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Chapter 9 - Paradiddle
BPOV
On my way. Be there in a few
I sigh, curling my fingers around my phone, as I nervously tap it against my leg.
"If you don't stop, you're going to wear a hole in the floor." Maggie chuckles from her seat on the sofa.
I don't stop pacing, but I do whip my head around and glare at her. "How long does it take to get from his house to mine? It's not like there's rush hour traffic to get through!"
I turn and walk to the window, looking out for probably the twenty-third time since his text saying he was on his way.
"Bella," Maggie calls calmly and waits for me to face her again. "They will love you. Stop worrying."
I humph, and run my hands down my legs, smoothing imaginary wrinkles as I go. There better not be any ... I only ironed my clothes four times.
Finally, the sound of a car door floats through the window, and I rush to the door, flinging it open before Edward even has a chance to knock.
"Someone's happy to see me." He grins then starts to lean forward for a kiss.
My hands go up and land on his chest. "Nope. Make-up," I tell him with a wave around my face.
"Oh, hell no. I've been thinking about kissing you the whole way here," he answers, rolling his eyes. Before I know it, he's left a very soft, but very needed kiss on my lips.
I take a step closer to him and manage to let my forehead rest against his chest for all of two seconds before his fingers are beneath my chin, tipping my head up so he can look at me. His eyes are full of love and happiness; they're shining and so Jolly Rancher green, my mouth starts watering for a piece of candy. Or a piece of him ... both are as sweet as can be. "Please try not to be so nervous. My parents are the two most easy-going people you'll ever meet, and not only that, they'll love you because I do. So, for me, try not drive yourself any more crazy than you already have been."
"Okay," I whisper then grin at him. "Come on, Maggie's been dying to meet you."
I lace our fingers together and pull him through the entryway and into the living room.
"Wow!" I hear him exclaim behind me and I stop so abruptly, he bumps into me. His eyes aren't on me though, they're bouncing all around the room. "I haven't been in here in years, though I have to say it looks better like this than when the Abbotts lived here. Mrs. Abbott had an … interesting way of decorating. Everything in here was pink and frilly and there were pictures of cats everywhere. She was allergic so she couldn't have any, but she more than made up for it with the pictures."
"I always seem to forget how much you know about this house," I tell him, smiling at the look of wonder on his face. "We don't have time today, but sometime soon I'll give you a tour since you've never seen the whole thing."
"Sounds great, baby. I can't wait." The wink he gives me when he lifts our hands and kisses the back of mine leaves me with a swarm of butterflies in my stomach and makes me want to fan my face because suddenly it's way too hot in here.
A light giggle from behind me causes even more warmth, but it's not the same kind.
"Are you going to stand there all day, or do you think you might introduce me to your young man?" Maggie asks as she stands up. Her eyes dance as she looks from me to Edward and then back again. She gives me a wink then takes a step forward.
"Edward, this is the wonderful Maggie O'Neil that you've heard me talk so much about. Maggie, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen."
Edward sticks his free hand out and then lets out a cute yelp when Maggie pulls him in for a huge hug and smacks her lips on his cheek.
"It's nice to meet you, Ms. O'Neil. Bella's told me a lot about you," Edward stammers, the tips of his ears glowing as red as my cheeks do when I get embarrassed.
It's nice to see that I'm not the only one with the awful affliction. Though, on him it's as adorable as hell; on me, I look like a boiled lobster.
"Well, aren't you just the sweetest, cutest thing ever; just as precious as Bella's said," Maggie says gleefully as she pinches his cheeks. She's enjoying teasing me far too much. When her eyes get a wicked gleam in them, I give her my most heated glare, which she just waves off like she's shooing away an annoying fly.
"Though, I have to say …" she begins and I can tell Edward's scared of what she's about to say by the way he's squeezing my hand hoping he's not about to be thrown overboard without a life jacket.
Maggie smiles and it's full of mischief, not that I really expect anything else. I see I'm not wrong when she continues, "I'm not sure how cute I'd have found you at oh say, two in the morning or some such hour."
