A/N: Hey! I was meant to upload this HOURS ago but I have been absolutely engrossed in a wonderful fic, called 'Where The Heart Is'. It was beautiful and incredible and just so much more than I was expecting. I loved it so much I read it in one day! Links are sketchy in fanfiction and never work but it shouldn't be hard to find! If you haven't read anything by BitterHarpy, then I really recommend that you do! You will NOT regret it! I started with her WIP (and almost complete) story, 'The American Princess' (another amazing story) and I am hooked! I've made it my personal mission to read all her stories now! Don't worry, I'll still take time to write this! ;)

Just for clarification, I'm recommending 2 stories by the same author: Where The Heart Is by BitterHarpy and The American Princess by BitterHarpy.

Thank you for reviewing. Let's just get straight into this next chapter. We left off with Edward waiting for Bella to arrive... I hope you enjoy!

I'll Always Find Peace In The Meadow

Chapter Twenty-two: 'wow!' (Edward POV)

Saturday 27 May 2017

"You guys really don't need to be here when she arrives," I try for the umpteenth time since the clock struck 1:30pm. My parents are stood off to the left of the door and I know Bev is pottering around close by. Alice sits on the stairs to the left of the foyer, sighing every few seconds.

My dad gives me a stern look, so I shut my mouth and go back to tugging at my helpless hair. My sister sighs again. "I know this girl hasn't had the best upbringing, she probably has no manners of any kind, but you'd think she'd have the decency to arrive on time," Alice complains. My mother obviously agrees with Alice, nodding and then looking at me like it's my fault Bella is late. Only by four minutes.

"Alice, please don't talk like that. I know you're apprehensive about this girl being here, but we are civilised people. We won't be rude." Did the Princess Doting Carlisle Cullen really just tell her off? I have to try extremely hard to stop my mouth from dropping open. There's nothing I can do about the widening of my eyes however.

"But, Daddy-"

"No buts, Alice," he interrupts her whine with a stern look. And for once the famous Carlisle Cullen glare is aimed at his beloved she-can-do-no-wrong daughter. This time I do a poor job at containing my astonishment. Even my mother looks shocked... though her expression could be better described as appalled. "You may not like this girl, but you can't say what kind of upbringing she has had. You don't know her well enough. Your brother on the other hand," he trails off and once my shock at his chastising Alice dwindles a little, I realise that all three of them are looking at me like they're waiting for me to actually tell them about Bella's life.

"What? I don't know either," I say, a little flustered at being put on the spot.

"I thought she was your friend?" my mom asks, a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised.

"She is but she's also a very private person," I say defensively.

"Hmmm," is all my mother responds with.

Alice is mid sigh number 1001 of the day when there's a timid knock on the door. My heart does a little jump in my chest at the sound, and then tries to leap out all together when I see my father heading for the door. No way! I speed walk past him, reaching for the handle before he can greet her with the same attitude he had all them weeks ago when we first arrived and scare her away.

"Hey," I reply much more calmer than I'm feeling as I pull the door wide open. Bella's eyes are wide as she takes in the foyer behind me.

"Hi," she breathes. I step back and she shakes her head as if to clear it, smiling up at me in thanks as she steps forward. "Sorry I'm a little late," she says, but she doesn't expand any further. Not that I mind. I don't need to hear the reason why. My parents on the other hand... "Oh," she squeaks, coming to a stop on her way into the house. Her mouse like squeak is accompanied by a soft gasp from my mother, and I know that at that exact moment, my mother gets a good look at Bella and recognises her from the day we arrived. It was a piece of information I'd purposefully kept quiet... a piece of information I'm surprised my sister didn't tell our parents the moment it was decided they'd be meeting Bella again at some point.

I close the door behind her and when I turn, anxious to see what caused Bella to make that noise, all I want to do is bury my face in my hands. She's been startled by the intimidating wall of my family. "H-hello," she says timidly. There's a tense silence for several seconds before my father steps forward, ever the charming face of the Cullen family.

"Welcome, Isabella. I'm Carlisle, Edward's father. This is my wife, Esme, and I believe you already know Alice."

Bella's frozen for several beats of a minute. Stood to the left of her, I can see the visible sign of her pulling up that wall she seems to have constructed around herself. It's been crumbling away the more time we spend together, but once in the presence of others, it gets put back up. I've seen it happen around her boss, too.

"Yes, I do," she nods, her voice a little stronger than before. "Hello again, Alice... Mr and Mrs Cullen, thank you for having me in your home. It's... it's beautiful," she says, almost breathing the last word, awe filling her voice.

"Of course it is," my mother replies insolently. My mouth gapes slightly at the rudeness of my usually well-poised mother. The tensing of my father's jaw is his only reaction to his wife's rudeness. There's an elonged, awkward silence that's broken only when Bev enters the foyer, attempting to appear casual, but I know her better than that. She's saving us all from ourselves.

