I'm posting a little earlier than planned because I'm finished editing :) I hope everyone had a safe fourth who celebrates. This chapter may feel like a filler chapter, but very important for Bella's character development.

Recap: we get to meet Bella's grandparents and Bella sees Charlie for the first time in years. Let me know your thoughts!


Oh you'll like him, he's really kind

And he's funny like you sometimes
And I found someone I really like
Maybe for the first time

No I don't need a jacket
It's not that cold tonight
And you worry, I get it
But he's waiting outside

I swear on my heart
That he's a good man
I know you'll stay up late
Just waiting for me
You held me so tight
Now someone else can
But you were the first man that really loved me

-First Man-Camila Cabello


Emmett and Rose boarded a flight to LA the following day, while Alice and Jasper hopped on a flight to visit Jasper's family to bask in their news. Meanwhile, Edward and I left to fly back to Arizona, to visit my grandparents.

Edward tried to keep me occupied on the flight home so I wouldn't rip a hole in my clothing as I played with the seams in nervousness. I tried to piece together in my mind what they could look like.

"B?" Edward called as I met his gaze again after escaping my thoughts. His warm eyes coaxed me to speak as he reached over lace his fingers through mine.

"Your lips are white, talk," he encouraged, which made me blow out the breath I wasn't aware I was holding.

"I wonder what they look like," I admitted. When I was a little girl, I remember hearing stories about them from my brother when she brushed and braided my long hair. She told stories about how my grandfather and grandmother ran a general store on the reservation. My grandmother apparently made incredible coffee and made scarves as well.

"You look like your mom, right?" He asked, shifting a hair behind my ear. I nodded, I was almost a carbon copy of her except for the dark brown hair compared to her ember. As a kid, I always wanted to be exactly like her. She had a bell like laugh, and I didn't feel so different when I looked at her copper skin.

"I'm also worried that maybe they know where my mom is," I confessed with a sniffle. Once Renee left, I hardly heard a word from her. I received post cards from various places in the United States from her, but suddenly when I turned twelve they stopped. Charlie didn't provide me with a vivid explanation, partially because he didn't know the answers either.

"Would you consider seeing your mom again?" He asked. I bit my lip as I considered the possibility. For the past thirteen years of my life, I wondered where she was, who she was with, and if she missed me.

Every birthday, I waited for her to come home or a phone call from her. However, all I received was radio silence. In college, I didn't want to see her again, because the absence of her was more comfortable than the potential of hearing her say she didn't want me.

The past year, I wondered where she was. I knew she was young, very young, when she had me and perhaps she wasn't ready for all the was a piece of me that hardly blamed her for running away. After college, I opened myself to seeing her again if the opportunity ever presented itself.

"Yes," I replied with a frown.

"Why?" He asked curiously. If he asked me that question a few years earlier I would have had a completely different answer. However, with time and as I grew older and began to understand that people didn't neatly into the "good" and "bad" boxes.

"I want to hear her side of it. Charlie was always very respectful of her and never painted her in a bad light even though from his standpoint she probably deserved it," I answered. Charlie was a gentleman and rarely spoke about her. If he did speak about her, it was after I asked a question about her. Charlie wasn't a perfect father, but I never had to doubt his love for me even though he scarcely spoke a word.

"Your father is a good man," Edward agreed. Even though I didn't recognize the sacrifices he made for me as a teenager and child, I realized them later. He made every softball game even if he was far away. He listened to my Arizona games on the radio when he was on duty.

He couldn't cook at all, but that didn't mean he didn't always have a full refrigerator. When my dad was on duty, he always arranged for someone to be with me at the station even if it was playing cards with Mark.

"He is. He loved my mother, and tried to protect her," I admitted. The light went off along with the captain's message that we were landing. Edward held my hand as we landed, knowing I hated that part the most.

As we walked to baggage claim, I was unbelievably thankful Edward was with me. Rose and Alice each offered to join me, but I knew I needed Edward in this moment with me. If he was nervous, he didn't show it. Instead he was the picture of composure as he swiped my bag before I could. I gave him a glare, which resulted in a chuckle. We walked out of the gates and baggage claim hand in hand.

"Thank God for Google maps because I have no idea where we're going," Edward admitted as he jumped into the driver's seat of his Volvo. I was worried about driving in the state I was, completely on high alert.

I chuckled as I typed the address into Google Maps. My grandparents lived on the reservation in one of the smaller houses. Edward's warm hand encased my shaky one as we drove.

"They're going to love you," he murmured softly. I bit my lip as I met his compassionate eyes. Meeting grandparents when you were twenty five years old was not typical, especially when they estranged from your mother. My biggest fear was that they'd be disappointed in me.

"I don't know anything about Navajo traditions or rituals," I confessed. Although I was half Navajo, I never felt like I had a connection because my mother left. Charlie was incredible, but he was clueless about how to handle that subject. He pursed his lips for a moment as he squeezed my hand.

"It's part of who you are, B. I'm sure your grandparents are thrilled to answer questions you have," he replied. I bobbed my head as my lip shifted between my teeth. There was a piece of me that was terrified.

I plagued myself as a child staying awake at night wondering which day my mother would waltz through the door. Her leaving left a permanent fear of people walking out of my life. When I began therapy, I believed James instilled that fear into me.

