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Beta: TwilightDramaTeach

Chapter 38: Thanksgiving Part 2

Edward's POV

Mom and Rose were in the kitchen cooking lunch while Emmett, dad, and I watched television. We were flipping between sports channels watching whatever game was on. I'd never eaten Rosalie's food before so I was a bit nervous. After having mom and Bella's, I worried no one else's would compare. Mom yelled that lunch would be ready in fifteen minutes. Rosalie and Emmett both went upstairs to clean up. Dad went to his and mom's room, and I went into the kitchen. I needed to ask mom for a favor. She was pulling out plates and glasses. I reached up to grab the glasses that we just out of reach.

"Thank you, sweetheart," mom said. I nodded suddenly nervous to ask her. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, but it was unconvincing. She frowned and laid her hand on my forearm.

"What is it?"

"I was hoping you could do me a favor?"

"Anything, you know that."

"I want to go into Port Angeles tomorrow and look at some of the jewelry stores. I was hoping you could come and give me your opinion." She smiled brightly.

"Of course, I can." She handed me the plates and motioned for me to follow and help. "What are you looking for? A bracelet? A necklace? It's good you're starting your Christmas shopping early."

"Well, I didn't want to look for a bracelet or necklace. I'm actually looking for a ring." She stopped and turned toward me with a guarded but hopeful expression. "I only get one chance at this, and I can't screw up. It'll be seen every day. It's got to be perfect." She launched herself at me and hugged me fiercely.

"Oh, Edward. I'm so happy for you. When are you going to propose?" She pulled back, and I laughed at how excited she looked.

"I'm just looking right now. I think if I proposed anytime soon, she'd run. She's not ready, I don't think. I still have to talk to Charlie too. Lord knows when I'll be able to do that."

"It'll all work out."

"I hope." I finished setting the table. "Don't tell Emmett. He wouldn't be able to keep his big mouth shut."

"I understand. Secrets never were your brother's strong suit." We both laughed. "Let's wash up before dinner, and tomorrow morning we'll go into town."

"Thanks mom." She smiled and patted my cheek.

"No thanks necessary, sweetheart. I'm going to like having Bella as a daughter."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, mother," I warned. She swatted at my arm before walking back to the kitchen humming.

I finished the last of the broccoli casserole that was on my plate then leaned back with a groan. I was stuffed. Mom and Rosalie had made a wonderful lunch, and we still had dinner to do. I shouldn't have eaten so much, but it was so good. Bella and Sue were cooking some dishes for dinner, so I had to make sure I had room for their food. I knew Bella was a great cook, and from what Charlie said, so was Sue. I couldn't wait to try all the food tonight, but at the moment, thinking about more food made me nauseous.

"That was great mom, Rose," I told them. Dad, Emmett, and I started clearing the table. "We'll take care of clean up. You two go relax."

"Thank you, sweetheart," mom said as she stood. She and Rose disappeared somewhere in the house while we cleaned and packed away the leftovers. Emmett said he needed to go check on something and left the dishes to dad and I.

"How are you and Isabella?" he asked while I washed and he dried.

"We're great," I answered as I felt a smile tug at my lips.

"How are things going with her book?"

"Good. She and Katelynn are going to New York on Monday to talk to agents. Once she has an agent, he or she will start talking to publishing companies."

"How is she doing personally?" Dad always worried about Bella. Well, maybe not worry but was concerned about.

"She…she's…sometimes I feel like I never knew Bella until recently. She's such a different person. She's playful and happy. There's a peaceful calm about her. Her eyes are bright and full of wonder." I paused thinking about how to word what I was feeling. "I think I've always loved her, but I fall more in love with her every day. There are so many facets to her, and I look forward to getting to know every part of her." I looked over as I handed him a plate. He was smiling softly.

"I'm very happy that you found her, son." I picked up the last dirty dish to wash.

"I'm lucky I found her. I honestly couldn't imagine my life without her."

"So things are good between you." He sounded almost smug.

"They are. She's where I'm supposed to be." He dried the glass and put it away. I handed him a kitchen sponge and grabbed another before we went back to the dining room to clean the table.

"I know you two are very serious, but how serious are you?"

"Just ask what you're wanting to ask, dad?" He huffed.

"Are you thinking about marriage? Is it something you two have discussed?"

"We have in a roundabout way. Angela asked her about marriage and kids one day. She said she hadn't thought about it until we started dating. We talked about it. She wants both. She was just scared she wouldn't be able to have kids. She talked to mom about it." He was nodding.

