A/N – Thanks to everyone that is reading and reviewing. I'm trying to get on a better update schedule so that you guys aren't waiting. I'm hoping to start updating at least once a week.
A big thanks to Christag Banner for all of your help!
Chapter Four
A week later Bella was at my apartment, cooking me dinner. We had seen each other every day since we talked last Saturday, and it had been great. We had talked about so many things, and I had learned a lot about Bella. Of course, my favorite thing that I learned was that I had been Bella's first kiss. That conversation was definitely a shock. It had happened at her house after class this past Wednesday.
"I have a question for you," Bella said as she snuggled against my side. Bella was a snuggler, and I had found that I actually really liked it. I hummed against her as I continued to play with the ends of her hair.
"You can tell me if it is too personal. But I'm just curious. You told me that you were never in a relationship because you didn't want to chance knocking a girl up. So does that mean that you've never had sex?"
It wasn't a question that I was expecting, but I knew it was something we would eventually have to talk about.
"No, Bella," I said. "I've never had sex. I've only ever really kissed a few girls. I haven't really done much else."
Bella looked up at me, shock evident on her face.
"Are you serious?" She asked me and I nodded. "Yes, I'm serious. There's never been anyone that I've liked enough to pursue a relationship with. And like I told you, seeing what Alice went through with Victoria made me very cautious. So I learned early on to just make do with porn and my hand," I said, waggling my eyebrows at her.
"You do realize that there are condoms? And birth control? You know, ways to not get pregnant," she said with a teasing tone.
"Does that mean you have those things, just waiting to make an honest man out of me?" I shot back at her, playfully.
She laughed and just shook her head. "You never fail to shock me, Edward. I was worried that I was going to be too inexperienced for you. I'm glad now to know that isn't the case."
"Well now it's your turn, Miss Swan. How many fuckers do I need to track down and beat to a pulp for having touched you before me?" I asked her, only slightly joking. I really didn't like the idea of any other guy having touched her before me.
She giggled and gave my lips a quick kiss. "Simmer down," she told me. "There's no one for you to track down. You were my first kiss."
I stared at her, shocked. My mind wandered back to our first kiss and how I had meant to be gentle, but ended up pushing her against a wall and claiming her mouth as my own. A part of me thought that I should apologize for that and tell her that if I had known I would have been more gentle. I would have made it more special for her. But I didn't say those things because the bigger part of me loved our first kiss. And I loved that it was me and no one else.
I was grinning to myself when my phone rang and I saw Alice's name flash across the screen. I answered, hoping to hear how my niece was doing.
"Edward! I miss you so much! You have to come see me and your sweet niece next weekend. Dinner at mom and dad's."
I smiled and said "Of course, sis. Anything to see my favorite girl. How is Victoria by the way?"
As Alice was telling me about how Victoria was doing, Bella leaned her head out of the kitchen and yelled out to me "I can't find the wine opener, sweetie. Do you know where it is?"
I put Alice on hold, found the wine opener for Bella, gave her a quick kiss, and then grabbed my phone again.
"Are you still there?" I asked, not sure if Alice had enough patience to wait for me.
"Oh I'm definitely still here," she said. "And you are definitely going to tell me who that girl was and why I haven't heard about her before now. You don't bring girls back to your apartment, Edward. Ever. So spill."
So I told her about Bella. I couldn't say much because Bella was here cooking me dinner and I didn't want to ignore her. But I told Alice enough to make her happy. It was also enough for Alice to demand that I bring Bella to dinner with me next weekend.
I hadn't actually thought about Bella meeting my parents. Part of that was because she already knew my mom. In fact, I knew that just last Sunday she had gone back to my mom's house for another book club meeting. So I hadn't really thought of needing to introduce Bella to my dad or my sister. But the minute Alice mentioned it, I realized that I wanted Bella to meet them. I wanted Bella to know every aspect of my life.
Later when we were eating the delicious dinner that Bella had made and I asked her about last weekend, I was rewarded with one of her beautiful smiles. Those smiles never ceased to make my heart start pounding, and I loved that the more time we spent together the more I saw those smiles. I loved knowing that I put them on her face.
A week later we were driving to my parents' house and I could tell that Bella was nervous. She was fidgeting in the passenger seat, and it was driving me insane.
"Bella, why are you nervous?" I asked her.
"I can't help it. What if they don't like me?" She said and I couldn't help but laugh.
"My mom already loves you. My dad will just be glad that I'm a dating a girl that actually has ambition. Alice will be happy to have a girl that she can drag shopping with her. And Victoria loves everyone. You will be fine baby," I told her and she gave me a small smile back.
When we got to the house, we had barely even made it to the door before my mother was opening it and pulling Bella into a hug.
"Oh Bella!" She exclaimed as she was hugging her. "I was so happy when Edward told me that the two of you started dating. I was hoping that this would happen!"
She let go of Bella and turned to hug me then, and I winked at Bella over my mom's shoulder. I could see that some of Bella's anxiety had lessened, so I was grateful for that.
"Sweetie, I can't believe that you are finally bringing a girl home for me to meet! And such a sweet one. I'm proud of you, Edward," she said, and I could tell that she was holding back tears. My mother was also so emotional and Alice definitely got her flair for the dramatic from our mother.
My mother finally allowed us to come inside, and that's when Bella met my dad, Alice and Victoria. She was overwhelmed by my exuberant sister and niece, and I could tell that she was trying really hard to make a good impression on my father. It worked, of course. My mom had obviously told him who her family was and I could see that my father was happy that I brought home a girl that was not only gorgeous but also smart and working towards a very high goal. At least I did something right for him.