However, shutting people out was a coping mechanism for my ultimate fear-being alone. James was another example, however my mother's estrangement directly correlated to my fear.

"You know I would stay awake at night wondering what I did wrong?" I asked, breaking the silence. His head quickly snapped in my direction, urgng me to continue. Catching my lip between my lips trying not to let the watery tears collect in my eyes.

"I counted ceiling tiles and wondered what I did wrong to make my mother leave us. The last memory I have with her is her brushing my hair the morning before she took her VW punchbuggy and left," I replied. I shifted my gaze to the plains stretched out in front of us. My eyes blinked back with tears as I realized she saw the same sight many years ago.

"Oh, Bella," he murmured, rubbing his thumb soothingly along the back of my hand.

"I wondered if she left because I dropped a glass accidentally that morning and the glass spread across the kitchen. I wondered if she left because I didn't do as well as I could have on a damn math quiz I had that day. I wondered if it was because I woke her up the night before because I had a nightmare and jumped in her bed," I continued with a harsh chuckle.

They all sounded like childish reasons through the lens of years later. However, they all seemed real when I was eight years old. I had my own theories now of why she left, but I didn't spend hours on end questioning anymore. Edward clenched his jaw for a moment his eyes closing for a moment so I didn't see the expression of frustration and anger pass his features. However, I pieced together the anger and frustration from the way his jaw clenched and his the fury in his eyes.

"B, you didn't do anything wrong. You were eight years old," he assured me. I pursed my lips together before bobbing my head. He was right of course, there was a part of me that accepted she made her choice about leaving.

"I'm proud as hell of you for doing this," he said, breaking the silence stretched between us sometime later. A tiny smile pulled at my lips as his lips drew upwards as he squeezed my hand.

"Thank you for showing me this part of you," he murmured so quietly I had to strain to hear him. I felt him squeeze my hand three times before we entered the reservation. I was surprised by how expansive it was. There were houses scattered throughout, as I pictured the reservation to be way smaller.

There were stores and even restaurants around the reservation. Edward turned onto their street as my stomach started to flip flop around as he pulled into the driveway. He parked the car before I let out a deep breath. I could do this. As always, he came around to my side of the car to take my hand and help me out. I released my hair from the confines of my bun as he walked beside me to the front steps.

With hesitancy and shaky hands, I knocked on the door. In seconds, the door creaked wide open as a woman with copper skin and deep black long hair pulled back into a braid greeted me. Behind her, a man with a long white ponytail studied me for a moment.

"Isabella," she said, her eyes carefully tracing over my features. Meanwhile, my grandfather studied me for a moment before his eyes fell on my eyes.

"Bella, please," I nodded reluctant smile brimming on my lips. My grandfather peered at Edward, squinting at him.

"He is?" His deep voice questioned.

"Edward is my boyfriend," I responded, placing one hand on Edward's forearm. Edward responded by reaching one arm across to squeeze my hand on his forearm before reaching his hand out to shake my grandfather's.

My grandfather slowly reached his hand in response to shake Edward's.

"Edward," he greeted.

"Please come inside," my grandmother said with a slight smile. Their house was beautiful with paintings and pictures of crops. Even though the house was small, the space didn't feel cramped.

"Your paintings are beautiful," I murmured, and my grandmother nodded as a small smile spread across her face. She peered at me, almost studying me as if I was one of her paintings.

"Your hair has gotten very long and beautiful," she murmured as we sat in their kitchen. Blush heated my cheeks as I nervously pushed hair behind my ears. There were paintings and there were blankets and baskets all around the house. She poured me a glass of water before she put thick bread almost resembling pita bread along with beans, corn, lettuce, and beef.

"These are Navajo tacos," she said, gesturing to the food on the table.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"Bella, we have waited many years to see you again," my grandfather said. A somber smile framed my lips as I looked down.

"I'm sorry it's taken so long to meet you," I said, and my grandmother shook her head.

"No, Bella, don't apologize. You look just like her," Ilina said, as she looked at the curls in my hair.

"Somehow your mother had curly hair. We have no idea how she got them," Ilina added. My grandfather's lips turned upwards for a moment.

"What was her name before she changed it?" I asked them curiously. My grandfather gulped as he answered tersely, "Doli which means sun."

"That's beautiful," I murmured.

"She was beautiful before she got into drugs and alcohol," my grandfather murmured with a heavy sigh. My lips tuned downwards, I knew she struggled with substance abuse since she was a teenager.

"She met your father when she snuck off the reservation one day. She was eighteen years old," my grandmother informed. I knew how my parents met a nearby festival, where my father fell head over heels for her.

"Did she go to school here?" I asked, twiddling my thumbs. Edward grasped my other hand in his, drawing soothing circles with his thumb.

"Yes, she went to school here on the reservation. She never really cared about it," my grandfather answered stiffly. From the stories my mother told, she wanted to leave the reservation. However, I never understood why.

"She was a free spirit, which got her into trouble," my grandmother explained.

"She was a dancer, did she dance here?" I asked curiously. My grandmother's eyes lit up as she found a photo book in the living room before returning to the kitchen table. She flipped to a page where she was surrounded by other girls and boys in traditional Navajo dress with white face paint. A bright smile painted her face as I felt my own lips draw into a smile.

