"Dad, I have to be ready to go in a few minutes. Do you think that this could wait until I get back? Esme says that she goes all out on Christmas Eve. It would be rude for me to show up late."

Charlie was fidgeting on the couch. "It won't take long, Bells. I just need to talk to you about something."

Now I was worried. Charlie looked like something was bothering him. Had he found out about Edward sneaking into my room a couple of nights ago? Surely not. He would have just gone ahead and killed him. I sat down and waited, suddenly extremely nervous.

He exhaled sharply. "Okay, here it goes, Bells. I've been watching you and Edward over the past two weeks. It seems that you two are more serious than I'd like you to be, but here it goes."

I jumped to my feet quickly, "Please, no. Please tell me you're not trying to have a sex talk with me, Charlie." I was so dumbstruck, I slipped and called him by his first name.

He kept looking at his hands. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but as your father, there are things that I need to talk to you about."

I paced away from him for a moment. This was just far too embarrassing. "Dad, Mom and I already had this talk. Will you just let it go, please?"

He looked tempted, "Bells, I know you don't want to talk about it, and you know I really don't want to hear about it. Just promise me that you're being safe."

I groaned, "Dad, I really wish you would let this drop." I ran my hands through my hair in aggravation. "Here's the deal, okay. Edward and I haven't done anything. He's been a perfect gentleman in our relationship."

Charlie snorted, "I bet he has."

I nearly growled at him. "I can't believe you are making me say this, but I'm still a virgin, Dad. And to be quite perfectly honest, I don't have any intention of changing that status any time soon. I could feel the heat from my face, though I didn't know if it was because of the embarrassment of the subject or simply the anger I felt at my father for bringing it up.

He looked satisfied and let me go long enough to finish my hair for dinner. I ran up to the bathroom and quickly began to pile the curls I'd spent hours making on top of my head. I gave myself a once over before heading to my room to put on my dress. It was a simple blue dress. Edward had once told me that he like it when I wore blue. I slipped on my shoes and walked downstairs to see Charlie answer the door. Edward looked amazing standing in my doorway. I leaned against the railing and watched him talk to my father.

After a few moments his eye flickered up to mine, and he went completely silent. Charlie turned around to look at me a well. They both stared at me for a few moments, inspiring a blush that I knew put many of my former blushes to shame.

Charlie spoke first. "Bells, you look beautiful."

I nodded and took the last few steps to the floor and looked up to Edward, who still hadn't spoken. I tried to read his face, but he seemed to have frozen in his place. "Edward?"

"You look perfect," he choked out. As soon as he'd recovered he walked to my side and respectfully kissed my cheek. "Forgive me," he whispered into my ear, "It's just not fair. Nobody should look so tempting."

I let out a sigh of relief as he pulled back to smile at me. I turned toward my father and kissed his cheek lightly before turning toward the door. "I'll be home in a little while, Dad. I expect you to be up in the morning and at the tree as always." I heard him chuckle in response. He was apparently happy with our earlier conversation because he was acting more relaxed. It could also have something to do with the fact that he was planning on spending the night with Sue since we did the Christmas morning thing by ourselves.

Edward held my door open for me and we were soon off. Edward held my hand on the console, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. The contact allowed me to feel calmer, but I was still reeling over the conversation that Charlie had forced me to have.

My distraction did not go unnoticed. "Love," Edward said quietly. I looked at him and realized that his attention was fully on me instead of the road. I was nervous until I realized that we were actually parked in front of his house. "You've been quiet since we left, what's on your mind?"

I shook my head and tried to smile. "I'm just a little tired. It's harder to sleep on the nights that you're not with me." It was true, but it wasn't the truth. I didn't want to tell him, though part of me knew there was no way around it.

He studied my face carefully. I could see in his eyes that he didn't believe me. I turned quickly to open the door, in hope of escaping the embarrassing topic, but Edward was faster. His hand caught mine before it could reach the handle and tugged at it until I was forced to face him. "First of all, you should know better than trying to open a door when you are with me. You are special to me and will be treated as such." He pulled me close and grinned that stupid, sexy, crooked grin that I could not resist. I felt a little dizzy, and slightly intoxicated by his close proximity. "And secondly, I know you far too well to believe that your behavior is due to sleep deprivation. Now," he brushed his lips against mine, "Will you please tell me what's bothering you?"

A moment too late I realized what he was doing. He was dazzling me on purpose. I shoved against his chest, "Fine, I'll tell you."

He smirked and allowed his grasp upon me to loosen, though he never let go of me completely. I was glad for that. I hated not being near him.

I sighed in resignation. "Charlie decided to act like a father today. Before you came he decided that it was time to have 'The Talk'"

Edward stared at me as if he couldn't comprehend what it was that I was saying to him. His eyes had glazed over and his mouth was slightly ajar. I waved my finger in front of his face. "Edward, talk to me."

He blinked a few time, "Your father is going to kill me, isn't he?"

