Chapter 8...

ENJOY!

SM OWNS TWILIGHT


EPOV

I left Bella's house shortly after she had calmed me down about the whole Kate situation. I don't know what the hell had gotten into me. Maybe it was a mix of nerves from being in the same room with Bella and the stress from work. Whatever it was, it almost ruined my evening with her. I'm so glad that she understood both points of view. She was playing neutral party, and I was okay with that.

It took everything in me not to make more out of that kiss on the cheek. The animal in me just wanted to take her right there on the couch, but I know that she deserves better, and if there is a first time with her, then I want it to be special. I'm not gonna ruin a good thing just because I can't keep my dick in my pants. The fucker only thinks of himself.

Things are different with Bella; she's making me feel things that I haven't felt for anyone in a long time.

She's different.

She's easily becoming someone special to me.


Friday I pulled up to Nathan's school. I was picking him up and then heading over to my parent's house. My mom had called me early in the morning to set up a dinner with the family tonight.

"Hey ma," I grumbled into the phone.

"Hello dear, how are you this morning?" My mother asked with a chipper voice. I don't know how that's even possible since it's so damn early!

"Fine. Is everything okay? It's kind of early…" She knows that today is my day off, and that I would be sleeping in until noon.

"Don't be such a grouch Edward! I was only calling to invite you to dinner tonight. Emmett and Rosalie are coming by…um…"she hesitated for a second, "and maybe you can bring Bella, over so we can finally meet her." We both stood silent on the line.

Finally, I sighed, "I don't think that's such a good idea right now. Kate had some concerns about Nathan getting confused since Bella is his teacher…we're gonna wait to tell him until we know that we have something serious, so bringing her by is not an option right now…"

Kate and I spoke over the phone last night because I couldn't wait to get everything out in the open. This time I let her talk without feeling like she was trying to ruin my relationship with Bella. I had to admit that she had some good points. We had to think of Nathan first and try not to disturb the little bit of normalcy that he had now. So we agreed, like Bella had agreed with her earlier, that we should just wait to tell Nathan about the relationship. I realize now that I could have avoided all this drama. If I hadn't been such a dick to Kate a couple of nights ago, she wouldn't have gone off on me, and Nathan wouldn't have heard her saying that I couldn't take him for the weekend.

"Oh, that's a shame. Your father and I were looking forward to meeting her, maybe another day when you don't have Nathan?" I knew my mom would not drop it that easy.

"Sure mom, I'll let you know when, I have to ask Bella first…And you guys better be on your best behavior." I warned.

My mom laughed. "Edward we are civilized people. We just want to meet the girl that has our son head-over-heels."

"Maaaa! I'm not some lovesick teenager. I'm an adult that's in a relationship with a woman. Please don't forget that."

"Sure dear." She chuckled. "Go back to bed, I know you've been working a lot, and we'll see you tonight."


I walked up to Bella's classroom, but there was about ten minutes before she dismissed the class. I slipped in and took a seat by the door next to the cubbies. From this angle, I could see her sitting in a circle with the class, but she couldn't see me, since there were other parents standing around and the cubbies served as a divider to the rest of the classroom.

I could hear her voice over the kids as they sang the ABC song. My heart beat fast from just being in the same room as, her and hearing her voice. I watched as she smiled and laughed with the kids. She was perfect all around; beautiful, smart, funny, and she was really great with kids.

I was brought out of my thoughts with the stampede of kids running toward their cubbies. I stood up and searched for Nathan. I spotted his copper hair. He looked up and his face lit up. I waved at him and he waved back enthusiastically. I waited for him to put on his jacket and pull his things out of the cubby before going to him.

"Hey buddy how was your day?" I kneeled so that I could give Nathan a hug. He threw his arms around my neck and squeezed tight. Those were the best hugs from my little man.

"Good, daddy. I missed you a lot-a lot." He mumbled into my neck. I pulled him away so that I could look in his eyes.

"Hey, don't be sad. I'm here, and I missed you a lot-a lot too." I smiled at him, he smiled back and hid in the crook of my neck again. "Alright let's get going then, we're gonna go to grandma's." I stood up and Nathan held my hand. I could see the excitement in his eyes come back to him.

I looked around for Bella, and she was picking up some stuff while some parents talked to her. She looked up briefly and we locked eyes. I waved at her letting her know that we were leaving. She nodded and turned back to the parents that were crowding her. I didn't feel too bad that I didn't get to talk to her because we had been texting each other a couple times throughout the day, and I promised I'd call her tonight.


Nathan and I played on his XBOX at my parent's house while mom got everything ready for dinner. She didn't want us anywhere near the kitchen and sent us "boys" to the playroom. I was all for spending some quality time with my son, but this game of Sonic Free Riders was really pissing me off!

How the hell is my five year old beating me? Shouldn't I be pretending to lose?

Fuck this game!

"I beat you again DADDY!"Nathan jumped up and down, doing his little victory dance. I tried to look happy for him.

