Hello Guys, I'm back again! I am so happy that you guys are enjoying this story. I hope you all will continue to read as the story goes on. In this chapter, we will finally have Bella come face to face with Esme and Carlisle. I hope you'll enjoy it.


Chapter 11

It was officially Sunday evening and Bella and I were preparing to head over to my parents' house for dinner...or trying to at least. I never realized how hard it was to get a two-year-old to stay still long enough to put on their shoes.

"Isaac, come here!" Bella called out to him as she chased him all around the downstairs.

"No!" Isaac told his mother. "Pway! Pway!"

As entertaining as it was to watch these two, I could see Bella was getting more flustered and I knew we had to leave shortly. So, when Isaac was running through the dining room to get away from her, I decided to help out and cut Isaac off in the kitchen. When he turned the corner, he ran straight into my waiting arms.

"Nice try buddy," I said as I caught him and brought him over to the counter so his mother could finally put his shoes on him.

"No nice, Eddie," Isaac pouted while Bella tied his shoes on.

"I know, kid," I told him pridefully.

When the shoes were finally secured on his feet, Bella picked Isaac up from the counter and placed him on the floor, kneeling to give him one last look over. Bella had put him in a pair of black dress pants along with a white button-up shirt and black vest with a striped clip-on tie that I was sure he was not going to keep on for long. While she was dressed in a long, flowy wrapped burgundy dress that was noticeably low cut.

I tried explaining to Bella that this wasn't a formal event. I was just wearing a pair of khaki pants and a blue relaxed polo, but Bella was dead set on looking nice.

"This is the first time I am meeting your parents, Edward," She told me. "I want to make a good first impression." So much so that she had spent much of the day preparing a dessert to bring over to the house. Or should I say desserts

"I hope they like these," Bella said as she grabbed lemon meringue pie and a plate of chocolate, peanut butter brownies that were sitting on the stove.

"They will," I told her. Bella had spent the last couple of days picking my brain, trying to figure out what to bring for Sunday dinner. After much defeated argument, I mentioned my dad's love for lemon and mom being a chocoholic. She went ahead and made both desserts. I again told her this was all unnecessary, but she wouldn't listen.

I've come to notice how stubborn Bella is. When she puts her mind to something, you can't get her to change it.

While Bella carried the desserts out to the car, I went ahead and carried Isaac. Once he was strapped into the car seat the three of us headed out. My parents lived a little way outside the city, so it took about an hour to get there. When we finally pulled into the long driveway, I watched Bella as the large structure slowly opened up in front of her and her eyes immediately grew wider. The house was hidden amongst a large wooded area, which was void of all the noisy intruding sounds of the city. It was a modern type home but still had some old charm to it as well. There were many floor to ceiling windows scattered all around, which always provided a pleasant view of the surrounding area.

"This is the house you grew up in?" Bella asked astonishingly as I parked the car in front.

"Yup," I said unfazed. "My parents bought it right after Alice was born and we've lived here ever since."

We got out of the car and Bella stood staring in wonderment.

"This is incredible," She said as I came up next to her, holding a resting Isaac.

"Yeah, it's nice."

"Nice?" She looked at me like I was crazy. "It's insanely gorgeous."

"My mom said the same thing when she first saw it," I said.

Right on cue, my mother emerged from the house.

"You're here!" She cheered as she walked out the front door and the front porch. She made a beeline right over to me pulling me down for a makeshift hug, as Isaac was stilled nestled at my side.

"Hi, mom," I said to her.

"Hi, honey," She replied, letting go of my embrace. "It's so good to see you." She then looked over at Bella as she stood there silently.

"You must be Bella," My mother acknowledged as she stepped towards her. Bella simply nodded. "It's so nice to meet you." She said holding her hand out in front of her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cullen," Bella said, shaking her hand.

"Where?" My mother suddenly looked over her shoulder. She then turned back toward Bella.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," Esme apologized. "You said 'Mrs. Cullen' and I thought my mother-in-law was behind me. Which would be weird, since she's been dead for eight years."

Bella was taken back a bit by at my mother's warped humor and I just rolled my eyes.

"It's just Esme, sweetie," She clarified.

"Esme," Bella repeated. A whine caught mom's attention and she then set her eyes on Isaac as he stirred awake.

