- Chapter Number Ten -
At dinner, Phil shakes Edward's hand politely and offers me a kiss on the cheek in greeting. I'd met him a handful of times, but he was nice enough. We were okay with one another but were also both fine with a basic level relationship. He's not about to start behaving like a stepfather. I was too old for that.
Emmett and Rose sit with her parents at a different table from ours. From the looks of things, they were all getting on fantastically. Emmett was speaking animatedly with her father, probably about football - her mother chiming in every so often.
I sit at a table beside my mother, Edward, by my side. He pushes his food around sighing.
"I'm sorry," I whisper for the tenth time.
"Oh," he smiles at me, "it's fine."
It's really not.
Emmett had burst out in loud laughter when I'd revealed I'd mistakenly told my mother that Edward was a vegetarian. Edward had clearly tried to fight a angered expression but he let it slip - I appreciate he cared so much about my feelings that he was willing to hide his totally acceptable outrage.
"No meat this entire trip?" Edward had looked at me in heartbroken shock.
"Just not in front of my mother," I had said with my hands up in apology.
My hand rests on his knee beneath the table, offering an affectionate light squeeze every now and then.
"I'll make it up to you," I lean closer to him, "Tomorrow we could do that boat thing that Rose mentioned. The venue set everything up for the wedding so I don't really need to be here. We can take stuff for lunch and spend the day swimming."
"That sounds nice," he places his cutlery down and looks at me, "I can organise it. Emmett and I both have a boating licence so we don't need to hire anyone to drive it. It can be just the four of us then."
"Of course, you have your boating licence. There's nothing you both can't do," I playfully let my eyes roll.
"So Edward," Renee interrupts our conversation, leaning across me, "I do hope my daughter is making your trip worthwhile."
"So far I have zero complaints," he smiles at me, "she's a beautiful host."
"You're too sweet," she places a hand on her chest, "my Bells has always been such a sweet girl. A little shy at times but she has always made me so proud. I just can't wait for the day she gets to be a mother too and experience everything I have had because of her."
"Mom," her compliment warms me but I don't need this tangent right now, "let's not get into that."
"She's told you about the dating show incident?" She completely ignores me.
"Umm," Edward looks at me unsure of what to say.
"It was horrible as a mother to watch," she puts her hand on my shoulder, "I wanted to reach through that TV and beat the daylights out of him. You're much nicer and I know you'd already never do anything that stupid to her. I knew the second I saw his bleached smile he was bad news."
"Of course not," Edward takes my hand in his and squeezes, "she's one of a kind."
"Do you kids ever plan on taking it to the next step? Bella said you travel a bit. So how will that all work? Will you move in together? Marriage? Kids?" Her eyes widen on that last one.
"Mother," I snap my head to her, "it's only been like a month. Please stop mortifying me right now."
"Oh Bella, so what," she shakes her head, "you gotta lay down what you want asap. Otherwise, you waste your time."
The woman onto her second marriage giving relationship advice. Right.
"We haven't had those discussions yet. But I'm open to hearing Bella's dreams and adjusting mine eventually," Edward glances at me, "I'm hoping over the next year or so that work won't pull me away as often."
"Maybe your kids could have a huge skyscraper each," Renee winks at me.
"Stop with the kids thing," I beg.
"Fine," she rolls her eyes, "but if I get any say I want them to be with this one, Isabella. The genetic pool would be deep."
"Jesus Christ," I look at Edward in horrified embarrassment.
He doesn't seem offended at all. In fact, he is grinning at me, enjoying my mother's helicoptering. Perhaps enjoying the response it's eliciting in me.
"It's okay," he leans forward, whispering against my cheek, "I'm okay. Please don't worry."
He pulls back to take my hand in his lap, squeezing my fingers between his lightly.
"Oh, Phil's uncle is cornering my single friend," my mother gasps standing, "I better go save her. Excuse me."
Renee dashes off in a direction I don't care about. I'm busy looking at him trying to understand the breed of butterfly he's created in my stomach - nerves or legitimate feelings?
"I'm sorry," I shift in my chair so I can face him better, "what a disaster. If I ever meet your parents please tell them to go hard on me."
"It's not that bad I promise. You'll definitely meet my parents," he promises, "what about your father? Where's he in all this?"
"He actually lives near yours. He's chief of police in Forks," I say, "a small town near Port Angeles."
"Oh right," Edward nods, "I think my father has worked at the hospital there before. He had to train some doctors there."
"My father is doing okay with all this wedding stuff I guess. A little sour about it all but he's fine," I shrug, "he hounds me less about my love life. In fact I hound him more about his. He needs to get back on the horse after all these years too - perhaps a slower horse, but a horse still. Maybe a shetland pony."
"What's his name?" Edward draws small patterns on my hand, using his thumb.
"Charlie," I say, "his personality is more like mine. He's very subdued."
