Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction story. The characters belong entirely to Stephenie Meyer, and I have taken some liberties with them. No copyright infringement is intended, either at present, or ever.
The club was really hopping that Saturday night. The crowd was rowdier than usual, so the bouncers had their hands more than full. Lights skittered across jaded, drunken faces, in time to the wild gyrations of countless bodies. Darkness pounded with blaring sound. It felt like the guitar riffs began and ended in my stomach, along with the relentless, savage drums.
He was sitting at the bar, an untouched drink in front of him. I caught a glimpse of his face, intermittently lit by the pink and purple lights, as I danced, or rather, tried to, with Tom.
I couldn't believe I had actually been asked to dance. I never engaged in any activity that would put anybody in danger of being injured. Nor did I enjoy being made fun of. Yet here I was, moving around on this packed dance floor, in Tom's capable hands. i had to admire the guy's patience. He didn't even complain once.
As he whirled me around, I caught another glimpse of that face. He was gazing indolently at the dancing crowd, but his eyes suddenly zeroed in on me. They stayed there briefly, then flitted away, and he turned his back on the dance floor. I sucked in my breath, stunned, and completely lost my concentration. I collided, hard, with Tom's chest.
"Hey, you all right?" he peered down at me, a worried look on his face, and steadied me with his big hands. I guess I must have given him the impression that I had seen a ghost. I looked up at him for a moment, embarrassed, then looked away, shaking my head slightly.
"I think I need to sit this one out. My head feels funny. Sorry, and thanks for the dance." I smiled weakly up at him. He was nice, really. He had even put up with my clumsy dance moves. But then I had seen him, and his eyes had connected with mine. Any interest I might have had in my dancing partner had abruptly evaporated.
"Sure, no problem." He shrugged, smiling. "Want me to get you a glass of water or something?"
I looked down. My cheeks were on fire. I felt sorry for the poor guy.
"No, thanks. I just need to sit down for a while...at the bar." Involuntarily, I looked in his direction, as my face continued to flame. Blushing so easily, as well as so fiercely, was the bane of my existence, along with my klutziness.
Tom glanced over at the bar, and, of course, saw him sitting there. Then he looked back at me, and frowned.
"You know that guy?" His voice had suddenly taken on a note of hostility.
I couldn't bring my eyes up to his face. "Well, no, not really..." I stammered. Too late, I realized I should have lied about my reason for wanting to sit at the bar, instead of being taken back to my table, escorted, of course, by Tom.
"Oh, I see," he said, "you would like to get to know him, then."
I opened my mouth to say something, as I looked up at his face. It was set in stone, and he was glaring at me.
"Later, then," he said, as he took his hand off my arm. With that, he turned around, and promptly disappeared into the crowd.
Well, I couldn't blame him. Nothing could hurt a guy's ego more than having a girl he was getting to know show interest in another guy.
I bit my lower lip. Now I was feeling very guilty. Tom wasn't bad-looking, I scolded myself. And he was a nice guy, too. But...then I had seen that other guy, and, as they used to say - and maybe still do - in romance novels, time froze. That sounds very dorky, I know. And yet, that's what happened to me. Everything and everyone seemed to freeze. Even the stale, liquor-laden air froze. He became the only thing that I could see clearly, that seemed to pulse with vibrant life.
I walked slowly over to him.
As I approached, I saw him come out of his apparent reverie, and turn to watch me coming closer. His eyes were a peculiar shade of gold – warm butterscotch was the color that came to mind. They were pointedly staring at mine. I could not look away, but I did manage to take in the rest of his face. It was the most beautiful male face I had ever seen, with its strong jaw, sculpted nose, and dark, brooding eyebrows. Then I noticed how pale he looked, even in the club's semi-darkness. Shadows framed his eyes, giving him a very gloomy, even frightening air that should have repelled me immediately, but didn't.
His hair, gleaming bronze in the pulsating lights, contrasted sharply with his face. The hair was tousled, in an endearing sort of way. It invited me to comb my hands through it, in an attempt to straighten out its enchanting disarray.
