Did I mention that I was the worst poster? Not currently having a computer of my own is driving me crazy.

10. All I Want for Christmas Is You

I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas
Is you
You, baby

- All I Want for Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey

November bleeds into December. Alice and I end up getting an A on our history project, which she is ecstatic about. Thanksgiving is a low-key affair, most of my friends go out of town for the holiday to be with their extended families. The holiday isn't as big of a deal in our house. Mom still makes a turkey and we have cinnamon buns while we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, but it's more relaxed than Christmas. Our grandparents don't even come down, but they do call later that night.

Edward and I have texted or talked to each other on the phone almost every day for the past month. We hang out almost every weekend, either at my house or at his. We also go to the movies with the entire group. It's fun and relaxed, the guys goofing around most of the time and Quil throws popcorn into Claire's hair. He doesn't talk about his dad much, and I don't ask. I think it's hard for him to be so far away.

Before I know it, it's the last day of school before winter break. The girls and I are all standing around my locker while I put my books back inside. It was a glorious thought that I wouldn't need them for the next two weeks, and I was more than ready.

"So," Rose adjusts her bag on her shoulder. "have you gotten Edward's gift yet?"

I close my locker, turning to give her a look. All my friends had been trying to get out of me what it was that I had gotten him, but I had stayed very tight lipped about it. Mainly because I was nervous to give it to him because I didn't know if he was going to like it.

"Yeah." I say simply, starting to walk toward the door. Emmett and I had gone out a couple of weeks ago to buy our gifts. I had helped him find the pink sweater that Rose had been hinting at for the past two months, and he helped me find Edward's present… well, part of his gift. It was the first time that we had done something together without fighting the whole time.

"So, you guys are like a thing now, right?" Claire pressed as we came to a stop in front of the gym.

I look at the three sets of eyes on me, adjusting the backpack strap on my shoulder while I thought about how I was going to reply. We talked every day and hung out and held hands, but did that automatically mean that we were a thing?

"I guess," I shrug.

Alice squealed, physically vibrating as she claps her hands. "It's so exciting! You're dating a hot high school guy!"

I laugh, shaking my head at her, but it slips from my face when I see James start to walk by, holding hands with Victoria. It wasn't that I was jealous or sad, it was just weird seeing my ex-boyfriend with a new girl. When we had come back from Thanksgiving break, they'd walked into school hand and hand. It kind of felt like it was his way of trying to get back at me; or make me jealous. I hated to admit it that, at first, it kind of worked.

"Well, I'm going to go," I start backing toward the door. "see you guys tomorrow night." My parents were shutting down the restaurant to host a Christmas party for our family and friends. My grandparents were coming down later tonight. It was something that they had done every year, and it was always so much fun.

By the time that I make it outside, Mom is waiting out front, and Emmett is in the front seat. I roll eyes when he grins at as I get into the back, because he was able to get shotgun for once.

Mom asks how our day was, which is typical after school conversation. We both give our usual answer of 'fine,' she laughs under her breath because the answer never changes. When we get home, I drop my backpack by the door where it will be ignored for the next two weeks.

The next morning, as I am wrapping Edward's gifts, he texts me, and I can't help the butterflies that start fluttering as I pick up my phone to respond.

What's up? -E

Wrapping your presents. -B

You could just stick them in a bag. -E

That would be cheating. -B

Just wanted to let you know that my grandparents are coming tonight, too. -E

Oh God Oh God Red Alert RED ALERT

Suddenly, I am really happy that my grandmothers had dragged me out to get something nice to wear last night. At the time, I groaned, because they always tried to put in the brightest colors that they could find, but now I was happy. Because, I was going to be meeting Edward's grandparents.

Gulp!

I play it cool and text that I can't wait to meet them but am really trying not to throw up.

Edward told me about his mom's parents, which were the only grandparents that he saw. They were rich, snooty people that didn't take to new people easily. They were used to going to parties with caviar and champagne. The closest they would be getting to that tonight would be sparkling wine. He didn't get along with them much, and I was scared. They seemed like they would be hard to impress, and I found myself wondering if they were going to at least pretend to like me to my face.

