A/N Thank you again for all the hits, favorites, and alerts. It really makes writing that much more fun! I'm glad I was able to post every day this weekend even though I wasn't sure originally if I would be able to or not. It was all the hits that gave me the determination to do so. With that said, here is the next chapter. Enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 6 – The Barbeque

Bella and Charlie walked back to the house together in silence. Charlie kept hoping he had done the right thing by inviting her to the Cullen's house tonight. The Cullen Family was very important to him. They had been there for him throughout his life; through good times and bad times. More importantly, they had also stood by his side unwaveringly when Renee left him and took Bella with her.

He and Carlisle had been best friends since grade school, which had been almost forty years now. Carlisle and Esme were high school sweethearts who got married the day after high school graduation. They had always wanted a big family but found out a few months after their wedding that Esme would never be able to have kids. Charlie remembered how devastated Esme was. It was months before she was herself again and almost a year before she went back to school. Charlie once asked her why she had become a psychologist and was moved by her answer.

Finding out I couldn't have kids was really hard on me Charlie. All my life that's all I ever wanted. I knew the day I met Carlisle that we would get married and I always assumed that with that marriage would come a big family. I never could have imagined that I wouldn't ever be able to have my one. When I found out that I was barren, it broke me. Literally. I didn't have anyone but Carlisle to help me through it and that's when I decided. I wanted to give other people the opportunity to talk about issues that were bothering them, but more importantly, I wanted to be able to help them through those issues. Pain, sorrow, and grief are horrible things to have to deal with alone and I made a vow to myself and to God to help as many people as I could so that they wouldn't have to go through what I went through. Becoming a psychologist was the only logical way I could think to accomplish those goals, so here I am.

Charlie wasn't sure what all Bella and Esme had talked about during their session last night, but he was pretty sure that the topic of her family didn't get brought up. He knew that Esme kept pictures of all of them in her office, but those were strictly there for her to enjoy and to create a peaceful atmosphere for her clients. He highly doubted that anyone would ever talk about them. He decided that he wasn't going to mention anything about the Cullen Family other than what he already had. If Bella wanted to know more about them, then she was going to have to come out of her shell to ask. She needed social interaction anyway and Carlisle and Esme had five adopted kids close to Bella's age.

As they approached the house, Charlie knew it was time for his inner musing to come to an end. He opened the front door and then motioned for Bella to go first. Following behind her, he closed the door and went to catch an hour of the game before they had to leave. Bella went on up the stairs and closed her bedroom door. Apparently their conversation was done for now.

….

What the hell was I thinking?

Bella didn't know why she told Charlie she'd go to the damn barbeque but she was guessing it was too late to tell him now that she didn't want to go. She knew that if she did that, he'd act like it was fine; tell her she could stay home. Hell, he'd probably even insist on staying home with her to have dinner together or some shit like that. It wasn't fair of her to make Charlie miss the barbeque. Apparently, this family had been there for him though most of his life and who was she to stand in the way of his happiness. She'd done enough already to take away her mom's happiness; hell, she took away her life. She would do anything now to make sure she didn't stand in the way of Charlie's happiness. She was just going to have to suck it up and pretend to enjoy the festivities. Until then, she was going to lie down and rest. Sleep was out of reach to her, but she was going to at least rest her eyes and mind so she could concentrate this afternoon on pretending that she was trying, for Charlie's sake at least.

…..

Charlie walked up stairs thirty minutes later to see if Bella was ready. He got to her door and hesitated there for a minute before knocking, wondering if maybe she changed her mind about going or if she was perhaps taking a nap. He took a deep cleansing breath before tapping lightly on the door.

"It's open," Bella called to him. Charlie reached up and gently pushed open the door, finding Bella lying on her bed with her arm covering her eyes.

"Honey, are you sure you still want to go? You really don't have to and I promise if you tell me you've changed your mind, I won't be upset. If you want to stay here, I'll stay with you and we can just have a small dinner here."