Then I felt it- an unmistakable flow of blazing electricity in my gut. I had never felt such a thing before, but knew what it was. My body was automatically reacting to this living, beautiful sculpture before me.
I flowed into the seat next to him. That was incredible in itself. I never "flowed". Instead, I was always bumping into things. I did not take my eyes off his face as I crossed my legs, taking my little purse off my shoulder and laying it on the counter.
We said nothing for a few minutes, simply staring at each other. I suppose he was as surprised by my approach and helpless scrutiny as I was.
Then he spoke.
"You should get up just as quietly and quickly as you can, and leave." His voice was as beautiful as the rest of him. It held no hint of menace, and yet, I shivered.
"What...did you just say?" I laughed nervously. I couldn't possibly have heard right.
He closed his eyes, as if he were in pain, and brought one of his hands to his head, leaning on the counter. Again I noticed that he had not touched his drink. It appeared to be a Bloody Mary.
"Please!" This time it was unmistakable; he was hissing through his teeth. "You must leave, now! Don't ask any questions. Just go!"
"But why?" I was so shocked, I didn't know whether to take his blasted drink and throw it in his face, or just stomp away angrily.
Then he opened his eyes, and glared at me. A thrill of fear swept through my body, bringing me to my feet. I suddenly wanted to put as much distance between us as I could.
"All right, I'll go," I snapped, trying to hold on to some remnants of dignity. I grabbed my purse off the counter, and walked away, with the intention of not looking back.
Against my will, I did turn to look back at this strange man who had seemed so irresistible, and yet, had so rudely ordered me to leave.
He was still sitting at the bar, but now his face was in his hands, and he had completely turned away from the crowd. The bartender came by and asked him something. He shook his head vehemently.
I turned away again, and began walking through the crowd, looking for my friends Angela and Jessica. I saw that they weren't sitting at our table, and shrugged. Well, we had come in the same car. They wouldn't leave me stranded here, or so I hoped. It was a long drive back to Forks. I hadn't really wanted to come with them, but Jessica had said that all the good clubs were in Port Angeles. Amazingly, Charlie had insisted that I go.
"You really should get out more, Bells," he had urged. I knew he meant well. He didn't like to see me moping around the house, thinking about Bill, the scumbag who had broken my heart just a year after I had moved to Forks. My only consolation was that he hadn't gotten any 'souvenir' from me to brag about with his male buddies.
I had shrugged, and told Charlie I would go. The joyful expression on his face had been gratifying. Dialing Jessica's number, I told her I had finally decided to go. Her squeal of delight nearly pierced my ear drums.
I looked around again, wondering where my friends were. What the heck was I thinking? I'd never find them in this mass of people. I went straight toward the table, slinging my purse around my shoulder again.
I sat down to wait, no longer in any mood to dance, or do anything else but leave. I couldn't believe the night was turning out to be a total waste of time, and it was my fault, too. I never should have done that to poor Tom.
Tapping one foot impatiently, I glanced around at the dancing crowd, hoping fruitlessly that I would see one of my friends as the dancers looped and looped around each other. I didn't.
After a few minutes, I couldn't take it any longer. I had to go get some air, at least.
I rose unsteadily to my feet, dreading the need to weave through the crowd again. I never should have let Charlie convince me to go to a club. That whole scene had never been my style. As if to prove that to myself, I had botched the entire evening.
Taking a deep breath, I plunged into the crowd, determined to escape. The pressing bodies suddenly made me nauseous. The air was stifling. My urgent desire to get outside became even more urgent, as my claustrophobia kicked in. What had I been thinking? I had never liked crowds to begin with.
The music seemed to become even louder, the dancing wilder, and my claustrophobia was getting worse by the second. I wound my slow way through the dance floor, saying "excuse me" over and over again, as I stepped on too many feet.
Finally, I saw the heavy, double wooden doors in front of me. They opened as I approached, admitting a small group of people who had already been carded. I slipped through them, past the bouncers, one of whom glanced at me appreciatively. Then, I was outside.
I kept on walking until I had rounded the front corner of the building. There were some low bushes nearby, bordering the parking lot. A full moon intermittently lit up the sky with its pale gaze, as it drifted in and out of cloud banks. The night air was cool, and a refreshing contrast to the heavy, sweat-drenched atmosphere inside the club.