"She looks happy here," I murmured as Edward looked down at the photo too and nodded in agreement. A somber look passed my grandfather for a moment as he peered over at my grandmother. One side of her lips turned upwards as she fingered the frayed edges.

"She was always happy at pow wows," she agreed.

"She had a restless spirit," my grandfather murmured.

"Bella, you played softball, right?" My grandmother questioned, as she grabbed another album. My grandfather shifted in his seat as he gave me an encouraging smile.

"We saw you on the newspaper one day and started following your time at Arizona," he explained. My heart thudded in my chest as I let a warm smile spread across my lips as my grandmother opened up another photo album exposing newspaper clippings.

"Oh my goodness," I said in shock that they kept all the newspaper clippings throughout my three seasons. My mouth fell open as my fingers brushed the newspaper clippings and print outs from online articles.

"You kept this?" I questioned. Beside me, Edward's lips turned upwards into a smile as his gaze met mine. My grandmother gave a warm smile as she touched the newspaper clippings.

"Of course we did," My grandfather boomed behind us. Warmth grew from my stomach where the butterflies used to be as I examined one from the NCAA championship game from my junior year. In the picture, I was swinging my bat with a dusty red ribbon in my hair and eyeblack running down my cheeks.

"You look beautiful here," she murmured with a slight smile. I peered over at her as I quirked an eyebrow. Beautiful wasn't an adjective I'd use, I would probably use sweaty or exhausted.

"Powerful," my grandfather agreed. My cheeks were beet red at this point as I fought the urge to shake my head.

"She was an incredible player on the field and a great hitter. Her last season she batted over .300, which placed her as one of the best batters in the division," Edward said, a bright smile on his lips. I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I turned to him.

"You didn't play professionally?" My grandfather questioned. Playing professionally was never my dream, I was able to go to college on almost a full scholarship which was a gift the sport gave me.

"No, I never dreamed of playing professional softball. I was able to go to college with almost no debt which was a reward enough for me," I murmured. Edward squeezed my hand under the table. Even with Edward's insistence that I could have gone pro, he knew that was never my dream.

Both of them looked at me inquisitively for a moment before my grandmother broke the silence.

"What do you do now?" She asked me, her deep brown eyes meeting mine with question.

"I'm a school counselor. After college, I went to graduate school to finish a counseling degree," I replied. I left out the two years of my life I spent cooped up as a school front officer worker.

She beamed at me appreciatively. A proud smile spread across Edward's face as he squeezed my hand under the table to steady me.

"Which high school?" My grandfather questioned, his eye brows knitting together. He was harder to read than my grandmother was as he stretched his hands out in front of him. From the tense stature I could tell he and my mother had some tension between them.

"Central," I replied quickly without even thinking.

"She's the softball coach, too," Edward interjected, which made my grandmother's eyebrows shoot up as my grandfather fought a smile.

"That's wonderful, Bella," she murmured. My grandfather's gaze shifted between Edward and I as a curious expression colored his face for a moment.

"How did you two meet?" He questioned his hand drifting to his beard for a moment. I met Edward's gaze with his warm green eyes as he placed our intertwined hands on the table.

"I met her when my family moved from Washington in sixth grade science class," he responded, his lips drawing into a tender grin as he squeezed my hand. My grandmother shifted her hands to her lap before she spoke.

"That's a long time to date," she said, her eyes growing wide. Edward and I let out a belly laugh as we shook our heads. Although now I understand that Edward had feelings for me long before I realized, telling our story brought a wide smile to my face. Even though my twelve year old self did not appreciate the moment at the time, meeting him was one of the most pivotal moments in my life.

"We were friends for a long time, it took me a while to catch up," I admitted, shaking my head.

"I knew I was in love with her since I was sixteen years old, I was just waiting on her," he murmured, a knowing smile spreading across his lips. Part of me wished I realized earlier that I had feelings for him. My grandmother beamed at me as her eyes drifted to both of us.

"What do you do, Edward?" My grandfather. I held back a chuckle, the man clearly didn't pay attention to professional baseball. Edward didn't seem miffed as he answered easily without missing a beat.

"I'm a professional baseball player, I play for the Diamondbacks," he replied. My grandfather seemed taken aback for a moment as my grandmother gasped.

"Oh my, I didn't realize..." she said, shaking her had.

"Bella," my grandfather called after briefly looking at Edward for a moment. The whole conversation was awkward, but I was thankful to be able to talk to them after wondering what they were like for years.

"What do you do?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm a school counselor, I have been for three years now," I answered, my grandmother grinning at me. Meanwhile, my grandfather had a pensive expression on his face as he took a sip from the water glass in front of him.

"Why counseling?" My grandfather asked. Edward tensed beside me in my benefit, but I tapped his leg to signal to him that I was fine. He had a completely fair question, and I wasn't ashamed to answer.

I cleared my throat as I smiled at him, fixing a hair behind my ear.

"I was a school secretary for a while after I got my bachelor's degree in psychology. I was with a man who held me back, and honestly I had no business marrying him. I divorced him and finished my school counseling degree. I went through a really abusive marriage and I wanted to help teenagers navigate loss, trauma, anxiety, and depression," I replied, my eyes glued to my grandfather. He cleared his throat, a frown crossing his lips before my grandmother reached over to squeeze my hand in sympathy.

