Hi there

This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic and is a continutation of my entry for the PS I Love You Contest.

Please suspend your belief and understand that I have no knowledge of the US judicial system other than that which Google lets me have.

The timeline from crime to trial, I think I have stretched a little to fit the story line and for the sake of the story, Edward has been allowed to keep his passport

I have 21 chapters pre-written with some beta'd and some waiting for the wonderful Sunflower Fran to wield her red pen adding to my lack of commas, deleting or changing when I get really repetitive and correcting my English Grammar to American.

I hope to post once a week on Fridays so please be patient, and I promise after Chapter 5 things will happen!

Chapter 1

The day dawned as it usually did here in Montego Bay, with clear blue skies and sunshine.

As was my usual routine, I dressed in shorts and a bikini top and slid my feet into my Chucks to take a run on the beach before the heat rose. The clock said it was seven am as I was putting my hair up into a high ponytail. Grabbing my iPod, I closed the door to my beachside apartment, stepping onto the sand, still cool from the night.

Taking a deep breath of the fragrant air, I set out along the beach heading for the water's edge where the sand had been left clear of all footprints by the movement of the overnight tide. Tucking my ear buds in place, I picked up speed, pacing in time to the music.

While my feet ate up the miles, my thoughts trickled over the unfortunate happenings that brought me to this beautiful place. Occasionally, I missed a close relationship with that someone special, but I reckoned that it wasn't going to happen for me. After Riley, I was wary of men in general, and in particular, those whose good looks hid base behaviour suitable for a rat in human form.

Shaking those thoughts from my mind, I sped up so I would be able to get my full run in and make it to the bar by ten for the weekly delivery. Normally, Seth would have been there, but this week he was away visiting his family in Forks. He tried to persuade me to go with him, but I didn't want to run into Riley and his friends, and anyway, it wasn't good for both of us to be away at the same time.

He had come with me when I left Forks, not willing to let me move so far on my own. Charlie, my dad, was all for it and despite my protests, Seth had left his family and job without looking back, accompanying me; saying he was staying as long as I needed him.

I didn't like to admit that I did need his company. There had never been anything romantic between us and truthfully, I was glad that I had someone with me whom I trusted implicitly.

An hour later, showered and dressed for the day in cut-off shorts and a T-shirt covering my bikini I made my way the half hour walk, deciding that the day was too glorious to ignore.

Reaching the bar, I unlocked the doors just as the delivery truck drove up. I then spent the next hour and a half checking it over and helping Jared stack the crates in the storeroom. Signing for the consignment, I waved goodbye to him while ignoring his attempts at flirting. I set to stocking the shelves and fridges, readying myself for opening at the usual mid-day hour.

As the day drew on, I became aware of a figure sitting off alone under one of the palm trees close to the bar. I don't know what caused me to first notice him, but over the course of the day, he didn't move or behave like a typical tourist, which made me curious. He just sat and looked out over the beach and the water, not interacting with anyone.

He made no move to get anything to eat, and only drank from the large bottle of water beside him.

I wondered what the deal was and why I was even the slightest bit interested. Nevertheless, despite trying to ignore him and leave him to his own devices, I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

'Stop it, Bella.' I chastised myself. 'It's nothing to do with you. He can sit there if he wants to, for as long as he wants; he's not doing any harm.'

Despite my inner debate, I watched him for the rest of the day and into the early evening, wondering why he had been sitting there all day. I couldn't get my mind off him and the feeling that something was wrong. Before I knew it, closing time was on me, and I decided that once I had chivvied the remaining clients out and locked up, I would go over and speak to him. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to.

'Who are you kidding?' My inner voice piped up. 'You're intrigued – be honest with yourself.'

No matter what the voice said, I locked the doors and turned to walk over to the palm tree only to find that sometime during my clean up, he had disappeared without my noticing. Oh well, it was none of my business anyway!

I gathered my belongings and left the bar, walking along beside the road towards home. The night was warm, clear and fragrant. As I approached my apartment, I allowed my mind to return to the subject of the man on the beach, wondering what it was that made me want to speak to him and somehow help him.

Snorting at my idiotic thoughts – who's to say he even needs help – I managed to put him out of my mind and resolved to forget about him; I had other things to think about.