"Aww," Esme cooed at the toddler as she approached him. "Who is this handsome little man?"

"I Isaac," He said once he had woken up some.

"Hi Isaac, I'm Esme," My mother introduced. "I'm Edward's mommy."

"Eddie's mommy?" Isaac asked.

"That's right sweetie. Just like you're mommy's baby. Edward is my baby," She tried explaining.

"Eddie no baby," Isaac said, shaking his head.

Esme laughed before she answered. "Well, not anymore. But, no matter how old he gets, Eddie will always be my baby boy," She pinched my cheek and squeezed as if to emphasize her point.

"Ma," I groaned, pulling away from her grip and she laughed once again. This time, I also heard Bella giggle a little behind her.

"Alright, alright," Mom declared. "Come on Bella, let's head inside. Your sister and Jasper are already here, Edward." She then wrapped her arm around Bella's shoulders and guided her up to the house.

"I see you brought some things, Bella," My mother acknowledged, noticing the desserts covered in tin foil.

"Oh yeah," Bella said, remembering what she was carrying. "I hope you don't mind, but I didn't want to show up empty-handed."

"Not at all," Esme assured her, taking the food from her.

We climbed the stairs up to the front of the house and after we walked through the front door, Bella stood in the foyer, taking in the interior of the house.

"Wow," She said, not sure if she meant for it to slip. "Your house is beautiful, Esme."

"Thank you, Bella," Mom said.

"Why do you guys so far out here?" She asked my mother.

"Carlisle and I both worked in the city for many years, all we ever heard was the sound of traffic and people yelling and just noise every day. We wanted our home to be an oasis from the craziness of Chicago. A place where we could find peace," She replied.

"I get that," Bella agreed.

"Bella?" My sister's voice called out from somewhere in the house. She then appeared in front of us, coming towards us with her arms wide open.

"Hi!" Alice exclaimed as she wrapped Bella in her arms. Bella responded by wrapping her own arms around her as well.

"Hi, Alice," Bella greeted. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too. Come here, let me look at you," Alice said, taking Bella's hands in hers and had her show off in front of her.

"You look amazing," Alice complimented.

"Thank you," Bella said shyly. "You have good taste."

"I know," Alice agreed with a look of pride.

Once all the hugs were passed around we headed into the living room. I placed Isaac on the long, L-Shaped couch while the rest of us got settled.

"Hey, guys," My dad welcomed us, as he descended from the nearby stairs.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted him as I gave him a quick hug.

"Son," My father acknowledged, then gripped my shoulders. "Don't you ever do that to your mother again, do you understand me? The woman was close to a nervous breakdown which was causing a lot of stress on me. You know what they say; 'Happy wife, happy life.' And I was having neither." He said with a crazy, exhausted look in his eye, which caused me to have a good, hearty laugh.

"Sorry, pop," I said to him. He then eyed over in my mother's direction to show he wasn't the one I was supposed to be apologizing to.

"I'm sorry for putting you through that, ma," I expressed to my mom, giving her another hug.

"I know baby," My mother said. "Now, I'm going to go put these desserts upstairs."

"I'll help you, dear," My father offered, following behind her. "Can I get you guys anything to drink?"

"Sure dad. I'll take a beer," I told him. "And...Bella what would you like?" I asked, turning in her direction.

"No, I'm good," She answered. "Oh, that reminds me though. I left Isaac's diaper bag in the car."

Bella then started heading towards the front door before I swiftly grabbed her arm to halt her. "It's okay, Bella. I got it," I said, making my way to the car.

When I came back inside, with the diaper bag hanging over my shoulder, mom was waiting for me with a beer in hand.

"Thanks, Edward," Bella came over with Issac on her hip, while he was holding his striped tie in his hand.

Called that one.

As I tried handing off the bag to Bella, my mother quickly intercepted it, handing me my beer in the process.

"How about you give Bella a tour of the house, Edward, and I'll hang on to little Isaac here," My mother offered while she stretched out her arms to take the toddler from Bella. But, Bella quickly pulled Isaac away from her reach.

"That won't be necessary Esme," Bella smiled at her, trying to play off her reluctance to give Isaac over to her.

