A/N: It should come as no surprise by now that I need at least the better part of a whole chapter to get back into the swing of things whenever I'm forced into taking a break from writing for any period of time, so this would be that chapter. Just bear with me folks, I'm working my way towards the fun stuff soon enough :)

Chapter 37

Beautiful. It was still the only word that Edward could come up with that seemed appropriate, but at the same time terribly inadequate. And it wasn't just because Edward felt his heart trip just moments after entering the kitchen, having caught a glimpse of Bella, already hard at work and wearing an enormous grin. It was more so because in that instant his entire body had decided to react, and it actually made him smile. He was extremely pleased that he could now consider this sensation a wonderful feeling instead of the uncomfortable one it had been in the past, and lately he often found himself wondering if he'd ever get use the shock of pleasure he would experience whenever he found himself in her presence after any period away. Secretly he hoped that he never would, since there was something very reassuring, not to mention exhilarating, about it—this feeling that his entire being was in agreement about something. Every piece of him was undeniably in love with Bella.

"You weren't suppose to start without me." He finally chuckled, gaining her attention after having taken a minute to just enjoy the view.

Bella looked up from the mixing bowl in front of her and allowed her grin to brighten.

"Too excited." was her simple, yet chipper reply as she went about adding a few more ingredients.

"Well, I'm here now so feel free to put me to work." He offered rather than dispute her eagerness to start the meal they would be preparing together and later serving to his family.

"Blender is in the cabinet over the fridge, and we'll need another mixing bowl for the marinade. A big one." Bella instructed while nudging the recipe she'd already pulled from her card folder in his direction with an elbow.

Instead of accepting the card and going off to retrieve the requested items right away, Edward wrapped an arm around Bella's waist and let his chin come to rest on her shoulder, squeezing her body against him for a moment as he pretended to look over the recipe. He read the title of course. Lamb Vindallo- the random yet complex meal his sister had casually requested the night before. To her credit, Bella never even blinked at Alice's idea; even though she told Edward immediately after that it would take some time and a special trip to the store if they were going to grant her wish. Edward knew how she felt though, they owed an awfully big thank you to Alice for all that she'd done and cooking a special dinner seemed like the very least that they could do.

However, thoughts of his sister and of cooking didn't seem to matter much as Edward closed his eyes and let his nose travel down this side of Bella's neck, enjoying the way her body shivered in his arms and the way her scent complimented that of the mysterious chocolate concoction she was busy mixing up for their dessert.

"Edward," her voice was just above a whisper, "the lamb has to sit for six hours…"

It was obviously an attempt to get them back to the task at hand but Edward wasn't ready to let her go just yet. This was exactly the type of moment that Edward was no longer willing to ignore. He'd made many promises over the past twenty-four hours and he intended to keep each and every one of them.

He let her know that he understood so that she wouldn't think he wished to ignore her, but Edward proceeded to reach around with his free hand taking hold of the one Bella was using to stir her mixture. Her body was so relaxed that it didn't take much encouragement for her to release the whisk she'd been holding. Then slowly and deliberately he brought her fingers to his lips and licked the tips clean, freeing them of the sticky, sweet batter. Bella let him take his time before she moved her hand to the side of his face looking to guide him closer. She took pleasure in the feel of his nearly two days worth of beard growth against her palm and when their lips came together her insides flipped with delight.

It was true that Edward could have handled the aftermath of their misunderstanding in Seattle a lot of different ways, but the way he'd ultimately decided upon suited Bella just fine.

His hands were practically like ice but Bella didn't seem to mind it when they'd ventured up under the back of her hoodie, caressing her skin as his tongue leisurely made love to her mouth. There was no telling how long he'd held on to that kiss but when he finally pulled away Bella could see the intense hunger in his eyes and feel the firm result of their activity pressing against her abdomen.

"Six hours might be long enough for me to get my fill of you before the family arrives." He sighed doubtfully with a pitiful little pout that made Bella giggle.

