Author's Note: Sorry, y'all, I suck for taking so long to update. Hope you like the chapter. Please read and review. Much love!

Chapter 12

"Let's not say nothin' 'bout none of this to Bells. She gets a lil' on edge around confrontation." I nodded, glad he'd suggested we keep our altercation with Royce between the two of us. I didn't want Bella to assume I was a violent person or that I went out looking for trouble.

We arrived back to the farm only about thirty minutes before the girls got home. I greeted Bella with a kiss and smiled at Rose.

"Everything go alright today, ladies?"

"Oh, it was wonderful! My new doctor was such an angel! She even helped me find work!"

"That's wonderful, Rose. Congratulations. What will you be doing?"

"Well, Dr. Cullen didn't give me much information. She only told me I'd be working as the secretary in her son's office. He's going to contact me tomorrow about starting this week." She seemed excited by the prospect of working. That was a good sign for her future.

"Are you done with work for the day, baby?" Bella asked, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Sure am. Would you like to go grab a bite for supper?" She nodded and smiled, kissing my cheek. A second later she was running upstairs to freshen up, leaving Rosalie and me alone in the kitchen.

"You're welcome to join us for supper. My treat." Rose politely declined, claiming she was going to catch up on her sleep to be well-rested should she start working tomorrow. In a way I was relieved she'd decided to stay home. Not that I minded her, but I had a feeling my alone time with Bella would be harder to come by as she helped Rose gain her independence.

Bella came skipping back downstairs in a pretty, yellow sundress. Instinctively, my eyes shot to her feet to see if she'd dressed them up for the day. Her toes were polished white and yellow and she wore a flowery anklet on her right foot.

She was beautiful.

"You look lovely, darlin'. Ready for a night on the town?" Showing Bella off in the town appealed to me much more than I cared to admit. The caveman in me liked that other people knew she was my girlfriend.

"Thank you. Let's go. I'll see you later tonight, Rose!" I grabbed her hand and waved to Rose before escorting Bella to the truck.

We decided to go to the diner right on the outskirts of town, mainly to have more time alone together.

"Did you have a good day workin'?"

"Oh, yeah, you know me, kickin' ass and takin' names Um, at work, I mean. So your day with Rose was successful?" Bella looked at me kinda sideways at my odd phrasing.

"Dr. Esme was great. She goes by her first name since her husband works is a doctor at the hospital too. Apparently, the first name basis makes her patients more comfort. And I went to school with her sons, Emmett and Jasper. I think she'll find a nice fit with the family."

"What about you, baby? How's work been? I feel like you haven't talked about yourself in a while."

"Well, it's been okay. 'Bout as excitin' as a library can be. Honestly, the longer I'm there the more I miss college. I was so close to bein' done when I had to move back to help dad."

That shocked me and I looked at her, wide-eyed, "you never told me you went to college?" Bella looked down. She didn't even meet my gaze after I did the affectionate, playful squeeze of her hand that she loved and always granted me a sweet grin. But not this time.

"Baby?"

"It's embarrassing. I'm a college drop out. I was two semesters away from my degree when I had to come home. I failed, just like everyone said I would. I shoulda never left home and wasted all that money."

I cut across traffic, ignoring the honks from pissed off drivers, and stopped in a gas station parking lot.

"Look at me." She only turned her head my way a bit. "Look at me, sweetheart." My eyes sought hers out. "You did not 'drop out' of college. You put your dreams on hold to take care of your family. And even if you did drop out of college or if you never go back, that does not make you a failure. No one should've ever said you'd fail because you are so strong and smart and you can do anything. Goin' after something you wanted was not a waste of money and just because you came home doesn't mean that your chance is over. You're not a failure. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop callin' my beautiful girlfriend names." By the end of my tirade, I finally got a smile out of her.

Bella leaned over and kissed my lips, holding my cheeks.

"Thank you, Edward."

Instead of responding, I kissed her again. My hands tangled into her hair while I began to pepper kisses along her jawline and neck.

"Beautiful." Bella sighed. "Brave." She hummed. "So selfless." A shiver left her. "Loving." My pecks trailed back up to her lips. I hugged her against me, burying my face in the crook of her shoulder. The moment to cuddle was much needed.

"What I'm tryin' to say is, Bella, you're perfect. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And I want to be here to remind you of that for as long as you'll keep me."

"I'm not really sure what I did to deserve you," Bella murmured, "but I'm keepin' you close for as long as I can."

The moment was intimate. Quiet and calm in the bed of the truck parked in the lot of an old gas station. I'd imagined the moment I felt closest to Bella would be romantic and there'd be candles, maybe some soft music and an expensive dinner. It would probably be after I presented her with some sentimental gift in a private setting. But it was here. And at this moment the confession that had been eating me from the inside out seemed to scream louder than usual.

"I love you, Bella."