Chapter 5

"Are you sure you want me to meet them tonight?" I asked, sitting down on Edward's couch as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. It wouldn't be long now before his parents arrived. I'd kept busy for the last hour and a half by reading, but now I was getting more and more anxious. "I mean, they're probably tired from traveling."

I was terrified, but I seemed to be hiding it well enough. I hadn't freaked the fuck out in front of Edward yet, so I considered that a win.

"Bella Swan, are you nervous?" He smirked as I smacked him in the chest.

"Yes! And it's not funny. I've never met someone's parents before."

He pulled me closer to him again and pressed his lips to the top of my head. "I really want you to meet them tonight. They're taking us out to dinner. You like food, remember? And it's free at that."

I honestly couldn't even think about food. The thought made me want to throw up. "It's just . . . I don't know what to expect. I like knowing what to expect."

He smiled. "Well, my mom will most certainly hug you — she's a hugger. But honestly, I'm not exactly sure what to expect either. Besides a few high school girlfriends, you're the first person that I've wanted them to meet. I do know they'll like you, though, so don't worry. And try to breathe normally. Passing out might not be the best first impression."

Yeah. My breaths were getting a little ragged. Oops. "I that really isn't the best idea, huh?"

Suddenly, his phone started ringing. As he pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen, he said, "It's them. Ready?"

No. "Yeah."

He answered his phone, which was his dad saying that they had just pulled up, but not to come down. Edward unlocked the building door and then we waited. For what really did seem like eternity. They knocked and Edward quickly opened the door as I stood to the side.

His mom came through first with his dad behind her, carrying a suitcase and bag over his shoulder, which Edward quickly took and placed on the floor. His mom was more beautiful than the pictures had shown. She was a small woman with the same bronze hair as her son. Honestly, she didn't look a day over forty — which I knew full well that she was. She threw her arms around her son's neck, gripping him tightly before releasing him and zeroing in on me as Edward embraced his dad — who was exceptionally good looking for his age.

This family had insanely good genes. I was a little jealous. His hair was blond, not a hint of grey that I could see and he was just an inch or so shy of Edward's height. Like, if I had a thing for older men, I'd jump him. That good looking.

I was probably going to hell for thinking that, in case you were wondering.

"You must be Bella," Mrs. Cullen said, taking a few steps closer to me as she grinned from ear to ear.

Just as Edward had said, she hugged me. I probably should have been more prepared for it, but I was not. I stiffened before realizing I'd done so and relaxed, hoping she didn't notice.

"It's good to meet you, Mrs. Cullen," I said as she released me.

"Esme, sweetheart, and I'm so glad to meet you!" She turned to her son and, I swear to god, gave him a thumbs up.

I had to laugh as he rolled his eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," Dr. Cullen said, holding his hand out for me.

I laid my hand in his, and he clasped his other one over it for a moment as he smiled. Ah, so that was where Edward got his manners from. "You too, Dr. Cullen."

"Please, Carlisle. We're so glad that you were available to meet us. Edward's told us so much."

. . . . .

Once their bags were unpacked and they were settled, we grabbed a taxi and headed to City Hall — a restaurant in TriBeCa. Before we'd left, I got to enjoy watching Esme boss her son around. It was hilarious and I kind of adored the woman already. She had a great personality. Loud but not obnoxious, funny but not at all mean, and sweet as could be.

"How's your fellowship going?" Carlisle asked Edward as we sat at the table, sampling the appetizers in front of us.

"Good. I'll be an attending in a few months, hopefully," Edward said.

"Has he told you how long he's been studying, Bella?" Carlisle asked with pride pouring out of him. "He graduated high school at fifteen and began medical school before he was twenty."

"Oh, you never told me I was dating a genius," I teased.

Edward shrugged, smiling. "I'm just committed. I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a surgeon, so I worked hard."

"As a child, we'd find him in Carlisle's study — one of his medical texts in hand," Esme said. "He would beg Carlisle to take him to work with him, but of course that wasn't enough. No, this child decided to sneak into an operating room's observation area. Carlisle called me, panicked that he'd lost our son."

