Carlisle hadn't been gone five minutes before Edythe decided waiting was stupid.
"We're going to my parents' house," she said, "Do you want to take anything specific?"
Leah blinked up at her. "Why are we going there? Carlisle was just here. He can't have results yet."
Edythe gave her sweetest smile. "But if we're already there, we'll learn them faster, my love."
Her smile said I love you.
Her tone said, You are not allowed to argue with me.
I knew by the tone Edythe used that she had already won this argument. So I quickly went to the bedroom and put on some clothes, my mind still in a bit of a daze. Me… a father??? Whose fucking bright idea was this? Granted, I never once thought about using protection because, well, Edythe can't have kids, and Leah was convinced she was sterile since becoming a wolf warrior. Not to mention, I am part vampire now, so I shouldn't be able to have kids…Right?
But why was I so happy??? No, now I'm worried…my belly is floating all over the place, usually in the opposite direction my mind is in.
Am I scared? You bet your ass you are, I told myself. I have been away from Leah too long. What if she thinks I'm up here having a meltdown?
You are, another voice in my head volunteered.
But I have to be strong for her… And maybe our children. But… I don't think I'm strong enough for all that.
Don't ever let anyone hear that. In fact, don't ever think it again, stupid. I told myself. Fake it if you have to! You are her husband. You are her mate, and you will damn sure show up for this.
A random thought hit me that showed just how stupidly irresponsible I was. Grandma Elaraim… she was a wolf warrior, and she obviously had kids, or I wouldn't be here. Damn, I really didn't put much thought into this, did I?
I took a deep breath and let it out. Okay. That's all the panic you get for now. Time to be the supportive husband. Time to take responsibility.
When I came back downstairs, Leah and Edythe were already circling the idea of calling Sue. Leah was pushing to wait.
"No sane girl brings up the p-word to her mother unless it's a sure thing," Leah said. "Undeniable. Confirmed. Checked three times."
Edythe just nodded her head and looked over at me as I stood in the kitchen doorway. "Are we ready?"
I looked at her for a moment. "Um, love. You are still in your sleeping clothes. I know it's your parents' house, but…"
She looked down and seemed genuinely surprised that she was still in her thin shorts and tank top. "You mean I have been having a conversation this important in my night clothes? How could you let me?"
Then she was gone, and the air shifted where she'd been.
Leah watched the empty space with a long-suffering expression. "She's going to come back overdressed. I can feel it."
Edythe reappeared quickly in dark jeans and a soft sweater, hair brushed so perfectly it looked like she'd had time to sit for a portrait. The brush was still in her hand like proof.
"Okay," she announced. "I am ready now."
Leah stared at her. "You changed clothes in, what, thirty seconds?"
Edythe blinked, innocent. "Forty."
I rubbed a hand over my face and tried not to laugh. Then I reached for Leah's hand to help her up from the chair. "Okay, let's get going before she has time to start babyproofing the house."
Edythe's eyes flicked…fast…to Leah's stomach.
Then to Leah's face.
Then back again.
That look wasn't teasing or flirtation. It was mine, precious, must protect!
Leah noticed it and shifted like she wanted to flee and punch someone at the same time. "Stop looking at me like that."
Edythe's voice stayed soft. "Like what?"
"Like you're about to build a wall around me, and station guards."
Edythe smiled. "I would never."
Leah's eyes narrowed. "That's a lie."
"Okay," Edythe admitted, "it was just a passing thought. I thought I was the telepath in this relationship?"
I stepped in quickly, more eager than I realized to get Leah to the Cullen house. "Leah… shoes. Edythe… keys. Me… pretending I'm calm."
Leah snorted. "You're doing great."
I gave her the flattest look I could manage. "If I start sweating, just pretend it's because of the heat."
Edythe gave a snort of amusement, "Do you even sweat anymore?"
I gave her a weak smile, "I will let you know after I stand in front of Sue if Carlisle is right."
