A/N: Thanks for all the awesome reviews. I've been battling the demon cold from hell and reading reviews tends to brighten up my day. So, happy Friday and enjoy!

I couldn't get over the fact that it was seventy-two degrees in November. I wasn't used to wearing shorts in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it was something I was going to have to get used to. And, in all honesty, I couldn't really complain. It beat dealing with cold weather, although it was usually in the fifties this time of year in Seattle.

With Thanksgiving around the bend, I decided to hit up the grocery store and begin buying the ingredients I was going to need. I wasn't sure if it was going to be just Charlie and myself or if people were going to come over so I was a little on the fence as to how much to buy and how a large a turkey I should get.

"Hello, Bella dear," Esme said, parking her cart next to mine as I stared at the turkeys. I wondered if they were caught locally.

"Hi, Esme."

"Buying a turkey?" she asked.

"Possibly. I'm trying to figure out how large a turkey to get."

She looked at the turkeys and then at me. "Why don't you come to our house for Thanksgiving. We'd love to have you and Charlie."

"Are you sure?" I asked, knowing that they had a lot going on having to deal with the nightmare that was known as Tanya. She nodded and that was that.

As I left the grocery store with ingredients to bake pumpkin and pecan pie, I stopped off at the station.

"Hi, Emily," I greeted. "Is Dad in?"

She nodded and gestured me back. I walked down the hall to his office and found him drinking a cup of coffee and reading the sport's section of the Mobile Press Register.

"Working hard I see," I commented, causing him to jolt and spill some of his coffee.

"Jesus, Bells! Don't sneak up on someone like that!" I let out a snicker. Big, bad chief of police was too easy to sneak up on.

"Sorry, Dad," I said with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. What brings you by?"

I told him that we'd be invited to Thanksgiving if he wanted to go, and he was more than willing as long as I was baking pies. I assured him I was.

"The Denalis aren't going to be there, are they?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't think so. I'm sure Esme would have mentioned it if they were. Besides, I don't think the Cullens and Denalis are on speaking terms at the moment. Tanya has to go have that paternity test done soon."

"Hmm. It'll be interesting to see how that turns out. Half the town thinks it's Edwards, the other half think it belongs to someone else."

"Ah, the joys of small town life. I hear that Tanya has spent every minute complaining about her community service."

Charlie let out a groan. "Boy does she ever. I stop and check in on her progress every week, and every week I have to listen to her bosses complain that all she does is complain."

I wasn't surprised at all. Tanya didn't know the meaning of hard work, so community service must have been one hell of a wake-up call for her. She'd been back at school for about two weeks and was no longer considered Miss Popularity. If anything, Tanya's status had gone downhill and fast. Of course, she blamed me and my friends for her social status decline. Personally, I felt that a lot of it had to do with the fact that she'd been outed as a bully and she was pregnant. Not to mention the rumors that were going around about her; rumors that she was tricking Edward into being her baby's daddy.

She blamed me for those to, although I had nothing to do with the rumors. That was one thing I didn't play into. Rumors could be viscous and downright nasty, and they could do lasting damage. Tanya had confronted me one day after school about them, and I explained to her that I hadn't started them. Not that she had listened.

As for Tanya and Edward, well they weren't together anymore despite her claims or her attempts. Edward put up with her because if it really was his child, then he wanted to be a part of his kid's life. And as much as I would love to date and be with Edward, there was no way I could until I knew for sure what the outcome of his and Tanya's situation was. It's not that I wouldn't still date him even if he was a dad, but it would complicate things for sure. Besides, I had no idea if Edward felt anything for me but friendship. Rose and Alice had assured me that he still did, but I wasn't as easily convinced. How could I be? The one time I ask a guy out, he stops being my friend and ends up with a pregnant ex.

Before I knew it, Thanksgiving was upon us and Charlie and I were pulling into the Cullen driveway. As we got out of the car and made our way up the walk, we were greeted at the door by a smiling Esme.

"Thank you so much for coming and for baking these pies, Bella," she said as we followed her inside to the kitchen.

I set the pies down on the counter and took a moment to let the aroma of turkey goodness sweep over me. I then took a good look at the kitchen and saw that most of the surfaces were covered with food. Was Esme planning on feeding an army?

"Emmett," she said by way of explanation. "I'm sure you've seen the way that boy eats?" I nodded.

"Well, this is his favorite holiday so I always make a couple of turkeys."