I walked a bit further away from the entrance, heading for a pool of shadow on the wall. I leaned against it gratefully, wondering if I should take off my heels, which were beginning to hurt my feet. Sighing, I closed my eyes.
"Hey," a soft, melodious voice whispered near me. Of course I jumped, and my heart did a little somersault.
Opening my eyes, I glanced toward my right, but for a moment saw nothing in the thick darkness. Then a tall male figure walked into a beam of moonlight, and I recognized the pale, strange man who had ordered me away. Instinct told me to bolt. My hormones perversely told me to stay.
He smiled, and my heart skittered. My breathing stopped momentarily, and then jerkily started up again. I felt the impulse to run once more, but found that I couldn't. His gorgeous face held me there, against the wall.
"Look, I'm really sorry," he said, slowly, smiling a crooked smile. He sounded so sincere. I was still wary, though.
"I know I acted like a real jerk," he continued, "but there's a very good reason for that. If we could take a little walk together, I could explain it to you. That is, if you'll let me. I really mean you no harm. Honestly."
An inner voice instantly warned me that this would not be a good idea. Besides, I had not yet recovered from his weird, rude behavior.
"I don't think I want to go anywhere with you," I retorted, surprising myself with my hostile tone. How had I managed to talk this way to him, when it was all I could do to stop ogling him?
He ducked his head, and that mesmerizing, crooked smile of his became wider.
"I won't complain, because I know I deserve that," he chuckled.
I simply stood there, doing my best to glare at him. But I just couldn't stay mad at a living Greek god who would be willing to apologize to a mere mortal. I groaned as I realized what I was thinking. Good going, Bella! Putting a guy up on a pedestal again. But then, this guy was way more appealing than Bill ever had been. Heck, Bill who?
He turned serious. "What's the matter? Why did you groan like that? Would you like me to leave? I really, really should, you know. I've been a total idiot."
He waited for my answer as he stared anxiously at me.
I smiled. "Oh, no," I found myself whispering, "please don't leave. But I have to tell you that there's never a good reason to act like a jerk. Your story had better be good."
He smiled in return, and I had to stifle a nearly irresistible urge to stroke a lock of bronze hair that had fallen across his forehead. Down, Bella!
"Interesting...' he drawled appealingly. I loved the sound of his voice. "Then I suppose I should apologize all over again, because I really don't want you to be mad at me. That would totally ruin this moment - indeed, the whole evening."
I am very chagrined to admit that I totally melted when he said that.
"All right, you're forgiven." I sighed. It was no use fighting this… No, I was not going to bat my eyes at him.
"Then you'll take a walk with me?" His dazzling smile made me blink. Was he now trying to hypnotize me?
I nodded, and I could see him relaxing. "Sure, I'll go with you, if we don't go too far, that is. I'm with a couple of friends, and we have to get back home in one piece."
He laughed at that. "Are you one of those girls whose dad hides a shotgun behind the front door?"
I laughed in return. "Something like that."
"Well, that does complicate things, you know. I need some time to get to know you. A five-minute walk just won't do it."
I sighed nervously, although this remark sent my heart into its fluttering little dance again.
"Well," I countered, "it would be nice if I got to know you, too."
"Oh, you will, definitely." I felt a little thrill of fear when he said that, but did my best to stifle it. I didn't quite succeed, however.
I took his offered hand as I pushed away from the wall. His skin was very cold. Instinctively, I flinched, pulling my hand out of his.
"Why is your hand so cold?" I cried out, alarmed. The night air, as I said, was quite cool. But his hand was practically freezing.
He smiled again, that crooked smile of his that made my blood suddenly rush to my head, and warm my face, to my intense consternation.
"All in good time. Just take a little walk with me."
We went on, and he made no attempt to hold my hand again. Paradoxically, I wanted him to. Yet I was afraid to ask him. The inner voice was now trying to get my attention again. It was telling me, in a very peremptory manner, that I should get away from this man, and go look for my friends. But I couldn't. I didn't want to.