"It'll be okay." She tried to assure the both of them, "They'll only be here for a few hours at most and then we'll have the night to ourselves."

"I've just about gotten all of my things moved downstairs," was his reply as he eventually turned away so that he might fetch the blender and start assembling the listed ingredients. "I don't think we should make the offer to Alice till after dinner though, otherwise she might insist on moving back in tonight." He smirked.

Bella smiled as well requiring no further explanation.

They'd been joking about it for most of the morning but they both knew that dinner with Alice and Jasper had been a given from the time they'd returned home last night. The extravagance of this undertaking however had been Bella's idea.
When she'd overheard a short conversation Edward had been having with his mother earlier in the day she'd decided it would be in their best interest to invite everyone over for supper and be done with it. As it turned out Esme had been calling to say that she wanted to go over a few things with Edward concerning various details they would need to include in the contract they were hoping to secure on the house he wished to buy. When it was suggested that Edward come by the house sometime today so that he could look everything over in person, Bella had extended the offer to cook for everyone, sighting that they had already made plans with Alice and Jasper anyway.

Now it wasn't as if Bella didn't love going to visit the Cullen's, and Esme would have been more than happy to turn over her kitchen so that she could created the meal which Alice had specified over there, but it had suddenly occurred to Bella that she liked the idea of having Carlisle and Esme come to them for a change. Besides, she and Edward both knew what was coming. It was pretty well inevitable that the minute they were in the presence of everyone else there would be questions—scratch that…an interrogation. So the theory was that with everyone over for dinner they could likely get all of the potential unpleasantness out of the way at once. And of course it seemed like a good idea to maintain some sort of home field advantage if they could. Should either of them start to feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable at all, at least a convenient escape wouldn't be so difficult to come by this way.

It was to be expected though; Edward and Bella had barely been home from their impromptu trip for a full day, but they had yet to see any one of his family members since returning. Bella had spoken to Alice of course to let her know that they had made it home safely and spent and moment saying thank you for all that she'd done to make the experience as easy and enjoyable as possible for them—hence the dinner invitation. But that had been the extent of their contact with the outside world until Esme had called a short while ago.

Of course, the opportunity to settle in and resume whatever was now going to be their normal everyday routine was appreciated, but neither Edward nor Bella was naïve enough to think they could avoid the situation of facing his family forever. They were just thankful that they had been granted some time alone so that they could find a few answers to the most obvious questions before anyone might feel the need to come right out and ask something that they didn't have a good answer for.
And they didn't have all of the answers; something that had been painfully apparent at times during the previous day—a day that had turned into a rather long and stressful one at that.

By the time they'd gotten home yesterday they'd both been exhausted. They took the time to unload the car, start a load of laundry, and they each had a shower, but little else, neither one of them possessing the energy to do anything more in the end. It had only been six o'clock when they'd finished up, but it had been a busy couple of days for Edward and Bella, so despite the early hour they'd found themselves already dressed for bed and cuddled together on the sofa. Bella had made them some tea and though their intention had been to sit and talk a while, as was their nightly routine as of late, they instead sat quietly staring off at nothing in particular, silence surrounding them.

It wasn't that they felt uncomfortable per se, or that they didn't have plenty they could, or should be discussing all of a sudden, but there was definitely some tension in the air; it was the same lingering atmosphere that had been present earlier in the day during their journey home, so it wasn't any surprise that the trip back to Port Angeles had been a quiet one. They still smiled at one another and kept their hands linked together for the duration, but there was an unanswered question floating just beneath the surface that neither of them seemed ready to address.

What now?

The obvious answer was that they would continue on much like they'd done since meeting and getting to know one another, but there was a little more to it than that. The trip—this date they'd been on and all that it had involved seemed to signify the start of something new and different. This relationship was no longer a work in progress, something they were striving towards, unsure of whether it might work or if they would each be capable of the things they wanted to do most for the other. This trip had finally assured them that they could and they would—they just needed a little more time and each other. There was a plan and a promise in place now and the only thing left to consider was what they might do with themselves in the meantime. And it was during the quiet ride home that they were finally able to think about what they most wanted for their immediate future.