Edward's eyes lowered to mine to check for any sign of distress, but I managed a tiny smile at my grandmother. My grandfather's eyes softened from their hardened brown orbs before he let out a sigh.

"I'm really sorry you went through that," he murmured. I nodded, as Edward's hand squeezed my thigh underneath the table.

"You used the pain as a channel to help others though, which is powerful," my grandmother noted, looking appreciatively at me.

"I guess you could say that," I agreed. We continued to talk over eating tacos, which were incredible. I had to ask my grandmother for the recipe which she enthusiastically gave me on a crisp sheet of paper.

When the sun started to lower, we bid them goodbye. We promised them I'd come back for a pow-wow later on as Edward held the door open for me. We sat in silence as he held my hand over the console as we drove to Mesa to visit Charlie for a day or two.

Edward's constant presence allowed me to relax as I leaned my head agains the cool glass. My eyes flicked close as I heard his Spotify playlist echo through his car. My mind drifted to my grandmother, who was the mirror image of my mother. However, my grandmother was very different than her. While my grandmother was sure and collected, my mother drifted and was more spontaneous. My grandfather obviously was still aching for his daughter's return, even though he would probably never admit it. I could understand why he was guarded around me, he was measuring me up to my mother.

As much as I feared, I wasn't like my mother. She favored unpredictability while I favored stability. Although we were both runners by nature, I ran out of an unconscious protective mechanism to avoid pain. She ran to escape responsibilities.

Sometime later, I felt the car shift to park as Edward's door pushed open. As his weight left the car, I heard his footsteps come around to open my door. As he opened my door, he placed a kiss on my hair as I shook myself awake.

"Sorry," I mumbled, blinking a few times. He chuckled as his emerald eyes met mine. His hand shifted to my forehead.

"You feel okay?" He asked, his eyebrow furrowing.

"Yeah," I promised him as I catapulted myself out of the car. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as we walked hand in hand to my father's small white house. There was a front porch as my father sat on the rocking chair, nursing a can of beer. His eyes lightened as he saw me, and his mustache along with his chestnut brown hair grew grayer in our time apart.

He wasn't in his uniform, and instead wore a light wash pair of jeans and a red Arizona razorbacks tee shirt as he nearly ran over to see me. His smile nearly overtook his face as he embraced me. He smelled the exact same, wood chips and pine. Attached to the house was a shed where he worked on his wood working.

"Bells, it's so good to see you," he murmured, his light brown eyes taking me in. I shifted nervously after pulling away before mustering a smile.

"Thank you for having us," I said appreciatively. His gaze flitted over to Edward as he looked at him up and down. Edward, practically immune to awkward family moments let a smile widen as he greeted him.

"Chief Swan, it's good to see you," he said, holding his hand out for a handshake. My father, seemingly impressed, shook his head vigorously as he turned his gaze back to both of us.

"Come on in, I ordered some take out. Edward, I wasn't sure what you would like but I got a good amount of food and beer," he said, turning to him. Edward nodded appreciatively.

"Beer sounds like a good call," he said with a grin. Charlie threw him a can of Coors Lite before Edward cracked it open. My father escorted us into his kitchen, which had a stove, oven, and white refrigerator. The cabinets were old oak cabinets, which looked mostly empty from the the doors slightly open.

"Bells?" He asked, opening the fridge and looking at me in question.

"Water is great, Dad," I assured him as he closed the fridge before locating a short clear glass. My eyes scanned the counter tops which had Tex Mex food including rice, salsa, taco shells, chicken, and steak pieces.

"You weren't kidding about the food, Dad," I said with a chuckle. He sighed as he sat across from us on the wooden table that matched the cabinet color.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like, but I know despite all my best efforts you're not a red meat person," he said with a disgruntled sigh. Edward let out an uneasy chuckle as he took a sip from his beer can.

"You're right, Dad. Chicken is superior," I argued. He shook his head in disagreement as he looked me over for a minute.

"Well, let's dig in get yourself a plate," he said, gesturing the impressive display of food in front of us. Edward and I got up before finding silverware. I made myself a plate before finding my seat back at the table.

My father sat back in his chair as he studied us both for a minute.

"So how did you two..." he started, raising an eyebrow. Edward and I looked at each other as I let out a sigh.

"I moved to Phoenix last year and started living with Alice. She took me to a Diamondback's game and we saw Edward afterwards," I started, meeting Edward's comfortable gaze as he peered down at me.

"I kinda interrupted her practice," Edward said with an uneasy chuckle as he wiped a hand on his chin.

"Did she shoot you?" Charlie asked with a gruff laugh.

"No, but she didn't recognize me at first and with the look she gave me I wasn't sure if a bullet was that much worse," he admitted, and I fought the urge to elbow him in the ribs for that one.

"He took me out to coffee and we spent more time together," I continued.

"As friends," Edward added in, and I nodded.

"We went to a gala and I knew I had feelings for him," I said, skipping ahead in the story. The other moments we shared were important building blocks, but that night served as the pinnacle.

"I came to her apartment and told her how I felt," Edward said, a warm smile spreading on his lips as he smiled at the memory. Charlie cleared his throat as his gaze turned to Edward.

"You were in love with her for a long time," Charlie surmised, and Edward bobbed his head. He played with his can of beer for a moment before he turned to Charlie.