"Oh, ah ... well, you see ... I um ..." Edward splutters and then snaps his head around, eyes wide and begging me to save him.
"Mags, hush." I giggle and point my finger at her. "Stop trying to scare him."
She throws her head back and laughs and the sound is exactly what I need. Well, that, and the feel of Edward's hand still tightly wrapped around mine. "Not trying to, dear, just stating a fact." She smiles again, and this time it's tender and sweet. "Edward, she's been a nervous wreck all day, so try to get her to relax on the way to your house. She's liable to work herself into quite the tizzy. For future reference, she tends to do that from time to time."
Edward chuckles and nods. "Yes, well, good to know."
I can tell he's not quite sure where he stands with Maggie. I can't help but enjoy him being a little flustered; it's nice to see he's not always so calm, cool, and collected.
"Okay, well you don't want to keep your parents waiting. It's been such a pleasure meeting you," Maggie says as she grabs his free hand. Her voice is laced with meaning far deeper than her words when she says, "I hope you come back before too long. We need a man around here once in a while."
"Thank you. I'd like that, Ms. O'Neil."
"Oh, no you don't. None of that Ms. stuff, makes me sound all old and uncool. Call me Maggie." She laughs. "Bella, don't forget your cookies and have fun, you two." She waves as she leaves the living room.
EPOV
I jerk my head back toward Bella. "Cookies? Did she just say cookies? I swear I just heard Maggie say you have cookies."
She smirks then turns to walk toward the kitchen, that perfect ass wiggling just to tease me. "Well, you can't expect me to show up to dinner empty-handed, can you? I want to make a good impression."
I reach out and slip my index finger beneath the waistband of her cute black pants and tug, holding on until she stops.
"Hey," I say softly as I take a step so that my chest is pressed to her back and rest my chin on her shoulder and my cheek against hers. "While I will never, ever, tell you not to make cookies, you really didn't have to do anything just to try to impress my parents. They will like you just because you're you, not because you happen to make the best damn sugar cookies since, well, ever."
"I think you might be biased," she whispers, though I can feel her cheeks lift in a smile.
"I love you," I tell her, because it's true and because I need her to know that no matter what she thinks will happen today, nothing can change the way I feel about her.
She sags against me. I wrap my right arm around her and lay my hand flat on her stomach, taking just a moment, because I can't help myself, to let my fingers slide beneath the bottom of her thin, white shirt. Her skin is warm and soft, just like I knew it would be. "Baby, please stop. I want you to have fun. I want to show off my gorgeous, amazing girlfriend to my parents and let them meet the person that makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. I know this isn't all that easy for you, but honestly, you're making this a much bigger deal than it needs to be. You don't have to dress up, you don't have to try to be something you're not - just be you, okay? Because you," I smile when she squeaks as I spin her around and slap both my hands on her ass and hold her to me, "are perfect, and mine, and you love me. Got it?"
"Got it." Her entire face lights up, eyes sparkling, and a smile so big it makes the twisty turny thing inside of me roar to life … not that it's not always ready to make its presence known whenever she's around.
"Now, can we get this show on the road? I'm starving and Mom's making her famous fried chicken for dinner."
She throws her arms around my neck and gives me the sweetest, but much too quick, kiss. "I'm sorry I've been so freaked out. I've never done this before and I really want your parents to like me is all."
I hold onto her. She feels too good against me and she's also forgotten one very important thing. I stick out my bottom lip, working the pout for all it's worth. "Um, isn't there something you need to say?"
She scrunches her nose and twists her mouth. I can tell the moment she realizes because her eyes widen and her cheeks get all pink.
"Ahhh! I love you, too!" She giggles as she gives me another kiss, then another, then one more, moving from lips to cheek to the end of my nose.
"There, much better," I say as I squeeze her ass one more time then swat it, before I push her away. "Now, grab those fuckawesome cookies and let's go."
