It's been two weeks since I've seen Edward for more than a few minutes over FaceTime, and I'm frustrated. We've managed to make plans a couple times, only for one of us to cancel. I've been studying his calendar for the last few hours until I finally make the decision to call Dwayne; a man I've seen more of the last fourteen days than the man I'm sleeping with.
"I need a key to the house," I say as soon as Dwayne answers. "I know you're out on the island working on decorations for the party, but I need to see Edward, and he has the evening open."
He laughs over the line. "I placed a hide-a-key in the back by the raised garden bed. I found a gnome that looks like Edward."
I thank him profusely before I hang up and pack a few days worth of clothes. I'm not leaving until he kicks me out. Once I pull into the driveway and park, I climb out and spot the gnome immediately; it isn't hard since it's the only one, but the resemblance to Edward is uncanny. Lifting him up, I find a key taped to the bottom. It's almost six, so I rush to get inside and start something for dinner.
I want to surprise Edward as much as I can, considering he'll see my car in the driveway when he gets home. Letting myself in the back door, I race upstairs to stash my stuff before returning to the kitchen to make a plan for dinner. There's a whole chicken in the fridge, as if it had been waiting for me.
By the time the roasting pan is in the oven, veggies are prepped, and I'm working on a salad, I hear the front door open. "Edward, I'm in the kitchen," I call out excitedly but hear no response. Not until I see an older couple come to stand in the dining area, looking at me curiously.
"And who might you be?" the woman asks me with a friendly smile.
She has to be in her late sixties with reddish hair that's starting to fade with her age. Her green eyes twinkle in a familiar way, and when she smiles, the corner of her mouth curves up into her high cheekbones. The man next to her looks to be the same age with white blond hair, pale blue eyes, and a confused look on his face.
"My name's Bella Swan. I'm guessing you're Edward's parents; Esme and Carlisle, right?" I wash my hands, drying them quickly before walking over to greet them, offering my hand. "It's nice to meet you Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. Can I get you something to drink?"
Just as Esme opens her mouth, Edward comes barreling in the back door, looking frantic. He stops looking at the three of us as his face goes a little green. "Mom, Dad … you've met Bella."
After Edward greets his parents and gets them set up with some drinks, he absconds upstairs with me. I stand awkwardly by his closed bedroom door as he changes into some casual clothes. Nothing is said between us for several minutes until Edward sits on the edge of his bed and opens his arms to me. "My mom called me while I was on my way home and told me they had just pulled up. There wasn't any time to call you."
"Would you prefer it if I wasn't here? I can grab my stuff and leave in less than five minutes." My offer is cut off by Edward's lips swooping down over mine.
When he pulls away, his eyes search mine. "Please don't leave. It's just … they've never met one of my girls before. They don't know—"
Realization dawns on me. "Oh, I see. Well, how do you want to play this? We could just be dating; make it just fun and casual. Do you think they'll have an issue with the age difference?"
Edward laughs. "I doubt it. Mom is 63, and Dad is 82"
"Your father's 82? He looks amazing!" Pulling away in shock, Edward pulls me back to his side.
"I'll let him know; he was a plastic surgeon. He'll be delighted to hear it." Edward sighs, pulling me with him as he stands. "We'll tell them we've been dating for a while, which is ambiguous but true. You came by to surprise me with dinner because we've both been so busy lately, and they surprised us both."
Nodding, I smile. "If we stick to the truth as much as possible, we won't fuck this up."
Edward hugs me, nuzzling my neck quickly. "And if we get them out of here early enough, I'll fuck you up later, baby."
Laughing, I drag him downstairs to find his parents lingering in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the salad and cutting up fruit for dessert.
Esme comes around the island, wiping her hands on a dish towel and apologizes to both of us. "Edward, if we had known you had plans, we wouldn't have come."
"It's fine, Mom. I'm happy you're here." He wraps his hand around my waist to pull me closer. "Bella and I just haven't been able to see much of each other with our schedules, so she came by to surprise me."
Esme's eyes sparkle as she takes us in. "Are you sure you don't want to send the old fogies packing?"
Edward and I laugh, good naturedly, before I pull her back into the kitchen with me. "I want to hear all about Edward as a child."
Carlisle lights up, "Oh, we … we have stories in spades."
Grabbing the potholders, I turn to the oven to check on the bird. "I can't wait, Dr. Cullen."
"Oh, we won't be having that." Carlisle chuckles as Edward insists on removing the roasting pan for me. "It's Esme and Carlisle, please?"
Edward defaults to his father when it comes to carving the chicken, and we lay everything out on the island, buffet style, before moving to the dining table. Edward's parents regale me with funny stories about Edward as a child, but every tale has them beaming with pride at their son. It's obvious that he's their pride and joy.
"Now, how did you two meet?" Esme asks as I start to clear the empty plates.
Edward helps me to clear the table. "We met on a dating site." Not a lie.
"Oh, isn't that so impersonal? Why don't you meet someone at work, dear?" Esme is looking curiously at Edward as he grimaces next to me.
