Let me preface by saying that I'm amazed and blown away by the response you all gave me to what I posted last week. This was just some idle idea that popped up in the middle of writing Dear Maggie, and I figured I might as well see it through. Pretty happy I did now ;)

Some of you asked about the update schedule, and rather than trying to weed through reviews (My kids' school starts next week, and I work at a university, so things are fairly crazy at the moment) I thought I'd just address it here. I'll update every Wednesday unless I tell you otherwise.

Thanks to my amazing beta dude, Stratan, and to my prereaders: stephk0525, Nikita2009, claireoth, twilover76, and my amazing sister from another mister, Andrea. If you're not reading Steph's, Twi's, and Nikka's stuff, go do it now. Seriously. GO.

PSA: There was some formatting issues with the first EPOV that I had to fix after updating. It was duplicated, there was a page break missing, and something very vital was dropped off - the four in twenty-four. Edward was 24 when Rosalie came to live with him, making him 28 now.

Just so we're clear.

Chapter 3

Edward

I couldn't stop thinking about Bella and the way she looked when I'd arrived yesterday morning. Her hair was all over the place, eyes heavy. Her pajamas were faded, bottoms loose and sitting low on her hips. Rumpled and still half asleep, she still managed to knock the wind out of me.

And then there was the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra.

I groaned and snatched my laptop from the far end of the kitchen table, hoping that the task of going through the local listings for properties for sale or rent would keep me from envisioning how perky her boobs were or that they had jiggled when she reached up to tie her hair back.

That I could literally see the outline of her nipples through that thin, yellow top.

Another groan came out of me. I ran my hands through my hair, took a deep breath, and called up my email account. I hadn't even really, truly touched her yet, and I was hard as a rock at the kitchen table.

My grandmother would shoot me if she knew.

With a deep breath, I got to work and answered a few questions from clients who were in various stages of building homes; gutter size for a roof with a steep pitch, if they could substitute siding in certain spots on the home instead of using all brick and stone to cut cost. When I was finished playing nice, I opened up the email from a guy I'd gone to school with here, Mike Newton, who had done what I hadn't been willing to do and taken over the family business.

"There's not a damned thing in this town," I snarled, pushing my laptop aside.

A cup of coffee was slid across the table, and I glanced up to see my grandmother smiling indulgently at me.

"Think maybe you're expectin' too much, hon. This isn't Jacksonville."

"Yeah."

She turned away and started pulling pans out to make breakfast. Immediately, I shot up out of my seat and maneuvered in between her and the stove.

"What do you think you're doin'?"

"Makin' breakfast. What's it look like?"

"Nana..." I said sharply. "Sit down. I'll make breakfast."

"I'm not dead yet, Edward."

Pain lanced through me so strong with her words I felt like I couldn't breathe. Like the entire world was folding in on itself, on me.

Seeing my reaction, she reached up and cupped the side of my face. "Gonna have to get used to it, ya know."

I nodded once and closed my eyes, remembering all the times she comforted me like this as a child and how I did the very same thing with Ella when she was upset. But even that nice bit of nostalgic comfort didn't help. I still wanted to rip something apart, let grief consume me.

"Where's El?" I asked instead.

"Sittin' on the porch with Rosie. She wanted to be a big girl this mornin' with coffee, the paper, and the mornin' sun."

"You didn't."

"She got decaf."

I let out a sigh of relief, making my grandmother laugh.

"You don't have to move out, Edward."

"Yes, I do. This was never my dream."

She nodded in agreement. "It was Rosie's, and you gave it to her."

"Well, I tried," I admitted. "And ya know... I really can't picture not havin' Ella now."

She took a deep breath, and I could tell she was getting tired already. "Your mama and daddy would've been proud of you for that. Just like I am."

I glanced down at the package of bacon sitting on the counter. "You really don't want me doin' this?"

"No," she answered hotly. "And if you try to baby me all the time, I'm gonna wind up kickin' you out."

"You wouldn't kick out your great-granddaughter." I pretended to be offended, but the facade was ruined by the smirk I couldn't keep off of my face.

"She can stay. You, though... You keep up with that know-it-all smile, and you'll be sleepin' out there in the pasture with the cows."

"Nana, you sure all those drugs aren't makin' ya hallucinate?" I joked. "We don't have cows."

"Who said I'd let you stay on my property?"