She picks up a glass plate covered in cookies and wrapped in plastic. My mouth waters and immediately I try to figure out how to keep most of them for myself. Sharing is good and all, but these are Bella's cookies we're talking about … sharing can go take a flying leap when it comes to them.
"You can stop that train right now, Edward Cullen." She chuckles as she rolls her eyes at me, knowing me way too well. "These are for dessert and for your parents."
"But, Bella … you know how I feel about your cookies," I whine shamelessly.
"Oh, you big baby!" She turns and grabs a square container off the island. "That's why these are for you."
I cradle it against my chest. "You do love me." I sigh.
"Yep, even when you act like a goofball."
I open the front door for her and follow her to my car, opening that door for her as well. I help her inside, making sure that both she and the cookies are situated in the front seat.
"By the way, you look really pretty," I tell her, leaning down to kiss her again.
And she does.
She's wearing a pair of black pants that are short, stopping about mid-shin. I can't ever remember the name of them, but my mom likes to wear the same kind. Her shirt is white, short-sleeved and my favorite … tight. Her hair's up in a ponytail, showing off her sexy neck, just like I like it. The only make-up she's wearing is the lipgloss I've just about managed to kiss off and a little bit of eyeliner, and on her cute feet there's a pair of black flip-flops.
She looks fucking hot, not that I really expect anything else.
I slide into the front seat beside her and wink when she looks at me. "Love the hot pink toenail polish. Very nice."
She blushes, but the smile on her face I see as she looks out of her window when we take off lets me know she likes what I said.
The trip to my house flies by. I tell her about hanging with everyone last night. She teases me about the fact that she almost beat me yesterday when we went for a run together. I listen to a long-winded, convoluted ramble about Phil and the playoffs and her birthday.
My ears prick at that part.
"Wait, you're going to be gone for your birthday?" I question as my stomach drops at the thought.
I turn off the car because we're in front of my house, but I grab her hand before she can get out. "Bella?"
"No, I'll be here," she says and my heart starts beating again.
"Thank God," I mumble, thinking about all the plans I now don't have to try to rearrange.
She narrows her eyes at me. "And just what does that mean?"
Shit.
She really wasn't supposed to hear that.
"Nothing except that I don't want to miss spending your birthday with you. It's the first one we can spend together, you know."
"Hmmm." I know she doesn't believe me, but luckily she doesn't have time to question me any further.
"You ready?" I ask after a few moments of silence.
She swallows and takes a deep breath, before she nods. "As I'll ever be."
I hurry to open the door for her and take both the plate and the container of cookies out of her hands so I can help her out. So fast that not more than a few seconds pass and she's up, out, and now holding the plate while I clutch the container. The way we move together, being able to anticipate the next step, even for something as simple as this, tells me more about us than words ever could. She's such a part of me; I don't know if she even appreciates just how much.
I keep a hold of her hand and slide my fingers between hers, squeezing just a little bit as we walk up the front steps. My heart's beating about a million beats a minute, I can feel sweat drip down my back, and literally feel like if I wanted to, I could fly.
Not until right this second, standing on the welcome mat in front of my front door, do I really realize how much I've wanted this. Introducing Bella to my friends was important, but it doesn't hold a candle to her meeting my parents. That word forever whispers in the back of my mind again. I push it away for the time being, but not before I silently tell it to come back again soon, just not when I'm about to bring my girl home for the first time.
"Thank you for coming tonight, Bella. You have no idea how much this means to me," I whisper and then kiss her special spot right behind her ear. "You're the first girl I've ever introduced to my parents. Just thought you should know that."
She squeaks and I grin as I open the door, shouting, "Mom, Dad, we're here."
Footsteps come from two different directions; Mom's from the kitchen and Dad's from the living room.
Bella's grip on my hand is so tight I worry for a second I won't be able to play the piano for a few days.
Dad's eyes widen in surprise. One of Mom's hands grabs my dad's arm, the other covers her heart.
Yeah … I totally didn't tell them Bella's name for just this reason.
"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan. Bella, these are my parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen."
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