Chapter Twenty-Five

~Coming Clean~

EPOV

The last twenty-four hours have been the most wonderful and the most awful of my life to date.

I still can't wrap my head around Tori's desperate attempt to keep us together, or the arrogant look on Jack's face. What could they possibly have been thinking? I should have known that Tori's reaction to our break-up was a little too smooth. Yeah, she did mumble things under her breath that I couldn't decipher and then there was a weepy phone call to me later that night, begging me to please still go through with the party, even if we just considered it a holiday barbeque.

But she knew… she HAD to know what her Dad had planned.

I've got to talk to her today and end this once and for all. I want to know I have a completely clean slate and no baggage hanging around just waiting to pop out at me and hurt me, my family and especially Bella.

The Isabella from years ago, the choices and behavior she demonstrated are already creeping back to bite her in the ass; she doesn't deserve to be affected by my current drama as well.

I look over at the clock on Bella's night stand and see that it's only four in the morning.

I sink my head back down onto the pillow, as we lie spooning.

We didn't bother to redress last night after making love, we just fell into bed wrapped around each other. I held on to her as best I could until sleep took over and she didn't complain at all. I think we're both feeling that we need to cling to each other to get through all these rocky waters that keep splashing up unexpectedly, attempting to drown us.

I place a kiss between her shoulder blades, holding my lips to the warmth of her skin; it causes her to stir. I didn't really mean to wake her, but honestly, I'm feeling needy again and just want to bury myself within her loving arms…and…other places.

"Edward," she sighs and pulls my arm tighter around her waist and up to her lips. She places a soft kiss on my knuckles, and then wriggles her body around so that she's facing me.

Without a word spoken, she slowly kisses from my neck down to my collar bone. Her hands have made their way up my chest and her fingers are now lightly scratching through my chest hair and up to my shoulders.

"Hey." I whisper into the darkness and run my hand from her hip all the way down to her knee and pull it across my legs. I can feel her wet heat radiating onto me. I kiss the top of her head, trying to gain her attention up here. She complies and tips her head up as I lean down and plant a soft kiss on her plump lips.

She returns the gesture, and what started out chastely has built into wet, open-mouthed mingling of our tongues and lips.

"Mmmmm," she moans as I reach up between us to graze my fingers across her breast. My hand runs back down over her hips and stretches further to palm her backside to give it a little squeeze.

That action emboldens her to rock her body on top of mine. Her knees are now planted on either side of my hips, my cock straining hard and trapped between our undulating stomachs.

We continue to exchange heated kisses, as both my hands are cupping her head and her hair is dangling down, tickling my forehead, chin and shoulders.

Her hands are pressed firmly into the pillow on either side of my head.

"I need you, Edward." Her words melt my heart…I've waited so long…so very long.

"Mmmm, yessss," I groan in response and pull her hips further down my body to where I'm aching for her.

"Condom, baby." After hearing my reminder, she nods and stretches her body over to the nightstand, pulls out the necessary packet and hands it to me.

I tear it open and we exchange dreamy smiles as she sits back a bit and watches me roll it down.

A moment later, lining us up perfectly, she sinks down…slowly…slowly... until we're fully joined.

Bliss.

"Mmmmph," she softly cries out. I watch in fascination as her breasts heave with excited breath.

She feels so tight around me, I feel like I could come instantly just from her pulsing and twitching warmth as it stretches to accommodate my size. I reach both my hands up for her and she threads her fingers through mine.

Bella starts with a roll of her hips before rising up on her knees to start moving up and down… slowly at first…but soon, she increases her pace.

Our gazes are locked on one another. Mouths open, breathing heavily with sighs and grunts escaping from both of us.

A few moments later, she releases my hands and starts to arch backwards toward my lower legs, her hips deliberately grinding and swiveling. Her left hand runs through her hair while her right supports her weight as she leans back.

I take the opportunity to reach down and start teasing her clit.

She looks like a fucking goddess riding me.

My orgasm approaches with each movement she makes. She lets out a small, high-pitched scream, "Yesss! Ohmygohh…ahhh!"

I thrust harder as her walls clench around me. She slows her pace, leaning forward to collapse on me, but diving in for a passionate kiss before going completely limp in my arms.

I reach down and hold tightly to her hips, "Hang on, baby," I moan in her ear. I swivel my hips and continue thrusting until my orgasm claims me and I come with a low growl.

Her hot breath is on my shoulder and I run my hand through her hair, trying to catch my breath.

