I am so excited to get back to these two...I have a lot of things running through my head for this story! If you haven't read Defying Gravity, then I suggest you do so...this is the sequel.

The beginning of this story starts almost a year after they got married.

Ages are as followed (in case you're curious):

Edward-32
Bella-27
Claire-15 mos
Alice-27
Jasper-27
Emmett-30
Rosalie-30
Seth-25

Chapter 1

Bella

I heard Claire's jabbering on the monitor and quickly finished the paragraph I was writing before closing my laptop. I went upstairs and opened her door, smiling widely at her when I walked in the room.

"Hey, baby! Did you take a good nap?" I reached down into her crib and pulled my little fifteen-month-old into my arms.

I quickly changed her before taking her downstairs and getting her set up in the living room. The phone rang and I rushed over to answer it. I checked the caller ID and sighed. It was my agent, Jane McGuyer.

My publisher had hired Jane for me just before I went on my book tour in the spring. She booked appearances in thirty cities over a span of six weeks-I was exhausted by the time I came back home to Seattle.

Before I left, Edward and I had agreed that I would take Claire with me and he would come to wherever-I-was every single weekend to spend time with us. The first couple of weeks were fairly easy for me. I was in a whirlwind of readings, signings, and photos while I had my daughter with me and the promise of seeing Edward on the weekends. It was so surreal, I didn't notice until the third week how much I hated it.

While I was in New York, Edward and I argued the entire weekend. He was miserable at home without us and I was exhausted and cranky and wanted nothing more than to hop on the next flight to Seattle and go home and curl up next to him in our own bed. After Edward got on a flight to Seattle and Claire and I boarded a flight to Orlando, we both realized how stupid it was of us to spend the only time we got to see each other arguing.

The next two weekends were spent by Edward and I staying holed up in my hotel room, making up and spending time with our daughter.

"Hello?"

"Bella! How are you?" she asked casually.

"I'm fine, Jane. How are you?" I kept my voice light, even though I didn't want to deal with this today.

"I'd be better if you would give me an idea of what you want to do for you next book tour."

I cringed. I had been avoiding the subject for weeks. My second book was due out in less than a week and my publisher wanted me to do another book tour and a couple of TV interviews, which scared the hell out of me.

I answered her honestly. "I have to talk to Edward first. I'm not going to be gone as long as I was the last time. It was too hard on us."

"Bella," she said unhappily. "I need to know something by Friday."

"He'll be back later today so I'll talk to him about it tomorrow." I looked over to see Claire getting into the DVD's. "Look, I've got to go before my daughter makes a mess. I'll call you Friday and let you know something."

I hung up the phone and darted across the room, scooping Claire up and tossing her in the air.

"I don't think so, little lady," I said, smiling widely.

She jabbered something at me and pointed to the movies on the floor.

"You know I have no idea what you're saying." I kissed her nose before I put her down and went to clean up her mess.

"Ma-mam!"

I looked back at her. "What, baby?"

She tottered over to me and pursed her lips for a kiss.

"You want a kiss?" She nodded and grinned. "You got it."

I kissed her quickly and put the last of the movies in the cabinet.

"Hey, you know what?" She just looked up at me. "Daddy's coming home in a little bit!"

Just the thought of having him home sent my heart fluttering in excitement.

"Da-ey!" she squealed, clapping her hands.

"Let's go get ready to go, shall we?"

I opened up my hand, revealing the little star-shaped puffs in my palm. Claire's eyes immediately widened and she squealed in delight as her little, chubby hand reached out and grabbed one, fisting it in her mouth.

This, thankfully, calmed her down.

I quickly fixed her bow and looked back towards the terminal. Edward's flight was scheduled to arrive ten minutes ago.

I was anxiously bouncing Claire on my hip, waiting for my husband to finally come home from his three-week long trip to Africa for the foundation. Edward and I had agreed that Claire and I would stay back in Seattle, saving our daughter from the numerous inoculations she would need to fly over there safely. I hated being away from him, even if only for a short time. It was like I couldn't function without him, a thought that in all honesty was a little frightening. I kept up with the responsibilities of my job and Claire, but I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and lay there until he came back to me.

