A/N: Thanks for sticking with this story! I know at least one of you was unimpressed with Bella last chapter, so try to have faith that everything has a purpose. We're now working toward the HEA though I can't promise there won't be more angst before the end. Actually I can guarantee there will be, strictly because it makes for a better story in my opinion.

As always, I love hearing from you! For good or bad! :)

***Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. Someday I might own sunrise.***


BPOV

By the time my plane landed in Honolulu I was certain I'd be sporting some grey hair in my otherwise dark brown locks. To say it was an awful experience would be a gross understatement, and an insult to the word 'awful.'

First, Jake had driven me to Pearson International Airport in Embry's piece of shit car that I would have sworn was about to break down. After that harrowing journey, in which I gripped the handle of the door for dear life through morning rush hour traffic, Jake and I had a huge fight instead of parting on good terms. I guess I should have foreseen that happening – Jake had been increasingly difficult over the past few months. There were no repeats of the night-that-shall-not-be-mentioned, but it seemed like the moment I let him fully back into my life we rarely got along.

So I stomped away from my boyfriend angrily instead of kissing him goodbye. What a piss off.

Then I was seated next to the fattest, smelliest, chattiest person on the plane. I always insist on getting a window seat when I fly, so I guess the person who had taken my booking saw fit to sit me next to an unfunny Chris Farley wannabe who sweat profusely and had probably never used a hair brush.

All I wanted to do was sit back and listen to my iPod, maybe have a snack, and eventually fall asleep under the spell of my tranquilizers. Not this time. Instead I got to listen to his theories about the end of the world, pretend to care about his multiple photos of pet bunnies, and tried to ignore his persistent and not-so-subtle flirting. All this while trying to ignore my fear of flying over a large expanse of water for multiple hours. Scenes from Cast Away floated through my mind as I tried to tune out Mr. Smelly Magoo.

Thank God my luggage was at the carousel – if I'd had to deal with lost baggage I might have taken someone's eye out with the heel of my boot.

After grabbing my bags, I went over to the shuttle bus area to wait for my transportation to the hotel. Alice and Jasper had agreed on having their wedding at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku on the north side of Oahu Island. It was about an hour's drive from the airport through the middle of the island and I hoped to God I wouldn't be stuck sitting near anyone like I did on the plane. After nine hours of that torture I'm not sure I could have endured another five minutes of it.

Luckily I didn't have to wait very long. As soon as the shuttle arrived I noted with satisfaction there were only half a dozen of us getting on board the large van. I was able to relax and spread out for the remainder of my trip.

I sat and watched the scenery with awe. As soon as we left the city of Honolulu on the freeway heading north, there was an abrupt change to the view. For miles around everything seemed flat but very lush. There were palm trees and fruit trees mixed with large, pointy bushes and bright green grass. Off in the East I could see green coloured mountains I knew were closer than they appeared.

As we continued north, we passed by farms and open fields with plenty of wild animals grazing lazily in the setting sun. It felt like I was in another world. After turning east for a few miles, we passed through a larger settlement before once again turning north onto a new highway. Most of the houses we passed were weathered one storey bungalows surrounded by lush greenery and a small shopping district. When I saw a sign telling me we were driving through Haleiwa, I made a mental note to come back and visit this place.

As the bus turned north east, I noticed we were driving parallel to the ocean and the view was spectacular. I'd seen photos and postcards of the beauty of a Hawaiian sunset, but nothing compares to seeing it firsthand. I watched rows of palm trees swaying as we drove by. They were the only things separating the highway from the extensive beach and I felt the urge to hop out of the bus and run my toes through the gorgeous white sand.

All in good time, I reminded myself.

At long last we arrived at the hotel. I dragged my luggage out of the van and pulled the heavy load into the main building along with the other passengers. I was greeted warmly by the desk clerk – she was far too perky for my liking.

"Aloha! Welcome to Hawaii!" She trilled eagerly. "My name is Jessica. How can I help you?"

