A/N: I don't own Twilight or its characters; they belong to Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

Bella:

Finally, the weekend of my daughter's wedding was here. Remind me how on earth I was old enough to be in this situation!

The last few days had been hectic, and as the big day approached, our schedules kept Edward and me apart. We both had relatives flying into our state and various collections of balloons, suits, and last-minute items that were, according to Nessie and Jake, essential for the wedding.

I arrived at the venue the day before the wedding. I was glad to be spending this last evening with Nessie; if I had been at home alone, I'd be dwelling on how on earth my knobby- kneed toddler became a woman who was getting married tomorrow.

According to the age-old tradition, Nessie was spending the night before her wedding with me … in my room. Jacob was staying with Edward for his last night of freedom. That information made me very aware that Edward and I were going to be in the same hotel on the last night that we were technically 'unrelated.' Still, my priority tonight was Nessie; we were planning a beauty session and a good old catch-up. Once I'd checked in and got my room card, I unpacked and waited for a call or text from Nessie to let me know they were checked in too.

While I waited, I pulled out the three swimsuits I'd brought with me. Three suits for two nights; even I admitted that was excessive. I could be a little indecisive at times. It was the thought of Edward possibly seeing me in one of these that made me second, or third, guess my decision, so I'd brought all three. I don't know why; he'd already seen me naked several times, but I still wanted to look good in front of him.

The butterflies in my tummy started up again as I thought of us that way. Damn it. I needed to get a grip. This time tomorrow, our kids would be married to each other, and I worried if the stone-cold reality of that fact would change our relationship at all.

I flopped back on the bed, groaning at my predicament. I wanted to enjoy the wedding of my only child, not have it overshadowed by my feelings for her father-in-law.

I tried Nessie again on my cell, still no answer. I didn't resort to phoning Edward; I just assumed Nessie was driving and would return my call soon. In an effort to stop my thoughts returning to Edward, I decided to go to the pool and wait there. I picked up the middle choice of swimsuit; it wasn't the skimpy bikini, but it wasn't the proper suit I brought when I decided to take up swimming as a form of fitness. This one was somewhere in the middle, a one-piece but with fashionable cut-outs and a low back.

After grabbing a towel, a book, and my flip flops, I left the room before I could change my mind. I wanted a calm swim, which might help me switch off my mind from Edward for longer than a few minutes. I changed in the changing rooms and dropped a cover-up dress over my head. It was see-through with little holes all over but made me feel better about walking out to the pool. I wasn't embarrassed by my body, but I wasn't a confident twenty-something either. I'd aged and carried a baby, and my body reflected that.

I rounded the corner to the pool, and there was Nessie, Jake, and Edward. No wonder no one was answering my texts or calls!

Edward had Jake in a headlock, goofing around with him on the side of the pool, both trying to throw the other in the water. Once again, I caught a glimpse of the dad Edward must have been to Jake during his childhood. They were both laughing and tussling, roughhousing in their own world until they heard Nessie greet me.

Edward looked up, still holding his son in a headlock, and gave me a huge grin. He looked so happy and carefree.

And so hot.

He wore red board shorts that stopped a few inches above his knees. His chest was glistening with water, and his hair was wild and wet.

We looked at each other for a few beats too long, both taking in the appearance of the other until Jacob took his chance since Edward was distracted. He grunted, broke free from the headlock, and gleefully pushed his dad into the pool.

Edward managed to turn his fall into a dive, so he didn't belly flop into the water, but he still came up to the surface, spluttering slightly and glaring daggers at Jacob. Jacob was too busy laughing to care, so Edward ducked his head under the water and set off to swim the length of the pool. His broad back and strong arms were on full display as he sped through the water, clearly a strong swimmer.

"Mom!" Nessie called, sounding like she'd called me several times already. She was lying on a sun lounger to the side of the pool, so I joined her, thankful that we were the only four occupants in the area. She'd looked up from her book and set it to one side when I settled on the lounger next to her.

"How long had they been at it?" I asked, with amusement in my voice as I watched Jake dive into the pool and deliberately splash Edward.

Nessie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Since we got here about half an hour ago."

Edward swam to the side nearest to us and pulled himself up out of the water. I tried not to look at his strong arms, his biceps straining for a few seconds before he stood in front of me, dripping wet and looking like he was resisting the urge to shake himself like a wet dog.

"Hey, you made it!" He commented while Jake climbed out after him. Their energy was infectious. I smiled up at Edward, trying desperately to look at his eyes, not his chest.

"Yep, all checked in. I doubt I'll get much sleep tonight, though," I added as Edwards's eyebrows rose in surprise. His grin somehow widened, as he looked questioningly at me. His mind had gone somewhere naughty, and I wanted to join him there.

"Nessie's staying with me tonight. Can't have the bride and groom seeing each other the morning of the wedding, can we?"

