Chapter 12

Robert Simmons POV

It warmed my aging heart to see that little girl look so happy. After handling Miss. Kringle her flower in congratulations, I went to take my seat and watch the family's gathering. A girl I had seen grow up from a timid toddler with big, scared eyes to a shy young lady, finally finding someone to attach herself to. Someone that made her smile like there wasn't a care in the world to her, and that her whole world was right there in that talented young man. The way she held his hand, the way he smiled at her: that was true love.

Memories of Eileen were coming back to me.

When we would be caught playing in my childhood parlor, messing with my father's piano when we were told not to. When we would both have to walk two miles to and from school every day, even in the blistering cold. When Eileen asked for me to stand in her wedding to Thomas, and when I had asked her to be a witness to my wedding with Laura. Sitting on the front porch watching our own children get into as much trouble as we did as children. Being there to comfort each other when we lost our loved ones.

Margaret never looked so much like Eileen than right now, and I did not want that to go away.

"Mr. Cullen," I called, gesturing towards the talented musician of the group, "may I have a word with you, young man?"

I watched Margaret let go of his hand, using both of her hands to hold the flowers close to her chest. Almost like a shield to the world. "Hurry back." Margaret called weakly, giving the young man a wave when he approached me.

Mr. Cullen stopped in front of me, watching me carefully as I stood slowly, minding my weak knees. "Mr. Simmons, is something wrong?"

"Not at all." I responded, "I just thought I would tell you that I have never seen that little girl as happy as she is with you and your family."

He affirmed with a smile on his face, "You just promise me something Edward Cullen." I began, "You promise me that you'll take care of her. She's a special one, and you are one lucky man to have her in your life."

"I promise sir." Edward stated firmly, "I would do nothing to hurt Margaret, and my family and I plan on taking care of her until further notice."

I sighed, shifting in my seat, "Are you familiar with Mr. Rogers?" I asked, watching him nod in a response, "He has said something that I'd like to share with you: 'Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.' If you love Miss. Kringle, promise me you will only help her to better herself."

"With all of my being sir." Edward answered, just as firm as earlier.

I stuck my hand out to shake his, satisfied with his answer, "That's all I ask for young man." He shook mine back, "I just want her to be as happy as her grandmother would want her."

Maggie POV

There were only five days left until Christmas and I found myself a little flustered. Esme broke the news that all of their extended family was coming to the house for the rest of the year for the holidays. And by all of their extended family, that meant at least a dozen or so people. I had a hard-enough time adjusting to living with the Cullen/Hale family. And now, I had to meet more of their family members. I was worried that I wouldn't do the Cullen family justice during the holiday season.

I had zero clue what they had told anyone about me, and if I didn't meet what they thought they were getting themselves into, I thought I could ruin Christmas.

But at the moment, I was busy cleaning the guest room so that one of the guests could stay in here while they were staying for the holidays. I normally had the room pretty clean for the most part, it was just making sure that everything was tidy and in order. Carlisle and Esme said that I could stay with them in their room, and I was gathering all of animals and throw blankets so that I could make myself a comfortable make-shift bed on their floor for the next couple of days. I also made sure to grab my box of memories, just to make sure that nothing would happen to it.

There was a knock on the door, causing me to look at my full arms and become a little flustered on what to do. "Come in!" I called, not wanting to drop all of my animal friends.

It was Edward - big shock. "Moving out?" He laughed, taking Pebbles off the top of the pile.

"Kind of." I laughed, moving past him to bring the last of my things into the doctor's room, "I'm sleeping in your parents' room while your family is coming." I knelt down on my little bed that I had created and placed all of the stuffed toys in their proper places.

He followed behind me, handing me the penguin when I turned around, "And you needed all of your friends?"

My eyes widened, "Of course I do!" I said, standing up and placing my hands on my hips, a playful tone in my voice, "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten, Edward!"

Again, Edward laughed at me, "You don't even have one from that movie Maggie!"

I threw my hands up in frustration, moving past him. "Well, maybe that's a hint for something!"

"Dropping Christmas ideas?" He asked, closing the bedroom's door behind us.

I shrugged, "Maybe…or maybe not…" I said, offering my hand for him to take.

Edward took it with a playful smile on his face. "Well, I was coming to ask you if you'd come and join me to find presents for mom and dad with me."

My face grew into a grin, swinging our arms, "I'd love too! I should probably find something for Carlisle and Esme too."