"He was missing for two hours!" Carlisle laughed. "I'd left him in my office and he disappeared on me. Needless to say, I was yelled at by both my wife and boss. Edward wasn't allowed to come back for years, not even on career day."

"I watched a heart surgery," Edward said, grinning. "It was awesome."

I sat there silently, smiling as I heard more stories about Edward's childhood. Apparently his brother, Emmett, was the wild one while Edward was the most well behaved child in the world. I found that extremely easy to believe. The naughty sex-god must've come out in college. Once our food came, the conversation left Edward and focused on me.

"Edward said you're a writer, yes?" Esme asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I've published some young adult books and I freelance, writing articles for magazines and newspapers."

"That's wonderful," Carlisle said. "I'm sure you're very talented."

"She is," Edward said, smiling as his hand moved higher on my thigh.

Completely inappropriate? Hell yes. But, I liked inappropriate. And I liked his hand. A lot.

"Where are you from?" Esme asked.

"A small town in Washington State called Forks. It's west of Seattle."

"Oh, Washington is a beautiful state! We've gone to Seattle before because Carlisle had a medical conference there. Do you miss the small town?"

I sighed, forcing a smile. I missed it more than I could ever express, but it was more that I missed who had been there. "I do sometimes. I came to New York for college, and I just never left. My best friends moved here with me, though, so that definitely helps."

As we ate, I told them about Alice, more about myself, and eventually the conversation turned for me to ask them questions. They never once asked about my family, which made me feel relieved, but also somewhat sad. How I wished I had my parents to talk about.

I was sad that I didn't have the family Edward did because his parents were amazing. They loved their son so much and were so proud of him. I missed that most of all with Dad. I missed telling him about my books and hearing the pride in his voice. I miss knowing that anytime he'd see one of my books in a store, he'd buy it.

Seeing Edward with his parents made me miss mine, but it also made me happy. They were incredibly kind to me throughout the evening, and I truly believed they liked me.

Crazy, right?

It seemed like it to me, but eh. It just made me happy. Obviously the nervousness I felt before meeting them was entirely unfounded, but . . . I still was, somewhat. Their son was an amazing man. He had devoted so many years of his life to studying medicine and becoming the man he was. What if they realized I wasn't what was best for him?

God, I sounded like the most insecure woman in the world, and the handsome manhad done this to me by giving me all these feelings and hopes and dreams. But even with all of this insecurity, I'd never been happier.

. . . . .

After dinner, I'd taken a separate cab back to my apartment. Edward had invited me to stay the night, but I figured it'd be best if I didn't. We'd touch, things would happen, I'd be loud, and then his parents would hear. Basically, it was a recipe for disaster.

They liked me right now, after all.

When I woke up the next morning, I headed to the diner Edward and I frequented to meet him and his parents for a late breakfast. I found them in a booth, and Edward's eyes instantly zeroed in on me from his position facing the door. He rose from his seat, wrapping his arm around my waist as our lips met for a few brief moments.

Breakfast wasn't much of a fanfare — just some light conversation — and then we made plans for the day. They'd already purchased tickets for all four of us for a Broadway musical tonight, but before that, they wanted to do some sightseeing. It was funny, actually. Though I'd lived in New York City for almost ten years, I'd never done much of the touristy things — not even when Dad visited.

Well, unless you count the New York City Police Department museum. We'd gone there each time he'd come for a visit.

I had a surprisingly good time at each of the sights and shops we went to, even though the crowds were horrendous. We'd visited the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and ended the afternoon in Times Square for a late lunch. While we went about the city, my nerves around them had pretty much disappeared and I was able to learned more and more about Edward's parents while they asked me other questions.

"Okay, now I need to hear the whole story of how you two met," I said, laughing from watching Carlisle tease Esme.

If there was one thing — besides their ridiculously good genes — I'd noticed, it was that the two of them seemed so very much in love. They held hands throughout the entire day, he stole kisses time and time again, and the way they looked at each other . . . it was just clear as day that they were in love.