I finish wrapping his gifts, making my way downstairs where I leave them by the door. My grandfathers are both asleep on the couch, Jingle All the Way on the TV. I follow the sound of laughter to the kitchen, where my grandmothers are making gingerbread and sugar cookies together. Emmett is sitting at the kitchen table, shamelessly stuffing his face with some of the cookies that he was obviously supposed to be decorating.

"Hey, Nugget!" Mama, my maternal grandmother greets me first, coming over to kiss me on the forehead, her cheek smudged white with flour. "We were wondering if you were going to appear today."

"Yes," Nana, my paternal grandmother, turns her head to look at me from where she's mixing things together in a bowl at the counter. "What's our girl been up to? Not talking to that boyfriend of yours?"

"What?" I ask, taking a seat across from Emmett at the kitchen table, because I had gone out of my way to not tell them about Edward yet.

Mama comes over to me, placing a decorated gingerbread man in front of me. She knows how much I love them. "Your brother has told us all about him."

"He sounds like quite the cutie." Nana comments, coming over and hitting Emmett on the shoulder with a dishtowel because he is still eating more Christmas cookies than he is decorating them. That's when I notice that they are both wearing matching white turtle necks and ugly red Christmas vests.

"Oh, he did." I look at my brother with an evil expression, because revenge is so sweet. "Did he also tell you that he has a girlfriend?"

"Oh, our little Emmie has a girlfriend!" His cheeks redden as the nickname he despises comes out of Nana's mouth as she pinches his cheek.

"Her name's Rosalie Hale." I offer as he gives me a look that I actually worry could kill me.

I watch, with a smirk on my face, as they bombard him with questions about Rose for the next twenty minutes, happy that the heat has been taken off me for the moment; and I forget all about Edward's grandparents as I enjoy the show.

Our parents get back home a few hours later so that they can get ready for tonight. They had left earlier in the day to get everything set up at the restaurant for tonight.

As I look at myself in the mirror in my bathroom, taking in my forest green, crushed velvet dress and my hair that I had had Mom help me curl, nerves over take me again. In less than thirty minutes, I am going to be face to face with Edward's grandparents.

Lord, help me!

I find myself wondering if he's as nervous as I am, but I doubt it. Even if he is, no one will be able to tell, unlike me who might end up spilling punch all over whatever his grandmother is wearing, because I can never keep my cool.

"Oh, my goodness," Mom gasps as she walks into my bathroom. "you look so grown up."

She comes behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders as she looks at my reflection in the mirror. She's wearing a crimson wrap dress, black heels, and black tights. Her brown hair in bun on the top of her head, showing off the diamond studs that Dad gave her on their fifteenth anniversary.

"Thanks," I reply, watching her brush my hair behind my shoulder and run her fingers through it. It was something that she used to do a lot when I was little, when she'd brush my hair every night after my shower.

She looks at my face in the mirror, "Are you okay? You seem a little anxious."

"Yeah, I'm fine." No, I'm not! I'M FREAKING OUT! Then, I sigh because she's still looking at me, giving me a look only a mom can when they know that you're lying. It's almost like she can hear my internal dialogue. "I'm meeting Edward's grandparents tonight."

"Oh," she has that all-knowing mom tone to her voice now. The one that can both irritate and comfort you. Sometimes at the same time.

"I just don't know if they're going to like me, that's all."

She gives me a soft half smile, "I can't imagine someone not liking you."

I roll my eyes; she has to say this, she's my mother.

"One day, if you have kids, you will understand." She places her hands on top of my shoulders. "Even if they don't, who cares."

I scoff at her when those words come tumbling out of her mouth. How could she say that? How could she say that I shouldn't care what they think? I couldn't imagine not caring about someone thinks of me. In fact, I thought about it all the time.

"Just trust me," she kisses the top of my head. "Besides, Edward's just as nervous as you are."

I snort, "Yeah, right."

"Trust me. He is."

Emmet and I rode to the restaurant with Mama and Papa, while Nana and Pop-pop rode with our parents.

Papa always has the radio turned to an oldies station, and he's ranting about how much better 'their' music was compared to today's, like he always does, and Emmett and I just nod along in agreement. It's easier than arguing.

