Chapter 6

EPOV

Watching Bella walk away sucks. It sucks ass big time. Three days until Wednesday, until I get to see her again. Well, at least I have to give myself props for having the balls to ask her out to dinner on Saturday, right? I seriously thought I would throw up or some shit like that trying to convince myself to just ask her. Thank God she said yes, though. I would have hated to put my contingency plan into effect, not that I had one, but I would have made one that's for damn sure if she would have told me no.

And, I got her phone number; I give myself a slap on the back for managing that as well. I thought I handled that pretty well if I do say so myself…on second thought, I really didn't. Bella let me off the hook easily and I love the way she doesn't take my shit. I will be definitely be using that number, and soon.

I wasn't kidding when I told her I didn't think I could go until Saturday night without talking to her again. I do want to get to know her better. Her voice, I can still hear it in my mind. And that fucking laugh, with the exception of the WonderTwins, I have never heard a laugh I love to hear more. Oh, did I mention the smile, damn that smile would stop traffic I'm telling you. And her eyes, and her perfect pink lips and gorgeous brown hair and well fuck, everything about her really. Bella is perfect, an angel.

The kids can't stop talking about her or Rufus. I'll have to ask her where her friend got him, I think I should get one and that way they can have puppy play dates. Nice, huh? Not that she wouldn't see right through that in heartbeat. Guess I should wait just a little bit before I start planning on play dates for puppies and take her out on a date first.

We really did have the best day at the park. I can't remember me or the kids laughing like that in I don't know how long. Oh, we have fun, with Emmett around it's hard not to. But this was different, you could feel it. It is like it was supposed to be this way, with the four of us. It felt right. There is no other word for it but just… right.

And like I said, she doesn't take any shit from me. Such a fucking turn on. I still can't believe I got suckered into picking up puppy poo, but I did. I would do again, willingly as a matter of fact, if it got Bella to smile at me like she did back at the park.

I couldn't believe we managed to talk her into having lunch with us, but that turned out so much better than I could have hoped for, especially since I ended up with a phone number and a date. Holy shit! A date! It has been months since I have been on a date, and I know for a fact I have never looked as forward to any other one as I am my date with Bella. I'll have to give some thought into where to take her; it will have to be special, but no too over the top. Being the first of what I hope to God are many more dates, I'll save the big guns for later.

That thing with her facing the deli and not the street was strange though. I don't think she noticed, but I caught her looking around…a lot. Like she was trying to see who was all around us. She did it when we were leaving the park, too. Plus she put her hat and sunglasses back on and tried not looking up. I wonder what that is about? I'll have to pay attention on Wednesday and see if she does it again. Perhaps she is nervous around crowds or something? Maybe while we are talking on the phone this week, I can try to bring it up in a conversation.

She is amazing with Maddie and Masen, that is no fucking lie. My kids are pretty easy going, I know this, but the way she kids around with them makes me smile. Masen already has the crush of all crushes on her. I can hear him telling Maddie that he bets the nick name Bella comes up with for her will be even cooler than his.

How did she even know how to do that with him back at the park? I mean really. A little boy just all of a sudden pops up beside you, no parents around, and you keep him calm and have him laughing by the time you find the "lost" parent. Yeah, I totally caught that back at the deli. I do need to have a very stern talk with Masen about wandering off like that. This time we were lucky, incredibly lucky in more ways than one I hope, that he found Bella, but it could have been so much worse if it would have been anyone else.

But Maddie, yeah my little princess has a new role model. When Bella complimented her pink Con's, I knew she shot to the top of Miss Maddie's favorite people list. Probably even ahead of me. Maddie is so shy, the fact that she opened up to Bella the way she did is truly astonishing. She is so careful all the time, we tease her and tell her it must be because she is the oldest, but it is true nonetheless. If nothing else, I need to thank Bella for getting Maddie to relax for the day.

Lunch was a lot of fun, even if we didn't get to talk to each other too terribly much. I did get to whisper in her ear a time or two. Bella is all kinds of crazy if she thinks I didn't catch the way her heart started beating faster and she started breathing heavier when I did it, because I did. Her biting her lip? Made me want to throw her down on the table and nibble on that bottom lip for an hour or two! Yeah, score one for the Edmeister. Ok, that sounded just fucking wrong, but you get my point. I did give myself an internal hell yeah when I saw the blush on her face after I kissed her ear. Have I mentioned how incredible she smelled up close like that? Like strawberries and vanilla. Yummy!

