Chapter 20

AN: I am SO SORRY for the long wait… I seriously can't believe that it's been a year and a half since my last update. I have no excuse, but some recent reviews have served as a motivator for me (thanks Snappher!) and I plan to continue writing and updating again! I don't know how many former readers are still out there, but if you are thanks so much for sticking with me – I appreciate it! And, to any new readers…I welcome you!

This chapter is quite short, but I wanted to put it out there and get my creative juices flowing. Hopefully, there will be more updates to follow soon! Thanks for reading and love to you all :)

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I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before pulling him into the building. I would never admit it to him, but I was a bit nervous too. I mean, this was a pretty big deal…meeting the boyfriend, namely Jasper, and showing off the…uh, boyfriend, I guess.

Actually, Edward and I hadn't really talked about the status of our relationship. Was he my boyfriend? Were we just dating? How should I introduce him?

Crap. Now I was starting to sound like Edward.

I shouldn't be worried. Seriously, this was Rose. And if I couldn't be comfortable around her, then there was no hope for me. Taking a calming breath, I smiled at my man in reassurance and gave our name to the hostess.

Within five minutes, we were seated at a corner table and awaiting the arrival of our dinner companions. As the minutes ticked by, Edward seemed to forget his worries, becoming relaxed with our easy conversation. In fact, we were so caught up in each other that I nearly jumped out of my skin when a hand clamped down on my shoulder and I felt a warm breath next to my ear. Before I could react further a breathy voice said, "Hey big fellow, what's on the menu for tonight?"

I couldn't help the loud guffaw that erupted from my mouth as I pulled Rose down and into a fierce hug. I may have been a little too enthusiastic, as I nearly knocked her to the floor. There was a beat of silence and then we were both cracking up. I pulled her into my lap and she clung to me while laughing as hard as I've ever seen her.

In the back of my mind, I knew I needed to calm down and introduce Edward. Or at least pull myself together enough to exude some fragment of decorum for the fine establishment. But, it was no use. We couldn't stop. Once one of us would begin to calm down, the other would snort or giggle or something and it would start up all over again. I was literally crying, I was laughing so hard.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper nudge Edward asking in a low drawl, "Are they always like this?"

"I have no idea, but it's kinda scary," Edward replied.

"Ya got that right," Jasper laughed as he held out his hand. "I'm Jasper," he said genially as he took a seat next to Edward. They began a friendly conversation, which I couldn't follow for the life of me. Rose and I still couldn't quite control ourselves and left Edward and Jasper to their own devices. Thank goodness they seemed to be getting on pretty well.

When we finally returned to the land of respectable adulthood and Rose took a seat, Edward shot me an amused look and Jasper took Rose's hand and kissed it saying, "Well that was quite entertainin' darlin.'" To which she promptly smacked his arm and said, "Oh just shut up."

Then we all burst into giggles like school children, ensuring that not an ounce of tension was to be found among us. The waiter came and took our drink orders and then I reached across to shake Jasper's hand. "Jasper, it's good to see you man."

"Same here," he responded confidently and with a good, firm grip.

Before I could continue, Rose poked me in the ribs as a not so subtle hint to make my own introduction. I looked sheepishly at Edward, before twining my fingers with his and announcing proudly, "And this is my Edward."

Rose beamed at us both and Edward blushed a little.

The evening went by smoothly from there. It was so much better than I could have ever hoped. I was very relieved, and I could tell that Edward was too.

As we headed out of the restaurant, waving our good-byes and promising to meet again soon, I crashed into someone pretty harshly. I quickly apologized, though I don't think I could have done the man any real harm. He was huge, towering and bulky, like a bodyguard. And he looked vaguely familiar. I stuttered out another apology, to which he responded with a grunt and an appraising stare.

He turned his gaze to Edward, and for a fraction of a second I saw a look of hatred in his eyes. But, it was gone as quickly as it came, so I just shrugged it off and left with my hand clasped tightly in Edward's.