It was a beautiful thing.

"You get to start, darling," Carlisle said, smiling down at his wife as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"What has Edward told you?" she asked me.

"Just that you were a cop, which led to the two of you meeting."

"Well, that's true, of course. You know, my father always called my dream of being a police officer silly. This was the seventies and it wasn't as normal as it is today. But, it was what I wanted. I was a young girl with this idea of justice and right and wrong. I wanted to help people — to put the bad guys away. Anyway, I was on the force for two years before I was shot in the line of duty. I loved it. I loved the challenge of it, but of course it wasn't exactly how I'd dreamed. There were many bad days as well with hard cases.

"I was responding to a domestic dispute — very routine and common. Long story short about that, the man had a concealed weapon and began firing. I was hit in the abdomen, but I did manage to get a shot off."

"While on the ground, mind you," Carlisle added.

"Carlisle was my surgeon. I was awake when I was brought in, and though it's all a little fuzzy, I remember thinking, 'well, at least I get to see the handsomest man in the world before I die.' He was so calm and caring before I lost consciousness. When I woke up in recovery, he was there, hovering over me."

"I was completely unprofessional and inappropriate, and asked her out two days later," Carlisle chuckled. "There was just no possible way to resist such a magnificent woman."

"I looked like hell and we both know that," Esme said, rolling her eyes.

He kissed her temple. "Lies, Bella, lies."

I was smiling, laughing softly at their exchange. "Sounds like you two were meant to be."

If there were such a thing as fate, maybe that was what brought the two of them together. Horrible circumstances, of course, but they found each other.

Esme nodded, looking up at her husband before glancing back to me. "I believe so. It was an awful experience, but it brought me to the love of my life. We didn't date for long before we married."

"I couldn't help myself," Carlisle said.

"That's a really incredible story," I said. "Thank you for telling it to me."

"Oh, they love telling it, Bella," Edward said as his arm stretched over my shoulder, mirroring his father's position. "Trust me. It won't be the last time you hear it."

I smiled, hoping it wouldn't be. I really liked Carlisle and Esme. They were much easier going than I thought they'd be, and they seemed to be genuinely interested in me — in getting to know me. At one point during the day, we happened into a bookstore and Esme asked if my novels were there. I picked up a copy of my first book for her, even though it made me extremely nervous, and she promised to read it.

She bought my book.

She bought my fucking book, not because she was actually interested in reading it, but because she said she wanted to get to know me better. It scared the hell out of me, but also made me incredibly happy. I'd never wanted someone to like my books as much as I wanted her to because I liked her.

Edward's mother was . . . she was incredible. She was strong willed, vocal, and utterly hilarious at times. She reminded me of my own mother in a way — or at least what I could remember of her.

And Carlisle . . . well, Carlisle was great. He was so much like Edward in so many ways, and I easily recognized where Edward had gotten his mannerisms. He was quiet and thoughtful — one of the most polite men I'd ever met. And just like his wife, he was easy to talk to once I'd gotten over my nervousness.

The pride they had in their son brought a smile to my face each time it came out. He was lucky that these were his parents, and I was lucky that the man I'd become so incredibly fond of was raised by such amazing people.

. . . . .

After going home to change into a dress, I met Edward and his parents at the theater for Wicked, which I'd actually seen before with Alice. Once again, though, I adored the musical. The entire day had been so much better than I imagined, and I was saddened by the fact that Carlisle and Esme were leaving tomorrow afternoon.

Edward could only take so much time off of work, so the trip was quick. They'd be going back to Virginia to spend more time with Emmett and their grandchildren before going home to Chicago next weekend.

"Are you positive you can't come home for Christmas, Edward?" Esme asked once we'd gotten back to Edward's apartment.

It was a little past ten, but since I wouldn't be seeing them off tomorrow, the decision had been made for me to come back here for a little while with them.