"I hope to meet him one day. Perhaps we could do all three parents at once," he offers, "you know my mother would be obsessed with you. Rosalie too."
"Oh, what's she like?" I try not to let myself run away with the hope of that.
I try not to picture inlaws and marriage - I've only known him for such a short time. But part of me can't help but picture it.
"Kind. The most beautiful woman I know - aside from you of course," his expression turns to one of great fondness as he speaks of her, "my parents adopted the three of us. My parents died when I was a child and my father Carlisle took me in. The other two came not long after and made us a family of five. Esme is unable to carry."
"What incredible people," my admiration for the people that raised this man raises, "I still have yet to meet Alice, but I'm sure she's excellent."
"No doubt she'll fall head over heels with you. She is a little firecracker," he chuckles, "her husband is such a quiet person. It amazes me how he keeps up with her."
We trade stories of our families until the night runs away from us.
We say goodnight to everyone and as we walk together back to our room hand in hand I realise tonight was different. Dinner was different.
It's feeling less and less like we are pretending.
Edward's hands grab me around the waist, folding in across my stomach, as I stand at the bow of the ship. Watching the water move around the ship, the sun beaming off the surface. Paradise completely surrounded me.
"Are you hoping for a Titanic moment?" he jokes as I grip the edge, leaning back into his chest.
"Would you draw me like one of your French girls if I asked?" I twist slightly so I can turn my head to look up at his face.
"Oh would I ever," he kisses my temple.
I'm enjoying the feel of my skin against his bare chest.
He had pulled his shirt off when we first boarded and it was an absolute sight to behold. Rosalie had smacked my arm giggling - I was almost actually drooling. His body was divine. Every curve and dip in his muscles made my hands ache, fighting to not reach out and touch. He even had that hot V thing men have at their waistline.
While Emmett was bulky and buff, Edward was perfectly chiselled in a way that made me want to stare at him for hours.
His hands slip to toy with the string of my bikini bottoms, flicking the bows mindlessly as he watches the water. I'd pulled on a black swimsuit which was actually Rosalie's. We were similar sizes so we constantly traded clothes. It always made her boobs look good so I'd stolen it in hopes it would achieve the same thing. She'd been happy to tell me it had done that exact job when I asked her.
Emmett had served up some burgers for lunch and now that our food was settled we were turning out attention to swimming. The water was crystal clear in the private cove we'd found up shore from the resort. Mountains bordered us, a small section of sand on the coast.
Rosalie and Emmett had already made a splash, enjoying the water together trading splashes between kisses and laughter at the back of the boat.
"Are you getting in?" Edward asks.
Twisting in his hold I glance around him back at Rosalie and Emmett. The boat was relatively small. It had a BBQ on board, seats around the edges and a small covered cabin in the centre.
The wedding is tomorrow. It's nice to have spent a day relaxing knowing that tomorrow has the potential to be anything but.
"Sure," I nod.
He begins to move away from me but my hand darts out to stop and pull him back.
"Just one thing. I… has something changed for you?" I bite my lip, nervously unable to meet his gaze.
He steps back and puts his hands on my waist. A finger tucks beneath my chin to tip my head up to meet his, making sure our eyes meet.
"What do you mean?" He asks.
"It's just… last night it felt easy. Like I didn't have to try to fake it. Like it felt real," I place one of my hands on his chest, "playing pretend didn't feel so pretend. It felt normal and comfortable. Maybe it was the talk we had the other night and being so vulnerable with each other…"
"I know you might want me to say I've been pretending, but I honestly haven't," he pulls me closer into him, "every movement I've made around you hasn't been forced or for show. It's because I wanted to touch you or flirt with you. To kiss you. I've never had to pretend to want you. I just do."
"What?" I ask.
"To your mother, the guise is we're together and have been for more than a month. To me we're in the thick of getting to know one another so our reality can catch up to your mother's," he explains, "tonight let's have dinner. Just the two of us. A third date during our second date. No fake boyfriend crap… just you and me."
"I'd love that," I nod.
"Great," he beams down at me, "I'm excited to finally get you alone."
There's hidden meaning behind his plans and it sends a shiver right down to my core. I let him go and begin to head toward the back of the boat to join Rose and Emmett. But his hand grabs for me this time, pulling me back into his hold.
As I crash into his chest, he leans down and presses his lips to mine. A hand straying dangerously low on my back. I'd wish he'd feel for more. Falling into his lips, I relish the feeling of his tongue slipping past my lips and into my mouth. Tangling and twisting together, we take the brief time we have to enjoy one another's taste. I let slip a moan, unable to hold it in as I reach up to wrap my arms around his neck, determined to pull myself closer. But much to my dismay he brings our makeout section to a halt.
"As if I'd let you go without that," he whispers against my lips, "that was 100% not fake."
"Noted," I whisper back, "Can I expect some more not fake kisses at dinner?"
"You can bet on it," he winks at me.
Thank you for reading
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