again. I know I will more than once tonight."

"Oh fuck," Bella gasped at the gruffness of his voice and the feel of his skin on hers, throwing her head back when his hand slid inside the front of her jeans. The tightness of the garment pressed his fingers firmly against her, through the lace fabric she wore beneath the denim. She bucked her hips toward him, aching for the contact of his skin against hers. "God, I fucking love you."

"I love you, too. Shit, are these the black ones?" Edward asked hoarsely, and she smiled wickedly with a nod, causing his moan to rumble in his chest. "You know how much I love these. To think I almost missed them."

Bella hummed in disagreement, leaning forward to press her lips to his neck and flicking his skin lightly with her tongue. "What do you think I was going to be wearing when you got home?"

Edward groaned, withdrawing his hand and pushing her jeans down her legs. The instant she stepped out of them, he lifted her from the floor and carried her into the living room, her legs clinging tightly around his waist. "Our room is much too far away right now. I've been looking forward to this for weeks."

"I agree. Too many stairs. Couch," Bella replied in anxious pants, moaning at the weight of his body as he lowered them both onto the cushions. She writhed beneath him, tugging at the string of his scrub pants, growling when her fingertips encountered denim rather than cotton. "Of all the days you decide to wear jeans underneath."

Edward laughed and slid them over his hips. "I was in a bit of a rush this afternoon, Bella."

"Just get them off. I want you naked like you promised," Bella breathed huskily, dragging her hands up and down his back. "On second thought."

Edward lifted his head to look at her when she didn't finished her statement, but instead brought her hands to his shoulders. With a brief peck to his lips, she pushed against his chest with her palms and flipped him onto the other end of the couch, reversing their positions.

Bella hovered above him, enjoying the look of surprise on his face, and then kissed him a little deeper. "I think I'd rather take care of that myself."

Edward's hand caressed the back of Bella's head as she kissed her way down his bare chest and abdomen, pressing the button through the hole and dragging down the zipper. The groans emitting from him encouraged her to quicken her pace. Her fingers slid inside the waistband of his boxers, giving them a tug to hint for him to lift his hips, to which he eagerly responded. His eyes lowered to meet hers before she removed them completely, and he felt her hands begin to run back up his thighs and she rose to her feet. He sat up, grasping hold of her hips and tugging her closer. "Just where do you think you're going?"

Bella smiled as she slid her finger beneath the front clasp of her bra and unfastened it. Quickly, she shimmied out of the lacy panties she wore down her legs. "Your lap. I'm impatient and wet."

Edward groaned, leaning back against the arm of the couch again when she straddled his legs, grasping his length gently to guide him inside her. His hands curved around her ass as she began descending, and with one roll of her hips, he was buried deep within her. "Oh God, that feels fucking amazing."

Bella repeated her motion and tugged lightly on his bottom lip with her teeth. "Where's that 'ride of my life' you teased me with?"

"That was no tease, baby. That was a fucking promise," he breathed out huskily, emphasizing his words with a solid thrust of his hips and causing her to gasp. "And I always keep my promises, Bella. You know that."

Bella moaned into his mouth as he pulled her into a deep kiss, gliding his tongue along hers while threading the fingers of one hand into her hair. "Show me."

Her husky words against his lips ignited a rumble in his throat, and his free arm circled around her waist to pull her into each of his upward thrusts. She closed her eyes when they began rolling back, as did her neck, biting her lip on instinct to restrain the loud groan that wanted to escape. Yet as she opened them again, gazing into her husband's deep green ones, laced heavily with arousal, and listening to his heavy pants and groans of pleasure, it hit her. They were all alone, taking each other on the living room sofa—she could let him know exactly how he was making her feel. "Oh shit, that feels so goddamned good. Fuck me."

"God, it's been so long," Edward panted, the strain in his voice accentuated by the rapid succession of his movements against her. He drew a long breath in through his nose as he pulled her lips against his again, pressing their foreheads together once they broke apart. "Since I've heard you talk like that."

Bella's hips began a circular motion in time with his thrusts, supporting herself with a hand on his chest. She kissed along his jaw until she reached his neck, bringing her lips to his ear. "It's been so long we've truly and thoroughly fucked, too. And I want you to, right now. I want to be trembling all over after this."

"You better find something to hold on good and tight to, then," Edward replied, gliding both of his hands down her sides and grasping a firm hold of her hips.

Bracing one hand on the arm of the couch beside his head and the other on the back edge, a tremor of anticipation ran straight through her, noting the ever-darkening shade of his eyes. After all this time, she knew that look meant that he was getting close, but also that she was in for something great. She opened her mouth to speak just as he drove deep inside her, causing her to throw her head back instead. "Oh fuck!"

