I stared at the text message. This was a sick joke. Edward wasn't here. He didn't care about me. He left me four years ago. Why would he come back?

I typed a message and hit send before I could rethink it.

If it really is you, show yourself to me. I got up and went to the kitchen. I knew whoever it was wouldn't show. I started making a salad for dinner.

There was a knock on my door. I opened it and stopped short at who stood before me.

It was him.

His beauty hadn't changed. He still had the chiseled cheekbones, the same messy bronze hair and the golden eyes. But these eyes showed love and trepidation. He smiled.

"Bella."

I blinked rapidly, the same way I did when I hallucinated I saw him in my bedroom. I shook my head and looked at him. His smile grew.

"Edward?" I asked in disbelief. He chuckled.

"Yes, Bella. May I come in?" I shook my head again. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to be with you…forever." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you serious? You left me. You broke my heart. I never recovered from it and you made me become a whore!" I spat these words at him.

His golden eyes darkened with sadness. "I'm so sorry, Bella. You have no idea how sorry. I left because I thought it would be best for you. I was trying to protect you, to keep you safe. I had no idea you would turn to this life. You're broken because of me."

I nodded. I was angry, furious. How dare he come back now? Where was he the last four years?

"Not far from you," he said, answering my unasked questions. I looked at him. "I thought you couldn't read my mind?" He sighed. "I can't. Your eyes give you away, though."

I lowered my head. He was right. "May I please come in?" I opened the door. As he stepped past me, I caught his scent. Earthy, musky. I closed my eyes and breathed it in.

"Why the hell are you here?" I asked him. I walked to him in the hallway and looked up into his eyes. They were warm, welcoming. "Why the hell are you here?"

"I've never been far, Bella. After we left you in Forks, I tried to stay away. I needed to protect you. I needed you to live your life without fear of me, of my kind. It was excruciating, the pain of being without you. Nothing mattered anymore. I left the Cullen clan and tried to make it alone. I couldn't stand Rosalie's gloating or Alice's moping. All of us missed you. I couldn't put them through that. I left and went to South America, trailing Victoria. I know that she was following you and that Jacob and his wolf pack took care of her. I am incredibly grateful to him for that."

I narrowed my eyes. "You didn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

His eyes searched mine for a moment before answering. "I am here because I love you. I always have and I always will. Nothing will change that. I can't live without you anymore, Bella. And I've seen what's happened to you; what I have made you become. I am sickened to the core by it and I hope that I can help make it stop." Slowly, and with hesitation, he lifted his left hand and placed it on my cheek. The coolness of his skin felt amazing. I sighed at the touch.

"So warm," he said. I looked into his eyes and saw love. I believed Edward when he said he loved me. But that didn't erase the past. I placed my hand on his chest.

"Edward," I said. "Do you think you can just walk in here and I'll forgive you like nothing's happened?"

His hand remained on my cheek as he spoke. "No. I know my appearance doesn't change anything. I don't expect you to forgive me or even to be civil to me. I shouldn't have left you. I know I broke you. I know that I am responsible for the way you are now. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't need to find satisfaction through these men." His jaw set on that last word. He was obviously not happy about my life.

"What do you want, Edward?" I asked, removing his hand from my cheek. I held it in my hand. "I want to be with you again, Bella. Like before. I promise I won't leave you again. And…" he trailed off.

I raised my eyebrow. "What?" He shook his head. "Nothing. My own stupid fantasies running wild." I looked at him. "What fantasies?" He looked away. I brought my hand to his cheek. He leaned into my touch. "Edward? What fantasies?"

"It doesn't matter," he said, looking into my eyes. I wanted to press but decided it was best not to.

Edward. The man who broke my heart came back. He was dazzling me. Suddenly I was angry. I pushed away from him. He looked at me quizzically.

"Why should I even bother to give you the time of day? After what you did to me? I should kick you out and tell you to never come back."

"Is that what you want?" he asked me. I could tell he was getting angry. I didn't care. "For me to leave you alone so you can continue your life of sleeping with men whom you don't care about? For you to throw your beauty away? To degrade yourself? To have you believe that you aren't any better than a whore?"

"I'm not any better," I said sadly. He took a step towards me. "Yes, you are Bella. You can't understand how much it tears me apart to see you like this. You have never seen yourself clearly. You don't see how beautiful and smart and good you are. I see that. That is why I fell in love with you. And to see you throw all of that away kills me. You are better than that, Bella. You are worth so much more."

My body betrayed me at that moment. The tears slowly started to fall down my cheeks. He paused before brushing them away.

"I can't say I'll forgive you, Edward. But I can say I'm sorry that you had to see me this way. I thought I had grown strength since you left, but obviously not." He continued to stroke my cheek.

"You are strong Bella. Stronger than you'll ever know. If you do give me another chance, I promise to show you how beautiful and strong you are." He stepped back. "I'll go now." He started towards the door. I blinked and followed.

"What?"

He turned to face me. "You need time, Bella. You need time to sort this all out…without interference from me. When you are ready, I'll be here in a human heartbeat." I smiled. Then his words registered.

"You're leaving me again?" His eyes grew wide. "No. I will be nearby. If you have trouble, I will be there. But you can't make any decisions with me here."

"How do you know that?" I asked him and tipped my head to the side. "You don't know me anymore, Edward. You can't read my mind. Maybe it's easier for me to make a decision about myself and my lifestyle with you here."

He took a step towards me. "Bella, I will do whatever you want. Just tell me."

I looked into his golden eyes. They still showed love. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help what escaped my mouth. "Stay." He smiled. I held my hand up. "I am not promising anything. I just want you here. I want to see how my life is with you in it. If it's better without you, then I'll ask you to leave." I am SUCH a pushover.

He nodded slowly. "Sounds fair." He took my hand and kissed it. "I've missed you so much, Bella." He leaned closer to me, breathing in my scent. "I've missed your scent, your kisses. I've missed how my body reacts when you're near me." He stopped at my ear and whispered in it. "You have no idea how much I want you…in every way." He pulled back and looked at me.

My jaw dropped. He chuckled. He ran the back of his index finger down my jaw line. I closed my eyes. He whispered in my ear again. "If you let me, I will show you how I've changed. I will show you love that you've never known before. I will worship you, as you deserve to be. These other men have never worshipped you; never shown you tenderness. They want to pleasure themselves, not you. I will love you and make love to you. The choice is yours."

I felt a quick breeze and opened my eyes. Edward had moved to the kitchen and was examining my salad. "You should eat, Bella. You need to keep your strength up for what I have planned." He smirked.

I walked to the kitchen in a daze. I didn't know what had happened, but somehow Edward Cullen had managed to dazzle his way back into my life.

********

A/N: So Edward's back. Are you ready to find out what happens?

Thanks for reading! Please review!