Thirty

E

"Are you nervous to meet my parents?" Bella asks as we pass the Welcome to Forks sign.

The drive here flew by, and we spent the time getting to know each other better. If anything, our conversations just proved to me that I love Bella even more.

"Not really, if I'm being honest. Are you nervous?"

She shakes her head and squeezes my hand that's been on her thigh since we left her apartment. My girl likes to be touched, and you won't find me complaining.

"I'm not worried. Mom and Dad will see how happy you make me, and they're going to love you." She points to a street and tells me to park in the driveway of a simple, two-story house behind the police cruiser.

There are cars parked along the street, telling me that we are in fact late to the party. I'll blame Bella for not wearing pants when I picked her up.

"We can leave our bags in the car and grab them later," she says, bouncing in her seat.

"Excited?" I chuckle.

"Too late to back out now, Cullen. My mom is staring out the window. I should warn you that she's ... exuberant and really excited to meet the man who's changed my life."

I can't help myself, audience be damned. I grab Bella's face and pull her across the console so I can kiss her. I make it a quick one despite her dejected sigh and press my forehead to hers. "You've changed my life too. In ways I never thought possible."

"Ugh. Don't make me cry with your sweet words. We're at a birthday party. Tears are frowned upon."

"We should get in there."

Bella nods. "Let's do this."

We meet in front of my car, and she laces our fingers, pulling me up the stairs. The door flies open, and an older, pocket-sized version of Bella steps out.

"Oh, my love. You're here," she cries, throwing her arms around Bella, who doesn't let go of my hand.

"Hi, Mom. You act like we didn't just talk a few hours ago." Bella is the first to pull away. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Edward. Edward, this is my mom, Renee."

I hold my free hand out. "It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Swan."

Renee frowns. "Drop the formalities. Feel free to call me by my name or Mom." She winks. "Whichever you prefer. And we are a hugging family, so you better get used to it."

She wraps her arms around me in a fierce bear hug and sways me back and forth. "I've heard good things about you, Edward, and I can't wait to find out more, but we're missing Charlie's party, and he really wants to meet you."

Renee grabs my free hand and drags me and a chuckling Bella through the house.

The back yard is full of people who all stop and stare when we step onto the deck.

"Charlie? Where are you? Bella and Edward are here!" Renee calls.

A tall man with Bella's brown hair steps away from the grill and approaches us with a smile hidden under his bushy handlebar mustache. "Edward Anthony Cullen. Age thirty-seven, six-foot-three, and two nineteen according to your driver's license."

"Um ..." I look at Bella for help, but she's glaring at her father.

"You ran a background check on him?"

Charlie has the sense to act remorseful. "My little girl is living in a big city all on her own and starts dating some random guy who's twelve years older than her. You bet your ass I looked into him." He turns to me. "Your record is clean as a whistle, son."

"Yes, sir."

He offers a hand. "Call me Charlie; everybody does."

His handshake is firm, but he doesn't try to break my fingers or intimidate me. I can already tell that Bella's parents approve of us, and that's all that matters to me.

"You've got your hands full with this one." Charlie nods to his daughter. "She's trouble."

Bella snorts. "All right, old man. Give me a hug so I can introduce Edward to everyone and give him a tour of the house."

Charlie whispers something in her ear that makes her blush and playfully smack him on the arm.

Bella introduces me to all of the attendees, and my curiosity is peaked. Which one of these men is Jacob Black? Alas, when she leads me back to the house, I still haven't met him, and part of me hopes he decided not to show up.

"There's a bathroom down here, and Mom's craft room. I'd show it to you, but she's like a tornado, and you'd probably get lost," Bella says.

We climb the stairs, and I stop to look at the photos hanging on the wall. "You were cute with braces," I quip.

"Yeah," she mutters, her cheeks flushed. "Moving along. Mom and Dad's room. Another bathroom." She stops in front of a door covered in glow-in-the-dark stickers. "This is my room."

Walking into the bedroom is like taking a step inside a time capsule. It's obvious Renee and Charlie left everything as it was when Bella moved out. There are Harry Potter posters on the walls and an ancient computer on the desk in the corner. The only thing that sticks out is the queen-sized bed taking up the majority of the room.

"Dad thought we'd be more comfortable. My old bed was a twin." Bella sits down and spreads her legs, so I step in between them.

She wraps her arms around me and burrows her head against my stomach. When she talks, her voice is muffled. "You don't mind sharing a bed with me under my parent's roof, do you?"

I push her back and straddle her, covering her sweet mouth with mine. "No, baby. I don't mind. I sleep better when I'm with you."

"Ditto." She pulls me down, and we get lost in each other.

I don't know how long we spend making out until someone clears their throat. We break apart, and Bella sits up on her elbows.

"Jacob. Hi."