For Better or for Worse:
"What if I told him in a letter?"
His perfect eyebrows were raised, half in amusement, half in exasperation. I was pacing in front of Charlie's front door, twisting my ring around my finger as I wrung my hands in worry. I was trying to work up the courage to tell Charlie that his little Bella was getting married to a boy he didn't particularly like.
"Shouldn't I be the one worrying? He's hardly going to disown you. The worst he could do is shoot at me, but seeing as I'm bulletproof there's no need to go mad." I glared at his pitiful attempts at making me relax.
"Oh, thanks Edward, that makes me feel loads better. I'm sure him finding out that you're a vampire will help our cause." I tripped slightly on the welcome mat as I turned abruptly to give him another glare. He was at my side in an instant, catching me, always my knight in shining armor. My cheeks turned their telltale red and he smiled his crooked smile, making my heart flutter as usual.
"Bella?" Crap. Charlie must have heard us. I really shouldn't be surprised; my anxiety wasn't exactly helping me keep quiet. He opened the door and my left hand flew behind my back as I smiled widely at him.
"Hi dad!" I said, my voice croaking slightly and my cheeks burning even more than usual. I could practically hear Edward's smile as he held back his laughter. Charlie raised his eyebrow, and it really was ridiculous how much I blush.
"You alright there, Bells?" He asked, answering what I was sure was Edward's broad smile. He may not like Edward very much ,but they at least agreed that I was a fine source of entertainment.
"I'm fine, Dad. Shut up, Edward." I told him without looking at him, and this time he did laugh. I would have turned to glare at him, but I would have most likely tripped over the threshold. Again. Besides, I felt like sulking and if I looked at Edward he'd dazzle me into oblivion. And I wanted to have my wits about me. No matter how much I was dreading it, I was determined to tell Charlie about the wedding.
"Did you eat yet, Bella? I ordered some pizza, big game on tonight, you know." Crap. There went my idea of buttering him up with a wonderful home cooked meal.
"Uh, sure, Dad." I followed him into the kitchen, and as we sat I grabbed a slice and started picking the cheese off. It was a habit of mine; I'd take off the cheese from the top of the pizza, eat the dough and then eat the cheese. But when I started ripping apart the dough with my hands instead of my teeth, Charlie raised his eyebrow at me and asked,
"Bella? Why are you trying to eat with one hand? And why are you so fidgety? Did you hurt yourself again?"
"Uh no, Dad." I was really starting to master monosyllabic words. I rolled my eyes inwardly at myself and decided it was better to get it over with. He was at least finished eating and his plate was safely tucked away on the sink, so no risk of him throwing it at Edward. Or me.
"You see, dad, I love Edward very much. And, uh, what I'm trying to tell you is that, uh, well… you see…"
"I asked for your daughter's hand in marriage and she agreed to it, Mr. Swan." I looked up at Edward, wondering how in the world he managed to look so nervous and calm at the same time. I looked at my dad and he had a dumbfounded expression on his face. His mouth was opening and closing like a fish, and I cringed backwards, curling into Edward and closing my eyes, waiting for the explosion. When a few seconds had gone by and he still hadn't started yelling I lifted my head and slowly opened my eyes. There wasn't a trace of red in his face.
"Dad?" He blinked once, then twice. He reached out his hand and I took it with my left hand. He stared at the diamond and rubbed his thumb over it, before pulling me into a tight hug.
"Congratulations, kiddo," he said, his voice gruff with suppressed emotion. He held me there for a few seconds before letting me go and extending his hand to Edward, who shook his hand gratefully and whispered, "Thank you, sir".
"Just, take care of her. And Bella…" he stopped, took a deep breath and I was scared to see an errant tear in his eye. "Thanks for letting me have my goodbye."
I sobbed loudly and launched myself into his arms, my dad's tears making me cry harder. "I love you, Daddy, and this isn't goodbye. Not if I can help it." I sniffed loudly and we stood there, our arms around each other. I felt Edward leave the room, giving us our privacy; it made me both grateful and chagrined that he left. We slowly pulled apart and I kissed my dad on the cheek, and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He laughed and ruffled my hair, just like he used to when I was little.
"I guess you're not my little girl anymore , huh?" I laughed along with him, and I gave him another kiss as I said "I'll always be your little girl, dad. I might not think so, but God knows you're never going to let me go." He laughed again and then suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, dad?" I asked, panicking slightly, wondering if he changed his mind and he just now realized his little girl was going to tie the knot.
"Uh, Bella, have you told your mom yet?" I blinked once and then gasped.
"Crap" I whispered, forgetting in the face of my fear of telling Charlie that my mother's reaction would be a hundred times worse than my dad's. I could see it now, her yelling and her accusing the influence of small town hicks for my "rushed" decision of getting married. Edward chose that moment to walk back in the room and he grasped my hand in his the moment he was at my side. I smiled at him and I looked back to my dad.
"Say, dad, you want to give me an early wedding gift?" I gave him my most charming smile as he lifted his eyebrows and I could tell he knew exactly what I was going to ask him.
"What?" The skepticism was heavily laden in his tone, and I smiled brightly.
"You wanna tell mom for me?" He started laughing so hard I thought he was about to collapse. So much for that, then. I sighed loudly and I looked at Edward, who was looking at Charlie in amusement. He looked at me, and his smile widened.
"Don't worry, love. As long as we're together we'll be fine." I rested my head on his shoulder and I couldn't help but believe him. As long as Edward was with me there was nothing I couldn't face.