"Esme mentioned that she had talked with her. I wondered if that was the topic." We went back to the kitchen to wash out the sponges.

"She talked to me later that day. I told her that as long as we were together, that was all that mattered. She didn't know though so I suggested she talk to her doctor at her yearly check up."

"Has she been yet?"

"She went a few weeks ago. Dr. Stevens said she should be able to conceive."

"That's great. I'm so happy for her."

"Me too. She'll make a wonderful mother."

"You're going to make a magnificent father." My chest warmed at the thought. I wanted that. More specifically, I wanted that with Bella. I wanted to be the father to her children.

"I just hope to be half as good as you are." He smiled, and I could see his eyes get misty.

"You'll be even better." We were interrupted when we heard mom scream from the living room. We ran in to make sure everything was okay. Mom had Rose pulled into a hug bouncing around, and Emmett was looking on proudly.

"What's going on?" Emmett just smiled wider. Rosalie held out her hand when mom didn't let go. There on her ring finger was a shimmering diamond. I walked over and clapped him on the back. "Good job, man. It doesn't look half bad." Dad came over and pulled Emmett into a hug.

"Congratulations, son," he said getting choked up. He walked over to pull Rosalie from mom's arm and into his own. "It's going to be an honor having you in the family."

"Thank you, Carlisle," she said demurely. I'd never seen her like this before. I pulled her into a hug as well.

"I'm happy for you, Rose. Welcome to the family," I whispered. She whispered back her thanks.

"I don't want to be rude, but I need to call Alice. I'll tell Bella at dinner," she said. Esme ushered her to the phone.

"When did you decide this?" I asked Emmett as he, dad, and I took a seat. Mom excused herself to do something.

"I got the ring in September, a few weeks into classes. I just had to wait until I thought I wouldn't scare her off. She chose to come here for Thanksgiving. I took that as a good sign, so I decided to go for it."

"Have you two talked about marriage before?" dad asked him.

"Not really. I always knew I'd marry her. When she talks about the future, she talks about us. I never thought she'd want something different. Obviously, I was right." He chuckled. "When I asked her she said it was about time I asked. She was getting impatient." We all laughed with him.

"You're going to have your hands full with her, Emmett," dad said.

"And what a great handful it is." I groaned as dad laughed. He really couldn't be sentimental for five minutes.

Rosalie came back in a few minutes later. She sat down next to Emmett and pulled his arm around her. Mom came back in with a binder. She sat down next to Rosalie and opened it. I just rolled my eyes. She and Alice had been keeping a book of things they thought Rosalie might like for her wedding. That effectively shut Emmett, dad, and myself out of the conversation. We watched television for a while before Rosalie and mom went to the kitchen to start on some dishes for dinner.

It was a nice, lazy day. At least, it was lazy until the doorbell rang around 4:45 that evening. I jogged to the door and let everyone in. Bella was holding two dishes, Sue had two, Charlie had one, and Billy had a sack of something. It looked like they were planning to feed an army. I smirked at the thought but knew it would probably be just right to feed Emmett and Seth. Those two ate more than anyone I'd ever met. I leaned forward and grabbed a dish from Bella before kissing her.

"Hello, love," I said quietly.

"Hi," she said shyly causing me to smirk. How she could get so flustered still with just one little kiss amused me.

"Hi Charlie, Sue, Billy, and others." We all laughed. There were just too many to name. "We're so glad you could join us. Come on in."

I stepped aside and led them to the kitchen. We placed the food on the island. Mom greeted them all before her and Sue both ushered everyone out of the kitchen. We all went to the living room. I sat next to Emmett and Rosalie then pulled Bella to sit in my lap. I wondered if it'd take her long before she noticed Rosalie's ring. I knew it wouldn't take long, because Rosalie was being kind of obvious about it.

"Ro-When the hell did this happen?" She grabbed Rosalie's hand and pulled it to her face to examine to diamond. Everyone laughed. She blushed when she realized what she'd said.

"Just after lunch," Rosalie said.

The rest of the day, we discussed wedding plans for Charlie and Sue, wedding possibilities for Rosalie and Emmett, and future plans of the rest of us couples. Leah and Seth were apparently very serious with their S.O.s as well. None of us brought up marriage, but I could hear it in the things Brady said, and I'm sure I wasn't being that stealthy about it either.

Dinner was as good as I was expecting. There was ample food, and all of it was delicious. Conversation flowed easily and freely. I loved seeing how our families got along so well. It made me realize how right it all was. It was almost as if it was less of a blending of two families but a merging of one family that'd been separated. I liked to see how Billy melded into the family as well. I wondered if being related to Jacob would put a strain on things, but it hadn't.

