Bella was desperately excited to be going to Edward's hometown for the weekend. And finally getting to meet his family.
She had heard so much about each of them, and though his Father sounded like an intimidating man, and his sister a formidable woman, she genuinely couldn't wait.
He had already 'met' her parents, as she had been guilted into taking her their usual Sunday video call while at Edward's during their second weekend together. Because her mother had been rather miffed at her using being with him as an excuse to miss the call the weekend before.
It had gone well. As she expected, Edward had managed to charm her Mother's pants right off, and her Father had grudgingly approved of how well he treated her, and how genuine he seemed to be in his feelings for her.
He had been so adorably nervous.
And now it was her turn.
Though she suspected that he was still more nervous than she was.
"Love, um-" Edward stammered awkwardly.
Bella had been waiting all weekend for him to tell her what was bugging him.
They had spent every weekend together for well over a month, and had been together for two in total, and she had grown accustomed to his tells, when he had something on his mind that he wanted to discuss.
Ordinarily she might have just asked him, but for whatever reason, he had been keeping this one close to his chest. So she had waited him out instead.
She hummed softly and lowered the book she had been reading, to look down at him, where he had made himself at home with his head in her lap.
"So I mentioned the idea of maybe having dinner with My Dad and Mom, so that they could meet you." She smiled shyly in encouragement, her heart racing at his slight frown. "That's sort of, how you and I discussed the idea of me introducing you."
"I know Edward, so what's the problem?"
He cleared his throat uncomfortably and gave her a tight smile.
"Well, Dad decided that I was taking too long in getting around to doing so." He sighed in frustration, making her frown a little herself in trepidation. "He's taken it upon himself to host a Family Weekend at the manor. And he's using mine and Alice's birthday as an excuse to make it a massive thing... He's hosting a fucking Gala Dinner for it, on the Saturday night... And not only are you expected there, so is your family." He closed his eyes in defeat. "The invitations have already gone out. Yours is, rather tellingly, addressed to the both of us, and was delivered here."
Bella burst out laughing at how thoroughly put out he seemed at the idea of having a birthday party. And also at the fact that he didn't know, and had seemingly invited himself, so that his Father could send him a not so subtle hint.
By the time his birthday rolled around, they'd been together for three months in total, two of which were after and including their routine of her staying at his place all weekend.
He had many more chances to get to know her family a bit better over the phone, and she had spoken to Alice a couple of times too, though she found it hilarious that all Cullens were under strict orders to not visit and try to meet with her, before Carlisle and Esme could meet her themselves.
It had amused her.
It had thoroughly pissed Edward off.
Which also amused her.
But the fact was that she was really looking forward to it.
Not just because she was excited to meet Edward's family finally, but also because she was getting to see where he grew up for the first time too.
Plus it was her mans birthday, and though it was confronting to realise that her boyfriend was turning twenty eight, she had never really cared about their age difference.
If anything she liked it, because Edward had the confidence and maturity to know what he wanted and respect enough for her to make that clear, while understanding that she might not necessarily be there yet herself.
She hadn't realised how old he was when she kissed him that first night, because he most certainly not that old, 7 years older. She couldn't be sure it would have made a difference even if she had.
He might be 28, and she twenty one, but she loved him. It was just that simple.
And she couldn't wait to meet his family, and see her own.
She just hoped that Cullens' were as excited to meet her.
Edward was thoroughly pissed off.
He'd been pissed off for over a month now.
So much so that the only time he interacted with any of his family was at work, and more often then not he either avoided them completely or if they came looking for him in his department, he booted them right back out again.
His fucking Father included.
The last thing he could think to want was a big-elaborate-bullshit high society function for his birthday. That was Alice's thing, not his.
What he wanted even less, was to expose Taylor to everyone en masse like that, and to throw her family into the mix to go with it.
They had been together for three months, and he had kind of thought that he might convince her to go away with him alone, for his birthday. He even thought to take her home to Chicago for a romantic weekend, where he could show her around his home, including The Manor.
It had only been a half baked thought when his Father went ahead and fucked that all up on him though.
And yes, he was taking her to Chicago, so they were getting away for the weekend. But now it wasn't just the two of them, it was both of their families, and all of the high society types, and whoever else his Father felt important enough to warrant an invite.
Now instead of relaxing, just the two of them, they'd be on display and under all manner of scrutiny.
And he was pissed off over it.
To top it all off, Bella had decided to stay at her own place the night before, to put the finishing touches on his birthday presents or some such nonsense! So he had slept alone for the first Friday night in months.
Never mind that they had to leave rather early, because they had a family luncheon in the gardens at The Manor, while the caterers and event staff set up for the Gala Dinner later that night.
He would put a good face on for Bella, because he didn't mind her deciding to not stay with him for the night really.
He wasn't a control freak, and he coveted her independence as much as she did. But he did miss her, and he didn't really need her knowing that he had sulked and brooded pathetically because of it.
She was excited for the weekend.
So he couldn't and wouldn't take that away from her.
The one positive thing in all of it, for him, was that she'd be by his side for it.
It all stopped mattering when he pulled up to find her already downstairs, and waiting in front of her building, with a hilariously bright pink suitcase at her feet, with a garment bag haphazardly thrown over it, and a wide smile that was meant just for him.
"Hi Honey."
He grinned against her lips at her teasing greeting. And stole a few quick presses, sucking her chapstick off quickly and making her huff at him in annoyance for it.