I simply couldn't help wanting to be with him.
He said nothing more, and we walked on in silence, cutting across the parking lot. He did not walk fast, nor did he look at me as we passed one car after the other. A few minutes later, we were at the very end of the lot.
"Are we turning back already?" I wondered, puzzled. If so, it hadn't been much of a walk. We hadn't learned anything about each other, either.
Again he smiled that special smile. "Disappointed?"
I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. "Are you trying to dazzle me on purpose?" That smile was just too inviting, too mesmerizing.
He laughed. "What do you mean? No, I'm not consciously trying to do anything at all to you."
"Well, you are," I replied.
"Just what exactly do you think I'm doing?" The smile never left his face.
I shrugged. "I don't know, but you have this...effect...on me."
He pursed his lips in amusement. "I see."
I crossed my arms, now feeling annoyed. "Well, I don't think it's funny. I mean, I do feel this attraction to you, but really, you're carrying things too far with that smile of yours. You've had a lot of practice at it, haven't you?"
Oh, he was a smooth operator, all right. I thought I was finally on to him.
"Well," he replied, thoughtfully, "I have been told about this 'effect' I have on people, especially those of the female gender. But it's totally unintentional, I assure you. And you're affecting me just as much as I'm affecting you."
I laughed at that, and he laughed along with me.
"Me, dazzle you? You've got to be kidding!"
His eyes blazed with that warm, golden tone. I had never seen eyes that color before.
"I'm not," he assured me in all seriousness.
I started to feel a bit more relaxed. I wanted to stay out there in the parking lot, talking with him all night. I also wanted to see him the very next day, and the next, and the next…
He started walking again, toward a nearby line of cars. I stayed next to his side. He paused in front of a very shiny, state-of-the-art foreign number, and I gasped. I could have kicked myself for behaving exactly like a very average girl who finds out that the guy she's with is into some really big money. I'm not impressed by flashy guys with flashy cars. But I had to admit that this car was, well, out of the ordinary.
"What kind of car is that?" I blurted out.
He smiled. "It's a Bugatti."
"A what?"
He grinned, and I couldn't help grinning right back. He looked so young when he did that, so vulnerable and unassuming. I couldn't quite associate this car with him.
"A Bugatti," he repeated, as he placed a lovingly possessive hand on the hood. Yeah, I know all about guys and their cars.
"It's a line of Italian cars. I guess I like to indulge myself a little." He shrugged, as if trying to downplay his fondness for such an expensive toy-on-wheels.
"Would you like to go for a ride?"
"Yes!" I blurted out again. My cheeks flamed, and I could have kicked myself all the way back to Forks. "I mean, no, not really. Look, my friends are going to be wondering where I am. And you said we would go for a walk, not a ride. That's pretty sneaky of you."
"Oh, I really meant that at the time. But then, I thought it might be nice to go for a ride. It would give us more time to talk."
"I've heard that one before," I said, smirking, as I crossed my arms yet again. "And I don't want to worry my friends."
"That might not matter any more after a while," he said, mysteriously. Then he reached for my hand again, staring right into my eyes. Incredibly, I nodded, accepting his cryptic answer as I slipped my hand back into his.
He walked me over to the passenger side of the car, and opened the door for me. I slid smoothly into the front passenger seat as if I had been doing it for the longest time. He shut the door softly, and walked over to his side.
I took a deep breath. I loved the smell of the car. It had that new car fragrance, mixed with leather and male cologne. It was purely intoxicating.
He sat behind the wheel, put the key in the ignition, started the engine, and shifted gears. With a gentle purr, the engine kicked over, and the car slid out of its parking space. I couldn't feel the road at all.
He pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the busy street. Then he smoothly turned a corner, drove for a couple of blocks, turned again, and started speeding up a little. I said nothing even as the voice tried again to get my attention. It was getting easier and easier to ignore it.
He had apparently found what he was looking for - the main highway out of town. My heart slipped into my throat.
"Where...are you taking me?" I had to ask, finally.
He merely looked at me and smiled. Then he reached over, took my hand in his, and kissed it. That kiss warmed me to the soles of my feet, and I felt that strange jolt in my gut again.