"Alice was going to tag along too," He added, leading us to the front door so we could grab our winter coats. Edward handed my heavy black coat, along with yellow mittens and scarf, then grabbed his own, "if that's alright." I took my purse as well, placing it on my shoulder.

I nodded my head, "Of course it is!" I smiled, "The more, the merrier right?"

As if she knew we were talking about her, the tiny Cullen girl appeared from the kitchen with her coat on and purse over her shoulder. "There you guys are! Are we ready to go?"

"Yep!" I smiled, taking Edward's hand after I put my mittens on, "I'm all bundled up and ready to shop!"

Alice smiled wide, taking my empty hand. She pulled us toward her car, "Hop in front Maggie!" Alice chirped, getting into the driver's seat.

Edward climbed in the back, a tiny pout on his face. After making sure we were all buckled in, Alice pulled out of the driveway and onto the road, "Are you also looking for something for mom and dad Maggie?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I am." I confessed, "And I'm stuck on what to get them, if I'm being honest."

"We'll find something." Edward comforted, placing a hand on my shoulder from the back seat.

My face formed a smile and I reached up to place my own hand on top of his.

The drive was nothing special; Alice decided to blast the Christmas station the whole drive, which seemed to bug Edward, but I sang-a-long with the chipper driver the whole time.

The shopping mall was packed, but Alice found a spot in the back of the lot. Alice took my arm before Edward could, leading us quickly into the indoor shopping center. "So, do you have any where you have to stop Maggie?" She asked, waiting for Edward to open the door for us.

I shook my head, "I have no idea what to do." Frowning, my arm unhooked itself from Alice and I gripped the purse with my hands, "What are you guys doing?"

"A vase for mom." Edward said, "Emmett and I got into a fight a couple months ago, broke it and she still talks about the vase." He explained, "And a Grey's Anatomy DVD set for dad. It's a joke."

His short sister rolled her eyes at him. "I'm getting mom new watercolor paints with brushes and Jasper picked dad up a new bookshelf for his study." Alice said, pulling up a picture on her phone to show me.

I sighed, "I just feel like I don't know them too well, so I don't know what to do!"

"What would you get your grandma for Christmas?" Alice asked.

Grandma and I only exchanged one gift from each other every year, and mine were usually homemade. Last year, I bought her a porcelain doll – a replica of one that she had when she was a little girl. "Something kind of cheesy." I admitted, "It was a collector's item for her doll collection. And the year before, I got her some earrings."

The Cullen siblings exchanged looks very quickly, almost like they were thinking about if they were thinking the same things. "Esme always likes jewelry." Alice commented, "And Carlisle can be a good sport when it comes to something cheesy or funny." Those were some good idea, even though I still didn't know exactly what kind of funny gift or jewelry I would get.

"Those are good ideas." Edward agreed, "We could help you pick them out if you want to."

I shook my head, "No thanks. You guys have your own shopping to get done." I explained, "Just meet back here when you're done?" I offered, looking at the time on my phone.

"I should only be an hour at most!" Alice smiled, giving me a hug before she made her way into the mall.

Edward kissed my cheek goodbye, "Feel free to text if you have any questions Maggie. I should be fast."

"No rush Edward." I smiled, "I'll see you soon!" I waved goodbye, watching him follow after his sister into the loud mall.

With a deep breath, and a determined look on my face, I headed over to the men's section of the department store to find something. This section of the store wasn't as busy as the women's, thankfully. I weaved in and out of the racks, touching the soft materials and not finding anything that I could see Carlisle wearing.

That is, until I wound up around the ties section. It dawned on me that Dr. Cullen wore a tie every single day he went to the hospital, so I knew that I was on the right path with that. I must have looked a little lost because a stout looking sales man approached me with a large smile on his pudgy face. "Need help finding anything?"

"I'm looking for a tie for a doctor." I explained, "He wears one every day to work, so I figure that I can't go wrong with that."

The man moved past me politely, looking through the displays of colorful ties, "Does he usually wear neckties or bowties?"

"The normal kind." I said, "And they're not crazy colors either." After a couple of minutes, the salesman was pulling a couple of ties and laying them over his arm to hold them all.

Again, he moved past me and laid them out on the counter. Reds, blues, greens, yellows: there were so many different kinds that I was even more lost at what to pick out for the kind doctor. "You could always go for something practical." He explained, motioning to a navy-blue tie with white polka-dots covering it, "Or something that would stand out more, but not draw too much attention." This time, he motioned to a grass-green tie with purple stripes, "Or maybe something more out there." It was a blue bowtie with different medical instruments as the pattern.