I snorted out a laugh. "Fine. Smile's gone. Satisfied?"

"Yes, thank you."

"I'm gonna go make sure Ella's not gettin' into trouble. You holler if you need me to help with anything."

At my pointed look, she rolled her eyes. "You should lighten up a bit, hon. Rosie's not gonna do somethin' stupid."

"I know, it's just... Watching the two of them together makes me feel like I've stolen somethin' from her."

Her green eyes softened as she stared up at me. "You didn't steal anything. She's yours. She was always meant to be yours."

I gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks."

I wound my way through the house and found Ella playing in the front yard, tiny hands fisted around a bottle of bubbles and the wand, trying hard to blow one without popping it. Her hair was already pulled up high on her head, and she had a pink dress on. One I hadn't seen in a while.

"You've been busy," I mentioned casually, never letting my eyes leave Ella.

"She spilled her coffee."

I chuckled. No surprise there. "Did she even get to drink any of it?"

"Not much," Rosalie answered, and I finally cast a glance over at her.

Rocking on the porch, her hair was identical. Piled loosely up on the top of her head, same exact spun gold color as Ella's.

I scrubbed my hands over my face and tried to rid myself of the guilt. She was mine. Not Rosalie's. We had papers verifying that little fact. And Ella knew no different.

"You workin' today?"

"Gonna work on the deck so she can use it."

Rosalie nodded. "Ella was talkin' about her, ya know. Said somethin' about the fair?"

"Yeah, I invited her. Ella seemed to really like her, and she looks like she could use a friend," I said evasively. No reason divulging the real reason I'd asked Bella Swan out.

That I wanted something from her; that I couldn't get enough of her; that for the first time ever yesterday, I hated my job because busying myself with a project meant not being able to antagonize her more, work my way further under her skin.

Her smile made my heart warm, and it made me forget about how horrible my life was at the moment.

"Daddy!" Ella exclaimed happily when she spotted me standing there. "Blow bubbles for me!"

I checked the time on my phone as I made my way over to her, and then took the bubbles from her with a grin. "I bet we have fifteen minutes before Nana comes out and tells us breakfast is ready. Hurry, yeah?"

She took off as fast as her little legs would carry her, pink fabric billowing out behind her, with a squeal of delight. She turned around, lost her footing, and stumbled a little, grinning at me when she'd righted herself.

I beamed back and started blowing bubble after bubble, until they filled the air around her. She jumped around to pop as many as she could, giggling and going so hard at it her hair loosened and slid down from its original perch.

I stopped to see how tired she was, causing her to glance around and frown.

"More, please," she requested sweetly.

"Baby girl, you need a break. You're sweaty and your cheeks are red."

"I don't wanna stop," she protested.

"Just for a bit, all right?"

She looked angry, but luckily, didn't throw a fit.

Breakfast was filled with the usual. Rosalie lamenting about a class she was taking, talking with our grandmother about the doctor's visit tomorrow, and the hope that this second round of chemo would work.

Nana, God bless her, placated Rose, not at all like the way she'd been with me earlier. She'd always known exactly what we needed. Rose needed optimism.

I needed realism.

Ella didn't seem interested in eating anything at all, and after telling her what seemed like five dozen times to eat, I'd finally had enough of it.

"Five more bites or Daddy's takin' away your dolls for the rest of the week."

Her green eyes widened. "No."

"Then eat. Now. I've gotta get to work."

Fast and quick the tears came, streaming down her cheeks all while she ate bite after bite until she'd reached her quota, and I knew immediately that something was wrong. Ella never cried like this.

Ever.

"That's enough, sug," I said gently, taking the fork from her hand and motioning for her to sit on my lap. "You all right?"

She sniffled against my neck, not moving an inch.

"Ella Marie..."

"I miss my friends," she wailed. "I wanna go back home."

Shit, I thought, and pulled her closer until she'd calmed down enough to speak to me.

I gave my grandmother a terrified look, and then pushed Ella back so I could see her face, hand splayed out on her cheek and into her hair just as I'd had done to me earlier. "Baby, you'll make friends here, too."

"No, I won't," she huffed out.

"Aw, come on. You've just gotta give them a chance to warm up to ya. It's like... ya know how when you meet someone new, and ya don't know what to say to them?"

She blinked up at me, sniffled again, and said, "Yeah?"

"Well, that's what they feel right now. They've just gotta figure out what to say to you. Just be patient, all right? It'll all work out."

