Postcards

Chapter 6

A/N: I love that you all are loving this story. I'm having a great time writing it. A big thanks to my beta, Heather, for her awesome beta skills.

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Come Monday morning, I found myself a nervous wreck as I opened the dresser drawers and tried to figure out what to wear to meet Edward.  

After staring at them and my closet for close to five minutes, I pulled out my phone and texted Alice, begging for help.  Her response was immediate and told me to just be myself and wear what I normally would.  

Seeing as how she was of no help, I finally opted for dark skinny jeans, a blue sweater, and boots.  I left my hair hanging down my back and applied some mascara and lip gloss.  I looked like myself, just a bit more done up, and it wasn't as if Edward hadn't seen me looking gross and sweaty after a hike.

Grabbing my wallet and phone, I shoved them into my purse just as the doorbell rang.  I took a deep breath to steady myself and made my way downstairs where I could hear my dad talking to Edward.

"Ah, there she is.  Well, you two have fun.  I'm off to work, but I should be home by six.  Bells, I'd like you home no later than midnight," he said, giving me a hug before walking out the front door and leaving me alone with Edward.

Edward didn't say a word, just held open his arms, and I rushed into them.  I inhaled the wonderful scent that was Edward and whatever cologne he used, and I found myself wanting to bury my fingers in his hair.

His strong arms wrapped around me, and I held on tight when he twirled me around, telling me how wonderful it was to see me, and I told him the same.  

Finally, he set me down and told me that his family couldn't wait to see me.  I was just as eager to see them, so I locked the front door and followed Edward out to his car, a shiny red Volvo.

The drive took about an hour, and we kept up a constant stream of conversation the whole time, never running out of things to talk about.  

"How do you like Forks so far?" he asked as we pulled into a residential area.

"I haven't seen a whole lot of it, but I like what I have seen.  Plus, I can't remember ever seeing my dad so happy and relaxed.  Forks has been good for him."

"Yeah, it's a great place.  We lived in Forks until fifth grade when Dad got a position as the head of surgery over at Olympic Medical Center.  He could have made the commute every day, but Mom and Dad decided to move us to Port Angeles."

"And you like it here?"

He glanced over at me as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, I do.  It's quite a bit bigger than Forks, and there's a lot more to do here.  Although, I still keep in touch and hang out with some kids in Forks."

A few minutes later, we'd driven out of the residential area and Edward turned down a small road that I almost missed.

"You live way out here?" I asked.

"Yep.  Mom designed our house, and she wanted to live a little ways out."

He wasn't kidding.  We drove on the small road for about a mile or so before a beautiful house appeared, surrounded by woods.  I let out a gasp when I laid eyes on it.

"Wow," I mumbled, and Edward let out a chuckle.

"Yeah, it's a bit excessive, but it's home."

And what a home.  It was huge with wood siding and a stone foundation, and I was in awe as I climbed out of Edward's car and looked around the front yard.  The landscaping was amazing, and when I told Edward that, he said to wait until I saw the backyard.