"Hi Beautiful, ready to go?" He replied.
His girl smiled a little shyly and nodded before waving to her belongings, to show that she was apparently as ready as she could be.
Edward reached out and snagged the extended handle himself, lifting the garment bag up and over his shoulder, and pressing another quick kiss to her temple before stepping back to put her things in his car.
"Come on then, I stopped and grabbed us coffee on my way over, and I've already fuelled the car too... There's some snacks and stuff in the back too, so we don't have to pull over if you don't want to." He rambled.
He was nervous. There was no real hiding it. He might be able to hide his frustrations, but not his nerves.
Much as he knew his Father was itching to meet her, and at least his sister, brother and niece were also? He had never taken a woman home before. And now he was being forced to do it far more formally than he'd have liked.
His family had never met any of the women who had come and gone before, because they never meant what she did. And though they had obviously met female friends and colleagues who worked with them all before, this was different.
Everything was different for him, where Bella was concerned.
The last thing he wanted was his sometimes obnoxious, and always arrogant family chasing his girl off on him.
"Ready?" He asked again after getting in the car and starting it up.
Bella laughed and reached out to rest a hand on his thigh. "Are you?"
Edward snorted rudely and eyed her hand lecherously, desperate to change the subject from being turned back on him, before he gave away just how angry he was over it all too.
"Keep your hand there and I'll be ready for something Love... I slept alone last night remember? I'm a bit frisky." He waggled his eyebrows as she shrieked with laughter and slapped his thigh for his words.
"Well you can wait until after the luncheon with your family that you are so freaked out about! - If not the Gala itself." She poked her tongue out at him childishly, making him snort a tired laugh. "I'll make it up to you then, providing you stop worrying so much! I'm starting to worry that you don't want me to meet your family!"
Edward rolled his eyes at her in exasperation and manoeuvred the car out onto the roadway, and into the traffic.
"It's them I don't want to share you with Bella, especially Alice. And it's this big to-do they've decided to put on... My family can be... A little intimidating. And I'd kind of like to keep you, so I don't want them scaring you, or your family off on me. That's all."
He flicked a look at her out of the corner of his eye as she lifted his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles, before settling it in her lap between her both of her own.
"Unless they are psychopaths who are going to lock me up like a prisoner and torture me or kill me, or something equally as horrendous and terrifying? I'm pretty sure I love you enough to endure them Edward... And my mom and dad already like you, which is who they need to like out of everyone they'll be introduced to today... They'll be fine, and I'm not going anywhere, because I'd kind of like to keep you too." She offered primly.
He laughed incredulously at her apparent limits and shifted his hand to lace his fingers through hers properly.
"Don't ever question how much I love you, you crazy woman!" He smiled widely. "You will be safe from such behaviour, I promise! - I just can't promise that my Father and Mother won't ask when we are getting married and giving him more grand kids, completely uncaring that we've only been together for a short time, so be forewarned... And my sister can be difficult when she wants to be, and her husband has a habit of sizing up everyone around him, always keen on reading people's emotions... I think I'll apologize to your family in advance too, and maybe give them a few warnings as well. Just in case."
"Well, thanks for the heads up about your Dads potential interrogation... I'll be sure to advise him that we intend on living in sin together, and that rather than having children we are contemplating the merits of giving up all worldly possessions and moving to Denpasar to live in a nudist commune. By the way, I don't think Alice is difficult or too much, she's just full of energy and can be a bit of excited you know."
Edward barked a startled laugh, wishing more than anything that he hadn't actually pulled out into traffic yet, so he could give in a laugh as hard as he wanted to!
He didn't know what was funnier, Bella's dry delivery, the nonsense of it, or imagining his fathers reaction if she was to actually tell him that.
He groaned at the cramping of his belly and stretched in his seat as he tried desperately to catch his breath, and stop the lingering chuckles from erupting.
Bella patted his leg gently and ducked her head slightly to meet his eyes, with a sly little grin.
"Feel better?" She teased.
Edward sighed deeply and shook his head at her.
"If you actually promise to tell him exactly that, I'll take you to Paris for a month, when your birthday rolls around." He offered seriously.
Bella hummed curiously in thought.
"Tempting, but I'm afraid I have to decline. Because I want your parents to actually like me, and at some point I probably am going to want the same things as them, so I think I'll just stick to telling him that we aren't quite there yet. How's that?"
Edward breathed slowly and turned to study her, as the pulled to a stop in the traffic, his heart racing at the way her eyes widened in realisation of what she had just said.
He leaned across the centre console slowly and reached out to tip her chin so she wouldn't look away on him.
He licked his lips and pressed his forehead into hers softly, completely at a loss as to how he was supposed to reply to that.
It was everything that he could ever hoped to want. It wasn't just his parent's greatest desire, but his own. The difference was, that he didn't want to push her into it before she was ready, and his Father would have no such qualms.
"This-" he paused and cleared the lump from his throat. "This is a discussion that I would very much like to come back to Love. If that's alright? I..."
"We will Baby. When we are ready for such talks. And if you want those things too, one day." She offered softly.
"I want them, My Love." He whispered back, and closed the small distance between them to seal his promise with a kiss, as was their way.
Edward was forced to focus once more thanks to a hurry up beep from the car behind them. But the topic remained at the forefront of his mind for quite some time.
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