Chapter Twenty-Three

~The Rollercoaster~

EPOV

I feel like I'm on crisis alert, like when a person gets conked on the head and he or she isn't supposed to fall asleep for a few hours in case of a concussion. Or when they do fall asleep, you need to wake them every hour or so to make sure they're still breathing.

I've been lying here with Bella all night…and it's been a really long night, considering I rescued her from a drunken stupor around 8:30 p.m. It's been several hours since we got home and I tucked her in bed to try and sleep off the damage.

I've listened to her whimper and sob and mumble in her restless state. I could only make out a few words here or there. I heard her say "sorry" several times, but I didn't know why or whom she was talking to in her dreams. I heard her say "unfair" at one point and, a few minutes ago, I clearly heard her mutter, "I wish it was me".

I'm not even going to decipher what it all means. I just think it's best that I lie still next to her, soothe her with my voice when she sounds like she's getting worked up, and be here for her when she wakes in the morning.

And to make things nice and difficult for me, she keeps scooting backwards, pushing her delicious ass directly up against my crotch, which is desperately trying to behave.

My body is at war with my head right now.

I'm single. I have nothing to feel guilty about. If something were to happen with Bella and me at some point in the future, hell yeah… I'd welcome it with open arms.

"Nnnnngh," I groan, squeezing my eyes shut and pulling back a little bit more.

Contact with said luscious ass again. This is torture. But I'm really trying to be good.

Be a friend. Be a—

"Edward?" I freeze when I hear Bella whisper, groggily, as she moves her hand to her left hip and places it on top of mine.

"Yeah, it's me. You okay?"

"I— I don't know. I think so. I'm kinda thirsty though, my mouth feels so dry."

"I'll go get you a bottle of water. Do you feel like you're gonna be sick?"

"Umm, no. I think I'm okay right now. I just feel like I've been sleeping for days. What time is it?"

"It's just after one in the morning. You've been asleep for over four hours."

"Really? God. Feels like longer."

She stays silent for several seconds, so I take that opportunity to roll out of bed and go downstairs to get her some water.

When I return, she's sitting up in bed with her small nightstand lamp dimly illuminating the room. She's got her fingers in her eyes.

"Hey. Here's your water." I hand her the bottle and shove my hands into my jeans pockets.

"Oh, thanks." She smiles and places it next to her on the table. "I had to take my contacts out. They felt like they were suctioned to my eyeballs. Sleeping with them in also won't help with the headache I'm bound to have in the morning," she chuckles, sarcastically.

I smile and huff. "D'you wanna talk about what happened?" I hedge, not really knowing how to proceed. Do I stay? Do I go? No clue what the protocol is here.

"I saw Brooke again, yesterday."

"What?"

She raises her eyebrows and nods. "Yup. Ran into her at the spa where I was with Alice and Rosalie…OH SHIT, Alice and Rose!" She frantically searches the room with her eyes, presumably seeking out her cell phone.

"Relax. I sent Jasper a text after I picked you up at the bar. He said the girls had been worried about you, but were thankful that I found you and got you home safe."

"Wow. Okay. And yeah, thank you…very much. How did you know where I was?" She asks, looking up at me, her eyes squinting in confusion.

"The owner of the bar recognized you as one of our servers and called me. He said you were in rough shape and asked if I could come pick you up. I can take you to get your car in the morning."

She nods again. "So yeah, Brooke and this other girl Leah were at the spa. Brooke apologized about Alec's death but then went on to basically accuse me of murder," she states.

"She WHAT? Murder? Please, tell me you don't think that way, Bella."

"No, I know I didn't murder Alec. But she made sure I knew that she didn't take back any of the stuff she accused me of. She said I was money-hungry. That I struck a deal with my mom, never loved Alec and only planned to marry him for the money." She takes a moment to make eye contact with me. "Is that true? I mean, do you know anything about this?"

I purse my lips and shake my head, moving back over to the bed to sit down next to her feet. "No. By the time I left that final summer, you were still just boyfriend-girlfriend. You must've gotten engaged after that."

"Aunt Didi told me that Alec proposed to me on my eighteenth birthday. And my birthday is—"

"September thirteenth," I cut in as she locks eyes with me.

"Yeah."

"And I had worked up through Labor Day Weekend…which also happened to be the day you were leaving."

She nods, keeping her eyes on her hands in her lap.