"Oh, my favorite memory from Bella's summer visits is from when she was nine," Billy was saying while laughing. I was enjoying sharing stories of our childhoods. I wanted to know everything about Bella.

"Oh, Billy. Don' t tell this one," Bella whined.

"Shh," I told her. "I want to hear this." She narrowed her eyes playfully at me.

"Okay. That's fine. When this is over, Esme can tell us something embarrassing about you." Mom giggled and nodded. The traitor.

"So, Bella was nine and came for her annual visit," Billy started again. "She was still young enough not to know she could put her foot down about the fishing trips." Charlie chuckled and nodded.

"It was because of this particular trip I've never gotten her back on a boat," Charlie said. I could tell he would want her to go again.

"So, we all loaded up on the boat and found our spot. Bella pulled out her book. She always had her nose buried in one. Now, we've been on the water about two hours. It was a good day too. The fish were biting, and we were close to our limit. I thought we'd maxed out, but every time I checked, we were just shy of it."

"So, Billy keeps talking about how we should be reaching our limit," Charlie picked up the story. "I think he's crazy, because well, he's Billy. We've decided we're going to go in after two more catches. Billy caught his and took it off the hook. When we turned around to put it in the bucket, Bella had it leaned over the side of the boat."

"She was trying to quietly free the fish. Surprised, I yelled her name. She hadn't been paying attention, and it scared her. She jumped when we caught her and lost her balance. She went head first into the water." Everyone, including myself, was laughing at that point. She just sat there beet red and pouting.

"At least, all the fish went free," she said petulantly.

"That's right. You cost us our whole catch," Charlie said as if he had truly forgotten.

After stuffing myself, along with most everyone else, we all went to the living room to rest. We watched television and talked. Things were unhurried and relaxing. It was late when Bella remembered that mom hadn't told a story about me. I groaned. I had hoped they would all forget, because I had no idea what mom would tell.

"Oh, let me think," mom said and scrunched her eyes as she thought.

"Tell them about Vicky," dad said.

"Dad!" I exclaimed. "Why would you bring that up? I'm your son. I can't believe this." People were already laughing.

"Oh, sweetheart," mom began. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yes, it is," Emmett piped in. I scowled at him.

"Edward was probably 13 or 14. He'd only been with us a year. You also need to keep in mind that Edward didn't always look like he does now."

"What she's trying to say is that Eddie was chubby with acne." Emmett laughed as he laid it on the line for everyone.

"What?" Bella asked from beside me. "Why didn't I know this? I want to see pictures." She was laughing as she said this.

"We'll, Edward wasn't always so popular with the women," Carlisle said. I groaned, embarrassed that my whole family was turning against me.

"There was one young lady at school that took a liking to Edward," mom continued. "Her name was Victoria. She was actually very pretty and popular. She would come over every once in a while to hang out with him." Dad chuckled at the memory. I could already feel my ears heat from embarrassment. "She came over one night. Emmett was at a friend's house, and Carlisle and I went to pick up a pizza for dinner. When we came back-" She couldn't even talk from giggling so much.

"Vicky had propositioned Edward," dad continued since mom couldn't control herself. "She was a bit…adamant about it too."

"From what I understood," Emmett clarified, "she had poor Eddie boy pinned on the couch. She was on top of him. Mom and dad heard her telling Edward he would enjoy it if he just relaxed. When she heard the front door closed, it distracted her enough that Edward was able to toss her off. He stood up and ran behind mom." Everyone enjoyed my mortification.

Before long, it was time for Bella and the rest to leave. Time had passed quickly and it was late. I walked Bella to the door where I kissed her goodbye. Emmett and Rosalie went to bed soon after. Dad helped mom clean the kitchen, and before long, they were going to bed as well. I reluctantly pulled myself up the stairs and got ready for bed. I wasn't really tired, but I realized that the faster I went to sleep, the sooner I would get to see Bella.

The next morning mom made breakfast for us. She kept it light with toast and bacon since we'd eaten so much the day before. I sent Bella a text that I'd be in Port Angeles for a while with mom. I told her mom wanted me to go with her. I didn't want to give her any clue what I was doing. Once mom had cleaned up after breakfast, we got in the car and drove to Port Angeles.

It was nice to spend time with mom alone. She talked about some of her latest projects. She was really enjoying the work on ADA houses. She'd even considered working on a few projects in Seattle that would require her to stay in the city a few days a week. I told her to stay with me if she took the job. Emmett's old room was being used as a library/work space. I could easily fit a bed and dresser in there along with the desk and the overstuffed armchair I called 'Bella's Work Space.' I always found her there working on her book.