I laughed at the horror in his face. "If he's going to kill anyone, it's going to be me. I nearly died of embarrassment tonight when we talked. To make him shut up, I had to admit to him that I was a virgin." My laughter stopped immediately and I dropped my gaze to the console where he still held my hands. I had never told him this information before.

He moved my hands so that both were resting in only one of his before placing his free hand under my chin and lifting my gaze to his. "There is no reason to be embarrassed, Bella. Physical relationships should not be taken lightly. And God knows, whatever man you decide to give yourself to will be the luckiest man to ever walk the earth."

I sat back a little stunned, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make me feel so important. There are millions of girls out there who are smarter, more beautiful, and…and…well jut more worthy of you. I can't understand why you would waste your time with me. I just can't see how you can love me."

His lips crushed mine and I let my insecurities subside for the moment. I could not deny that there was true feeling behind the way our lips moved together. All too soon, his lips separated from mine, and my insecurities resurfaced. A small tear trickled down my cheek and he wiped it away.

"Bella, never doubt that I love you. There is no one in the world who I have ever met that makes me feel half of the emotions that I feel for you. I have been in love with you since August when you fell in my arms. Please believe me."

I sighed and leaned forward to press my lips to his again for a moment. "It's not that I doubt your feelings, Edward. It's just that I don't understand why you have them."

He shook his head sadly. "Will you never see yourself clearly?" He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "You are amazing, and I can't believe that I've found you."

I smiled and he kissed my forehead before getting out to open my door. He held his hand out to me and helped me from his Volvo. We walked toward the house, hand-in-hand.

We weren't fully in the house before I was tackled by a blur of something short with black hair. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Bella, it' so good to see you!"

"Alice!" I tried to get out with the little air I had with her squeezing my midsection. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Texas with your parents."

She giggled and pulled away, finally allowing me to breathe. "I wanted to surprise you. I convinced my parents to do Christmas in Seattle. This way they could meet Jasper. Right now they're with his parents. Isn't this so much fun? Apparently, this is like the biggest party of the whole year."

I laughed, "Alice breathe." I watched as she took a few breaths. "Okay, now, I'm glad that you're here. I've missed you so much"

She smiled a blinding smile and began pulling me toward the kitchen and away from Edward. He gave me a sympathetic smile before turning to Jasper who I hadn't seen standing there while his girlfriend had been tackling me. "Esme, she's here, she's here!" Alice shouted as we entered the kitchen.

Esme chuckled, "Alice, dear, I think the whole state of Washington knows that Bella's here." I loved the tone of Esme's voice. It may have appeared that she was chastising Alice, but she was amused. It was the same tone she took with her sons and husband. Alice must be fitting in quite well. "Bella, honey, where's Charlie? I told you that he was welcome to come as well."

I smiled, Charlie had come with me to dinner last week and had been finding ways for me to bring home Esme's cooking ever since. He would actually have to find an excuse to come here to get food. I hoped that Carlisle wouldn't mind his constant presence. "Since Dad and I celebrate Christmas in the morning, he decided to spend Christmas Eve with Sue and her family while I was here."

Without turning from the plate she was putting together, she asked, "Does that mean that you'll be spending the night?"

I bit my lip and blushed, "I have to be home early in the morning. Charlie and I do Christmas morning together, though I'm not sure he'll be there on time." The last part was meant to be under my breath, but she heard me.

"Don't be silly, Bella. You're going to stay here. There's no reason for you to be in that house by yourself, and Edward can take you home early if he needs to." She turned back to me with a bowl of salad in her hand, "Now, go put this on the table, dear. Now that everyone's here, I want to get the food going."

I smiled and took the salad from her. I placed the salad in the middle of the immaculate table. I looked around and noticed more than just the eight settings that I was expecting.

As soon as Esme, Alice, and I started placing things on the table, the boys began to gravitate toward the smell. Emmett came in dragging Rose. "Esme, you should have told me that you were putting things out. You know that I love to help you."

Esme smiled apologetically at Rose and hugged her. "I'm sorry sweetheart, it' just that I wanted to get to know Alice. You know that I like to get to know all the women involved in my boys' lives."

Rose laughed, "You are a silly woman sometimes. Jasper isn't even one of yours"

Esme smiled and I realized that I'd never seen these two interact before. The easy banter had us all laughing. "What's one more? Beside, with how often he found his way to my dinner table, I think I've earned the right to call him one of my own."

"Only if you cook like this forever, Mom," Jasper said with a full mouth.

Esme swatted his hand away from the food. "We haven't even said grace yet and you're already stuffing your face?" She turned to Alice, "You're going to have your hands full with this one."

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my back against his chest as he chuckled. "I think it's the other way around, Mom. You may not realize it, but that one is nothing but an energizer bunny with ten pound of caffeine in her."

Alice just stuck her tongue out at him before bounding over to Jasper. Soon everyone was at the table and we sat down to eat.