I'm still feeling torn over what to do for Bella at this point. I don't want to just assume I'll stay. I'd like to, but she might want to be alone at this point.

"Okay, it seems like you're feeling a bit better than you were when I picked you up last night. I'll go and let you get some sleep." I pause, looking at my watch, "No point in going back to the bar though, I'm sure Justin and Dave are handling closing just fine."

"I'm sorry you got pulled into more of my drama tonight and had to leave the bar."

"Hey, no apologies necessary. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to. I could have very easily called Jasper to come rescue you."

"Why didn't you?"

Oh boy, moment of truth...another one. May as well start being honest with my feelings.

"I wanted to. I wanted to see you again...and when I heard you were in trouble, all I could think about was getting to you before you got hurt."

Bella lets out an exasperated sigh and shakes her head. "It's only my feelings that are hurt. Seems I crushed many people along the way in my relentless pursuit of all things grandiose and highfalutin requiring bank accounts with as many columns as possible. It's no wonder I had no real friends. Nobody was at my wedding but my family. Nobody checked up on me while I recovered from the accident. I made my selfish bed...and now I'm lying in it...and, ironically, I'm not even tired right now," she punctuates her sadness with sarcastic levity and a shake of her head.

Suddenly, I get an idea and decide to go for it.

"Not anymore, come on." I jump off the bed and spin around, yanking the covers off her.

"What is it? Where are we going?"

"Downstairs. I know what you need."

"Oh God, please don't tell me you're mixing me a drink or concocting another Cullen recipe...I think I'd vomit."

"Nahh, I wouldn't do that to you at this hour. But...I have something that will definitely take your mind off your crappy run-in with the mean girls."

"Well, thank goodness for that."

She follows me down the stairs, through the kitchen and toward the sliding doors leading to her back deck. "We're going outside?"

I flick on the pool light and stop when I get to the deck loungers. I don't answer her; I just grab behind the shoulders of my shirt and pull it off over my head, tossing it aside.

"Wh— What are you—?"

Again I don't respond, I just dive into the deep end of the pool.

As soon as she started wallowing in her sorrow upstairs, I knew I needed to get her mind off the drama.

View of Bella's pool at night time

Nothing says "escape" like a late night swim.

After I surface in the shallow end, I swipe at my eyes with my thumb and index finger to refocus. "Come on, you know you want to. How about we do laps until your mind is clear of all the ugliness and drama you've been inundated with?"

"Uhh, we'll be swimming till October."

I laugh at her sarcasm. "No, we won't. Come on. You know you want to!" I goad her.

I watch her deliberate for a few seconds. "You know what? You're right. Just give me a minute, I have to go grab my suit." She starts to walk back toward the sliding door.

I crinkle my face in surprise. "No, you don't, what's the big deal? Just take off your dress."

"Edward, I'm not gonna strip in front of you and swim around in my underwear."

"Seriously? Bella, the bathing suits you used to parade around in could barely even be considered scraps of material. I'm sure what you've got on isn't much more revealing than those ever were. If it makes you feel better, I'll turn around so you can jump in."

She bites her bottom lip for just a second. Next thing I know, in a whirlwind that starts with a flying dress and ends in a small splash, Bella reaches my end of the pool and emerges a few feet away from me, looking sensational. Her long brown hair is slicked back perfectly down her neck, there are huge water droplets on her eyelashes and I can see the straps of a burgundy-colored satin bra. I'm trying not to stare, but I'm pretty sure she's wearing matching panties.

Of course she is.

"Okay, Michael Phelps, what've you got?" She teases. "I'm ready when you are."

I smile so wide, I can feel the ache in my cheeks. "Let's do it!"

And we kick off the wall.

Up and back, up and back. I glance over at her every so often and see her gliding through the water, barely making a splash, like she was a born swimmer. She changes strokes every few laps: freestyle, breaststroke, sidestroke, butterfly.

I have a flashback to our days at the Flanders where I'd watch her from afar doing laps early in the morning before the pool would get crowded with other guests. She always made it look effortless. I remember her telling me years ago that she took lessons as a child and wanted to join the swim team in high school. I don't know if she ever did. By the time she would've joined the team, we weren't speaking to each other.

I return my thoughts to the present, having lost count after my twentieth lap, with Bella still going strong. I stop in the deep end and swim to the side next to the ladder to catch my breath.

