BPOV

Dinner was finished and my dad was due home anytime. I was sitting on the couch waiting and watching How I Met Your Mother. That show was hilarious. My favorite is still probably "Slapsgiving."

I heard my dad walk up the front porch and open the door.

"Hey, Dad," I said, getting up and going into the kitchen to serve dinner.

"Hey, Bella, smells good," Dad said, taking off his work gear. He took his place at the dining room table and dug in.

"How was work?" I asked.

"Same ol' same ol'. How 'bout you?"

"Work is great. Only worked a half day and I have the whole weekend off. I am very much looking forward to that."

"That's nice. I will be working all weekend. A few guys are out on vacation, so I'll probably be picking up a few double shifts. That's why I wanted to spend some time with you for a while."

"That's cool, Dad."

We ate dinner in relative silence, as usual. I cleaned up the kitchen and put everything away. I made Root Beer floats for dessert, nothing too fancy, and went to sit in the living room with dad. He was sitting in his Lazy Boy watching a baseball game.

"Thanks for dinner and the float, hon."

"You're welcome."

"So, I wanted to talk to you about a few things before you head out to Jake's," he said it in that fatherly tone and I knew a serious talk was coming.

"Alright. What's up?"

"So…I might have overheard somebody talking this afternoon about you." Great, what was this going to entail? "They were talking something about a 'summer fling.'" No, no, no. My dad did not find out about that.

"Aww…come on, Dad."

"Now, just listen, Bells. I try really hard not to think of what that means because God only knows what I did when I was your age. However, I am not dumb. I know that it has been a while since you have been with someone, or had a boyfriend or whatever…" he cringed a little, and I had to interrupt.

"Dad, really, are we going to talk about this?" This is making me really kind of nervous right now.

"I said just listen. I have never met any of your boyfriends, but I would like to get to know Edward because I might have also heard that he was who you were after. Emmett, I know, is definitely not your type…"

"And what do you know about my type?" I laughed.

"Well, I guess I really don't but I would like to think that he wasn't your type. Too big for you." He did not just say that. This is not going in the right direction. "Anyway, I have only good things to say about the Cullen's. I think that Edward might be good for you."

"Why is that?" I just shook my head.

"Are you going to keep interrupting me?"

"Sorry, this is just weird. Go ahead, I promise last time."

"I know you are trying to live your life while you are young, and I am glad that you are, but you are almost done with undergrad. Soon, you are going to have to put a stop to all this nonsense you have going on with Jake, Jared, Rose, and Alice. You know that I love them very much and you couldn't have better friends growing up, but after this year they are done with school and don't have much on the line to worry about. Yes, I know that they love you very much too and wouldn't intentionally do anything to hurt your chances getting into med school, but just don't let them bring you down, okay?" Dad took a breath before he continued. "Now, let me get this all out and you can talk. About Edward, I have talked with Dr. Cullen and he has told me a lot about his family. They truly are a great addition to our community. I am glad that you have met their boys. Either of those boys would suit you from what I hear." He shook his head and chuckled. He must be thinking 'I can't believe I am saying this' but continued. "I would like to meet Edward. I know it is just a summer thing for you but I think you need some permanence in your life."

"Wait, are you marrying me off dad?" Is this really happening?

"Dear God, I hope so!" he laughed. "Anyway, bring him over to dinner sometime, okay. Is there anything you would like to ask or tell me? I am open to hear whatever."

"Ummm…not really." I didn't know what to say but I might as well just tell him. "I mean yeah, I am just looking for summer fun because things are only going to get crazier this year. I am working really hard to stay on the Dean's List. So, as far as Edward goes, I am going to enjoy his company and that is about it. I still have a while before I can really settle down. Sure, permanence with someone would be nice but just not right now. So, don't get your hopes up about that. Edward and I just met yesterday, so we have time to get to know each other, right?"

"Life is short."

"But, I will invite him over for dinner sometime. I am going to meet his parents tonight before we go over to Jake's."

"That's good. His father is very smart and funny. I like him a lot."