As Bella was talking to my father about the classes she was enrolled in at the university, Alice came to talk to me.
"Edward, she's so beautiful! I had no idea that you had such good taste in girls," she said to me with a smile. I rolled my eyes, but I was also grinning. I loved that everyone else could see the perfection of my Bella.
"She's important to me, Alice. I've only known her a short while, but she means a lot to me."
Alice just squealed and threw her arms around me. Yea, she definitely got that from our mother.
Victoria came over to me then and sat on my lap.
"Unc Unc, are you going to marry Bella?" Victoria asked me. "My friend Katie said her daddy brought a girl home and then they got married. Is that why you brought Bella here? Because I want to be in the wedding! I can wear a pretty dress and tell everyone that my Unc Unc is the handsomest groom ever!"
Alice burst out laughing at the shocked expression on my face. My niece loved attention and she also loved asking questions. Only she would assume that my bringing Bella here meant I was getting married.
I looked at Alice for help but she just shrugged. "It's a valid question, Edward," she said, and I glared at her. I could see Bella and my dad watching me out of the corner of my eye, obviously waiting for my answer. Crap. Why did a five year old have to complicate everything?
"Tori, Bella and I aren't getting married. She's my girlfriend, but we are still in school. You never want to get married while you're in school because education is the most important thing in the world. Besides, you have to be at least thirty before you can get married," I said to her. Alice was snickering, obviously finding my claim humorous, but it was the best I could come up with on short notice. Besides, I wanted to make sure she knew early on that getting married young was not an option for her. Maybe I would let her after she was thirty. Maybe.
"But Unc Unc, Bella's pretty! If you marry her then I can show her to my friends!" Victoria explained, obviously put out that I wasn't marrying the first pretty girl that she saw me with. Oh to be that young and innocent again. Things are so simple in her mind.
Before I could say anything else, Bella sat beside me and brushed Victoria's curly hair away from her face. "Tori, just because Edward and I aren't getting married doesn't mean I won't be around. Any time you want to see me you can just call me. I will give your mommy my phone number. How does that sound?"
Victoria beamed at her. "Yay!" She exclaimed and then jumped off my lap, probably in search of Esme to tell her the good news. I turned to Bella and wrapped my arm around her.
"It seems as though you have definitely won over my niece. You're just so pretty," I told her and she blushed.
"She's not the only one I've won over apparently. I hear that I have myself a boyfriend," she said smiling at me. Yea, she had definitely heard the part where I told Victoria that Bella was my girlfriend. I guess I should have asked her first.
I smiled sheepishly at Bella and shrugged my shoulders. She giggled and kissed my cheek. "I don't mind it, Edward. I kind of like having a hot boyfriend that is all mine," she said and my heart started pounding a little faster. It felt damn good to hear Bella claim me as hers.
Alice broke our little moment when she exclaimed how adorable we were and then mom announced that dinner was ready. We all went into the dining room and began to eat. Everyone wanted Bella's attention. My mom wanted to talk to her about books, my dad wanted to talk to her about business classes, and my sister wanted to talk to her about planning a shopping trip. Even my niece seemed fixated on Bella and barely talked to me in favor of talking to her instead. But it made me happy. I was glad that she seemed to fit in so perfectly with my family.
As we were getting ready to leave, my father called me in to his office. I couldn't believe that I was going to get yet another lecture when I had come to have a nice family dinner. But my dad surprised me.
"Edward, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you," he said, and I raised my eyebrows, not at all expecting that.
"I know that you've been going to your classes more, which was one of the stipulations that I had given you. I also know that you aren't completely failing all of your classes this semester. It seems as though Bella and her goals and aspirations are rubbing off on you. You've done good, son. Keep it up," he said and I just nodded. This was the first time that I had gotten any kind of praise from my father in a long time. Of course, it's also the first time that I've done anything he wanted in a long time.
I told my father bye and then Bella and I left, with Bella promising Alice that she would go shopping with her next week. Once we got in the car, Bella attacked me. She grabbed my face and started kissing me, trying to get her body as close to mine as she could with the console in between us. I kissed her back hungrily, not caring that we were sitting in my parents' driveway. Nothing mattered as long as Bella's lips were on mine.
Once our kissing slowed down, I pulled back and smiled at Bella. "Not that I'm complaining," I said, "but what brought all of that on?"
She giggled and gave me one more quick kiss before straightening herself back in her own seat.
"I wanted to kiss my boyfriend. You just looked so sexy today and I was too nervous before we came to fully appreciate it," she said and I smirked at her. I was wearing jeans and an Aerosmith concert t-shirt, but I had learned over the past few weeks that Bella liked it when I just wore loose t-shirts. She said that it gave her better access to run her hands under my shirt and over my chest. And that was definitely one thing that Bella did a lot of, not that I was complaining.
As we drove back to Bella's house I apologized again for calling her my girlfriend without talking to her first. Bella just smiled at me and laid her head on my shoulder.
"I liked it, Edward," she said to me, quietly. "It was what I wanted, I was just waiting for you to catch up. I want to be yours and only yours."
I smiled at that thought. Bella was mine.
A/N – Things are going okay.. for now! Next chapter there will be one-on-one Bella and Edward time!
I've created a Twitter account.. I've never been on Twitter so I'm definitely still learning, but I am hoping to post updates on there about my stories. The link is on my profile!