A/N: Sorry that this a tad bit late. I was sleeping, and I do enjoy sleep. A huge thanks to all of you for reading/reviewing this story, and an even bigger thanks to my beta for her awesome advice and beta skills. I just wanted to let you all know that there's 6 real chapters left and then an epilogue. It's all slowly coming to an end.
"I don't want you to go," Edward whispered in my ear as we snuggled together on the living room floor, watching a movie with Emmett and Rose.
"I know, but I need to. My flight leaves at eight, so that means I have to be up by super early, and it's a long flight to West Virginia."
The month of February had passed us by, and I'd had a couple more James and Tanya sightings, but they hadn't led to anything. Now, here we were in March, and I was about to fly out to West Virginia for my mom's wedding.
"All right, sweet girl, let's get you home," Edward said, standing up and holding out his hand.
"Sorry to call it an early night, guys, but I gotta go," I told Rose and Emmett, and they both waved goodbye and told me to have fun visiting my mom.
"Send me a postcard!" Emmett hollered as left the room, and I shouted back that I would.
I was planning on sending them all postcards as well as collecting a few for my own collection.
"I'm gonna miss you like crazy," Edward said as he walked me up to the front door of my house a while later, and I threw my arms around him.
"I wish you could come with me," I said into his neck, and I felt him press a kiss onto my head.
"Me, too," he said with a sigh. "But, I promise, we'll talk every day that you're gone."
"I know," I said, pulling slightly away and leaning up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.
It didn't take long for our kiss to turn hot, and I moaned when Edward's tongue slid across mine, and I knew we had to stop. My dad was just inside the door, and I so didn't want another sex lecture from him.
Last week, Dad had come home early from work, and he'd caught Edward and I in a rather compromising position. Thankfully, all of our clothes had been on, but it had been extremely embarrassing for all of us, and poor Edward had been terrified that my dad was going to shoot him.
Dad hadn't shot him, but he'd called Carlisle and asked him to have a talk with Edward, and once Edward had left, I'd had to endure a sex lecture from Dad. It had been painfully awkward for both of us, and by the time Dad was done, we'd both been red in the face and neither of us could look at each other for a few hours. But, I had to give Dad props for giving me the practice-safe-sex lecture. I figured he'd call Mom and make her do it, and I'd already had that lecture from her.
"Call me when you land," Edward said, and I nodded, giving him one last kiss.
Once I was inside, I popped my head into the kitchen where I could hear Dad rummaging around in the fridge.
"Hey, Dad. I'm home," I said, grinning when he turned around with his hands full of next week's meals.
"Dad! Don't eat all the food I cooked or you're going to be starving for the rest of the week," I scolded lightly.
"Relax, Bells. Sue promised to make sure I ate right and didn't spend all my money at the diner."
God bless Sue. Thanks to her, Dad ate healthier without putting up too much of a fuss, and I knew she'd take care of him while I was away.
"All right, well I'm going to bed. I'll see you bright and early."
Dad wished me a goodnight, and I made my way up to my room where I checked that my alarm was set before hitting up the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.
Three am came way too early, and I grumbled as I made my way downstairs with my suitcase.
"Morning, Bells!" Dad said, and I hated how freaking cheerful he was first thing in the morning.
"Morning," I grunted as I took the cup of tea he handed me.
"We need to leave in a few minutes," Dad said, and I nodded. It was a three hour trip to Seattle, and the airport always wanted you there early to get through security and whatnot.
Ten minutes later, we were in the jeep, and Dad told me to go ahead and sleep and that he'd wake me up once we were in Seattle. I totally took him up on his offer and was out like a light a few minutes later.
A little over ten hours later, I was stepping off the plane and into the Yeager Airport in Charleston. It was the closest airport to Morganstown, and I grinned when I heard my mom holler my name.
Dodging around people, I made my way to where my mom was standing and waiting for me. I grinned when she threw her arms around me, suitcase and all. I let out a laugh as I hugged her back, and it was then I realized just how much I'd missed her.
