Disclaimer: I own everything but their names.

July 23, 2001 – Santa Cruz, California

"Bella? Can I see you in my office for a minute please?" Edward was at the cash register looking through receipts – which he did a lot more of lately – and I worried that I'd messed up some transaction.

We hadn't seen each other since Friday night and the weekend had seemed extra long because of it. It was silly, especially when I'd gone longer periods of time without seeing him, but since the moment I knew he was into me, too, I wanted to be around him all the time.

And I couldn't help wondering if time away might have made him rethink things…

I wasn't sure how to answer, so I nodded mutely and followed him, worrying slightly over what he might want. A lot could happen in two days.

As soon as the door to his office closed behind us, he had me pressed against it, lips hot on mine as his hands roamed my waist. He breathed heavily into my mouth, kissing me with the kind of passion that sent tingles right down to my toes.

"What was that for?" I asked as he pulled back and rested his forehead against mine.

He chuckled quietly and squeezed my waist. "I'm sorry… I just— needed. I don't know. I haven't seen you in two days and I wanted to do that so badly Friday night, but I couldn't and I just needed to kiss you."

I blushed so hard I was sure the whole room turned pink. "Yeah?"

He kissed me again, softer, and hummed against my lips. "Yeah."

"I missed you, too."

His lips shifted into a smile. "Come over tonight."

"I can't… I'm supposed to have dinner with my dad."

His face fell. "After? Can you get away after?"

I sighed – now that the proposal was on the table, I really wanted to say yes. "I don't know. I've barely seen him the past few weeks. I mean, he works a lot, but I just think he might be starting to wonder what's going on with me. I don't know what to tell him."

Edward let go of me and stepped back, his expression telling me that he was working out what he would say next in his head. "What do you want to tell him?" he asked.

"Right now? Nothing," I replied honestly. "There's nothing I can tell him. If he finds out about this… about you… I don't know if it will go well."

He grimaced. "You think?"

I nodded and the look of hurt that passed across Edward's face made my chest ache. He stepped back, falling heavily into his office chair and burying his hands in his hair as he stared at the floor. "We shouldn't be doing this."

My heart sunk, my eyes burned with tears and I had to step back from the force of how much what he'd said hurt me. I'd thought we were over the doubts, but apparently not. And that just pissed me off.

"Maybe we shouldn't," I said angrily, trying to keep my voice steady. We had talked about this and after everything he'd asked for from me, he had to stop doubting that I wanted him. "I care about you, Edward. But I can't keep doing this if you're going to question me at every turn. I just… can't."

"I care about you too, but…" He cut himself off and shook his head. "Nevermind."

"But?" I prompted. "You can't just say things like that."

He looked up at me with soft eyes. "I just hate the position this puts you in."

My anger softened. "I put myself in this position, so leave it up to me to handle it, okay?"

"I'm sorry," he said, standing and coming over to wrap his arms around me.

"I'm sorry, too. Just let me handle Charlie."

He smiled at me shyly, leaning forward and kissing me quickly on the lips. "Okay."

That night, Charlie picked me up from work and we walked over to have dinner on the Wharf. He told me all about his new job, including the fact that they wanted him to start working overnights. I pretended not to be thrilled with this news…

Honestly, it was nice spending time with him. Even though we were both pretty independent people, we'd barely seen each other since moving to California and I missed him. He'd always been the only solid, stable thing in my life. I never wanted that to change. I was, and hoped I always would be a daddy's girl.

"How's work going, kiddo?" Charlie asked before sipping his beer.

I bit my lip in contemplation, scared I'd reveal too much. "It's pretty good, the guys are great. I'm learning a lot. I really love it."

Charlie grumbled a bit at the mention of the guys, muttering under his breath. He still thought of me as his little girl, which was part of the reason I'd been so adamant with Edward that it'd probably take some time before he was ever okay with our relationship.

"That boy still insisting on you learning to surf?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's not a boy, Dad."

"Whatever."

"And to answer your question, he did teach me to surf." I grinned as his face registered shock.

He clutched as his chest. "Oh great. How many trips to the ER have I missed?" he asked, looking truly frightened.

I laughed. "None! I'm actually pretty good at it if I do say so myself."

He finished chewing and smiled at me. He looked proud. "That's great, Bells. I'm really glad you found something you like doing; just be careful. I worry about you. I'm sorry I haven't been around very much."

I reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "You never have to worry about me. I know how to take care of myself. And I understand."

"I know that, but still. Be careful."

"Yes, Daddy," I said, grinning.

His nostrils flared above his bushy mustache. "You're not too old for me to ground you, you know."

I laughed. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, kid."

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Thank you for reading.

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Until later...

xx