Bella wasn't surprised when she found herself wondering if Edward would want to stay with her from now on, in her room…in her bed—at least until he could officially secured his own housing that is.

It had been exceedingly comfortable sharing such an intimate space with him the night before, but would he be okay with such an arrangement on a more regular basis? She wasn't sure; and how would she go about offering such an alternative without appearing overly forward in the first place?
She didn't think that Edward would find the situation inappropriate, but after their misunderstanding earlier in the day she couldn't help worrying over what sort of outcome a conversation like that might have were he to refuse, sighting some concern for her comfort. And of course, as if it wasn't problematic enough already, she also wondered where such an arrangement might leave Alice.

If Edward were to vacate her room in favor of sharing Bella's would she be okay moving back into the house knowing that her friend and her brother were in fact sleeping together? Knowing Alice it would likely be no big deal, even though jokes and suggestive comments were bound to come about at their expense. And of course knowing this it became quite obvious that she was more worried about how awkward it might become when it was time to say goodnight, or perhaps good morning, as the case may be. What would it be like to take Edward's hand and lead him down the stairs as his sister looked on, knowing full well what she would be looking forward to when they finally reached the private confines of her bedroom?

And Bella couldn't lie to herself any better than she could lie period. What she wanted was to fall asleep in Edward's arms; she wanted to hold him like she'd done last night. Bella looked forward to waking next to his sleeping form, watching the way his chest would slowly rise and fall with each breath, that serene, relaxed look upon his face as he slept, unaware of her attention. When he would finally wake they could cuddle together and greet each morning with whatever suited them best. On a good day perhaps Edward would allow her the privilege of helping relieve what she could only assume was a normal morning predicament for most men.

Yeah, there was no denying that she was eager to touch him again—to see what his body looked like when stimulated in such a way. She'd promised herself to be more prepared next time—to know better what to expect and be able to look for the signs and signals that might tell her what he was feeling and what he wanted.
But then they would be obligated to leave her room at some point, perhaps together from time to time, and what if Alice was awake and waiting in the living room, or the kitchen? How could she look at her friend and not turn every shade of red known to man after having touched her brother so intimately? And she had touched him.
It was a realization that actually brought another question to mind. Was the type of intimacy they'd enjoyed the night before suddenly off limits? They'd agreed to wait and slowly work towards the moment when Bella might be on the receiving end of such an experience but did that mean she would have to wait till then to know the pleasure of witnessing Edward in such a state again?

"What are the odds that Alice is home this early on a Friday afternoon?"

Edward's words had startled her slightly, having been so absorbed in her own thoughts as she was. It was just that he hadn't said anything for over an hour, the now familiar piano music that was so often playing in his car seemed to have occupied his attention until then. He'd glanced in her direction as he spoke and the little curl of his lips had indicated that he knew she'd been thoroughly lost in thought. She could only hope that he didn't see any sign as to what exactly those thoughts had consisted of. But why did that matter?

"Better than average considering." Bella had managed to respond with little enthusiasm.

"I'm sort of hoping that all the time she put into yesterday might have made her neglect some of her work so she'll have to see to it today instead. Give us at least half a second to breathe once we get back before being bombarded."

Edward had chuckled towards the end of his playful little statement, giving Bella's hand a reassuring squeeze as he did so. He didn't know what it was, but Bella had been a little overly absorbed in whatever she'd been thinking about. He'd never fault someone for analyzing what was on his or her mind, but this was Bella, and whatever she might worry about would worry him as well.

In noticing her preoccupation it was apparent that Edward had remained more conscious of the silence that had somehow surrounded them since leaving the hotel a few hours before than usual. It was probably because he wanted to talk about a lot of things but he didn't know where to start; and for whatever reason there was something in Bella's demeanor that told him now was not the right time to speak of certain subjects, so he'd decided to let the silence continue.