She nodded somberly.

"Tell ya what. How 'bout we spend the day together. You can help me at work."

"At Miss Izzy-bella's?"

"Mm-hm. I'll work on the deck today and you can play outside."

"Will Miss Izzy be there?"

"Not for a while. She's workin' too."

"At Sam's."

"At Sam's," I confirmed. I slid her off my lap. "Go get your stuff together so we can go."

No one spoke until we were sure Ella was completely out of earshot.

"Well," was all Nana had to say.

Rosalie, though...

"Do you think this is a good idea?"

I stared at her hard. "What's bad about it? She's not even gonna be there."

"Well, just... I mean, introducing someone to Ella so soon... When she's got all this she's adjusting to."

And then I was glowering at her from across the table.

Her hands came up defensively. "All right, I get it. I don't know why I said that. You've always been so cautious with her."

I let out an angry breath. "Look, I'm attracted to Bella, Rose, but I don't know her well enough to figure out if that's all it is yet." I caught my grandmother's lips twitch out of the corner of my eye and ignored it. "I also get the impression that there's more goin' on inside that head of hers than she lets on. So when I told ya I thought she could use a friend, that's all I meant."

For now.

I was still going to keep pushing her for more.

"If it makes ya feel any better, I haven't even called her yet, and her number's programmed into my phone."

And that was when my grandmother decided to pipe up. "You're kiddin' me," she scoffed incredulously. "You met a girl last week, got her number, and then didn't even call her?"

"I work on her house. It's complicated," I shot back defensively. "I'm tryin' to do right here."

"You're givin' the girl mixed signals." She narrowed her eyes at me. "I know you. I bet ya came on strong, and then left her danglin' when ya got a hold of her."

"I didn't," I argued, feeling my face flush in embarrassment. "Not intentionally."

"Edward Anthony Masen-"

"Nana," I snapped. "It needs to be slow. For all of us. Let me see how things go Friday, all right?"

"I did too good a job raisin' him," she muttered, winking over at Rosalie. "That's the problem. He's too considerate for his own good."

Rosalie smirked at me.

"Y'all done bustin' my balls now?"

"I think so," Nana said decisively. "Just promise me one thing."

"Good Lord, you women and your qualifications," I mumbled.

"You'll let me meet her."

No need for her to finish that sentence. The expression on her face told me everything I needed to know. That if something came of this, I'd bring her home before.

"You got it," I said shortly and launched myself out of the chair to find Ella.

"Here, Daddy," Ella said from beside me.

I glanced over and saw her holding out a screw for me.

"Just a sec, Ella Bug."

Getting the plank positioned the way I wanted it, I took it from her, screwed it into the two by six, and held out my hand for another.

"You're fast," she giggled.

"That's my job."

"What will you do with the old wood?" she questioned, and I could hear the screws rattling together as she tried to get another from the box.

"Take it to the dump. Can't burn it," I replied distractedly.

"Oh."

She was quiet for a while, watching as I went over to the saw and cut the end of the next plank at the angle needed to fit the corner of the deck.

The radio played in the background.

"Need a drink?"

"I have tea?"

"Ella, it's noon. No way are you gettin' all that caffeine."

I glanced over in just enough time to see her scowl.

"I brought strawberry lemonade, though. Nana's strawberry lemonade."

That did the trick.

She grinned and raced over to the cooler before I even had a chance to put the plank down. Chuckling, I headed over to where she was jerking the lid up and pulled out one of the blue plastic cups I'd brought along with us from the bag next to the cooler.

Then I swooped in and grabbed the jug out of her hands before it slipped and made a mess.

"A little or a lot?"

"A lot. I'm hot."

"It's pretty muggy out here, huh?"

She nodded fervently.

"Hungry?"

Another nod.

I passed a cup to her and spread out the quilt I'd brought while she chugged lemonade down. When it was smooth on the ground, she sat in the middle...

And tipped the cup of lemonade over.

"What is with you today, girl?" I chuckled, moving her away from the wet spot. "First your coffee, now your lemonade. Do I need to get you a sippy cup?"

"Daddy," she said, dragging out my name, and then she rolled her eyes.

Which only made me laugh harder.

We ate quietly. I could see Ella getting tired and wondered if I could coax her into taking a nap under the tree. I could move the saw up front to keep the majority of the noise away from her, even though it would take me twice as long to heft the two by sixes back and forth while she slept...