Bella doesn't realize I've stopped for another lap and a half.

"What's wrong? You okay?" She asks, swimming over toward the ladder where I'm treading.

"I'm fine. I got rid of just about all my problems and cleared my head, so I figured I'd take a rest." I reply with a chuckle and a sarcastic grin.

"All your problems, huh?" She smiles, "what's weighing on your mind these days?" She swims a bit closer...interested...concerned.

"No real problems, maybe a dilemma here or there. The answers will come when they're supposed to," I shrug.

She nods knowingly. "Still trying to figure out the California thing?"

I'm shocked for a second. I'd forgotten that I'd told Bella about what Tori wanted.

"Oh, uhhh, no. The California thing has been taken off the table. Permanently."

"Really? Wow. I mean, I'm happy that you get to continue all your business interests over here in Jersey. I'm sure Tori's upset, though. Has she agreed to stick to your original plan and come back here after she's done traveling?"

I shake my head, maintaining eye contact with her.

"No. It's safe to say that Tori has become a California girl. She's really happy in Cali with all her job prospects and the opportunities that have come her way. She's decided to settle out there."

Confused, she furrows her eyebrows before she begins again.

"So you're staying here and she's going back there. Wh—what does that mean for you guys as a couple?"

"It means we're not a couple anymore. We broke up on Tuesday."

Her jaw drops. "OH MY GOSH! I— I'm really sorry to hear that."

I shrug, because I'm still pretty indifferent about it. I feel a sense of emptiness, but it's nothing compared to the sting of the break up and heartache I felt years ago over Bella.

"So… your engagement party?"

"Would have been canceled, but now it's back on as more of a Fourth of July bash. Tori told her folks about us. Later that night, she called me saying her parents were upset, like, really upset, but she pacified them with the idea of still having a big holiday party for all of our family and friends coming into town. I agreed because I was the one footing the bill for all the food and liquor anyway…and there's no sense in letting all it all go to waste."

Her inquiries continue. "Wow. So you broke up, but you're still having a party just for the hell of it? What do your parents think? Or James?"

"I talked to J about everything last night. He suspected something was up with Tori and me 'cause we hadn't really been spending too much time together. He felt badly that things have ended and I'm single again, but y'know, we didn't belabor the point. We're guys. We don't really sit around and analyze our relationships. I did tell him that Tori wanted me to start over in California. It pissed him off that she was just assuming that he and I would be perfectly fine with her plan when she hadn't included us in anything. But again, he knew his anger was a moot point because I squashed it, and it's not happening. So," I shrug, "we're good. No harm, no foul."

Bella nods after hearing my explanation.

"And my parents…well, they just want me to be happy. They know how hard I've worked to make my dreams come true, and it shocked them that Tori assumed I would just throw it all away. So I guess they agree I made the right choice. Nobody's gonna come out and badmouth Tori. Our families have known each other for years. And they're fine with just enjoying the party this weekend. My mom's biggest concern is for whether the party guests can return their gifts." I add with a laugh.

Suddenly, I see a strange look flash across Bella's face and she kicks off and continues her laps.

Huh? What just happened?

I swim after her and get right in her lane after she makes her underwater turn, heading for the deep end.

Narrowly avoiding a collision, she sputters at the surface, wiping water from her face, treading backwards until her feet can touch the bottom, "What are you doing?"

I look at her like she's nuts. "We were talking and you just swam away. You got a weird look on your face and took off. I wanted to know what happened."

Bella takes a deep breath in. "I don't know what happened, I got an odd feeling. Kinda like déjà vu, I guess. I could picture you and me in the same position in a swimming pool in my head. It weirded me out…I didn't mean to be rude. Sorry."

I offer her a small smile and wade over to her.

"No need to be sorry. If you have another feeling like that, just tell me. Maybe I can try and fill in the gaps for you."

She holds my gaze and nods. "Okay…thanks."

Several moments pass. We're staring at each other. If my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, I see her move, just slightly, in my direction.

"Edward."

I mirror her forward motion and raise my eyebrows, "Hmm?"

"I think I'm getting another feeling."

"Yeah?"

She nods in agreement and comes a bit closer.

"Any, uh, any chance we've been in a pool together? At nighttime, like this, I mean?"