The kiss she gave before she left… fuck me! The second her warm lips touched my cheek my whole body felt like it was on fire. I think part of that was because her little hand was pressed against my chest and I could feel her body pressing against me, but I could be mistaken. Nope, that's what it was. I definitely want more of those kisses in the near future.

We finally make it back home and Ma and Pop aren't back yet. When the kids and I spend our Sundays at the park, my parents usually use that time to go visit Uncle Marcus and Aunt Diane. Dad and my uncle are pretty close and mom and Aunt Diane spend a lot of time together, especially since they both sit on the Board at the Foundation together. My cousin Demetri and I are close, too. Not as close as me and Ben or Emmett and I but he is a really good friend. He helped me a lot through the Lauren mess. He has a great head on his shoulders and gave me some of the best advice out of anyone during that time.

The kids and I play Rock Band for a little bit and then we sit down to watch a movie. I nap on and off during the movie, I have seen Harry Potter 1 so many times I think I know all the words by heart, but both of them like it, so I can't argue. After the movie is over I tell the kids to go get cleaned up and change into their night clothes while I make dinner. When mom and dad are with my aunt and uncle, they tend to spend all day and night over there, and more often than not, have to take a cab back home because they have been drinking wine all damn day.

I decide to make spaghetti and marinara with some garlic bread for dinner. I am pouring the kids their glasses of milk and grabbing myself a beer as Maddie and Masen come downstairs. We finish talking about what we want to do for the week deciding on things they both want to do, the museum and aquarium for Maddie and the pizza place with the games and 6 Flags for Masen. The kids ask if Uncle Demetri can come with us, he's as big a kid as Uncle Emmett. I tell them I will call and ask.

I send the kids up to play in their rooms before bed once we get the kitchen picked up and I walk into the living room to watch some TV before heading up to bed myself.

Speaking of Demetri, I hear the front door bell and as I walk to the door, I hear it open and watch as Dem lets himself in.

"What's up cousin," he says as he walks into the kitchen to grab a beer out of the fridge.

"Sure Dem, come on in and help yourself, we don't mind," I laugh at him as he hands me a beer, too.

He looks at me and grins, "Oh come off it Ed, this is my home away from home, you know that. And since all the parents are at my house, I figured you'd be all sad and lonely here by yourself so I decided to come keep you company my friend," Dem laughs at me as we clink our bottles together.

"Uncle Demetri!" my little ones say as they come racing into the living room.

"TwinTerrors!" Demetri shouts as he stands up to throw Maddie and Masen over each of his shoulders.

Demetri is a good looking guy as are all Cullens. He's about my height of 6'2" and has short black hair and blue eyes. If Em looks like a grizzly bear, then Dem looks like a gorilla. Almost as big as Em, but not quite. The twins adore him, and love when he comes over to the house. He is 3 years younger than me, a fact which he has rubbed in on more than one occasion especially since he is still in his twenties and am an old man at the age of 32. Jackass.

He sits down with them on the couch, one kid on each side of him and asks them to tell him all about school and everything they have been doing since he saw them last. He's been out of town for the last two weeks and has missed one of Maddie's ballet recitals and one of Masen's peewee baseball games.

I let him know that I'm going to excuse myself for a minute while he has them occupied and make my way upstairs to my room to change my clothes. I take my clothes off, putting them in the hamper and jump in the shower. I wonder what Bella is doing right now, hopefully she is thinking about me like I am her. I begin to picture her long, dark hair, hoping she wears it down on our date on Saturday. It looked cute in the pony tail but I am sure it is magnificent when it's down. And we already know all about how it smells. Jesus! Then I picture how she looked biting her bottom lip and looking at me from under her eyelashes. How are her eyes even that color of brown? They are so clear, but so deep. I could get lost in them…I hope I get lost in them.

My hand has a mind of its own and the next thing I know I am gripping my extremely hard erection in my hand. I begin to pump up and down as I continue to picture Bella's face and her lips. I imagine her smiling at me over the table when we are at dinner on Saturday. I can almost hear her voice as I talk to her on the phone or when we are sitting in the cab as I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to me, my lips finding the spot behind her ear. I wonder if that gets her hot and makes her wet? I can practically taste the skin of her neck as I trail kisses down it, to her collar bones. Yes, I paid close attention to them today and can't wait to see for myself. My hand is moving faster and faster, images flashing through my mind, my thumb pressing over the head, sliding through the precum on the tip of my cock. I press one hand on the wall in front of me as I feel my stomach and legs tense. With a hiss I come, hard, shooting the wall in front of me.