"I don't date people who work for me. There's a power dynamic there that I don't want to mess with," Edward says over his shoulder as I smirk.
"Bella? What about you? You didn't meet anyone at school or something?" His mother is nothing but persistent.
"I actually did meet someone while I was in college, and after I graduated, we stayed together so long that we ended up living together. Then I found out he was cheating on me, so I broke up with him." I nudge Edward, and we share a grin.
"Well, however you two met, how long have you been seeing each other?" Carlisle asks, shutting his wife up.
"A couple of months now," Edward says, starting a pot of decaf coffee. "We had our first date at The Butcher's Table, and she hasn't been able to get rid of me since."
"Oh, you must have missed each other when Edward was off in Milan," Esme says as she rises to pull coffee mugs out of the cabinet.
I'm about to speak, but I feel Edward's hand on my elbow, squeezing gently. "I did, but we chatted whenever we could."
"And you have a key to his house." Edward, Carlisle, and I all turn to look directly at Esme.
"I don't have a key; Dwayne let me in this afternoon. Will you excuse me for a moment?" I excuse myself upstairs to Edward's office. It's the farthest room at the back of the house. Pushing the door to and sitting down in his desk chair, I take several deep breaths. I thought dinner had gone just fine, and now his mother is giving me the third degree for some reason. There was a subtle dig at my age by mentioning Edward's work dating pool versus my school one, but that didn't really bother me. When I hear footsteps approaching the office, I realize tears have welled up in my eyes. Turning in the chair, I wipe at my face furiously. I don't want to be embarrassed in front of Edward or, worse, his mother.
"Bella?" The voice that calls my name is soft and tender and aged. When I turn around, I find Carlisle standing in the doorway, looking concerned.
"I'm sorry for running off. I'll be back down in a moment." I sniffle slightly, and he enters the room, standing on the other side of the desk.
"My wife means well—"
Holding up a hand, I cut him off. "She's looking out for her only child. I understand."
He shakes his head. "No, we've suspected for some time that Edward has a proclivity for younger women. There's nothing wrong with it; I certainly was the same way. But we noticed that he's always been that way: younger girls, short relationships. We think there's a certain way he likes to live and love, and we don't have a problem with it; we've just never met anyone he's been involved with."
Staring at Carlisle, I wonder if he's trying to tell me that he and Esme know what Edward likes. That they understand that his kink is being a daddy, and they don't care. "Carlisle, I really like your son. Whatever you think about him and his preferences, I can't confirm or deny. What I can tell you is that whatever he likes is natural and okay with me. I just want him to be happy."
Carlisle nods and apologizes for his wife and himself. I walk with him back downstairs, my tears gone for now. When we reach the entryway, Esme already has her coat on and looks subdued. Edward has a stern look on his face but hugs his father as he slips into his coat and ushers his wife out the door.
As soon as the door is locked, Edward rushes to me, taking my face in his hands. "Are you okay? I'm sorry she acted like that. I don't know what's wrong with her. She's usually the nicest person on the planet."
Willing the tears away, I nod. "I'm fine; I mean, I'm not. But, Edward, you need to know that your parents suspect something about your dating life." I tell him what his father told me, and Edward's brow furrows.
"I don't know why they would have any idea about anything," Edward tells me as he leads me upstairs as I protest about cleaning the kitchen. "I took care of it. I don't share a lot about my personal life with them, how would they know?"
"I don't know, but you may want to at least speak with your dad. Maybe he can give you some insight as to why they think the way they do," I suggest, and he nods as I open my overnight bag and tuck a few things into one of the empty dresser drawers.
As Edward walks back into the bedroom from the closet, he sees me shutting the drawer. "Planning on staying this time?"
"Maybe a couple days," I say. He smiles, and we get ready for bed like we've been doing for years rather than a few weeks. When we crawl into bed, neither of us feels much like having sex after this evening, so I work on editing some videos while Edward catches sports highlights.
At some point, I feel him moving my laptop because I fell asleep sitting up. He tucks me into his arms next to him, and I sigh, dreamily. "Your mom made me cry." I snuggle deeper into his arms, but Edward sits upright.
"Wait, what? She made you cry tonight? I thought you were just upset." He reaches to turn on his bedside lamp, and I'm blinking in the glare. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Sitting up, rubbing at my eyes, I shrug. "I just wanted it to be over. I was more worried about the fact that I think your parents think you're a sugar daddy. I was trying to focus on the important part."
"Bella, you are the important part. How many times do I need to tell you that?" Edward pulls me over onto his lap. "I'm sorry she made you cry. I'll talk to her."
"You already spoke to her. I don't really care, Edward. Your mother doesn't have to like me." I kiss his lips lightly. "I'm not really your girlfriend."
I watch as his eyes search mine. "It doesn't matter." His voice a low growl. "I'll handle it."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Wrapping my arms around his neck, I press my cheek to his. "I didn't want to make a bad situation worse."
"Bella, you couldn't make anything worse if you tried." Edward slips me back onto the mattress and rolls on top of me. "I'm not biased," he says as I open my mouth. "I just like you."
I laugh as he smothers me in kisses into the late hours of the night.