I arrived home feeling tired and decided on a quick shower to get rid of the stickiness of the day, along with the salt from my afternoon swim. I set my alarm and settled into bed, but once there, the sleep I was searching for escaped me, my mind rolling over different scenarios, all centered on him. Maybe he was waiting for someone, maybe he was lonely; maybe he was revisiting a special place and time with a fond memory. Finally, turning over and punching my pillow, I told my head to shut up and managed to drift off to sleep.

My dreams, however, were full of the unknown man!

Bright and early the following morning after my usual run, I made my way to the bar a little later than the previous day. Like every other, the sun was already warm on my back, and there were a few tourists already stretched out on the beach sun beds catching the early warmth.

Unlocking the door, I glanced towards the palm tree and saw that he was back in the same place as yesterday. Surreptitiously, I studied him. His messy hair was a mix of browns and reds with gold highlights where the sun had bleached the colour away. His jaw was sharp and covered in a light scruff just a few shades lighter than his hair and from what I could see of his body, his muscles were well defined; like those of a swimmer or athlete.

I couldn't see the colour of his eyes from here but nonetheless my heart rate increased as I realised that he was absolutely gorgeous. And despite my reservations about good-looking men, I was really attracted to him. That hadn't happened in a long time, but somehow, I felt that there was something different about this man.

"Good morning," I called to him, deciding to be brave. "It's going to be another hot day."

He looked at me, smiled and raised his hand in greeting but said nothing. I continued with my morning set up and then, since there were no customers as yet, I grabbed a couple of mugs of coffee and trekked over to him holding one out in offering.

"Hi there," I said, "I saw you sitting here yesterday, and I thought that as we seem to be temporary neighbours, I should introduce myself. My name's Bella and I come bearing the gift of coffee. I've added milk; hope that's okay."

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you, Bella, I'm Edward," he answered. His eyes were the greenest I had ever seen and our gaze held for a few minutes before I felt my face flush and I looked down in embarrassment at having been caught staring.

After a short silence, I sat beside him. Looking out at the ocean, I wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't be taken as intrusive. I was only too aware of how nosy strangers could be; it had been that way for me when I first arrived.

"It's beautiful here," I began. "It never ceases to amaze me that a place like this exists, and rarely changes. It always feels serene; it allows me to shove any problems away, concentrating on the best things about Jamaica."

"I'm sure it will prove to be that way for me, too. I could do with getting away from the difficulties in my life," he answered. "If that's possible," he continued so quietly I wasn't sure I was supposed to hear.

Deciding not to ask any invasive questions, I asked if he would like to join me for a fruit and omelet breakfast as it looked to be a slow morning.

"I don't want to put you out," he smiled at me for the first time, causing my breath to catch.

He was even more gorgeous when he smiled. "Sundays can be slow, so it's not a problem," I grinned back happy that we could spend a little time together.

My inner voice huffed, 'Together? Really, Bella - he's just a lonely stranger. Don't read anything else into it.'

Telling myself to shut up, I trekked back to the bar showing him to a seat at the end. I produced a bowl of cut up fruit and took a few minutes to cook omelets for both of us. I then re-filled our two cups with more coffee and sat on the other side of the bar while we ate breakfast.

I really hadn't felt this comfortable with anyone in quite a while, and we chatted together sticking to generalities. I figured he wasn't ready to share anything further because every time I broached anything serious the subject was changed. I could appreciate that since I didn't want to share either.

Throughout the day, Edward sat there while I served the tourists drinks and snacks, spending time talking to each other, and before I knew it, closing time was again approaching.

It felt as if Edward was just as reluctant as I was to part company. He offered to walk me home, and

I agreed, asking him to hang on while I locked up quickly. The walk was relatively silent with only a few words spoken between us. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, and upon reaching my door, he pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek while softly saying goodnight.

Slightly dazed, I echoed the sentiment and unlocked the door, slipping inside and telling him I would see him tomorrow.

Edward came to the bar every day over the rest of that week, spending our time together chatting and flirting but never actually touching on his reasons for being in Jamaica. I realised that we hadn't swapped any personal details, and in fact, I knew virtually nothing about him. I had to admit that I hadn't told him about my past either.

Despite that, we had a connection, and I was sure that he could feel it too. He never said anything but it was there every time he touched my skin, and as each day wore on, I wanted him more.

Unfortunately, he showed no signs of making any move towards me, and I began to believe that maybe I imagined that there was anything more between us than companionship.