Damn, what the hell was that? I haven't jacked off in ages. Well, it hasn't been that long, but shit.

I finish my shower, making sure to wash the wall, and step out of the shower and grab a towel. Wrapping it around my waist I walk into my room and look at the time. It's 9:30. I walk over to the bureau and pick up my phone, checking to see if I have any messages. I am hoping there is one from Bella, but there isn't. Fuck, I want to call her so bad, especially after that shower, but I don't want to come across too strong or anything. I want her to know I am thinking about her so I decide to send her a text message instead.

Night beautiful. Thanks for the perfect day. I'll call you tomorrow, sweet dreams. I know I will since they will be of you. E

I am tempted to sign it love E but stop before I can make an idiot out of myself. Damn Edward, that will surely have her running in the opposite direction, don't cha think?

I hope she gets it before she goes to bed, I do want her to know I was thinking about her.

I get dressed in some basketball shorts and a tank top and head downstairs to make sure the kids are ready for bed. I laugh as I make it to the bottom of the stairs and find them asleep on Demetri, one on each shoulder and he is out like a light. And, he calls me old? Fucker. I quietly wake up Masen and point him up the stairs then I grab Maddie and carry her up to bed. I tuck her in with a kiss to her forehead and make my way to Masen's room. He has fallen asleep again, lying sideways across the bed, his little feet sticking out over the side. I get him tucked in with a kiss to his forehead and then go downstairs to check on the other kid.

I prod Demetri until he is lying on the couch, his head on a pillow. I take his shoes off and throw a blanket over him. I doubt he'll still be here in the morning but you never know. Sometimes when he's out, the only thing that will wake him up is the smell of coffee. I kiss his forehead, too. Yes, my family hugs and kisses a lot, all of us. I make sure the front door is locked and turn the TV and the lights off and make my way up to my room to go to bed.

My phone is blinking at me. I hope that means Bella has replied to my text.

Hot damn! She did!

Night to you, too, Edward. I can't remember a more perfect day, so thank you and thanks to M&M. I'll be seeing you in my dreams. Until tomorrow…B XOXO

She gave me hugs and kisses, that's a good sign, right? Hell yes it is!

