I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Cheryl and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

Ch. 6 Bella-16( July)

I grinned as Dad came to a stop in front of the cabin. Edward had been sitting on the top step and stood when he saw the truck. In his hands was a small bouquet of daisies and black-eyed Susans.

"Hi," I greeted him as I jumped out of the truck.

"Hey." Edward skipped a step on his way down them and held out the flowers to me.

"Thank you. I don't think we have a vase though." I frowned.

He held up a finger and then retrieved a small vase from the top of the stairs. "Aunt Esme didn't think you did either. She said you may keep it if you'd like. She doesn't need it back."

"That was nice of her. What are these for?" I gave them a sniff.

"To make up for not making it back for your prom." He gave me an apologetic grin.

"I knew you wouldn't. You did steal your uncle's car." I snickered.

"Borrowed. I borrowed his car," Edward insisted.

"Boy, you need a dictionary." Dad appeared next to us. "Our things won't unpack themselves from the truck," he hinted.

"Coming." I rolled my eyes. "Let me get these in water first."

"Great. Edward, since you're here, make yourself useful." Dad roughly shoved the box at Edward, which he caught easily. "Kitchen."

"Yes, sir." Edward nodded, and the muscles in his arms flexed as he shifted to adjust the weight of the box.

It took us about ten minutes to unload the truck. Edward followed me into my bedroom, bringing the last of my things. He tossed my bag on the bed and looked around.

"Wow, this room is really pink. Why didn't you ever change it?" he commented.

"Dad said it wouldn't be worth the cost since we weren't here that often. I've gotten used to it anyways." I stretched up on my toes to try and hang my dress on the curtain rod since the room lacked a closet.

Edward came over and helped me reach. "There you go, shorty."

"Hey, it wasn't too long ago that I was taller than you." I scoffed.

"Only ten years." Edward smirked.

"Ten? Nooo…wow really?" I realized he was right.

"Yup." Edward glanced at the door then leaned down to kiss me.

His lips were millimeters from mine when we heard Dad in the hallway. Edward pulled back quickly and took a few steps away from me.

"Bells, are you two going fishing?" Dad asked

"Of course, it's tradition," I said.

"Uh-huh. Just to be clear, the two of you're not allowed to be in this room with the door closed or at all if I'm not here." He gave us both a pointed look.

"Of course, Chief," Edward agreed before I could tell my father his rule was ridiculous.

Days

When we left the house, I grabbed my things and looked at Edward expectantly. "Where's yours?" I hoped we didn't have to go to his house.

"Would you be terribly disappointed if we didn't fish today?" he asked.

"What do you want to do instead?" I placed my gear down.

"Fish." He winked.

I caught on to what he was implying and blushed. "My dad is going to think something is up if we don't take it with us."

Edward picked up my stuff and ran it around to the back of the house. He returned empty handed. "They haven't checked up on us in years."

"True," I agreed as he grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together and started walking. "So are you going to tell me why you had me drag my prom dress up here?"

"I have something planned to make up for the fact that I didn't make it." He attempted to twirl me, but since it was unexpected, I tripped over my feet and collided into him. We both laughed as he steadied me.

"You know you don't have to do this, right? I've told you I didn't want to go to prom," I said.

"Humor me. If you don't have a good time then I won't make you go next year," he promised.

"Fine. But if I'm getting dressed up, you better be too," I insisted.

"My tux has been dry cleaned and is hanging in my Aunt's closet since I don't trust Tanya," he told me.

"What about Rosalie?" I questioned.

"She's not here this summer. My aunt and uncle refused to let her come after what the girls did. Tanya is only here because Aunt Esme doesn't trust her enough to leave her home. However, Tanya isn't allowed out of my aunt's sight at the moment," Edward explained.

"Good." I was glad I didn't have to deal with her cattiness.

As we got closer to our spot, I started to hear giggling and a deeper laugh. I glanced at Edward, and he scowled, looking pissed off. The laughter turned to a moan and other sounds of pleasure. I wrinkled my nose as I realized our spot was being desecrated and not by us.

