Chapter Twenty one

EPOV

It was around midday and Bella and I were preparing to leave for a visit to the hospital again. We were going to visit that same hospital which we had when she was still my assistant and we were not together.

Yes, I remembered that time well. I had to restrain myself so much to not even touch her. It had been painful but I loved it at the same time, a sweet torture. It had been torturous to be near her but I hated being away from her at the same time. How sick was I. A sick, machonistic person in love with the most pure person in the world.

I walked into our room to tell Bella we were to leave in half an hour to find her typing away on her laptop. I leaned against the door for a few minutes, just watching her. She looked adorable, sitting cross-legged on the couch and biting her lip while she concentrated.

"Admiring the view, Mr. Cullen?" she asked suddenly, not looking up.

"I must say I am," I replied with a smile.

She looked up with a smirk on her face. "And is the view good?"

"Very good from where I'm standing," I said, sitting next to her. "What are you doing?"

"Continuing my story. I sort of hit a roadblock before but now, I just have more ideas now," she shrugged.

"Can I read it?" I peered over her shoulders but she quickly closed the program like she did when I previously asked her. "Come on, love. Let me read it," I pouted, hoping it would work.

"Not a chance. It's … embarrassing at some points."

"Why?" I asked, my curiosity aroused.

"Because," she sighed. "No. I'm not telling you."

"Love, please be honest with me. I promise I won't laugh at you, if that's what you're worried about."

"Because ... because some parts you inspired and I don't want you to read them," she said quickly.

I was slightly stunned for a moment that Bella had based some parts of her story on me. Stunned, and quite flattered at the same time.

"You wrote it … because of me?"

"Actually, more like after I realised I was in love with you," she admitted. "I'd had no experience beforehand and the whole story was based on a love story." She chuckled darkly. "How do you write a love story when you've never been in love before? But no matter, I think you've solved the problem for me now, Edward."

"You are amazing, do you know that?" I asked, kissing her forehead.

"I do believe you've mentioned it before," she laughed softly. "I hope you won't get a huge ego boost now that I've told you that. Although, you don't really need it."

I growled at her playfully and she giggled.

Just then, we heard a knock at the door.

"Excuse me sir, you have a visitor who would like to see you and Miss Swan briefly," one of the servants said.

"I think we have time before we have to leave. Send him in, Ruby."

Bella turned off her laptop and set it on the low coffee table in front of us, leaning back into my arms as Ruby opened the door.

It was Charlie.

"Dad!" Bella immediately exclaimed, jumping to her feet and walking to her dad, quickly pulling him into a hug. "What are you doing here? Come in, have a seat."

"Hi Bells, nice to see you again," Charlie smiled at his daughter. I also rose and approached them just as Charlie said, "Actually, I wanted to have a chat with Edward."

"With me?" I repeated, not quite sure I wasn't hearing things.

He nodded, looking me in the eye.

Bella bit her lip like she always did when she was anxious, but she nodded anyway. "Um, I'll leave you two to … chat then. I'd better go get ready anyway. I'll see you in a few minutes," she said, kissing me quickly before leaving the room.

"Get ready for what?" Charlie asked, rather suspiciously I might add.

"We're going to go visit the hospital and make some rounds to see the sick kids," I told him as I led him to the living area and motioned for him to sit opposite me.

We sat awkwardly for a few moments before I decided to break the silence. "So Chief Swan, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

He shifted in his seat. I had learned from Bella that her father was a man of few words and I had gathered that much from the rare times that I talked to him. I also knew that he wasn't one to show his feelings too much.

"Edward, I know that you and Bella are … serious. I've seen the way my daughter looks at you and I swear I've never seen her smile as much as I have when she's around you. And I know now that you … love her very much."

"Chief Swan, I know that it may be hard to accept that Bella and I are together, but I don't think you really know how much I love her. It's just … indescribable."

"I can see that now, Edward, and I wanted to tell you that yeah, I guess you being with Bella isn't so bad."