Now I knew exactly how he felt when I was on my book tour. And I'm sure he knew what it was like to be away from home, doing a part of your job, but wishing all the while you could pack up and go back to the ones you loved the most.

Claire wiggled against my hip, trying to work her way down, and I finally gave up. I sat her down on the floor and crouched down with her. Her little brows furrowed and she quickly pulled herself up so that she was standing, and tottered around me.

"Da-ey?" she asked, waiting for my answer.

"Yes. Daddy."

She seemed to be doing everything early: sitting, walking, teething, crawling. She had sat at five months, crawled at seven, walked at ten. She had all of her teeth in already, and Edward and I were pretty sure she'd be talking in sentences within another couple of months.

"Please tell me she didn't start talking while I was gone." I instantly recognized the musical voice and I felt my entire body react; every part of me suddenly ached to touch the source.

I looked up and saw Edward hovering over us, his face exuberant and his eyes shining with joy. I quickly grabbed Claire and threw us in his arms.

"God, I missed you so much." I breathed in his wonderful, familiar scent and felt whole again.

"I missed you, too, love."

He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, parting them gently before pushing his tongue against mine. I sighed and felt myself melt into him. It was all I could do to hold on to our daughter.

He pulled back, smiling, and looked down at Claire. She was looking at him wide-eyed and had her hands outstretched towards him.

"Da-ey!" she squealed.

"Hi, baby!"

He took her into his arms and held her against his chest. She was so relaxed in his arms, her head laying against his heart. I saw her eyelids flutter closed and I smiled. She was just as much in love with her daddy as I was.

Edward ran his hands through her short bronze curls, looking back at me. "I missed her so much. She's grown." He looked back down at her in disapproval. "And I think her hair's a little longer."

"A little." I ran my hand across her back. "I think she missed you, too."

He wrapped his free arm around me and led me over to the baggage claim. "Three weeks is too long. I'm not leaving you again for more than two weeks at a time. And that goes for you, too. You're not allowed to be gone for longer than two weeks at a time from now on."

I laughed. "Well, now you know how I felt when I was on my book tour. And I know how you felt at home without us."

He snorted. "I'd say I had it a lot worse than you did. At least you had Claire with you-both times. And were in the country where I could visit you. I had Dad-in Africa."

I laughed. "I love your dad. Hey, speaking of book tours, I got a phone call from Jane today." He looked at me and frowned slightly. "She wants to plan my next tour and schedule a couple of TV interviews. I told her I needed to speak to you first."

He exhaled sharply. "It's your career. You do whatever you need to do."

"But I can't be gone for longer than two weeks, though." I looked at him sideways and grinned.

He chuckled. "I would rather you not."

"Done." He looked at me in surprise. "Jane will just have to get over it."

He shook his head and handed me Claire so that he could grab his duffle bag, which caused her to scream loudly and stretch her hands out towards Edward. Once he had his bag comfortably on his shoulder, he took her back from me, quieting her down immediately.

He looked at me with one eyebrow raised. "Am I never going to be allowed to leave without you two again?"

I hummed. "That sounds great, baby."

He chuckled. "It does, doesn't it?"

We walked through the doors and were instantly assaulted with the flashing bulbs of the dozens of cameras waiting for us outside.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Edward muttered, adjusting Claire so that her face was buried in the crook of his neck.

I giggled at him and hid my face behind my hair. "Hey, you did it Mr. Tag Heuer."

Carlise, Esme, and Edward had done a photo shoot for a series of print ads for the foundation at the beginning of the year. Tag Heuer saw the ads and asked Edward to promote their new line of watches. After a lot of screaming from Alice and deliberation by Edward, he finally agreed, donating the money they paid him to the foundation. The first one came out in June and caused our life to change completely.