"I'm Bella Swan. I have a reservation under the Brandon/Hale wedding accommodations," I said mechanically.

She clicked a few keys on the computer and grinned. "There you are! I see you have a beach cottage reserved, is that correct?"

"Yes. Please set me up near Alice and Jasper. I'm the maid of honour and I'll likely have to visit with them frequently," I ordered brusquely. I couldn't help it, my patience was at its end.

"Certainly Miss Swan, we can take care of that for you."

She gave me a form to fill out and, after providing my credit card and driver's license, I got the key to my room that opened up on the beach. A very tired looking bellhop carried my luggage to my room, which boasted hardwood floors, a kitchenette, a huge four poster king size bed, and a little outdoor seating area beyond floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors. It was perfect.

"Thank you," I said as I handed him a tip. He nodded and left the room without saying a word.

I wanted to go out to the beach and sit in the sand. I was craving the feel of the ocean on my skin and wind in my hair. But exhaustion was becoming overwhelming, so I inwardly cursed this terrible day and decided to go to bed for the night. After all, I had a week here so I'd have plenty of time.

EPOV

I stared longingly at the beachfront villas, wishing I'd had the foresight to research available accommodations at this resort. It was unusual for me not to know exactly where I was going, down to the last detail, but this had been thrown together so last minute I hadn't had time to worry about the small things.

I'd had to call in a lot of favours to get the time off to be here. My chef would be working overtime, my workers were getting extra hours, and I'd had to cede control of daily operations to my new assistant manager. The week was all planned out with jobs nearly every day, and in some cases multiple times per day, but I still worried about his ability to handle things without me hovering over him. Yeah I could be a bit of a control freak.

But it didn't matter in the end – other things were more pressing than my business affairs. For the first time in a very long time, I had other priorities to consider. Mostly because ignoring them was making me miserable.

So I stood on my balcony in the early morning light, stretching my achy muscles, feeling the desire to hit the waves to wake me up. My fingers twitched at the thought, but my brain belayed that possibility. Today I was on a mission to find Bella Swan.

BPOV

My cellphone went off early in the morning, bringing me out of a very deep sleep. My king size bed was just as glorious to sleep in as it was to look at – it was the best night's sleep I'd had in weeks.

I reached over to my end table to grab my phone and groaned when I saw Jake's picture flash on the screen.

This should be fun.

"Hey," I said with my morning pre-coffee froggy voice.

"Shouldn't you be up already?" He said condescendingly. I noticed he didn't even say hello.

I glanced at the alarm clock. "It's seven in the morning. There's a time difference, remember?" I snapped.

He sighed. "I know. UGH this isn't going how I'd planned… I didn't call to fight. I wanted to say I'm sorry about how we left things at the airport. I feel like shit about it."

I huffed. "You always feel like shit about it afterward, but that doesn't stop you from picking fights at the time now does it?" I snapped.

"Me? What about you? You're the one who bitched about that waitress at the restaurant last week," he replied angrily.

"Yes because she was outright flirting with you like I wasn't even there!" I exclaimed. "Besides, that was one fight out of how many that you've started?"

"Fuck! I'm fucking sorry, okay!" He yelled so loud I winced and held the phone away from my head.

I sighed. "Can we not talk about this now? I'm going to have a really long day," I pleaded.

"Fine," he grumbled. "But this isn't over."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course not."

"What the hell does that mean?" He boomed.

"Nothing. I'll talk to you later," I replied before hanging up on him.

Thankfully he left me alone long enough to order room service for breakfast. By the time my food was delivered, I'd had texts from Alice and Rose before a rather hostile note from Jake begging me to call him later in the afternoon.

I took my tray of food to my little outdoor seating area and ate my pancakes and yogurt in silence as I enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing through my hair. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day although it would likely be very hot. I was due to meet the bridal party at Alice's suite by 9:00 to begin our pre-wedding girlie activities. There was going to be a lot of female bonding today – I shuddered at the thought.