She asked about classes and work. She wanted to hear all about it. She missed Carlisle's early Med School years, so she wanted to be involved in ours. I also think she missed having us around, and now that Emmett and I were moving into a new stage of our lives with women we loved, she wished she were around more often. I wondered what would happen when Emmett or I had a child. She'd want to be close.

I eventually pulled into Port Angeles and parked on 1st Street. We got out of the car and joined the hoards of other Black Friday nuts. We started at Fountain Square Jewelers. I went inside and didn't even know where to start. Mom must have noticed my confusion because she laughed. I looked at her a bit lost, and she finally took pity on me. She threaded her arm through mine and pulled me to the first display case.

"What were you thinking?" she asked as she browsed the rings.

"Where do I start?" I asked hoping she'd give me some guidance. She tried to hide her giggle, but I heard her. She cleared her throat and continued looking.

"Umm…what kind of band do you want?"

"Not gold." Bella didn't like gold.

"Do you mean gold the metal or the color?"

"Color."

"So you'd be okay with white gold?"

"Sure. Just not that yellow color." She nodded and pulled me down two display cases. All the rings in that one were silver colored.

"What about the jewel? Do you want a diamond, sapphire, ruby?"

"Diamond. I don't want it to be colored either. Just a plain diamond."

"No diamond is plain," a man said. I looked up to see a man in a suit smiling at us from behind the counter. "Diamonds are like women. They're unique, beautiful, and perfect in their own right. The hard thing is matching a diamond's beauty to the lady." He extended his hand. "I'm Preston. What can I help you with?"

"I'm Edward." I shook his hand. "I'm just looking today. I wanted to see what's available. I don't really know what I'm looking for." Preston smiled.

"You'll know it when you see it. There's one out there for her. You just have to find it. What did you have in mind so far?"

"She doesn't like yellow gold, and I want a diamond with no other stones."

"You've already made some of the important decisions. Have a look around, and let me know if you have any questions."

"Thank you."

We spent the next few hours wandering around jewelry stores. We must have looked at a thousand rings, but none of them looked like they'd fit on Bella. I was feeling a bit forlorn on the way home, but mom assured me I would find it eventually. I knew Seattle would most likely be a better place to look. It had more jewelry stores and bigger name ones. I was sure they'd have Bella's ring.

Bella came over in the afternoon and asked how the shopping was. Mom smiled brightly and told her it was the most fun she'd had in a long time. Bella looked at me curiously so I shrugged. I couldn't tell her. We spent some time with the family, but eventually she pulled me upstairs to my room. I wasn't going to complain. I'd missed having her sleep next to me, and I wanted to feel her against me.

She pulled me inside and shut the door. I followed her to the bed where she crawled up the bed and leaned against the headboard. I was confused when I saw her worried face. Her brows were drawn together and she was nibbling her bottom lip. I sat down and scooted to sit next her. I placed an arm over her shoulders and kissed her hair.

"What is it, love?" I asked her. "You look worried." She leaned against me and pulled an envelope out of her back pocket. It was folded and crinkled. She held it out to me. I took the envelope and unfolded it. It was addressed to Bella but the address was in La Push. There was no return address. I looked up at Bella confused. She was still worrying her bottom lip. I pulled it free with my thumb. "You'll eat your lip off one day." I smiled hoping to break the tension, but she didn't smile back. "What is this, love? You can tell me." She let out a long breath.

"It's a letter," she said. I would have rolled my eyes at the smart-ass remark, but there was more to this. "It's from Jacob." I just stared. Why would he send her a letter?

"What does it say?" I tried to keep my voice even. She shrugged. I looked back at the envelope and noticed it hadn't been opened.

"Billy brought it to me this morning. Jacob sent it to Billy and asked that it be given to me. I don't know if I want to open it."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." She nodded but was far off. I stayed quiet while she thought. I personally didn't want her to open it. There was no telling what that letter said, and I didn't want her to see it if he said anything bad in it. She didn't deserve that.

"I want to read it." My heart fell a bit, but I nodded and smiled reassuringly. She opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. We sat there another minute before she opened the folded paper. She burrowed further into my side and turned the paper so I could read too.

Dear Bella,

Thank you for being willing to open this letter. I can't imagine how hard it was to do that.

I'll keep this short. All I really wanted to say is I'm sorry. I am so sorry for everything I put you through. I cannot even comprehend the amount of hurt and pain I've caused you. You never deserved any of that, Bells. I was so far out of line.