I give her the slightest smile, affirming her déjà vu with a step closer and whisper, "Yeah. We've been in a pool together at nighttime. When we first started going out. Your mom found us there." I chuckle, remembering, "She almost got me fired. I promised my manager, Billy, that I wouldn't do it again."

"Wouldn't do what again? What did you do?"

"This." And bravery takes over.

I take the final step through the warm water and capture Bella's lips with mine.

Soft, supple…heavenly.

I don't allow my lips to move at first. I just relish the moment.

I'm kissing Bella.

Again.

She moves her hands to my shoulders, my arms encircle her back, pulling her body flush against mine. Even though the pool water remains warm from the hot summer sun baking it all day, it cools slightly in the evening… but the heat I'm feeling right now is radiating from Bella's firm stomach over to mine.

Soon our lips take over, pulling and sucking on each other, our tongues tasting and swirling around the other.

I move my arms up her back, threading my fingers through her wet hair. As we continue to lavish each other with soft sighs, hums and the sensual brushing of our lips, Bella moves her hands into my hair, lightly scratching at my scalp, tugging on the ends of my hair. It's always driven me mad; it feels incredible.

I effortlessly pick Bella up, her body barely swaying in my arms as I walk us back through the water toward the edge of the pool. I lift her higher, and sit her poolside, her legs dangling over the concrete rim. I just want to worship at her feet…I feel like I've been waiting a lifetime to get back to this spot with her.

Our kisses continue and our tongues dance. We alternate our head positions, leaning to the left and the right as the other does the opposite, getting as close as possible.

Bella opens her legs, an invitation I willingly accept, and I move in between them…I just...I can't get close enough, my desire may never be quenched.

My hands drop to her waist and I run them up the sides of her ribs and then all the way back down her thighs to her knees and up again. Bella's arms and hands continue to sift through my hair and down to the nape of my neck. I can feel the hair on the back of my neck stand as her sweet breath combined with the actions of her fingers drive me to the brink of paradise.

I'm so lost in the moment, I allow my right hand to slide back up Bella's ribs and cup her left breast, my thumb gently grazing her hardened nipple.

She moans in response.

My body's reaction is instinctual. I want her desperately.

I'm trying my best not to hump the damn gunnite wall of the pool. Way too painful.

I'd much prefer a softer landing zone...inside her. That clearly isn't an option at the moment.

I feel Bella shudder slightly within our kiss and I pull back a few inches to take in the situation.

"Hi."

She smiles shyly, with a slight giggle in response, "Hi."

"You okay? I felt you shiver," I whisper, my thumbs rubbing her cheeks, her lips.

"Yeah, I got goose-bumps. I think it was a combination of our kisses and the breeze that picked up a minute ago. I was fine in the water, but now, I'm feeling a little chilled."

"Oh, okay. Wanna go inside to grab some towels and warm up?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

She nods with a smile, pulls her legs out of the water and stands up as I hoist myself up over the side of the pool, dripping on the deck all the way to the kitchen door.

"Uhh, hang on. Let me just run to the linen closet. No sense in both of us freezing our patooties off in the air conditioning."

I smile at her silly words and grab my shirt from the lounge chair.

"Here you go." She hands me an oversized blue towel that I promptly wrap around my shoulders and watch her do the same thing with hers. Her knees bounce slightly as she tries to get warmer. It's a very humid night, but the breeze that blows every so often cools the water that has soaked our hair and clothes.

"I can't believe you jumped in the water wearing your jeans. And after complaining about me wearing my dress! What are you going to do now? You'll freeze if you step inside the house."

"Mind if I use your dryer? Don't worry, I'll keep my lower half covered up." I respond with a wink.

"Hey, don't cover up on my account," she smirks, winking right back at me.

Minx.

I follow Bella into her laundry room. Once there, I undo the button on my jeans and tighten the towel around my waist. I reach underneath to yank down the sopping, weighty fabric along with my boxers, kick them off my feet, scoop them up and throw them in the dryer.

I turn around and realize that I had Bella as an audience for my disrobing. Her mouth is hanging open and she's blushing.

"What? See something that you liked?" I chuckle. "Did I flash you?"

"Nope, no free peep show for me. I just didn't expect you to strip that fast!"

"Sorry. Jeans were heavy and wet, I was cold…and I'm looking forward to sitting in front of the fire with you to warm up." I add, quirking my eyebrow.

She blushes in response to my musings. "'Kay. That makes sense."

