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CHAPTER 30

DINNER AT CHARLIE'S

Dinner was ready. Bella had made a chicken casserole. After taking the pan out of the oven, she threw yet another glance out the front window. Carlisle was due to arrive any minute, and she couldn't wait to see him.

That being said, she hoped everything would go well tonight.

Although Bella had reassured Carlisle that Charlie wouldn't disapprove of their dating, she would be lying if she said she wasn't a tiny bit nervous. She was a grown woman, yes. But to Charlie, she would always be his little girl.

"It'll be fine," she murmured in hopes of convincing herself.

For the moment, Charlie was upstairs. A minute or so ago, Bella had heard the water shut off. Being done with his shower, he would undoubtedly be down soon.

The sound of tires on gravel netted her attention, and a thrill went through her when she saw that it was Carlisle. Leaving the kitchen with excited footsteps, Bella opened the front door before her gorgeous boyfriend could reach it.

"Hey, you," she said, and threw her arms around him. Inhaling deeply, she found that he smelled even better than she remembered.

"Hello, sweetheart," he greeted in turn, then eased away to catch her eyes.

"I've missed you," Bella said, then pressed her lips to his. I'll never tire of this, she thought. I'll never tire of kissing him.

"Missed you, too," he replied when the kiss had ended. Leaning his forehead against hers, Carlisle smoothed a hand down her back. "As much as I want to hold and kiss you, I don't think it'd be the best way to break the news to Charlie."

Bella chuckled. "You're probably right. You're still nervous," she observed more than asked.

"A bit, yeah."

Bella understood then, that Charlie's approval meant a great deal to Carlisle. If truth be told, it meant a lot to her, too.

"Ready?" She grabbed his hand, gave a reassuring squeeze.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Letting go of his hand, she looked toward the front door. "Alright, then. Let's get this over with. My dad will be down any second."

"I should have brought something. Wine perhaps," Carlisle said once they had reached the living-room.

"You're fine, Carlisle. Besides, Charlie's more of a beer drinker anyway. And he just bought a twelve pack."

"You decorated?" Carlisle indicated the Christmas tree in the corner of the room.

"Actually, Charlie did. He wanted to surprise me."

The sound of footsteps filtered through the room just then, and they turned to see Charlie descend the stairs.

"Dinner smells good," he said, but stopped in his tracks when his gaze landed on Carlisle.

"Dr. Cullen." His mouth curved in a smile, but there was puzzlement in his eyes. "What brings you by?"

As Carlisle swallowed, it was Bella who answered, "Um, dad. Remember the friend I told you about? The one who would be joining us for dinner?"

"Oh." Charlie blinked, then recovered. "Of course. Welcome."

Carlisle inclined his head. "Thank you, Charlie."

A weird silence ensued. It wasn't exactly a disapproving silence. Charlie just seemed a little confused.

Desperate to move this along, Bella told them that dinner was ready. "We should eat before it gets cold."

To say that dinner was awkward would have been an understatement. For starters, no one was talking, the clinks of the cutlery the only sounds to break the stillness.

As Bella and Carlisle quietly ate their casserole, Charlie kept staring at the two of them, his mouth pursed, his brows creased into a questioning frown.

"I didn't know you two had kept in touch," he said at length, and was still gauging them.

Bella set her fork down. "Remember the night he drove me home from the grocery store? We got to talking and found out we had a lot in common. Our friendship sort of grew from there."

She and Carlisle exchanged a little smile.

"Uh-huh."

Another awkward silence. This time, Charlie took a bite, but he never stopped watching, assessing. Being his daughter, Bella was used to it. But poor Carlisle…

If he could have blushed, she was certain his cheeks would have been a deep shade of red. As it was, he merely kept on eating.

"This is delicious, Isabella," he said between bites.

She suppressed a laugh. Liar, she wanted to tease but didn't.

"Yeah, it's good, Bells," her father agreed, and seemed to mean it.

We should get this over with, Bella thought and looked at Carlisle who immediately caught on. At his subtle nod, Bella took a breath, and sat a bit straighter.

Ready or not, it was time.

"Dad? There's something that I… we… wanted to tell you."

There was a pause. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Okay. Well, lay it on me," Charlie said as he waited.

"Carlisle and I… we've been… seeing each other."

There. She had said it.

But Charlie wasn't saying anything. In fact, his face was unreadable.

Shit. This really could go either way.

Seconds went by. Then Carlisle grabbed her hand. Holding it just under the table, he gave a heartening squeeze.

"I see," was all Charlie said. After taking a gulp of beer, he held the can and moved it in a circle. "And how long has this been going on?"

"Not long. I didn't say anything cause we wanted to tell you together."

"Uh-huh." Charlie and his short answers…

The awkward suspense was killing her. Squirming in her chair, Bella asked, "Alright so… what are you thinking?"

His features set in a stoic mask, Charlie waited for several heartbeats before saying, "Well… I'm thinking that it's pretty soon after… you know, your last breakup. But as far as guys go… I suppose you could do a lot worse."

Hope flared in her being. "So then…"

"All this to say that I'm… happy for you. I guess." His gaze shifted to Carlisle, but his words were for Bella. "So long as you don't get hurt."

Now it was Carlisle who spoke. "The last thing I would ever want would be to hurt your daughter, sir. She means a lot to me."

Charlie regarded Carlisle for a long moment. Then, "Okay."

And so it was done. Charlie knew and he had given his approval—in his own unique way.

"You're a good sport, Carlisle."

It was after dinner. Bella and Carlisle were washing the dishes, while Charlie watched TV in the living-room.

Keeping her voice low, she said, "You didn't have to eat everything on your plate. I know how revolting food is to you."

"It's alright."

"Are you relieved?"

"About your father's blessing? Very much so, yes."

As Bella rinsed the soap from a plate, and handed it over to Carlisle, she said, "Now that you and I are dating, my father might have a weird way of showing it, but I know he likes and respects you."

"I understand. He's just looking out for his daughter."

"Yeah."

"So, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"Since you've got the day off, I was hoping to spend time with you." The two exchanged a smile.

"Good, because I wanted to extend an invitation."

"An invitation?"

He nodded. "To my house."

Having never been there, Bella said, "I'd love to see where you live."

"Great."

Bella stole a brief kiss just then. As she resumed washing the dishes, Carlisle continued, "Word of warning, however. My sister might be there."

Rosalie.

"She might not be particularly welcoming," he warned regretfully.

"As long as I don't become the meal," Bella joked before her smile faded. "Seriously, though. I understand the risk you're taking by being with me. I don't blame her for being upset."

"Now who's the good sport?"

Abandoning the dishes, Bella faced him fully. "Come what may, we'll handle it."

Carlisle nodded again. "Together," he agreed.

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