We drove on in silence for a while, and then he pulled off the highway, driving down a crude path that led to a patch of trees by the side of the highway. I was becoming seriously alarmed now. Just my luck - I had run into a serial rapist, or perhaps a combination serial rapist and killer...
I couldn't say a word, to my intense dismay. I seemed to be in some sort of hypnotically-induced, lethargic state. The little inner voice was completely gone now, too.
Abruptly, he slowed down, stopping the car right underneath a massive oak. Then he turned to me, and just stared at me for a few seconds.
"Bella," he breathed, reverently. My heart thudded to a stop. How had he...?
"How do you know my name?" I was truly frightened now. This man had obviously been stalking me. What else could it be?
"I got it from the mind of one of your friends, as she was dancing. Jessica, I think. Right?" He started to lean toward me, and I started to pull away, toward the door.
"You got it from...what?" My voice went up in what I recognized as the beginnings of hysteria.
"Please don't be afraid of me, sweet Bella. I just want to kiss you." He leaned even closer, then scooted toward me.
His hard, cold arms went around me, and his cold lips stifled the scream that was bubbling up in my throat. He began to kiss me, and the world disappeared, to center on those cold lips that were turning my insides to pure fire.
Breaking the kiss, he whispered against my numb lips, "Bella...you're here, with me...I can't believe I've found you."
I managed to pull away slightly, panting. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
"Alice told me I would find you. I didn't want to believe it, but here you are. And you're mine."
This man was definitely what the inner voice had warned me about. My heart lurched. Carefully, slowly, I moved my hand behind my back, trying to find the door handle.
"No, Bella, no..." he whispered, smiling, then claimed my lips again. His tongue gently pried them open, and then I couldn't stop myself from wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him back wildlly.
This time, he was the one to pull away, and I actually groaned. He smiled, staring into my eyes, nodding as he did so.
"I've always bet on Alice," he breathed. His hands moved up to my face, gently framing it. He kissed me again, very tenderly this time.
My hands were suddenly at his neck, loosening his tie, unbuttoning his collar button. He slid his own hands gently down my shoulders, tugging at my blouse. I had begun to breathe heavily. My hands continued to unbutton his shirt, and I slid them immediately inside, to caress his well-muscled chest. So cold...so enticingly male...
"Bella," he whispered again, as he began trailing kisses down my neck, skimming the neckline of my blouse.
"What's your name?" I whispered, in the midst of my sensuous daze.
"Edward. Edward Cullen." Then he stopped, and straightened. I moaned in disappointment, opening my eyes. I didn't even remember closing them.
"Edward. Edward. Edward." I smiled weakly at him.
He closed his eyes briefly, as he fought for control. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean for things to go this way. I wanted to tell you about myself, to let you decide. This is just going too fast. But I find it so hard to resist you!"
His voice sounded wistful. He opened his eyes, and they locked on mine. I shook my head, puzzled.
"Then why did you stop?"
He looked at me sadly. "I thought you were afraid of me. Why the sudden change?"
I gaped at him. "You know, you're full of contradictions. You push me away, then you want me. Then you push me away again! Why are you playing with me like this? Don't you realize what you're doing to me?"
He sighed, and took both of my hands in his. I flinched at the coldness again, but managed to keep my hands still.
"I want an explanation," I said softly, my eyes filling in spite of myself.
"I don't know if I should tell you anything at all. Perhaps you should return to your friends. Forget you ever saw me." He let go of my hands then.
I couldn't believe it. "Why would you send me away again?" I didn't even recognize my own voice as I asked the question. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why I was allowing this guy to pull my strings the way he was.
"Please believe," he continued, "that I do want you, beyond my wildest dreams. But I keep forgetting that you're only human. I must be very patient and gentle with you. After all, I don't want to hurt you. First I will tell you everything, and then you will decide."
He paused as I frowned at him. What the heck was he talking about?