Before long, the eight of us were seated around the Cullen's large dining room table. Esme asked that we each say something that we were grateful for before we started to eat. When it was my turn, I told them that I was thankful for Charlie and for my friends, who helped my transition to Wild Turkey be a fairly smooth one. I was also thankful that the Cullen parents had passed on such great genes to their kids, but I didn't say that out loud. Charlie said he was thankful for having good friends as well, and that he was thankful for a new start.

Dinner was absolutely amazing, and I praised Esme and her amazing cooking skills. Then later on after pie, everyone was praising me. Now, I might not have been a fantastic cook, but I was one hell of a baker. I could bake anything, and I mean anything.

After a while, us kids decided to go hit up the beach while our parents sat around talking. Emmett, Jasper, Edward and I all made our down to the private beach, flopping down onto the cool sand. I loved the way felt and kept running my fingers through it.

"Thanks for coming over," Edward said as he sat down next to me.

"No problem," I told him. "I wasn't looking forward to cooking a turkey anyway. Besides, it's nice being with my friends on the holidays."

"Well seeing what an ass I've been lately, I'm surprised you showed up."

"Well, you're getting better at not being an ass," I told him. "Plus your mom is an amazing cook."

"Speaking of moms, wasn't yours getting remarried?" Edward asked me.

"Yeah, I don't know if she did or not. Remember how I told you that we'd had a falling out of sorts?" He nodded.

"Yeah, well it never got resolved. I haven't heard from her since September. Guess, she's too busy with her boy toy to remember she has a daughter," I said, surprised at my own bitterness. I'd actually though I'd gotten over the initial hurt of her ignoring me after my attempts to contact her and apologize. Looked like I was wrong.

"Ah, that sucks, B," Emmett said, scooting next to me and wrapping a giant arm around my shoulder.

"Yeah, it kind of does," I said quietly.

Jasper nodded a bit. "My biological mother left when I was two. I've only seen her a handful of times since then and none of those times were particularly pleasant. Now that I'm older, I realize that I'm better off without her. After all, I have Esme as my mom."

I'd totally forgotten that Jasper was actually Esme's stepson. You'd never know it because Esme truly loved each and every one of her boys equally.

"You guys are so lucky," I told them. They all nodded.

"We are," Jasper said while Edward and Emmett nodded in agreement.

"I'm extremely thankful to have them by my side through all of this crap with Tanya," Edward said, running his fingers through his hair. "Tanya's going in for the paternity test on Monday. Her parents and Mom are going with. Mom doesn't trust them to actually do it."

"You're not going?" I asked.

"No. All the doctor will do is draw some blood from Tanya and the baby I think, and then they'll compare it to my blood and then we'll know for sure."

"Do you think it's yours?" I asked, finally voicing the question I'd wanted to know the answer to.

Edward sighed. "At first, I thought it was a possibility, but she's not far enough along for it to be mine. At least, I don't think she is. She's only like what, sixteen weeks along or something? The last time I remember us having sex was in June, and I know I used a condom."

"If it's not yours, then whose is it?" Jasper asked. Edward shrugged.

"What about that guy that she met on spring break?" I asked, thinking out loud. It would make sense, although the pregnancy would have to be further along for her to have gotten pregnant back then.

"Maybe, but I don't think she's seen that guy since New Orleans. Hell, what do I know? She could've screwed the other guys on the football team, and I probably wouldn't know."

Jasper and Emmett shook their heads.

"I don't think so bro. I don't think they'd disrespect you like that," Jasper told him.

We stayed out on the beach talking until the sun started to set, and Charlie came to get me. I ran inside the Cullen house to give Esme and Carlisle hugs and thanked them again for inviting us. I was hugged back and handed several Tupperware containers of food.

"So, kiddo. We had a pretty good Thanksgiving, yeah?" Charlie asked on the ride home.

I nodded. "We did. I was kind of glad not to have to cook an elaborate meal for just the two of us."

"Hell, kid. I was going to take you out to McDonalds or something," he told me with a grin.

I shook my head at that. "Gee, thanks Dad."

….

By Friday the following week, the whole gang was on pins and needles. The results of the paternity test had arrived, and Edward would finally know if he truly was going to be a father. From what he had told us, Tanya and her mother had bitched a fit the whole way to the hospital in Riverton; complaining that the whole thing was unnecessary and causing stress on Tanya. Esme had been relentless and made sure that she was in the room when they'd taken the blood. She didn't want anything to go wrong.

The doctor had called Esme earlier in the morning telling her that the results were in. She, Edward, Tanya, and Tanya's parents were to go to the doctor's office after school let out. I had to admit I was more than a bit nervous, and Edward was practically pulling his hair out.