That's when I remembered Alice said that Carlisle could take a joke when it came to his gifts. Plus, it was technically a tie so I could claim it was something he would wear every day. "How much is the bowtie?" I asked, taking the funny tie off the counter.

"That would be thirty dollars." The salesman answered, "I assume it will be cash?"

I nodded, handing back the bowtie so he could ring it up. The salesman took my cash, typed quickly into the register, placed the tie nicely into a small shopping bag, and handed my receipt and purchase over, "Thank you for your help today sir." I smiled, taking the white bag.

He smiled, "Happy to help. And have a happy holiday!" I smiled back, walking from the counter and to an escalator.

Finding the bowtie so quickly was giving me faith that I would find the perfect gift for Esme just as quickly. Remembering that Alice said her mom would never turn down jewelry, I made my way, yet again, to a jewelry counter to find something worthy enough for Esme.

It was much busier today than the other day with crazy looking men stressing over expensive looking diamonds with the salespeople. Somehow, I managed to squeeze my way to the counter and look at all of the displays behind the glass. So many shiny diamond and gems were shining back, I felt like I could be blinded if the light reflected off of one of them in a certain way.

"Can I help you, young lady?" Someone asked, causing me to look up quickly.

A bored looking man was behind the counter, looking me up and down, "I'm looking for a Christmas present." I explained.

He gave me a scrutinizing look, "Are you sure you can afford any of this?" The man asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Do you have anything for fifty dollars?" I asked, folding my arms as well. I wasn't going to let this employee scare me away from my mission.

The uninterested salesman sighed, moving down the jewelry counter without warning. I pushed through a couple of people to catch up to him, stopping in front of the case. He was pulling out a couple of items from inside, placing them on top so that he could show them off properly. "This three-ring set is forty-five, these bangles are ten each, those pearl earrings are sixty." He rambled off, sounding more impassive than before.

"Is there anything you would get a mom?" I asked, not thinking that these would be right for Esme. Yeah, she wasn't my mom, but she was a mom for five other people.

After a deep sigh, the salesperson put the jewelry that was on top of the case back inside and pulled out a silver bracelet. "It's a charm bracelet. The chain is ten and each charm is five dollars." He said, pulling out a box that had a lot of tiny charms to add on.

My eyes lit up, looking over the tiny shapes. "It's perfect!" I said, "Are these all the charms?" I asked, already mentally looking at the different ones I could see.

"Yeah." He answered, "Just bring over the ones you want and someone will ring them up for you." And with that, he was gone.

When I was sure he wasn't going to pop up and give me a glare or disappointed look, I opened the box and went to work. After about ten minutes, I finally picked out the perfect ones. Each of them stood for each of her kids: a music note, a bear, an anchor, a ballet shoe, and an open book. The one I had a hard time deciding one was the final charm: a sunflower. But I figured that if anything, it would be pretty. I took the bracelet and charms to the register and let a just as uninterested saleswoman ring up Esme's present. She handed the bag over, after a quick "happy holidays", and I was off to our meeting spot with both missions a success.

Neither of the Cullen siblings were there yet, so I sat down on a metal bench I found nearby. I was feeling on top of the world with my successful trip, confident that I at least made a really good try with both of their presents.

After messing on my phone for a little bit - answering Esme's question about if I wore my scarf, responding back to Jasper about the latest chapter in Little House on the Prairie, and finding a good meme to send back to Emmet - Alice arrived with her hands full of bags. "I thought you had to get paints?" I asked with a laugh.

"I found some good deals!" She explained, sitting down with a huff next to me, "Did you find what you were looking for?" Alice asked, trying to look inside the small bags.

I pulled them closer, making sure you couldn't see what was inside, "Yes I did. And presents are secret, Alice!"

She just laughed, "Well, I guess I'm not sharing what I got then!" We both ended up laughing at each other's teasing, knowing fully that if either of us asked we would share what we bought.

"How am I the last one here?" A familiar voice questioned, coming up to the bench.

Edward had two large bags in his left hand, and a red plastic bag with a familiar logo on the front in his right. "We're more skilled shoppers than you I guess." His sister teased.

I just giggled, watching him roll his eyes at her. "You want to trade bags?" He asked, holding out the red bag to me.

"Is this a trap?" I asked, wearily looking at him.

He shook his head, "If you don't want to look at your gift now, I guess I can save it to give you with your other present for Christmas."

Alice's eyes widened, a grin on her face. "Take the gift Maggie!" she cried, standing up quickly and trying to sneak a peek.