Leah muttered, "You're not the only one dreading that possible conversation?"
I pointed at her. "Shoes."
Leah dragged her feet like a teenager told to do chores, which was impressive, considering she could outrun a car when she felt like it. She slipped on her shoes with an exaggerated sigh, then stood and rolled her shoulders like she was bracing for the weight of the world to land on her shoulders.
Edythe was already at the door, keys in hand, posture composed…too composed. She was doing that thing where she pretended to be calm because she'd decided panic was inefficient.
"Before we go," Leah said, and her voice came out rougher than she meant. "Ground rule."
Edythe paused. "Yes?"
Leah's eyes flicked to me and then away. "No announcing it. Not to your mom. Not to Alice. Not to anyone. Not until Carlisle says it out loud and confirms it."
Edythe's expression softened, but the protectiveness didn't leave her eyes. "Of course."
Leah narrowed her eyes. "That sounded too easy."
Edythe just smiled, "You will just have to trust me on this one, love."
Leah looked at me like she wanted backup.
I lifted both hands. "I'm with you. Carlisle confirms first."
We stepped out into the mid-morning air, the world still normal in that way that felt insulting. Birds. Damp earth. A neighbor's lawnmower in the distance, like nobody else's life just tilted on its axis. Damned inconsiderate people.
Leah stopped at the top step, one hand braced lightly on the railing. Not weak, just… careful.
"You okay?" I asked, quietly. Not wanting her to think I doubted her.
Leah's eyes slid to mine. "I'm fine."
I waited.
She blew out a breath through her nose. "It was just a little bout of dizziness. I'm… not going to throw up on your seats, if that's what you're asking."
"That's not what I'm asking."
Leah's mouth twitched. "It's what you're thinking."
Edythe leaned in at Leah's other side, voice mild. "If you do, Thomas will disinfect the entire truck and then apologize to the upholstery."
"I heard that," I said, letting the conversation move back to playful banter.
"You were meant to," Edythe replied.
Leah's shoulders loosened a fraction, and she started down the steps. I matched her pace without making a show of it. Edythe walked ahead to unlock the passenger door like she was a professional chauffeur.
As Leah slid into the center seat, she stared at the dashboard like she was trying to anchor herself in something ordinary.
Then she said, very quietly, "If it's real…"
"What if I'm bad at this?" she asked, and the question hit like a punch because it wasn't Leah being dramatic, it was Leah being vulnerable. "What if I don't know how to be… gentle. Or patient. Or…" She swallowed. "What if I mess it up and you both look at me like you made a mistake choosing me?"
Edythe's head turned, slow and deliberate. Her expression didn't soften into pity. It sharpened into certainty.
"Stupid," Edythe said.
Leah flinched like the word had teeth.
Then her jaw set, because of course it did. "Excuse me?"
Edythe didn't blink, just reached out for Leah's hand. "I said stupid." Her voice stayed calm, almost gentle, which somehow made it worse. "Not you. That thought."
Leah's eyes flashed. "That thought is in my head for a reason."
Edythe's gaze held hers, unblinking and unwavering. "Yes. Because you were trained by pain. Because you were taught to expect abandonment. Because the universe has a personal hobby of kicking you when you're already down." She leaned in just a fraction. "But it's still a stupid thought."
Leah swallowed. Her voice came smaller. "You don't know that."
Edythe's mouth curved without humor. "I do. Because I am not here out of obligation." Her fingers tightened around Leah's hand, not hard…certain. "And Thomas is not here just because he's kind."
I leaned over and put my hand over theirs, warm on top of cool and heat. "You're not doing this alone," I told Leah. "You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be here. And if you're scared, you tell us you're scared. That's the whole deal."
Leah's eyes went bright, furious at the betrayal of tears. She blinked hard, then gave a rough little huff that was half laugh, half warning.
"I hate you two," she muttered.
Edythe's mouth curved. "Liar."