I can't wait for tomorrow.

~~~~O*O*O~~~~O*O*O~~~~

The smell of fresh coffee was enough to pull me out of my Bella induced dream state. I am not exactly sure what I dreamed about last night, at least nothing specific, but I know it was about Bella looking underneath the sheet. How embarrassing. Haven't done that in awhile either. What is this girl doing to me?

I pull on my pajama pants and a t-shirt and make my way downstairs. I guess Demetri slept through the night on the sofa because he is sitting at the table with the twins and my mom and dad eating breakfast.

"Morning everyone," I say as I walk over to the coffee pot to make a cup of coffee.

"Daddy, didn't you pick up doggie doo doo yesterday at the park? I told Uncle Demetri you did, but he didn't believe me," Masen says to me giving Dem a scowl.

I finish making my coffee and grab a plate of eggs and bacon and take it to the table with me. Looking at my son and then rolling my eyes at my jackass of a cousin I say "Yes, Masen. I picked up doggie doo doo at the park yesterday. Now no more talk of Rufus' business while I am trying to eat breakfast, deal?"

My dad quirks an eyebrow and says, "Rufus? Edward do we have a puppy we don't know about?"

"No Papa!" Maddie excitedly tells him. "Rufus is Bella's puppy. She let me and Masen walk and play with him yesterday at the park. Then we got to walk him all the way to Mr. Saul's to eat lunch. It was so cool and he is sooo cute. We get to see him again at the park on Wednesday, too!"

As soon as she gets the last word out of her mouth, I look up to see three sets of eyes staring at me. Oh shit, here we go.

"Edward, who is Bella?" my mom sweetly asks me with that gleam in her eye.

"Nana, Bella is mine and Maddies bestest friend and she calls me Mace face and I call her Bella smella," he giggles to my mom.

Dem is about to fall out of his chair because he is laughing so hard. "Damn, Ed, what did you and the terrors do yesterday at the park?" he asks as he reaches over to mess up my hair.

"Demetri, language!" Esme reprimands him.

"Sorry Aunt Es," Demetri contritely says to her. Turning to me he grins evilly and says, "Well, Edward, are you going to tell us who this Bella is or not?"

I know he is just doing that to get my mom to forget she just yelled at him. Bastard.

"Bella is a woman we met at the park yesterday. She has a puppy named Rufus. The kids wanted her to eat lunch with us to thank her for letting them play with her dog while we were at the park, end of story," I huffily tell all three of them.

What a damn lie, but I don't want to explain everything just yet.

"Daddy, you forgot about the part where me and Bella had to find you because I left and that we are going to see Bella on Wednesday and that you asked her to eat dinner with you on Saturday," my mini-me now turned traitor sweetly says to me.

Yeah Masen, you are getting replaced as my wingman, pronto like.

"Edward, is this true? You have a date on Saturday?" my mom gushes to me.

Taking a deep breath I say,"Masen and Maddie, since you are done with breakfast, why don't you guys go get cleaned up so we can figure out what the plan is for today? I have to go to the shelter for a little bit, but I'm thinking we'll do Maddies aquarium today and Masen, we can do pizza tomorrow for lunch, sound like a plan?"

"Ok, Daddy!" they both say at the same time and scamper off to go upstairs like I asked.

I did want to talk to the three of them about Bella, but not in front of the kids. They are already so captivated by her; I don't want to say anything that might give them the wrong idea.

"Ok, you three, stop looking at me like I just discovered the cure to cancer or some shit like that. Really. Yes, I met a woman at the park yesterday. Yes, she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Yes, we are having dinner together on Saturday, as in going on a date. Yes, I am going to see her on Wednesday at the park with the kids. Yes, she is amazing. No, I will not be bringing her home to meet any or all of you any time soon. We barely got to talk yesterday with the twins all over the place. Yes, I like her. I really, really like her." I huff at them all.

"Shit dude, you are so whipped already, and you haven't even been on date one yet. Oops, yes Aunt Es, I know, language. But the terrors aren't down here so you can't get mad at me!" Demetri pouts to Esme.

"Son, I am very excited for you. I haven't ever seen you this excited to go on a date before. Your Bella must be something else to get you and the children so worked up after only one meeting," Carlisle says to me.

I look at my father and grin, "Pop, you have no idea how right you are. She is something else, and hopefully she'll be even more of a something after our date on Saturday!"

I look at my mom who is giggling behind her hand. "Ma, I know you. Please don't get too excited yet. I only just met her yesterday, you know. Let me go on at least one date with her before you start meddling, ok?"

I love my mother, adore her like no other, but she has been so worried about me being alone since the Lauren debacle that anytime I am even remotely interested in a woman, she goes nuts. I really hope this whatever you want to call it, with Bella goes somewhere, I don't need the added pressure of my mom on top of that.

Taking her hand in mine I softly say to her, "Ma, if this becomes something, I promise you'll be the first to know."

I stand up and kiss both my parents on the head and give Dem a slap on the back after a slap on the side of the head and tell them all I will be back from the shelter at lunch time and to tell the kids to be ready to go after they have lunch.

I go upstairs to get dressed for the day. Since I am volunteering at the shelter, I put on a pair of loose jeans and a long sleeved shirt. I roll the sleeves up, put my belt on and slip into my favorite pair of Chuck Taylor's. This brings a smile to my face as I think about Bella's black ones yesterday. I grab my phone and wallet and head out the door.