"I've loved Bella for a long time, but I fell in love with her all over again starting on the day at the baseball field," Edward said with an unsteady breath as his sea green eyes met mine with intensity.

In response, Charlie sipped his beer as a pregnant silence enveloped us. Before Charlie spoke, he set his can down on the table which let out a metallic tap before his eyes scanned both of us.

"Edward, don't let this go to your head because you to show up tomorrow when we go fishing but in my mind you were the man who almost deserved my daughter," Charlie spoke, his light amber eyes meeting Edward's.

While Edward held in an Earth shattering smile, he allowed a smirk to spread on his lips.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"Wait, why you guys fish, what am I supposed to do?" I asked, wide eyed at my dad. Charlie laughed as he lifted up his beer can once more.

"You are more than welcome to come with us, Bells, are a great caster but I want to pick Edward's brain," Charlie said with a calculated smirk. Edward seemed unfazed as he nodded.

"So I started dating and I met this woman named, Sue. I really like her and I'd love for you to meet her," Charlie admitted, a bashful smile on his face. My returning smile was larger as I agreed enthusiastically.

"I'm so proud of you, Dad! I'd love to," I responded as Charlie grinned. Once we finished dinner, Charlie showed us to our rooms before kissing my cheek and returning to his own bedroom at the far end of the hall.

Edward's arms wrapped around me once Charlie closed the doors of his bedroom. I leaned into his embrace, finally allowing myself to relax after the events of today. He pulled away to look at my face for a moment. He brushed back a few errant hairs before his eyes searched mine.

"You okay, B girl? I know today must have been a lot," he murmured, tracing the circles under my eyes. He was right, I went through the full cycle of emotions. However, neither meeting resulted in a dumpster fire which I considered a mild success.

"Yeah, it was good to meet Ilina and Shiloh. They're good people," I murmured into his chest. He held me for a moment before kissing my forehead.

"They loved you. I could tell how proud of you they were. They had your newspaper clippings," he reminded me. I worried that my grandfather was still on the fence with his feelings about me.

"Your grandfather was already warming up to you," he answered my unspoken question.

"I'm just worried that all he sees when he looks at me is my mother," I confessed with a sniffle. He shook his head quickly before wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"You are not your mother, Bella. You have the best qualities your mother did-your huge heart and excitement about life. But, you have so many other things she didn't have like your drive, your natural care-giver nature, and the way you put your heart into everything you possibly can," he assured me.

His words sated the ones I had in my head as I pressed my hands against his chest. Once again, his eyes traced to meet mine as he kissed me lightly before releasing me.

"Goodnight, B," he muttered as we returned into our bedrooms. Once I settled in my bed with a tee shirt that nearly fell to my knees, my phone chirped with a notification.

Almost feels like we're in high school, stealing kisses in your dad's house. I love you, sweet girl and I'll see you tomorrow morning. My lips turned upwards into a wide smile as I leaned back against the twin sized bed which suited me just fine, but I'm sure Edward was too big for it.

I texted him back before falling into an uneasy sleep, wishing he was sleeping next to me.


Sun streamed through the blinds as I flipped over on my back to open my eyes. I stifled a moan as I looked down at the ancient alarm clock on the bedside table that illuminated six-thirty.

I heard some rumbling from the kitchen which prompted me to push myself off the bed to get changed. With a sigh, I looked at the clothes in my suitcase to find a pair of jeans and a wine colored blouse.

Once I deemed myself presentable, I slipped out in the hallway before seeing Charlie sipping coffee while reading the newspaper. I wasn't aware people still read the newspaper. Charlie looked up as he fixed his reading glasses on his nose.

"Good morning, Bells. I made some coffee," he offered, gesturing to the steaming coffee cup.

"Thanks, Dad. I can make you breakfast this morning? You still like eggs?" I asked him as I reached up on my tip toes to find a mug in the cupboard.

"I remember how great your omelettes were," he murmured, with a chuckle as he nodded. When I lived with Charlie as a teenager, I made omelettes almost every morning along with waffles on Sundays.

"We used to have quite a breakfast spread," I agreed as I cracked an egg and stirred it. The newspaper in his hands dropped onto the table as I heard him clear his throat. Once I had the eggs in a pan, I met his gaze.

"So Sue..." he began, uneasy as I flipped the omelette over before pursing my lips. Truthfully, I was excited for him and I could tell he liked her by the pink blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Tell me all about it! When did you start dating?" I asked him curiosity in my tone as he chuckled.

"In the summer, we were friends for a couple of years before I finally had the guts to ask her on a date," Charlie responded before taking a sip of his coffee. I bobbed my head as I leaned back against the cupboard.

"She's from Seattle?" I asked him curiously.

"No, La Push. Her husband died and she moved after her kids grew up," he replied. I raised an eyebrow before a frown spread across my lips. I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose your person, and I didn't want to.

"She's Quileute, which is a tribe up there," Charlie explained. At mention of her name, his mouth curved upwards underneath his thick mustache. Charlie deserved to move on and meet a woman who loved him.

My father's capacity to love got him in trouble sometimes, and I knew I inherited his huge heart. He sipped his coffee as my eyes trailed to a worn photograph on the refrigerator.

The photograph was of me at five or six years old, holding a pink softball bat with a ponytail peeking out of a red ball cap. Seeing me look at the picture, Charlie's eyes grew misty for a moment. Even after the separation between us for a few years, he still kept up all my photographs.