Edward became a regular target for paparazzi, appearing in tabloids left and right. Not only were we now hounded by photographers when we went out somewhere, but we got phone calls from other companies trying to get Edward to appear in one of their ads. The latest of which was from Burberry, who wanted all three of us to promote their upcoming spring line.

I was all for it-it meant more money for the foundation. But Edward was extremely apprehensive about it. He wasn't sure he wanted his little girl in ads across the country.

The Tag Heuer ads also helped him to be number one on People's Most Beautiful list this year. I got the pleasure of seeing my husband's face on the stands throughout stores for an entire week. Even though I was unbelievably proud of him, I found it a little bizarre to stand in the checkout line while Claire pointed and screamed 'Da-ey!', causing everyone to turn around and recognize her facial features and bronze hair as Edward's. There was no hiding who my husband was as long as that magazine sat on the stands.

"It wasn't worth it," he replied.

I felt him reach for my hand and lead me towards the parking garage. "I'm on level three," I said quietly, making sure no one else heard me.

He nodded and pulled me into the elevator as soon as the doors opened. I punched to button and tentatively looked over at him. His face was like it was set in stone; his beautiful, green eyes hard. I saw the muscles in his jaw twitch and imagined he was currently grinding his teeth into stumps.

"Hey," I whispered, tugging his arm so that he faced me as soon as the doors closed. "Relax." I rubbed his arm soothingly.

"How can you be so fucking calm?" he countered. "We can't do anything anymore."

I exhaled loudly. "Sure we can. We just have to plan a little more." He rolled his eyes.

I felt bad that the magazines weren't as interested in me. I could walk out of our house and down the street and only have a couple guys follow me. Add Edward, and it became a completely different story.

He was every girl's dream-rich, successful, and insanely gorgeous. And he was mine.

The doors opened and we raced to the car, buckling Claire up in her seat and shutting the door, just as the photographers found us. Edward practically pushed me into the car before he turned around and smiled brightly at the camera.

After watching his interaction for a few minutes in the side mirror, Edward finally came around the driver's side and got in the door, starting the engine and backing out carefully.

"You okay?" I asked hesitantly, taking his free hand in mine.

He glanced over at me, his mouth turning up into his glorious crooked smile. "I am now."

Edward

God, how I missed my girls. I had managed to side-step any and every trip Carlisle needed me to take with him until now. And after the three-weeks of mindless, heart-wrenching torture I endured in Africa, I wasn't going to go anywhere without them again.

Okay, so that probably wasn't realistic, but at the moment, I didn't care. I'd just have to figure something out. With my position at the foundation, there were plenty of trips like this last one in the foreseeable future. And now Bella was going to have to go on another book tour.

Fuck.

We got home and I quickly took my bag to the bedroom before coming back to the kitchen. I took Claire from Bella, who was yelling loudly again, and walked over to the pantry. I handed Claire a package of baby food, watching her look at it with her little lips pursed in curiosity, while I grabbed another one and got some milk out of the fridge.

I sat her in her high chair with a couple of toys while I finished getting her dinner ready. She giggled happily when the little dog bounced out of her hands and started barking and vibrating across the tray.

I sat down in front of her and took the toys away, causing her to frown.

"Are you hungry, my love?" She nodded furiously.

I held out the spoon with some sort of chicken and noodle concoction and watched her flash me her little teeth before opening her mouth widely. I watched her face scrunch up in disgust and laughed.

"Bella? I don't think she likes this one," I called out, still laughing.

"It's new! Try it again!" I glanced over and saw that Bella was chopping a green pepper.

"All right," I muttered. I looked back at Claire and got another spoonful. "Try it again, Mommy says."

I held out the spoon and she reluctantly opened her little mouth, letting me put the foul tasting stuff in it again. Her face scrunched up again and this time she actually shuddered. Apparently, she despised it-it was unbelievably funny.

"Okay, no more of that. I'm sorry," I chuckled. She looked at me like she wanted to reach over and strangle me.