"Thanks Dad, it's nice to talk to you every once in a while like this." I got up and gave my dad a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Bells."

"I love you too, Dad. I am going to go get changed to go over to the Cullen's. I don't know if I will be home tonight. I might stay at Jake's since I don't have to work in the morning." I thought for a moment. "I haven't made Billy breakfast in forever, so actually, I probably will stay there. If you have time, stop by and I will make biscuits and gravy."

"I'll be there."

I made my way upstairs to my room and got ready. I put my hair in a clip so that half of it was up and out of my face. I put on some eyeliner and some lip gloss. I didn't want to overdo it. I gathered my things and went back down stairs. It was eight-thirty and I was trying to hurry out the door since I told Edward that I should have been done with dinner thirty minutes ago.

"See you in the morning, Dad."

"Alright. Be careful."

I sent Edward a text telling him I would be there in ten minutes. I put my bag in the back seat and was off to driving. I didn't do too much thinking on the way there besides just going through the night with my dad. I loved that guy and couldn't believe that he actually had the conversation with me. I am just glad that he didn't subject me to a "sex talk." He let Rose's and Alice's moms give us that talk when we were fourteen. He also talked to them about taking me to get on birth control when I was sixteen. So sure enough, we all went at the same time.

I pulled into the driveway and Edward was sitting on a bench outside of the doorway. He walked up to my door while I turned the engine off and opened it.

"Hey. How was dinner with your dad?"

"Hmph. Interesting. How was dinner with your mom?"

"It was dinner with my mom. She did make me my favorite dish though. Baked chicken with green bean casserole. I love me some green bean cass." He rubbed his tummy.

He helped me out of the Jeep and shut the door. He looked me up and down, and then smiled.

"Don't you look cute. I take it that you wanted to impress the parental's?"

"Of course, wouldn't have it any other way."

He grabbed hold of my hand and led me inside.

"Mom. Dad. Bella is here!" he shouted and took off his shoes. I did the same. "Mom doesn't like dirty shoes, either."

I looked around and the inside was just as beautiful as the outside. There were still a few moving boxes sitting in the hall but other than that it was amazing. The foyer was large and had a large chandelier hanging in the middle of it. Then a woman, who I assumed was Edward's mom, was standing in front of us.

"Oh, Edward didn't tell me you were this pretty," she said, looking me up and down just as Edward had.

"Mom," Edward grumbled.

"Sorry, Bella," she said.

"Bella, this is my mother, Esme. Esme, Bella," Edward said.

"Pleased to meet you, Esme. Edward didn't tell me you were astonishingly, beautiful either," I said and lightly shook her hand.

"Oh, stop it, Bella. Please come in and meet my husband. He just finished dinner so he should be right down from cleaning up. Please excuse the mess; I nearly have everything unpacked but a few boxes."

"Your home is beautiful."

"Thank you," a gentleman said from behind me.

I turned around and saw a man that looked like a model, an older model, but a model nonetheless. I could definitely see where Edward and Emmett got some of their looks from. Edward looked a lot like his mother but had a hint of his father, too.

"Bella, this is Carlisle, my husband," Esme said.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Cullen. I have heard so much about you," I said and shook his hand.

"Call me, Carlisle. It's nice to meet you, too. I hope you have heard only good things," he said and smiled. Yup, definitely Edward's father; they had the same smirk.

"Without a doubt, only good things. My father spoke very highly of you. We are really glad to have you at the hospital."

"Thank you. Who is your father?" he asked.

"Chief Swan."

"Ah, yes. He is a bit tough around the edges, but I like him. Funny guy."

"Yup. That's my dad. I'm sure he was just making sure that your boys wouldn't cause too much trouble around town."

"Now that I think about it, you're right. He did ask me a lot of questions about them. Does he have trouble with kids around here?"

"No. That's why he asks so many questions because he wants to keep it that way; no trouble in town," I said, and Dr. Cullen laughed.

"Edward, show Bella around the house. Your mother and I are going to settle in the living room and watch The Notebook, for the hundredth time," Carlisle said.