"You were five here, first time you ever picked up a bat. You told me you wanted to play with the boys," Charlie reminisced with a smirk as I heard footsteps echo on the kitchen floor.

"That I can believe," Edward' said, as his eyes traced to the photo. I jumped a little because I didn't realize he was behind me as he peered at the photo for a moment before a big smile spread across his lips.

"She played tee ball first but told me it was too easy," Charlie added, his eyes meeting mine as he scooted the newspaper farther away.

"She hit a home run her first game?" Edward asked. Charlie chuckled as he shook his head. I remembered my first softball practice and how many bruises from softballs my legs received.

"No, she was close. She was put as a pitcher for a few of the games before she played second and catcher," Charlie answered. Edward's eyes grew wide as he poured himself a cup of coffee in the mug I handed him.

"Pitching?" He asked, and I nodded, blush coloring my cheeks. After pitching for a few innings I decided I hated it and wanted to get back into fielding or catching. The catching gear was too big for me as I was practically swimming in it.

"If she kept with it, she could've been good," Charlie argued. I huffed at him as I raised my eyebrows.

"Can you imagine how deadly a pitcher who can hit would be?" Edward asked, shaking his head.

"No kidding," Charlie chuckled as I gave them both plates for breakfast. We spent breakfast talking about Edward's upcoming season. Charlie asked about Esme and Carlisle, since he hadn't talked to them in a few years. As much as I was nervous about seeing Charlie again, Edward handled the entire situation with ease. He had an incredible talent of managing to put everyone at ease. The banter between us flowed naturally as I could tell Edward already won Charlie's stamp of approval.

As breakfast ended, Charlie retreated to get his fishing gear together along with a cooler. Edward enlisted himself to help me clean up breakfast as he washed the dirty dishes.

"Any advice?" Edward asked, clearly referencing fishing with my father. While I fished with Charlie hundreds of times over the years, he mainly was very quiet when he was fishing. He insisted talking scared the fish away.

"He's not much of a talker and that's especially true when he's fishing," I advised, my fingers sliding against the dishcloth as I dried the pan.

"Okay, so I'll keep my mouth shut. Anything else?" Edward asked, his green eyes lowering to meet mine.

"He'll be watching you more than anything. He's a cop, remember? He analyzes people's body language. Just be yourself, Edward," I added. Charlie analyzed people and situations for a living, so I imagined he'd be watching Edward. He already knew Edward, which gave Edward a leg up. However, my father would probably be harder on him because he didn't want me to end up with someone who could hurt me again. The rational side of me knew Edward would never ever hurt me, but Charlie didn't know that. At this point, Charlie would look for a flaw.

"I think I can understand where he's coming from. You're his little girl, and he wants you to be happy and safe," Edward surmised as he washed the last dish. My father was always protective of me since I was little, and it drove me mad during high school.

"Right," I agreed. Despite putting a fair amount of distance and time between us, Charlie still loved me. The fact screamed at me when I looked at photographs of me around the house. Even though I made a huge, life altering mistake with marrying someone so young and someone so wrong for me he didn't write me off.

"B," Edward said, drawing me out of my thoughts as he dried his hands before framing my face with his hands.

"You don't have to earn his love. You're his daughter," he reminded me. My lips pressed into a firm line as I fought back the words I wanted to say.

"But..." I started, and he shook his head.

"You made a mistake, B, welcome to being human. You picked yourself back up again and made a life for yourself even with all the crap the world hurled at you," he ran his hands up and down my arms in comfort.

"I love you, Bella Swan. Remember that if I come back without any fish," he said, kissing the corner of my mouth. My lips turned into a grin as Charlie came barreling in with his fishing hat, rods, and a cooler. Edward came quickly to assist him with the rods.

"You ready, Edward? We'll stop by a sandwich place before to pick up some subs. Bells, Sue will be over at around two," Charlie informed. I nodded as they both said goodbye to me before walking to Charlie's truck. I was shocked they didn't take the cop car just to freak Edward out.

Charlie's house now was not the house I grew up in; he sold that house the year I graduated college right after I moved to Flagstaff. He told me he wanted a slower pace since Phoenix police department was always busy and chaotic. Mesa was slightly quieter and more suburban, which Charlie welcomed the change of pace. As I walked down the main hallway, I found framed pictures of me spanning from infancy to the one picture my father snagged of us at my college graduation and senior night for softball.

However, he brought all the furniture and decorations from my high school bedroom including the same bedspread and bed. I laid down on the bed before my eyes shifted to my high school yearbook where I found Alice's, Emmett's, and Edward's senior pictures.

I snapped a photo of Alice's senior picture with her signature dyed black hair twisted into a high ponytail. With a chuckle, I sent the photo to her. In seconds, gray dots appeared underneath my text as she replied.

Trying to blackmail me, Swan?

I giggled as I typed back no as a response. My finger found Edward's photo of him in a suit and tie with the same unruly one shade of brown away from red hair. However, his hair was shorter now compared to his hair in high school.

I chewed my lip as I found mine, which nearly looked the same as me now. The only difference was in the photograph I was wearing pearls, which I was positive I hadn't worn since that day.

Sometime later, I heard a harsh knock on the front door before the door bell went off. I figured the visitor must be Sue as Charlie had a key. Gliding down the steps, I saw Sue's reflection in the glass windows.