The second the bell rang, letting school out, Edward climbed into the Volvo and headed off toward the hospital. Jasper, Emmett, Rose, Alice, and I all agreed to convene at my house. I drove with Alice and Rose with the boys following behind us.

"I'm telling you right now, he's not the father," I said, and the others agreed. We'd all be in agreement that Edward was too responsible to do something as stupid as getting Tanya knocked up.

"I want to know who the real baby-daddy is," Rose said.

The ride home was spent speculating over who it could be, and we didn't have long to wait. We'd just pulled into my driveway when my phone rang.

"It's Edward!" I shouted before answering and telling him he was on speaker phone.

"It's not mine!" he shouted, and we all cheered.

"Mom is currently laying into Tanya and her parents. She's going on about how Tanya should be ashamed of herself for trying to trick me into supporting her child," Edward said, and we could practically hear the glee in his voice.

"Who is the father?" Rose asked.

"She won't say," Edward told us.

"Probably because she doesn't know," Alice said.

"Oh, she knows," I said. "I have no doubt about that, but it's probably someone her parents don't approve of which is why she tried to pin it on Edward."

Before hanging up, Edward told me he'd meet us at my house since we were already there. The three of us climbed out of the my car and immediately told Jasper and Emmett who already had heard the good news. As soon as we were inside, the boys plopped down on the couch and turned on ESPN. The girls and I headed to my room.

"Now that we know Eddie's not going to be a daddy, do you think you'll ask him out again?" Rose asked.

"I—uh … I don't know. I kind of feel like the moment has passed. That that was our one chance and poof! It was gone."

Alice and Rose were shaking their heads.

"I don't think that's true. I think that once Edward has processed everything that he'll definitely want to go out with you," Alice said.

I shrugged. "Maybe. I think it's going to take a while before we can get back to that level of intimacy that we had. Trusting him is a lot harder now than it was before," I said quietly.

Both girls nodded in understanding.

"I get that. However, I have no doubt that the two of you will overcome the obstacles in your way. You're meant to be together! I know it. Rose knows it. Jasper knows it. Emmett knows it. Ed—"

"I get it!" I said laughing. "Everyone knows it."

"Except you," Alice said.

"It's not that I don't want to be with him. I totally do. I just can't help but remember how quickly things went sour before they even began," I told her.

"While I admit that Edward could have handled things with you better, he had just been thrown for a loop," Emmett said from my doorway, startling me.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked.

"Long enough," he said with a grin before plopping down on my bed, practically shoving me out of the way.

"Edward is fucking crazy about you. Has been since the minute he saw you, although he was in denial about it because he was still with Tanya. Once things with her ended, he debated on whether or not to ask you out right away or to wait a while," he told me as Jasper nodded from the doorway in agreement. "And then when you asked him, the dude couldn't keep a smile off his face. He was fucking ecstatic to know that you liked him enough to ask him out."

I was floored. I'd had no idea that Edward had liked me right away. I mean, he'd said something similar that day at the beach, but I hadn't honestly believed it. It boggled my mind that someone as hot as Edward would want to go out with someone like me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jasper asked, and I realized that I'd spoken out loud.

"Exactly what I said. Edward's …" I trailed off for a second. "He's beautiful, smart, and a gentleman most of the time. I'm just me. Plain, boring Bella."

"There is nothing plain or boring about you, B!" Emmett said hotly. "You obviously haven't looked at yourself in the mirror."

Rose and Alice were nodding in agreement with him. I looked at them all like they were insane. They obviously all needed glasses.

"But—" I started to say, but was silenced when Rose held up a hand.

"You're pretty plus you have that whole girl-next-door thing going for you. Trust me, you're more than enough for Edward."

I could see there was no point trying to tell them they were wrong, so I gave up. I did feel a bit of hope knowing that my friends thought I was good enough for him. I really needed to work on the whole, self esteem issue thing.

A knock on the front door interrupted us, and I quickly got up to answer it. The second I opened the door, I was grabbed up in a hug and twirled around.

"I'm free!" Edward shouted as he spun us around until I was dizzy.

He set me down on my feet and I wobbled a bit as the world around me continued to spin. I had to clutch onto his arm to steady myself. Once I'd gained my footing, Edward was swept up in hugs by Alice and Rosalie before being slapped on the back in a man hugs by Emmett and Jasper.

"Well this news is cause for a celebration," I said. "How about I make some chunky chocolate chip cookies?"

I knew they were Edward's favorites, and his eyes lit up. "Please!"

I headed into the kitchen and got out the ingredients while everyone stood around watching me.

"Go!" I said, shooing them out of the kitchen. "Go watch some TV or something. I don't want you all watching me."

