A/N: I feel like I keep repeating myself, but thank you to everyone who's reading, reviewing, and alerting. Follow along with me on Facebook under LisaDawn Fanfiction and on Twitter under (at)LisaDawn75 to get teasers and updates!

Thanks to my lovely pre-reader and ficwife, EternallyCullen, and to my fabulous beta, Jenny Cullen, aka Jenrar. I couldn't do this without them!

Bella was silent during the ride home. Her mind was spinning with everything that had occurred that evening.

Earlier, she and Edward had cleared the air, and now apparently understood each other better. He had mentioned her meeting his parents. They had shared a dinner that Edward had paid for. They had made small talk after their deep conversation.

Bella was shocked. Now that she thought about it, all of the signs pointed toward the fact that she had allegedly just been on a date with Edward Cullen.

Once they arrived at her apartment complex, Edward walked her to her door, which did not surprise her. She had never met anyone with such infallible – and old-fashioned – manners. She unlocked the door and discovered that Matt was already in bed and Angela was absorbed in a Lifetime movie. She turned to face Edward.

"Thank you for tonight and for dinner," she said, fidgeting. What else do I say?

"I guess Matt's asleep?" he asked, disappointment shining through his façade.

She nodded. "Yeah, he has school tomorrow."

"I can't believe we were there so long," Edward said conversationally.

They had spent a few hours at the restaurant, talking over coffee once they had finished their dinner. They had mostly talked about Edward, as Bella had not been very forthcoming with her own personal information.

She was afraid, if she was honest with herself. Afraid of telling more information than she already had. Afraid of what he would think about her. Afraid of what it would mean if she let him deeper into her's and Matthew's lives.

He stared into her dark brown eyes, his own green eyes glinting in the light. He began to lean forward, and Bella thought, Oh, my God! Is he going to kiss me? He wouldn't!

He let his lips land softly on her cheek, instead of going for her mouth. "Goodnight, Bella," he said softly. "I'll call you tomorrow, and we'll have to do this again."

"N-night," she choked out, her skin tingling once again from where they had made contact. She watched as he gave her a soft smile, turned on his heel, and walked down the hallway.

She floated into the apartment, where Angela was looking at her with a knowing expression. "So?"

Bella set her purse down on the table and slipped her shoes off. "So, what?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "You know what! Spill it. Every bit of it."

Bella grinned at her. "First, tell me how Matt's night was."

Angela glared at her friend. "It was great. He ate two bowls of the soup you had in the fridge, his blood sugar was two hundred and twenty three, so I gave him his insulin, and then he took a bath and played in the bubbles forever. We watched Finding Nemo, and then he went to bed."

"So, he was good?"

"Of course he was good, Bells. Now tell me about your date with the future Dr. Cullen."

Bella sat down on the couch. "It wasn't a date." Liar, liar, pants on fire…

Angela sighed. "Bells, he kissed you good night. It was a date."

"Angela. Trust me. We just got to know each other a bit, ate dinner, and talked. It was to make the project easier."

"Mmmm hmm."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Why can't a man and woman go out and it just be platonic?"

"Because he's gorgeous and totally interested in you."

She scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no way someone like him would be interested in someone like me."

Angela stood up. "Okay, Isabella Swan. That's enough of that. Of course he could be, and he is interested in you. It's all over his face and in his actions. So, just stop it. You are a beautiful and wonderful person. He'd be lucky to have you."

Bella stared at her, her eyes wide. "You're crazy."

Angela sighed. "Trust me, Bella. He's totally into you."

She shook her head. "No, he deserves better – like one of those socialite girls he goes to school with that comes from money, or a classmate. Doctors do not get with girls like me."

"Girls like you? What kind of girl are you?" Angela asked, her voice slightly miffed.

Bella sighed and sank down the couch. "Don't make me say it," she whispered.

Angela squatted down in front of her, grasping her hands. "Bella, I know that James was an ass. He talked you into having sex, and you got pregnant. But he left you! And you're better off for it."