She had short ember black hair without any signs of gray. Her dark eyes darted back and forth as she held a mustard colored purse close to her chest. She was petite, standing maybe a few inches taler than me.

I unlatched the lock of the door before opening the door wide. Her dark eyes took me in before a warm smile spread across her lips. Her skin was nearly the same shade as mine.

"Sue," I greeted, encouraging her through the door.

"Bella, it's so great to meet you. Charlie talks a lot about you," she murmured as she placed her purse down on the table. She wore a wine colored shirt along with a pair of blue jeans.

"It's great to meet you two, I hope he says good things?" I asked as I poured myself a cup of coffee I made an hour earlier. I offered her a mug, which she accepted before we walked over to the kitchen tables.

"You were a softball player and now you're a counselor," she replied before taking a sip of her coffee. My gaze shifted to her neck for a moment, as she had on a silver necklace with a plain wedding band. Her left and right hands were bare of rings, as I assumed she wore her wedding band in remembrance.

"Yes, I live in Phoenix now," I nodded.

"You have his smile," she murmured appreciatively. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see much of Charlie besides his eyes. I shifted in my seat for a moment.

"When he decides to show it," she added with a chuckle. Charlie rarely smiled, maintaining his gruff but comforting presence. He never smiled on the job besides cracking jokes with his deputies every once and a while.

"Thank you," I said before taking a sip of the coffee.

"And his eyes too," she added, placing her hands out on the table.

"You moved here from La Push?" I asked, switching the topic. She nodded while her right hand trailed to her left ring finger.

"Yes, my kids, Leah and Seth grew up and after my husband died I didn't have a lot holding me back there besides the memories. It wasn't until Leah suggested I go out and make new memories that I actually moved," she answered. My heart tugged in pain for her loss.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I murmured. She smiled faintly before she answered me.

"He was my whole life for twenty years of my life. I didn't really live for a few years, I just went through the motions. I decided to go back and finish my nursing degree," she admitted. I couldn't sympathize completely with what she went through, but I could understand just going through the motions of life and not living.

"Who do you work with now?" I asked her.

"Pediatric ICU," she replied quickly.

"Wow, that must be really difficult," I murmured. Her lips tugged into a smile as she nodded.

"There are really rough days, but getting to help people makes it all worth it," she answered. A smile spread across my face at her words. I could see how big her heart and why Charlie liked her so much.

I asked her about her kids, which her eyes lit up in delight. Leah was almost the same age as me, working on the reservation on preservation while Seth worked at an car repair shop. She got out her phone to show me pictures of both of them. Leah was a mirror image of Sue, with her raven hair reaching to her waist and bright smile. Seth had his mother's eyes but looked considerably taller than his sister and mother.

"What about you, Bella?" Sue asked curiously. I twirled my long curly hair around a finger as I met her curious gaze. Switching the conversation back to me, she turned her body so she was facing me.

"What about me?" I asked, my eyebrows pulling together.

"You went to Arizona, I can tell by the Arizona shirts your dad has. You played softball there and were a very good player according to Charlie. Then what did you do?" She asked me curiously. I cleared my throat as I gave her a tiny smile in return. I felt like a broken record at this point.

"I moved to Flagstaff after I graduated and married a guy I really shouldn't have. He was abusive and I left him. I got my master's degree in counseling before moving back to Phoenix," I replied, pursing my lips together. Sue's smile fell at my words, and I assured her that getting a divorce was the best thing that could've happened to me.

"How did you meet Edward?" She asked me, and my smile returned.

"We've known each other since sixth grade and we were friends ever since. When I moved back to Phoenix we reconnected and started dating almost a year later," I replied. Edward's part of my story made all the darkness seem worth it.

"Charlie says he's a good man," she noted. Her words were an understatement, the man was practically a saint for putting up with me. However, I settled on nodding enthusiastically.

"He's one of the best things to ever happen to me. Edward is so good to me," I said, playing with my fingers. Truthfully, I didn't know men like him even existed anymore, even though I'd known him for almost all my life.

"You deserve that, Bella. We should probably start making dinner I'm betting we have some hungry men coming home," Sue said, as she pushed her chair back to walk to the kitchen. The next hour passed as we arranged a casserole together before placing it in the oven.

Ten minutes before the timer went off, Edward and Charlie came barreling through the door. Edward had a wide grin on his face, with residual droplets of water on his Diamondbacks tee shirt.

"Catch anything?" I asked as Charlie nodded proudly.

"Plenty of bites, but I didn't reel any in. Edward caught a beautiful rainbow trout," Charlie reported as he put down the freezer before rounding the kitchen to give Sue a warm hug. My heart tugged in my chest to see my dad's soft smile on his face. Edward winked at me with a single nod, telling me that the fishing trip was a success. We spent the rest of the night conversing with laughs and a few embarrassing stories from when I was little.

As Charlie and Sue sat on the porch, Edward stayed with me in the kitchen. I nursed my glass of water as Edward enveloped me in his arms. His arms rested around me before he pressed a kiss on my forehead.

"Fishing went well? You on your way to becoming an angler?" I teased him. He merely chuckled in response as I could sense him rolling his eyes at me.