"Can't I stay?" Edward asked with a pout. Like I could resist that slightly quivering lower lip.

"Fine," I said, pointing a wooden spoon at him. "But stay out of my way."

He was silent while I was mixing up the cookie batter in a bowl and it wasn't until I was stirring it that he spoke.

"I can't apologize enough for my unforgivable behavior," he told me quietly. "I know that I hurt you badly that day especially breaking our date the way I did. Do you think you can ever forgive me?"

I set down the bowl and the whisk and turned to face him. While he looked less stressed and the bags under his eyes were gone, those gorgeous green eyes were still sad. I pulled out the chair next to his and sat down, angling myself so I was facing him. I reached out and lightly touched his hand.

"I thought we went through this already. I've forgiven you for your behavior. You weren't yourself, and you'd just been dealt a huge blow."

He nodded but still looked miserable. "Do you really forgive me?"

I squeezed his hand. "I do. However, that being said, trusting you is going to be an issue for me right now. You really hurt me by turning away from me and blocking me out."

He nodded, his green eyes filled with remorse. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I know, and I've forgiven you. If I hadn't, then I wouldn't be about to make you chunky chocolate chip cookies."

And like that, the air was cleared and we were soon joking and talking.

"How badly are your grades screwed up?" I asked, a bit worried.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Not too awfully. With some hard work and studying, I should be able to raise them up."

"What about football?"

He let out a sigh and fiddled with the glass of milk that I'd given him. "I played so horribly that I doubt I'd be allowed back on the team, but the ultimate reason I got benched was because of my grades. If I get those back up, I'll be able to play again. Although, I'm not sure if I want to. I don't love football the way Emmett and Jasper do. I only played because they did."

I hadn't realized that. I figured he played because he was trying to get a scholarship for college.

"Will they or your parents be upset if you don't play next year?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. I told Jazz and Em earlier this year, that I probably wouldn't play next year. I'd like to focus on my senior year and not have to worry about football practices taking up my time."

I nodded, thinking that made sense.

"I take it you don't play any sports?" he asked, watching as I rolled the balls of dough and placed them on the cookie sheet.

I tossed him a look. "Seriously, Edward? You've known me for what? Four months? When in those four months, especially in gym, have I ever demonstrated any athleticism?"

He laughed then said, "Okay, you're right. It was a dumb question."

By the time the cookies were done, Charlie had come home and invited everyone to stay for dinner. I flat out told him I wasn't cooking, so he went about frying up some fish. He even invited Carlisle and Esme over.

It was with lighter hearts and minds that we ate our dinner, laughter and talk filling the air. Esme and Carlisle had informed Charlie that Edward wasn't in fact the father. Charlie told them he'd figured as much seeing as how happy Edward was. After dinner, the six of us headed to the beach while Charlie, Esme, and Carlisle stayed behind to talk.

We piled into our separate cars and headed to Pelican Beach, near where Edward and I had gone on our non-date. I parked the car on the side of the road, climbed out, and we all made our way down to the beach. It was beautiful. The moon was full, the waves were crashing, and the air was cool. At that moment, I didn't miss Seattle at all. How could I when I had such an amazing view in front of me? And I wasn't just talking about the beach. Edward in the moonlight was something to behold.

"You okay?" he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I gave him a smile. "Yeah. I was just thinking how beautiful it is out here."

"It is beautiful," he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

Oh, yeah. The attraction was still there, and I knew that if he touched me, my skin would ignite.

"C'mon guys! Let's take a walk. Dad said the dolphins have been playing at night lately," Emmett said.

"I'm game," I told them.

Edward and I walked behind the couples, and I couldn't help but feel envious when Em wrapped his arm around Rose's shoulders or when Jasper reached out and took Ali's hand.

"I kind of feel like a fifth wheel," I told Edward quietly.

He grinned. "Me, too."

"Come on, slow pokes!" Emmett hollered back at us.

"We're coming!" I shouted back, then instantly regretted the words.

Emmett's laughter roared around us, and I heard him say something about it being a bit early for us to be getting our groove on.

"Forgive him. He was dropped on his head as a child," Edward bent down to whisper in my ear.

Oh, my. The feel of his breath sent tingles along my skin.

"Well, that certainly explains a lot," I said and we exchanged grins.

"Ooo! I think I see a dolphin!" Alice squealed.

I'd never seen a dolphin before except on TV, and I'd only been to an aquarium once when I was six. I rushed over to where Alice and Jasper were, and let my eyes scan the water. I didn't see anything, and I felt a bit disappointed. I'd so been wanting to see one.

"I don't see it," I said with a frown. Warm hands placed themselves on my shoulders.

