I'm so excited to be back with another update for you guys! Thanks so much to my beautiful betas, Sherry and Paige, because I couldn't do this without you!

"I'm lucky to be under

The same sky that held

The exhale from your first breath

Like a ring on a pillow of clouds

By you my tongue my stutter

But my gift heart screams clear and swells

To burst between the wrapped lengths

Of its bowed ribbon cell."

-Why?-

EPOV:

I've never felt so nervous in all my life. I've styled my unruly hair, ironed my button up shirt and even my jeans, as well as shaving my five o'clock shadow until my face is as smooth as Charlie's skin, and I still feel inadequate. I've been a wreck since Bella told me we would be meeting her sister, brother-in-law, and her niece. As much as I would love to meet Bella's family, I don't want to begin to imagine what they might think of me. Hopefully they will be able to see past my rough appearance like Bella does, but I know not everyone is that accepting.

Charlie is sitting at my feet babbling and trying to form words, until I notice him. It's funny that he always is fighting for my attentions, if only the little guy knew that he was always on my mind. He giggles as soon as I reach down to pick him up and is fidgety until I kiss his forehead.

"Da," he says with a wide grin, before grabbing hold of my thumb and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Hey man, I need that," I chuckle, as I slip my thumb out of his mouth and tickle him before returning to my attempt at smoothing out my hair.

"Da," he says again, demanding my attention.

I always think that he needs something, but he usually just says the word with a smile. Maybe "Da" is his new favorite word? That thought puts a smile on my face. I'm someone's dad!The concept is still an incredible one and now that Charlie is calling me by the title, it's even more extraordinary.

I hear a knock on the front door and I take one last look in the mirror to assess my appearance. My tattoos are pretty much covered, except for the black and grey lotus flower on my neck that always shows no matter what shirt I wear. I button the collar of my shirt to hide the majority of it, before feeling confident enough with my appearance to leave it alone.

As soon as Bella sees me, she gives me a cute, but sympathetic smile and I know exactly what she is thinking. This grown ass man is too nervous to meet my family.I straighten up and take a deep breath, putting on a confident smile before I take hold of her hand and lock up my apartment. Charlie is babbling to her while in my arms, and I'm lucky that Bella is too taken with how cute my son is being to notice how worried I still look. If I want to have a future with Bella, I have to do right by her family. If they don't like me then I'm out. Knowing that my future happiness is dependent on this meeting has me a bit on edge.

"Edward," Bella says with a soft smile, "You don't have to worry. My sister and her husband will love you, I promise."

With a crooked grin in her direction, I hope she believes that I'm not too worried. Although I can be pretty transparent. The entire drive to her sister's house, I practice introductions in my head. "Hey, I'm Edward Cullen and I'm in love with your sister."God, I'm going to fuck this up. I want to punch the steering wheel in frustration, but I know that will only frighten Bella.

Her sister's house is beautiful. With a wraparound porch, white trimmings, and a giant garden, I'm sure it is every girl's dream. I wonder if this is the sort of thing Bella wants. A white picket fence and a perfect family.I could give her that. Couldn't I?

Her sister must have been waiting at the door, because she is running toward us as soon as I we get out of the car. She is tiny, with short black hair and a bright outfit. Although she doesn't seem to have much in common with my girlfriend, they do complement each other, and it is obvious they are related. I gather Charlie from his car seat and carry him towards Bella and her very excited sister.

"Alice, this is my boyfriend Edward. Edward, this is my older sister Alice."

Alice stares at me with wide eyes for a moment and I stare back in confusion. I can't tell if she finds me horrifying...or if she finds me attractive. Either way, this girl is definitely different.

"It's amazing to meet you, I've heard so much about you," she finally says with a giggle. "And this little guy must be Charlie," she coos.

Bella laughs at her sister's enthusiasm. I have to chuckle as well, I've never seen a smaller or more excited person in all my life. She is my girlfriend's opposite and before we go inside I have to promise myself that I will not get annoyed by her. It's nothing against Alice, but as an introvert I'm not too into people who are so loud and outgoing. It always throws me off until I've had the chance to really get to know them.

"He is so cute, Edward. You must be so proud of him," Alice says, approving of Charlie.

I'm surprised that she is so friendly, speaking to me as if she has known me for years. This isn't something I'm really used to. I usually have to try pretty hard before someone can open up to me. Seth used to say it was because I gave people bad vibes, but that was back when I was a hot head who was constantly looking for a fight. Now I only look dangerous and have to try my best to make it clear that I am conformed.

"I am," I confirm with a small smile tugging on my lips, "Charlie is amazing and just so smart. He will grow to be a lot smarter than I ever will," I laugh, knowing that if I'm able to give Charlie the best life possible, he will be better than pretty much everyone.

Alice laughs with me and Bella beams at me, obviously happy that her sister and I are getting along so well. I hear the sound of the front door opening and closing, and look up to see a man holding a toddler in his arms coming toward us with a welcoming smile.

