Chapter 7

I was stunned when we entered Edward's room. There in the middle of the room, pushed back against the wall, was an enormous king size bed. Edward cradled me in one arm while he pulled the covers back with the other. He gently laid me down on my back and pulled the covers up to my neck, tucking me in. I maneuvered my arms out of the blanket to stoke the fine black silk materials of the bedding. Then I looked up at Edward questioningly.

"Would you prefer the couch then?" He teased with the corners of his lips twitching, trying to fight a smile.

"No. Just wondering where this came from. It wasn't here earlier."

"Alice bought it while you were unconscious and Esme set it up while you were eating."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say. Tears were beginning to find its way down my cheeks. I felt as though I shouldn't be lying here, I should be in a church, or something along that line, kneeling down thanking some sort of deity for granting my prayers. And not just any prayer, the only prayer I've secretly wished for since he left. It's really comical how Edward could bring out the religious side in me.

But not only was I granted Edward, I was also given his family, my family, back to me. Maybe this danger magnet still had a lucky star watching over her after all.

Edward squatted down next to the bed. He leaned in and kissed away every tear drop on my face. He swiftly pulled back and stood up to walk away towards the door. I was about to asked where he was going but he answered my unspoken question before I could open my mouth.

"Just going to change my cloths and freshen up." I just nodded, unsure if my voice would crack if I speak. I watched his back as he walked towards the door but just as he was about to reach for the knob, he turned his head back to look at me.

"You know, Alice is right. Everyone in this family does love you." He smiled and suddenly he materialized and was standing by my side next to the bed again. I gasped which only made him chuckled. He leaned down and kissed my forehead sweetly.

"But not as much as I do." And he was gone.

I lay on the bed, completely dazzled, waiting for my Edward to come back. My Edward. How magnificent it sounded. Magnificent because it was true, true that I could call him mine again. Call him mine forever. I would have to find a way to make sure of that. But how…?

"Miss me, love?" I nearly jumped out of bed at the sound of his voice. He was lying on the bed next to me now with his arms wrapped around my body. The startled look on my face must have been humorous to him for he tilted his head back into the pillow and his musical laugher echoed around the room.

"You're really enjoying this way too much." I hissed while giving him a deplorable glare. "Edward, I don't want my heart to combust after only having it fully recovered for not even a full day yet."

"Sorry love, I just miss hearing your heart flutter." He said with an apologetic smile and then he gently leaned in and kissed me on my right cheek. I've really missed Edward's gentle touches and soft kisses. They're so soothing and give me a sense that I actually belong somewhere with someone.

Laying here in his arms like we used to always lie every night in my room before made me wonder if the last six horrid months without him actually happened. It felt so right to be with him that I couldn't feel anything beside the love I have for him. All my pain, worries, stresses, and whatever else seem to just dissipate when he held me.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked suddenly breaking the peaceful silence I was cherishing.

"You." I answered plainly. Edward turned himself so that he was lying on his side, slightly hovering over me with a sly smile playing across his lips.

"And what is it about me?"

I shrugged and gave him a soft smile. "I was just thinking how we used to lay like this every night before. I've missed it. I've missed you."

Edward's smile quickly vanished and in its place was a hard white line. He lowered his serious face down to where we were at eye level and said, "I'm here now Bella. Please understand that I will forever regret my decision to leave you. I will never be so naïve as to think either one of us could survive without the other. I will be here until you want me gone."

"I know." I quickly nodded my understanding to him to stop the self berating his rumbling was heading towards.

"Good. Now go to sleep." He flashed me my favorite crooked smile and began to reach for the blanket to tuck me in again.

"I'm not sleepy yet. Can we just talk some more?" I said while pushing the blanket back down to my waist again.

"Whatever you'd like."

I lied there for a moment, not sure of where to begin. There were so many questions that have yet to be answered. The voices I heard were the most confusing topic for me to comprehend. What was more confusing is that if he was with me during all of my ridiculous stupid stunts then why did he not come out to see me, to save me? That just doesn't sound like Edward.

"Bella, just say it." He whispered in my ears, sounding impatient.

"I'm still confused." I admitted. "If you claim to have been present when I heard the voices then how come you didn't show yourself until today on the cliff?"

"I couldn't." He sighed. "You had no idea how hard it was for me to maintain my control and not dart to your side each and every time you did something stupid. And lucky for me, you always seemed to come out of your trance and stop the silliness before I could lose my control and intervene."

"But why?"

"I told you before that I just wanted to see you happy. I didn't want to reveal myself and my world to you again. Also haven't you notice that each time you attempted to do something reckless someone was always by your side?" I thought about that for a minute and than nodded. I did remember that most of my stunts did involve Jacob, or at least the recent ones. Jacob was always so quick on agreeing to anything that would make me happy, no matter how juvenile it might seem. That fact only made me felt worst of how I treated my best friend tonight.

"That night in Port Angeles," Edward continued. "Jessica was shock but she was also thinking of pulling you away, that help me to gain my control. It's sad to admit but I was depending on her. But then you seemed to compose yourself. Then with the motorcycle, I was pretty much on edge the entire time. Jacob wasn't a werewolf at the time yet and his thoughts were centered on your safety even though he allowed you to go through with that suicidal joy ride. And then you crashed…" He stopped and I could tell that he didn't want to be reminded of that day anymore.

"I felt so useless to have to depend on others to keep you safe. I was beginning to feel like I could be the only one to protect you. I probably would have caved soon enough if you hadn't jumped off that cliff."

"So on the cliff…"

"I didn't have a choice. The look on your face screamed for me to stop you."

"Because no one else was there to help me this time?" I questioned.

"Exactly." He retorted

I remained quiet for a while, lost in my own thoughts. What Edward was explaining didn't make sense to me yet because I suddenly remembered of another time when I was alone and in danger. "The meadow…" I thought aloud.

"Yes, I guess I would have shown myself to you then if it hadn't been for the wolves. They were patrolling nearby at the time and luckily they caught my scent. They followed it to me and fortunately, the timing was good enough. I pointed in Laurant's direction, signaling for them to attack. They were more than happy to finish him off."

It was still unnerving to think that the wolves and vampires were collaborating together to keep me safe but it made me happy. And that thought led me to another epiphany. I was never alone. Those voices I heard, that I thought could only be the result of my apathetic brain malfunctioning, when in actuality, was somehow a weird way of me and Edward communicating. It was, in a way, assuring me that Edward was by my side protecting me.

"Somehow, I think I knew deep down that you were always there to protect me." I voiced my thoughts to Edward.

"I'll always protect you, love." He responded lovingly. I smiled up at him and yarned hugely.

"Sleep love, we have all the time in the world to talk later." Edward cooed. I snuggled myself closer to him, sniffing in his wondrous scent, and closed my eyes. It has been a long crazy day but it will always be one of my favorite days of my entire life. The day Edward came back.

Soon after I closed my eyes, I could hear him humming to me the one song I thought I would never be able to hear again. My lullaby. I smiled against his chest and welcomed my majestic dreams back to me again. It has been far too long…