"I wouldn't go that far, B, but it went well. I just wanted to make a good impression on your dad," he murmured into my hair. Edward was easily able to make a good impression on most people, so I wasn't worried.

"I'm sure you did, you're nauseatingly perfect sometimes," I assured her.

"Not the adjective I was working for, but I'll take it," he laughed as he swung me around to face him. His green eyes reflected sincerity for a moment as he sighed.

"Now he knows how much I love you and how serious I am about you," he whispered. My eyebrows puckered together at his words as he used a thumb to smooth out the crease in between my eyebrows.

"I play for keeps, B," he reminded me, kissing my forehead. I was well aware of how much he loved me, he loved me enough to take another drive out to meet my grandparents and my dad.

"Thank you for coming with me, I know it's gotta be awkward, but I couldn't have done this without you," I murmured. He kissed my fingers as he shook his head.

"You could've done it without me, B, but I wouldn't have let you. I want to show up for you, every damn day," he said, leaning his forehead against mine. His words reminded me of an earlier conversation we had about showing up for each other. He was there for me, every single time I needed him to be. His dependability and stability freaked me out sometimes because of how incredibly foreign it was to me.

Before I could respond, Charlie and Sue came in before Charlie announced he was walking Sue out. I said my goodbyes to Sue, who reached to embrace me. She seemed like a wonderful person for Charlie, and he deserved that. His heavy footsteps echoed against the wooden floor as he made his familiar path to the reclining chair in the living room. Edward looked at me pointedly before kissing my forehead.

"We got an early drive tomorrow, B girl, so I'm gonna go to sleep. I love you," he murmured in my ear as he gave me a subtle wink. His eyes shifted to Charlie, and my eyes flickered with recognition. Edward was giving me space and time to talk to my dad without an audience. I gave him a quick kiss as he walked down the hallway. My stomach erupted in butterflies as I walked over to Charlie to sit on the couch.

"Bells," he greeted, as he flickered the television off. We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before he slid a hand across his chin for a moment.

"I'm only gonna say this once, but Edward is a good man," he said. My eyebrows shot up at his words, not because I disagreed with his words but because I knew how much those words meant coming out of his mouth.

"He really is, Dad. He's good to me," I agreed. Charlie's mouth quivered upwards as he stiffly nodded. I could see years of stress in his eyes and evidenced from the lines on his face. Part of me wondered if I contributed to them.

"He loves you, Bella. It's hard for me to see you dating someone even if you're twenty six years old and a grown adult. It's corny, but I will always see you as the wide eyed little girl holding a softball bat for the first time nearly taking me out," he murmured with a chuckle. My eyes swam with tears although I somehow managed to keep them at bay.

"I know leaving you like that wasn't okay because you deserve a hell of a lot better than radio silence after really solo parenting for twenty two years of my life..." I began, but words got caught in my throat. The words 'I'm sorry' seemed cheap and overused for a moment like this. His eyes reflected with an expression he didn't want me to see for a moment before they caught mine.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, after taking a deep breath. My fingers gripped the denim of my jeans as I waited for him to respond.

"Bells, it hurt like hell. I take domestic abuse calls often and I have conversations with women who are abused urging them to press charges and many of them don't. Sometimes I come back months later, and I find them...dead," he admitted, shaking his head as he breathed unevenly. His voice broke on the word dead. I never wanted him to see me like someone he needed to save and I hated that he took that burden on himself.

"Dad, you couldn't save me, it wasn't your job," I assured him. Anger flickered in his eyes for a moment as he grasped the arm chair for a moment.

"I protected you from the monsters in your closet and I couldn't protect you from the monster you were dating," he muttered, angrily. I heard a door open, and I knew that was Edward checking to make sure I was okay. Charlie was angry at himself more than he was angry at me.

"I didn't let you, Dad," I reminded him, with a half smile.

"I just pictured getting a call one day to find you somewhere..." he didn't dare finish that sentence. I managed to get myself off the couch as I took a gamble and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm so unbelievably sorry for putting you through that," I said, my words vibrating against his chest. His body relaxed as he patted my back before kissing my hair like he always did when I was little right before bed.

"I didn't want you to end up like them, Bella," he confessed, his voice breaking.

"I got out, Dad," I reminded him. His bleary eyes met mine as he nodded once.

"You make me proud every single day, kiddo. You got your life back, and came out on the other side stronger," he said as I pulled out of his embrace. My lips flew into a hesitant smile as I heard the door in the hallway shut.

"I'm sorry I cut you out of my life for so long even after I got out," I confessed. He shook his head as his eyes met mine.

"You were hurting. I was hurt for a while, Bells, but I never stopped loving you or being proud of you," he assured me. My eyes flooded with tears as I kept the tears on the brink. The butterflies previously in my stomach flew away as I relaxed against the couch.

"I love you, Dad," I murmured as he nodded.

"Go get some sleep, kiddo. I'll see you in the morning," he said, a wan smile spanning his lips. I squeezed his hand once as I began walking down the hallway. Before I reached the door to my bedroom I turned around.

"Dad?" I called. His eyes shot up for a moment to reach mine.

"Thank you for being the first man to love me," I said, a wide smile breaking across his face at my words.


Less time strictly B/E here, but a very important chapter for Charlie and Bella. Let me know your thoughts below! Next chapter is a tough one, just a warning and we have about two more chapters to go before we have an epilogue.