A/N Ok... I want to apologize that this is my only post this weekend. It's been really busy and I had to spend some time with my family. Any way, here's the next chapter! Enjoy and please review! :)

Chapter 33 – Surprise

The evening had gone so much better than Bella expected. When they got there, Edward had warned her that Alice was probably going to be pissed off about being stood up, but she was sitting in Jasper's lap watching a movie in the family room and hardly even noticed when they came in.

Instead of questioning anything, Edward simply led her to a nearby chair and sat down, opening his arms; inviting her to sit on his lap. Without any hesitation, Bella sat and Edward wrapped his arms securely around her. Instead of watching the movie that was on, they just gazed into each other's eyes lovingly.

Probably fifteen minutes after getting downstairs, they heard the front door open and feet shuffling about their head. Automatically, Bella began to get up to offer help, assuming it was Esme who had come home, but Edward tightened his grip around her waist.

She couldn't help but chuckle at him, especially when he started pouting because she had wanted to get up. She quickly glanced to see Alice and Jasper too wrapped up in their movie to notice anything around them and turned back to Edward.

"Have I told you how adorable you are when you pout like that, or did I merely just think it?" she asked him with a smirk on her face. Without waiting for an answer, she brought her finger up to trace his bottom lip that was jetting out from the top. Then, very slowly, she leaned in to kiss it, pulling it into her mouth and holding it between her teeth. She didn't think she'd ever get tired of kissing Edward. When they were together like this, she truly felt at peace with her life and with the world.

After a few minutes of lip-locked bliss, they heard the door open again and Bella sighed deeply. She was assuming Carlisle was home now and that Charlie would be there in about twenty minutes. When she pulled away this time Edward didn't try to stop her; instead, he took her hand and walked upstairs with her to see if they could help with anything.

Esme was in the kitchen working in front of the stove when they walked in. "Hi Esme. We came up to see if you needed any help with dinner." Esme turned around and greeted them with a warm smile.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here. Would you mind tossing a salad together? We should have everything you need in the refrigerator and over there on the counter. Edward, could you be a dear and set the table? " Without another word, Esme returned her focus to the stove.

Bella squeezed Edward's hand before pulling away and heading to the fridge. She pulled out some romaine, spinach greens, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and cheddar cheese. Then she went to the counter and grabbed the bowl, salad tongs, croutons, and bacon bits. After cutting up the ingredients, she placed everything into the bowl and poured in some raspberry vinaigrette dressing before tossing it. When she was done, she carried the bowl to the dining room and set it in the center of the table.

Edward had already set out the plates and glasses and he was working on the silverware. She had walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, causing him to pause what he was doing and turn around so they were facing each other. She tightened her grip and smiled up at him. "I love you so much, Edward. You're absolutely amazing," she told him before tiptoeing up to kiss his lips.

He chuckled in response as he kissed her back. "I love you more, my beautiful girl. What did I do to deserve you?" They got lost in each other's eyes for a few minutes before they heard the doorbell ring, causing them to pull apart. Edward ran to get the door, so she decided to finish up with setting the table.

Once everything was on the table, she headed back into the kitchen to see what else she could help with. Esme was just putting some steamed white rice in a bowl. There was a plate of grilled chicken breasts sitting on the counter and an additional bowl with a steamed medley of vegetables. "Are these ready to go to the table?" Bella asked.

"Yes, sweetheart, thank you." Esme smiled at her and then went to the sink to wash her hands as she carried each dish to the dining room. Esme came out carrying a basket of homemade rolls and added them to the table before stepping back to take it all in. "Perfect!" she said with a satisfied look on her face and Bella had to agree with her. Esme had gone above and beyond to prepare a terrific meal for everyone tonight.

…..

When the doorbell rang, it broke the connection between Bella and him. He knew it was probably Charlie arriving, so, with the table still not completely set, he went to answer the door. He knew Bella would probably finish it for him and he couldn't help but smile at her kindness.

When he had asked her what he did to deserve her earlier, he had been serious. He never ceased to be amazed by everything she did; she was so selfless and caring. Sometimes he couldn't comprehend the fact that she loved him, especially after everything he told her, but it just proved his point. Bella was an angel on earth and she was his.

When he opened the door, Charlie was standing on the front porch wearing his full police uniform. Edward knew he must have looked shocked as he saw Charlie's gun holstered on his right hip, because Charlie was quick to respond. "Oh crap! I forgot to leave this in the car. I'm sorry son, give me two seconds." He ran back down to his cruiser and removed his gun belt, placing it in the trunk, before returning to the porch.

"Good evening Charlie. It's nice to see you again. Please, come in and have a seat; dinner will be ready shortly. Bella and I were just helping my mom set the table and finish up the last minute prep." Charlie had been here before, but Edward still felt bad about leaving him alone to finish setting the table.