And while I was still working out the logistics of having her on site, her eyes suddenly brightened, and I glanced up at the house to see what had gotten her attention. Bella was standing at the backdoor, gnawing on her lip as she gauged the landmine that was currently her deck, and suddenly I brightened up at just seeing her again, too.

"Miss Izzy-bella!" Ella squealed, dropping the remnants her peanut butter and jelly and racing over to where Bella stood.

"Hi, Ella," Bella greeted, her eyes flashing up to mine. "What have you got going on out here?"

"Daddy's fixin' your deck. I helped."

"You did? That's really nice of you, thank you."

"You're welcome." She started to dance around a little, and Bella gave me a strange look.

"Bathroom," I mouthed.

Her eyes widened in realization.

"Need to use the restroom, Ella?" she asked softly.

"Yes, please, Miss Izzy."

"There's one upstairs you can use. Your daddy's destroyed the one down here."

"Daddy's fixin' that, too!" she said excitedly, and followed her into the house.

"Oh, is that what he's calling it?" I heard her reply, and I couldn't help but laugh at the sarcasm behind it.

I cleaned lunch up and went back to work, expecting Ella to come back outside at any given moment. But when I'd screwed four more planks into the frame of the deck, I stood up and got concerned. Knowing my girl, she was asking Bella anything and everything she could think of.

I went inside and glanced around the kitchen. Abandoned vegetables sat on the counter, and the red light on the stove was illuminated, indicating it was on. I frowned and walked toward the living room, the sound of the television getting louder and louder the closer I got to the living room.

Spongebob.

At the entryway now, I stayed still so they didn't notice me. Bella was eating what looked like a salad in the frilly chair and ottoman in the corner, and Ella had taken up most of the couch, sprawled out with a pillow under her head and a blanket draped over her.

And damn it, if the plan to go slow didn't just fly right out the window. I wanted this girl, more than I'd wanted anyone before. The way she just... meshed with Ella was more important than I'd realized. Because never would there be any hope with any woman if my daughter didn't feel comfortable with her.

Ella's eyelids drooped, and I quietly made my way back out of the house, glancing at the still wet drywall mud in the bathroom on my way by.

Tiling the floor and tub surround was next on my to-do list. But I was going to need Bella to pick out the tile for me before I could start on it. Mrs. Cope had decided that Bella pick everything out first, and then she'd just look at it long enough to make sure it wasn't going to be "tacky" before I installed it.

I had a feeling there was more to the story than that woman was letting on. And that Bella was just as oblivious to her scheming as I was.

I wasn't sure how much time went by before Bella resurfaced, shock coloring her face when she saw my progress and alterations I'd done to the original deck.

"Oh, my God, this is so..." She spun around and grinned, and I swelled a little bit with pride.

"Got the steps left. They'll take the rest of the day. I want to angle them so they come out farther in the middle and sorta wrap around the main part up there so you can step down from anywhere you feel like."

"It's great." She spun around again, and I noticed a glass of something in her hands. "Oh. Here."

She passed me the glass, and I took it immediately, noticing how hot I was now that I'd stopped working. I took a deep pull of the liquid, and then wished I hadn't. The tea was bitter, not at all like what I was used to.

She caught my expression and seemed to get a little angry. "See? This is exactly why I never bothered trying to make this stuff," she griped to herself.

"You've never made tea before?"

"Not this kind."

That was strangely endearing.

"It's good," I promised. "Needs more sugar, though."

"Needs more sugar," she echoed. And then she gave me this odd look. "What is it with you Southerners and tea so sweet it's syrupy?"

I chuckled. "Don't drink tea in Seattle?"

"Of course we do," she shot back. "But there are so many variations... You all just seem to want plain tea with a pound of sugar mixed in and poured over ice."

"So you just don't like tea. Makes sense. You did dump it on me the other day."

A blush rose to her cheeks, and all I could think of was running my fingers over the spot and feeling the warmth there.

She was so beautiful when she blushed.

"I'm teasin'," I told her, pushing that notion away. "I figured it'd get a rise outta ya or somethin'."

"You like me mad?"

"I like you talkin'," I countered.

"I talk."

I smiled widely. "You do, huh? Funny, I just noticed a bunch of head nods and such when Ella and I came in to eat the other day. Until I hit on you. That seemed to loosen ya up a bit."

