D.

When I glanced up there were stupid tears pooling in my eyes. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

In three steps he strode across the floor, snapped me up and planted a big kiss right on my lips in front of my parents and Phil.

“Alright, break it up,” Charlie said, feigning irritation, but I could tell he was pleased and it was obvious that he wholeheartedly approved of Dylan. I’m still not sure why that was. As my dad, Charlie should be highly suspicious of any boy that lusted after me, but luckily Dylan was charismatic and wormed his way into everyone’s good graces.

Without releasing me, he sat on the recliner reserved for moi, the birthday girl, and pulled me onto his lap. “You’re going to be mad, but I have one more surprise for you,” he murmured against my ear, my family looking on eagerly. Clearly they were already in the know and were okay with whatever he had planned.

I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself to be gracious and not be an ass. “Okay, lay it on me.”

Laughter rang out in the room.

“Man, kiddo, you’re the only girl I know that considers presents a hardship,” Phil commented, smiling from ear to ear.

Dylan handed me a long, narrow box much like the one that Esme and Carlisle had given me, and my heart all but stopped, my breath caught in my throat, but I made my trembling hands reach out and take it, tearing the wrapping paper easily and tossing it aside. I lifted the lid and grimaced slightly at the sight of two tickets to Italy lying inside the satin lined box.

“Italy?” I breathed. Did this mean what I thought it meant? Was it finally time to deal with the vampire royalty?

“Yep, we’re going during your Thanksgiving break. Just the two of us.” Though he was smiling, I could see that I’d been right to be concerned. My time had run out and my presence before the Volturi had been demanded. We’d known it was coming; Dylan had bought me quite a large chunk of time, but the last grains of sands in our little hourglass had fallen and our reprieve was up.