The first thing that I think when we walk into the restaurant, is that our parents have outdone themselves. There's garland and lights hung along the ceiling and a huge tree in the front corner with more decorations than necessary on it. Food set up buffet style on long tables with red and green tablecloths, tiny snowmen and elf figurines, and even more garland and lights decorate them. There's Christmas music softly playing through the speakers, making it more atmospheric.

As our friends and their parents arrive, the guys end up in a corner, grumbling about having to wear ties. The girls are all wearing festive colored dresses with tights.

I'm helping Mom finish putting out the plates when fingers tap me on the shoulder.

"Hey," Edward says as I turn to face him. He's wearing a red sweater over a white button down and slacks. I had only ever seen him in casual clothes, so I don't know how to react to seeing him dressed up. I half expect myself to start drooling. "You look great."

I feel my face flame at his complement, "Thanks. So, do you."

One second, we were alone, smiling like idiots at each other; and the next, my grandmothers were on him like white on rice, talking animatedly in unison. I stood there dumbfounded, trying to figure out how two women their age could move with supersonic speed.

"Oh, he's so handsome," Nana's eyes sparkle as she not so subtly whispers to me.

"Nugget has told us a lot about you." Mama says to Edward, and I immediately want to die.

He looks at me, amused. "Nugget?"

I can feel how hot my face is, and I have thoughts of crawling under the table and never coming out because my grandmothers have royally embarrassed me in front of my maybe boyfriend.

"I was obsessed with chicken nuggets when I was little," I mumble, avoiding eye contact with him because all of my dignity is gone.

It strikes me as I ironic that I was nervous to meet his grandparents, but I was never nervous for him to meet mine, and I should have been. Because, now I am humiliated. Meeting his couldn't possibly be this bad, right? I couldn't be anymore humiliated than I am right now, right?

Nana asks him all about school, sports, and musical instruments, and I can see where Dad gets his interrogational skills from. Edward takes it like a champ, answering all their questions. By the time that it's over, I think that my grandmothers are both swooning.

My grandfathers are much easier. The only thing they do is introduce themselves and shake his hand. They don't feel the need to get his entire life story like their wives do. Then again, they know that they'll get the run down later that night from Nana and Mama.

"Sorry about Mama and Nana," I start as we walk away from my grandparents. "they can be a bit intrusive. I don't think that they have the concept of boundaries."

"Don't worry about it." He takes my hand in his, intertwining our fingers.

I bite my lip as I look at my hand clasped in his. Holding his hand has quickly become my favorite thing; I can feel it in my toes.

"Ready to meet mine?" There's a slight smirk on his face, but his voice is wary, telling me that he's just as nervous for me to meet them as I am. Knowing that actually makes me feel a little better; but, it doesn't stop my heart from sinking into my stomach and for my hands to become clammy.

"Mhmm," I nod my head, giving him a smile that I hope is convincing, but I know I fail miserably by the skeptical look on his face.

I let him lead me through the throng of my friends and family, to where his grandparents are standing off in a secluded corner, talking to each other as they survey the room. If were possible for two people to actually look rich, it would be them. Their attire reeks of money. His grandfather is wearing a suit that I am pretty sure costs at least several hundred dollars. His grandmother's dress puts mine, that I found at JC Penney, to shame. I suddenly feel inadequate and like I just stepped into another world from my own. Instead of them being the outsiders to my life, I feel like the outsiders to theirs.

I squeeze Edward's hand as we get closer, their eyes glued to me and I can't tell if they like what they see. I find myself second guessing my dress choice and wishing that I had had my mom put a little makeup on me.

"Grandma, Grandpa, this is my girlfriend, Bella." Edward introduces me, and my eyes shoot to him as my chest warms at him calling me his girlfriend. I bite my cheek to keep the cheek splitting grin that wants to spread across my face at bay.

"It's nice to meet you." I reach out and shake their hands, all the way his grandmother is giving me the once over, and I self-consciously run my hands along my dress to make sure that it looks okay.

"Eddie here hasn't been able to stop talking about you." His grandfather offers.

Eddie ? I mouth, making Edward rock back on his heels and blush. I'd never heard anyone call him that before. It seems to be right up there with my grandmothers calling me Nugget in front of him.

"How old are you, Bella?" his grandmother finally speaks, and she looks and sounds exactly like Emily Gilmore.

I gulp, "Fourteen."

"And your parents own this place?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hmm."