"And this is our housekeeper, Beverly Howard," my father, who sounds as relieved for the break in silence as I am, says when she enters from the direction of the kitchen. Bev is all smiles as she comes toward Bella, who's expression is less relaxed. She sticks out her hand to Bev before the older woman can get close enough for a hug. It didn't escape my notice how neither of my parents offered Bella even a handshake when she arrived. I catch Bev's falter at Bella's formal action, but she takes it all in stride and shakes her hand firmly.

"It's lovely to meet you," Bella says to Bev with a tight smile, and then looks behind Bev and says, "it's lovely you meet you all." I can sense another awkward silence coming, but Bev isn't about to let that happen anytime soon.

"It's wonderful to meet one of Edward's friends! I've heard so much about you." Bella and I blush at the same time, though my slight embarrassment quickly turns to nerves when I spot the way my parents glance at each other upon hearing Bev's words.

"Well, I'm sure you're all busy, so we'll get to studying," I say, not bothering to wait for a response from my family as I grab Bella's hand and pull her in the direction of the stairs. The quicker we can leave this room and the stuffiness of it, the better.

"Edward." I halt at the top of the stairs and turn when I hear my mother call my name. Everyone's eyes are trained on mine and Bella's clasped hands. Even Bella's focus is drawn to them. I consider letting go of her hand for a split second, but quickly decide against it. I don't know why, but her hand fits mine comfortably, and I don't know how to feel about that. All I do know is that I don't want to let go right now.

My attention is given to my mother, who is noticeably pale all of a sudden. She blinks several times before her eyes meet mine. "Maybe you'd like to give Isabella a tour before you begin tutoring?" Her suggestion comes as a surprise to me, and the other members of our family who turn to look at her. All she offers is a tight lipped smile.

"I'll come with you!" Bev quickly includes herself.

After that declaration, there seems to be a mutual agreement as stilted smiles are offered. Well, only by my father. Mother and Alice turn and leave without any attempt of a smile at all. The others hastily disperse, leaving me, Bella and Bev stood by the stairs. I instantly feel relief flood me, at ease now that the initial greetings have passed.

"Okay then. Shall we?" Bev takes the lead as we guide an amazed Bella around our large home.

~I*A*F*P*I*T*M~

"Your house is... wow!"

I chuckle as I walk to my wardrobe to hang Bella's coat on the hook inside. That's all she can say. She's repeated the same statement four times now.

"It is pretty great," I say, heading back into my room. I sit down at my desk and face Bella, who's demurely perched on the edge of my bed.

"Great? That's the definition of an understatement, Edward. Your house is... wow!"

"Okay, you can stop saying that now, Bella," I say, chuckling nervously. Her astonishment is starting to make me feel a little uncomfortable. Mainly because I know how she views this house. It's so different from hers; I don't want her to view me in a different way because of the house I live in.

She giggles, covering her face with her hands. "Sorry. I keep saying that, don't I?" She peeps between her fingers to watch me nod, an almost natural grin on my face. "When can we go see the rest of this floor?" she asks, excitement colouring her tone. This is the most animated I have seen her... ever. Her brown doe eyes are sparkling this afternoon. It really is a wonderful sight. And a wonderful feeling, to know that I will only add to that when I take her to see the rest of the lower level. I stopped Bev from leading us through to the great room and media room down here, because I want to show Bella those rooms a little later on. I cannot wait to see her reaction to the grand piano that sits in the aclove of the great room.

"Once we've got some studying done, because knowing you, you won't want to leave those rooms for a while after," I reply with a chuckle.

She nods, reaching down for her bag that she placed by her feet before she sat down. I turn away from her as she does this, facing my desk. My back is to her for no more than three seconds before I'm swiveling in my seat at the sound of her sharp intake of breath. A pained sharp intake of breath.

"What's wrong?" I ask, concerned. She has her eyes closed and her expression is pinched with pain.

"Nothing. I... I just slept funny last night. My ribs are a little tender, that's all."

I mustn't look very convinced because when she looks up at me, she tries to offer me a smile. "Seriously, Edward. I'm fine. The sooner we get started with maths," she says the word with much abhorrence, causing me to smirk, "the sooner you can show me those rooms you so adamantly want to hide from me."

"Okay," I say, chuckling as I turn back to my desk. "How long have we got today? Can you stay for dinner?" I ask, keeping my back to her. My stomach is in knots as I await her answer. When she doesn't reply, I turn back to face her.

"I can't stay for dinner," she says, sounding as disappointed as I feel, "but I can stay till... five p.m.?" she suggests, to which I nod, glancing at my alarm clock. We have a few hours. I mentally decide that we'll study until four, leaving us an hour to relax and just hang out.