"Oh, shut up and give me that," she snapped, and reached for the glass of tea in my hands.

I held it up high enough that she couldn't get it. "Now, don't you be takin' off with my tea, Izzy. It's hot as hell out here and, as you can tell by the amount of liquid already missing in this glass, I am quite thirsty."

Her eyes narrowed. I stepped forward. I was sweaty as all get out, so I kept enough distance between us that I didn't offend her senses.

"Besides, it'd do me some good to get some culture about me. Learn how you Northwesterners drink it."

"You have got to be joking," she huffed.

"Am I?" I threw out that crooked grin I knew she liked. Closer I came, until the hand at my side was just next to hers, practically twitching to reach out and take it. Her pupils dilated, breath came out in a rush, and satisfied that I'd gotten her where I wanted her, I took a step back and brought the glass of tea back to my lips.

Because as much as my body hardened for her - as much as I wanted to take her - I was letting her set the pace in this. Whatever this was.

"It's really not bad," I reiterated. "Just gonna take some gettin' used to."

She blinked a few times, and then cleared her throat to speak. "Ella's asleep."

"Ah." I smiled tightly. "You don't mind, do ya? I can-"

"No, no. It's fine. She's... she's really very cute, Edward."

Like I could take credit for any of it.

"Thank you."

She nodded and stared off toward the house behind hers. "Her mom live in Jacksonville?"

I stood there for a moment studying her. She wasn't fishing for information like most of these girls around here. She was just making conversation. Innocent conversation, as far as she knew.

"Well..." My hand came up and started messing with my hair. "That's a long story, actually."

Her eyes snapped to mine.

"One I might tell ya someday," I hedged.

"Someday?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Yeah, someday."

But instead of becoming even more confused with the lack of explanation I was offering, she just smiled and said, "You're not a mass murderer, are you?"

A startled laugh burst out of me, and I shook my head. "Not the last time I checked."

"Good."

We were quiet for a while, and I decided to sit down and take a little break. "So what's your story?"

"Oh, no. You're not getting mine if I can't get yours."

"Mine is not some thing I just don't like talking about," I told her. "I honestly can't talk about it."

She opened her mouth a couple of times, but nothing came out. Again with the silence, I stared off at the grass, noting how the atmosphere seemed to shift around us. How she got that strange heaviness about her again.

It was almost like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"I was engaged," she said softly.

My head slowly turned toward her, and I was completely speechless.

"He's um... Well, he passed away last year."

"How?"

But she stayed quiet, expression blank.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I murmured.

"I couldn't take it, you know? Living there with all the memories and the people who didn't seem to really care. It was just..." She shook something away. "And I didn't make the money to keep my dad's house. So I sold it."

"And then you moved all the way across the country?" I asked in disbelief.

She simply shrugged, her eyes cast downward and a blush creeping its way into her cheeks.

"Don't get me wrong; I'm happy you're here. And... I understand leaving someplace to search for somethin' more. I did it as soon as I graduated from high school. But I wasn't so far away that I couldn't keep in touch with people here."

"You didn't, though. Did you? I mean, people around here are constantly speculating about what you've been up to, so it sounds like you just up and left. Like me."

No. I hadn't. But it wasn't for the self-absorbed reasons everyone around here believed.

"Isn't there anyone you miss back in Seattle? No family..."

"They're gone. They're all gone," she said in a whisper so low, I barely caught the words. "No one else mattered afterward. They just..."

Another shrug, and I knew the conversation was through.

I wanted to move closer to her, take her hand in mine and show her some hint of what I was beginning to feel for her. But she was so... skittish all of a sudden. I'd probably only push her further away.

And yet, I still found myself drawn to her. I stared at her, my body inching its way closer to hers under its own volition. I craved something of her. Anything. Just a taste. A touch.

Whatever she would give me.

Her eyes suddenly darted down, and I realized my leg had brushed against hers. I wanted to pull back, but I couldn't. I needed to see her reaction, push her a little with something other than just my words. Make her see that her life was meant to be different. Here.

Maybe with me.

"What are you doing with me, Edward?" she asked. Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth, and her eyebrows furrowed together. She was quiet, gathering her thoughts, and then, "I don't... Just what is it you expect to happen here?"

"I don't expect anythin', Bella. But I want it. I want you," I answered.

She blinked once, obviously surprised with my response.

