A/N: My bad for not posting yesterday. I'm all thrown off on what day it is, so I apologize. As always, thanks so much for reading and reviewing.

"Edward?" Esme asked, interrupting from my daydream as I sat on the couch bored out of my mind.

It was Saturday and normally I'd be hanging with Bella, but she'd been called into work, and her brothers were busy doing stuff with Alice and Rose.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what the Swans' plans are for Thanksgiving?"

I shook my head. "Not really. According to Bella, their mom usually attempts some kind of unusual turkey recipe. Why?"

Esme sat down next to me and explained that she'd like to have everyone over for Thanksgiving. I was on board with that, and I had a feeling the Swan siblings would be as well.

I sent Bella a text asking her thoughts on spending Thanksgiving with us, while Esme gave Renee a call. Esme and Renee got along really well just like Carlisle and Charlie. The two of them were actually planning a fishing trip in a couple of weeks.

My phone alerted me that I had a text, and I saw that it was from Bella and she was thrilled with the idea of spending turkey day with us.

Since she'd been released from her grounded prison, we'd both been our best behavior. Neither of us particularly cared to get grounded again. It was too hard to go so long without seeing each other. I'd complained to Esme about it, and she'd rolled her eyes and called me needy. She'd said it wasn't like I didn't see Bella everyday at school, and I'd told her it wasn't the same thing.

"Bella's cool with it," I whispered to Esme as she talked to Renee.

Esme gave me a thumbs up and continued to chat, so I headed upstairs. I flopped down on my bed, grabbed my laptop and checked my email. Nothing exciting in my inbox except for an email from Tanya.

I opened it and scanned the contents. She told me that she was doing better and appreciated that I'd been concerned about her. She then let me know she was coming to Seattle for Thanksgiving to visit some relatives and wanted to know if we could meet up. I was a bit on the fence about it and decided to talk to Bella about it when she came over tomorrow.

"Is it Tanya coming by herself?" Bella asked as we were lying on my bed, her head resting on my stomach.

"No, her whole family is visiting."

"Do you want to see her?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'd like to see Irina. We were always good friends even after I broke up with Tanya."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to stop you or say that you can't see them."

"Would you go with me?" I asked.

"Really?" she asked, sounding surprised. "You want me to meet your ex-girlfriend?"

"I want you to meet Irina. Chances are good that you'll end up meeting Tanya as well."

"Okay," she said with a shrug and went back to the book she was reading.

The rest of our day was spent hanging out quietly, exchanging kisses and cuddles.

By the following week, I was a bit nervous. Irina and Tanya would be arriving in Seattle on Tuesday, and I knew that they wanted to meet up in Port Angeles.

I'd begun to rethink inviting Bella along. It wasn't that I didn't want her there with me, I did, but I was afraid that Tanya would do or say something to Bella. So, I went to Esme for advice.

"I did the right thing telling Bella about Tanya coming for a visit, right?"

Esme nodded. "I think you did the right thing. Imagine how you would have felt if Bella went to meet an ex-boyfriend and didn't tell you about it."

I would have been considerably upset if that had happened.

"I'm just afraid that Tanya is going to be mean to Bella, and I won't stand for that. Perhaps, I shouldn't have invited Bella along."

Esme gave my shoulder a squeeze. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Let's hope so," I muttered.

Tuesday afternoon, Bella and I drove up to Port Angeles, both of us a bit nervous. I reached over and squeezed her hand, which she clutched tightly.

"Nervous?" I asked.

She nodded her head.

"Me, too," I admitted.

I pulled my car into the parking lot of an Applebee's and got out, rushing around the car to open Bella's door.

I took her hand in mine, gave her a kiss, and we made our way inside. I told the hostess that we were meeting a couple of people and almost immediately I was greeted with the sounds of squealing coming from Irina and Tanya.

Keeping my hand firmly in Bella's, I gave each girl a one-armed hug before introducing Bella to them.

"Oh, it's wonderful to meet you!" Irina squealed before giving Bella a hug. "Edward's told me so much about you."

Bella's shoulders relaxed a bit as she returned Irina's greetings. However, I tensed a bit when Tanya stepped forward to introduce herself to Bella.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella. I have to say, I haven't heard much about you," she said in a snarky voice.

"Tanya!" hissed Irina. "Behave."

Bella gave my hand a squeeze before responding. "It's nice to meet you as well, Tanya. I'm afraid I've heard all about you."

Well, that shut Tanya up.

"Don't let her get to you, love," I whispered in Bella's ear.

Her cheeks turned a light pink, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. Not too worried about it, I slid into the booth after Bella and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. I wasn't trying to flaunt my relationship in front of Tanya, but I wasn't going to hide it either.