I laughed at her, getting off the bench myself. "Alright, I'll make the trade."

"But you have to open it now." Edward clarified, trading the one large bag for my two tiny ones, "That's part of it."

I just shook my head, taking the gift and noticing that whatever it was in there, it was plush. Shutting my eyes, I took the soft item out of the bag and held it in my arms, "Why are you closing your eyes!?" Alice laughed.

"I'm scared!" I cried, a laugh bubbling out as well. After a moment, I cracked one eye open and looked down at what Edward found for me. It was a fury, blue alien that we had talked about early today in a sitting position and smile on his face, "Is this Stitch?!" I smiled, feeling blush form on my face.

Alice was laughing so hard, and Edward was trying to keep his own to himself, "It appears so, doesn't it?"

I shook my head, really confused as to why he bought this toy for me. "Why'd you get this?"

"Well, you hinted to it earlier." He clarified, "So, why not?"

With Stitch tucked under my arm, I wrapped the other around him and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. "You're too sweet Edward. I love him."

The Cullen sister was 'awing' nearby, "That's so sweet you guys!" She cooed, "I love it!" She wrapped the two of us into a group hug, laughing quietly, "But we really need to get going if we're want to doge the traffic."

I held Stitch in my arms the whole ride back, letting Edward sit shotgun this time. My heart was feeling so full now, even though it was just another stuffed animal to add to the pile. However, my heart did sink a little when we arrived at the house and saw all of the new cars in the yard. "They're here already?" I whispered, eyes not looking away from the cars.

"They must be early." Alice clarified, a smile on her face, "I'm so excited! First the little gift for Maggie, and now the fam is here!" She jumped out of the car and went to grab her bags from the trunk in a hurry, "This has been such a great day!"

My door was opened and Edward offered his free hand for me to take, "Don't worry Maggie." He gave me a small smile and squeeze of my hand, "We can say hello and bring our things upstairs." Edward reassured.

I just nodded, letting him lead me into the house. Before we even made it up the stairs, I could hear a lot of loud voices come from inside. Edward gave another squeeze to my hand as Alice opened the door. And just like that, it was almost like that was a switch because the noise stopped.

We walked in and I tried not to look at all of the observing eyes. I felt Edward let go of my hand, which didn't help my nerves, and I clutched the toy a little closer. "Welcome back you three." Dr. Cullen said, coming to the door with a grin on his face, "How was your trip?"

"A success!" Alice chirped, holding up all her bags, "But I see we missed the welcome party." She pouted, causing a couple people to laugh. Jasper made his way through what seemed like a sea of people to take some bags from his girlfriend.

Edward nodded in agreement, holding up our bags as well. "That's great to hear." Dr. Cullen said, "Before you put your things away, I'd like to introduce you to everyone Margaret." He said, placing a hand on my shoulder and leading me to the large group in the family room.

"Everyone," The doctor began, causing another hush to fall in the room, "I would like you all to finally meet Margaret Kringle." Various other greetings were said, some sounding more enthusiastic than others.

People were occupying the furniture, all of them just a beautiful looking as the Cullen/Hale family. The doctor started with the people who were sitting on the couch, Esme standing nearby and talking with them, "This is my friend from childhood, Alistair." He gestured to a long haired, blonde man at the end of the couch, "and his family Charles and Makenna." There was another dark blonde man and he was holding hands with a raven-haired woman.

"Pleasure to meet you." Alistair said, not getting up from his spot on the couch. The couple waved at me, giving small smiles to me.

I just gave them a smile in return and Carlisle continued with his introductions. "And this is Vladimir and Stefan." The first man was paper white pale and had ashy blonde hair to complement. The other man was just as pale, but had dark brown hair. Both of them were on the love seat.

Vladimir stood and it seemed like he bowed to me, "It is wonderful to meet you." He said, taking his seat next to Stefan.

Again, I just smiled to them, becoming more flustered with the new names and faces I needed to memorize. Carlisle moved on, gesturing to the people who stood by Jasper and Alice. "This is Peter," Dr. Cullen motioned to a brunette boy with short hair who was standing next to the blonde twin, "and this is his girlfriend Charlotte." He motioned to the short, blond pixie cut girl next to Peter.

Peter and Charlotte both waved, reminding me a lot of Jasper and Alice but much quieter. "And their cousins Mary and Randall." Mary was an African-American girl with curly light brown hair and Randall had dark red hair with a goatee on his pale face. They also just waved with smiles on their faces.

"And last, but not least," Carlisle said, motioning to the largest group, "the Denali cousins." Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward were all mingling with these people.

