I had thought that there were 14 chapters to this story. There are indeed 17! If you haven't read chapter 12 go back and do that now!
September - December
Though my sister was unable to come visit over the summer, due to prior commitments, my parents did come with her to Harvard's final game of the year. We were facing North Carolina, and the championship was on the line. To say I was a ball of nerves would be an understatement. Knowing that not only was my family in the stands, but Bella's as well, and with her dad being as big a baseball fan as he was… I thought I would throw up.
.
.
.
I couldn't believe it was my hit that won the championship. I was over the moon. The look of pride on everyone's faces was a little overwhelming, especially on Bella. As happy as I was that I'd joined the team, and I knew I would try out next year, I was glad it was over, and I could spend more time with her.
Later that night, while everyone partied around us, I cornered her away from the group. I stroked her face with my finger, and kissed her tenderly. She gripped my shirt, and the look in her eyes was compelling.
"I know it seems pretty soon, because we haven't been together all that long, but I love you, Bella. I just thought you should know."
Her cheeks flushed, and she placed her arm around my neck, tugging my forehead down so it was resting against hers. "I love you, too."
.
.
.
My head was throbbing, my mouth felt as if it was full of sand, and I couldn't figure out why I was so damn warm. I cracked an eye and moaned at the sudden brightness that assaulted my vision. At my moan, something wiggled on top of me, which made me feel simultaneously good and bad at the same time.
"Edward?" Bella rasped.
I attempted to open my eye again. "Yeah?"
"Where are we?"
"When I can get my eyes open, I'll let you know."
She laughed, and that put pressure on my stomach and I groaned. "Please don't do that, baby. I really don't feel very well."
It was when she started to shift off me that I realized we were both naked. I remembered the girls coming back from the spa. I remembered Alec and Jasper's frat buddies challenging us to a drinking contest. I remembered dancing with Bella so close we were practically fucking, and then… nothing.
"Bella?"
"Yeah?"
"Did… um… did we…?"
She buried her face in my neck. "No, we did everything but."
"Thank god. I mean, not that I don't want to… I mean I do, but…"
She chuckled, kissing my neck. "I know, baby. I would want to remember it, too."
.
.
.
I was nervous as we boarded the plane. Not about Bella meeting my family, as she'd already met the ones whose opinions really mattered to me. I was worried about running into Angela.
She'd emailed me a couple times since the breakup, and I'd responded, but probably didn't say as much as I should have. In fact, I was struggling with how to tell her I'd met someone I loved. The fact I loved Bella more than I ever felt for Angela was what was holding me back from saying anything.
I had nothing to fear, though, because while we ran into Mr. Weber, we didn't see Angela at all. And the best thing? My extended family absolutely loved Bella.
We went to my family's place for Thanksgiving. We spent that Christmas with Bella's family. And it was all wonderful. Though her dad did make it a point to let me know I definitely would be staying in Alec's room, and he was a very light sleeper. Lots of fun times.