It's not that I don't like hanging out with women, it's just that I generally dislike large groups of women together for long periods of time. It tends to grate on my nerves. I have a hard time dealing with social drama, girlie squealing, and malicious backstabbing. Not to mention inherent competition for attention of the opposite sex.

After finishing my food, I pulled out the garment bag holding my bridesmaid dress out of my suitcase and hung it in the small closet near the bed. I then grabbed my clothes for the day and headed into the shower. I knew I would not be forgiven if I didn't have my hair and makeup done to perfection for my very bossy best friend.

An hour later I looked at my reflection in the full length mirror and had to smile. I chose a dark blue cotton sundress with spaghetti straps that ended halfway down my thighs. Underneath I had my bright red bikini with high cut bottoms and push up cups. My long hair was straightened and my eyes were highlighted with nudes and a touch of white to make my face sparkle. I knew Alice would be pleased, and really that's all that mattered. It's not like I was here to pick up a man.

I finished my outfit with a pair of black crocs and grabbed my white tote bag as I walked out the door. Alice had informed me she was in a beach villa about a two minute walk from my beach cottage. The difference between the two was staggering as I approached the large, roomy house. The villa had four bedrooms and lavish common space with a large deck on the beach side. My own little cottage that consisted of a nice hotel room in its own beachfront building paled in comparison.

I could hear the chaotic din of voices emanating from the living room as I walked toward the villa and climbed the steps to the front door. I knocked before entering and was immediately bombarded by gushed greetings and a strong smell of coffee. I gave polite 'hellos' and immediately honed in on the coffee.

"Okay, now that the last one has arrived," Alice yelled over the many voices and giving me a pointed glare, "Let's discuss the agenda for today. First we're all going for a horseback ride on the beach, then to the spa for massages, facials, and manis & pedis. We'll spend a couple of hours on the beach before we split to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. Any questions?"

The group all shook their heads in unison.

"Okay, let's go! We've ordered a limousine for the day to take us everywhere, so go easy on the free champagne!" She squealed.

I chugged down my coffee as quickly as possible without burning my tongue and followed the group out the door. As we waited on the deck for the car to show up, I took a moment to examine the group of women who would be my companions for the day.

There was Rose, of course, looking every bit as gorgeous as always. Alice's mother, grandmother, and aunt were also present. Jasper's sister, Maria, who was also a bridesmaid, was with us. And then there were Maggie and Siobhan who were colleagues of Alice's at University of Toronto; although they weren't part of the wedding party, they were invited to join us for the day's activities. With me and Alice that meant there was nine of us.

I sidled up to Alice and hip bumped her. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

She looked at me with big, sparkly eyes. "I'm so pumped! I've been waiting for this for a long time. I just hope nothing goes wrong." She grinned and I noticed her eyes were flitting around all over the place.

"Are we waiting for someone else?" I asked, unsure what she was looking for.

Her gaze focused on me and she gave me a huge grin. "Nope. Just nervous," she replied. At that moment the limousine pulled up so I didn't have time to question her further. I made a mental note to talk to her later.

EPOV

It wasn't difficult to figure out which villa was Alice and Jasper's – I just had to find the swankiest looking house on the beach.

I stood a ways back from the house contemplating my next move. Should I go knock on the door? If I did, would Bella be there? I had no idea if Bella was staying with them or in her own room, or how much time they would be spending together. I'd never been part of a wedding before. I guessed they would be together a lot, especially the day before the ceremony, but that was just a guess. I really had no idea.

The decision was taken out of my hands when I saw a group of loud, chatting women emerge onto the deck of the villa, Bella among them.

My breath caught in my throat as I took in her simple beauty. She was absolutely radiant in a blue dress with her long hair shiny in the soft breeze. I wanted to run to her and pull her in my arms while covering her face with kisses. My heart leapt at the thought, but my brain knew this was not the best time to approach her. She had no idea I was in Hawaii to see her and I wanted to make our reunion special after a year apart. She deserved that much.