"I am not...what you think me to be," he said slowly, as I stared at him. "If I allow myself to lose control…. Alice told me that you were my soul mate, and I know I do believe her, but still... You are too young to throw your humanity away just because you feel the same attraction I do. So I will tell you everything, and, if you are truly my soul mate, you will decide to stay with me, to be mine forever. I want to marry you. I want you in every possible way - as lover, friend, wife, companion. But you must have the freedom to choose."
I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. This was a fairy tale. Did such things happen in real life? I wondered what Jessica would make of this.
Every second that passed, I wanted him more and more. And it wasn't just lust, either. I wanted more than his body. I yearned for his soul. It felt like I had known him for centuries, instead of scarcely more than an hour. I couldn't explain this. Hearing him say that I was his soul mate, that he wanted to marry me, seemed like the most normal thing in the world.
He leaned back against the door on the driver's side, and put one arm on the edge of the seat, the other on the steering wheel. Facing me calmly, he began to speak.
He told me everything. I learned about his family, about their unique philosophy, which had been initiated by his father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I had heard of the good doctor, of course. Most of the nurses at the Forks hospital had crushes on him. Now I knew the secret of his literally inhuman beauty.
And I sighed, because I knew that Edward was even more beautiful.
I should have been frightened and repelled by everything he told me, but I wasn't. Now I understood his behavior, as well as his mixed messages. I could also understand my own, untypical, erratic reactions to him.
"You see," he said, as he got to the end of his story, "even though we're strict 'vegetarians', we have to be very careful, because the predatory instinct is always present. Especially when we find our soul mates. I have never smelled any scent as appealing as yours. All the time we've been together tonight, I've been fighting a very strong urge to drink your blood. It would destroy me if I ended up killing you. But if you decide to be mine, then there's no problem. I can change you right now, this minute. Or you can have some time to think about it. I want you in my life any way i can have you. If you wish to remain human a while longer, that's fine with me. I can wait. If not, I can and will change you right now."
He fell silent, calmly waiting for my response.
When I didn't say anything right away, he smiled that crooked smile I already knew so well.
"Just say the word," he said, as he looked lovingly at me, "and I'll take you back to town to find your friends. I will never bother you again. I promise you that, upon my honor."
I stared at him, and my eyes filled with tears. "Kiss me," I whispered, gazing at his lips. "Change me. Right now."
His expression turned very serious. "Are you absolutely sure?" he asked, slowly.
My answer was very firm. I already knew I could not live without this man. At the same time, I didn't want to grow old while he remained eternally young next to me. That would be a nightmare. I could picture people taking me for his mother at first, then, eventually, his grandmother.
"Kiss me," I repeated, my heart pounding madly. I felt a heady sense of power, as I threw all caution aside, along with my human life.
With a low growl, he pulled me over to his side. His golden eyes briefly burned into mine, and then he urgently brought his mouth down to my throat, as I closed my eyes, gasping with rising pleasure. He kissed my tender flesh like a man truly possessed.
I felt his sharp teeth - ever so softly - graze the side of my neck….
"Happy Valentine's Day, Edward!" I put the papers down, grinning, and waited for his reaction.
We were sitting on a rug in front of our cottage fireplace, although of course we had no need of warmth to stave off the cold February weather outside. The mood was suitably romantic; the flames flickered, casting long shadows on our walls, since the fire was the only illumination in the room. The rug was a gift from Leah Clearwater. She had made it herself, using an ancient Quileute pattern.
He stared up at me tenderly, with that dazzling smile of his. He had been listening attentively, his eyes down, concentrating on every detail of my story. No one was a better listener than Edward.
I could see our little Renesmee toddling up to him, on her way to climbing up on his back so she could play with his hair. It was one of her favorite activities.
"Would you really have preferred it if I had changed you that quickly? Were you that eager to give up your humanity?" His voice crackled with humor.
I sighed. I had no trouble at all remembering the effect he had had on me, back when I was the new girl in a small-town high school. Vampires are not supposed to remember much about their previous human existence, yet I had always been able to recall our courtship perfectly well.
"I guess it does sound a bit scary, doesn't it?" I conceded.
He grinned. "But I do like the fact that your version of Bella is so wildly attracted to me."
Little Nessie, having reached his shoulders by now, happily pounced on a lock of his beautiful bronze hair.
