The two most important men in Bella's life are meeting each other, and it's mortifying. Of course, when you're a teenager, everything is mortifying. But if we wants the rewards of being loved...

Imagine posting on a consistent schedule. Couldn't be me. I hope you enjoy this bit of fluff, but you know what they say about the calm before the storm...

By Wednesday, it felt as though we had been dating for as long as I could remember. Edward was waiting outside by the time I was ready to leave and his smile was still the brightest thing I had ever seen. The inside of the car was already warm and I snuggled deep into the seat, grateful that I didn't have to wait for the truck's questionable heating.

It felt natural to slide my hand into his. I flashed a glance at him, curious, when his skin felt warm instead of holding its usual chill. He looked embarrassed. "You never complain, but it can't be easy to be so close to an icicle."

I couldn't stop my lips from twitching. "How did you manage it?"

Edward looked away, lashes hiding his eyes from view. "Held it over the heater on the way here."

I dissolved into giggles at the image and tried to smother them by dropping a kiss against his knuckles. "So noble."

He looked taken aback for a minute, but then a smile cracked at the corner of his mouth. In a smooth motion he flipped our hands over and left a kiss of his own at the tips of my fingers. It tingled all the way down my spine—I would never be tired of the feeling. "Do you like it?"

I was too distracted by the feeling of his lips moving against my fingers to answer immediately. His eyes flashed up to meet mine, something—worry?—dark in them. "I—yes. No. I mean, it's nice, but you don't have to do it. I don't mind. I promise."

"If you say so."

I could tell he was unconvinced, but I didn't feel like arguing the point. It just wasn't practical for him to warm himself up every time we touched. I was sure he would realize that. As much as I didn't enjoy the cold, I was more than happy to put up with it if it was the price of his company—his touch.

How much had changed.

I was amazed at how much time we managed to spend together over the course of the week. We drove to school together, stole moments in the corridors between classes, sat next to each other at lunch and in Biology, and drove home, enjoying each other's company the whole time. We talked about everything except the future. I told him about my childhood pets, my fear of the dark, my brief foray into ballet. He told me about his first time (after his transformation) in a crowd, marching for the suffragettes with Carlisle. The guilt of working on a farm during World War II to avoid the draft, since there was no way that he could keep his secret in the military. The fear he shared with Alice when they sheltered in a bunker at school wondering if a nuclear explosion could kill vampires too. The awe as his chosen family gathered around their small television set to watch the moon landing. The stories were carefully edited, I was sure, but he couldn't hide the things that really mattered. His sense of duty, his love for justice, his hope for the future, his fear of the unknown. I fell a little more in love with him every day.

My evenings were a flurry of activity. Since I refused to let Edward drop me off—Mr. Newton couldn't be trusted not to tell Charlie—I was always in a hurry to get to the store before my shift started. Once it was over, I was rushing to get back home and finish as much of my homework as I could before falling asleep over my textbooks, only to repeat the process the next day. The only time I had to think about how to break the news to Charlie was during my shifts unpacking boxes, straightening merchandise, and helping people that I hadn't seen in years—all of whom knew my name, age, and life story, and were eager to share theirs. I wasn't much closer to an answer by the time Saturday morning dawned.

The weather was too good for fishing, so Charlie was already up and hard at work when I made it downstairs. The air was filled with the sizzling sounds of bacon and hashbrowns and I inhaled appreciatively as I stepped into the kitchen.

"Morning, dad."

"Morning, Bells. You're up pretty early."

The stove clock read 9:20. I supposed that was a little earlier than I was usually up on days when I had the option of sleeping in. "I… have plans."

Charlie looked up from the paperwork spread across the kitchen table. The uncertainty in my voice must have given me away. "Plans?"

This is it. I was uncharacteristically unprepared and my mouth felt like the Sahara desert. "You know the Cullens?"

"Nice family," he said, not quite frowning.

"I'm going—on a—date—with—Edward—Cullen." It felt like someone else was saying the words. Why was it so difficult?

The frown had fully materialized. "You don't sound excited about it."

That wasn't what I had been expecting. What was I expecting? "I am! I am excited."

"You're not going just because he asked?"

"No. No, I'm excited."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"You still have that pepper spray I bought you?"

I couldn't suppress a hysterical giggle at the memory of the pepper spray. Not that it would do anything to him anyway. "I do. I promise," I went on, "I'm going because I want to and I'm excited and I would say no if I didn't want to."