"Yeah you did little man" I grumbled unintentionally and tossed the controller on the chair.

"Daddy, you can't be a sore loser. Maybe you win next time…but not 'gainst me cuz I'm good." He said sounding like if he was the adult and I the child. Okay, maybe I was acting a bit childish.

My dad arrived a little later and joined us on one last game. He sucked worse than me, so that made me happy.

We left Nathan to play on his own and went to the living room.

"So your mom says you couldn't bring Bella today…"

"Uh yeah, you know with Nathan being here. It's too early to tell him anything yet."

"It's a good idea to wait…so you think it could be something serious with Bella?" My dad asked. I had no problem talking to him about Bella, because he's never been one to intrude or force his opinion. I know that he just wants to see me happy and settle down.

"Well I can't say for sure if it is, but I want it to be. I really like her." He grinned at me. I felt little uncomfortable stating that out loud, but at least now I knew for sure that that's what I wanted from Bella.

"Well I'm happy for you, son. I hope we get to meet her soon."

Em, Rose and the kids showed up twenty minutes later. The house was soon filled with laughter, and the TV was blaring in the living room. The house smelled delicious from my mom's cooking and my mouth was starting to water.

I walked into the kitchen to see if I could sneak in a bite of whatever, she had made.

"Uh, uh. No you don't." My mom smacked my hand away from the dish. "Instead of trying to sneak off some food, why don't you help take this to the dining room? It's ready."

I picked up two dishes from the counter and placed them on the dining table.

"Hey guy's dinner is ready! Let's eat."I yelled to everyone in the living room. Rose and my mom brought in the rest of the side dishes.

Emmett was the first one up and almost tackled me down in his excitement. Rose came up behind him and smacked him on the head. I love that woman. She can really put my brother in his place when he needs it.

"OW! What did I do babe?" He asked as he rubbed his head.

"Have some control, you'll eat soon enough. Help me with the kids. Make sure they don't start a food fight before we even start eating!" she ordered him.

"Alright, baby. I'm sorry." He grabbed her by the hips kissed her a little too long to be considered appropriate. Rose pushed him away playfully and winked. I don't even want to know what that wink was for. "Hey ma! This looks good!" Emmett eyed the platters of food, practically drooling all over them.

"Thank you dear. Let's all sit…come on" She motioned for us to get settled down.

I sat Nathan next to me, and tucked his napkin in his shirt just in case.

We enjoyed our meal, as we always do when we have mom's Pot Roast. Toward the end of the dinner Rose and Em had an announcement to make.

"Since we're all here, Rosie, and I wanted to share some good news with you guys…" Emmett looked over at Rose and they smiled at each other. I looked over at my mom and dad, and they were at the edge of their seats with excitement radiating off of them. It was pretty clear what the big news was.

"We're pregnant!" Em and Rose announced together.

"Well I'm not pregnant, but Rosie is. We're gonna have a baby!"Emmett corrected as he reached over and rubbed his wife's still flat stomach.

My mom screamed in excitement, and dad grinned at the happy couple. We all got up to hug and congratulate Rose. They had been trying to have another baby for the past two years, with no luck. I was happy for them.

Nathan went over to his aunt Rose. "There's a baby in your tummy?" He looked at her curiously since everyone was focusing on her hand that was rubbing her stomach.

"Yes, there is. You're gonna have another cousin." She cooed at Nathan.

"Is he gonna be nice?" he asked skeptically. We all chuckled when we heard him say that.

"He or she will be nice to you and will probably look up to you. Maybe you can teach the baby some of the songs you've learned at school..." Nathan's face lit up, and he nodded.

That made him happy. He hated that his cousins were older than him and inevitably fought with him constantly. I couldn't help but feel like Nathan is always defensive because he doesn't have a sibling to lean on like Liam and Logan do. It seems like Nathan has just been feeling lonely.

This reminded me of the conversation I had with Bella about having more kids. I told her that I always wanted more than one, and she said that she wanted to have kids in the future. It's possible that we can achieve that goal together…Nathan would love to have a sibling.

What the fuck? Did I just think that?

If I were to voice my ideas to Bella, I'd probably scare her away.

I'm keeping my mouth shut.

For now.


Saturday evening, I was ready to pick up Bella for our date. I was taking her to the marina to have dinner at a small but really good seafood restaurant that has outdoor seating and heat lamps. Don't want my girl getting cold.

I drove up to her house and parked in her driveway behind her car. I saw her peek out through her kitchen window, and I waved at her. I pulled out the bouquet of flowers and made my way to the front door.

Just as I was going to knock, Bella opened the door. She wore dark jeans and a purple blouse with a low neckline that really accentuated her breasts. She looked stunning. Hell, she would still look stunning if she had answered the door in her sweats.

"Hey beautiful" I gave her my crooked smile. She blushed.

"Hi." I handed her the bouquet of pink tulips and her smile widened. "Thank you, I love them. You're beginning to spoil me, you know. I'm getting used to having tulips all over my house." She grinned.