"Hmmmm," she lets out a contented sigh and peppers my lips and cheeks with lazy kisses before rolling off to the side.

She looks me right in the eye and I return her gaze with a small smile, leaning in to capture her lower lip between mine again.

"That was a spectacular way to wake up," she smiles, breathless and happy.

I laugh through my nose, "Yes, it was." I lean in to kiss her nose. "Be right back."

She nods, and I excuse myself to take care of the condom situation.

When I climb back into the bed, she's facing me with her hands tucked under her cheek.

I don't want to be a mood killer, but I have to be honest with her.

"Hey. Once daylight hits, I need to go over to Tori's house." I see her go rigid with my statement.

"I need to sit down with her and her parents and make sure they know that not only do they have no couth whatsoever, but also that there's no way in fucking hell that I'm dropping everything here and going to California. I didn't make a scene yesterday, but they're getting an earful today."

She purses her lips with a half-smile. "I understand. You need and deserve some answers. I don't know what would make them think that they, or Tori, could buy your love and you'd just abandon everything. But maybe they'll help you understand."

"Well, I don't know that I'll ever understand, but this crap ends today. I've got too much to look forward to with you," I add with a smile. "Neither of us is working today, d'you wanna get into your journal later and I can try to answer some of those questions you were asking about?

"Yes, that sounds perfect."

I pull Bella close to me so that she puts her head on my chest and we tangle our legs together. I just want to enjoy a few more hours of peaceful sleep with her in my arms.

Facing Tori and her parents later is a headache I don't want to dwell on right now.

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

"Edward, my boy. Come on in." Jack, ever the smug bastard and playing the part perfectly, holds the front door open for me.

"Is Tori here? I need to talk with her…with all of you." I don't bother waiting for an answer, I just start walking toward the voices I hear coming from the back of the house.

"Yes, she and Irina are in the kitchen going over the guest list for the wedding."

Guest list for the wedding? This family is fucking delusional.

As soon as I walk into the kitchen, Tori straightens up and plasters a fake smile on her face. "Hi, honey. Where'd you go last night? I couldn't find you at the bonfire."

"Tori, we need to talk."

"Oh, umm, okay. You wanna go out on the deck?"

"Yeah, fine, whatever." I walk past her without any further acknowledgement of Jack or Irina. Once outside, I walk over to the railing on the edge. The same spot where Jack made his grand announcement yesterday afternoon.

"Sooo, what's up?"

I whip around, rip off my shades and lay into her, quietly, but forcefully. "You care to explain what happened yesterday? Your Dad's big show?"

"Isn't it great? All the properties are ours for the taking. He just took the first step for us! All we have to do now is make the move!" She says with a grin.

She's ACTUALLY grinning!

"Tori, are you fucking nuts? Seriously, were you not there with me on Tuesday when we BROKE UP?" I scrub my hands over my face. For all the scenarios that rushed through my head, this was never one of them. "WE ARE NOT TOGETHER! I am NOT coming out to California with you! What EVER would possess you to allow your dad to make that announcement yesterday? I let you talk me into thinking that yesterday's party was just going to be a holiday weekend bash…not some farce of an engagement party, when we are NO LONGER ENGAGED!"

"Edward…I—,"

She looks up at me; this ought to be good.

Exhaling deeply, I can see her start chewing the inside of her cheek. It's what she does when she's nervous.

"Can we sit?" She requests, pulling a deck chair from the table and making herself comfortable.

"You can sit. I'm not lounging here for a visit. I'm here for answers as to what the FUCK you could've been thinking yesterday, or even in the days and weeks leading up to what happened!"

I can see her eyes welling up with tears.

Here we go. Bring on the histrionics.

"It was my Dad's idea," she croaks out, wringing her hands in her lap.

"What? I didn't hear you clearly, 'cause it sounded like you said it was your Dad's idea. The Tori I knew would never have been a puppet for her dear old dad."

"Look, I'm not a puppet, okay? I want this! I want to be in California! And I want you to come with me! We have everything we need, now! You don't even have to ask James for too much money. Just enough to cover the costs of the startup fees for supplies, staff and whatever else you need to consider."

"Consider, huh? Tori, clearly you have NO fucking clue what goes into starting up a business," I see her open her mouth to correct me, so I quickly amend my statement, "starting up a restaurant, I mean. It's a helluva lot more intricate than going to the grocery store to buy a lot of ingredients and hiring a few people to cook and serve."