"Maybe you should make it even steamier," he teased. "Like, have me pull your blouse down, and then...
Had I still been human, I would have blushed beet-red. My heartbeat would have speeded up at the same time.
"Actually, I don't know how I would have reacted if you had really acted that way," I replied, ducking my head with a small vestige of my former shyness. "I suppose my portrayal of the characters is totally unrealistic."
"Hmm," he mused, as he gently pulled Nessie around, and into his lap. She giggled, nestling trustingly into his arms. He bent his head down so she could continue playing with his hair.
"You would have run for the hills, had I ever come on to you like that. It's really sort of stalker behavior." He cooed at our baby after saying this, and she cooed right back.
I stared at him in mock indignation, trying, and not succeeding, to hide a smile. "What, you don't remember how you used to stay in my bedroom at night, watching me sleep, and I never knew it until you finally told me?"
His head shot up at that, and he grinned sheepishly. "Touche! But seriously, you grossly exaggerated my character in your story. Not that I didn't think of acting that way, when I found myself alone, struggling with my feelings for you. I would think to myself, 'Why not just tell her everything, and get it over with? Let her decide for herself, and change her right away.' But then I would come to my senses. I knew I couldn't do that to you." He chuckled darkly as he said this.
I chuckled, too. "You must have had a lot of help from Carlisle."
He nodded, and his golden gaze, always so hypnotic, became even more so as he stared at me.
"Yes, I did," he agreed, "but his philosophy was already so much a part of me by then, that I knew without a doubt it would be highly unethical, not to mention selfish, for me to change you without giving you a chance at a normal, human existence first."
I smiled, glancing at Nessie, who had by now fallen asleep in his arms.
"Her birth changed all that," I whispered, awestruck by the miracle of that event.
He glanced down at her again. Her head was securely cushioned on his arms. I envied her ability to fall asleep so effortlessly... I glanced at her, too. I could see Edward in her features, but I could see myself, too.
My attention returned to my story. Edward seemed to have no further comments about it.
"You do like the story, right?" I probed.
He looked up suddenly, startled.
"Oh, Bella, but of course I do! You know I've always loved your stories!"
I looked down, overwhelmed by his praise. I knew I would have been blushing furiously again.
"You realize you're something of a celebrity now, don't you? I think it was an excellent idea to have that New York publisher release your books to the world. The humans think it's all a fantasy, but we vampires know better. Hopefully, more of us will choose to become vegetarians because of you.'
I cuffed him playfully on the arm. "Gosh, Edward, you're giving me a swelled head!"
He laughed. "Is that so bad, Isabella Swan Cullen? Isn't it about time you started seeing yourself clearly?"
I could find no words in reply. My heart was too full for that.
"There's just one more comment I'd like to make." He was grinning mischievously now.
"Good or bad?" I asked, apprehensively.
"Good, so you can relax. I'd just like you to tell me how on earth you know what a Bugatti is."
I laughed. "Don't you realize it's all in the family now?"
"Oh, no!" He groaned, laughing. "Jacob!"
"Exactly!" I replied. "But I still don't speak Car and Driver fluently."
He groaned again. "Heaven help us if you ever do!"
Suddenly, his expression turned very serious, and he reached out to me with one hand, carefully holding on to Nessie with the other.
Our hands met with that familiar little spark of electricity.
"Thank you for the Valentine's Day present," he said softly, as he leaned in to plant a little kiss on my lips. Then he sat back on the rug. His eyes were pools that, as usual, I wanted to fall into. Even though I was no longer human, he could still dazzle me.
"You're welcome, Edward." My voice came out a little hoarse.
His eyes held mine. "Thank you for everything. But most of all, for you."
I took a deep breath. I could feel my eyes burning, although I could no longer cry. Sometimes I missed the lilttle things about being human. But I could still smile, so I gave him my most radiant one, and squeezed his hand. I really couldn't say anything.
We stared at each other, as he gently continued to cradle our little Nessie in his arms. I knew, and felt in my innermost core, that everything had happened just perfectly.
Of course, a girl does need to have her romantic fantasies about the love of her life...especially on Valentine's Day.