"I'm sorry, Ma," Edward said, sitting down next to me after passing his dad a beer. "Next year will be easier to get time off since I'll be an attending. Hey, maybe Bella will want to come for a visit with me."

She grinned, nodding. "We'd love to see you again, sweetheart."

"I'd like that, too," I said, hoping maybe, just maybe it'd happen. "I'm so glad I could meet you both this weekend. I'm sorry we didn't have more time to get to know each other."

"As are we," Carlisle said. "But it's been nice to finally get to meet the woman our son is constantly talking about."

"Oh, yes," Esme laughed as I watched Edward blush ever so slightly. "He goes on and on and on about you. It's a constant."

"It's not a constant," Edward said. "But then again, I'm very fond of you, so it could be."

I smiled, laughing softly. "I'm very fond of you too, so I'm glad I'm a constant topic of discussion."

I really was, actually. It made me all fluttery and happy and smiley that he talked to his parents about me. There were much better words to describe it, but yeah. Fluttery and happy and smiley fit best.

I stayed at Edward's apartment until after midnight, talking to his parents about anything and everything someone brought up. Plans were made that once Edward finished his fellowship, he'd come home for a week and an invitation was extended to me. We'd been seeing each other for barely three months, but that didn't seem to concern anyone but me. And since it didn't concern them, I decided not to even think about.

I would, but I pretended to myself that I wouldn't because this was nice. This was what I wanted to think about . . . a possible future.

. . . . .

It'd been two weeks since Edward's parents left, and I'd barely seen him thanks to his work schedule. We'd kept in touch, of course, but it wasn't quite the same. I missed him. It seemed so utterly insane that I missed a man this much, but I did.

And it wasn't just the spectacular sex I missed, either.

No, it was everything. Every single thing.

"I'm getting out of this hospital tonight, got it?" Edward said as we spoke on the phone. "And when I do, I request your presence at my apartment. Preferably wearing nothing under a trench coat."

I laughed, though I was a bit intrigued by that idea. "Nothing, huh? Not even something sexy that you could rip off?"

"I'll rip off the trench coat."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. I guess the clothing could be different, but I do want you at my apartment at eight tonight. I'm picking us up dinner."

I smiled to myself. "Dinner with you sounds lovely, you know."

"Yes. Yes, I do. It's been too long since we've actually gotten to spend time together. At the risk of sounding extraordinarily clingy, I'm missing you greatly. So, will you be there?"

"Of course. And I miss you too, just so you know."

"Well, that makes me feel much better about my clinginess," he chuckled. "Eight sharp, all right?"

"Yes, Dr. Cullen."

He rolled his tongue, almost as if he were growling. Ah, so that did things to him? Wonderful. "I cannot wait to rip off whatever clothing you have on tonight."

"Feisty," I laughed.

"Horny, actually. And before I tell you to touch yourself, I better get back to work."

"I mean, phone sex could be hot."

"I'm wearing scrubs, woman. I'm extremely close to pitching a tent in these pants as I picture you spread out on my bed tonight, and I'm quite sure the parents of my patients wouldn't appreciate that."

"Probably not. I'll see you later."

"Yes, you will. Goodbye, beautiful girl."

I hung up the phone, grinning like a fool as I leapt off of my couch, running into my bedroom. I had two hours to get ready for tonight, so I didn't want to waste a single moment. I had missed everything about Edward, but let's face it, the getting fucked so hard I couldn't walk straight was quite high up on that list.

Once I'd showered, shaved, and picked out what to wear, I left my apartment at quarter 'til eight, arriving right on time, thankfully.

Moments after I knocked, Edward swung open the door, eyeing me up and down as he smirked. "Beautiful."

His lips were against mine as soon as the door closed behind me, and I soaked it up. His touch, his lips, his scent. Two weeks was much too long to go without getting to be alone with the handsome man.

"I have two days off," he said, smiling as he took my hand and led me into the kitchen. "I don't think you should go home within those two days."

"I like the sound of that," I laughed softly, sitting down in the chair he pulled out for me. "Aren't you tired, though? And oh, that smells really good."