She settles back into her chair after listening to my tirade.

"Tori, you sat at my kitchen table several days ago and asked me if I thought we were becoming something closer to a brother-sister relationship, rather than a couple. Those were YOUR words, not mine! Why in God's name would you want to be saddled with someone you think of as a brother?" I shout in disgust.

I watch her swallow hard. She has no argument here and she knows it.

I grab a chair and perch myself on its edge right next to her so that I can get in her face.

"What would ever make you think that it was okay to let your dad buy all of those buildings for you, for me, and then the house? I mean, Jesus! What the hell was going on in your head? I don't even know you anymore!"

She shakes her head and swipes a lone tear from her cheek. She clears her throat and answers me calmly and quietly.

"I knew Daddy was buying me the salon. We spoke about it when they came out to California in March. We went looking for places and found exactly what I was envisioning. My parents never knew that you weren't on board with coming out West. They thought I'd been talking to you all along, since we got engaged, that I was interested in staying in California. When I couldn't convince you, I knew I was in trouble, but I just ignored it, hoping I could talk you into it over time.

I look away, shaking my head. She never, EVER gave me any signs of wanting to stay in California permanently, maybe a clue here or there about the fun she was having and the beauty of her surroundings, but never that she wanted to relocate for good.

No, that bomb was dropped on me ten short days ago.

"When you ended things on Tuesday, I came home in hysterics. I didn't get emotional with you, I think I was just in shock. Once I got home, I told them about our break-up and Dad went ballistic. Because by then, it wasn't just about his little girl being hurt; he refused to be embarrassed in front of his partners at the firm and the clients he invited for the party." She pauses to swipe at her tears again. "He made some calls immediately to his contacts in L.A., put my mom on the private jet late that night and she basically went house hunting for two days. They had conference calls with realtors and made offers on the places my mom thought were acceptable. Mom stayed to sign all the paperwork after the money changed hands, and she came back with the deeds to all the properties on Friday afternoon. My parents spent days telling me that all you needed was a little incentive and you'd change your mind."

I'm staring at her blankly. My God, the money that they threw around in such a short amount of time, it's beyond astounding.

"I tried to tell them it wasn't a good idea—"

"NOT A GOOD IDEA?" I interrupt, fuming.

"Please, let me finish."

I nod, curtly.

"Like I said, I didn't think you could be bought. But then Daddy convinced me that he makes these big deals every day. He said that everyone has a price. And that once the leg work was done, you'd see how easy it would be to just slide into place out west."

I'm fucking dumbfounded at the absolute, unparalleled audacity.

"I saw from your reaction though, that it's not as simple as that. And then when I heard you call out to Bella and disappear for the rest of the night…"

Tori trails off and I stiffen slightly when she mentions Bella. She has no place in this conversation.

"Anyway, I knew I lost you for good after that. And I know it was some crazy attempt to keep you close, because you and I have always made a great team. I…I don't even know what to say…except that I'm sorry. Really sorry."

I take a deep breath and blow it back out before I continue. "Tori, I have a question. What if I came over here today to make the official plans for relocating to California? What if I decided to agree with this insane plan you and your parents concocted? Are you telling me you'd really be happy? For us to go ahead with the wedding plans? Are you saying you'd stand there and vow to love me forever? Do you hear yourself?"

She nods, a few more tears escaping down her cheeks.

"What you did yesterday, what you let your dad do…it was COMPLETELY outrageous! And it left me to clean up one hell of a mess! You said things…AWFUL things. About me. About James…about the people we keep on staff."

She has the bravado to look horrified. "That was a private conversation I was having with Alexis! How do you know about any of that?"

"It doesn't matter how I heard it! Are you gonna deny that you said that bullshit?"

"No. I'm not denying anything. I said it," she mutters, resigned.

"Well, bravo for your honesty, but it really begs the question… Do you actually believe that crap that you were spewing? Because they were lies! Every word you uttered was a lie, Tori! And worse than that, if you did believe in the garbage you were going on about, then you don't even know me! Because that's not me… at all, never has been, never will be!

"My brother was so angry yesterday. YOU did that to him…and he's been one of your closest friends! Never mind putting me on the spot like that and having to put out all the fires that you and your parents lit yesterday. You wounded J…severely. To say nothing of the damage you did to my parents and to…others."

"I'm sorry, Edward. Really. I know it was a shitty thing to do. I didn't really mean those things I said about James and…"

The sliding door opens and Jack steps outside.

