Meet the Cullen's

I deliberately tried to stall Joshua from getting ready in a rush the morning after; I'd had the same feeling in the pit of my stomach that I got every time Jake said he would come and take him for the day; I just knew he wasn't going to show. But he was a determined little boy and still managed to be ready by ten. He sat, with his jacket on and his backpack thrown over his shoulder, on a stool by the kitchen counter waiting.

I never did get how he seemed to want to know his father after all his broken promises. But then on the few occasions he had taken him it wasn't him that looked after him, it was his grandmother. Though they must have spent some time doing fun stuff, otherwise, why the hell did my son get in such a state when Jake never showed up

10:10am...No Jacob

10:25am...No Jacob

My heart broke by the time it got to quarter to eleven and I'd watched his smile fade with the passing minutes.

"Bella this is torture!" Edwards's eyes were hurting for him.

It was Saturday and he had the whole day off today so we decided to spend it together; we'd already made plans for when my son's father wouldn't show up for him. Edward wanted to take him to the park, I thought it was sweet.

"This is just Jacob, I should never have agreed to this. At least then he wouldn't have gotten his hopes up!"

I couldn't help the silent tears that fell down my face as I watched Joshua give up any hope he had left of his father showing up. He jumped off his stool and threw his bag on the floor while he rubbed his eyes and walked to his bedroom.

Edward cradled me for a second before turning his attention to Josh.

Damn you Jacob!

"Hey Josh?" Edward leaned against his closed bedroom door and spoke gently through to him. "You want to go to the park?"

"Not really thank you anyway."

"Oh ok, but I just thought you might like to go to this special park I know of, but if you really don't want to go then that's cool..." He waited patiently like he had all the time in the world. He certainly had more time for my son that Jake ever had.

After a few minutes Josh's door creaked slightly open and they exchanged a few more quiet words with each other. By the time it took me to put the dishes into the dish washer and turn back around, Joshua was stood with his backpack firmly back in place, along with the smile he'd lost through the course of the morning. Edward too had a huge grin on his face.

"What are you too up to?" I was suddenly very suspicious of how the mood in my apartment had changed so dramatically.

After driving out of Phoenix, and heading north, I was completely lost as to which park Edward had been thinking of.

"Ok what's going on?" my voice went up an octave by the end of my sentence as we drove further away from the city, towards the airport...

"We're going to the park!" Edward was still insistent as we boarded a plane to Seattle.

Why the hell was I going along with this?

Because now you're interested to find out where all this is leading to.

Once we landed in Seattle we took yet another plane out to Port Angeles.

Joshua's face was a picture as he watched the ground disappear beneath him. He'd never been on a plane before today and his face was lit up like I'd never seen it. For that reason, I continued to go along with this adventure; not that I had much choice now.

When we'd landed in Port Angeles and got through security and Edward had collected the only bag he'd brought, that had been hidden in the trunk of his car, and we started to make our way out to the front of the airport.

That's when panic set in.

"Um Edward I've got work later, some how I don't think I'm going to make it back in time!" He laughed at the look on my face.

"You're clear from work for the next few days Bella, don't worry about it." He pulled me close to him and Joshua Giggled uncontrollably from by his side.

"Don't worry about it? Edward I..."

"Have cover." He 'matter of factly' answered my question before I'd even finished asking it.

"But what about..."

"Bella, please trust me..." He bent his knees so he could look me in my eyes. "Rosalie is covering your shifts at the diner; Charlie has arranged cover for your shifts at the bar and both employers are paying you holiday pay, because I'm just that persuasive.

I didn't know whether to be pissed at him for doing this or not. On one hand, He shouldn't have altered all my scheduling behind my back, but on the other it was kind of amazing that he would take the time to arrange all this without me finding out.

"My mom is going to be wor..."

"Your mom helped me plan this." The crooked smile on his face was enough to knock the aggravation out of me. "If I'm honest I panicked yesterday when you said Jake was taking Josh for the day, I nearly had to rearrange everything."

I looked over at my son, then back to Edward before I spoke in a hushed tone

"I knew Jake wouldn't show Edward. I wasn't even going to tell Josh about today, I didn't want Jacob to get riled up and start shouting about me keeping Josh from him, not that he's really bothered but he likes to make a show of things. I wish I could just cut him out completely. But Jake told Josh about today before I had a chance to stop him and by then the seed had been planted.