Confident that the right time would present itself eventually Edward took advantage of the silence so that he could better organize his thoughts. He already knew what he wanted to discuss, but he had yet to reach a solid conclusion as to what he wanted the outcome of that conversation to be, so instead of focusing on what he didn't know his spent time reviewing what he did.

Obviously he had never been able to hope for anything more than what he was willing to allow himself. And up until just two short weeks ago he'd been convinced that any form of companionship outside of his family would not be possible. He was so awkward and nervous whenever faced with the idea of communicating with others, and he was embarrassed for people to witness such a shortcoming. Over the past two weeks however he'd seen exactly what he'd been missing out on for all those years.
Bella had shown him that.
She had opened his eyes to a new world, full of understanding and acceptance. He didn't have to worry about whether or not he stumbled over his words with her. He didn't have to censor his thoughts or feelings and he could count on her to be there whenever he needed someone to lean on.

As one sided as his revelation may have sounded, Edward also took comfort in the fact that she seemed to need him just as much. She sought comfort in his embrace and she'd indicated on more than one occasion just how safe and protected she felt with him at her side. Additionally, the way that she would often look at him threatened to set his entire world on fire. In those moments he was powerless to deny her whatever she wished. It was frightening and pleasurable all at once to know that someone had that kind of influence over you, but that was okay because Edward finally understood that the feeling was mutual.

Unfortunately with that knowledge Edward knew that he had messed up in a big way, hence the reaction he'd had to that realization in the first place. And as it turned out it was that reaction that now fueled his newest and most desired goal. He knew that Bella looked to him as a source of comfort and protection, as someone who could understand her fear and reluctance, and he was happy to fulfill that role. But now it was quite obvious that he had failed to reassure her of the one thing he wanted to communicate most—his love and devotion.

Part of the problem, that he was now aware of, was that Edward did not necessarily see Bella as being broken or damaged. The opposite would be a far more fitting description in fact, even during those times when her emotions would flare. To him Bella was the epitome of strength and courage. She'd survived so much and even with scars that remained unhealed she'd been willing to ignore her own fears in order to help him. She never hesitated to confront his often-unreasonable issues and she never wavered in her support. She accepted that they would have setbacks and misunderstandings along the way thanks to those issues, and though it hurt to hear her acknowledge such an unpleasant future he couldn't help but admire her willingness to graciously accept it as a fact rather than just a possibility.

All of that said Edward was now reevaluating his position within this relationship. In the beginning he'd worried that he would have little to offer in the way of friendship. He found it hard to be himself around most people and he feared that his limited social skills would prove to be too much of a barrier for them to overcome. With that concern being dispelled so quickly and the level of their attraction to one another growing so rapidly he'd soon replaced that fear with another; the fear that he might find himself pushing for too much, to soon—that he would selfishly ask Bella for more than she was ready to offer.

In order to avoid such a scenario Edward had been trying to maintain a sense of caution in everything. He attempted to ignore his thoughts, he fought for control of his physical reactions and he pleaded for her understanding whenever he would experience a periodic lapse in judgment. But all of that had ended the night before. Against his better judgment he'd allowed her to touch him; he'd allowed her to feed his fantasies. He'd never known such pleasure and he'd never had the privilege of being so connected to another person, not just physically but emotionally as well. And in the end, Edward had finally recognized a moment in his existence where nothing else seemed to matter, thanks to Bella. He could force no rational thoughts to the surface, and he could no longer hide his desires. And Bella, god bless her, she'd encouraged him and praised him, and thanked him. And then, only a few short hours later he'd managed to hurt her.

Trying desperately to find a reason why he hadn't seen the potential outcome before it was upon him, he realized that he'd not allowed himself to consider before that morning what it would be like to endure any sort of rejection when it came to his feelings for Bella. They had always been on a similar, if not the same page, in terms of the want to please one another. She was always so open and accepting of him and his timid approach that he hadn't thought to prepare himself for the moment when he might make a mistake.
He'd finally done it though, unintentional as it was; he'd upset her and made her question his attraction to her, his commitment to what they were trying to build, and he hated himself for it. What he hated even more was that his subsequent reaction had forced her to abandon her disappointment to try and save him from his own.