There were two girls who looked like they could be twins, both blonde and tall but one had curly hair while the other had super straight hair. The curly-haired girl seemed to be giving me a similar look to what Rosalie usually gave me: judgmental. Rosalie and Emmett were talking with her. Then, there was a woman who had deep brown hair and a man with short raven hair, who were standing in a side embrace. Finally, the last man had shaggy brunette hair and was holding hands with the straight hair girl, both in a conversation with Edward.

The dark-haired couple stepped forward, "It is so nice to meet you." The man said, "I am Eleazar, and this is my gorgeous wife Carmen." He gestured to the woman he stood with, "and these are our children Tanya, Kate, and Garrett." Eleazar pointed to the curly haired daughter when he said Tanya, which left the other blonde as Kate.

"Absolutely delighted to finally meet you." Carmen smiled, "Emmett has told us so much about you."

I bit my lip, not knowing what to say in response. "Why not you bring your purchases upstairs Margaret?" Carlisle suggested.

Before I could turn and leave quickly, Edward spoke up, "I'll join you Maggie." He offered, moving past the Tanya girl quickly to grab my hand. I felt much better when I knew he would be with me.

He led me up the stairs, grabbing our bags before we left. "Are you alright?" He whispered once we got to his parents' room so I could hide the gifts under the bed.

I flopped down on the floor where I made up the bed on the ground, holding Stitch close. "I don't know." I sighed, "That was a lot of people I just had to meet." I confessed, squeezing my eyes shut tights, "And they're so beautiful."

"You're beautiful too." Edward said. I could hear his footsteps coming closer, "And I'm sure they know you're a little nervous too, so they understand that you might not be your bubbly-self right now." He explained.

Slowly, I cracked one eye open. He was sitting on the ground across from me. "You think so?" I sat up, looking at him in the eyes.

He nodded, opening his arms up so that I could crawl into his embrace. And I did just that, very quickly wrapping my arms around him. "And who cares if they don't? We all know that you're great, and they'll see it soon too." That made me feel much better, and braver.

With that bravery came an unexpected move from me: a kiss on the lips for Edward. He must have been shocked too, but he didn't pull away. My heart was pounding in my chest as soon as I felt his arms move to my waist, but I didn't move away right away. After another moment, I finally pulled away and could feel my blush so much that my ears were warm.

"I'm so sorry Edward." I whispered, burying my head into his shoulder to hide from his eyes.

He just laughed, pulling me closer and standing up with me in his arms, "Don't be sorry." Edward said, "I do enjoy kisses, you know. Especially when they're from you." That just made me even more flustered and that reaction made him laugh even more, "Come on, they're probably expecting us back downstairs to help decorate."

I pulled myself from his shoulder and finally looked at him in the eye, "Will you stay with me?" I asked timidly, hoping to hear a good answer.

"I won't leave you until you get warmed up to everyone." Edward affirmed, offering his hand to me. I took it and let him lead me out of the room and back down stairs.

That's when I noticed all of the boxes in the middle of the room, and a tree being set up in the corner of the room, "We weren't gone that long, were we?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in confusion. There was no way those boxes could be brought up quickly.

"We were about to send out a search party for you two!" Emmett called from his spot on the couch. He seemed to be untangling garland with Rosalie and the Denali children, "But I was worried somethin' else was goin' on, if you catch my drift." The boy winked, causing me to groan in embarrassment.

It seemed like some other people thought he was funny because some laughs were heard in the room. "Leave them be Emmett Cullen." Esme said, pulling out some snow globes from a box carefully, "You two are working on the tree with Jasper, Alice, Peter and Charlotte." She explained, gesturing to the crowd at the tree.

Edward led me over to the tree, both of us looking over the small progress that was happening. Jasper and Peter were stringing up the lights at the top of the tree while Alice and Charlotte were pulling out delicate looking ornaments from boxes. "Hey you two!" the cheery Cullen sister smiled, "Here to help with the tree?" She asked.

"Ready to try." I said, looking at all the colorful glass shapes that they were laying on the table.

Alice stood from where she was kneeling on the ground, "Edward, you help the boys with the lights. Maggie can help Charlotte and I with organizing the pretty things." She took my hand, waiting for Edward to let go of my other one before leading me to where they were sorting through the decorations for the tree.

Charlotte looked a little tense when I sat down, and I thought it was just because I didn't properly introduce myself to her, "I'm Margaret." I said quietly, glancing up from the table, "But most people call me Maggie."