He thought about it for a minute in his typical slow and steady fashion, then shrugged. "Okay. Have fun."

"He… wants to meet you. When he picks me up."

Charlie nodded, still thoughtfully. "Good manners."

"You won't—I mean—you're not going to—"

"I won't scare him off," Charlie grumbled, with a scowl that I knew was just for show. "Not if you want him around."

"Oh. Okay."

Charlie went back to his paperwork and I dished myself up a healthy serving of hashbrowns and peppers. Charlie always cooked enough bacon for two, but he never complained about eating the extra when I left it behind. I found it kind of endearing.

I had just finished rinsing my plate after polishing off a second helping of Charlie's excellent cooking when a knock came at the door. I hurried to answer it, trying to contain the smile that I could feel breaking out across my face. I didn't want how I felt to be that obvious to Charlie. Not yet, anyway.

Edward was waiting on the other side of the door, looking even more tidy than usual. His eyes flicked past me, then back to me. "Good morning, Bella."

"Hi, Edward," I said, biting my lip. The formality felt so strange after the last couple of weeks. "Come on in."

I stepped back and Charlie, who had been looming behind me, retreated quickly. Edward closed the distance between the three of us, looking uncharacteristically awkward as he held out a hand to my father. "Mr. Swan, I don't think we've been introduced."

Charlie took the offered hand and shook it, perhaps too enthusiastically. "You must be Edward. Your father's a good man, I'm sure he's raising you right."

"Thank you sir, I'll pass that on. It's a pleasure to meet you." They ended the handshake and silence dragged out for a second longer than was comfortable.

"Okay," I said, finally. "We should get going." I picked up my bag, which I had packed and left by the door the night before.

"Where are you two headed off to?" Charlie asked, and I recognized the jovial tone he put on whenever he was trying too hard to be sociable with someone. It was effective, though—Edward visibly relaxed.

"A little hike."

Charlie tried to make significant eye contact with me. I refused. "Sounds nice," he said, finally. "Don't let her break a leg."

"Dad."

He did not look contrite. "Don't break a leg."

"I won't." I considered doing it out of sheer spite. Were all parents this embarrassing?

"Have a nice time."

"I will." I was going to be with Edward—how could I have any other kind of time? But I hoped he was lying about the hike.

Edward nodded to Charlie, his mouth curling at one corner. "But not too nice a time?"

To my horror, Charlie guffawed. "All right, son. You'll do."

I bodily dragged Edward out of the house and into his car, cheeks flaming. "You're joking with my dad?"

He wasn't sorry. "It was what he needed to hear. You do want us to like each other, don't you?"

"Of course! I just—" I didn't really know what I was flustered about, to be honest. "I've never done that before. Introduced someone. To my parents."

His hand tightened around mine as we pulled out of the driveway. "Were you frightened?"

"Embarrassed." I looked down, but he stroked a finger gently along my chin and I raised my head again. "It's just… new."

Silence fell between us for a few minutes. We drove down forested roads, further and further away from the little town of Forks. I wasn't sure where we were going, but it was looking more and more like we were, in fact, going on a hike.

"Thank you," Edward said, finally.

"For?" I realized that the car had stopped.

"For facing the unknown with me."

I was taken aback by how serious his words were. His golden eyes were just as earnest. It startled raw honesty out of me. "Anything for you."

His gaze became more focused—more intense. Something in my stomach squirmed. "Bella, I promise you this: I will never give you reason to regret me."

"That's a pretty big promise," I murmured, looking down through my eyelashes.

"This is a pretty big love."

We had never said the word out loud before. It felt like the world had stopped around us and we were sitting still, frozen in time. "It sure is," I finally agreed. The way I felt about him was big—impossibly big. My thoughts felt clumsy as I tried to find the words that would tell him what I wanted him to know. "I… I'm so glad I met you. You changed everything."

His fingers slid up my cheek and settled at the nape of my neck, unbearably tender. I shuddered and leaned against my seatbelt, wishing I was closer to him. "You can't imagine the—the waiting. Everyone else had their someone, and I had—hope. I knew it would be worth it. I knew you would be worth it."

A knot tightened in my throat. "I love you," I whispered, not trusting myself to say it aloud without giving away the tears I was holding back.

"I love you too."

I let the silence stretch out, longer and longer. There was nothing else that needed to be was one of those moments that I wanted to live in forever. Everything was perfect.