My mother looks over at me, giving me a warry, worrisome look. I quickly give her a nod to answer her unspoken question. I can understand Bella's reluctance to let Isaac out of her sight, even if they were in the same vicinity. Aside from the occasional times I would hold him or help with him, Bella always had Isaac with her. Whether it be to cook, sleep, or even shower Bella never let that boy out of her sight. I could understand why though; Bella was still terrified of James finding them and taking Isaac from her. So she was in constant warrior/mama bear mode all the time.

"It's okay, mom," I told her. "I think Isaac would like to see the house as well. Right, buddy." Isaac just looked at me while he drank from the sippy cup that Bella had given him.

"Alright," My mother agreed. She then took the diaper bag and headed back towards the living room. I placed my hand on Bella's back and led her and Isaac up the stairs.

"I hope your mother didn't feel offended," Bella told me as we walked up to the second floor of the house. "I wasn't trying to be mean."

"No. no, you're fine Bella," I attempted to reassure her. "You're not offending anyone. My mother can understand why you're hesitant to let Isaac be away from you."

I continued to lead Bella up to the second story of the house. I took her around to show her the various rooms; my father and mother's shared office, Alice's room, and also mine.

"Your parents kept your rooms the same," Bella mentioned looking into my bedroom.

"For the most part," I told her. My parents believed that taking down our rooms meant we were no longer welcomed in the house. So, they kept everything pretty much the same in both our rooms. My posters from high school had been taken down and I took most of my CD and book collection with me when I moved out, but my full-sized bed and several photos still hung in the room. Bella stepped inside with Isaac still on her hip and looked around my childhood bedroom.

"It's very nice, Edward," She told me as she took everything in. I noticed Bella looking over at the pictures hanging on the wall next to my old bed.

"Is this you?" Pointing at the picture of me covered in frosting and standing on top of a table.

"Uh, yeah," I told her and went over to pick up the picture to get a better look. "I think this was at my...third or fourth birthday party. My mom said that after I blew out my candles I was too excited to wait for her to cut the cake so I dug my face right in."

"Why are you on the table?" Bella asked.

"Because after my mom got my face out of the cake and my dad got it away from me, I tried chasing after it."

Bella and I both shared a long laugh as I reminisced about my youth. Once the chucking had died down Bella walked over to the few CDs that were still here. She began scanning over the titles, probably trying to gain some more insight about me. "A lover for the classics?" She asked.

"A little bit," I said. "Mostly I just used them to practice with my piano lessons."

"You can play the piano?" She seemed very excited about this.

"Yeah, my parents got a Baby Grand when I was about ten and I started taking lessons soon after."

"Do they still have it?"

"Yeah, it's in the library, I can show you if you'd like," I offered to her.

Bella simply nodded and soon we made our way down the hall.

We entered the library and again I saw Bella's face grow stunned. The library was one of the largest rooms in the house and painted in a rustic red, brick color that had bookshelves that had been built into the wall, practically from top to bottom and each one was filled with a line of books. In the center of the room was my Baby Grand Piano along with a few brown leather barrel chairs scattered around it. Although it was still at my parents' and they did pay for it, I was the only one who ever played it so it was always considered mine. Bella walked in and stood by the piano.

"Do you know how to play, Bella?" I asked as I walked over to her.

"No," She chuckled. "My parents tried getting me into lessons as a kid, but months of practice and hundreds of dollars later proved I had no musical abilities."

"I'm sure that's not true," I said.

"It is," She said matter of factly. "I can not play a single instrument or carry a tune to save my life. But I've always loved the sound of a piano."

"Well, maybe I could play you a little something after dinner," I offered.

"That would be lovely," she said as she put Isaac down and took a walk around the room. I watched as the tips of her fingers grazed the spines of the books as she read their titles. She walked over to the far side of the room, walking up the two steps that lead over to an archway window. She stood for a moment, while the light from the evening sun engulfed the room and aligned her body perfectly. I joined her there.

"Wow, that's beautiful," Bella said when I got close enough and looked down to see what she was admiring. Below the window of the library was my mother's garden.

"Yeah, that is new," I explained. "After Alice and I moved out and my mother had decided to retire, of sorts, she needed a new hobby. So she took up gardening."

Esme's garden had been growing now for almost six years and currently took up a quarter acre of land and was flooding with an abundance of color. My mother grew every flower from calla lilies to hibiscus to forget-me-nots. Even in the small pond at the far corner grew a few lotus flowers.