There's a knock at my door which draws both of our attention. I get up to open it, revealing Bev stood holding a tray filled with two bottles of water, two empty glasses and some snacks. "What's all this, Bev?" I ask, not expecting it.

She walks past me, stopping beside my desk as she tries balancing the tray with one hand so she can make some room on the surface for it. Before I can utter an offer to help, Bella is stood, moving things aside. Wordlessly, she takes the tray from Bev and places it down. "Oh, thank you, sweet," Bev says, a little taken aback by Bella's help.

I may offer to help Bev whenever I see her doing something in my room, but she always refuses, wanting to do it herself. I know no one else in my family offers to help, and they definitely don't just take it upon themselves to help our housekeeper without asking, like Bella has just done. Bev is staring at Bella fondly. "Such a lovely girl," she praises quietly, causing Bella to blush and glance at me nervously. I smile reassuringly at her.

"I just wanted to bring you kids some snacks and drinks before I leave. You need to keep your energy up with all the studying you'll be doing," she says. Bella frowns.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, sweet. I've got to get back to my husband. I was meant to be helping him at his new florist today."

"Your Alan's wife?" At Bella's question, both mine and Bev's faces register surprise.

"Why, yes I am. How do you know my Al?"

Bella blushes again, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I go to the florist sometimes. I like... plants. It was such a shame when the old place closed down a few years ago. When I saw it reopened last week I popped in and got talking with the new owner. I didn't know you were the famous Lee. Alan spoke about you every other sentence."

Now it's Bev's turn to blush. "Yes, that's me..." She seems to think for a moment. "Your full name is Isabella, right?" At Bella's nod, Bev smiles. "That must mean your Iz?"

Bella nods, smiling. "Yes. As soon as I told him my name, he gave me a nickname," she replies. I silently stand by and observe their conversation. Bella visibly relaxes, smiling naturally. There are none of her nervous habits on show as she talks with Bev; she doesn't screw her hands up in the hem of her top; she doesn't bite her lip or chew her thumb nail in that way she does when she's anxious. For some bizarre reason, I feel a sense of pride.

"Oh yes, that's my husband. He gives anyone he meets that he likes a nickname. Edward here is Teddy, and Alice is Licorice," Bev tells her, leaning close and whispering, "though she never liked that much." Bella's laughter is light, and natural. I smile at them both.

Soon Bev has to leave, unfortunately. I know Bella feels the same. She sighs once Bev is gone.

"Well, we better begin or I'll never pass math," she says before sighing once more.

We settle down comfortably and begin the work I've got out for today. We start off sat beside each other, me on the desk chair and Bella in the chair that sits close to my desk, which we are both leaning on. About an hour and a half into our work, we migrate to the bed, for more room. Bella is led on her left side, across the foot of my bed, a cushion resting underneath her ribcage for comfort. She's facing the head of the bed, which is where I'm sat, leant up against the headboard. There are textbooks and sheets of paper, pencils, rulers and highlighters spread out across the bed between us.

"Wait, what? So, the tiny two-"

"Squared," I interrupt, providing her with the correct terminology. She rolls her eyes.

"Yes, squared... so when that's next to a bracket it really means to multiply the bracket by itself?"

I nod. Her nose scrunches up. "But why can't they just write it out with both brackets?"

"Because that's not the neatest form."

"Yeah, but it's the easiest form to understand. Why make it more confusing just so it can look neat?"

I purse my lips, unsure of what to say. She stares at my face for several seconds before she groans and hangs her head, frustrated. We've been going over this for the last fifteen minutes. "This quadratic equation stuff is a mind boggle." I chuckle, but try to hide my amusement behind my hand when she opens one eye to glare at me.

"You'll get it eventually, Bella. Soon you'll find it to be as easy as two plus two." Both her eyes open this time so she can glare at me fully.

"Yes. Maybe for you, Mr Einstein."

"Actually, I think you'll find Albert Einstein was a physicist more than he was a mathematician," I correct her with a smirk.

Something narrowly misses my face as she throws it at me. "Smart ass," she mutters, though I can hear the hint of amusement in her voice. The pull at the corner of her mouth doesn't go unnoticed by me either.

"Did you just throw a protractor at me?" I ask, shocked when I look down at the pillow beside me and see it laying there. The smile she was trying so hard to mask breaks through and soon we both burst into laughter. I fall to my side, struggling to catch a breath inbetween my guffaws.

That's how my mother finds us when she walks into my room, sans knock, as usual.

A/N: Uh-oh. Hateful, snarky Mrs. C caught them laughing. Wonder how she'll react?

So what do you think of the official first meeting between the Cullens and Bella? Let me know in a review! See you all on Wednesday!