"Charlotte." She gave me a small smile, pulling a circle ornament from the box.

It fell quiet again and I watched the two pull different fragile ornaments out of the box while talking to each other. While I didn't feel excluded, I didn't really feel like I belonged either. I took one ornament out of the box, one that looked like a nutcracker, and held it in my hands. "We're ready for some ornaments ladies." Someone said from the tree.

Peter and Jasper were standing and observing their handy work while Edward plugged the lights into the wall. It lit up instantly, the white lights sparkling against the green on the trees. "It's beautiful." I said to myself, standing from my spot on the floor to get another look.

"Why thank you darlin'." Jasper teased, sending a wink my way, "I'd like to think we did a stand-up job. Don't you agree Peter?"

The man next to Jasper nodded in agreement, "I do Jazz." He said, and I caught his Southern drawl, similar to Jasper's that would come out every so often.

Peter seemed less tense looking that his girlfriend, but more than Jasper usually looked. "Do you have something to hang?" the twin asked, pointing to what was in my hands.

"A nutcracker." I smiled, handing it to him. Jasper's friend smiled and we watched him hang it up high on the slowly spinning tree. Edward had finished his job with the lights and went off towards the kitchen, "How do you know Jasper?" I asked, attempting to break the ice with Peter.

Jasper gave his friend a knowing look, almost like there was some kind of joke I was missing out on. "We've known each other forever." Peter answered, taking an ornament of his own off the table. The girls had gotten up and began to place their own decorations on the tree, "That kid and I would get into all kinds of trouble together when we were younger."

That made the blonde twin laugh, "You still get yourself into trouble Peter." Jasper said, exposing his friend.

Everyone around the tree chuckled, including myself. "Jasper's like a brother to me. We're can be much more trouble than we're worth sometimes." Peter admitted, shrugging.

"Jasper's a good brother." I confessed, seeing his eyes widened after the words lead my mouth, "I can see what you're talking about."

Alice made an 'aw' sound and came to wrap me in a hug, "Maggie, stop trying to melt my heart! You keep out doing yourself today!"

I laughed, "Sorry, I can't help it Alice!"

After that, everyone seemed to loosen up a little and we all could hang the ornaments on the tree without awkward tensions in the air. Around us, everyone else seemed to be assigned their own decoration tasks, and Edward looked busy wrapping the banister in the garland with Emmett and Garrett. I smiled, watching him seeming to enjoy himself with his family. Carlisle and Esme were working on a Nativity scene in the window with Eleazar and Carmen. Mary, Randall, Vladimir, and Stefan were outside working on the lights around the porch. Alistair, Charles, and Makenna were outside too, working on the tree in the front yard. Rosalie, Tanya, and Kate were untangling the garland and bringing it up to the boys on the stairs while sending looks my way here and there.

Finally, the tree was finished once I placed the star on top. At that moment, it seemed like everyone else was finished too and gathering in the family room where we stood by the tree. "You all did a wonderful job!" Esme beamed, looking over our hard work.

I smiled, almost letting a yawn escape but covering my mouth quickly. "It's so much better than my tree with Grandma Eileen." I said, feeling my eyes growing tired. My face warmed when I heard some chuckles around the room.

"You had a long day Margaret." Dr. Cullen said, coming to my left side, "Why don't you head up and get ready for bed?"

Another yawn escaped, "But, I'm not that tired Carlisle." I said, not helping my case with another yawn.

He just shook his head, "I would rather you rest up tonight so you are strong enough to be with us all tomorrow when we have more activities planned." His doctor voice was showing when Carlisle explained.

I sighed in defeat, "Alright, you win doc." I winked, causing him and Esme to laugh. Esme was leading me toward the stairs, with Carlisle right behind us. But, I had to stop and say goodnight to everyone before we got there, "Um…goodnight everyone. It was nice to meet you all."

People waved or said goodnight themselves, seeing me on my way up. Edward was at the stairs and made sure to give me a hug when I got there. "Sleep well Maggie." He said quietly, placing a kiss on my lips quickly.

Dead silence filled the room as soon as we touched lips, and I quickly became uncomfortable. "Wow, little Eddie is doin' some PDA!" Emmett laughed from his place next to his girlfriend.

"I can kiss my girlfriend good night if I want to Emmett, especially if everyone else can." He said in response, "Leave Maggie out of the teasing."

Girlfriend.

He just said girlfriend.

Edward Anthony Cullen just labeled us, in front of his family, and I was his girlfriend.

If I thought my heart was beating fast early, it was going to leap out of my body now.