"What in the hell—" I was cut off.

"Oh yeah, baby, just like that," Emmett moaned.

"Get a room!" Edward shouted in disgust before pulling me along on the path toward the beach.

"Ewww! Our spot has been defiled," I complained. "I guess he and Rose are off again."

"Yeah, Emmett was actually on our side after their stunt with Victoria. He didn't know what they were up to. He thought Victoria was my actual date," Edward explained. "By the way, I found out that stupid present from a few years back was Rosalie and Tanya—they framed him."

"I figured that out years ago, you were always quick to blame him. But who is Victoria? I thought you said the girl's name was Maggie or Margie?"

"Yeah…well what can I say never really paid attention to her before." Edward shrugged, looking adorable.

"Poor girl. She probably thought she was scoring big time with you and you didn't even know her name," I tsked, playfully.

"No worries, she ended up with the Prom Queen before the end of the night." Edward winked at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Good for her."

"Want to know another secret?" Edward swung our hands a bit.

"Since when do we gossip?" I shook my head, grinning.

"It's juicy," Edward hinted.

"Go on." I hated my interest was piqued.

"That was Heidi with Emmett," Edward told me.

My mouth dropped in shock and I found myself speechless for half-a-second. "Awww…she found her E."

Edward started laughing with me. We had reached the beach at this point and several groups turned to stare at us. I spotted Esme sitting under an umbrella with a disgruntled looking Tanya next to her.

"Aunt Esme, we're going out on the jet ski," Edward told her.

"Okay, have fun. How are you, Bella?" she asked.

I gave her a shy smile. "I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm well." Mrs. Cullen cleared her throat and gave Tanya a pointed look.

Tanya glanced away from her phone and gave me a forced smile. "Isabella, I apologize for my bad attempt at a joke."

I hesitated, wanting to call her out for it not being a joke and rejecting it because I didn't believe her. But I decided to take the high road since I didn't want her pettiness to ruin my day. Plus, if I wanted to confront her it wouldn't be in front of her mother.

"Apology accepted," I said.

We headed for the dock and passed a group of boys around our age. Edward paused and glared at them until they turned away. Edward let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around me. He leaned down to kiss me, but I pulled back after a quick peck, which he looked unhappy about.

"There are a lot of kids around," I reminded him.

"Right. Let's get out of here so I can kiss you properly." He nodded and pulled me along to the jet ski.

Edward tossed me a life jacket and I zipped it. He got on first, while I untied it. He held out his hand to me after I was done.

"Can I drive?" I asked.

"I have a special place in mind, but I promise to let you drive back." He patted the seat behind him.

I climbed on, and once I was holding on to him, Edward started up the ski. We drove around the lake and Edward pulled into a small cove, surrounded by trees. He cut the engine, and we bobbed around the water.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"Emmett's secret spot. If he's going to take ours, it's only fair we take his," Edward explained. "Climb up front."

I started to move carefully, but before I could sit he guided me until I sat facing him with my legs over his. He unzipped his life jacket and hung it on the steering bars, and I followed suit with mine.

"Finally." He grasped my hips and pulled me to him.

He kissed me deeply with our bodies pressed together. His hands ghosted down my hips and grasped my butt, pulling me even closer. I could feel his erection rub between my legs. His lips detached from mine, and I grumbled my disapproval until I felt him kiss along my jaw to behind my ear.

Edward tugged lightly on my rash guard. "Can I take this off?"

I nodded in agreement, and Edward pulled back then removed his shirt and tucked it behind him. He then took off mine. His eyes slowly raked over my body and remained on my chest.

"Hey, eyes up here. How would you feel if I stared at your—" My playful words trailed off when I saw the tent in his board shorts.

He cleared his throat then leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "You were saying?"

I blushed, looking up. "Do you have any sunblock? I didn't put on any under my rash guard."

"Yeah, there's some in the storage compartment. Aunt Esme likes to make sure we're always prepared," he answered.

I lifted the lid of the compartment and found it under a first aid kit. "Can you get my back?

