Everything belongs to Miss Stephenie Meyer:)

EPOV

I was five, my mother and I had gone shopping for the night's dinner, when we ran into a woman and younger girl at the shop. My mother talked to the woman with a smile on her face, her eyes crinkled at the corners. She held my hand tightly, continuously looking down at me.

The young girl, around my age, held onto her mother's leg, hiding behind it.

I smiled at her shyness.

The girl had long brown hair, the most vibrant brown eyes, and full pink lips. She looked nothing like her mother, although I could still see the resemblance. Her mother kept her hand on the girl's head, reassuringly.

After she realized that her mother and mine wouldn't be done talking for a while, she peeked out at me, her hair falling into her face.

I smiled at her, having the need to know her.

Her eyes widened and she hid behind her mother again.

I sighed. This would take forever.

When she peeked out at me again and I smiled, she showed a little more of herself, walking out of her mother's shadow. She still embraced her mother's leg, but she moved closer to me.

I looked up at my mother to find her watching the girl too. She had a small smile on her face as she glanced at the girl's mother.

The woman glanced at me and smiled back at my mother, nodding.

I was confused with the gesture but didn't think too much of it, my main focus was this girl.

My mother kneeled down to my height and gestured to the little girl.

"Edward, this is Bella," she said sweetly and continued to smile.

"Bella, this is Edward," her mother said, pushing her daughter forward a little closer to me.

The little girl blushed, her cheeks a deep shade of red.

"Edward say hi to Bella." My mother encouraged me.

"Hi," I said repeating my mom's orders.

The little girl blushed even deeper and shuffled on her feet. "Hi," she mumbled, looking at the floor, her hair falling in her face again.

We didn't say anything else to each other, but my mother invited Bella over for tomorrow's lunch. Her mother smiled and agreed.

The next day around noon, Bella and her mother arrived at my home. Bella was still just as shy as yesterday, but quickly warmed up to me.

We ran around the house, playing every game we could think up. "When I grow up, I'm gonna join the war like my dad," I told her proudly.

"Won't you be scared," she asked, her eyes getting big with worry.

I shook my head. "I'll be as brave as my dad. He's not afraid of anything."

"Will you be safe?" She asked.

"Of course!" I exclaimed. "I'll have a gun."

"Just don't get hurt," she told me.

I had rolled my eyes at her words.

I wouldn't get hurt! I was tough!

I was now twelve, Bella was eleven, and we were going to the nearby river to swim. I smiled at my mom, kissed her on the cheek, and ran out the door to find Bella.

We met up at the big, old, oak tree a little beyond her home.

"Ready?" I asked her.

She smiled and nodded, a big towel wrapped around her small body. I playfully wrapped one arm around her shoulders and gave her a big, goofy, grin.

Her eyes sparkled in the sun, the color being a brilliant brown that drowned me. I gulped a little at the new emotions I was feeling.

She laughed and pushed me off, running a hand through her hair.

I laughed too, but mine was more nervous than anything else.

When we got to the river, I threw my towel on the ground and canon balled in.

Bella glared at me as she wiped water from her face. I laughed, trying to forget how sweet and innocent she looked.

I went under the water, pushing myself under as far as possible. I felt free. When I came back up for air, I saw Bella still standing on the grass with the towel around her.

"Come on," I urged feeling awkward being the only one in the water.

She blushed and slowly removed the towel revealing a small red bikini. (I know bikinis were invented in 1946 but I used it)

My eyes widened in surprise. She was beautiful. Her white, ebony, skin took my breath away. She was flawless. Her creamy skin glistened in the sun, sending chills throughout my body. Bella was beautiful.

She blushed a deep red, as red as her swimsuit, as she climbed into the water.

I gulped. She was gorgeous. I had never felt this way about her before, or anyone for that matter. She made me feel light headed and gave my body weird chills.

She came up to me and splashed my face, erasing my thoughts.

"You're gonna pay for that," I teased her, swimming towards her, trying to be the same Edward we both knew. The normal Edward.

She laughed and dove under the water, trying to get away. Her attempt was useless though as I caught her foot, and pulled her back to me. When she resurfaced, she squealed and kicked.

"Edward," she giggled. "Let go!"

I was going to splash her back, when all of a sudden she got free and went behind me, grabbing me by the shoulders and dunking me under.

I could hear her laughing before she even let me back up.

I was thirteen, Bella was twelve. We had been climbing trees when she had fallen. I should have known better. Bella was always so clumsy. It was a death threat to have her off the ground.

She clutched her leg, tears silently falling down her cheeks. "Edward," she cried.

I jumped down from the branch I was on, moving into action. "Are you okay?" I asked.

She shook her head. "My leg," she chocked.

I bent down and picked her up carefully. "I got you," I said soothingly, carrying her back to her home. "You're okay." I looked down at her, watching as her lower lip quivered. I felt like the worst person in the world. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let her fall? How could I hurt her?

"Bella, I'm so sorry," I told her.

"For what?" She asked through clenched teeth, a few more tears falling.