He sat down across from me, nodding. "I picked up some Italian, and I'm fine, Bella. I've just been swamped lately. Besides my already scheduled procedures, I've had patient after patient come into the ER."

"At least you're getting surgeries, though, right?" I reached out, taking the container of pasta from him.

He nodded. "Yeah, the more surgeries I have, the quicker I can finish my fellowship. I'll probably be done around March now, according to my attending."

Over dinner, we continued to talk about his work. He needed so many hours in the operating room to complete his fellowship, and he was getting close. He'd already been hired by the hospital as an attending, so even though he was tired from working so much, it didn't bother him — except the fact that we hadn't seen each other much. He was just ready to finish his training and actually begin his career.

"You know, I'm not actually that hungry," he said, smirking as he dropped his fork. "Actually, I am, but not for this."

The way he looked at me made my skin tingle and I completely forgot about the delicious food in front of me. Within moments, we were in his bedroom and he was doing just what he promised — tearing the clothes off of me as I did the same to him. I couldn't take my hands off of him, needing to feel him against me. Our lips barely parted — only to breathe and pull the constricting clothing from each other's bodies.

"God, I've missed you." His voice was husky, so very sexy. His lips crashed back against mine as I tugged at the hair on the nape of his neck, trying to keep our lips together.

I was needy, and I wasn't ashamed of it. His hand was on my breast, kneading as his thumb gazed over my nipple. I arched into him, needing him to touch me more — needing everything from him.

When his lips left mine, I pouted for a moment until I realized why. He worked his way down my body, kissing every inch of my skin as he positioned himself between my legs. I squeaked in surprise as he pulled on my thighs, moving me further down the bed.

"Gorgeous," he said as his eyes fell between my open legs.

He ran a finger over my clit and down to my entrance. His touch was so light and soft, but I knew full well what was to come, and I couldn't fucking wait. He didn't make me. His face went between my legs and his tongue — his incredible tongue — laid flat against me, teasing me.

My hands found his, squeezing them tightly as his mouth worked on my clit — sucking, licking, nibbling ever so slightly. He had an incredible tongue, magical fingers, and a glorious cock. What more in the world could a girl ask for?

I came loudly, lasting only a few minutes as he did what he did best. I screamed, lifting my back off of the bed as my thighs tightened around his head. "Oh, god yes," I hissed, falling back on the bed, trying to catch my breath.

He moved back up my body, and I opened my eyes to find him licking his lips. "You taste so damn good, beautiful girl."

"Come here," I whispered, weaving my hand through his hair and pulling his lips to mine.

As we kissed, he positioned the head of his cock at my entrance, moving swiftly into me. The feeling of having him in me, just moments after I came was incredible.

But then, his phone rang.

He stilled inside of me and cursed, dropping his head onto my shoulder. "It's the hospital," he sighed.

As much as I wanted to beg him to ignore it, I knew he couldn't. His body left mine and I sat up, holding the sheet to my chest as he put the phone to his ear, answering as Dr. Cullen.

There was silence for all of a few seconds before he asked, "What the hell happened?" His tone was angry, which I'd never heard before. "No. No, I'll be there in ten minutes . . . Yes, please do. Goodbye."

"A patient?" I asked as he tossed his phone on the bed, rushing to find clothes.

"It's Ness." His tone had taken a complete three-sixty, going from anger when he was on the phone to . . . he seemed scared now. "She's taken a turn. I'm so sorry, Bella. I've got to go."

I'd visited Ness a few days ago, and she really hadn't gotten much better. There was talk of her undergoing another surgery to try and aid her heart, but Edward and her team felt like it would more than likely kill her at this point. She was truly down to the wire of needing a transplant.

"Of course," I said, wide-eyed and fearful. "Is . . . is she going to be okay?"

He pulled a pair of scrub pants on, tying them tightly. "I don't know," he sighed. "They called a code."

"She's dying?"

That was what a code meant, right? Oh God . . .