For a moment we all sat there in awkward silence until the waitress broke it by bringing us our menus and getting our drink orders.

"So, how is life in Spoons?" Irina asked.

"Forks you mean? It's pretty darn good. A lot better than when I'd first moved here," I told her.

Grinning, Irina pointed at Bella. "It take it, she's the reason it's so much better."

"Definitely," I said, returning her grin.

Irina, Bella, and I talked and laughed while we waited for our food. Tanya didn't seem inclined to join our conversation despite my attempts. I finally gave up. I wasn't sure what her problem was. Irina had told me that Tanya had boyfriend back in Phoenix, so I didn't think jealousy was an issue. Then again, what the hell did I know?

After we finished our meal, the four of us walked around Port Angeles. I was pleased to see Bella and Irina getting along so well.

We'd been walking for about twenty minutes, when Bella stopped in front of a bookstore.

"Mind if I pop in real quick?" she asked.

I shook my head while Irina told her she'd go with her. I started to follow them inside when Tanya put her hand on my arm and asked to speak with me. Sighing, I made my way to a bench outside the bookstore and sat down, watching wearily as Tanya sat beside me.

She reached over and took my hand in hers, and I quickly pulled my hand away. She gave me a hurt look which I didn't understand. We weren't a couple. She knew that.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior when we were together."

"It's in the past. I've moved on. I hope that you've learned your lesson though," I told her.

"I have. Being in the hospital was a wake-up call. Mom and Dad don't trust me though, so they're sending me up here to live with my aunt and uncle," she said.

"Huh," was my response.

"I was kind of hoping that you would give me another chance," she said.

I turned to look at her. She couldn't possibly be serious.

"I've moved on, Tanya. I'm with Bella and that's not going to change anytime soon."

Tanya acted like she didn't even hear me. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder, a move that annoyed the hell out of me.

"Oh, please, Edward. You can do so much better."

I glared at her as I stood up. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth Bella. You know nothing about her, but I can tell you this. I love her. She's it for me."

Tanya's mouth fell open before she started laughing. "Let me guess, you're sleeping with her and that's why you think you love her."

"It's none of your business what I do with Bella, and sex has nothing to do with why I love her. She's everything to me. She's smart, she's beautiful, and she doesn't screw around on me or do drugs unlike someone I know."

"Whatever, Edward. You'll come back to me. Boys always do."

I looked at her with disgust. Who was this person in front of me?

"I wouldn't go back to you if you were the last person on earth," I said before heading into the store.

I found Bella and Irina giggling in the romance section, and I felt the tension leave my body the second I laid eyes on my girl.

"What are you two giggling about?" I asked, grinning when they both jumped.

"Nothing," they replied as Bella quickly shoved a book back on the shelf.

Reaching over her, I grabbed the book, grinning as she tried to get it from me.

My eyebrows raised a bit when I took in the racy cover. There was an overly muscular man on the front, holding a voluptuous brunette with a torn dress.

"Really, Bella? You read this stuff?" I asked.

She hung her head as she nodded. Laughing, I put the book back and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was too cute.

"How did your talk with Tanya go?" Irina asked.

I scowled at the mention of her name.

"That good, huh?"

"You could've warned me that your parents were sending her to live with your aunt and uncle."

Irina looked at me like I had three heads.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

I told her what Tanya had told me, and Irina stood there shaking her head.

"I don't know why she would say that. Mom and Dad aren't sending her anywhere. I'll be having a talk with her," she said with a huff. "Did she say anything else?"

I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand. "She wants me back. Of course, I told her that wasn't happening which she didn't take too well."

Bella scowled upon hearing that while Irina rolled her eyes and told us that she'd told Tanya that it wouldn't happen.

"You have nothing to worry about, Bella," Irina said, wrapping an arm around Bella's shoulders. "Edward would never leave you. The boy is completely in love with you."

Bella and I both blushed at Irina's words.

Bella mumbled something I couldn't hear, then Irina excused herself to go find Tanya, leaving me alone with Bella.

"She's right, you know," I said, although this wasn't how I'd pictured telling Bella that I loved her.

"What?" she asked, her mouth falling open.

I stepped closer to her, pressing her into the bookshelf behind her. I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned down.

"I know that some might say that it's way too early and that we're too young, but it's true. I love you."

She stared at me, and I was terrified that I'd ruined things. I watched, horrified, as her eyes welled up with tears. I shoved my hands into my pockets and prepared for the worst.

What I wasn't prepared for was Bella throwing herself at me. I stumbled backward and smacked into the bookshelf behind me as I found my arms filled with Bella.

I felt her tears as they dropped onto my neck as she clung tightly to me.

"I love you, too!" she said between sobs.

I breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her away from slightly so I could see her face. Her beautiful brown eyes were red and swimming with tears. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, muttering that I loved her. What I'd intended to be a chaste kiss quickly became a rather passionate one, and we got so lost in one another that we forgot where we were.

"Sorry to interrupt," Irina said from beside us. "But, T and I need to head back. Let's try and get together this weekend before we leave on Sunday. Okay?"

"You bet," I told her, removing myself from Bella and giving Irina a hug.

We walked out with Irina after Bella paid for her book and said goodbye to them.

"I should probably get home soon as well," Bella told me, her tiny hand tucked in mine.

The ride home was spent with us shooting each other goofy glances. I knew for a fact that I had a dopey grin on my face, and I was pleased to see that Bella did as well. I honestly didn't think I'd ever been so happy.

After dropping Bella off at her house and giving her a kiss, I drove home.

I walked in the door and found Esme and Carlisle in a heated embrace. I made a face and tried to dash up the stairs as quickly as possible but was stopped by Carlisle.

"Sorry, son."

I shook my head. "Whatever."

"How was it seeing Irina and Tanya?" he asked as we all headed into the living room.

I told them it was okay and tried to leave it at that, but Esme wasn't having it. She knew something was up. She cocked her head to the side and stared at me.

"What?"

"Something's different about you," she commented.

I denied it, but she kept staring at me until I caved. I told her all about Tanya's pathetic advances and how I'd ended up telling Bella I loved her. I then felt the need to defend myself even though no one had said anything negative.

"She's it for me. I know that we're young and whatnot, but I do love her."

"Of course you do," Esme said, agreeing with me while Carlisle nodded.

To say I was a bit surprised would be an understatement. I expected them to take the attitude that Mom had when I'd told her about Bella.

"Really? You're not going to give me a lecture on how young and foolish I am?"

They shook their heads.

"Look at Charlie and Renee," Esme said. "They've been together since high school. Who's to say that it's not real?"

"My mother. I'm sure she'd have a fit," I said with a sigh.

"Speaking of Carmen, you need to buy your plane ticket soon," Carlisle reminded me.

I nodded and headed upstairs to do just that. Once I'd boughten my ticket, I sprawled out on my bed and thought of nothing but Bella and the three words that she'd repeated back to me.

"Edward, can you wake up son? We need your help getting Thanksgiving ready," Carlisle said, gently shaking my shoulder.

Groaning, I rolled over and mumbled that I'd be down in a moment. Fifteen minutes later, I trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Edward!" Esme said, ruffling my hair.

"Morning," I said as I grabbed a can of Pepsi from the fridge.

Esme frowned but didn't say anything. I think it was obvious that I needed caffeine to wake up.

Moments later, a bowl with dough was set in front of me, and I was informed that I needed to start kneading it. Grumbling, I got up and washed my hands before diving into the bowl. I tugged and pulled and rolled, not quite sure what I was doing or why.

"Esme? What is this for?" I finally asked, after another bowl was set in front of me.

"Pie crust and possibly biscuits."

"Oh," was my reply as I went back to mindless task.

Once I was done with the dough, I was given three pie pans and told to put the dough in them. I carefully followed Esme's directions as she instructed me on how to make pies. It wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be.

"Where'd Carli ‑Dad go?" I asked, correcting myself. Esme didn't like it that I called Carlisle by his name, and I was trying to fix that. It's not like I called him Carlisle to his face, so I should be able to call him Dad when I was talking to someone else.

"He's out back peeling potatoes and shucking the corn," she said with a grin.

I couldn't help but return it and grabbing my phone, deciding that was a sight I had to see.

I headed toward the back porch and found Carlisle sitting on the steps and cursing up a storm. He was covered in the husk and the stringy stuff that was on the corn. There was more on him than in the paper bag that Esme had given him. Snickering, I took a quick picture then headed back to the kitchen.

I showed the picture to Esme, causing her to laugh.

"That man. He can perform surgery, but he can't shuck corn to save his life."

A little after noon, the smell of turkey was in the air, and I was starving. I'd been given some vegetables to snack on, but they weren't cutting it.

"I'm so hungry," I whined, hoping that Esme would take pity on me. Sadly, she didn't.

"Too bad. We'll be eating in a couple of hours. Now, shoo."

I roamed about bored until the doorbell rang a half-hour later. Rushing to open it, I was more than happy to see Bella and her family. I greeted all of them and showed them to the kitchen where I could hear Esme and Carlisle greeting them.

"Hey, baby," I said, giving Bella a quick kiss. "I'm so glad you guys are here. I've been bored to death, and I'm hungry."

Leaving the adults to converse amongst themselves, the six of us headed up to my room to watch some movies. We could've watched TV in the living room, but Carlisle had some football game on, and football was not my thing.

"By the way, Mom made some weird pie. I'd suggest not eating it," Emmett informed me.