Edward began rocking her hips against him, sealing his mouth over her breast when her back arched in response and circled her nipple with his tongue. He knew that every ounce of stimulation he was giving her was driving her crazy, making her want more. The restraint she usually held back released in a series of pants, moans, and curses that only served to drive him wild. A nibble turned to a bite, soothed with the tip his tongue. It encouraged another whimper and harder roll of her hips, grinding her center.

"That's it, baby," he whispered, deep and breathlessly. "Touch yourself and hold on." Her hand beside his head tightened as the other rose to her hair, and she gasped and moved faster, harder. He loved watching her like that, lost in the pleasure he gave her. His hips drove to meet hers, making her cry out. He felt the tremble of her thighs and knew she was close. So was he, but he wanted to deliver on his promise. His hand slid to capture her ass and squeezed. She moaned his name and slid her wandering fingers between their bodies. He groaned, unable to keep it from slipping. "Come on, love. Let me feel you."

"Edward," she said, shaking her head. Her fingers rubbed delicious little circles and it took all his strength not to come from the sight alone. He hissed when he felt the tips of her fingers move over him every time he slipped out of her.

"Fuck, Bella," he hissed through clenched teeth. Knowing she needed just a little more, he grabbed her hips and drove deeper, harder, shifting her just right. Suddenly, she was there with a silent cry on her lips, a combination of shock and pleasure on her face. He stilled long enough to feel it crash through and into him, only for it to send him over the edge with a throaty grunt of her name.

Breathless, she fell against his chest, her breath hot on his neck. He fucking loved it and her. His hands loosened their tight grasp on her body, caressing where she'd undoubtedly bruise.

When her head rose to look at him again, she gazed at him with a devastatingly beautiful smile, before her lips met his in a passionate, but tender kiss. "God, I so needed that."

Edward chuckled as she shifted off him, snuggling between his body and the back of the couch with a contented sigh. "You'd think we didn't just have sex this morning by the way you're talking."

Bella slapped his stomach playfully and he circled his arms around her more, kissing her forehead. "That's not the same thing, and you know it. The kids were still home, and I had to bury my face in the pillow!"

"So do we get that high five now?" Edward asked, joining Bella in her laugh as she kissed him again. She lifted her hand from his chest and their palms made a loud 'smack' as they struck together over their heads, then folded their fingers together. "So, dare I ask what that was all about? Or what made the girls so jealous?"

Bella's leg shifted between his and curled around it, pressing her body more firmly against his side. If she kept that up, he'd be ready for another round soon. "This. The fact that, after all this time, my gorgeous husband and I still have an amazing sex life, and neither of us are bored. And of course, did you know that more than twice a week is unfathomable?"

Edward's eyes widened and he gazed at his wife in disbelief. "As in days?"

"No, times. More than once a day kinda boggled their mind."

Edward began shaking his head. "I can't even imagine that. I mean, I may be no teenager anymore, but shit, twice a week as a norm? We barely stay sane once a month with that."

Bella giggled, giving his hand a squeeze. "And that is why I love us. No matter how long we're married or how many kids we have, we haven't changed, except for the better. And the sex is still phe-nom-e-nal."

"Only phenomenal? I thought after all this practice it might be at least earth shattering. Guess I still have some work to do." Edward grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at her as he kicked his jeans the rest of the way off. "Ready for round two, my love?"

"I don't know. Are you up for it?" Bella asked and he gave her a sarcastic look, lowering their joined hands to his quickly returning erection. "Well, I mean, since you're 'no teenager anymore', thought maybe you'd need a break. Or a nap, in your old age." With a playful growl, Edward shifted her onto her back and hovered above her, and began tickling her relentlessly. Her head arched back into the cushion and her laughs turned breathless, halting abruptly when he took her nipple between his lips and pinched it lightly. "I'll show you 'old age', Mrs. Cullen."

"Oh my God, Edward!" Bella squealed as he tugged her up with him off the couch and hoisted her over his shoulder, lightly swatting her ass. "I was kidding!"

"I wasn't," he replied, turning his head to nip lightly at her hip with his teeth and carrying her upstairs to their bedroom.

She slapped his ass, too. "Oh good and I'll even let you be on top this time." She yelped when he delivered another smack and bite, giggling as he quickened his pace.

~oOo~

Naked Saturday turned to pajama Sunday and the kids were dropped off that afternoon, where they declared the rest of the day as family movie time. Things returned to normal around the house then, though Bella would use the term loosely. For a family of five with very distinct and different personalities, they somehow mashed together to form a family, and one that worked. That equaled normal in her book and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Amanda was smacking her gum and shaking her leg, an anxious tick she inherited from her father. Her head was on Edward's shoulder, whose foot shook equally as much. They shared the oversized chair for that very reason; no else could stand sitting with either of them. Except for her, of course, but she didn't mind her current cuddle buddies as they watched The Hobbit for the tenth time since its release.