"So you've accepted it?" I asked with a smile.

"Yeah, to an extent," he said gruffly. "But I swear, if you hurt her in any shape, way or form, I'll hunt you down."

I gulped, noticing with much relief that his gun holster seemed to be empty.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I said.

With perfect timing, Bella appeared at the doorway again and looked from me, to her father, and back to me.

"Everything okay now?" she asked.

"Fine love," I said, getting up.

"Well, I'd better get going," Charlie said, also rising. "I've got to take care of a more things before the end of the day. I'll see you soon, Bella. Try not to forget your father instead of focusing all your attention on Edward," he said whilst hugging her.

Behind her father's back, Bella shot me a quizzical look but I just shook my head, indicating that I'd tell her later.

"Bye Edward," Charlie said as Ruby appeared to escort him out.

"Goodbye, Chief Swan," I replied.

"Bye dad," Bella said, giving him one last hug.

Charlie turned and began to walk out, but paused, as if struck by a thought, and turned back to us. "Oh, and Edward?"

"Yes, Chief Swan?"

"No more of this 'Chief Swan' nonsense. Just call me Charlie," he said with a slight smile before walking away.

"What was that all about?" Bella asked suspiciously as soon as he was out of sight and ear shot.

"Let's just say your father's acceptance of me won't be a problem anymore," I said as her face broke into a wide smile. I knew how much it had hurt her when Charlie had not approved of us.

BPOV

It made me so happy to know that Charlie had finally accepted Edward. I knew he would have some problems seeing me with him. Well, anyone for that fact. You know what they say about dad's letting their daughter's go. It's sometimes impossible.

But now that everyone that was important to me knew about Edward and I, I knew there was nothing to stop us now.

Edward was holding me now as we drove to that same hospital that we had months ago. Where I had realised I could have been potentially in love with him. Our relationship since then had progressed so quickly, sometimes I wondered if we were moving too quickly. But it just seemed right and I would never change it for anything in the world.

That got me thinking about all those kids we had visited back then. Edward was so great with kids and I found myself imagining having children with him…

"Bella, tell me. What has got you blushing so furiously?" Edward asked, jolting me out of my daydreams.

"Uh, nothing," I quickly mumbled. He didn't need to know about my imaginings of a perfect little girl with Edward's gorgeous bronze-coloured hair and my brown eyes. I don't know why, but I just knew that's what our child would look like.

"Nothing?" Edward said sceptically.

"Seriously, you don't want to know," I muttered, looking out the window. We were drawing close to the hospital now, thankfully.

Edward let it slide but I could tell that he was trying to figure out what had gotten me all embarrassed. I was just grateful that he couldn't read minds or anything like that.

"Prince Edward, Miss Swan, we've arrived now. I should warn you that a lot of reporters and photographers are waiting outside the doors. They must have somehow known that you would be visiting today," our driver informed us from the front.

Edward grimaced but took my hand firmly in his.

"Ready to face the media for the first time?" he asked me.

"No," I told him honestly. "Will I ever get used to it?"

"Never gets easier, love," he chuckled as the door opened, revealing a barrage of flashes and jostling reporters.

We both stepped out and journalists left, right and centre started throwing questions at us.

"Ms. Swan, what can you say about your relationship with Prince Edward?"

"Prince Edward, what does your family think of Ms. Swan?"

"Prince Edward, is it true that you have maintained a secret relationship with Ms. Swan for over a year?"

"Are the rumours true that you two are engaged?"

"We will not be answering questions at this time," Edward said firmly, holding onto my hand so that I wouldn't get lost in the mania.

We eventually made it through the crowd and into the safety inside.

"I'm so sorry, Prince Edward," the Chief of Medicine of the hospital told us. "We didn't know that there would be so many of them. Are you both okay?"

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward asked me, concerned.

"Fine, just a little shaken," I replied.

"Well, if both of you are alright, would you like to go visit some of the patients now?"

We both smiled and nodded our heads.

"Let's go," Edward confirmed.