"Victoria? Everything alright out here, you two?"

I'll answer that, you prick.

"No, it's not alright, Jack. And how dare you showboat yesterday, and shake my hand thinking I can be bought? What kind of sick life would you want for your daughter, to be tied into a marriage where her feelings aren't reciprocated?"

He huffs, shaking his head as if to say, "Oh, you naïve little boy."

"Edward. Nothing I said yesterday was untrue. You just needed a little push. Do you realize how lucrative a future you could have out in California? You'll see. It'll all work out in the end," he retorts, matter-of-factly.

"The hell it will! This IS the end! Right here, right now. It ended on Tuesday, but apparently that time didn't take. So let's make this one official. I'm done! Tori and I are through. We want different things in life. She wants to be out in L.A. and that's fine…for her. I plan to stay here and continue to build on what I've created. All you did was make a horse's ass out of yourself yesterday, because you're still going to have to tell your friends that the wedding is off!

"Your money may have been able to buy you some really great properties, but it sure as hell isn't buying me. You can fuck off and find some other sucker to push around. This is over!"

I turn to Tori before I start walking toward the deck stairs. "Tori, I really hope you find what you're looking for. I'm sorry it didn't work for us. But a word of warning, I hope you do a better job of being honest with the next guy. Your daddy can't fix everything, not even with his bank account. Have a good life."

And with that, I make my way down the stairs and out to the driveway…not even caring that I actually hear Jack telling Tori that everything will work out and I just need time to cool off.

Don't hold your breath, Daddy Warbucks.

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

BPOV

Once Edward leaves, I head straight for the pool and do about thirty minutes of laps to get my mind off him going back to spend time with those awful people.

It upsets me that I was so easily swayed to believe the worst about Edward, that he'd lied to me, gotten back together with Tori…or worse yet, never even broken up with her in the first place.

That awful little voice in the back of my head filling me with doubt needs to be extinguished completely. I suppose only time will erase it forever. Now, I vow to keep an open line of communication with Edward. And remind myself to not run away, but rather confront a situation head on.

Learning the truth, even if it's tough to hear, is almost always less painful than allowing your mind to wander all over the place, inventing situations that are a hundred times worse than reality.

After my laps, my arms and legs feel like Jell-O. I emerge from the pool and head right for a hot shower. Refreshed and relaxed, I'm ready to start my day. I grab my mug of hot coffee and settle into my favorite over-stuffed chair in the great room; time to read some more entries in my journal.

As I chronicled the days, I could tell from my writing that Edward must've been pulling away from me as the end of June approached with July on its heels. Something must have triggered his distant behavior.

June 25, 2003

Today is my one-month anniversary with my hottie boyfriend. I can't wait to see what he has planned for us! He only has to work until five today. My mom is going out of town tonight and for the next few days, thank goodness. She is always ragging on me to drop Edward. Just because he's the hired help? Umm, hello? Not that it matters to me, but both his parents are lawyers! I'm sure their bank account is pretty hefty! I swear, my mom can be such a snotty bitch. He's just trying to gain experience for his future career. She just laughed at me when I told her that. Whatever. I'm not wasting any more space on her, the rest of this page is for AFTER my big date tonight. Can't wait!

12:17am 6/26

Sigh. I'm in LOOOOOVE! My boyfriend is the sweetest. For our anniversary, he made me a mix CD with all our favorite songs, he loaded up a picnic basket, ordered us a pizza from our favorite place, Mack & Manco's, and then took me out on the beach. He spread out a huge blanket, we had pizza and soda and chocolate covered strawberries…my favorite! He brought his little portable CD player and we danced together on the beach, under the stars. I don't think today could have been any more perfect. I told him I loved him tonight. At first, he seemed hesitant to say it back, but after some really nice kisses, he whispered to me that he loved me, too. Like I said…best boyfriend ever…best day ever! xo

I close the journal, my heart feeling a little heavy. I want Edward with me while we read what happened as our relationship fell apart.

Perhaps he'll be able to remember specific days, certain events that led to us spinning out of control.

I head down to the basement to dig through a few more boxes.

Photos, photos, photos. Proof that I was living and breathing at this time, but no real answers as to who I truly was on the inside, what I could've been thinking to only associate with obnoxious, hateful people.

In the third carton, I find a large white photo album. The edges of the album pages are decorated in that gold lame that usually embellishes a wedding album. There's an oval cutout on the front with a picture of me in a stunning pale pink, strapless dress. Below the picture the three lines of text read, "Isabella Marie Swan, Sweet Sixteen Ball, September 18, 2004".

