Chapter 6

Okay, this is creepy. – B

What's creepy? – A

We just pulled up to the cabin I used to go to with my parents. – B

The one on Lake Mille Lacs? – A

Yep. That would be the one. – B

Did you tell him about that place? – A

I mentioned trips, but never the location. – B

Weird… - A

I slide my phone into my purse and wait for the driver to come around and open the door. This must be a coincidence; there's no other explanation for it. I know for a fact I never told Edward the name of the resort we stayed at, let alone which precise cabin we spent a month in each summer.

I step out of the limo tentatively, half expecting my parents to jump out and yell "surprise," or something to that effect. I look around, smiling when my gaze falls on the tire swing and the dock. I made so many memories here, some bitter, some sweet, some with the girls and some alone. And others were with a little boy who, much to my disappointment, I never saw again.

"Mr. Cullen asked that you go around and enter through the back," the driver explains as he pops the trunk.

"You mean on the side facing the lake?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you." The grass tickles the sides of my sandal-clad feet, making me giggle. I round the corner of the cabin and come to an abrupt stop when I take in the sight before me.

Candles line the stairs leading up to the deck, where a small table sits. Soft music floats out of the open patio door. I look around for Edward, but he's nowhere in sight. As I near the stairs, I see that each step has an envelope on it, along with a small bundle of white daisies.

I reach down and grab the first envelope, noticing it's well-worn and faded. "Bella" is written in red crayon on the front. I slide my finger under the flap and open it, pulling out a sheet of notebook paper.

Bella,

Your hair looks lik chokolet.

I wunder if it smelz lik chokolet.

Masen

Tears brim my eyes and I cover my mouth with one hand. I press the letter to my chest and bend down, grabbing the next one.

Bella,

Mom sez no lake this summer. Granny died, so we don't need to vizet Minesoda nemore.

I hope nobody putz a frog on you.

Masen

I choke out a half-laugh, half-cry and pick up the next envelope.

Bella,

I turned ten yesterday.

My mom and dad threw me a big party, with lots of kids from school.

There were girls there. Most girls are icky because they have cooties.

It wouldn't be icky if you were there. You're the only girl I like.

Masen.

The next two letters are pictures that Masen drew for me during his junior high art classes.

Letter number six is almost a page long.

Bella,

Senior prom is tonight. Can you believe that we're adults now? Old enough to buy cigarettes, hit up the casino, and join the military. Well, I'm 18 at least. I have no idea when your birthday is.

I'm heading off to college this fall. Dad is pissed. Mom is pissed. It feels like the whole world is pissed because I'm doing something for me instead of what satisfies everybody else. The military isn't the right path for me to follow however; and I'm not going to put myself through four years of misery just because Riley did.

I'm not sure why I still write you letters. It started off cute and all, back when we were kids, but now it seems kind of pathetic, don't you think? I mean, really, if I haven't seen you in 12 years, I'm probably never going to see you again. I can't even look you up on Facebook because I don't know your last name.

Anyway, I'm taking a girl named Kate to prom. We've been friends since junior high, neither of us has a date, and we just get each other. So, it makes perfect sense for us to go to the biggest dance of the year together.

This is so cheesy, and maybe I'll have to turn in my man-card after writing it, but if we'd stayed in touch, I'd have taken you to prom.

And made sure you had a crown of white daisies to put in your hair.

Masen

My tears fall freely now. I look around once more, but there's still no sign of Edward. Two more letters await, and I grab the next one eagerly.

Bella,

I've decided this is going to be the last letter I write to you.

I'm a college sophomore now, life is good, and I found an amazing girl named Annie, who I love spending time with. She doesn't go to ASU, she's studying energy healing, which I think is cool. She marches to the beat of her own drum, like Bree. (I don't even know why I mentioned Bree, because you don't know she exists.) In short, I'm happy.

I hope you're happy too, wherever you are out there.

I'm sorry to say goodbye, but it's time I put you in the past. You'll hang out there in my memories, alongside dockside sunsets, s'mores, and daisies.

Take care, Bella.

Edward

When I look up from the now tear-stained page, Edward stands before me. A lazy smile plays on his lips as he rocks back on his heels.

"Happy Anniversary," he whispers, picking up the eighth and final letter. "You forgot one."

"I was just getting to it," I breathe. A hundred questions swirl through my mind, making it difficult for me to concentrate on anything else. Edward opens the envelope and pulls the letter out, handing it to me.

Dear Bella,

Fate is a funny thing, isn't it? One day you're left thinking you'll never see someone again and then, 20 years later, you're seated next to her on an airplane, with no idea who she is or how she fits into your history.

Fate—or kismet, as some call it—just might be my new favorite thing.

Before you freak out, please know that I had no idea you were my frog-hating, childhood crush until a month ago. And I'll be more than happy to explain how I found out tonight.

I've known for a long time—since that first kiss at Minnehaha Falls, to be exact—that you were the be all end all for me. Knowing that you're my frog princess, the chocolate haired girl with the amber eyes and the crown of daisies, only makes my conviction stronger.

So, Happy Anniversary, baby.

I love you, to the farthest edges of the galaxy, and back.

