Author Note: Thanks for the awesome response to this story! Gonna break 3,000 reviews! I love having the chance to interact with all of you.

Everyone is anxious to see Renee's reaction, so let's get to it!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.


Chapter 28 — The Holidays, Pt 2

My mother throws open the door, hugging me like she hasn't seen me in a year, when it's only been about six weeks.

When she finally steps back, she notices Edward behind me, and I don't miss the way her eyes widen slightly. I really hope that's not a sign that she recognizes him.

"Mom, this is my boyfriend, Edward," I introduce him, purposely leaving off his last name.

"Hello, Mrs. Dwyer," he greets her quietly, stepping forward. "It's nice to meet you."

"Edward," she nods, clearing her throat as she shakes his outstretched hand. "Please come in." She calls out to Phil and he appears within seconds, eyeing Edward up and down. "Phil, this is Bella's boyfriend, Edward."

As the two men shake hands, I really hope Phil isn't one of those guys who tries to be tough and intimidating when he meets another man — especially his stepdaughter's first boyfriend.

"I apologize," my mom begins, "But we only have one of our three spare bedrooms set up as a guest room; the other two are my craft room and Phil's office. I hope you'll be comfortable on the couch; Phil certainly enjoys taking naps there."

I glance at Edward, noticing his face pale. "Mom." I wait until she looks at me before continuing. "We're all adults here. Edward and I are perfectly capable of sharing your guest room."

"But—"

"Mom," I interrupt. "We can always drive back to Tucson after dinner."

"All right," she sighs. "Just… don't do anything you wouldn't want to overhear us doing."

Rolling my eyes, I lead Edward through the large ranch-style home to the guest bedroom. He leaves our bags next to the bed, then walks over to me.

"Thank you," he whispers, pecking my lips. "I couldn't… there's just no way… In a house with stran-strangers. I know I wouldn't get any sleep out in the open."

I wind my arms around his neck, kissing him again. "I can't sleep without you either." I was exhausted after those three nights he spent with his parents when my mom was visiting last month.

I retrieve the gifts for Mom and Phil from my suitcase, then lead Edward back to the living room, where they're seated on the loveseat. I set the gifts on the coffee table for now, taking a seat next to Edward on the couch.

"So tell me, how did you two meet?" Mom asks, sitting forward attentively.

"On the bus," I lie, rubbing my thumb over the back of Edward's hand.

"What do you do for a living, Edward?" Phil asks.

"I'm between jobs right now," he answers quietly. "I, um, needed a change." I almost want to laugh at the understatement.

I don't miss the way my mother frowns at the fact that Edward is unemployed, but she's not quite rude enough to ask about his money situation in front of him.

"What's your degree in?" Phil asks.

"I don't have one. College wasn't really in the cards for me."

I have my retort ready in case either one of them pushes the issue. I know for a fact that Phil dropped out of college after two years when he was drafted by the Diamondbacks. And my mother never went to college, even after the divorce. Instead she worked in administrative positions until her current job as personal assistant to someone in the Diamondbacks' front office — which is how she met Phil.

"I see," my mother frowns, but thankfully doesn't push it.

"You look like you're in good shape, Edward," Phil notes. "Do you work out?"

"Yes," he answers. "I jog and work out pretty much every day."

"Are you into playing sports at all?"

"I played basketball and ran track in high school, but not so much anymore. I started working out with weights when I was 21."

I cringe a little at his mention of an age that's older than I am currently, and that still obviously occurred years ago.

Phil asks Edward about specific machines and I have to admit to zoning out a bit. None of it means anything to me, but Edward seems to understand what he's talking about, and Phil seems to have accepted my boyfriend. That's really all that matters.

Eventually the conversation shifts to how my first semester of college has gone. I'm more than happy to talk about my classes and the new friends I've made and take the pressure off Edward.

My mother has made reservations for an early dinner at Phil's favorite steakhouse, so we wind up our conversation and drive downtown. Phil valet parks his Expedition, and Edward stops me before we walk in the door of the restaurant.

"I need to smoke," he whispers. "Meet you inside." I nod, following my parents. He's actually done really well at waiting this long.

"Table for three?" the hostess asks.

"Four," my mother corrects, giving the hostess their name, then turns around. "Where's Edward?"

"He'll be right in. He, ah, went to smoke." I don't miss her disapproving look as we follow the hostess to our — yay! — booth.

"When a tall man with reddish-brown hair comes in, could you send him our way?" I ask her before she walks away.

"He's a smoker, Isabella?" my mother sniffs once the hostess has disappeared.

"Yes," I admit. He's actually cut back a lot, and I try not to bug him about quitting.

"I'm surprised that someone who's into jogging and working out would smoke," Phil says. "Seems counterproductive." I don't mention that Edward doesn't work out for his physical health — at least he's never thrown that out as a reason.

