The day seems to just drag on today. I swear this is the slowest day ever. I look at the clock and see that I still have two more hours to work. Fantastic. I continue doing inventory for the last of my two hours. When the clock strikes four, I clock out and rush out the door.

Charlie is still working when I get home. I pull into the driveway and wave to the neighbor boys as I get the mail. Junk. Junk. Bill. People trying to get me to attend their college. Nothing out of the ordinary. I put the mail on the kitchen table and grab a glass of water to take with me upstairs. I change out of my work clothes and put on some khaki shorts and a plain red top. I don't know what Paul has planned for tonight, so I want to look nice just in case.

Charlie comes home not long before I leave. He asks where I am going. "I'm going out with Paul." I say.

"Ok. Have fun and be safe."

I leave a little early because, first, I need to get gas. Also, I've only been to Paul's house once, and not even in the house, I just waited in the car while he got something. So I want to make sure that I leave early enough to get lost if I do. Finding his house is easier than I thought, so I am a few minutes early.

I go up to the door and ring the bell. Paul answers the door a moment later dressed really nicely. A bright smile is on his face. I return the smile. "Hi," he says. "Come in." He steps aside so that I can walk in. I take the room in. I'm standing in a hallway, a set of French doors on the left to an office. Straight back seems to the the living room and kitchen. The lightly colored walls and crown molding look really nice in the house. A few pictures of Paul and some others decorate the walls, but the one I notice first is of a small child and two parents. Paul can't be more than seven or eight in the picture.

"You have a really nice home." I say.

"Thanks. My dad built it."

"Wow."

"C'mon." He takes my hand. "I'll show you around."

He shows me the office first, since we're right next to it. Then he takes me to the living room and kitchen. He shows me the upstairs, too, not opening the door to his father's room and only briefly showing me the rest of it because there isn't much there. Just the bedrooms and a bathroom.

"So, do you have something in mind for tonight?" I ask as we go back downstairs.

"Yeah. Outside."

Paul leads me out the back door in the kitchen. The deck is small with a small table and chairs, but he doesn't stop there. Instead, I follow him down the stairs to where a blue blanket lays in the grass. There's also a large red bag sitting on top of the blanket.

"Paul, what is this?"

"Well, I figured since we have such nice weather and all, why not have a little picnic."

He leads me over to the blanket and we both sit on top of it. He starts to pull plates and plastic silverware out of the bag and places them in front of us. "I hope you like ham." he says and gives me a sub. "We also have potato salad and some fruit and some veggies." he pulls everything out of the bag and puts it on the blanket. He also pulls two cups from the bag and a pitcher of lemonade from behind it. "And dessert is in the fridge."

"Wow, Paul, you went all out."

He smiles. "I try."

Paul and I fill our plates up with food and begin to eat. "This is really good potato salad. Did you make it?"

"Uh, no. Emily helped. She made that and helped with dessert. But I made the subs. I'm not much of a cook." he admits.

"Well, you may not be much of a cook, but the subs are good, too."

"Good. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

I nod. "So has Sam figured out a new schedule yet?"

"Yeah. He's putting the ones who don't work on the schedule longer so that more of us will be on at a time. I'm on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday from four to nine in the morning with Leah. Nobody likes the new schedule, but it's better for everyone that we be out there more. He also has me patrolling the coast since I'm one of the older ones."

"Won't you be tired? Going from four to nine and then having to work."

"I'll only patrol on the days that I don't have to work. Even then it would still be worth it in the end. We have to do whatever it takes to make you and everyone else safe again."

"It's not my safety that I am concerned about."

"I know. But I am. Bella, again, we're going to be ok. Stronger. Faster. And since we can talk without her listening, we can catch her off guard. Bella, please, trust us. We won't let anything happen to us. I swear it."

I don't say anything for a minute. "Fine. I guess I should stop worrying and start having some more faith in you guys."

"Thank you."

"So, I was thinking that you need to meet Charlie."

"You need to meet my dad, too."

"I know. You said that your dad has been so busy, though."

"He has, but trust me when I say that he always makes time for other things. He can't work 24/7."

"So when is a good day?"

"Are you good for lunch on Sunday?"

"That sounds great. But are you going to be up to that since you patrol that morning?"

"I'll be fine. What about your dad?"

"I'll see if I can set something up."

There's a moment of silence. "Are you ready for dessert?" he asks.

"Yeah."

Paul gets up from the blanket and walks to the house and into the kitchen. He comes out a minute later, carrying two small plates and forks. He hands one to me. "Emily's strawberry cheesecake. It's almost as good as her muffins."

"This looks great."

"Like I said. It's almost as good as the muffins."

I take a bite and it really is great. Especially for the summer, I think I have just found my new favorite dessert. Paul and I eat our dessert in silence. There is no need for conversation all the time and I like that about us. We're comfortable in just being with each other. There's no need to keep each other occupied with conversation.

He sets his plate down right before I do and we look at each other for just a second. Paul starts to lean his head in closer to me and I start to do the same. Our lips connect. His lips are warm, just like the rest of his body, and they heat mine as they move together. It's brief, but it feels so right to be kissing Paul. So different from when I would kiss Edward with his stone cold and hard lips. Paul's are soft, warm and everything that they should be.

We part. Both of us have smiles on our faces and now I know that Paul is the one that I should've been with from the beginning. Nothing about my past seems right anymore, now that I am with Paul.