Bella and I wander into her living room and she flips a switch to turn on the fireplace. I pull up some carpet and sit down with my legs stretched out in front of me at the edge of the sofa, right next to the flickering warmth.

She throws her thumb over her shoulder, "I'm just gonna run upstairs and put on some dry clothes."

I look up to acknowledge her, "Okay. I'll be here warming up."

She smiles and disappears up the stairs.

I allow the fire to warm the outside of my body, knowing full well that I'm plenty heated on the inside.

That make-out session in the pool was beyond hot. Definitely need to re-create that intensity as soon as possible. It can be done. Don't need a pool to do it, but it was perfect timing with her asking what had happened in the past and the moment just presented itself, so I went for it.

"Hey."

I glance over to see Bella wearing a dark green satin nightshirt that hangs to her mid-thigh.

Jesus, she looks fucking spectacular in the fire light.

I lift my arm, stretching my fingers to reach for her. "C'mere. Let's talk."

She walks over to me, her silk-smooth legs mere inches from my face. From this angle, I can see up to her panties.

Fuck. Black lace.

I'm a dead man.

But, oh, what a way to go.

Bella sits close to me, also up against the couch, her creamy, long legs stretched out next to mine.

"How ya doin'?" I start.

"I'm good. A little rattled, but good, I think."

"Why rattled?" This concerns me a bit.

"Uhh, I guess because so much has happened so quickly. I'm running into all these awful people. You're telling me everything you can, or at least in doses that I can handle. Then you say you broke up with Tori…and the next thing I know, we're making out in my pool. It's been quite a night…day…all of it."

I nod, understanding washing over me.

"I don't want to overwhelm you, Bella. I just…" ahh, fuck it. Since I've embraced the honesty thing recently, I may as well go for broke. "Ever since you walked through my door last month… you're pretty much all I think about. Even when Tori came back, I only wanted to be near you. God, and when you were dating James…" I shake my head, "it ate me up inside." I look down at my fingers, playing nervously with the tag on the towel.

"Well…I can't say that seeing you with Tori was the easiest thing for me, either," she speaks softly, "I knew I had no right, though. And it's why I ended things with your brother, before they…y'know…progressed."

My spine stiffens. Ugh, the thought of Bella and James together…please, don't ever have let it gone that far.

"Anyway, I knew it wasn't right to continue dating him when my feelings were so scattered. I couldn't get you out of my mind, but I knew you were unattainable…but now…"

"Now?"

"You're here," she whispers, looking up and finding my eyes.

"That I am." I whisper right back. Our gazes are locked. "I can't fight these feelings anymore, Bella…I don't want to."

"Then don't."

And this time we crash our lips together like it's the air we've been deprived of.

I hold her face gently as I nibble, peck, suck and tease her with my lips and tongue.

She boldly gets up on her knees and straddles my towel-clad lap. And we pick up right where we left off poolside.

I can't get enough. I tear my lips from hers and slowly place wet kisses down her jaw, neck and onto her collar bone.

She's scratching her fingernails down my chest…coming dangerously close to the towel sitting very low on my waist at the moment.

I just want to drown in her right now. I've put these feelings for her aside for weeks…years, really. And being here with her now, like this, it's just about the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. My heart is thundering in my chest.

I move my hands to the top button of her nightshirt, which sits directly in the middle of her breast bone. One undone button, and I'll have access to her superb breasts.

She moves her mouth to my shoulder and I feel her gently nibbling there. I push her back a bit, holding onto her so that she doesn't fall, but leaning her back enough for me to gain access to her breasts.

"Mmmm," I can't help the moan that escapes when I taste a mouthful of her soft, supple skin, her perfectly hardened nipple, erect, just waiting to be flicked by my tongue.

"Ahhh," she sighs, aloud, clearly as turned on as I am.

I move over to her left breast to pay it just as much attention as the right, if not more. I can feel Bella shuddering, straining as I continue to hold her in her reclined position.

I give a small tug to her nipple with my teeth and she cries out my name.

Yes. How long have I waited…desperately wanted to hear that from her?

I pull her back up so that she's flush to my chest. I need her lips, again.

They were gone from me for too long. I don't ever want to be without them again.

We continue to sink into the passion of the moment.

I drop my hand from her face down to her waist, where she's been grinding her hips so much, my cock is straining painfully against the fibers of the towel barely confining it.