"Any excuse to touch you." He winked.

I handed him the bottle and turned around. As he rubbed my skin slowly, I decided it was as good time as any to bring up college.

"Have you given any thought about going to any other schools but Northwestern?"

"No, why?" He traced circles on my lower back.

"I might have difficulty affording a school out of state, if I don't get a scholarship. Going to school here or in Florida, where Renée now lives, are my best options," I told him.

"You want to go to school together?" Edward sounded hesitant and his fingers froze.

"I have thought it would be nice to be able to be with each other more than two weeks a year."

He remained silent, and I suddenly felt very foolish.

"It was just an idea. Forget I said anything. Do you want to head back?"

"No, I want to stay right here with you." He wrapped his arms around me and placed his chin on my shoulder. "I guess I never gave it much thought before. But that doesn't mean I don't like the idea. I can be willing to check out some schools in Washington."

"Yeah?" I smiled.

"Yeah, but Florida's out. And I don't think you should go there either," he stated.

"Why not?" I questioned.

"The same reason why you don't live with her now." His voice had a cold edge.

"I'm staying in Forks because I'm tired of the back and forth. Besides, she's in a completely different state, and what happened wasn't her fault," I defended her.

"I don't know if I can agree with that. Could you get my back, please?"

We switched places, and I started to spread the lotion across his skin. I noticed even his back looked toned and ripped. I felt him relax under my touch.

"I understand you're worried, but she's still my mom, and I'm not going to write her out of my life. I visited her at Christmas, and everything was fine. Her new boyfriend was nice—kind of nerdy and straight laced even."

"What is his name?" Edward asked.

"Phil."

"Phil what?"

"I have no clue." I shrugged.

"Could you find out? Has your dad run a background check on him?" Edward was tense again.

"I don't know. Will you calm down? You're overreacting," I told him.

"I'm not overreacting. I love you, dammit, and I won't ever apologize for wanting to protect you," he snapped.

"You what?" My eyes widened.

"I…shit. That's not how I wanted to tell you—"

"Edward—"

"I had the perfect evening planned out. I wanted to sweep you off your feet—"

"Edward—"

"Especially, after our disastrous first date—"

"It wasn't—"

"Just forget I said it."

I got up and moved so fast to face him that I rocked the jet ski off balance. Edward made a grasp for my hips, and we both fell in. We both surfaced at the same time. I wiped the water off my face and started to laugh.

"Well, I've been swept of my feet," I joked, and Edward scowled as he treaded water.

I sighed and swam over to him. "Edward, you're being too hard on yourself. I enjoyed our first date, I'm sorry you didn't. And what you've planned is really sweet. It's okay it didn't go perfectly, but the important thing for you to know is, I love you, too, Teddy."

His face softened. "I love you, Boo."

I wrapped my arms and legs around him before kissing him. His arms held me tightly and my breasts were pushed up against his chest. We made out for a few moments, before we realized we needed to get our things before we lost them.

Days

The two weeks went by quickly. We spent a majority of our time making out and getting more intimate with each other. Thankfully, it was normal for me to wear rash guards because I had a love bite on my left breast that my bikini never would've hidden.

I wished I had a better mirror than the bathroom one as I checked my appearance. I was glad I chose a modest sweetheart neckline or the mark might have shown. I fixed a loose strand of hair just as there was a knock on the door.

"Bella," Dad called.

"I'm coming," I yelled back, pausing in my room to grab Edward's present.

My heels clicked on the wooden floor as I made my way into the main part of the house. Both Dad and Edward looked my way as I entered. Edward looked even more handsome in his tux in person. I did a small spin, letting the skirt brush against my calves.

"You look beautiful," Edward told me.

"He's right, you look all grown up," Dad admitted.

"Thank you both." I handed my phone to Dad. "Can you take a picture for Mom. Waist up so I can be spared the lecture how prom dresses are supposed to go to the ankles."

"Sure," Dad agreed.

"The length of the dress matters?" Edward asked as we posed.