"How old is Edward?" my mother finally asks the million-dollar question.

"Really, Mom? You're going to make a big deal of Edward's age when Phil is eight years younger than you?"

"That man is more than eight years older than you," she retorts.

"His age is irrelevant. I love him, Mom," I confess softly. "He's everything to me."

"He doesn't even have a job!" she protests.

"He will… once he figures out what he really wants to do."

"He should've figured that out by now," she mutters.

"Mother," I warn.

She looks at me, really looks at me, then finally nods. "Just… be safe. I'm not ready to be a grandmother before I'm 40."

Our waiter shows up then to take our drink orders. I get my standard Diet Coke while both Mom and Phil order cocktails. "What do you think Edward would like, Bella?" Phil asks.

"He likes beer — Heineken, I think."

Edward shows up about 20 seconds later, sliding into the booth next to me. I immediately make a grab for his right hand, squeezing it, while he opens his menu with the other.

Once we've placed our orders, I ask Phil how this season's team is looking. I really don't follow baseball much, though with Charlie for a father, I do know the rules of the game.

After answering me, Phil asks Edward what he thinks of the team's 2015 season, and I silently pray that last night's "naked studying" will pay off and he can pass for an Arizona native. Edward explained to me once that he did have a small radio in his cell, so he is somewhat familiar with the last 18 years of sports — championship teams and the big-name players — though obviously he listened to Mariners games. Apparently the Diamondbacks didn't even enter the league until the year after he went to prison.

Our meals — and desserts — are delicious, and once we're all completely stuffed, we drive around looking at Christmas lights before heading home. Edward once again stays outside to smoke.

While he's outside, Phil gets a bottle of wine from their wine cellar, pouring four glasses.

"You never did answer the question when I asked how old Edward is," my mother notes.

"It doesn't matter how old he is. I don't care at all about his age."

"No offense to you, sweetheart, but there's usually only one thing that an older man wants when he dates someone your age."

"Mom!"

Edward chooses that moment to walk in the door, and from the way his eyes dart back and forth between us, he clearly notices the tension in the room.

"Did I miss something?" he asks, taking his seat beside me.

"My daughter was just refusing to tell me how old you are," Mom sniffs, seemingly oblivious to her earlier rude comment.

"I'm 37, Mrs. Dwyer." I turn my head quickly to stare at Edward. I thought we'd agreed not to tell them.

Mom gasps. "That's only two years younger than I am! What exactly are your intentions with my 19-year-old daughter?"

"I love your daughter. I hope to spend the rest of my life with her," he says softly, making me all swoony.

"But you couldn't haven't been dating for more than four months!" she protests.

"We've been dating long enough for me to know how special your daughter is, Mrs. Dwyer. She's one of a kind." He wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close and kissing my temple. Damn, I wish I could get him alone right now.

That seems to shut her up, as she clears her throat, picking up her glass of wine. Edward grabs a glass for me first, before getting his own. I encourage Mom and Phil to open their gifts, and then my mother gets up to get a package for me out of their bedroom.

"I thought we'd agreed no gifts other than dinner?"

"Oh, I just couldn't resist," Mom replies.

I open the box, pulling out a short-sleeved tan sweater that looks to be hand knitted. "This is really pretty, Mom."

"I know, isn't it? It's made of alpaca and it's so soft. I really wanted it for myself, but it's a cropped sweater and just didn't look right on a 39-year-old woman." I chuckle lightly; my mother is in great shape so I'm sure it couldn't have looked that bad.

It's always been a tradition when visiting my mother for Christmas that we would watch Charlie Brown, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman and all of the other Christmas classics. The four of us sit and watch the DVDs together until we decide to call it a night.

"Be right back," Edward whispers, slipping outside to smoke before we head to bed.

"Remember what I said, Isabella," my mother warns, nodding toward the bedrooms.

"I'm not going to have sex with my boyfriend in your guest bedroom," I reply, rolling my eyes.

Once we're ready for bed, Edward lies down facing me, wrapping me up tightly in his arms. "I'm sorry I told your mother the truth about my age," he whispers. "I just didn't want to see you two fighting because you refused to tell her."

"She's not being fair about you," I growl.

"It's all right, Bella," he sighs. "I know that on paper, I don't exactly look like the type of guy that a mother would be happy to see with her teenage daughter."

"But that's just because she doesn't have all of the facts."

"And if she did, she'd have other things to worry about." He makes a good point, but I still don't like it.

"Did you mean what you said earlier? About spending the rest of your life with me?" I ask quietly.

"Of course I did, baby! I'm yours for as long as you'll have me."

"Forever, Edward." I kiss him softly then snuggle in close as he squeezes me tightly.


I regain consciousness to Edward stroking his hand through my hair. "I'm gonna go for a run," he whispers. "I didn't want you to worry."

"Mmmkay," I mumble, still half asleep.