It's such a nice day that I walk to the shelter. I love volunteering, I honestly do. It's not always easy, some of the stories would break anyone's heart and when the kids come in all battered and bruised, it's even worse. I enjoy being a doctor, and I am a damned good pediatrician if I do say so myself. Like Lauren told me all those years ago, I really had my pick of specialties while I was in med school. But, like my father, I really felt like pediatrics was my calling.

My parents had taught my brother, sister, and I that since we were as fortunate as we were because of who our family is, we have a duty to help those not as fortunate. Our family has been volunteering for as long as I can remember. When I was 8, I remember going with my mom to visit the sick kids in the hospital. It was Christmas time and we were bringing gifts to kids who didn't have any family and were in the hospital over the holidays. It didn't matter what they got, a ball or a book or a stuffed animal; I just remember the look of gratitude on their faces that anyone remembered them at Christmas.

Since my dad and I run our own private pediatric practice, we volunteer our services 3 days a week at the Women and Children's Shelter. Even though my dad is an Oncology specialist, he was a general practitioner first. Our other partner, Tanya Denali, is an OB/GYN. She is responsible for attending to the women at the shelter and Carlisle and I see to the kids.

As I enter the shelter, I see the director Zaphrina Mendez. Zaph is a very tall, very attractive woman with long, straight black hair and eyes that are almost black they are so dark. She works tirelessly for the shelter and it is not an easy job. Constantly dealing with abused women and children must take a toll on your psyche; I don't care how strong a person you are. Zaph is one of the strongest people I know and it is an honor to call her a friend.

"Mornin' Z!" I tell her as I make way into the shelter and pass her desk.

"Hey yourself Edward. Thanks for coming in today. I know the twins are out of school this week, but we have a few kids that need some attention. We had one come in last night that is running a fever. Poor thing was so exhausted we gave her some medicine and juice and then put her to bed. It's not a high fever, but I'm sure she needs to be looked at. We have a few that will need shots so we can get them enrolled in school and then a few check-ups as well," she finishes telling me.

Nothing too serious today, thankfully. "Ok, Zaphrina let me get my doctor coat on and you can start sending them back in about 15 minutes," I tell her as I make my way to the exam room.

The shelter is not capable of handling anything but the most minor of things, but the kids need attention and I enjoy coming in to help.

I see Tanya in her office as I walk back to mine.

"Hey, Tan, did you have a good weekend?" I ask her.

She looks up and rolls her eyes at me. She had a date Saturday night that she was really excited about. I'm guessing by the eye roll it didn't go well.

"Fuck, Edward, it was awful. My date had to seriously be the most boring man on the face of the planet. He works in insurance and all he talked about all damn night was insurance. Life, health, car, didn't matter. Just insurance, nothing else. I had to have Alice call and pretend there was an emergency to get me out of it, it was so bad!" she laughs at me.

Well, at least she can laugh about it. Tanya Denali and I have been friends since high school. We went to the same prep school and our parents have been good friends since they were in college. She is a very pretty woman. I won't say beautiful, that's only for my Bella. My Bella, I like the sound of that! She is an exceptional doctor and she is highly sought after in her field. She specializes in high risk pregnancies and is very successful. For someone so intelligent, she has the most horrible luck with men. I don't understand it at all.

"Sorry, Tan, maybe next time you'll have better luck!" I tell her.

She looks at me for a second, her grey eyes piercing mine. Oh shit, here it comes.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, you met someone! Get your ass in here right now as spill!" she hollers at me.

Luckily for me, I can't since Zaph is going to be sending kids to me any moment now, so I unapologetically tell her, "No can do T, Zaphrina has kids coming in any second now, gotta run!"

"Eddie, you know I'll find you later, you can't hide forever buddy. Besides, I can just call Demetri or Emmett or Alice and get the details without you." she cockily tells me.

That stops me in my tracks, and I turn to her and say, "Um, Tanya, Em and Ali don't know anything yet, so please don't call them, ok? And Dem, shit you know how he is. I'll tell you about her, in fact I want to. Just give me a little time?" I ask her.

"Only if you buy lunch while you spill," she tells me.

"Deal, I'll catch you later Tan," I say as I make my way out the door to head to my office.

The morning flies by as I see patient after patient. Zaph was right, nothing too major today, but some of these kids have never seen a doctor before.

I finish up my last patient and close the door to the exam room. I go to find Zaphrina to fill her in on the status of all the kids I saw today. I find her in the kitchen, and I skid to a halt. I just got the strangest feeling, like Bella is here. I feel that electric charge, but it's not very strong, almost like she was just here or something. Huh, that is some freaky shit.

As I walk towards Zaph, I see and smell that she is unloading a box of the most amazingly delicious smelling oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever seen. Yes, oatmeal raisin, my favorite!

"Z, where did those amazing things come from and please tell me I can have one?" I ask and exclaim at the same time.

She hands me a cookie. Fuck me, they are still warm. "Here Edward, wouldn't want to deprive your fine ass of your cookie, now would we. These came from one of our behind the scenes volunteers," she finished explaining to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked around a mouthful of cookie.