"I want to know how your skin feels; how your lips taste. I want to feel your hair slide between my fingers and listen to you sigh. I wasn't kiddin': I want to be in you, Bella, and... pardon me for saying it, but I think we both know that I eventually will be."

Her breath caught at my words.

"God," I continued shakily, "I can't wait for the day you decide to let me be with you like that. For the day you finally give me the piece of yourself no one else around here can claim."

A broken sound came out of her, and I had to clench my hands into fists to keep from bringing her into my arms.

I needed her permission first.

"Please," I begged. "Let me do somethin'. My grandmama would tie me to a tree if she saw me just lettin' you cry like this."

A laugh escaped her, and the jerk of her head was all I needed to envelop myself around her. She smelled sweet like an orchard, and was so warm. Her body was firm, but soft. Right. Perfect against mine, actually. I could feel her hands crawl up my back, gripping at the fabric of my t-shirt. Her head moved down, forehead pressed against my chest, and I knew that whatever was happening between us was bigger than I imagined it would be, more serious. She needed someone. She needed me.

And if I was being honest, I knew that I was going to need someone soon, too.

"I came home because my grandmama's dyin'," I whispered, the words thick and hoarse. I pulled in a shuddering breath and continued, "I hated this place and all the expectation in it when I left. But I'm here now, and I'll stay. For her."

"I'm so sorry," she replied, sniffling and moving away from me. Her eyes were red when she gazed up at me, cheeks still wet from her tears.

"It's not the first time I've had it happen, but I'm older. It's... harder."

She nodded in understanding.

And then she surprised me.

"It was a fire. In this little place called La Push."

My brows knit. "La Push? Isn't that where...?"

"Sam's from, yeah. His parents knew my dad. Jacob's dad."

"Jacob," I repeated. "Your fiancé?"

I hated the way that felt on my tongue.

Another nod. "They were having Jacob's bachelor party. And I was just down the road, having the final fitting for my dress."

The way her voice broke on that last part, how she wrapped her arms around herself and curled up in a ball...

I was done with this.

"What do you plan on doin' with the deck when I'm finished tonight?"

She thought about it, that lip going in between her teeth again as she slowly unfurled herself and looked around.

"I don't really have a lot of money..."

"That doesn't matter. What do you want?"

She finally let herself grin a little. "A teak table and chairs set? Something small, with a bright umbrella."

"Color?" I prompted.

"Red, maybe. No, definitely."

"Red's good," I encouraged. "What else?"

The smile came in full bloom then, stealing my breath as she glanced around excitedly. "Lots of flowers. Big pots that have them just spilling out everywhere. Maybe some herbs. I wish I knew how to garden. I could set one up in the corner there."

"It's not hard. I'll teach ya."

She gazed at me. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. You can come play around in my nana's garden."

Her smile faded. "Oh, I couldn't intrude-"

"Don't be stupid, Iz. The help would be welcome right now."

"I..." I smiled at her, knowing that it would win her over. "Okay."

Satisfied that the Bella Swan I knew was back, I stood up and stretched and headed over to the saw to finish up the job. "Let me know when Ella gets up?"

She nodded and started back toward the house, stopping just a few steps away from the door. She turned around, squinting against the sun, and yelled at me.

I let the piece of wood rest on the saw and waited for her to speak.

"About Friday..."

"You're not backin' out on Ella and me, are ya?"

She caught my smile and shook her head, lips quirking on their own. "No, but... Are we eating when we go? Cause I was thinking, I haven't gotten to cook for anyone in a long time, and... Never mind. Forget it."

I hated myself for what I was about to say, because I really wanted to be there in that kitchen with her, helping her, getting to know her better.

But I wanted it to be just the two of us when I did.

And I wanted to keep that part of my life away from Ella. Until I was sure. Until it was right.

"Yeah, we'll eat there. Ella will kill me if we don't," I responded. "Raincheck?"

If she was disappointed, she didn't let it show. She simply smiled and nodded in agreement before heading back inside.

Leaving me alone, trying to figure out what, exactly, it was I was doing here. Why, with everything going on in my life right now - everything she was going through - making this girl mine was so important.

Cause I always forget... I have a Twitter if you wanna stalk for updates. It's JT040708.

I also just got a Facebook. Jenny B Fic, is the name, because there are too many rules for me to put anything resembling Jenny0719 in my name.

Bastards.