Leah squeezed our hands once, hard, like she needed the pressure to believe we were real.
"…Okay," she whispered. "Then you don't let me run."
Edythe adjusted her seat and the rear view mirror with unnecessary precision, then started the truck.
"We're going to get information," she said. "Then we're coming home."
Leah's eyes narrowed. "Unless you decide we live at the Cullen house now."
Edythe blinked, innocent again. "I would never."
Leah stared.
Edythe sighed. "Okay, it's also a passing thought. But it's a good one."
Edythe drove like we were late to a fire. Not reckless, just… efficient. Every red light was a personal insult. Every slow car was a crime.
Leah watched the trees blur past and tried to look bored. It didn't work.
I kept my hand on her knee, not gripping, not hovering. Just there.
Halfway there, Leah's stomach made a sound.
She froze, then blushed in embarrassment.
Edythe's eyes flicked to her. "Do you need me to pu…"
"No," Leah said immediately. "Keep driving."
Edythe did, but the grip on the wheel tightened. And the trees passed just a bit quicker.
The familiar Cullen house came into view. I paused to wonder briefly why it had such a title. You would think I would call it the in-laws' house or something like that, but it just felt natural to call it the Cullen house. Weird.
Edythe didn't park so much as arrive. She cut the engine and was out of the truck before the last echo of the running engine died out. I got out and offered my hand out of habit to help Leah out of the truck.
Leah looked at my hand, then into my eyes, then turned that look on Edythe.
"Okay," she said flatly. "This stops now. I am not suddenly made of glass. I know you both care, but I'm possibly pregnant…not possibly about to die. Women have been doing this for tens of thousands of years. So pull it back a notch."
I didn't take my hand back. "I'm still going to offer to help you out of the truck. I've been doing that too long to stop now."
Edythe's smile turned sharp. "Also, you just said 'possibly pregnant' in the front yard of a house full of vampires who can hear a deer's heartbeat from half a mile away. So… be prepared."
Right on cue, Leah glanced up and saw Alice pressed to an upstairs window with wide eyes and a delighted grin.
Leah dropped her head. "Oh, what have I done?"
I gently guided Leah to the front door that opened before we made the entryway. Esme stood there with her ever-present warm smile. Carlisle is downstairs, dear. I will keep everyone up here until you are done."
"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," Leah said, still embarrassed.
"Now, dear," Esme chided her. "I have said many times, you should call me Esme. You are married to my daughter, so formality is not needed between us."
Leah smiled, "Yes, Esme. Thank you."
We made our way downstairs to Carlisle's lab.
Without even announcing herself, Edythe asked. "What have you found out so far, Dad?" She moved directly to a bookshelf where she ran her hand along the leather-bound spines until she found what she was looking for. I noted the title was Pregnancy and Fetal Development.
Carlisle didn't blink at the invasion of his workspace. "I still have about five minutes before the machine has any results." His gaze shifted to Leah. "Would you like a seat?"
Before Leah could answer, I rolled a padded computer chair over.
Leah looked like she wanted to argue. Then she stopped herself and sank into it, grateful.
"What can you tell us, Carlisle?" I asked.
"Nothing definitive until the test finishes," Carlisle said. "But I've been running scenarios. And every answer creates three new questions." He looked at Leah. "You mentioned Elaraim's journals. Does she write about pregnancy? Symptoms? Timeline?"
Leah shook her head. "Not really. She wrote like a historian, not a diarist. Heritage and lore. Not… personal details."
Carlisle exhaled. "Unfortunate. Your wolf-warrior physiology could affect pregnancy in unpredictable ways."
Edythe snapped her gaze up from a book. "In what ways?"
Carlisle paused, collecting thoughts. "Human pregnancy is around nine months. Wolves are closer to two." He paused for a moment. "Even in human form, you heal faster and metabolize faster than any human."
"If your body treats pregnancy like another accelerated biological process," he continued, "the timeline could shorten. That's possibility one."