She swiped at her eyes. "Thanks for the recap. He left me, because he couldn't stand me anymore! Angela, do you have any idea how scary that was? To be a teenager, pregnant, and the scandal of the town? How people see me as trashy?Tears were flowing down her face at this point, smearing her mascara.

Angela sat on the couch beside her and pulled her into an embrace, gently rocking her back and forth. "Shhh, Bella. Look, I know that James left you and never came back, but that's what makes him trash – not you."

Bella shook her head. "Look at me, Ang! I live in the fucking projects! I can't support my son, and I've been fired from every job I've had! This was not the way my life was supposed to go."

Angela grabbed Bella's face and made her look at her. "Bella! You are the strongest person I know! Look at your son. Look at what a wonderful man you're raising! Who the hell cares where you live? You're on your own, and you're supporting yourself. You refuse to draw a check, and you make do with what you have. How many people can say that? And you have a new job, so it's a clean slate! Stop talking yourself down, Bella!"

Bella sighed and wiped her eyes again. "I just can't help it, Ang. Why didn't he want me?"

"Because he was an asshole. Stop worrying about James, and look at what's in front of you – something much better!"

Bella looked at her questioningly.

"Edward! Edward Cullen! He's ripe for the picking! He obviously has it bad for you, and he really cares about Matt. That's obvious. Kids are a good judge of character, and when was the last time you saw him willingly show affection to another man? He doesn't even hug Ben! Just high fives him." Angela pulled Bella's face around to hers again. "Go for it, Bells. What's the worst that can happen?"

Bella blanched. "A repeat of my life?"

"See, you've already been through the worst; now it's time for good times. And Edward is not like James. Anyone can see that. Just give him a chance, Bella."

xXx

Edward pulled up in the garage next to Emmett's jeep. He noticed that Jasper's car was there, as well. Looked like the whole family would be together for the weekend. His mother would be ecstatic.

He walked through the adjoining door into the kitchen, where his two brothers were at the table, eating a snack. He hadn't realized how late it was, until he glanced at the clock.

"Hey, bro. Where've you been?" Emmett asked, dunking another Oreo in his milk.

"Hey, Jaz," Edward greeted, slapping his brother on the back. "I've been out with Bella."

"Ooohhh, Bella," Emmett drawled out. He started making kissing noises at Edward again, causing Edward to flip him off.

"Who's Bella?" Jasper asked, interested. Edward typically was not interested in dating. He had always been more into his schoolwork and planning for the future.

"She's my Ethics project."

"Bullshit," Emmett said. "She's Edward's new girlfriend."

Edward shook his head. "She is not. We're working together on a project for school."

Jasper looked up. "So, she's in your class?"

"No. I was assigned to her by the guidance office for a project. Her son, Matthew, has uncontrolled diabetes, and she can't get him the help he needs, so my assignment is to make that happen."

"And Edward's in love with her," Emmett teased, making puckered faces at him.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Emmett. We went to dinner and made peace with each other. That was all."

This piqued Jasper's interest. "What? Have you two been fighting?"

"Like cats and dogs," Emmett interjected. "Passionate fights."

Edward looked at him. "And how would you know that?"

"Because I can tell when you get home from her house. You're all wired. But dude, she's not your type."

Edward bristled. "What do you mean?"

Emmett stammered. "Dude, she's… she's…"

"You don't want to finish that sentence," Edward said, his voice cold. "I know what she is, and she's a wonderful mother and person."

Emmett shrugged his shoulders. "Man, I didn't mean… I just meant…"

"I know what you meant."

Jasper looked between the two. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

Edward turned to his younger brother. "Bella is the subject of my Ethics project; I have to work with her and her son to get him the appropriate medical care. His diabetes is not controlled, and his current doctor refuses to send him to a specialist."

"Why doesn't she just take him to Dad?" Jasper asked.

"She's working there now; Eddie got her a job," Emmett piped in.

Edward grimaced at the nickname Emmett used when he wanted to piss him off. "I got her the interview. Dad hired her. But that's what I want to try, and then get him into a pediatric endocrinologist."

"But why were you out on a date with her tonight, then?" Jasper asked.