A... ball? For my sweet sixteen? Are we serious?

Whatever happened to pizza and cake with your girlfriends and a slumber party where you stay up giggling about boys?

Sheesh.

I start leafing through the pages.

It's honestly set up like a wedding album. There are professional pictures of me getting ready. Another one of Dad escorting me down a staircase with all the guests looking up at me and clapping. A shot of what I'm assuming was a father/daughter dance.

It's on the next page that three loose 4x6 pictures slip from between the professional shots onto the floor. I bend down to pick them up and discover that Edward is in all three pictures.

The first was of a few friends, the same girls I recognize from the Flanders' shots and Edward is off to the side tending bar.

Another similar shot is of me dancing with a guy, someone I don't know, and Edward is several feet behind me, staring at…me. I think.

This must have been the memory that Edward shared with me a couple of weeks ago, when he saw me dancing and told me I was…amazing.

I'm curious to know who would've been snapping these pictures. Edward is never in the forefront of the shots, just off to the side in the background.

Somebody must've known that capturing pictures of Edward was still important to me, even though, at the time of this party, we weren't together anymore.

Just then my doorbell rings, snapping me back to the here and now.

Edward!

I drop what I'm doing and run up the steps to answer the door.

I swing it open and…nnnnngh, sexy man.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" He announces and smiles his endearingly crooked grin, making me giggle at his greeting. Suddenly he produces a bouquet of barely blooming pink rosebuds with sprigs of baby's breath from behind his back.

I gasp and leap forward to wrap my arms around his neck.

He tightens his arms around me and buries his face in my neck, giving me a small kiss under my ear.

"Hi." His whisper sends shivers from under my ear and back down my neck.

"Hi." I reply back for him, rubbing my hands between his shoulder blades. "I was thinking about you. You okay?"

He pulls back and meets my eyes, "I'm great. The chapter's over, the book is done and it's getting tossed in the bin for Goodwill. I don't want to talk about it anymore," he offers with sincere words. "I missed you while I was gone. Here, these are for you."

He holds out the flowers, the clear cellophane wrapper dripping with pink curling ribbon.

I breathe them in and look up at him with adoring eyes.

"How did you know pink roses are my favorite?"

He says nothing, just raises his eyebrows and cocks his head to the side.

It dawns on me that maybe these have been my favorite for longer than I can remember; and in keeping with that thought, I ask him a question that's been floating through my mind.

"Umm, any chance you've given me roses before? Like…lots of them?"

He nods thoughtfully, looking toward the floor. "Yeah, actually, I did," he says looking back up at me, "every Friday during our little relationship I would bring you a bouquet of roses and baby's breath."

"I'd hoped that's what you'd say."

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

"Come with me and I'll show you." I grab his hand and lead him into the kitchen where I quickly fill a vase with water, cut the tips and place my roses on the kitchen table.

He follows me over to the coffee table where the box still sits open. My very own Pandora's Box, ready to reveal all sorts of secrets, good and bad. And just like the original Pandora's Box, containing hope as well.

I let him peruse the box on his own. A smile plays at his lips, though it never fully reaches his eyes. He shuffles through the ticket stubs and chuckles, lifts up the bag of dried petals and turns it over, examining it with one waggle of his eyebrows.

"Are these…?"

"I was hoping you could tell me…you think these are from all the roses you gave me?"

"I'd like to think so," he adds.

"Yeah…me too."

Next, he picks up the "For You" CD. "I made this for our one-month anniversary," he states, sure of himself. "It was hard, I remember. I had all these feelings for you that I'd never experienced before with any other girls I'd gone out with. It seemed, I dunno, more real…there was a need there that hadn't existed with anyone else. We exchanged 'I love you's' that night," he quietly laughs to himself.

"I know," I smile, shyly. "I just read that entry in my journal. And now it makes sense, we must've been listening to this mix while we danced on the beach."

He turns to me without a word and nods, looking pensive. "I knew we weren't gonna last much longer, by then. I don't know if you mention it in your journal, but your mom really started hounding you around the time of my birthday. You'd come running to the pavilion, where I was stationed when I wasn't helping guests, and you'd be crying. I'd comfort you and tell you we'd still try and sneak around, but your mom was holding all the cards."

I shake my head, sighing. "Why was my mom so against you? In my entries, I can only see that she was bothered by the fact that you worked for us…for the hotel."