Zaphrina looked at me and said, "Well, it is important to her that she volunteer here, without anyone knowing who she is. She bakes cookies for the kids every week and drops them off. She is in and out before anyone would have time to notice her. The kids love them, and they so rarely get a treat. I wish she would let us acknowledge what she does here, but she adamantly refuses."

I thought about that for a moment. Whoever the woman was, she had my respect. There are more people than I can count that volunteer just so they can tell others what they have done. This woman does it solely to help, to try to give the kids something they wouldn't normally get.

"She must be a special person, I hope I can meet her one day," I tell Zaph as I grab 2 more cookies on my way out of the kitchen.

As lunch time approaches, I make my way to Tanya's office. She is on the phone so I make myself comfortable and wait for her to finish her call. I think back to high school with Tanya. She didn't have many friends except for Alice, Emmett, and me. She is the same age as Ali and Dem, so she was only at school one year with Emmett and only two with me. I don't know what it was, but Alice and Tanya didn't have many friends when they were in high school. I think they just intimidated people. They are both freakishly smart, sometimes I don't even understand what they are talking about.

I guess money, brains and good looks is enough to intimidate most people. Our classmates did not ever seem to grasp that Tanya and I were only friends. We have never been involved romantically, or involved period. Not so much as a kiss, ever. She and I just get each other, often in ways my siblings or even Ben and Dem can't. We are both very attractive people, I guess that common bond lets us understand each other or something. Not that Ali, Em or Demetri aren't fine looking people, but, well, shit, Tanya and I are just different!

She hangs up the phone and looks at me, cocking her head to the side. She says softly, "Edward, you look happy."

That's all she says, nothing else.

I give her a small smile and say, "Yeah, I am Tan."

I tell her that I am taking the kids to the aquarium if she wants to come with us and we can talk then. My kids adore Tanya. Tanya and Emmett are Masen's godparents and Alice and Demetri are Maddie's. They are my best friends as well as family, who else would I trust my kids to if something was to happen to me?

We get to the house and as expected, we are both met with peals of laughter and squeals of happiness. Like I said, everyone in my family loves Tanya. After Esme finishes hearing all about Tanya's date from hell, we gather the kids and take a cab to the aquarium. We walk through the exhibits for an hour or so before we make our way to the play area. I let Maddie and Masen wander around for a bit giving Tanya and I time to talk about Bella.

"Ok, Edward, spill it, I'm dying here!" Tanya playfully punches my arm

So I spill, telling her everything, right down to the hand job I gave myself in the shower. Don't judge, like I said we just get each other. I talk and talk, telling her what I felt when I looked at her the first time, how warm her hand felt in mine, the way she bites her lip when she's nervous or shy about something. That damn adorable blush. The fucking electricity that I feel when I am close to her or touch her. I tell her all the things I'm scared to say out loud to anyone else. How right it felt to sit with her and the kids. How it feels like I am whole when she smiles at me. How my heart feels like it might explode when I think about kissing her. How my dick has a mind of its own when I think about doing more than kissing her. I tell Tanya everything.

She listens patiently, never once interrupting. I realize with a start how badly I needed to talk to her. I can't talk to Ali about this because she's worse than mom about meddling. Emmett has the emotional capacity of a 5 year old, Demetri passed out on the couch and Ben is on vacation.

As I finish, I look at Tanya, who is sitting there with her mouth open, chin almost hitting the floor. She has the most shocked expression on her face. She sits for a full 3 minutes without saying a word, just staring at me.

"Tan, say something, what do you think?" I beg her.

"Oh my God, Edward! You've found her, you've found your 'one', the person you said you would search for until you found her. I think you can stop looking because I think your Bella is it," She reverently tells me.

I am dumbstruck, completely shocked to my very core. Holy hell, Tanya is right, Bella is my one. I knew it the moment I saw her, I could feel it. That is why everything feels so right around her.

"Fuck, Tanya, I think you are right. Well, what the hell do I do now?" I ask a little shakily.

She rolls her eyes at me, "Edward, if she is your one, you won't have to do anything but enjoy the ride my friend. Just don't fuck it up!" She jabs her finger at me. "But seriously," she continues, "just get to know her. Take things at whatever pace it seems like she wants to set. For God's sake, don't push or come on too strong. Just be your normal, charming self and everything should work out just fine. Edward, I am so incredibly happy for you. I knew this would happen for you someday. You are too amazing a person to be alone all your life. You deserve this, never doubt that. Bella would be a fool not to see the kind of person you are. She is so lucky to have found you," she tells me sincerely.

I reach over and grab Tanya's hand, "Tan, I am the lucky one, I promise you. She is an angel, my perfect angel and I can't wait for you to meet her!"

We finish up our talk and rustle up the kids to head out, stopping for ice cream on the way home.

All I can think about is Bella being my one and knowing I can't wait to get home so I can talk to her.

Tanya says good bye to the kids and I let the kids run up to their rooms to play until dinner. Walking into my room I pull off my shirt and jeans to change into shorts and t-shirt and grab my phone dialing her number with shaking hands and when she answers I smile and say,

"Hey Beautiful, I've been thinking about you all day!"