I'd been so busy with school, Edward, and drama that I hadn't kept in touch with my mom as much as I could have, and I felt incredibly guilty about that now.
"Let me look at you," Mom said, placing her hands on my shoulders and taking a long look.
"You look wonderful," she said, pulling me in for another hug. "How's your dad? How's Edward? How's Forks?"
I let out a laugh at all of her questions.
"Good to all of them," I told her as we began to make our way out to the parking lot. "Dad is dating, Edward and I are doing great, and Forks has grown on me."
"Oh, it's wonderful to see you so happy," Mom gushed, and I beamed at her.
She looked wonderful as well, and I told her that. She'd cut her hair into a cute bob, and her eyes shined brighter than they ever looked.
"How are you and how's Phil?" I asked her once we were in her car, and just like that, Mom was off and running.
She loved living in West Virginia, she loved the school at which taught, and Phil was the happiest she'd ever seen him.
"I've taken up knitting," she told me, and I let out a laugh. Of course, she had. Mom loved her crafts, and they made her happy.
"So, I'll be getting a sweater soon?" I asked, and she let out a giggle as she nodded.
A little over two hours later, we were driving down a quiet street in a cute neighborhood when Mom turned into a driveway in front of a cute brick house. I'd seen pictures of the place, but it was much cuter in person.
"I can't wait to show you around," Mom said as she pulled the car into the garage next to a little red sportscar.
We walked into the house from the garage and stepped into a nice formal-looking living room.
"The kitchen is this way," Mom said, and it was a nice kitchen.
"Have you learned to cook yet?" I asked her, and she swatted me lightly on my arm.
"Phil is a wonderful cook, so this is his playground," she said, as she continued to give me the tour of th house finally stopping outside a door.
"This will be your room," Mom said as we walked into a room with soft yellow paint on the walls and pretty white carpet.
"I love it," I told her as I set my suitcase on the edge of the bed, and then we were off so she could show me the rest of the house.
It was sort of small but perfect for her and Phil, and she got a huge smile on her face when I told her that.
"Why don't you go unpack and just relax for a bit," she suggested. "Phil will be home in a couple of hours and we'll go out to eat if that's okay?"
I told her it sounded great, and I made my way back to my room where I plopped down on the bed and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
"Hey, sweet girl," Edward said over the phone, and I let out a sigh at hearing it.
"Hey, handsome," I replied.
"How was your flight?"
"Long," I replied before telling him about Mom and her new house.
We talked for about thirty minutes or so before he had to go, and after I hung up with him, I unpacked my suitcase and used the bathroom.
After I was done, I made my way downstairs where I found Mom knitting and watching a movie on TV.
An hour later, Phil came home, and he welcomed me with a hug and asked how I was. We talked for a few minutes as Mom finished applying her makeup, and then we all climbed into her car to go dinner.
We had a great time at dinner, and Mom and Phil told me all about their wedding plans. It was still a bit chilly outside, so they'd rented a small banquet hall for their wedding. They had friends coming in as well as my mom's sister, my Aunt Carmen, and some of Phil's family; however, I would be the only one in the wedding party.
"It's going to be a nice, quiet ceremony, and we'll have the reception right afterwards," Mom told me, and I nodded because she'd told me all this before, but she was so excited, so I didn't interrupt her.
Two days later, I was getting dressed for the wedding when there was a knock on my bedroom door.
"Bella?" I heard Phil ask.
"Yeah. Your mom wants you in the living room," Phil said, and I told him I'd be right out.
I finished applying my makeup and made sure my hair was perfect before opening the door. As I was making my way into the living room, I could hear Mom and Phil talking to someone.
I got the shock of my life when I saw the perfection that was Edward standing there talking to my mom.
"Edward? What?" I asked in confusion, my brain trying to figure out how he could possibly be here.
He let out a chuckle as he walked over and wrapped me up in a hug.
I held onto him tightly before pulling away and staring at him. I couldn't believe he was here, and I looked over at Mom who mouthed the word surprise.