Edward nodded. A flicker of disappointment flashed past his eyes. He was probably thinking the same thing as me…tomorrow, things would change. Our kids would be married to each other, and we'd be related. In-laws of some kind, I didn't know what kind, but I was pretty sure it was the kind that shouldn't sleep together, however much we wanted to. And, right now, watching water droplets drip lazily down Edward's chest, I really wanted to.

Edward recovered himself, and the mischief returned to his smile. "You coming in?" He gestured to the pool behind him.

"As long as you two play nice," I joked, pointing first to Edward, then Jacob. "I don't fancy a ton of chlorine to wash out of my hair tomorrow."

"Scouts' honor," Edward replied, seriously making some fumbled sign with the fingers of his right hand.

Jake slapped his dad's arm. "You were never a scout!"

"After the number of meetings and activities I took you to, surely, I must be some kind of honorary scout by now!" Edward joked, making me picture him in a scout uniform, complete with toggle tie and fabric patches.

"What's so funny?" Edward challenged me.

"Picturing you as a wise owl or whatever they're called."

"Dad? Wise? Hah!" Jacob replied, which prompted Edward to turn and push Jake back into the water.

The resulting splash made Nessie and me so wet we might as well be in the water ourselves. Edward did another elegant dive in as Nessie walked to the steps, leaving me alone in my cover-up.

I looked for Edward. He had re-emerged from under the water and was watching me, his bright eyes twinkling.

I grabbed the bottom of my cover-up and pulled it over my head quickly; I needed this to be over with, like pulling off a band-aid.

Edward watched, his eyes wide and hungry as I walked to the steps. I had to turn around to get in using the ladder. I was pretty sure I was now giving him an unexpected view of my ass, but I couldn't see him to read his expression. I shuddered slightly as I lowered myself into the water, finding it cold. Once in up to my shoulders, I turned and found Edward still grinning at me. His eyebrows rose in a mischievous expression as I looked around for the kids.

They'd swam up to the other end of the pool and were splashing each other, oblivious to their boring parents. Edward swam casually over to me. He looked so young and playful, his hair wet and brushed off his face more than usual. Mine was in a top knot in a desperate attempt to keep it dry. A few pieces had fallen loose, but I couldn't fix them with wet hands. Anyway, what did that matter, Edward wasn't looking at my hair!

"Bella, you're killing me here," he told me in a soft, low moan, his words making me grin.

"I feel a little self-conscious," I confessed. I don't know why I was being so honest with him when I should have just taken his compliment.

"Don't. The only person looking is me, and I think you look absolutely stunning."

"Edward," I moaned in a warning voice.

"You do. My son marrying your daughter won't change that."

He'd done it. He'd addressed the elephant in the room. We were going to become co-in-laws, or parent in-laws, or whatever the hell we were going to be. Why wasn't there a word for us in the English language? Whatever we were called, we were family. There was no denying that.

He must have seen my face drop as he smiled softly before leaning in and whispering in my ear.

"They aren't married yet." His breath tickled my face, and his bare chest was almost touching me. My fingers twitched as I ached to touch him … to run my fingers over his wet chest and feel the beat of his heart under the softness of his skin.

He swam backwards a little, perhaps to read my reaction to his words or maybe to get some space from the tension building around us. We needed to calm down in front of the kids.

"Jake's staying with you tonight and Nessie's staying with me," I told him, believing that ruled out any way of seeing each other tonight.

He didn't seem so concerned as he merely shrugged. "Who says we need a room…or a bed."

"I do!" I wasn't a spring chicken anymore.

"Then, I'll book us our own room." He was serious. He held my gaze as he bobbed about in the water, just out of arm's length.

Seeing him half-naked and almost close enough to touch was making me actually consider his words.

Before I could answer, Jake and Nessie came swimming towards us, and we instinctively parted.

"We have the rehearsal in less than two hours." Nessie reminded us. I knew what that meant.

Kate.

Edward looked at me. We hadn't talked any more about him seeing Kate again, so I didn't know if it was still bothering him.

"When's your mom getting here, Jake?" Edward asked, trying but failing to make his voice sound casual.

"Last I heard their cab should get them here about four. They might catch the end of the rehearsal but will definitely make the meal."

Edward nodded. "Maybe we should get out soon and get ready. The rehearsal starts at three, right?"

Jake nodded.

"Okay then, I'll see you all there." Edward gave me a wink, lightning the mood as he swam to the side of the pool and pulled himself out of the water.

"Oh, jeez, I hope he's okay with seeing my mom," Jake muttered as I nodded.

I hoped so too.

A/N: Thanks to my great team of people willing to help with this story. Frannie Walsh, ChristyWIX, RebAdams, Heather Stack Riggs and Julie Gotcha Dodge have giving up their time to beta and pre-read for this chapter. Any mistakes are my own because I tinker with this story all the time.

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