"So where are we going?"Bella asked as I drove.

I looked over at her and grinned. "We're gonna go have seafood at the marina and walk around a little…whatever you decide after."I shrugged.

"Mmmm that sounds like fun. I haven't been there in a while. Is the restaurant right by the water?"

"Yeah, it's pretty much ocean front."

When we were finally seated, Bella was in awe. You'd think she's never seen the marina. I must say the view was spectacular; boats were off, in the distance, and the sun was setting, giving off vast colors of oranges and reds. It was perfect, but Bella made it magical. Nothing compared to her beauty at that moment as she gazed out at the darkening ocean.

Our waiter brought out our food, and we ate in a comfortable silence for a little while.

"My brother had some good news yesterday…" I broke the silence.

"Oh? What did he say?"

"He and his wife are expecting another baby. You should have seen everyone screaming when they announced it." I laughed.

"Wow that's exciting. I bet your parents are overjoyed."

"They are…and they also asked if they could meet you. I told them that I'd ask you today, but feel free to say no if you think it's too soon." I knew I was taking a risk by asking her, but my family is everything to me, and I would love for Bella to be a part of them too. I would love nothing more than for her to feel at home with them.

"No, I would love to meet your parents…or your family, for that matter. I don't think it's too soon…well unless you think it's soon." She looked at me expectantly.

"Nah, its fine with me. I'm very close to my family, and I'd like to show you that part of my life too." she nodded and smiled at me.

After dinner, which was amazing, we walked around, looking at the shops. I bought Bella a small crystal dolphin figurine that she was eyeing at one of the gift shops.

"It's just a little something to remember our date here at the marina."I told her after she protested about buying her something that was expensive. It wasn't, not really, but I wanted to give it to her.

"Fine, I'll take it, but only because it's so darn cute!"She giggled. I held her hand as we walked, and she leaned on me to put her head on my shoulder.

"It's cute just like you."I tapped her nose with my finger, and she looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes.

I stopped walking because I felt like this moment was going to pass me by, and I would never get it back.

I put my hands softly on her hips so that she could face me. Our eyes stayed locked as if they were having their own conversation.

"You're so beautiful." I murmured, and she looked down to hide her blush. "Don't hide your face."I told her as I placed a finger under her chin, guiding her to look at me again.

"Thank you." She said softly.

I brushed my fingers along her cheek, and she leaned into my hand. I tightened my grip on her waist and brought her impossibly closer. Our breathing accelerated as I slowly leaned in to take her lips in mine.

Her breath was warm and her mouth was wet. I cupped her face with both hands as she hugged me tight, bringing her hand up my spine stopping at the nape of my neck. My lips slightly parted with hers and moved slowly. Sucking. Tasting. Feeling. There was no need to go deeper. This was perfect, feeling Bella's soft full lips moving with mine.

She pulled away slowly and then pecked me softly on the lips one more time. We were both out of breath and a little dazed, but in a really good way. I hugged her to me and breathed in her hair.

I leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'm having an awesome time with you, Bella and I hope I can kiss you like that more often."

She pulled away and looked up at me, "so am I, Edward. This evening has been great so far… and I expect another kiss like that before the end of the night!" she grinned and I leaned down to kiss her again.

We were rudely interrupted by my phone's incessant ringing. I groaned into her lips and willed the phone to stop ringing, because my hands were currently holding my girl.

No luck. Bella pulled away and giggled.

"You should get that, Edward."

I pouted like a child, but did as I was told. I checked the phone and it was Kate. I almost sent it to voicemail, but decided not to. I figured I should take care of this and then get back to kissing Bella.

"Hey Kate…" This had better be important.

"Oh God, Edward! It's Nathan!-" Kate cried into the phone. I couldn't really understand what else she was saying. She was mumbling and crying."

What the fuck! What happened to Nathan?

My mind was racing, thinking of the worst scenarios…

"Kate, stop! What happened? Is he okay?" I grabbed Bella's hand and hurried toward the car. She didn't protest because she saw my fear, and she was just as scared as me.

Something happened to my son, and I needed to get to him fast.

"I-I brought him to emergency-y., Please come, hurry I'm so scared." She cried. Shit. What happened?

"OK I'm on my way now, calm down!" my nerves were a wreck, and I knew Kate wasn't any better. That was our baby in the hospital.

Bella sat quietly next to me while I furiously ran my hand through my hair and maneuvered the car through the streets and broke the speed limit. Fuck the law right now. My son needed me.

Through my distress, I didn't notice that Bella had placed her hand on my lap and rubbed it to try to soothe me. I was grateful for the brief distraction. I placed my hand in hers, and she squeezed it. I looked up at her, and she gave me a small smile.

She didn't need to say anything to me…I knew that she was going to be there for me to help keep me sane.

What happened to my baby? I felt a tear slip from my eye, but I swatted it away. This was no time let my emotions get the best of me.


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