"I shouldn't have let you climb that tree..."

She laughed a little. "It's not your fault that I'm a klutz."

I opened the door to her home, her mother rushing to us. "What happened?" she asked frantically.

I opened my mouth to tell her, but Bella was quicker. "I fell," she said a slight blush covering her face. "You know how I'm a klutz."

Her mom laughed, but she had tears in her eyes. "I'll call the doctor."

"I'll be fine," she said as she grabbed her mother's hand. "Don't worry. I just broke my leg."

She was right. She would be fine. She would heal. I knew now though, that if anyone ever tried to harm her, any man broke her heart, I would personally kill them.

I was fifteen, Bella fourteen. It was her birthday. Our mothers and I sang to her as we dimmed the lights to see the light of the candles on her cake.

Bella blushed a deep red, sincerely embarrassed. Her hair fell into her face as she leaned over the cake, ready to blow out the candles and get this over with already.

Before we finished the song, she blew out the candles, giving us all a small smile. "Sorry."

I laughed.

"You know it's bad luck to blow out the candles before the song's finished," I told her.

She rolled her eyes. "I've never heard that."

"Neither have I, I made it up. It sounds right though, doesn't it?"

She laughed and our mothers couldn't help but join in.

After we had finished the cake, Bella and I went outside to walk.

"So, I only have a few more years to go before I go to war with our fathers," I told her.

I heard her sigh. "You know I don't like talking about this."

"Well, Bella, It's unavoidable. I have to go."

"No, you could stay right here and work. You could be a butcher or tailor or, anything else!"

"Bella do I look like I would be doing any of those things?"

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"I guess not," she said bitting her lower lip.

I didn't know why, but I hated it when she did that. It annoyed the hell out of me.

She stopped walking, looking at me with tear-filled eyes.

"Bella, please don't cry."

"I just can't imagine anything happening to you. I couldn't fathom not knowing if you were ever coming back or not." She shook her head as if to shake the thoughts away. "Edward, the way I," she paused, chewing on her lip again, thinking something over.

She was adorable. Her eyes were focused on something that wasn't there, her hair falling around her face, her pink full lips glistening in the sun light. Her dress showed off all of her curves, barely any trace of makeup on her perfect face.

"What is it, Bella?"

"Nothing, never mind."

"Bella, tell me. We tell each other everything, remember?"

She nodded briefly, in a distant foreign place.

"Bella?"

"I like you more than I should," she whispered.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew that I was falling in love with Bella, but now that she had said she liked me, it made me feel different. Happy and scared at the same time.

"Forget I said anything," she said, turning away, embarrassed that I hadn't said anything back.

I grabbed on to her arm, turning her back to me.

"I like you more than I should too," I whispered, my forehead resting on hers. "A lot more than I should."

A blush rose to her cheeks as did a smile to her lips. She was gorgeous.

"Is this wrong," she asked, staring into my eyes.

I shrugged. "How could it be when it feels so right?"

Her smiled widened. I smiled back at her.

I was sixteen, on the verge of seventeen, Bella was fifteen. We were in love. I never wanted to leave her side. We spent each and every day together, we sat on the front porch drinking ice tea and sometimes just laying in the grass watching the clouds roll past us.

I knew every man in town was now seeing Bella as I saw her; beautiful. I knew I needed to step up and make sure she wouldn't be with any other man but me, so that's why I was planning to propose to her. I had the ring in my back pocket, ready to ask, waiting for the right time. I needed her.

"Uh, Mrs. Swan," I said, going up to her mother while Bella went to the store to get a few things for dinner.

"Oh, Edward, you've known me your whole life. Call me Renee." She smiled over at me.

I smiled back, wringing my hands.

"Since Bella's father isn't around, I thought it be best to ask you. I would like Bella's hand, please." I choked the words out, my stomach doing flips.

Tears welled up in her eyes and her smile spread from ear to ear.

"Of course," she replied, breathless. "I wouldn't want anyone else to have her."

"I know we're still young, but I'd like to marry her before I go off in a little over a year." I smiled sheepishly.

"I understand," she said. She then came over to me, wrapping her arms around me. "You two are perfect for each other and I give you my blessing."

"Thank you."

After we had eaten we all went to the living room, Bella sat beside me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Bella," I started, nervous as ever. "I need to ask you something."

She smiled up at me, he big brown eyes watching me intently. "Anything."

I got down on one knee and watched as she gasped, her eyes filling with tears.

"Isabella Swan, I promise to love you every moment of our lives. Will you do me the extraordinary honor of marrying me?"

She was frozen, she wasn't even breathing.

"Bella?" I asked worriedly.

She then moved again, the tears she had been holding back fell down her face. "Yes," she answered simply. "A million times yes."

I smiled up at her as our mothers squealed in joy. I got up off the floor, pulling her off the couch and swinging her in my arms.

She was mine for the taking. All mine.

After I gave her a quick kiss and joked a few times about how nervous I had been, my mother started to cough.