As if on cue, Carlisle entered the room and as soon as he saw Charlie, his eyes lit up. "Charlie! It's so good to see you," he said as he went up to give him a brotherly hug.

Edward no longer felt the necessity to stay and keep the chief company, so he quietly excused himself and went back to the dining room. Sure enough, Bella had finished setting the table and had just brought out the last of the food. Esme looked proud of the meal she had prepared as she stood standing at the head of the table.

"Charlie and Dad are in the living room talking. Bella and I are going to run down and let Alice and Jazz know that dinner is ready, okay Mom?" Edward knew it would only take one of them to go downstairs and retrieve them, but he wanted another minute alone with his girlfriend. Esme simply nodded and gave him a knowing look as she walked into the living room to greet Charlie.

Bella looked confused as Edward reached for her hand, but she took it willingly and followed him to the staircase. They got to the landing between floors and he tugged on her arm, pulling her to a stop. He trapped her against the wall, one hand on either side of her body as he leaned in, bringing his lips to meet hers. She eagerly accepted his kiss, opening her mouth to allow him to deepen it. Without a moment's hesitation, he tongue slipped into her mouth and he felt her moan more than he heard it.

He stood closer to her, to the point their bodies were flush with each other and yet it still wasn't close enough. He knew he couldn't get too carried away because hiding an erection at family dinner would not exactly be an easy thing to do, but he still wanted to show her how much he loved her.

When things started to get a little too heated, he backed up and smiled at Bella. She was breathing heavily but looked like she was going to pull him to her again. He couldn't help but chuckle at her. "Baby, we've got to get Alice and Jasper and head upstairs before they send a search party. I'm sorry, I just wanted a quick moment alone with you before we had dinner with your dad."

Bella smiled at him before she leaned in for another kiss. "I love you, Edward. You're right though. Let's grab your brother and sister and head back upstairs." She tugged on his arm and the headed down the rest of the stairs to the family room.

"Hey guys, dinner is about ready and we were sent down to get you," he told his siblings. The movie was over and they were just sitting there talking, so they jumped up quickly enough. He was just about to lead Bella upstairs when Alice cleared her throat.

Stopping them both in their tracks, they turned to see what she wanted. Maybe she was pissed after all. She looked a little hesitant, but after a moment she said, "Bella, can you hang back a minute? There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Bella looked panicked, but he squeezed her hand reassuringly. He bent to whisper in her ear, telling her that everything would be okay but that she didn't have to say if she didn't want to. She squeezed his hand back and walked over to where Alice was standing. With one last glance in her direction, he headed upstairs with Jasper feeling a bit worried about what Alice wanted to talk to Bella about.

…..

When Alice asked her to hang back a minute, Bella panicked. She didn't know what to think or what Alice wanted, but she was sure it wasn't going to be good. Once Edward and Jasper had disappeared upstairs, she heard Alice draw in a deep breath, for some reason seeming a little nervous.

"What's up Alice?" she asked to try to ease the tension in the room a little. "Are you mad at me because I didn't make it over right after school?"

Alice actually laughed at the comment. "Bella, that's just silly. Of course I'm not mad at you for something like that. I just wanted to ask you how things were going with my brother. He seems so happy now that he has you in his life."

She was taken aback and wasn't quite sure how to answer Alice's question. She really liked Alice and hoped that someday they would be good friends, but so far, they really hadn't even talked other than that day at the barbeque a few months ago.

Alice, sensing her hesitation to answer, added, "Bella, I'm not trying to pry but I can see how close you are with Edward. You can't possibly see the difference in him that I see. He's been a part of this family for a few years and in just a matter of days, you've already made it seem like he has no issues at all. It's like you have some sort of gravitation pull when it comes to him and it's amazing to see."

She paused and looked directly at Bella before continuing. "I don't mean to put any added pressure on you Bella, but I wanted to say thank you. I always knew that Edward would find someone who would help him come to terms with his demons but the rest of my family wasn't so sure. The day you came over a few months ago for our back to school barbeque, I just knew you were that someone. After you left, I talked to Esme and told her what I thought.

"I think she felt that you guys could help each other as friends but she was skeptical it would ever become more. She didn't get into details about anything, so I don't know what happened to you exactly, but Bella, you're perfect for my brother. I can see beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loves you. I guess what I want to know is do you love him like he loves you?"

Alice was fidgeting with her fingers as if she was afraid to look Bella in the eye. It seemed that she was afraid she had offended her by asking the question. The opposite was true actually. Bella was completely flattered that Alice thought she was perfect for her brother.