"That's really all there was to it, Bella. I guess my being a cabana boy just wasn't good enough for her. After our weekend together on July fourth, she put her foot down. You flipped, but caved. You had no choice." Edward leans back on the sofa, looking up at the spinning blades of the ceiling fan. His fists are raised to his forehead as he recounts the details. "We tried to be sneaky for the next few days, but it was no use. My job was at risk because of your mom's influence with Sam. You were in turmoil every day, your mom threatening you with getting shipped back home…we eventually had to just…stop talking altogether."

Tears well up as I imagine how hard it must have been for my young heart to deal with a break-up that neither of us wanted.

"Hey." Edward sits forward, cups my face and leans in for a sweet kiss. "No tears, pretty girl. It happened. It sucked, but it was a long time ago. Be happy about the here and now, okay?"

I swipe my tears away and nod, kissing him back. "Okay."

"Wanna take a ride over to Four Seas with me? There's a ton of food left over from the party yesterday. You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Good, me too. Grab the journal and let's go."

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

After a delicious meal of left over spare ribs, potato salad, string bean salad, and Jersey Sweet Silver Queen corn, we put our plates in the dishwasher and head upstairs to the only functioning bedroom in the B&B.

The sun is starting to set, so it's not too hot to sit outside on the private deck and enjoy the breeze that comes off the bay at this hour.

We each take a chair and sit down, me with an iced tea and Edward with a beer as I read aloud from my journal through the days leading up to and including our break-up.

July 11, 2003

My heart feels like it's breaking wide open. Today is the first Friday that Edward didn't bring me any flowers. He avoids me at all costs. I haven't even bothered to lie by the pool for the last two days. It hurts too much to see him NOT pay attention to me. I'd rather just lie in my room and forget going outside. Leah and Angela have both come looking for me. I told Anna to tell them I'm not feeling well.

I wonder how long I can fake sickness. Long enough for the summer to pass by and get out of here, I hope.

I think the hardest part of all of this is wondering if Edward is sad, too. I don't know if it would make me feel better or worse to know that he was sad.

I look over at Edward who's peeling the label off his Yuengling. He hasn't said a word for the last few entries I've read. I think I've struck a nerve.

"Hey," I start, "you okay over there?"

He shrugs and chugs the rest of his beer before answering me. "I hate hearing what that break-up did to you. My heart was aching at the time, just being told that I had to walk away from you. As if I could stop caring! I was sick to my stomach every day that you weren't around. I actually thought you'd left Ocean City at that point. You didn't come out of your room for over a week."

"Oh. Wow. Guess we haven't gotten to that part yet, huh?"

"Guess not. And to be perfectly honest," he pauses and shakes his head, "I don't know that I can handle the recounting of how I hurt you with that set-up. My nerves are so raw right now…"

He trails off and brings his palms to his face, his fingers digging mercilessly at his eyes.

I take that opportunity to stand up from my little chair and walk over to him. He looks up at me as I thread my right leg over his and into the wide space between the back and the arm of the deck chair. Holding onto his shoulder I thread my left leg through as well and sink down onto his lap.

Edward's hands come together in the center of my back and press me forward as he lowers his head, his forehead buried in my chest.

We sit there like that, in silence, for a few minutes. I rub his back and he just continues to hold me tightly while breathing heavily.

Once he raises his face to look at me, I can see his eyes are glassy.

Shit. I didn't mean to hurt him like this.

"Bella. For what I did all those years ago…and for what you went through yesterday…I am so, so sorry. I don't ever want to be the reason that you cry…ever again."

I swallow thickly as the tears well up in my eyes.

"I know," I reply, nodding.

"You won't ever be able to understand how much what I did to you gutted me. Especially knowing it was all an act."

He pulls me back into a tight hug which I reciprocate but then I pull my head back and he lifts his.

I gently brush my lips against his. "I know." I continue with my butterfly kisses.

Edward manages to put his sadness aside long enough to allow me to deepen the kiss.

Slowly and sweetly, our lips graze each other's as we permit our tongues to follow.

It's gentle and sensual contact. It's therapeutic after reading about our past harsh reality.

I feel Edward snake his arm up my back and cup my neck as we maintain the mingling of our lips and tongues.

The passionate moment intensifies; I can't control my soft moans that escape.

It's not until we hear someone clear a throat and knock on the sliding door that we drag our flushed faces away from each other and look over to see who caused the interruption.

James.