How pathetic. It shouldn't have been about him. He had no right to punish her in that way—being made to suffer her own self-doubt and disappointment was hard enough, she certainly didn't need to see such a blatant display of weakness from him.

They'd survived it tolerably well, but Edward couldn't seem to get his mind to move forward and, not necessarily forget about the incident, but find some means to cope with the heartache he'd been made to witness.
He'd eventually agreed that they were okay and they didn't need to continue discussing or dwelling on the subject, but all the same he couldn't seem to let it go.

And that's when he'd finally broken the silence. It was because at that moment he'd actually managed to reach a decision he could live with—one that he really liked in fact. He was suddenly on a mission to prove his love to Bella in every way possible, since it was obvious to him now that he'd been being too careful. He would have to remain cautious and patient, given the recent reminder of just how fragile Bella's heart could be at times, but he was no longer willing to withhold his desires. Bella would need to know his intentions of course, but it was only after he'd spoken that he'd recognized her preoccupation and determined that it wasn't the right time.

And so the silence had resumed.

It didn't end again until they'd finally reached the house, which had thankfully been uninhabited at the time. It was when Bella offered to make their nightly cup of tea a little earlier than usual. Edward had only nodded his consent before he turned to go retrieve the rest of their things from the car, but he knew that it would provide an excellent opportunity to discuss his latest decision and he was determined to see it through.

Fortunately it wasn't long before they'd reconvened in the living room, but even though they both had a lot on their minds the silence remained persistent. Despite being a willing participant up to that point, this lingering silence reminded Edward of another time when he and Bella had fallen into an ill-advised moment of avoidance, and as it turned out that was more than enough to make him finally speak.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" he'd simply asked at first. There were too many things he needed to say so he figured that starting with the most pressing matter was the best way to begin. He was still searching for the confidence he would need in order to have this conversation despite his resolve, so his voice had taken on the qualities of the shy, uncertain man that Bella's heart continually longed for.

"I'd like that."

Edward exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in and took a moment to really look at her for the first time in a while, after having heard her acceptance. Her eyes were soft, but pleading and his heart kicked him in the ribs, as if to say, 'It's time.'

Whether it was time or not, his fingers had somehow become tangled up in the hem of his t-shirt as he took a second composing his words. It was quite obvious that it didn't matter how long he'd been thinking up the best way to approach this subject, his nerves would always seek to control his actions. Bella was patient as ever though, confident that he could find a way to say what he needed to.

"We should…umm…I wanted to…umm, well," he closed his eyes and took a breath.

There was another long pause that followed as he looked for a better way to convey his feelings.

"I'm no good at this. That's always been sort of obvious. You're the only person I can really talk to, but when I get nervous I can't even manage that."

Bella reached out and took hold of his hand, lending her support as always. She knew that whatever he had to say would surface eventually and she had no place she'd rather be than right there beside him. What bothered her though was the short, humorless grunt of laughter he'd followed his statement with. His nerves were never necessary where Bella was concerned but she didn't need to tell him that. And although he still struggled to communicate at times she knew that he was far more capable than he was generally willing to believe—a point that would be proven only moments later.

"The thing is, I feel like I've been lying to myself. And because of that I feel like I've been lying to you as well." He'd turned his hand so that he was holding onto hers, instead of the other way around, and he now held her gaze with similar tenderness as he continued to speak. "It's just that I've been playing it safe for so long that I don't really know any other way of operating, and with you I use to feel like that was a good thing." Edward paused again to judge whether or not Bella was able to follow the path of his shaky rambling. Brilliant as she was, of course she was right there with him, gentle smile and all as her thumb traced a soothing pattern across the inside of his hand. Edward appreciated her efforts to calm him but he finally had to look away when it became time to say what was really on his mind.