I wish there was something I could say, something I could do to make it up to you. I wish I could take back everything I said, everything I did. I'm so sorry.

I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I don't deserve it. I just want you to know I'm sorry, and if there was any way to right this massive wrong, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'm sorry, Bells, so very sorry.

-J

I sat for a minute trying to determine if this was sincere. Bella was doing great, and if he wasn't being sincere and pushed her recovery back, I'd kill him myself. I looked up from the paper to study her face. She wasn't crying. She didn't look relieved. She didn't look angry. Her face was blank. For once, her eyes didn't give her away. She continued to stare at the fireplace.

"Do you think it's true?" she asked. "Do you think he's really sorry?"

"I don't know, love," I told her honestly. "I hope so." We sat quietly for a few moments. I watched her face for a hint of emotion, any emotion.

"He said I didn't deserve it." I nodded.

"You didn't. We've always said that."

"But he said it, wrote it." She looked over at me and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella; with all my heart." I pulled her onto my lap and hugged her tightly. "You're the most important thing in this world to me. I want you to be happy."

"I am happy." She pulled back and looked in my eyes. "You make me happy. So very happy." I smiled and kissed her softly, lingeringly. She pulled away to yawn. "I'm exhausted, Edward."

"Lie down and sleep, love." She crawled off me and laid down. She put the letter back in the envelope and handed it to me.

"Will you trash this when you get a chance? I don't need it." I nodded and kissed her head as I stretched out beside her. She was asleep in no time. I slid from the bed after a few minutes and went downstairs. I wasn't tired. My mind was reeling trying to understand everything that had just happened.

I walked into the kitchen and stopped by the trashcan. I stood there tapping the envelope on the counter. I didn't know why throwing it away was so hard. I started when a hand settled on my back. Mom smiled at me, but I couldn't return it.

"Is everything okay, sweetheart?" she inquired. I shrugged my shoulders. She pointed to the envelope. "What do you have there?" I contemplated my answer.

"A letter from Jacob to Bella," I finally revealed. Mom quirked an eyebrow.

"Does Bella know you have it?"

"Of course she does. We read it earlier. She asked me to throw it away."

"What's the problem?"

"He told her she didn't deserve it. I tell her the same thing, but she doesn't believe it until he says it. Why didn't she believe me?"

"Edward, you don't understand the relationship between an abuser and his victim, and I hope you never do. It's something that cannot be understood or explained unless you are a part of it."

"I want to understand." She shook her head adamantly.

"No, you don't. It's complex, convoluted, and toxic. I would never wish that on you." She gently cupped my cheek. "Bella's lucky. Not many people get the opportunity to hear an apology. It's freeing, in a way. It's relieving. There's no more lingering doubt. This is a good thing, Edward. It's a blessing. Just try to see it that way. You don't have to understand it; just appreciate it." She stepped away and walked to the sink to put away a few dishes.

She was right. I didn't want to understand, not really. What I wanted was not to feel so helpless. Bella never meant to make me feel that; I knew she didn't. I just wanted to be there for her. I would be there for her. I dropped the letter into the trash.

"Where is Bella?" mom asked as she pulled everything out to make homemade hot chocolate.

"She's asleep. She said she was exhausted," I answered as I grabbed the cocoa that was just out of her reach. She chuckled at my easy reach.

"I'm sure. Whatever was in that letter was a lot to process. Plus," she added with a smirk, "you two don't do so well sleeping apart." I could feel my cheeks heat a bit. "Oh, don't be like that. I understand. When your father works overnight, I tend to roam the house. It's a comfort thing. We trade our security blankets as children for another person as adults." I smiled and nodded.

"That's a perfect way to explain it."

"I have my moments." I chuckled with her and kissed her cheek. I thanked her then went back upstairs to try to get some sleep while I had my security blanket available.

AN: Hi all. I hope you are enjoying December and this chapter. A picture of Rosalie's ring is on my blog. Link on my author page.

A lot happened in this chapter. Are you happy Bella gets some closure about Jacob? Are you happy about Emmett and Roalie's engagement and Edward's first out loud admission of wanting to marry Bella?

Now, how long do you think Emmett and Rosalie will wait to get married? How long do you think it'll take Edward to find a ring and then propose? Everything seems to be going well in their world. I wonder when it's going to crash?

We're 66 reviews shy of 700. Can I ask for 700 reviewis as my Christmas present? There will be one more chapter after this before Christmas. That would be 33 reviews per chapter. Please. :)