"Apparently to some. I could care less about it, but I'm sure Tanya will have a quip about it." I shrugged.

"Tanya went home with my uncle this morning. Emmett is out for the evening too. It will be only Aunt Esme to chaperone us," he said.

"Alright, enough chatter so I can take this picture and get back to my game," Dad mumbled.

We smiled and Dad gave me back my phone. Edward offered me his elbow and led me out to the waiting golf cart.

"I thought we could arrive in style," Edward joked.

"Fine, by me. These heels aren't going to work on uneven ground." I took them off and put them on the floor of the cart.

"Then why even wear them in the first place?" Edward laughed.

"So I wouldn't be lying to my mom when I said I wore heels." I smirked.

The drive to the Cullen's was longer than normal since we couldn't take the foot path. We passed a few other residents, who gave us curious looks to see us all dressed up. Edward drove the cart up the drive and parked by the path that led to the back.

The path was lined with mason jars filled with twinkle lights. We held hands as we walked to the backyard. I now knew why I hadn't seen Edward all day and why he planned for our night to start at twilight. There were strings of lights hung in the branches and across the yard to look like a canopy of lights. Off to one side was a small bistro table set for two.

"Edward, this is amazing," I gasped.

"I'm glad you like it. I had some help, especially with cooking dinner. I'm not too handy in the kitchen. Would like to eat first?" He led me toward the table.

"I'm starved. What are we having?

"Chicken marsala served over pasta with sautéed kale and spinach," he replied.

"It sounds great." I kissed his cheek.

Edward pulled out my chair for me. "I'll be right back."

He disappeared into the house and came back after a few moments, carrying two plates and a bottle under his arm. He made his way carefully toward me.

"Would you like some help?" I offered.

"I got it." He placed my plate in front of me then his. "Bubbly?" He showed me the sparkling grape juice.

I nodded and he poured us both a glass full. Dinner was delicious and we made small talk, while some soft music played in the background. Edward ran into the house at one point to bring back chocolate cake for dessert.

By the time my fork scraped the plate clean, I was full. Edward removed my plate and placed a small gift bag in front of me. I handed him his and he smiled and set it down.

"You first," I insisted.

"Alright." Edward tore off the wrapper and examined the Swiss Army knife. "This is nice, thank you."

"It's one of the best sellers from the store I work at," I told him.

"Now you." He put the knife down. "And I doubled checked it wasn't switched this time." He grinned crookedly at me.

I pulled a small jewelry box out of the bag and opened it. Inside nestled against the satin was a silver teddy bear covered in crystals with Sapphire heart for the belly.

"Teddy, this beautiful, thank you. Will you help me put it on?" I lifted it out of the box.

"Of course." He stood and came around behind me.

Edward clasped the chain in place, and I centered the charm. He came to my side and changed the music. Then held out his hand to me as Ed Sheeran started singing Perfect.

"May I have this dance?"

I nodded and he led me a few feet from the table. We danced and twirled barefoot in the grass. As the song started to wind down, Edward held me close and leaned down to kiss me.

"I love you." His forehead brushed against mine.

"I love you, too," I told him.

This was the perfect moment.

A/N: Just for clarification, Jasper and Rosalie don't live with Carlisle and Esme. They live in Chicago like Edward(not with) during the school year. They've only joined the Cullens at the beach house but not every summer. Edward thought they were going to prom as a group. Em being Rose's plus one, Tanya as Jasper's. Tanya, Esme, and Em were visiting for the weekend. I hope this chapter also cleared up Emmett didn't know what was going on. He would've been away at college at this point, so it is reasonable he might have not known Edward was still with Bella. In fact, Emmett got blamed for a lot of things he didn't do. Will Bella get a chance to confront Tanya and Rose? Of course, but in front of Esme wasn't the time.

Besides, that we got our first 'I love you's and sweet way to make up that he didn't make it for prom. But let's face it, if a teenager hops a plane and flies half-way across country then 'borrows' a car, they are bound to get in trouble. I happen to love Ed Sheeran's song Perfect, I think it's perfect for childhood sweethearts.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.