"Well, like Emmett said, we've done a lot of arguing. She's the type that doesn't like to take help from anyone, and she worries about what others will think about her." He glared at Emmett. "And it wasn't a date."

"Why?" Jasper asked, confused. "I'd think she'd be grateful for the help."

"You'd think," Emmett muttered.

Edward sighed. "Well, she would have, I think, except I stuck my foot in my mouth the first time we met. I had some prejudices against Medicaid patients, and that came through. She threw me out."

Jasper gasped from laughing so hard.

"I apologized, and then did it again. She was pissed, needless to say. But tonight, I got her to go out to dinner with me, and we worked through all of that. We both understand each other much better, which I needed for the project."

"So you've been out on a date with little Ms. Mommy," Emmett said with a grin.

Edward was getting pissed at Emmett's jabbing. "It wasn't a date, per se. I didn't ask her out on a date."

"But you enjoy her company," Jasper said astutely.

Edward nodded. "Yeah. She's certainly an interesting person. She's been through a lot and doesn't take shit from anyone. I like that about her. Plus, her son is adorable."

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "She has a kid? What do you know about kids?"

"Not a damn thing," Edward said with a laugh. "Except that he's a sweet little boy, who's really sick, and I'm going to help him."

"You seriously like her, don't you?" Emmett asked, all pretense of teasing gone.

Edward hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Then, go for it, man," Jasper said seriously. "If you like her, she must be something special."

"When do we get to meet her?" Emmett asked.

Edward shook his head. "I'm not bringing her here to meet you. You'd do something to embarrass not only me, but her."

Emmett shook his head. "Nah, dude. I promise. If you bring her here, I'll be on my best behavior."

Edward just shook his head and walked up the stairs to his room. He still had a Pharmacology test to study for, and he hoped that now that he had made peace with Bella, he could concentrate on the medication classifications he needed to learn.

He shut his door and flopped onto his bed, his book laid out in front of him. However, Bella's face when he'd kissed her cheek kept pushing to the forefront of his mind.

He had wanted to kiss her lips, but he was afraid he might have been slapped for that. Take it slow, man. She's jumpy, and you don't want to fuck this up.

You know that Emmett could be right. He didn't want to say it, but would she fit in your world?

He shook his head, horrified at the thought. If she fits with me, that's all that matters. And I really like her. I like who she is. And she'd be perfect with me.

He thought about her – remembering how deep her brown eyes seemed to go, how soft her lips looked, how silky her skin was, and how it shimmered under the lights in the restaurant. He knew that her self-esteem was in the toilet, but he was unsure why. She was a beautiful woman, who looked as if she belonged on his arm.

But she wasn't brought up in your world…

He shook his head again to dispel the thought that had creeped in. Why would he care where she was brought up? He had met girls that would fit in his social class, and those women had been vapid and clueless, only wanting a rich husband to buy them things.

That was not the kind of future he wanted.

His father had found his soul mate in college, and they had led a happy life, raising their three boys. Esme had been from a working class family, without much money, but Carlisle had opposed what his father wanted and had married her anyway. And they'd had a happy marriage, which they had both told their sons was what they wished for them.

"Follow your heart,"Esme had told them all. Edward knew that she would be supportive of him having a relationship with Bella, regardless of her history. Esme would most likely be thrilled at the idea of Matthew; she loved children.

Edward closed his eyes and pictured Bella in a long, white gown walking toward him down a church aisle.

He imagined the entire ceremony – Bella's brown eyes sparkling up at him as he said his vows, and her gracing him that special smile, Matthew standing beside him, his own brown eyes full of life.

Edward opened his eyes, almost shocked to see he was still in his bedroom. Where the hell had that idea come from? A few hours ago, he was in Port Angeles, sharing a meal with Bella on the pretense of his Ethics project, and now, he was imagining their wedding…

He laughed to himself. He had to get her to actually talk to him, before anything else could progress.

Did he want to? Did he want the daydream he had just had?

Did he want more with Isabella Swan than for her to be just a project subject?

Deep down, he knew the answer to that.

He did. He wanted her for more than just a school assignment.

He wanted all of her… and he wanted it all with her.