5. Meeting the Parents

BPOV

This day was going so much better than it had in the book. Part of that was because I was a new person. Feeling confident that the sexy, drop-dead gorgeous man beside me loved me unconditionally and irrevocably forever and considered me the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, even more beautiful than Rosalie, did wonders for my self-esteem. Knowing I had, or would have, the full support, acceptance, and love of the Cullen family helped me understand how fleeting time was and how little the opinions of others really mattered. I could give as good as I got, secure in the knowledge I would never be alone. I smiled at Edward peacefully. We were holding hands under our lab table. He stroked the back of my hand with his thumb, grinning when my heart rate responded. This was the one class Alice didn't share with us, since it was already full.

Finally, the last class of the day—Gym. Oh, joy. The Cullens already knew how clumsy I was—Edward because he read about it and Alice because she could foresee it. Besides, I'd already announced it to the family at lunch. So, rather than being embarrassed, I decided to just have fun. After all, every time I tripped I ended up in Edward's arms, so it was a win-win scenario.

As we were changing into our gym uniforms in the locker room, Lauren caught up with me me.

"So, Bella, how do you know the Cullens?" she snipped frostily.

I looked her over carefully as if judging her and finding her wanting. "That's a story for another day," I remarked casually. Alice chuckled, enjoying my secret wordplay. We went out to the gym to find Edward. Apparently, basketball was on the menu. The boys would be practicing shooting hoops at one goal and the girls at the other.

"Hey, Edward," I whispered. "I dare you to bounce the ball against the floor so it goes through the hoop from underneath, then comes back through the correct way."

He grinned at me and proceeded to do just that. I heard the boys all start making jokes with him. Alice laughed playfully.

"Alice, I dare you to throw the ball so it sits up on the back of the hoop against the backboard and gets stuck there," I challenged quietly. As soon as it was her turn, she threw the ball up there and got it stuck. She stuck her tongue out at me playfully and I laughed. Next I challenged Edward to toss it in with his eyes closed, but it had to bounce on the rim three times before going through the net. I dared Alice to bounce the ball off the rim at just the right angle to hit Lauren in the butt where she stood gossiping with Jessica. That was absolutely hilarious. It was the most fun Gym class I had ever experienced. Edward and Alice assured me that the same was true for them. They were very thankful I had taken a time of pure torture for them and made it fun. The best part was being able to use some of their enhanced abilities without any of the humans noticing.

After class, Edward walked me to my truck.

"I'll meet you at your house, love. Would you like to come to my house this afternoon and meet Carlisle and Esme?"

"I'd love to, Edward!"

EPOV

I kissed Bella goodbye and joined my family in the Volvo.

"So we're having a visitor? Carlisle and Esme will be thrilled!" Alice sang happily. They'll be ecstatic you've finally found your mate.

"Well, if we're going to have a human hanging around for a while, I'd better get used to her scent. What if I hurt her, Edward? I'd never forgive myself if I killed your mate in a moment of weakness," Jasper worried. She smells so good.

"Jasper, I know you can do this. I know you are strong enough to resist. You just need to try. Mind over matter. We'll talk more about it later," I reassured him.

Okay, Edward. I promise to try.

"Well, this should be interesting, having a human around," Emmett speculated. Imagine the trouble I could cause…

"Edward, are you sure this is a good idea? She's a human!" Rose accused halfheartedly. But she's going to have a baby and share it with me. If anybody screws this up, I'm going to rip off their heads. If anybody hurts her, they're dead meat, including you, Edward.

I smiled. "She's my mate. Esme was human when Carlisle found her, and Emmett was human when you found him."

"They were already dying! So are you just going to kill her?"

"I'll wait until she's dying to change her."

Rose nodded. That's fair…

"Please don't tell Carlisle and Esme yet. I want to do it myself," I begged. They all agreed, knowing I would be over with Bella shortly. I dropped them off at the house and went to get Bella.

EsmePOV

It was nice to have Carlisle home during the day for once. He had worked the 10pm to 10am shift in the ER last night, so we had the house all to ourselves for a few hours before the kids got home from school. We didn't hesitate to make good use of that time, enjoying the freedom of privacy. We finished up shortly before the kids were due home and settled in the living room. Carlisle was reading a few medical journals, keeping up to date on the newest drugs and procedures, and I was sketching a few ideas for renovating the dining room.

We both paused to greet the kids when they entered. I noticed most of them had strange expressions on their faces. They settled down in the living room as well, with an air of expectancy. Alice was positively vibrating with enthusiasm and excitement. Jasper had both hands on her, desperately trying to calm her down, but judging by the giddy grin that kept manifesting on his face, he was losing the battle. Rose was perched on the edge of the couch, almost as if prepared to run at a moment's notice, wearing an ambivalent expression I hadn't seen on her face since she waited for Emmett to awaken from his change. Emmett was relaxed, sporting a mischievous grin, which was actually a normal look for him.

"What's going on, children?" I asked suspiciously. Suddenly, I realized my first son was missing. "Where's Edward?"

"Oh, he just went to get something. He'll be right back," Emmett replied casually, his grin turning wicked.

Jasper snorted, but kept his head averted so I couldn't read his expression.

I squeezed Carlisle's thigh to get his attention. "Our children are up to something, and it involves Edward. Mother's intuition."

Carlisle looked at their faces and all four of them looked guilty. They all exchanged glances. Carlisle was intrigued now. There was no doubt in my mind that something was going on, and Edward was in the thick of it.

"Hey, why don't we watch a movie?" Emmett suggested cheerfully. "How about Look Who's Coming for Dinner?"

The other three kids began laughing hysterically. We were hit with a wave of it, courtesy of Jasper, and we were both laughing long and hard too, though we didn't get the joke. We all managed to calm down after a few false starts.

"Stop trying to distract me!" I remonstrated. "Where is your brother?"

Just then, we heard his Volvo coming down the driveway.