I lift the bottom of her nightshirt and slip my right hand around her hips, my fingers dancing at the elastic band at her hips.

Bella moves her lips to my neck and starts nipping and sucking, her arms wrapped around my upper back, fingers tugging through the edges of my hair. It's driving me fucking mad.

She continues to swivel her hips on my lap as my fingers make their way toward the sweet heat emanating from between her legs.

I dust my thumb over her covered clit and she jumps with a whimper, her mouth moving instantly from my neck to my lips again. Deftly with one hand, I use a finger to pull her panties to the side and I graze my middle finger up her slit, finding her wet and eager for attention; I begin to play with, flick and tease at her sensitive clit.

My other hand has meandered up underneath her nightshirt as well, cupping her right breast and brushing the pads of my fingers back and forth across her erect nipple.

She's magnificent in my arms.

All of this while I continue to softly suck and kiss her neck below her ear, my hot breath adding to the sexy mixture of the moment.

I pull back up to her mouth, open my eyes and dart my tongue in and around hers.

I want to watch her come undone. There's nothing more that I want in the world this very minute.

Her eyes flutter open, stunning brown pools locked with mine.

"Come on, baby," I whisper as we exchange breaths.

"Oh…hhhhhohmygod…ahhh," Bella is panting into my mouth, giving in to the ecstasy of the moment.

I continue to kiss her face and neck through her release.

She's spectacular.

When her breathing comes back to a steady rate, she raises her head from where it dropped on my shoulder moments ago.

She offers me a coy smile.

"Hey there, pretty girl. Feeling okay?"

"Uhh, yeah. You could say that," she whispers and looks away, "are— are you…okay?" She finishes tentatively and glances down to where my erection continues to create quite the tent in the terrycloth that surrounds it.

I give her my half smile. "I'm more than fine. Don't worry about me."

She purses her lips, but then smiles shyly, "Well, maybe next time, then."

"Next time," I smile and wrap my arms around her small frame, hugging her tightly, burying my face in her shoulder. "I like the sound of that."

"Can I ask a question?"

I begrudgingly pull myself away from the warmth the nook of her neck provides.

She doesn't wait for a response, but presses forward, "Are we…what is it that we're doing here? I mean, this sorta came out of left field…even though we've both been dancing around it for several weeks."

"What do you want, Bella?" I decide to stick with brutal honesty. "I'm not going anywhere. And I told you earlier that you're all I think about. To be blunt? I want you. I want as much of you as you're willing to give. I want to date you. Take you out. Do it right. No interference from anyone. Just you and me. Can we do that? Can I take you out?"

"Considering that you just gave me the first orgasm I ever had that I've not precipitated myself, I think my answer is a 'yes'. Yes, I'd definitely like to go out sometime, hahaha."

Bella relaxes next to me on the floor, enjoying the warmth of the fire place.

I wrap my arm around her shoulder and she sinks into my side. We stare at the flickering blaze, lost in the pleasure of tonight's unplanned intimacy.

Moments later, the obnoxious buzzer signals that my clothes are dry.

I make her stay put as I go and grab my stuff and throw it back on. I walk back in to find her staring at me dreamily.

"Good God, you're magnificent."

I can't help the guffaw that escapes me. "What?"

She looks bashful but continues. "You're gorgeous. I mean, you know that, right? You don't have to do much to look hot as hell, but right now, standing here in my living room in your jeans, the waistband of your boxers poking out the slightest bit, barefoot, no shirt, hair slightly mussed from our little tryst here on the carpet…you're just...beautiful."

I sigh and shake my head, crouching down to meet her eyes. I reach out my hand and tuck a piece of her still wet hair behind her ear. "Thank you for the compliments. But I'm pretty sure you're the exquisite one here…I haven't been able to get you out of my head for the last five plus weeks, and for years before that…and here I am with you. I feel like I'm walking on air right now."

She sighs in response.

"It's gotta be close to three in the morning. Want to go get some sleep? We're both working tomorrow's evening shift. At least we can sleep in a bit."

I nod in agreement. "I thought you'd never ask."

Bella stands and threads her fingers through mine. "Let's go."

And I do. I'd follow her anywhere.

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

The next two days pass by in a blissful blur. I'm on top of the world…like nothing can get me down. Bella and I slept until almost ten the next morning. Wrapped around each other all night long. No more sexual stuff. I want to wait and take her out properly. Take our time and rediscover one another.