"They're probably underneath the water. Give them a few minutes, and I'm sure they'll resurface," he told me, squeezing my shoulders.

Sure enough, a few minutes later two dolphins popped up. I let out a gasp. They were so pretty looking, and the moonlight showed off their smooth skin. I wanted to run out and touch them, but knew that wasn't feasible.

I swore, Edward must have been a mind reader because he said, "Don't even think about it. The water temp is roughly fifty-five degrees give or take. Not to mention that the undertow is extremely strong this time of year."

"I wasn't going to jump in after them," I said with a pout.

"Uh huh."

A little after nine, we decided to head back to my house. The temperature had dropped a bit and tiny Alice was absolutely freezing. Or so she told us, six million times.

Back at my house, everyone exchanged goodbyes, and I about melted when Edward took me in his arms and gave me a hug. I knew a blush was on my cheeks, and I swung my hair forward so no one would see it. Esme was onto me though, and she gave me a little wink.

"Bet your relieved that Edward isn't about to become a father, huh, Bells?" Charlie asked after I shut the door and walked into the living room.

"Well, yeah. Of course I am. His whole life would've changed. You've been there."

"That's not the only reason why you're glad though, is it?"

Charlie knew me too well. "You still like him?" he asked.

I nodded as I sprawled out on the couch next to him. "I do but like I told him today, trusting him is going to be quite an issue for me. While I've forgiven him for his behavior, he's going to have to work hard to earn my trust again."

"Good. Although, I'm not so sure you should've forgiven him, but I do understand the fear he was dealing with."

"How did you manage it?" I asked him. He and Renee had never really talked about what it was like being teenage parents. Although, I had gotten plenty of lectures regarding safe sex. My parents didn't want me to make the same mistake they did; not that I was a mistake.

"I'm not gonna lie, Bells. It was scary as hell, not to mention rough. Your mother's parents were furious with us and kicked her out. She moved in with me and my mother who was less than thrilled."

I remembered that Grandmother Swan wasn't a huge fan of Renee, but I'd never really thought about why.

"I had to put off college for a few years because I need to work so I could pay my mother rent and provide for you and your mother. Renee didn't want to work, and I was okay with it. But times got rough after my mother died, and that was when Renee and I started fighting."

I frowned, trying to recall hearing them fight when I was younger, but I couldn't.

"We waited until you were out of the room or in bed. We didn't want you to see us arguing," he explained.

But I had seen and heard them one night when I'd come home from Angela's house. I'd walked into the middle of, what at the time, had seemed like World War III. Renee had been screaming at Charlie, claiming that he loved his job more than her. He'd told her she was wrong, but she hadn't listened to him. Instead, she'd shoved passed him and me and climbed into her car and taken off. She'd moved out a week later, trying to get me to go with her. I'd told her no. I hadn't wanted to leave the house I'd grown up in, although in the end I obviously had.

"Do you miss her?"

Charlie reflected for a minute. "Not as much as I did. Do I still love her? Yes. I think a part of me always will. We'd been together since we were sixteen. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to realize that she was unhappy."

We talked for a while more before Charlie told me to go to bed. That night, I dreamed of Edward and myself riding dolphins across the gulf. It was very strange, and I woke up disoriented and confused.

Shaking it off, I showered and got dressed. I was halfway through a cinnamon PopTart when Edward sent me a text asking if I wanted to ride with him, Jasper, and Alice. I quickly replied back with a yes.

I shoved the rest of my breakfast in mouth before brushing my teeth, and throwing on a bit of lip gloss and mascara. Normally, I didn't bother with makeup but today, I felt like it. I wasn't sure why, but—okay, I was putting it on because I wanted Edward to notice me. It was stupid, but whatever.

After checking my face and hair once more, there was a honking in the driveway. Eagerly, I grabbed my bag and headed out. I saw Jasper and Alice cuddling in the back, so I opened the front passenger door and climbed in.

"Good morning, Bella," Edward said, handing me a Styrofoam cup.

"Morning. What's this?" I asked as I took the cup.

"Hot tea. I know that you prefer that over coffee." My heart melted just a bit. He remembered that I preferred tea over coffee.

"Thank you," I said and feeling brave, I reached over and squeeze his arm.

"No problem. The tiny one was whining about needing some coffee, so we stopped off at the Loon to get her some. I figured you could use something to wake you up as well."

"Well, I really appreciate it," I told him as I settled back into my seat. I had a feeling it was going to be the start of an excellent day.

a/n: Woot, woot! Edward isn't the baby daddy. Not that any of you really thought he was, right? Next update will be Friday.