"This morning wasn't exactly the way I wanted our date to end. It didn't seem like a good idea to dwell on what had happened at the time so I let it go in favor of something else—something to look forward to instead. But I can't really let it go, Baby. I need you to understand my true feelings."

Bella waited. She wondered and she worried. She wanted to know what had Edward struggling so. Was he about to confess something she didn't want to hear?

"I think about you every second of everyday, Bella. Every time I'm near you all I want to do is reach out and touch you, hold you. And it's always been that way. I want you, Baby—all the time. You're constantly in my thoughts and dreams..." Edward had closed his eyes by this time and his forehead was now resting in the palm of his free hand, his elbow propped up against his knee. "I…" another deep breath, "Bella, I…fantasize about you...frequently."

It was obvious that he couldn't say anything more for the moment so Bella took advantage of the break and carefully repositioned him before placing herself upon his lap.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Sweetheart. It doesn't frighten me to know how you feel." She'd whispered once they were settled.

"Last night when I said that I was scared…I was being a little more honest than I'd intended." Edward rested his head against Bella's shoulder and closed his eyes once again. "I'm terrified of letting you see just how out of control I am when it comes to you."

She thought to interrupt him there and reassure him that he wasn't in this alone, but he'd finally found his voice and he was apparently ready to talk.

"I'm tired of pretending, Baby and I'm tired of holding back. This morning I finally realized that by denying the strength of my needs and desires I somehow made you doubt how very much in love I am. And I know that you feel like you overreacted, but from my side of things I feel like I failed you in some way. I'm shit at communicating with words, we both know it, but you've taught me that I don't always have to speak in order to be understood."

Bella was smiling as she caught on to where Edward was going with this explanation. And when he saw that she was with him it gave him the extra boost of confidence he'd needed to propose this new undertaking.

"I can say the words all day long. I can tell you that I want you and need you…that I'm in love with you, but if I were to show you what it is that I really mean I doubt that either one of us could ever be confused by my intentions."

He was sure to promise that their original plan would remain intact and that he wouldn't be pushing for more until they were both ready, but he wanted Bella to know that he was no longer going to deny either one of them the pleasure of expressing their love in a more physical way—whatever that might consist of.

"I think it might be time for you to let your sister have her room back." Bella had concluded after a basic agreement had been reached.

She absolutely loved that Edward was willing to talk his way through what he'd considered a problem for both of them. If it was on his mind and troubling him, he needed to talk about it; plus she'd been able to take his line of thinking and address the concerns and wants that had been trapped inside her head all afternoon as well. It turned into a win-win situation all the way around, and given their mutual desire to stop holding back so much Bella felt it was time to suggest they revamp their current living arrangement.

"I enjoyed falling asleep and waking up next to you just a little too much. It's probably a selfish offer on my part, but if you'd like to stay with me it would make sense that Alice could go ahead and move back upstairs."

"Well if you're offering I'm going to selfishly accept." He'd chuckled, holding her just a bit tighter as he did so.

Some of their fatigue was forgotten as they hammered out some other details, such as what to tell Alice, which of course lead to the phone call and dinner invitation. And as they snuggled together in Bella's bed a few hours later, drifting off to sleep they had to agree that something about this felt very right.

"How much you wanna bet everyone shows up early?" Bella speculated as Edward was pulling the marinated lamb from the refrigerator, some six hours later.

"I'll horde that chocolate melting cake all for myself if they try and make this uncomfortable for either of us. I swear it."

"Oh please the only one that would be pissed off about that is the Old Dude and he's on our side ninety percent of the time anyway." Bella started to chuckle.

"One hundred percent. Thank you very much." The old dude in question interjected right on cue, strolling into the kitchen with two bottles of wine in hand.

"Ninety-five." Bella bartered, "Edward tells me everything." She added when Carlisle seemed ready to protest.

"Fair enough." He conceded, but still begged his usual hug, which she granted along with a kiss to his cheek as thanks for the wine.