Once he's closed the bedroom door behind him, I roll over onto my back, yawning. I decide to go pee in the en suite bathroom, then brush my teeth. I could shower and get up for the day, since the sun has already risen, but instead I go back to bed.

Sometime later I hear Edward return and head into the bathroom. The sound of the shower turning on seems to wake me up a bit. He's in there taking his clothes off; soon he'll be naked. I love naked, sweaty Edward after a run, and I picture him in my mind. I also picture mostly naked, wet Edward as he climbs out of the pool.

I've never actually seen naked, wet Edward in the shower. Our bathroom at home just has a standard tub/shower combination, like at my dad's house. It's not really big enough for two; only one person could stand under the water at a time.

Following our last final exam, Alice and I went back to her apartment with a handful of classmates. After a couple of beers, she was singing the praises of shower sex. The apartment she shares with Jasper has only a shower, no tub, but apparently it's large enough for both of them.

Just like the shower here.

I sit up with a start. I only promised Mom no sex in the guest bedroom; I didn't say anything about the bathroom.

Shedding my pajamas, I walk into the bathroom, looking longingly at what I can see of Edward's skin behind the frosted glass door. Licking my lips, I open the door and—

Edward spins around, flattening his back against the wall of the shower. He squeezes his eyes closed, his hands coming up to cover his face.

Fuck! I am the dumbest human being on the planet. Of course he couldn't hear me coming over the sound of the water running. I let my hormones override my common sense — again.

"Edward?" I call urgently. I wrap my hands around his wrists, gently pulling his hands away from his face. "Open your eyes, Edward. It's me, Bella."

His eyes blink open slowly and I smile at him. "There you go… it's just me."

He shocks me by taking a small step forward and pulling me close, wrapping his arms around me and leaning his forehead on my shoulder. I slowly bring my hands up, rubbing up and down his back as he calms down.

"It's just me… I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about the fact that I'd startle you."

As he clings to me, I start to wonder if maybe there's more to it than just startling him when the door opened. I don't want to even think about that right now though.

Edward finally loosens his tight hold on me, lifting his head. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" I ask quietly.

He shakes his head and I breathe a sigh of relief. He's not shutting me out this time.

I move away, then start to bend down to pick up the shower poof that he dropped. He whimpers and I hold my hand up. "Just picking this up."

I stand back up, holding it out to him. "Were you finished washing up?"

At his nod, I squeeze some body wash onto it, quickly washing myself, while Edward stands motionless. He didn't make me leave, but he's obviously not ok.

"Did you wash your hair yet?" I ask. He shakes his head so I grab his bottle of shampoo and squeeze some onto my palm. I motion for him to sit on the small seat then stand between his legs while I massage the shampoo into his hair. He stands to rinse when I'm finished, and I grab my own shampoo bottle that I'd put in here last night, hurriedly washing my own hair.

"Done?" Edward asks — the first word he's spoken.

"I still need to put in conditioner." I take care of that as quickly as I can, then motion for him to shut the water off.

We dry off with two of Mom's fluffy towels, then I take Edward's hand, leading him into the bedroom — still completely naked. I lie back on the bed, pulling him on top of me and going straight for his lips.

Fuck my mom's request about no sex — Edward needs me.

He kisses me back almost desperately but stops before going any further, sighing as he flops onto his back next to me.

"We don't have to stop; we just need to be quiet so Mom and Phil don't hear us."

"We shouldn't," he replies softly. "Dr. Banner…"

"Wants you to find a healthier way to get out of the past?" I finish, rolling onto my side to face him.

Edward gives me a small smile. "He didn't put it quite that way. But he did point out that if something happens and you're not nearby, I'd need to find a different way to deal, so I need to stop relying on sex."

"You don't need to start now… if you don't want to."

"I'll be ok," he replies shakily.

I stare at him for a few moments. "There's more to it than just the fact that I surprised you, right?" I ask cautiously.

He lets out a heavy breath, then turns onto his side to face me. "Yes," he whispers, confirming my fears. "Please don't ask for more."

I reach my hand out, combing it gently through his wet hair. "I love you," I remind him, and he leans forward, kissing me sweetly, then wraps his arms around me.

We snuggle together quietly for a few minutes before Edward groans, pulling away. "Go put some clothes on before you make me change my mind."

I'm smirking as I crawl off the bed.


A/N: A big admission there at the end from Edward! Poor Bella, she could surprise pretty much any other guy in the shower and things would've gone a lot differently.

So what did you think of Renee's reaction? It wasn't as bad as it could've been. She didn't recognize Edward, but she wasn't happy about her teenage daughter dating a 37-year-old, unemployed man. No, Bella did not tell her that she and Edward are living together. One shock at a time.

Next update on Friday. It'll be from my phone again while I'm visiting my hometown for a long weekend. I won't be home until Sunday evening to reply to reviews.