"Come on, Bella, I'll give you the grand tour," Edward said and took my hand.

We walked towards the kitchen and it was huge. Everything in this house was huge and perfect. Edward flipped some switches by a sliding door in the kitchen and outside lights came on. He opened the door and we stepped out. The backyard couldn't have been more complete. The outdoor patio had a smooth stained concrete floor and a pergola above. There was a small outdoor kitchen to the right and dark wood patio furniture to the left and a stone fireplace. We walked a little bit further out and there was a pool with an attached hot tub.

"Edward, this is awesome."

"I know. I really love it out here, and I was never one to like the country all that much but it is really relaxing," he said. "Let me show you the rest of the house."

We walked back inside and he showed most of the rooms. There were at least eight bedrooms, all perfectly decorated. We went up another set of stairs that lead to a small hallway with a door on the left and another to the right. Edward opened the right door and I went in.

"This is my room."

I swear his room had to be the entire third floor, it was that huge. It was painted a medium blue color and had white crown molding adorning the ceiling. Along one wall was a colossal dark wood sleigh bed with a white down comforter. It looked so comfy. On the other side of the room was a little nook that held a computer desk and a crap load of other electronics. I walked a little further in and there was guitars galore hanging on the wall.

"I knew it! You have guitar arms and hands." I swear if he could play like John Mayer, he is a keeper.

"Were you checking me out?" he said with a smug look.

"Uh, yea. Who wouldn't?" I said and felt the heat rise in my cheeks.

"I don't know, but I guess it's nice to know someone is looking at the goods," he laughed.

"Your room is huge, Edward." I quickly changed that subject.

"It's not even the biggest one. Emmett has that one, and I would have shown it to you but was afraid to see what was thrown around."

"Bigger than this one, huh?" I shook my head a little.

"Well, you wanna go on over to Jake's?" he asked.

"Yeah, do you want to grab your swim trunks? We will be going out on the lake."

He went to a dresser drawer and grabbed a pair.

"Got them. Let's go."

He turned off all the lights and we went back down stairs.

"Dad, Mom, we are leaving!" he shouted towards the living room.

"Be careful!" Esme yelled.

"Stay out of trouble!" Carlisle shouted at the same time.

"Come back, Bella," Esme said.

"Let's get out of here," Edward said. We put our shoes back on and left to Jake's. We were in the Jeep and Edward turned to faced me. I looked at him and smiled.

"Once you are done with school and want to settle down, do you want to move back home?" he asked.

"Yes and no. Yes, because it's safe and comfortable here. No, because it's the same town and not much changes. I think that I would like to live in a bigger city but only because of the changing environment. You? Where would you settle down?"

"I don't know. I don't mind Chicago, actually I love it, but it was nice to go to Notre Dame. It isn't a small town like this but not the big city either. I totally get what you're saying about wanting to live somewhere safe and comfortable, though. Tell you the truth, I don't think that I would like my kids to go to school in Chicago, it's becoming over populated and dangerous in some places, but this seems like a great town to raise a family."

"Yeah, I think so."

"So...what about your mom? I haven't heard you talk about her. I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, no. It's fine. She died giving birth to me. Actually, Jake's mom too. They were best friends and were out shopping together one night. Both of them were nine months pregnant with us. Well, they were hit by a drunk driver and seriously injured. They got them to the hospital and did c-sections on both of them and we were born healthy. My mom, she lost a lot of blood at the scene and then on top of having surgery just wasn't good. So, she was gone first. Jake's mom went into a coma and her body seemed to be healing, but then just one day her heart stopped."

"Bella, I'm sorry. You didn't have to tell me that." Edward looked at me apologetically.

"Really, it's okay. I don't really get sad because I never knew her. Sometimes it sucks not having a mother around but that's why I have the greatest friends; Jake, Rose, Alice, and Jared. Their parents helped Charlie and Billy a lot when we were growing up. Jake and I are both okay. I was a very happy child and couldn't have asked for anything better."

He took hold of my hand and intertwined our fingers.

"I am glad that you are happy. I never really had best friends like that. It was just Emmett and me. He is my best friend."