Edward

I look up through my tears and shake my head. "What … who … I mean, how did you figure this out?"

"Come, sit down and I'll tell you everything." Edward takes my hand and leads me to the small, wrought iron table. A white linen tablecloth is draped over it, two tea lite candles burn in the middle, and it's adorned with two place settings. I take a seat in one of the chairs and Edward drops down in the other.

I don't know whether I want to laugh or cry, so I do both. "This is crazy."

"I know," Edward agrees. "That's precisely what I thought when I saw your shoebox."

I furrow my brows. "My shoebox?"

"Last month, when we were moving your things into my house, Jasper dropped one of the moving boxes and the bottom busted out. I told him not to worry, that I'd take care of it, and sent him off to collect more from the moving truck. When I picked the moving box up, a bunch of stuff fell out, including an old shoebox."

I have an a-ha moment, realizing exactly what he's referring to. I've had the box since I was a kid, and it's filled with all sorts of things that were significant to me in some way: concert ticket stubs, postcards, letters, and more. "My collectible box?"

Edward nods, then continues. "The lid came off and your stuff was all over the floor. I was putting everything back inside when I came across a photograph." He pulls the picture out of the front pocket of his button-down and slides it across the table. "Do you remember this?"

I look down and it all comes back to me. Edward is standing next to me on the dock, holding up a fishing pole with a small sunfish dangling off the end. I have a pole in my hand too, but instead of a fish I have a nasty, old Converse sneaker hanging from mine. We're both in swimsuits and lifejackets, toothy grins on our faces and a sparkle in our eyes.

"We spent the day out on the pontoon," I say, looking up at him. He reaches across the table and laces his fingers with mine. "My dad made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and you accidentally dropped yours in the lake"

"So you shared yours with me."

I nod. "I shared it with you, and then you shared the cookies your mom made."

"And after we docked, I chased you around with that nasty old shoe." Edward laughs at the memory. "I can't believe the frog was that big of a deal after the shoe."

"Hey, creepy, crawly things are way worse than dirty sneakers!" Our laughs pierce the evening air, along with the chorus of chirping crickets that surrounds us.

"It took everything in my power not to call you when I found this." Edward holds the photo up and looks wistfully at it. "I wanted to save it for the right time though, and with our anniversary around the corner, it seemed like a perfect excuse to orchestrate an unveiling."

"Wow." I'm amazed by the fact that Edward kept this a secret for as long as he did, and by how unforgettable he made this day. "I still don't get it. You were Masen back then. And now..."

He chuckles. "My full name is Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. I was Masen until I turned 18 and moved away from home. Then I started going by Edward because, well, I hated my nickname."

"How did I not know that was your full name?"

"I never include the Masen part when I tell people. I'm not kidding when I say I hate it."

"Apparently." I reach down and pinch my arm, which elicits another laugh from him. "Just thought I better check and make sure this isn't all a dream. It seems like something straight out of a movie."

"That's precisely what your mom said when I told her," he says as he stands. "I'm sure you guessed by now, we're staying here for the weekend. I have all sorts of things planned for us, but first, dinner." He disappears in the house, returning minutes later with a baking dish. I can smell the lasagna before it hits the table, and my mouth immediately starts to water.

"Is this your mom's recipe?" I ask.

"Of course. I know that's your favorite." He dishes food up for us both and we dig in. We don't say much, but we can't keep our eyes off one another.

Once dinner is finished he clears the table, returning a moment later with my sweater in his hand. "Let's go down to the dock to watch the sunset."

We meander down the stairs and across the grass. Even though it's been over a decade since I was last here, the property hasn't changed all that much. I hip chuck the tire swing as I walk past, promising myself I'll take it for a spin tomorrow.

The dock is bigger now, and someone put a bench on the end. Edward wraps his arm around my shoulders after we're seated, pulling me tight against him.

"The sunset here is always gorgeous," I say, thinking back to all the times I spent watching hot summer days turn into beautiful nights.

"You're gorgeous." His lips meet my neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

"I love you," I murmur, loud enough for only him to hear.

Edward sits up and reaches into the front pocket of his shirt once more. He grasps whatever object is in there tightly, and falls to his knees in front of me.

"You're it for me, Bella. You make me want to be a better man. I am a better man because of you. You know my quirks and my flaws, you've seen me at my worst and yet you continue to stay by my side. I can't imagine—don't want to imagine—a day without you in my life. You're the marshmallow to my s'more, the T-square to my blueprint … the love of my life. Will you make me the luckiest man in this world, and be my wife?"

Tears slide down my cheeks and drip onto my dress. I want to speak, to tell him yes, but I can't find words, so I nod my head instead. He smiles, one of the ones that stretches across his entire face and lights up a room, and pops open the velvet box in his hand. I stretch my left hand out in front of me, shivering as he slips the beautiful ring on my finger.

I fall to my knees in front of him and pull his face to me, pressing my lips against his. When I pull back and look at him, I see tears glistening in his eyes too.

"I love you, Bella Swan," he whispers, swiping his thumbs over my cheeks and planting a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you too, Edward Cullen—especially when you surprise me."


A/N:

There's an epilogue coming up next! :)