Before I can obsess over what the 'hmm' meant, Mom and Dad start to corral everyone for dinner. Pop-Pop says the blessing, like he always does at family gatherings before we start eating. I sit next to Edward and Alice, thankful that both of our grandparents are at the opposite end of the table.

Dinner is a quiet affair that passes quickly. When it's over and the dessert is getting prepared, my friends and I gather on the floor by the Christmas tree to exchange our group gift. Every year we all got something small, like a gift card, for all of us. That way, we would all be able to get something from each of us.

As we all trade gifts and start opening them, my eyes narrow at the gift card that I am holding. It's a freaking Dave and Buster's freaking gift card. The girls and I had decided to get the guys all Dave and Buster's gift cards because one had just opened in Cary Towne Center. We had all kept it hush-hush, so there was only one way that they had found out about it.

I hit my brother in the shoulder, "You saw me buying yours, didn't you?"

When we'd gone out shopping, I had run into the place to purchase his. I had thought that I had gotten in when he'd been busy someplace else, but being the sneaky piece of crap, he was, he had obviously seen and had planned the whole thing.

Emmett rubbed his shoulder, "No. It was just a lucky guess."

"Bull crap!" I roll my eyes, as the rest of the guys looked sheepishly at the girls that were glaring at them.

"I hate video games." Alice grumbled to Jasper who had given her hers.

Edward just sat there amused by the whole thing.

"Hey," I leaned towards him. "I have something for you." I stood, my heart pounding a little as I lead him to the bench by the front door where people waiting for a table could sit, where I had left his gifts.

Here goes nothing.

"I have something for you, too." He holds a gift bag. "I know that you said it was cheating, but it was all I had."

He takes a sit next to me, neither one of us moving at first, not knowing who should go first.

"Here," I shove the two wrapped gifts at him, just wanting to get it over with. "The big one first."

"Now I feel bad because I only got you the one." He says as he complies with my request and opens the larger one first.

"It's just a little something." And it is just a little something. A little something that he will either love or hate.

He lets out a laugh as he opens the gift box to reveal a Lakers sweatshirt. He takes it out, holding it in front of it, admiring it.

"You only talk about them all the time."

"Thank you," he smiles, putting it down as he reaches for the second present.

I practically hold my breath, waiting his reaction, as he unwraps it, revealing a block of wood.

"Bella," his voice is soft as he looks at it, holding it in his hands like it's the most precious thing in the world.

"I hope that it's the right kind. I had no idea what I was doing. The associate helping me in Home Depot looked at me like I was crazy when I told him what it was for."

"You have no idea how much this means to me." He looks at me with soft eyes that make me feel like a pile of mush.

"I know that it makes you feel close to your dad." I shrug, not knowing what else to say.

He shakes his head, grabbing the gift bag on the floor by his feet, and hands it to me. "You're turn."

He looks at me expectantly as I remove the tissue paper and take out a set of Golden acrylic paint. I'd mentioned one time how much I preferred acrylic over watercolor and he remembered.

Oh my God, don't cry! You've been embarrassed enough tonight, it's just paint! Get a grip!

But, despite my inner monologue, I can feel the tears prick my eyes, because he knows me so well. He didn't get me something meaningless like perfume. He got me paint.

"I don't know if that brand's any good. I used Google, so it could have lied to me. The guy at Michael's said a different brand, but I wasn't sure about that one, so I went with the one that I saw a lot of on the internet…" his cheeks are red as he trails off from rambling. The sight of him all shy and bashful just makes me want to kiss him.

"It's perfect." I sniff, able to keep the tears from spilling over.

Something passes between us as we look at each other, his eyes going to my mouth. My heart can't help the way that it stutters, realizing that he wants to kiss me as much as I want kiss him.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…

He starts to lean closer to me.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…

I start to lean toward him.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…

I'm about to be kissed. Be cool. Except for the fact that I don't know how to kiss…

The moment his lips touch mine, my mind stops working. I have no idea if I'm doing it right, or if I am actually kissing him back. All I know, is that I'm getting kissed. And it's perfect.

Merry Christmas to me!

A/N: Sorry for the wait... again. I will post on Friday, even if it kills.

I'm going to go work on the next chapter. It's a brand new one that I wrote about a month ago.

See you Friday.