"That's cool. Family is all you need. Emmett is fun to be around, he's like a big kid brother."

"He is, but don't let that fool you. He is one of the smartest people I know. He worked really hard to get where he is. Some people thought that it was a bad move for him to say no to the NFL draft last year, but he knows in the matter of seconds, playing a game, he could lose everything in that career. So, he wanted to finish school before he made a choice to go pro. Very smart!"

"Yeah, I agree that that was a very smart choice. I am happy for him. Rose told me a whole lot about him before we met you guys. She knows all things Notre Dame. Her mom is ND alumni and we were surprised she didn't go there for college. She was accepted but I think she was afraid to leave all of us since the rest of us decided to go to IU. We tried to reason with her but she is Rose and what Rose wants she gets."

"Both our parents are ND alumni too, but don't think that that is the only reason we got in. Em and I are both of our classes' valedictorians."

"Smart ass."

"Really? Something tells me that you may not have been the valedictorian but you weren't far behind."

"Right again. I was the salutatorian; my ex-boyfriend was the valedictorian. I lost one point on my Spanish essay final because I misspelled 'viajes'" (travel)

"¿Donde estaban usted viajando a?" (Where were you traveling to?)

Oh, man. I am going to have to dust of those Spanish brain cells fast. Let's see if I can pull this off.

"Yo explicacba todos los sitios a los que gustaría viajar durante nuestro viaje a México." (I was explaining all the places I wanted to visit when we traveled to Mexico.)

I think that was right.

"¿Cuando hizo usted visita México?" (When did you visit Mexico?)

"Una semana después de graduación durante diez días." (A week after graduation for ten days.)

"Muy buen Señorita Swan. Usted es us gran estudiante español." (Very good Miss Swan, you are a great Spanish student.)

"Thank you. It has been two years since I have used Spanish. Let alone with someone competent enough to keep up. Thanks for the refresher." I laughed and it dawned on me that we were already pulling into Jake's drive. You know sometimes when you are so preoccupied with something you forget how you got somewhere?

"Not a problem."

"Come on, let's go in. It will probably be only a few people here tonight."

I grabbed my bag from the back seat and went up to the garage door to punch in the key code to open it.

"Are you special or something that you don't have to use the front door 'Princess'?" Edward asked.

"You bet I'm special." The garage door opened and we walked in. "Plus, I know that the front door is locked since everyone is already in the backyard waiting for me," I said and I pushed the button to close it.

We walked into the house and I led us to Jake's room so I could change and put my bag in there. I flipped the lights on, shutting and locking the door.

"What are we doing?" Edward asked.

"I am changing. I can't wear this out on the pontoon. I'll change in the bathroom and you can change in here."

"Will do."

I quickly changed into my suit, throwing on a t-shirt and simple cotton shorts, and pulling my hair up into a ponytail. I folded all of my clothes and put them in the bag and grabbed two towels from the bathroom shelf for us.

"Are you decent?" I called out before opening the bathroom door.

"Yes!" Edward shouted.

I opened the door and he had changed into his shorts but took off his shirt. He was hot. I ogled him probably longer than necessary.

"Like what you see?"

BUSTED.

"Mmmm, hmmm," I moaned and walked up to him, giving him a towel.

He laughed and placed our towels on the bed. He looked at me and took hold of my waist, bringing me right up to him. I sighed and breathed him in. Still smelled wonderful.

"Bella, can I kiss you right now?" Why was he asking now?

"Yes."

He brought his head down and gently placed his lips on my temple and kissed down my face, across my jaw, and finally got to my lips. I gladly allowed him entrance to my mouth and he took advantage. I brought one hand up to his arm to brace myself and put the other on his chest.

BAM BAM BAM !

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" I screamed. Edward pulled me into an embrace and was chuckling.

"Break it up you two and get the hell out of my room. Nobody makes out in there except me!" Jake yelled from the window and pounded it a couple more times.

"Jesus, Jake, you scared the shit out of me!" I yelled back.

"I guess we were caught again," Edward laughed.