"It's gorgeous," She said breathlessly.

I simply nodded in agreement. While I admit the garden held some beauty, standing next to Bella, watching the sunlight cast an amazing shadow effect across her features. I couldn't help but think there was something more admiring to look at.

Bella looks in my direction as she feels my eyes on her and gives a gentle smile. "This place…" She trails off as she turns around to stare back at the entire room. "This whole house. It's just...it's incredible, Edward. It's almost like something out of a fairytale."

"Yeah, I loved growing up here," I told her, mimicking her movement and turning as well.

"I can imagine how easy it was to swoon the girls when you showed them this place," She joked with me.

"I didn't bring many girls over here when I was a teenager," I told her and she turned her head at me in surprise.

"Seriously, Edward?" She asked. "I don't buy that."

"Honestly, Bella," I said. "I might have brought one or two girls here in high school. You're the first woman I've brought home since my Freshman year of college."

"But I am not a girlfriend," She said.

"You are not," I replied while having to remind myself as well.

"But I'm sure, although you haven't brought all of them home. You've must have had your share of girlfriends," She says to me.

"Not really," I told her.

"Wow."

"Is it really that shocking?" Not sure what to make of her reaction.

"Well, yeah," She answers. "Don't take this the wrong way, Edward. I just always assumed someone like you would have had a mass of girls at your disposal.

"What do you mean 'someone one like me'?" Trying not to be offended.

"Just, someone who is kind and smart and who is...handsome," She ended in a whisper.

Bella thought I was handsome?!

This was certainly new.

"I guess I'm just not that desirable" I answered Bella's previous question.

"That's ridiculous,".

Bella then looked at me dead in the eyes, completely serious. "You're an amazing man, Edward Cullen, and any woman would be lucky to call you 'theirs.'"

I felt comforted by Bella's words. I had seen my share of admirers in my day. A few dozen women or so pinning for my affection. Wanting to share a dinner or even just a chat over coffee, but I never paid much attention, I was not really interested in any of them. How ironic it would seem, that the only woman who I want to pay attention to me is the beautiful, petite brunette standing beside me. And yet, she is the only one I can not have.

The universe or fate or whatever you want to call it; She's a cruel bitch. I thought.

"Thank you, Bella," I tell her. "That's very sweet of you to say," I didn't know when I did, but I was suddenly aware that I was holding Bella's hand in mine and she too was gripping mine. I looked down and took notice of how good our hands were interlocked together.

"I'm serious, Edward," She said sternly. "I'm not just blowing smoke up your ass." I laughed at her analogy.

"I know you're not," Bringing our conjoined hands to rest on top of my chest, holding them there. We then just stood there, clasping hands and staring at one another. It was another one of those moments where time stood still and I just took in Bella and all of her beauty. Staring at Bella, with this light, she truly looked like an angel. The sun caught in her hair causing it to change from its usual mahogany brown to almost a dark red shade. Her eyes had brightened into a warm, golden glow. And her cheeks had been contoured to create an elegant image before me. It felt as though I could stare at this woman all day and never grow tired of it.

And I gladly would have, had it not been for the sounds of an off-key piano.

Isaac had found his way to the large instrument and began to climb on top, causing his feet to beat against the ivory keys, and just like that, another moment between me and Bella was abruptly cut short.

"No Isaac," Bella made her way over to remove the mischievous toddler from the baby grand.

"I'm so sorry, Edward," She apologized when she had secured Isaac back onto her side.

"It's fine, Bella," I told her. "You don't have to keep apologizing for him, you know? He's two, he's going to get into stuff. It's what kids do."

"I know, I just don't want you getting mad at him if he accidentally damages or breaks something," She tells me.

"How could I ever be mad at this face," I tell her as I cup Isaacs face in my hand, causing him to smile. Bella laughed a little, staring at her happy child and then looking back at me with equal joy.

"We better head back down, though," I tell her. "Dinner's probably ready by now."

Bella agreed and the three of us headed out of the library and went back downstairs.


I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I am hoping to have another chapter posted this Sunday and am to start writing Chapter 13 this weekend. I can't make any promises, but with luck, everything will go according to plan. Leave me some love guys and have a great weekend.

Until Next Time...