After we finally got through with her feeding, I got her cleaned up and took her to her room, where I changed her diaper and put her in a sleeper.

I sat down in the glider and cradled her in my arms, running my fingers through her hair while I continuously hummed her lullaby to her. It wasn't long before she yawned and closed her eyes. I hummed a little while longer until the hand she had fisted on my chest relaxed and slid down to rest on her little body.

I sat there for a moment, just looking at my daughter's sweet face, and decided right then and there, I wanted another to have another baby. We'd always planned on more, but now the theory of more was no longer enough.

If only I could convince my wife.

I put Claire in her crib and went to get the monitor off the charger in our bedroom as I made my way back to the kitchen. I got everything cleaned up and rinsed the bottle in the sink, putting it into the dishwasher when I was done. Then, I turned around and watched Bella silently.

She was running a spatula through the pan of whatever-she-was-making, making her perfect little ass jiggle slightly. I suddenly didn't give a fuck about eating-unless you counted Bella as the main course.

I walked up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and rested my chin lightly on her shoulder.

"Where's Claire?"

"In bed," I said simply.

She fiddled with the knob and spun around in my arms. "Seriously?"

I had forgotten she'd been having trouble getting Claire to sleep recently. "Yeah, she was exhausted."

She rested her head on my chest and breathed in deeply. "Well, I think you've just gotten yourself a new job, Edward. How did you do it?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I just did what I always do. I sat in the glider and hummed her lullaby to her."

She started to say something back, but was interrupted by her alarm on her cell phone. It was eight-thirty-time to take one of her birth control pills.

"You just going to stand there?" She hadn't moved and I was getting a little tired of listening to the incessant beeping.

"I have to start a new pack today. I left them in the car." She pressed herself even tighter against me, sighing. "I just don't want to go get them yet because that means I have to let you go."

I smiled at the opening she gave me. "So don't."

She snorted. "Yeah, okay, Edward."

I moved one hand up to her face and cupped her chin, bringing it up so that I could see her face. "I'm serious."

"I-I...What?" she sputtered.

I pressed my lips to hers, running my tongue across her lips. "Don't you ever think about having another baby?"

She let out her breath shakily. "Well, yeah. But-"

"But what?" I trailed a line with my tongue across her jaw, up to her ear. "We don't have to try," I whispered into her ear.

I bit down gently on her ear lobe and heard her whimper. "What do you mean?"

I could feel her walls crumbling around her. Just a little more coaxing and she'd agree. It was easier than I thought it would be. She was normally so stubborn.

"All you have to do is stop taking those little pills. And then we'll just...see what happens." My hands slowly trailed up her sides until they were just under her breasts. I ran my thumbs along the bottom of her breasts and felt her shiver.

"I thought..." she swallowed audibly. "I thought we were going to wait until Claire was two."

"What's a few more months?" I kissed her again, this time more forcefully, and heard her breathe in deeply as our tongues met. "Please?" I murmured against her mouth, grinding myself against her. "Please?" I repeated.

I felt her slight nod against my face and that was all the encouragement I needed.

My hands ran across her body, instinctively knowing exactly where and how to touch her. I got to her ass and lifted her up, hitching her legs around my waist and carrying her to the bedroom.

"Edward! The food!" She laughed.

"Fuck the food," I growled.

I threw us on the bed, attacking her mouth with mine again as I let the fire in my body take over. I was no longer gentle as I bit down on her lip and kneaded her breast with one hand while my other hand cupped her, grinding my palm against her clit.

I quickly pulled her shirt off and unclasped her bra, taking her nipples in my mouth one at a time. I circled one with my tongue and then bit down gently, getting harder as I heard her moan breathlessly.

She tugged on the hem of my shirt and I let her pull it off and run her hands down my chest, making me shudder and groan as she got further and further down.

I practically ripped her pants off her body and threw them on the floor, looking my beautiful wife over and watching her face flush as I did.

"So fucking beautiful." I grabbed her legs and pushed them apart. "I missed you." I ran my tongue over her clit. "Missed this."

