More than three weeks had passed since Bella had run from Edward and escaped into the night. More than three weeks since he had seen her or even spoken to her. He was too stubborn to admit he had made a huge mistake and too proud to apologize for it. When he'd found his back door destroyed, his irritation had morphed into full-blown anger, and any thoughts he may have had about contacting Bella right away to make amends flew out the window. But it didn't take long before he saw the error of his ways.

He knew, once his anger had dissipated, he was the one in the wrong. He let his past experiences with the wrong women cloud his judgment, and his misguided anger made him lash out at Bella in the heat of the moment. He knew no one was to blame, yet he said things he knew he couldn't take back. And as the days passed, he wanted nothing more than to make things right.

He couldn't even show up to complete the Stanley job, instead choosing to send Emmett in his place. He just wasn't able to show his face to Bella, even though he was dying inside to see her. He didn't realize how much she had affected him until she wasn't a constant presence in his life. He missed sharing his daily lunch breaks with her, their carefree dates, and even their weekly meet-ups with his friends and family on Friday nights at Pete's.

Alice and Rose would hardly talk to him, and he couldn't blame them. He'd been a monumental ass, and he had no one to blame but himself. And the longer he let things go, the smaller his chances were for a reconciliation.

Even Daisy seemed to be out of sorts since Bella made her getaway. She didn't want to cuddle much anymore, and she had started to show signs of being sick just that morning and wouldn't eat anything. With his girl not feeling like herself, he chose to put his thoughts of Bella on the back burner until he made sure Daisy was all right. She had an appointment scheduled with the vet that afternoon, just to make sure everything was okay.

After loading her into his truck, Edward drove through town toward the vet's office. It was early afternoon, and he was surprised to see the little crossing guards at the elementary school. They wore their brightly colored vests as they escorted fellow students through the crosswalks and safely to the other side. He watched as a father escorted his little girl by the hand across the road, and the sight made him smile. But as he thought about it, his smile fell. The one person he ever thought he could see himself having that with he had hurt.

Seeing the students, many with new, bright white shoes reminded him that school was back in session for the year, and thus Bella would be back to school as well. Even if he had been working at the Stanley's this week, he'd have missed seeing her.

Shaking his head, he focused back on the road and drove on toward Daisy's appointment. The office wasn't busy, so their wait was short. The preliminary weighing and measuring was done, as well as checking her ears and mouth. As the doctor did the physical exam, Edward explained all of her symptoms. When his hands passed over her swollen nipples, the vet had a puzzled look on his face.

"Did you decide to breed her?"

"Um, no. Why?" Edward's heart began to race.

"Was she recently in heat?"

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Yeah, a few weeks ago." Memories of the broken back door flooded his mind.

"Well, let's do an ultrasound to make sure."

When the machine showed eight little sacs in Daisy's belly, Edward felt faint. When he had been so upset that night about his and Bella's bedroom mishap, their dogs had been engaging in some amorous activities of their own.

"Well, judging by the size, I'd say you'll have yourself a litter of pups in about five weeks or so. Just keep an eye on her, and I'd suggest feeding her smaller meals for the next week or so until her nausea passes. But other than that, things look good." The vet's cheery demeanor did nothing to abate Edward's anxiety.

In a fog, he drove home, his girl at his side, nuzzling her master to offer him comfort. He spent the evening worrying about what to do. Should he call Bella? Would she even speak to him? Did he really want a call about unplanned puppies to be the reason he contacted her after this long?

No, as much as she should know what happened between their dogs, he knew he needed to fix the clusterfuck he'd gotten himself into. He needed a plan. Running down the list of people he could talk to, he realized he was really in a pickle. Alice and Rose would likely hang up on him, Jasper was married to one and related to the other, so he would likely side with the women. Emmett wasn't always the enlightened one of the group, but out of the bunch, he probably had the most experience with apologies.

He briefly thought of calling his mother, but just as quickly dismissed the thought. To ask for her help, he'd have to admit what he had done. He just couldn't bring himself to admit to his mother what an ass he had been.

So, picking up his phone, he placed a call, reaching out to a man he never thought he'd go to for serious relationship advice. As the line rang, Edward began to regret his decision. When the call connected and his friend's voice boomed over the line, he knew he couldn't turn back.

"Eddie! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Emmett, I need your help."

Standing outside Port Angeles High, Edward pulled at the collar of his shirt as the heat of the late August afternoon sun beat down on him. Emmett had insisted that dressing in something he appeared to have put some thought into would make an impression. He could only hope his friend was right. But if anyone knew how to grovel and beg for forgiveness, it would be Emmett. His track record with Rosalie had given him years of practice.

So there he stood, dressed in a button-down shirt, tie, and his best jeans, holding a moderately sized bouquet of violet hyacinths. When he'd asked Emmett about them, he'd only told Edward to trust him. Their meaning would be clear — he was begging for forgiveness.

When the crowds of students streaming through the doors had waned to a trickle, staff members had begun to leave. Spotting Jasper walking toward his car, they made eye contact.

His smirk was clear as he stepped toward his brother-in-law. "You think a little bundle of flowers is gonna get your ass outta trouble?"

"No, but they can't hurt, right?"

"No, I don't suppose they could." Jasper hesitated before he continued speaking. "You know, she's been kind of a mess the last few weeks. Been spending more time with Alice, even been over to our place a time or two. You did a real number on her. Even your sister told her to cut her losses and move on." Jasper eyed his friend as his words sunk in.

Edward hung his head, both in shame and in embarrassment. "Yeah, I know. I fucked up."

"You sure did." He waited until Edward raised his head. "You gonna make it right?"

"I'm going to try."

"Well then, come on. I'll show you where her classroom is."

Jasper led Edward through the halls, and instead of walking him all the way, pointed out Bella's room and left him to fend for himself.

He quietly stepped toward the open door and held his breath. This meeting was a make or break moment for the two of them, and he knew it. What he wasn't prepared for was the sight of her. Leaning over her desk, engaged with lesson planning or grading papers, she was distracted. Her free hand played idly with a lock of hair that had escaped her messy bun, and she looked more beautiful than he could remember.

All those weeks they'd spent together, all the conversations they'd had, the playful moments they'd shared, even the way she'd felt under him the one time he'd had her in his bed. It all came rushing back at once, making him wish he could reverse time and have it all back to do over again, to right his mistake. His breath left him in a rush, making her head pop up. Her surprised eyes met his, and he said the only thing that came to mind, words he'd been rehearsing in the mirror for days.

"I was an idiot, and I'm so sorry, Bella. I miss you."