"Ugh, let's go see what that idiot is doing."

Hand in hand we walked to the backyard and said hi to everyone. It was only Jake, Alice, Jasper, and Leah.

"Where's Jared?" I asked.

"He went out with Kim. She surprised him and is in town for the weekend," Alice said.

"That's sweet. Did you get to talk to her?" I asked.

"No, Jared just sent me a text earlier."

"Do you guys wanna go out to the sandbar or hang out here?" Jake asked.

"I don't care, we can chill here," I replied.

"Ok. We will hang here."

"Want a beer?" I asked Edward.

"Yeah, sure."

I tugged his hand to go back into the house and grab some for all of us. We passed them out and sat on some lounge chairs by the fire pit; drinking, talking, and getting to know each other.

"Hey, Edward! Wanna throw the football around in the lake with Jake and me?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah."

Edward got up, joining the boys, and that left us girls at the fire pit. This meant one thing. Alice's time to start questioning.

"So, have you sealed the deal yet, Bella?"

"That had to be your first question, Alice?"

"Uh, yes."

"No we haven't."

"Well, when is it going to happen?"

"Alice, really, I don't know. I have known him for a full forty-eight hours," I answered.

"Rose is planning on making it happen with Emmett tonight."

"I'm not Rose and don't plan these things out. Leah, how are things going with Jake?" I tried to turn the attention to someone else.

"Things are well so far. He is a great guy. I am looking forward to going with him to Chicago in two weeks," Leah gushed.

"Look at you! You have it bad for him," Alice said.

"I suppose so. I have been waiting a month for him to talk to me and…. he is great!"

"So when do you plan on sealing the deal with our boy?" Alice asked, and I blushed for Leah.

"Girls, girls, girls. I never kiss and tell. Oh, who am I kidding? I put-out last night because like I said, I have been waiting a month to hit that!"

"Bahahahahahaha!" We all roared with laughter and the boys ran back up to us.

"What's so funny, ladies?" Jasper asked.

"Nothing." We all snapped back to him.

"Well, guys, I am going to head on out. I told my mom I would be home early tonight, so I wouldn't disturb her slumber," Leah said.

"Yeah, I think that we are going to go to," Alice said.

"Alright," I said. I probably should take Edward home. "I know it's only midnight but are you ready for me to take you home, Edward?"

"Are you okay to drive?"

"We had two beers this entire time. That is far from getting me buzzed," I laughed.

"Mkay," he shrugged.

We went inside and grabbed his clothes from Jake's room.

"Hey, Jake! I'm gonna take Edward home but I'll be back. He lives on Union, so it's not that far."

"Ok. See ya Edward," Jake said.

"Talk to you later, Man." Edward shook his hand, doing that thing that guys do to say bye in a manly way.

"Edward, would you like to drive and get a feel for the country roads?" I asked.

"If you would like me to." I handed Edward the keys and he helped me into the passenger side. I just didn't feel like driving. He moved the seat back before he got in and then made all the necessary adjustments before taking off.

"All set, Edward?" I chuckled after he had spent five minutes adjusting the rear view mirror.

"Now I am." He put in reverse and backed out of the driveway, very carefully.

"Any day now," I sighed. Maybe I should have driven because God knows that I hate having to put my seat and mirrors back to where they were.

"Shut it! You wanted me to drive!"

"Fine, fine. Let's get movin'."

We were finally on the road. I reached over and put my hand on Edward's leg. He looked over at me, smiled, and rested his hand over mine. I was almost tempted to move it a little higher and maybe nudge a certain Little Eddie but resisted since he was driving my Jeep and I didn't want an accident to happen. We sat in the quiet with no music. I rarely let that happen but it was a comfortable silence. It didn't take us very long to get back to Edwards. He parked next to Emmett's Jeep and cut the engine.

"I wonder how the date went," I said.

"I'm sure it went fine." Edward replied and got out. He came over to my side and opened the door. I unbuckled my seat belt and turned to face him but still sat in the seat. He leaned into me and gave me a kiss.

"Bella, will you stay the night with me?"