"I made some pies as well. With Esme's help," I informed them.

Two hours later, us kids were seated at the main table in the dining room while the parents ate at the table in the kitchen. We had officially been relegated to the children's table so to speak.

I had known that Emmett could put food away, but watching him shovel forkful of mashed potatoes after mashed potatoes was a bit scary and disgusting.

Stuffed after eating our fantastic Thanksgiving dinner, we all headed into the living room where I was forced to endure a football game. I really didn't care for it, so I spent most of the time talking quietly to Bella.

By Saturday, I was tired of eating left-overs. There was a ton in the fridge along with Renee's untouched pie. Not one of us was brave enough to attempt it, but Esme wouldn't let us throw it away. She'd mumbled something about feeling guilty for not eating it, but I didn't feel guilty at all. I liked to think that my stomach was thankful to me for not eating it.

That afternoon, Irina called me and we talked for several hours.

"Oh, I asked Mom and Dad why they were sending Tanya up here, and they had no idea what I was talking about. So later on, T told Mom and Dad that she wanted to live with Aunt Heidi and Uncle Felix. She gave some big spiel about how it would be better for her, blah, blah, blah. I think they're going to let her if Heidi and Felix says it's okay."

I didn't bother to hold back a groan. The last thing I wanted was Tanya within driving distance of me.

"I'll keep you informed. I promise," she told me.

It was hard to believe that Christmas break was around the corner. Two weeks of no school had everyone excited. However, the fact that I was going to be spending one of those weeks with my mother and her new husband dampened my mood. I tried not to let it affect me, but it was obvious to my friends and family that I was less than thrilled to be going.

"We'll talk everyday," Bella promised.

"I know, but it's not the same as seeing you."

"You'll survive," she said, giving me a kiss.

We were chilling at her house after school before she had to go to work, and we were supposed to be doing homework.

"I swear I'm going to arrest that asshole for obstructing justice. Stupid fucker," Charlie muttered as he came into the room.

"Charlie! Language!" Renee hollered down the hall causing Bella and I to laugh.

"I'm an adult, 'Nee. I'll swear if I want to."

"What's wrong, Dad?" Bella asked.

"The Trakkers, that's what's wrong. Lying jerks. I just happened to drive by their place on the way home and who did I see lounging on the porch? James."

"He's back?" I asked.

Charlie nodded. "That's if he was ever gone. I had a little chat with him and his father. I've warned them that I'll be watching, but I want all of you to be careful."

We nodded. I'd been hoping that we'd been rid of James for good, but obviously I was wrong. Now we had to deal with both James and Tanya. Yeah, she'd moved to Seattle. She'd spammed the hell out of my phone until I'd been forced to change my number. I'd also changed my email address and blocked her from my Facebook page. Needless to say, Tanya was not happy with me.

I was just waiting for her to show up. I was actually surprised that she hadn't. Not that I wanted her to. Far from it.

Knowing that James was back made me extra cautious, so I followed Bella to work and told her to call me when she was done, and I'd escort her back home. She'd protested, but I wasn't taking any chances. I escorted her to and from work for the rest of the week until Friday arrived.

I was grumpy and snapped at everyone as I tossed my bag into the trunk of Carlisle's car. He, Esme, and Bella were taking me to the airport. I was in a foul mood and almost begged Carlisle to let me stay. I knew what he would say though. He would say that I'd made a promise to my mother, and I needed to keep it.

So, it was with a heavy heart that I boarded the plane to Jacksonville. Once I'd stowed my bag and gotten settled in my seat, my phone beeped.

I love you. Call me when you land.

Immediately, I felt better. I quickly responded then shut off my phone. I sat back in my seat and watched as the ground below me got smaller and smaller.

Seven hours and one stop later, the plane pulled into the Jacksonville airport. After gathering my stuff, I slowly made my way off the plane and into the terminal where I found my mother and her husband waiting for me.

"Eddie! Welcome to Florida!" she squealed, wrapping me up in a hug.

For a moment, I was able to forget about all the nastiness, and returned the hug my mother gave me.

"This is Eleazar. Eleazar, this is Edward," she said, introducing me.

I shook hands with him, but immediately felt uncomfortable. Something about him bothered me. I couldn't figure out what it was, but there was something about him that was unsettling.

"You're rooms all ready. I spent ages perfecting. You're going to love it!" she gushed as we made our way into the Florida sunshine.

Sitting in the back of the car, I turned on my phone and sent Bella and Carlisle each a text telling them that I'd arrived and I'd talk to them later.

Putting my phone away, I watched the scenery as it went by, until we pulled into the drive of a little Spanish-style house. Heaving a sigh, I figured then and there it was going to be a long week.

a/n: As always let me know what you think!