Nathan, who had only days earlier refused one of her kisses at school, and ripped her heart into shreds, was snuggling close and playing with her hair. He'd even whispered he loved her twice since the movie started. She knew he was growing up, so she'd savor these moments forever.

Elizabeth cooed at the screen, mouthing her tiny fist and slobbering all over Bella's arm. She wiped it away and caught Edward's eye. He tried not to laugh and blew her a kiss.

Yeah, she wouldn't trade her family for anything.

~oOo~

"Nathan! Your missing shoe is in the living room!" Bella hollered up the stairs, working to put a sandwich and grapes into a container for Amanda's lunch.

She heard him from the top of the stairs. "How do you know?"

"Because I can smell it, buddy!"

"Mooooom!" She could almost see his blushing face from the kitchen, a trait he got from her.

Amanda helped by grabbing her and Nathan's drinks from the fridge, running to the lunch bags on the counter to stuff them inside. "Dad! Your coffee is ready!"

"Honey!" Bella joined her daughter. They had a set of lungs that would wake everyone in the house if they wanted to. Thankfully, Elizabeth was in her highchair, giggling at Nathan's funny faces. Without even looking at him as she finished another sandwich, she addressed her son. "Hey, mister, did you find your shoe?"

"I don't have a sense of smell like you, can you go look for it?" He was whining and he knew it, blushing again when she gave him a look. He dragged his feet as he walked toward the living room, tugging a shoe behind him by the string.

Bella shook her head. "Try under Dad's chair." She tapped his butt when he passed, earning a grumble.

"I can't find my keys," Edward said as he walked in, ruffling Amanda's hair and kissing Bella's cheek. His daughter shrieked and swatted his hand away, saying she had to fix it again. He started to fill up his travel mug with the coffee.

Bella looked up from her task, moaning a bit at the sight of her hot hubby in scrubs. The grey shirt he wore instead of the blue top, just added to the look and she wanted to take another shower with him. She knew her husband would make it up to her later, but damn him and his face. Her eyes met his cocky green ones, hers narrowing as she shook her fist at him.

"You know what the grey V-necks do to me."

He only smiled.

Amanda returned and asked Edward if he'd be able to attend her piano recital in a few days and hugged him hard when he said he found someone to cover his shift. Before Bella had a chance to ask if they could have dinner, too, a honking horn caught their attention.

"That's my car," Edward said, shaking his head. "I don't know where my keys are."

"Ew, Lizzy has them!" Nathan said, returning to the kitchen. He held a hand to his stomach, his sienna hair a mess, as he poked a finger in his mouth, pretending to gag. Edward's nose scrunched as he removed them from the baby's tight grasp, immediately replacing it with the toy set so she wouldn't cry.

As he turned off the car alarm, another blared from Bella's phone. "Amanda and Nathan, you have five minutes to be out that door or I'm changing the Wi-Fi password again!"

That was their punishment whenever they ran late to get ready in the morning. They really had ten minutes, but Bella learned her lesson early on to take away some time to avoid tardiness.

A text alerted her a few minutes later, as Edward helped put Elizabeth in her car seat. Bella called out for her kids, checking it. OMG! Thank you! Spa day is on me! - Angela

Bella threw her head back and laughed. She felt her husband's curl around her from behind. He hummed against her neck.

"What's so funny?" She showed him the text and the explanation behind it. He chuckled and nibbled on her neck. "Do you know there was one thing we didn't get to do this weekend?"

Bella thought back to their weekend and shivered, earning another laugh from Edward. "We didn't get to break in the dining room table!"

"Right, so send me a text when you get the baby down for a nap." He turned her to face him, kissing her properly. "I have a craving for a homemade meal at home for lunch."

A minute later, he said goodbye to the kids, promising pizza later. After another hour, Amanda and Nathan were in school and Elizabeth was running in circles in the living room when Bella received a text from her husband.

Mike just told me that the norm for him was twice a month! Fuck a high five. We deserve a trophy ;)

She laughed and couldn't believe her husband decided to share a little about his personal life with the likes of Dr. Newton, the gossip king of the hospital. She didn't mind, since word would spread and serve as a reminder that Dr. Cullen was a very happy husband.

A little before noon, as Bella put down Elizabeth for her nap, her phone vibrated with another message from her husband.

Lizzy asleep?

Bella laughed and shook her head, deciding to tease him. I thought I was supposed to be the one texting you. Impatient, my love? But yes, I just laid her down and she's almost out already.

However, his next text had her quickly freshening up and running downstairs.

ETA is five minutes, be naked.