"Leave that with me." The look on his face left me in wonder.

Leave that with me? What did that mean?

After half an hour of waiting, a voice shouting towards Edward caught my attention.

"Honey I'm so sorry, we've been trying to get parked; it's a nightmare in the parking lot." The woman rushed up and embraced him with a look on her face that I recognised.

Oh my God she was his Mother!

"Hi you must be Bella." Her hand extended towards me and I politely went to shake it, but she used our contact to pull me into a hug. "I'm Esme and I'm glad we finally get to meet you, Edward never stops talking about you and Joshua, and I'm guessing that that is this handsome young man here?" She'd turned and crouched by his side. "Hi"

"Hello." His manners shone through as he shook her hand."I'm very pleased to meet you."

She gave him a warm smile before looking back to Edward and beaming at him.

Edward's father had appeared too and our introductions continued a little while longer before it was decided we should head out.

"Are you mad at me?" Edward asked cautiously as we drove away from the airport

"I should be!" I wanted so badly to be mad at him, yet all I could feel was admiration. I guess I should feel flattered that he wanted me to meet his parents; I just wish he'd have given me some warning.

Edward's parents had driven to pick us up in two cars, their own and Edwards 'at home' car. Letting us have our time alone as we drove to their home. Joshua fell to sleep the minute we'd pulled out of the parking lot and I was glad because it meant I could talk to Edward in private.

"I'm sorry...I just thought it might be nice to whisk you both away for the weekend. I didn't mean to make you angry with me." His face looked truly worried at his actions.

"I'm not mad; I just said I should be!" I gave him a sideways glance with a playful look on my face letting him know he was off the hook.

We turned off onto what I thought was some kind of dirt track, only being proved wrong as a huge white house came into view.

"Please tell me this isn't you're parents place?"Nerves started to twist and churn in the pit of my stomach.

"Why do you suddenly look petrified? They don't bite, you already met them." He chuckled as he took in the terror on my face.

Suddenly a thousand thoughts flooded my head and I felt my chest tighten in response.

"They're going to think I'm a gold digger!" Utter nonsense always spilled out of me when I was put in uncomfortable situations, and uncomfortable didn't even scratch the surface here.

"Bella don't be ridiculous! They think no such thing!" He looked a little hurt that I'd jump to such a conclusion.

"I'm a single mom Edward! I'm a hick that got knocked up at eighteen! I wouldn't blame them for thinking it!" My chest felt tighter by the second. Or maybe I was about to hyperventilate, yeah that was probably it...

"Huh! The last I knew...You weren't single."

I guess he had me there.

"A hick?" He just shook his head in jest "They don't think anything of the sort, IF they did, trust me, you wouldn't have had my mother hugging you like she did." He leaned over and kissed me sweetly before getting out and rushing around to open my door.

The house was just as big on the inside and Joshua couldn't hide his awe.

"Woah!" He looked up at the seriously higher than high ceilings and the huge staircase that swept up to a no doubt impressive first floor and beyond.

I'd never been in a grander abode and I suddenly felt out of place. The feeling didn't last for long as I got ushered into the kitchen with Esme.

"Are you hungry honey? "

"Um not so much, thank you anyway."

"I'm starving!" Josh chimed in as he scooted through the door and sat himself at the table; apparently he'd made him self at home.

"Joshua!" I couldn't help giving him the 'mom' look, the one that meant everything in one glance.

"Me too!" Edward had joined us; He kissed me before walking over and picking up my son and carrying him over to the refrigerator.

"What do you feel like?" He asked as Josh perched on his hip.

"I don't know."

The Cullen's made all my feelings of inadequacy melt away as we settled comfortably into their home.

Edward's actions towards me never altered just because his parents were around; he was just as attentive and adoring as ever. We sat for a while on the huge couch in the living area of the house. He'd pulled me over him so I was almost sat on his lap and he buried his face in my hair.

His parents were interested in finding out about me and Joshua and acted like we were part of the family. Carlisle, Edward's father seemed just as taken with my little guy as his son was and Emse fluttered around making sure no one was without anything.

I could get used to this.

Later that evening Edwards sister Alice and her boyfriend Jasper, which I recognised from Charlie's, Joined us. Straight away I felt a pull towards this tiny pixie like woman. We immediately hit it off as soon as the introductions were out of the way.

"So we're hitting the park tomorrow then? Jasper asked; I noticed Esme and Alice roll their eyes.