3

With that we're back on the road to Forks. The trip back is quiet. Alice has an ominous look of determination, as her eyes do not stray from the road. I doubt she's really looking at the road as she mutters to herself words that are far too muted for me to hear.

We pull up to the long driveway I know all too well seeing Emmett's parking spot empty of the Jeep that the boys are still out hunting. Alice roars into the vacant spot and jumps out faster than I can even reach for my seatbelt.

"Alice, wait!" I call out. She stops midway through her step and looks at me. "If we have…company…should I even be here?"

"Like I said, don't worry Bella!" She links her arm through mine and guides us into the immense white house the Cullen's call home. "Just go upstairs to Edward's room until he comes back. He should be here soon." She senses my fear. "Don't worry! He's not in danger. Up you go."

As she sends me on my way up the stairs, I can hear her call out to the rest of the Cullens who are home. For the first time I feel quite alone in this house, not to be included in my soon-to-be vampire family. I skip up the mahogany staircase and into the white room that is Edward's bedroom. Immediately I feel anxious to see him, wondering when he would be back, so I can be certain he was safe.

The room is kept so neat. Not one item of clothing is scattered on the ground. No book is out of place and no CD is out of order. I doubt there's any dust as well. I begin pacing around, waiting to hear the Jeep pull up to the house. It's then I notice something out of place; a grouping of large, folded papers with scribbles on neat lines. Curious, I pick one of the papers up.

"Sheet music," I say recognizing it as one of Edward's compositions. Although, there are many scratch outs and blank spaces and a title that was barely visible. The words jump out at me like a screaming firecracker: First Dance.

"What are you doing?" A smooth voice fills the vacant room, making me jump a bit as Edward suddenly appeared through his door frame, looking as radiant as ever even after feasting in the forest. "You're definitely not supposed to see that."

He smiles my favorite crooked smile and starts to step towards me. His blue button up shirt has two buttons undone at the top, exposing a tease of his chest I long to touch. His jeans hug him in all the right places. I can feel my heart beating faster, my hands freeze clutching the paper.

"Oh, um, sorry. Alice and I just got back from the Lodge. She told me to come up here." My words barely make it out of my mouth as he lightly touches my arm and takes the sheet music away from my hands.

"I suppose you're forgiven. Please don't wander around here too much. I don't want you discovering anything you're not supposed to see until after one week from today." His eyes glitter at the mention of the wedding. He pulls me closer to his body. I shiver at the touch of his cold hands on my back. He looks deep into my eyes and brushes away a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Too cold?"

"Uh…no," was all I could possibly think of with him so close to me. Can he feel my heart pulsing so fast? Can he feel my body warming up? My breathing becoming hard? Cheeks flushing? This wedding night anticipation is getting out of control.

Edward's head bends down so his perfect cool lips can touch mine, when suddenly his head jerks up and body tenses. He's listening; or rather his vampire instincts are kicking in.

"Edward, what is it?" I look up at his beautiful face for answers. "Edward?"

"It can't be…" he let go of my waist and listens to the air. Then a faint voice, a woman's voice, comes into hearing.

That's funny…it doesn't sound like any of the Cullens.

Edward's brows push together. "Bella, please stay here," and he glides his way through the doorway.

"What? No I will not stay here." I step out of his room and down the hall. "I think I have the right to know as any Cullen what the heck is…going……on…."

And right there at the bottom of the stairs, is my fiancé, mid-kiss with a strawberry blonde woman.