Bella rolled her eyes beneath her arm at Charlie's words. Did I call it or what, she thought to herself chuckling internally. "Charlie, I told you I would go and I was serious. This is important to you and I don't want to make you miss it because you're worried about me. I do want to warn you though that I may not be all that sociable. I didn't have many friends in Phoenix so I just don't know how to interact with people all that well. Mom was really my only friend and I was fine with that; I was comfortable with her and couldn't even comprehend having someone take her place so I didn't try. I didn't see the point."

Charlie took another deep breath and went to sit on the side of Bella's bed, placing a hand on her knee. "Honey, I don't want you going to the barbeque strictly for my sake. I appreciate it, but if it's going to make you feel uncomfortable, please tell me. The last thing I want to do is to put you in a situation like that. I love you baby; I always have and always will. I know I haven't always been there for you, but like I said back in Phoenix, there wasn't a day that passed in the last sixteen years that I didn't think about you. Are you sure you're okay with going?" Charlie didn't want to make Bella think he didn't believe her, but he thought he'd ask once more just to be sure.

"I'm good. When do we need to leave?"

"Well Esme said the barbeque was going to be around noon, but that we were welcome to come over anytime to hang out and enjoy the day. I've gotta tell you Bells, there house is much nicer than my little shabby shack here. I was hoping you'd be ready to go now."

"Ok, just let me run to the bathroom so I can wash my face and brush my teeth. I probably look like crap, but honestly, I feel like crap so I don't really care." Bella chuckled as she climbed off her bed and headed into the hall towards the bathroom.

…..

After brushing her teeth and splashing water on her face Bella walked out and headed downstairs. Charlie was already waiting by the front door, so Bella grabbed her coat on the way by and followed him outside to his cruiser.

Bella was slightly confused when Charlie pulled off onto a dirt road that looked like it hadn't been cleared in years. Charlie must have seen the question mark look on her face because he laughed and said, "Relax Bells. The Cullen's live on 200 acres in the middle of the forest. They enjoy doing things like hunting and camping and Carlisle figured that having a place of his own where the whole family could do them together would be his best option. Because he and Esme are both accomplished and successful doctors, they could afford this place. You'll love it though, it's absolutely beautiful."

They drove slowly down the windy dirt road for what seemed like an hour, although from looking at the clock, Bella could tell was only fifteen minutes. Finally, they rounded one final curve in the road before entering a beautiful clearing. Right in the center of that clearing stood the most beautiful house Bella had ever seen. It looked like a cottage right out of a fairy tail; something that only existed in dreams. It was a two-story house that was painted a rustic brown with red trim. Every window had planters beneath them that were blooming with beautiful flowers: red, pink, blue, purple, orange, and yellow. There were tulips and carnations, roses and wild flowers, orchids and lilies. Surrounding the entire house was a porch with white wicker furniture. Around the porch, there were several huge oak trees that provided shade for the entire clearing. It was a breathtaking site.

Charlie pulled up in front of the house and put the car in park before climbing out. He walked around to open Bella's door for her and then offered her a hand. He was her father, but he was always a gentleman. They were just walking up the steps of the porch when the front door opened to reveal Esme with a huge smile on her face.

"Bella! It's so good to see you again," Esme gushed. "How are you sweetheart? Charlie, everyone is out back if you want to go say hello." Esme stepped aside to let Charlie though before she went to Bella and hugged her tightly.

"Um, fine, thank you. Thank you for inviting us. Is there anything I can help you with?" Bella asked as she tentatively hugged Esme back. She was never an outgoing person so she wasn't used to attention, physical or otherwise. It was a shock to see how easily Esme had accepted her. She knew that Esme was being genuine and not just blowing smoke up her ass. She didn't know how she knew it, she just did.

"Bella you're my guest. What kind of hostess would I be if I let you help me?" Esme seemed almost insulted at Bella's offer, but she kept smiling nonetheless. "Besides, I've already got everything just about finished. The tables in the backyard are already set, all the condiments are laid out, the sides are ready, all that's left is to bring out the pitcher of lemonade. Carlisle should have the meat done by now, so I think we're good to go." It sounded to Bella like she was mentally checking off a to-do list and for some reason that brought a smile to her face. That's exactly what Renee used to do when she was putting together something important.