"I'm sort of surprised. We were just trying to figure out who was gonna get here first and how early. My money was head towards Alice for sure." Edward informed his father about the time his mother managed to join everyone, carrying in an impressive stack of papers.

"Well, we wanted to give you two some news before everyone else arrived, since you should be the first to know." Esme grinned.

Bella's mouth had already dropped open and Edward stood frozen, the only thing that seemed to be willing to move was his heart, which was looking to break its personal best for beats in a minute.

"We got it?" he choked on the question though there was no doubt in his mind that they had. No one need to say anything, no one need to spell it out.

Carlisle couldn't manage a smile any brighter and Esme couldn't find the words to confirm his suspicion, having to settle for an affirmative nod of her head in the end. She and Carlisle had already celebrated the news earlier in the day and repeatedly upon realizing that their boy was truly going to be moving back home, but seeing the look that had passed between her son and Bella upon receiving that confirmation was so much sweeter.

There were hugs and kisses exchanged and Esme graciously accepted the scolding that Bella felt obligated to lay on her for withholding this information, since it was now obvious that they had known all along and that the ploy to get Edward over to their house earlier in the day to finalize a contract was never really necessary, just a convenient way to give him the news in person should he have gone.

When all was said and done Edward excused himself from the kitchen, promising to return in just a moment so that he could help with the remaining dinner preparations before everyone else arrived.

"Go ahead, we're in no hurry." Carlisle suggested just moments later when Bella's attention managed to stray for the hundredth time in just the past two minutes.

She blushed furiously but nodded her thanks and ducked out of the kitchen as well.

She didn't have to go far to find him as he was sitting in her favorite chair both of his hands rubbing at his face. He'd only needed a moment to himself to process everything and calm his emotions and Bella knew it. She also knew that he would appreciate her willingness to be there for him if he should need her.

She let her hand settle on the top of his head and she smoothed down his hair a few times before placing a kiss against his forehead.

"This is really going to happen." She smiled.

"A little sooner than I had expected." He agreed with his own smile, all be it a nervous one. "I mean it's sort of overwhelming, but in a good way I think. I can hardly describe how happy I am right now."

"I know what you mean."

"Do you?" Edward had to question.

She didn't have to think too hard about what his intentions were when she found herself being pulled onto his lap, his arms coming around to hold her. The look in his eyes was one that she'd become intimately aware of since the little conversation they'd had in this very room the evening prior.

"Show me, Sweetheart." She whispered as his lips had begun to do just that.

It wasn't any wonder that they had forgotten about his parents sitting in the very next room, or that there was meal to be finished and subsequently served to his family. For all of the attention they had left to spare an airplane could have come crashing through the front door and it would be unlikely that either of them would think to budge an inch.

Alice on the other hand was not something to be ignored even under the best of circumstances.

Tangled together as they were it took a moment, even when the initial squeals of delight had penetrated their little bubble of happiness, for them to finally come up for air. They were embarrassed of course, but beyond the uncontrollable blushing and the awkward process of making eye contact with the others for the first time, they were surprisingly okay with the fact that their intimately affectionate exchange had been made public. It was only Alice after all...and Jasper of course.

"Alice," her mother called from the other room almost immediately upon hearing her arrival and Jasper's not so subtle 'I told you so.'
"Give your brother a break tonight, he just found out he's actually buying a house."

"Congratulations man." Jasper offered as everyone else began to giggle at the spontaneous happy dance that Alice had now commited to performing.

"So can we head back to Seattle as soon as they leave?" Bella playfully requested once everyone's attention was finally wandering elsewhere, hungry stomachs and the smell of chocolate cake making the focus shift back towards the kitchen and finishing the dinner plans for now.

"I was actually thinking more along the lines of Maybell, Colorado." Edward suggested with a meaningful wink.

"I'm ready when you are."
She never hesitated to accept the challenge and he had to admire her courage yet again. The next few weeks were shaping up to be a whole new set of experiences for them both but Edward was comforted by Bella's confidence; if she was certain that they were ready then proving just how much he adored her would be his pleasure.