"I'm beyond thrilled that you're here but kind of confused," I told Edward.
Mom explained she'd known I'd wanted to spend spring break with Edward, but she also knew I wouldn't say anything because I wanted this time to be about her and her wedding.
"So, I called Charlie knowing he was friends with Edward's dad, and the three of us sorted things out."
I gave my mom a huge hug as I thanked her before turning to look at Edward.
"Did you know about this all along?" I asked him, and he shook his head.
"I just found a couple of days ago," he told me. "I was really excited, and I wanted to tell you but decided it would be more fun to surprise you."
He'd certainly done that. I was definitely surprised and incredibly happy to have him there with me.
Seeing as how Edward was already dressed in black dress pants with a button down shirt and a tie, we were able to leave for the reception hall on time.
The ceremony was short and sweet, but the reception lasted for hours. I sat at a small table with Edward as well as a couple of Phil's relatives who were our age, and I watched as my Aunt Carmen got completely smashed.
She'd been a bit upset that Mom had asked me to stand up with her instead of Carmen, and I'd found myself a bit annoyed with her. Carmen was the complete opposite of Mom, but she also liked to hold grudges. I had a feeling she wouldn't forgive Mom for a while.
"I think your aunt's about to get on the dance floor," Edward whispered in my ear, and I followed his gaze.
"Well this should be interesting," I whispered back as Carmen began to try and dance to the pop music that was being played.
"I can't watch," I muttered a few minutes later. There was nothing more terrifying than watching a relative attempt to twerk.
"Yeah, I think my eyes are burning," Edward said with a grin, and I couldn't help but lean over and kiss him.
He returned my kiss, but we didn't stay lip locked for long. We weren't big public-displays-of- affection kind of people. Plus, we were around my family and my mom's friends.
"Looks like they are removing your aunt from the dance floor," Phil's nephew, Leo, told us, and I looked over to see some tall guy helping her off the dance floor.
"Who's that guy?" I asked him, and he told me that was his step-uncle, Eleazar.
It seemed that Carmen was enamored by him, and I mentally wished the guy luck. Carmen was a handful and then some.
Not long after Carmen had exited the dance floor, Etta James' At Last came on, and Edward asked me to dance.
I took the hand that he held out, and we slowly made our way onto the dance floor. The only reason we were moving slowly was because I was in a pair of heels that my mom had insisted on buying me.
We found a quiet spot in a corner, away from most of the other dancers, and I laid my head on Edward's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close.
We swayed gently to the song, lost in our own little bubble, and I was in a state of bliss especially when Edward began to sing-along to the song. His voice was smooth and seductive, and I felt myself falling for him even harder. I was really beginning to think I was in love with him, and that thought scared me just a little.
After the song ended, we made our way back to our table, and I looked over at the table where my mom and Phil were sitting. She was positively glowing, and Phil looked extremely happy, and I knew my mom had found the one for her.
"You okay?" Edward asked as he pulled out my chair for me.
"I'm perfect," I told him, and I was.
Our last two days in West Virginia were spent hiking and exploring the outdoors near Morgantown as well as exploring the town. Mom and Phil had a great time showing us about, and I felt guilty that they were spending time with us and not enjoying a honeymoon.
"Postcards," I blurted out as the four of us passed by the visitor center. "I promised Emmett I'd send him one."
"You and your postcards," Mom teased, and I rolled my eyes.
"At least I'm not addicted to crack or something. Postcards are cheap and harmless," I pointed out, and she let out a giggle.
"Very true."
I bought several postcards, and when we got back to my mom's house, I sat down and wrote them out before Edward and I watched a movie. What Edward didn't know was that I was sending him a card as well, thanking him for being the wonderful person that he was and for coming out to West Virginia to be with me.
"Call me when you get home," Mom said the next day as we waited at the airport for our plane to start boarding.
"I will. I promise," I said before telling her that I loved her.
Twenty minutes later, Edward and I were on our way back to Washington, and I was so glad to have him with me on the seven hour plane ride.
a/n: As always, let me know your thoughts!