"Hey Bells," he says with a slight southern accent before turning to me, "You must be Edward, I'm Jasper, your girlfriend's brother-in-law," he says, giving Bella a wink.

Bella flushes, and I wonder how much she has said about me to her family. I wonder if they know my entire situation, and Charlie's as well. It's weird, thinking that I am the type of man a girl would brag about having as a boyfriend. With the way, I'm being treated by Alice and Jasper, it appears that Bella has been bragging about me. The thought is overwhelming.

"This is our little girl, Cyndy," Jasper says, introducing his shy daughter. "Say hi, sweetie," he encourages her.

"Hi," she says softly, "I three." She holds up three of her fingers and smiles.

With jet black hair and pale skin, she looks just like her mom, and while she seems shy, I'm sure she acts like her mom too.

"Who dat?" she asks, pointing to Charlie, who is looking back at her with wide and curious eyes.

"This is my son, Charlie," I tell her. I don't see the point of calling Charlie my nephew anymore. While he is not biologically my son, I love him just as much as any biological parent could. Besides, when I say nephew, I feel as if I have to give everyone the story of my fucked-up past...my fucked-up life. Why go into all of that if you don't have to?

"He cute," she giggles, before placing her thumb in her mouth.

I smile, hoping that this little girl could be a friend to Charlie. He needs someone closer to his own age to play with, I'm sure. There aren't any kids in our apartment complex and he won't be going to school for a while. He needs some sort of contact outside of Bella and I.

The time spent with Bella's family goes much better than I had expected. They aren't as judgmental as the people I am used to, and don't make me feel bad about my job, money situation, or lack of college education the way other's always have in the past. Only an hour into our dinner, and I feel as if I have made two new friends. Jasper is a cool dude and I'm happy to find that we have a lot in common. He's very intelligent and is a college professor, teaching computer science at a community college nearby, and like I once was, he is a big geek. While the girls chat, we are discussing the Star Warsprequels and laughing at George Lucas's attempt at a romance. Bella smiles at us throughout dinner, and I know that she is happy I have found a new friend in town, because outside of her and Emmett, I really don't have anyone.

"Can me play wif baby dadda?" Cyndy asks, barely able to stay in her seat.

Jasper gives me an inquisitive look and I quickly affirm that it's alright. Charlie has been sitting on my lap throughout dinner and I know he wants to stretch his legs. I stand up with Charlie in my arms, and move to follow Cyndy into the living room.

"Want a beer, Edward?" Jasper calls out, before I hear his wife shut him up.

I tense for a moment, feeling like shit all of a sudden. It's embarrassing that I couldn't hold my liquor in the past, it's embarrassing that I had a problem.

"I'm good," I say smoothly, "I'll take a bottle of water though."

Jasper gives me an apologetic smile, and I know that Bella must have told them about my past. At least to some extent. The thought makes me angry, because I wanted a chance to start off fresh without my past staining my present. Even in my anger, I know why she did it. Being the person that she is, I know she wanted to protect me from any temptation. Most men can come home after a long day of work and grab a cold six pack, unfortunately, I am not most men.

Pushing those uncomfortable thoughts aside, I join Cyndy on the carpet with a restless Charlie in my arms. Now that my boy can stand, it's all he wants to do. Of course, he can only stand on his own for a few seconds, but because of carpeted floors, he doesn't mind too much. Cyndy runs to her room to gather a few of her favorite toys as I allow Charlie to play on the floor. He stands up, and falls back down, stands up, and falls back down, until he eventually grows bored and reaches for me.

"Da da," he giggles, "da, da, da!"

A giant smile spreads across my face and I gather him into my arms. Alice jogs into the room with a bottle of water, and smiles at us.

"Was his first word 'Dad'?" she asks, handing me the drink.

"Well, 'Da,'" I correct her with a smile.

"That's the cutest thing I've ever heard," Alice gushes, just as my girlfriend walks into the room.

"I doubt he knows what he is saying," I laugh, not wanting to admit how much his first word touched me.

"I'm sure he does Edward," Bella says with a smile. "Edward is an incredible daddy," she tells Alice.

My heart swells at her words and I feel like the most important man in the world all of a sudden. Bella thinks I'm an incredible daddy!Being turned on by the word 'daddy' falling from her lips, momentarily distracts me from how fucking happy I am.

Bella is proud of me, my beautiful girlfriend is proud of me, and that fact means the absolute world to me. In that moment, I know I can be good for her, I know I can be the man that she needs.

A/N: Let's just say I had a bit of an ulterior motive for introducing Alice and Jasper…

I've been sharing pics of what I imagined Edward's tattoos to look like on my Facebook group The Highlander Princess's Clan…so go check it out and let me know what you think!

Song- "Fatalist Palmistry" by Why? (One of my favorite bands).