She felt a lump in her throat and a burning in her eyes as she tried to speak. "Alice, I don't know how to explain this other than to just say it. Yes, I love your brother more than I would ever be able to express. I know I haven't known him for long but he's amazing in every way. We have this incredible connection between us emotionally as well as physically. When we touch, it's like an electric current shoots through me. It's really hard to explain."

She took a deep breath and looked at Alice. She was beginning to worry because Alice had been completely quiet during her explanation and that was completely unlike anything she'd ever witnessed or heard about her. Finally, out of nowhere, Alice sprang towards Bella and wrapped her arms around her squealing like a twelve-year-old girl at a Justin Bieber concert.

"Oh Bella! I'm so excited, you have no idea," she was bouncing up and down on her feet as she spoke and Bella couldn't help but liken her to an excited puppy. "You have to promise that we can start hanging out sometimes. I mean, when you're not spending time with my brother. I feel like you're already a sister to me Bella and I really want to get to know you better."

With that, she grabbed Bella's hand and started pulling her to the stairs. "We better get upstairs though. I'm sure Edward is freaking out about what we're talking about and if I don't get you upstairs in the next minute or so, he's going to come down looking for you. I may not make it upstairs alive if that's the case."

Bella allowed her to pull her up the stairs and when the entered the dining room, she immediately searched for Edward. When she spotted him she came to a staggering halt because of the look on his face. He looked sick and she wasn't sure what was wrong. She immediate withdrew her hand from Alice and ran to Edward. "Baby, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

He looked at her, shocked. "Am I okay? Bella, I'm fine. I was worried about you. What did Alice say? Do I need to talk to her? I'm sorry, Bella, I shouldn't have let you stay down there with her. I…"

"Edward, stop. I'm fine. Alice just wanted to tell me how excited she was that I was in your life now. She was really sweet, actually. I hope I can live up to her expectations because she obviously love you."

Once Bella had gotten out the response, Edward seemed to visibly relax. He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, probably because her dad was standing not ten feet from them before whispering in her ear. "Are you sure everything is okay? She didn't mention us not showing up earlier?"

Bella could feel his face getting hot as he obviously remembered why they hadn't made it any earlier and she smiled. "No babe, she didn't even mention it. We're fine, I promise. Now, I'm starving so let's eat." She took his hand and let him to the table. Always the gentleman, he pulled out her chair for her so that she could sit and then joined her, grabbing her hand under the table and twining their fingers. When they sat down, all the conversations in the room seemed to come to a halt and everyone followed their lead.

…..

Dinner went really well. He didn't know how many times he thanked Esme for the wonderful meal, but if he had to guess, he would probably say twenty or more, and it was the truth. Esme's grilled chicken was cooked perfectly, seasoned with lemon-pepper. It was moist and delicious and he ate more than his share, making Bella laugh at him. She had only eaten about half of hers when she claimed to be full, so he forked the remainder on her plate and brought it to his.

She looked at him with mock anger on her face but then smiled and squeezed his hand letting him know she was just teasing him. Two bites later, her chicken was gone as well.

After dinner, Esme surprised everyone with a beautiful birthday cake for Bella. She hadn't even mentioned it to him, but as soon as he saw her whisper in Alice's ear, he knew something was up.

Sure enough, two minutes later, the lights went out and Esme and Alice walked in carrying a half-sheet cake with eighteen candles lit on it. Bella gasped when she realized this was all for her and he couldn't help but glance over at her.

She had a tear running down her cheek, which he quickly caught with his thumb. He joined his family and Charlie in singing 'Happy Birthday' while never taking his eyes off of her. She watched him in return as the tears continued to flow freely down her cheeks. When the song was over, she leaned into him and touched her lips to his, right in front of everyone.

"Thank you, Edward. Thank you, Esme. You have no idea how much it means to me that you thought about my birthday tomorrow. I don't know what else to say."

He was about to let Bella know that he had nothing to do with it, but Esme subtly shook her head, urging him to just keep quiet and accept her thanks. He did, but he made a mental note to personally thank Esme later, when it was just Bella, Esme, and him.

After desert, Edward walked Bella out to Charlie's cruiser. Since they were both going to the same place, Charlie had offered to drive Bella home so Edward wouldn't have to make an unnecessary trip. He wanted to object, but he knew he would be seeing her again in a few hours.

When they were outside alone, he leaned into Bella, kissing her lips, his tongue searching for entry into her mouth. She moaned and opened to him and they stood there kissing for about five minutes. Finally, he pulled his lips from hers and found her ear. "If it were possible I would never stop kissing you beautiful. Will you leave your window unlocked for me tonight? I want to give you my present when no one else is around." He then nipped at her ear lobe and then kissed his way up and down her neck.

He felt her lean into him and he chuckled. "Is that a yes?" he asked, pulling back to look her in the eye.

"Yes," she said before crashing her lips to his once more.