o

"See? Everything is turning out well."

"You think? But I'm afraid, Irina. What if she finds me out? Sees me for who I am?"

"She sees you very clearly, Edward."

"I don't know… If she leaves me… I'll die if she leaves me…"

"Shh, darling. Try and relax, okay?"

o

"Your gran's armchair looks great over there."

"Are you sure? You don't mind?"

"Mind?" Edward chuckled and drew her in his arms, raining tiny, soft kisses on her neck and ear. "I love having you here. I can't wait to come home to you, finding you sit here by the bay window with a book…"

"Mmm…" Bella sighed happily, not so much at the visual, but at the things he was doing to her with his lips.

"Home," he whispered. "Our home."

"Yes…"

She twined her arms closer around his neck, deep warmth spreading through her stomach.

"I love you…"

"I love you too."

Edward's left hand wandered from the small of her back to her bottom, while his right travelled higher, cupping her breast.

"I'll never get finished unpacking at this rate," she chuckled into his chest.

"No hurry. You have time… We have time." He put a gentle kiss on her ear that made her shudder.

"We don't have that much time," she sighed. "Our families will be here in three hours." She squirmed as he nipped at her neck. "Aren't you nervous about them meeting?"

Edward's green eyes were serene as he shook his head.

"No. Why should I? They'll get along great. Your parents are nice, relaxed… so are mine. And our sisters will be there, too, and Emmett… It's going to be great, you'll see."

Pulling her close again, he buried his face in her hair.

Once again, she considered the differences between them. Where she was totally on edge, Edward stayed completely calm. On the other hand, things that left her unruffled could make him uneasy. Maybe it was a good balance.

"C'mon." She gave his chin a kiss and his butt a grope. "Help me with the food."

Edward growled into her ear, but followed suit.

.

Edward had been right in predicting that their family dinner would be easy. The meeting of the parents was cordial and warm, and the other family members only helped dissipate any tension that might have been there. They had endless topics to chat about, from art to social work and TV. Bella could tell that her dad was a bit impressed to be meeting Rosalie, whom he'd only known from the TV, and Jackie was openly admiring her.

Esme and Renee got along beautifully, and Esme and Ro insisted on helping Bella with dinner while Edward gave everyone else a tour of the house. The Swans had brought Pookie after asking Bella if it would be okay. When she'd brought it up, Edward's eyes had lit up, and he'd encouraged the plan.

Right now, Emmett and Pookie were in the garden, playing with each other.

Ro chuckled as she watched from the kitchen window.

"Em is such a child."

"Aren't all men?" Esme asked, not looking up from the bread she was slicing.

Bella, who was placing hors d'oeuvres on a serving plate, chewed on her lip and decided to speak up.

"You know, I've been thinking… do you think it would be nice for Edward if we got a dog?"

Esme and Rosalie both looked at her, two pairs of blue eyes alight with joy.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Esme asked.

"No, no. I wasn't sure."

"I think it's a great idea," Rosalie said.

Right then, there were voices from the living room, alerting them that the tour was finished, and a few moments later, all three women watched as Edward joined his brother-in-law in the garden, squatting down to pat old Pookie's head.

oOo

Dearest readers,

I'm going to take my MacBook to the doctor tomorrow, so I don't know when I'll be able to post again.

Sorry for not thanking each and every one of you for the sweet reviews – you guys made my week! Your words put a huge big smile on my face.

Your support means the world to me. I know, I've said it so many times, but it's true: I couldn't do it without you!

Have a beautiful, happy week.

Your

harperpitt