I have no idea how much experience she's had since our time together at the Flanders. The thought that Alec ever put his hands on her makes me want to retch. I wonder what the story is, since that Brooke girl said Bella never "spread her legs" for Alec. Did she manage to avoid him throughout their entire relationship?

I don't know that we'll ever find the answer. I wish we could. And has she had any relationships since her accident?

I know we still have so much to work out…talk about. I don't want to overwhelm her. We're gonna take it easy. Enjoy our time together…and when it feels right, it will be.

Bella and I worked together Thursday night. Exchanging knowing looks, playful banter and harmless flirting here and there. We tried to keep it toned down except for the moments when we were alone. With her recent mini-relationship with James, and me JUST breaking things off with Tori…we don't want to invite any more ugly rumors or innuendos, especially after all the recent drama that Bella has experienced.

Bella had Friday off, but agreed that she'd come to the barbeque on Saturday. We also made plans to meet up afterwards at the end of the evening back at her house…again, not wanting to flaunt our newfound togetherness.

We exchanged several texts throughout the day on Friday. Bella was saying she was going through more boxes in her basement. Her big discovery was a lockbox that she was unable to open. She's hoping there's something fantastic hidden inside. We'll see. For her sake, I hope that she continues to get answers, but I also hope these answers don't continue to hurt her. She's been through so much pain.

Enough, already.

Anyway, Emmett said he had some bolt cutters, and would open it for her when he got down to LBI after work on Friday night.

The bar got completely slammed from about dinner right through till closing that night, so I never got a chance to message her again.

I woke up this morning to several more interesting texts from Bella. When Emmett opened the lockbox, it seems she actually found a journal…her journal from years ago, the lost years, as she's dubbed them.

I have so many questions for you! Be prepared for something like the Spanish Inquisition when you come over tomorrow night, but not as violent. ;)

I can't wait to share what I've read with you, and I'm only on page six!

Holy. Shit. Why are you sleeping? I need to talk to you!

I can't keep my eyes open any more, but this is amazing. I feel like I'm getting so many blanks filled in. Would love to read you some excerpts, soon. TTYL. xo

To say that I'm eager to get her alone is putting it mildly. I wonder how far she got in her entries. How detailed it was.

I know I need to tell her about our final nights together before she reads about them. I don't want her blindsided like that. Not that it would be a bad thing at this point, it's actually pretty great…but heaven knows what she may have written once I'd left.

After arriving at Tori's parents' house around eleven, I get busy helping my staff set up the food and liquor.

Guests start arriving at two. It's great to see my parents relaxing and laughing with friends and family. They work so hard all year long, they deserve any free time they can get.

Tori's parents don't seem thrilled with my existence, but there are close to a hundred people at their house by the middle of the afternoon…it's not like I have to stand with them the whole time.

A few guests from Tori's side come up to me and offer their congratulations. I just politely smile and move on. I'm sure it was bound to happen. We only broke up a few days ago. Word probably didn't get out to everyone. I even notice a few gifts and envelopes sitting on the dining room table inside.

Hopefully everyone saved their receipts!

Tori is pleasant to me, she seems a bit nervous at times, which I don't quite understand, but whatever.

Bella shows up around three, after helping out a bit in the kitchen at Last Call with some prep work. Several of my chefs were invited to the party today, and she had offered to help out, so I told her she could work in the kitchen filling in the gaps for a few hours in the morning through the lunch rush.

I catch her eye as she walks across the lawn to where I'm switching out the keg.

God, she's stunning.

She's wearing a fitted black sundress that stops just above her knees and matching black sandals.

She's simply perfect.

No pretenses. No need for label checking or name dropping.

This is the real Bella. The one I knew was always hidden underneath that wretched exterior she paraded years ago.

She's one hundred eighty degrees from Tori. I've never been more confident that ending things with Tori was the right thing to do.

"Hi." Bella leans in and whispers while I'm crouched down, dealing with changing the tap.

"Hey, yourself," I whisper back. "You look very pretty."

She smiles in response, "Thanks. Can I help with anything?"

"Nah, you're a guest. Enjoy yourself. Did you come with Jasper and the family?"

"Yeah. Everyone is getting settled over there," she points toward the shaded area. "Alice wants to try and keep the baby out of the direct sunlight."