I felt her hips buck up as I put two fingers inside her, moving them in and out slowly while my tongue continued to work her clit. It wasn't long before she was shouting my name and coming around my fingers.

I fumbled with my belt for a second and kicked my pants down to my ankles. "Love?" She opened her eyes and looked at me questioningly. "Are you sure?"

I knew it was physically impossible for it to happen tonight, but it felt like such a huge step to take, I wanted to make sure Bella was with me all the way.

"I'm sure." She smiled.

"Really?" I couldn't keep the excitement out of my voice. We wanted another baby.

She giggled. "Really." She looked down at my dick and smirked. "You know, it's not going to happen unless you do something with that thing."

"Yes ma'am," I replied, pushing myself into her. "Oh, fuck," I grunted.

She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me further into her as I continued to thrust in and out. I placed open-mouthed kisses all along her shoulder, collarbone, neck, jaw. She grabbed my face in her hands and kissed me tenderly.

"I love you, Edward Cullen." I looked down and saw her eyes shining with tears.

"I love you, Isabella. Forever."

I interlaced her hands with mine and watched her face contort in pleasure as I continued to drive myself into her. I shifted my body so that I was hitting her most sensitive spot and felt her instantly tighten up around me. It wasn't long before she let out a soft moan while her walls rippled around me, causing me to finally lose control.

After we finally calmed down, I pulled her out of the bed and drug her to the car, grabbing the pills and taking them to the kitchen.

I looked over at the clock before looking into her confused face. I held up the pills, shaking them a little.

"Isabella Cullen? I want to make sure this is perfectly clear. You still have time to take one if you've changed your mind. I don't want to do anything you don't want to do and I most certainly don't want you to feel forced."

She put her hand over her mouth and laughed softly. "I don't feel forced, Edward." She took the pills from my hand and threw them in the trash. "And I'm sure. Maybe I'm not sure about how we're going to handle it if it happens right away, but I'm sure about you, about our beautiful daughter sleeping upstairs, and about our life together."

I saw no trace of anything hidden in her eyes and felt my face light up into a huge smile. "Well, not to frighten you or anything, but I hope it happens right away."

She giggled. "I figured." She furrowed her brows for a moment before speaking. "Hey, if it doesn't happen this month, do you think we can skip next month and use condoms? I really don't want to have to celebrate our kids' birthdays in the same month."

Fuck me, condoms. I kept my annoyance off my face. I really hated those things, but it was a small price to pay in the long run.

"Absolutely." I walked over to the range and took a pepper out of the pan with my fingers. "You hungry?" I mumbled as I chewed it up.

"Yeah."

We reheated our dinner and sat down, eating naked in the kitchen while we talked about things that happened while I was away.

"So, Seth met someone?" I asked.

Bella nodded. "Um-hm. You'll really like her. Her name's Bree. She's really young but so nice."

I took a drink of my soda. "How young?"

"Twenty."

I almost choked. "Are you joking?"

She looked stunned. "No."

"Seth's twenty-five! What's he doing with a girl he can't even take to a bar yet?" I exclaimed.

"She turns twenty-one next month. This can't be a big deal to you. There's the exact same age difference between them as there is us! You're not seriously going to sit there and tell me that if you'd met me while you were still in med school that you wouldn't have dated me just because I wasn't twenty-one yet, are you?"

Well, when she put it that way...

"No. I would have still dated you. I don't think anything would have kept me away from you."

She looked at me smugly.

I propped my elbows on the table and put my face in my hands. "God, I feel like an old man."

She got out of her chair and came over to me, moving my arms to my side and straddling my lap.

She kissed me quickly. "Thirty-two's not old, baby."

"Thanks." I could feel my body responding to my naked wife, straddling me. "Are you finished eating?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good, because I plan to make love to you again before we go back to bed. And then maybe another couple of times when we get there, too." I moved myself against her.

Her eyes widened. "That much?"

"I have a lot of lost time to catch up on."