"Possibility two: the wolf gene is reactive. It's awakened by proximity to vampires. You are now constantly around vampires…and around a vampire-hybrid." His eyes moved to me. "Which leads to possibility three."
My stomach tightened.
"The father's physiology is unprecedented," Carlisle said gently. "Hybrid shifter-vampire. We don't know what that means for fetal development, maternal health, or timing."
Edythe's fingers curled around the spine of the book she had in her hand like she would crush it. "So we watch. We test. We control what we can."
Carlisle nodded. "Exactly."
The machine made a soft series of beeps.
Carlisle crossed to it, read the screen, and went still for a fraction of a second.
Then he turned back to us.
Leah's hand found mine again, hard.
Edythe didn't move…except her eyes, bright and locked.
Carlisle's voice stayed even, doctor-steady.
"It's positive."
The room went silent in the way silence does when it's too full to breathe.
Leah blinked once. "Say it again."
Carlisle didn't smile, he respected the weight of it. "You're pregnant."
Leah stared at the floor like it might tell her how to feel.
Edythe moved first.
Not fast, not vampire-fast…but controlled.
She knelt in front of Leah, hands careful as if Leah might shatter from the idea, and she looked up into Leah's face like Leah was the only thing in the world.
"You're okay," Edythe whispered. "It's okay. We have you."
Leah's throat worked. "This is insane."
"Yes," Edythe agreed. "It is."
And then Edythe's eyes went darker, not dangerous, not playful, just fiercely alive.
"But you're not alone," she said, voice calm and absolute. "Not for one second."
My own breath finally came back.
I squeezed Leah's hand. "We'll do this," I said, even if I didn't know what this meant yet. "However it comes… we'll do it."
Leah's eyes lifted to mine, wet but furious like she'd fight the world before she'd cry in front of it.
"…Okay," she said, quietly.
Carlisle set the strip down and turned practical again. "This is only the first confirmation. I want bloodwork. Hormone levels. Baseline vitals. And…" his eyes flicked to me, careful. "I want to monitor you closely, Leah. Your physiology is not standard."
Leah regained enough bite to glare at him. "Nothing about my life is standard."
Carlisle's mouth twitched. "Correct. Which is why I'd like to keep you somewhere I can respond quickly if something…changes."
Leah's eyes narrowed. "You mean here."
Edythe answered before Carlisle could. "Yes."
Leah turned to Edythe. "No."
Edythe smiled, sweet and absolute. "Yes."
Leah's jaw tightened. "Edythe."
Edythe leaned closer, voice low enough that it felt private even in the small room. "I will not gamble with you. Not with this. You want me to pull it back a notch? Fine. I'm pulling it back from locking you in a bunker. You can have 'stay at my parents' house with a doctor on call.'"
Leah stared at her like she was trying to decide whether to kiss her or throw the chair she was currently sitting in.
I finally found my voice again. "Leah… we can make it temporary."
Leah's eyes snapped to me. "You too?"
"I'm not ganging up," I said carefully. "I'm… trying to be smart. If anything feels off, Carlisle is right here. If everything feels normal, we go home."
Leah's nostrils flared.
Then she looked down at her stomach like it had betrayed her and gifted her at the same time.
"…Fine," she said, the word scraped out of her like she hated giving in.
Carlisle moved back toward his counter. "I will continue with some tests," He looked pointedly at Leah. "You should eat… Protein. Iron. Water."
Leah stared at him. "If you tell me to eat vegetables, I will bite you."
Carlisle's smile was patient. "Noted."
Edythe brushed her thumb over Leah's cheek, gentle. "After we know more, we call Sue. Together."
Leah looked like she wanted to argue again, then her face softened, just barely.
"…Okay," she said, quietly.
And something in my chest unclenched at that.
Because whatever else was true…
We were still doing it the same way we'd done everything since our wedding.
Together.