"Okay, I'll come find you a little later." And try to sneak a secret kiss or two out by the catering van, if possible. I try and convey my inner thoughts with my wink and a sly grin. She winks back at me.

Oh yeah, she got it.

Almost two hours later, and I'm getting antsy. I can't find Bella in the crowd. I'm being pulled in twenty different directions between extended family, friends, co-workers and the staff working the party…all in all, I'm enjoying myself…but I just want to be back in Bella's living room.

Just the two of us.

Where the hell did she go?

I can't really ask around, people would be suspicious of that. We agreed to not even let our close friends know just yet. For the same reason we wanted to keep it to ourselves at the bar, we knew we needed to get through the party this weekend, at least, before we started clueing our friends and family in on our feelings for each other.

"Ladies! Gentlemen! I'd like to make an announcement!" I hear Jack's loud voice booming from across the lawn. He looks like he's standing at a podium at a political rally or something. I see Tori standing nearby on the deck and Irina, Tori's mom, takes her place at his side as well.

"I just wanted to thank you all for coming today in loving support of our daughter Victoria and her fiancé, Edward Cullen."

Huh?

"It's a great thing to celebrate when two people, who are so clearly meant to be, want to declare their love to the world."

Holy motherfucking shit. What the hell is he doing? I find myself walking through the cheering crowd toward the deck, trying to make eye contact with Tori.

I pass by my mom and she gently pulls on my arm, whispering to me, "Honey, what's going on? Why is Jack—,"

"I dunno, Ma…hang on."

"I know it's a bit extravagant, but we wanted to surprise the kids with an early wedding gift. This paperwork here," he holds in the air, "is the deed to a brand new, state-of-the-art salon that our precious girl is going to be opening on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles!"

More cheers erupt from the crowd.

Unbelievable. He went and bought her a fucking salon.

How long have you known about this, Jack?

And how FUCKING long have I been in the dark, Tori?

I feel the heat of rage start overtaking my body. She lied to me.

"And this right here," he holds up another packet of papers, "is a deed to a brand new, also state-of-the-art, restaurant on Wilshire, only a few blocks away from the salon, where my future son-in-law will make his living!"

Cheers, whistles, shouts of congratulations are coming at me from every angle as I slowly make my way to the deck. I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience.

You've gotta be fucking kidding me. I feel the anger of Tori's deception radiating throughout my body. I'm sure to anyone else, I just look embarrassed, but right now, I feel so blindsided and furious, I can't even see straight.

"And finally…this envelope holds the legal papers and keys to a brand new home in Malibu for Victoria and Edward! My wife assures me it has plenty of bedrooms for all of the grandchildren that will be arriving in the near future, right, Victoria?"

She nods, with a blush to her cheeks.

"I trust I can leave that part to you two," he chuckles and winks at me.

"Congratulations, son," he whispers. "I think you just needed a little push. You'll see. It'll all work out for the best." Jack's got his hand around my shoulder as pictures are snapped.

I'm mute. I look out in the crowd to the stunned faces of my parents staring back at me.

I find James a few feet behind my mother, betrayal and anger erupting from all of his features. Charlotte is grasping at his hand, whispering what I assume are calming words…that or the quickest path to the kitchen, where James can grab a butcher knife to carve out my insides.

I'm frozen in time. I can't believe what's going on around me.

I feel like this is a slow-motion scene from a movie.

I turn to the side to take in Tori's face as she stands on the other side of Jack. She's staring directly at me. No remorse. No fear. She appears perfectly content and pleased with these revelations.

I see movement on the lawn beyond her as Bella comes into full view.

Though she's almost thirty feet away, I can see her bloodshot eyes, tear stains on her cheeks and a look of hollow anguish.

When we catch each other's gaze, she stumbles backwards a bit and turns toward the driveway.

"BELLA!"

I shout out to her above the roar of the crowd, but it's too late. She's taken off running and I'm surrounded by happy party-goers who are clearly here for an engagement party.

A party that was never cancelled.

I was just the dumb schmuck who got suckered into thinking it was a holiday barbeque…a favor to Tori so she didn't have to deal with her parents' wrath.

Tori and her parents, my parents, James…I've got to have a sit-down with all of these people as soon as humanly possible to sort through and clarify this clusterfuck of crap just dumped on my lap.

The only person I want to get to though… that my heart needs to get to now, is Bella.

But she's gone.