So I watched her from my hidden spot in a grove of palm trees and caper bushes where I knew she couldn't see me. I saw her chatting with Alice just before the car showed up. I had no idea where they were headed but I was glad I hadn't made my presence known – I'm not sure I could have let her walk away after so short a greeting.

After the car pulled away I turned around and headed for my rental car. I needed something to distract me from waiting around here like a lost puppy waiting for its master to return.

BPOV

I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched as we piled into the limousine. I took one careful look around and saw nothing unusual so I decided to brush it off as being in unfamiliar surroundings. Between that and Alice's behaviour I was getting really paranoid, and the last thing I wanted was to ruin this vacation with my overactive imagination.

Soon enough we were all exiting the limo near a beach just outside the town of Haleiwa, where I'd passed by on the way to the hotel last night. The first thing I noticed was the smell of manure and the second thing was that we were right by Sandy Beach Stables. I swallowed thickly as I realized I'd have to sit on top of a very large, powerful beast and trust it not to kill me.

Half an hour later, after a too-brief tutorial on horseback riding, I was nervously perched atop Thor. He was a black Arabian mare with a gorgeous glossy coat, big hooves, very long legs, and I'm pretty sure he hated me. After the novelty of 'having a god between my legs' wore off, I was terrified. To give him credit he never bucked or lost control, but he certainly didn't want to obey me when I asked him to alter his course or pick up speed. And so for two hours I was the loser at the back who couldn't get her horse to cooperate.

The next two hours at the spa were much better. Because there were so many of us, we had to do rotations in groups of three. Alice, Rosalie and I started out with massages while the older ladies got facials and the rest had their nails done. As we lay under our respective towels wearing nothing but our birthday suits, Rose decided to strike up conversation.

"So, are you ready?" She asked Alice.

"Unf," she released as her masseuse hit a good spot. "Yes. Though I may never leave this table," she purred.

I chuckled. "Not even to meet Jasper at the altar?"

I could almost hear her eyes rolling. "Of course. I'm only joking for god's sake. Hey Belly, have you heard from the douchmeister yet?"

I should have mentioned that my two best girl friends had taken up pet names for Jake once they saw all the shit we were going through and how most of it wasn't initiated by me.

"Yeah, we had our usual morning fight. Unnnngh," I moaned.

I heard Rose laugh. "You sound like Tanya and me. Fuck that girl," she spat.

"I believe you did," I deadpanned.

Alice giggled. "Repeatedly," she added.

"Erf," Rose grunted. "Yes, but that's all behind me now. Man or woman, Tanya was not worth the drama. Take my advice, Bella, life is so much better in a stable relationship."

She has a point, my inner voice reminded me.

"I know," I replied sadly.

The rest of the time at the spa was spent either incapable of speech or us sitting too far apart to have any kind of real conversation. When we were done I felt like I'd been spoiled – my nails were all a beautiful shade of easter egg blue, my cuticles were under control, and I was covered head-to-toe in the most luxurious moisturizing cream. Every inch of my skin was aglow and I was totally relaxed. It was a perfect time to go lounge on the beach, which is precisely where we headed upon leaving the spa.

EPOV

After wandering around the Hawaiian countryside by myself, I was feeling kinda down. I wanted so badly to see Bella and the waiting was excruciating, so to keep myself busy I went back to the hotel and rented a surfboard for the afternoon.

Normally I would hit the waves in the morning before the crowds arrived and when the blazing sun wasn't so brutal, but I was desperate for a distraction. I was too antsy to sit still any longer.

My mind was firmly planted on Bella Swan as I went through the motions of my activity. I couldn't get the image of her long, sexy legs out of my head. How would they feel wrapped around my waist? Would she be a screamer? Would she like me running my fingers through her long, beautiful hair?

Would she even let me do any of that to her? That was the big question.