Bella followed Esme out into the yard a bit nervously. She wasn't kidding when she told Charlie that she didn't know how to act in social situations. All she had to do though was remind herself that she was doing this for Charlie, take a deep breath, and she was ready to face the unknown.

...

Charlie was standing next to a tall man with gorgeous blonde hair who was wearing an apron and working over a barbeque grill. Bella couldn't see him very well because she was so far away, but if she had to guess, she would say he was definitely handsome… for an old guy that is. She also would venture to guess that he was the infamous Carlisle who Charlie had mentioned several times. Charlie waved to her when he saw her, so she waved back but continued to follow Esme over to a group of picnic tables with a group of people sitting down.

As they got closer, one of the boys looked up and noticed that Esme had her hands full, so he hurried over to take the pitcher of lemonade from her. The closer he got, the easier it was for Bella to see that this had been the boy in the picture on her desk that was alone. She remembered the melancholy feeling she had when she saw it, believing there was more to this guy than met the eye. He was definitely polite, as was obvious by the fact that he dropped what he was doing to help his mom without even being asked, but there was more. As he approached, he seemed to have noticed Bella for the first time and suddenly stopped, like he wasn't sure if he should help after all.

Esme smiled at him, holding out the pitcher of lemonade before saying, "Edward, this is Chief Swan's daughter Bella. She just moved here from Arizona and will finish out high school here in Forks. Bella, this is my youngest son, Edward."

Edward just stared at Bella and it was starting to make her uncomfortable, so she shifted her weight and said hi.

He nodded at her, looked back at him mom, grabbed the pitcher of lemonade and turned to walk back to the table.

"Did I do something wrong?" Bella asked horrified. Edward as easily the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. When he was standing in front of her, it was like her heart went into overdrive. She could feel the heat rising to her neck and then into her cheeks as her eyes met his. The photograph she had seen did not do him justice. His eyes were so deep it was like looking into his soul and they made Bella melt. Then when he didn't say anything and walked away, she felt as if someone had twisted a knife into her stomach.

"Oh no Honey, didn't Charlie tell you anything about us?" When Bella shook her head Esme continued. "Edward is extremely shy. He's brilliant, but has never held any interest in finding or keeping friends. He finds solitude in being alone and is always a little brusque when he meets someone new. I'm sorry, if I'd know that Charlie didn't say anything, I would have when we were alone in the house. The rest of the kids are very outgoing though, I'm sure you'll all get along great."

She nodded her head toward the picnic tables where the other kids were as she told Bella about them.

"The blonde girl is Rose and the big bear next to her is Emmett. They both graduated last year and will be heading off to Seattle in a month to start at Washington State. Tinkerbelle over there with the spiky brown hair is Alice. She's always full of energy, bouncing around like a kid in a candy story, but don't let her tiny stature fool you; she's a tiger ready to pounce. She loves her family and would do anything for anyone of us. The tall lanky one is Jasper. He's the kindest soul that's ever walked this planet if you ask me. I've never seen someone so gentle and loving. Then of course there's Edward."

Bella noticed the way that Esme lit up when she was talking about her family and she felt a twinge in her heart. Esme seemed to come back to reality and continued. "Before you see or hear anything else there's something you need to know Bella. Carlisle and I have these five children and we love them with our entire hearts, but we also don't have any children. Not biologically anyway. All of our kids are adopted but they're our family. The other thing I should probably explain is that Rose and Emmett are an item and so are Jasper and Alice. We adopted them all at different times, but it seems as if fate were at work. They truly each found their soul mates here and I'm sure you'll be able to see that once you've been around them for five minutes. Are you ready to go meet them Bella?" Esme asked, unsure.

Bella was at a loss for words, so she just nodded and followed Esme over to the tables, unsure of what to expect. When they got there, four of the five kids all stood up and smiled. Charlie and Carlisle wandered over with a tray of meat to add to the amazing spread already present before any introductions could be made. Once they were made though, everyone began to eat, and talk and laugh; everyone but Bella. She covertly looked around the tables until she noticed that she wasn't the only not involved in the conversations. She spotted Edward and noticed that he was looking at her too.