My history with Bella was unusual. We'd had a great time together in LA after only just meeting a couple of hours beforehand. It was as hard for me when we parted as it was for her, but I'd been the one insisting on being realistic. At the time I felt I had to push her away, more for her sake than mine. I felt that doing a long distance relationship would only hurt us both.

I regretted that now. Oh boy did I regret that decision.

It took "the incident" with Jacob Black for me to wake up and recognize how fucking stupid I'd been. This was Bella Swan, no one else in the world would treat her the way she deserves. She was a gift sent to earth from providence, or fate, or the universe. She was absolutely perfect for me and I'd turned her away. Multiple times. And the worst part? I'd never told her how I felt. I shouldn't have tried to let her go when everything in my soul screamed that she was something special.

I knew she was special, there was no way to deny that fact. Every time we chatted on Skype I felt like my world tilted on its axis. My palms got clammy and I always tried to look presentable like we were on a date. Even the sight of her name in my e-mail inbox sent my stomach fluttering.

I never should have convinced myself she'd be better off finding someone else. I'm so fucking stupid.

I was suddenly interrupted from my musings when I noticed two things. First, I was starting to get pruney. Second, I saw Alice strut onto the beach with a group of women, Bella included. The only reason I noticed is because Alice was wearing the most sparkly pink bikini I'd ever seen, and the glare was actually hurting my eyes.

I rolled off my board and floated in the water, hiding as much as possible in the waves. I watched them lay out their towels, set up umbrellas, and wedge the cooler in the sand. I know I was being pervy as I stared at them but my peeping was rewarded when I watched Bella pull the gorgeous blue dress over her head to reveal the sexiest red bikini tightly hugging her gorgeous curves. My cock twitched with desire as I ogled her flat stomach, curvy hips, pert breasts, and those legs… they seemed to go on forever.

Man up, Cullen. It's now or never.

With a strong grip on my surfboard, I walked slowly to the shore, my eyes never leaving Bella. She was chatting away with an older woman seated next to her, smiling and nodding politely as the woman rambled on.

Alice was the first one to see me. She gave me a shit eating grin and jabbed Bella hard in the ribs. Bella turned her attention to Alice with a frown, and when Alice motioned toward me I saw every emotion flicker across her beautiful face.

Confusion, shock, disbelief, understanding.

Within seconds she was off her towel and running toward me, a la Baywatch, as I dropped my board in the sand to greet her. What I didn't expect was for her to jump into my arms and wrap her legs around me, not all that different from my earlier fantasy.

"Edward! What are you doing here!" She squealed while hugging me tightly.

"Surprise!" I replied with a grin.

BPOV

I loved Alice and all her family, but I was much more interested in relaxing than talking to Alice's grandmother about how much beach fashion has changed since the 1930s. That was Alice's area of interest, definitely not mine.

So when Alice elbowed me in the ribs I was both irritated at the mild pain and grateful for the interruption. And when she motioned to the gorgeous hunk who was knee deep in water, that I'd only half noticed, I was confused at first. Until recognition dawned on me.

Is that…? No, it couldn't be! But I'd recognize those board shorts anywhere. How is this possible? What's he doing here?

Shut up! Who cares? He's here!

I jumped up from my towel and ran toward him as fast as my legs would allow. He gave me that sexy, panty-melting crooked grin and dropped the surfboard on the ground before taking a few steps in my direction. He was absolute perfection with his hard, wet body – I couldn't ignore the pool in my bikini bottoms or the tingles I felt in my stomach.

It didn't matter. Edward was here!

I jumped into his arms as he gripped my thighs, pressing myself to him as hard as I could manage. I fit so perfectly in his embrace, and he felt so good and right. I heard him chuckle when I asked why he was here, and his only response was "Surprise!"

But it didn't matter why or how he got here. The only thing I cared about was making up for lost time. I knew I'd missed him terribly, but until we were connected like this I didn't realize how empty I'd felt without him around me. Being wrapped in his arms was like finding something I never knew had gone missing.