** I own nothing Twilight related. I do own a whole new set of split-ends that came from anxiously twirling my hair, trying to write this chapter.

Thanks to herinfiniteeyes for beta-ing. She got this chappie back to me within 24 hours! How awesome is that?!?

Thanks to ZephyerSky for listening to me whine. And for making an awesome banner for this story! Check out the link in my profile!

Please see the end for an important note. **

Chapter 13

Bella stood at the kitchen window and watched Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett playing football in the sand behind the house. She laughed softly as Emmett's cries of "foul" wafted toward the house on the breeze. Edward and Rosalie high-fived each other and huddled together for the next play. Out of the corner of her eye, she could just see Carlisle and Jasper on the back deck, standing over the grill, debating the best meat searing techniques.

Turning finally, she lifted the colander of newly clean strawberries and set them down on a towel to drip-dry. Alice and Esme sat at the kitchen island, Alice peeling apples and Esme mixing a marinade for the steaks. They were gossiping about someone that she didn't know, so Bella let her mind drift. She shivered slightly, remembering the minty, chocolaty taste of Edward's mouth when he kissed her that afternoon.

Realizing that the other two women had fallen silent, Bella looked up and blushed when she found them watching her.

"Well, that's a self-satisfied smile if I ever saw one," Alice winked, picking another apple from the bowl in front of her. Bella refused to answer, shaking her head and grabbing a handful of strawberries to begin cutting.

"So, Bella, no one's ever filled me in on how you met my son. Care to share?" Esme spoke up, saving her from Alice's interrogation. Bella smiled gratefully and launched in to the story of literally running into Edward the first night at the café.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

After dinner, following some good-natured teasing from Rosalie and Alice, the men offered to clean up the dishes. Bella stood and began to gather plates from the table, but Edward laid his hand on her shoulder and pushed her gently back down in her chair. "Sit. We've got this under control." He winked at her and balanced her plate on top of the stack already in his hands.

"Yeah, Bella, you don't have the right equipment to do that kind of work," Alice laughed, throwing Emmett's words back at him. He and Jasper had chased the women away from the deck, claiming that grilling was "man's work" and they didn't have the "right equipment."

Alice didn't see Jasper walk back out onto the deck until he reached around her to clear her plate. He tipped the plate precariously, threatening to tip the leftover food into her lap. She shrieked and threw herself back away from the table.

"Why, I'm sorry, babe. That plate almost got away from me." He spoke in his most innocent of drawls, smirking at Esme, Rosalie, and Bella who were laughing around the table. He bent and kissed Alice's cheek, nuzzling her ear until she forgave him and chuckled.

The sun transformed into a ball of flame as it sank lower in the sky.

"Maybe I should go check on them," Esme said intermittently, each time attempting to rise from her chair before Rosalie would grab her hand and tug her back down.

"Absolutely not, Esme. They were being jerks earlier and they need to pay the price."

Finally she had enough and bolted from her chair before Rose could grab her. "I'm not worried about them! I'm worried for my kitchen!" She called over her shoulder, exasperated, as she disappeared through the door.

Bella found herself laughing until tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to remember the last time she felt so relaxed or laughed so hard, but nothing came to mind.

Just as the darkness settled around them, Edward hurried out of the back door. He grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her excitedly towards the sand. "Come on!" He called over his shoulder, making Bella grin. He led her away from the others, down the beach until the water lapped softly at their feet. "The show should be starting soon."

He tugged Bella to stand in front of him and wrapped his arms around her. With a contented sigh, he let his chin rest on the top of her head. She could feel the steady thump of his heart against her back. She smiled to herself and let her hands rest on his sinewy forearms. The darkness settled over them and, unlike her first morning standing in this spot, the sands shifting under her feet didn't threaten her balance. Bella marveled at how solid Edward felt behind her, steadying and supporting her.

Stop being such a wuss and tell him already! She scolded herself.

She shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Bella," Edward whispered before she could make a sound. She turned in his arms to face him, smiling as she traced her fingertips across the waistband of his board shorts. He tangled his hands in her long hair and tilted her head back so that he could look at her. Joy bubbled up inside him and he felt like she was the only thing tethering him to the earth.

He loved her fiercely, wanting to simultaneously protect her and ravish her. He wanted cozy mornings snuggled in bed, delaying the start of the day. He wanted fiery nights tangled in her arms, tasting and caressing and soaring higher than the stars. He wanted more vacations with her laughter as the soundtrack. He wanted to come home every day and know that she would be there waiting for him.

He loved her.

"I love you," he blurted, and his eyes widened as he realized he'd said it out loud. Bella's grin faltered, but then burst back across her face like a ray of sun. She reached up and placed her hands on each side of his face.

"Good, because I love you too. And I'd hate to feel that way all by myself." He laughed and pressed her closer, peppering her face with small kisses. Just as he crushed his mouth to hers, the first of the evening's fireworks exploded into the night sky above them. "Well, now I guess I can say I see fireworks when you kiss me," Bella laughed, craning her head back to watch the colors flash and sparkle above them.

For the first time since he was a child, Edward didn't watch the Labor Day fireworks display over the water. Instead he watched her, kissing her neck as she craned her head towards the sky and toying with the ties on her bathing suit. He could not remember when he'd enjoyed a holiday more.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Seriously, the fact that you're watching me sleep is a little creepy." Bella opened one eye at Edward's quick snort of laughter. She had felt his eyes on her as she woke the next morning and her voice was still husky with sleep. Her face was half smashed into her pillow and she was pretty sure there was drool on her chin. Her hair felt like it was matted on top of her head. Edward thought she looked adorable.

She thought he looked like sin, shirtless with black ink across the skin over his heart and banded around his biceps, his green eyes glittering just inches in front of her face. He leaned forward and kissed her, morning breath and all.

"Good morning. We should probably get up. Emmett's going to be in a hurry to leave after we eat breakfast," he whispered, stroking his hand over her hip and nibbling at her mouth. Bella scooted closer to him and kissed him firmly, opening her mouth to caress his tongue with hers.

She pulled back slightly. "We're going to be late to breakfast, aren't we?" Her voice came out breathy and her heart pounded in her chest. Edward grinned.

"Looks like," he said, rolling her over until he was hovering over her.

"Good."

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Breakfast was a somewhat solemn affair. They were all tired and, true to Edward's prediction, Emmett was in a hurry to get on the road. They ate quickly and began to collect their belongings and pack their bags. Edward grabbed both of their bags and made his way out to Emmett's maroon Suburban to throw them in the back. Bella made to follow him, but Esme caught her on the front porch. She linked her arm easily through Bella's.

They watched Edward and Emmett debate the best way to pack the luggage in the back. Esme sighed and Bella saw tears in the older woman's eyes.

"Bella, I'm so glad you were able to come this weekend. It really was a pleasure to meet and get to know you." Esme smiled and Bella squeezed her hand.

"Thank you so much for inviting me, Esme. I've really enjoyed the weekend." She wondered if Esme understood how different her weekend could have been, holed up in her apartment doing her homework.

"I'm sorry you had to witness some of the tension between Edward and his father. It seems like every time they get in the same space, they have to fight to get it out of the way and then they're fine again," Esme sighed, shaking her head slightly. She wrapped her arm around Bella's shoulders. "I think you're good for my boy though. I hope you won't be a stranger." She smiled again and Bella could feel her cheeks heating at the praise.

"Thank you, Esme. I think he's good for me too."

Edward bounded back on the porch and swung his mother up into a hug. The rest of the group filed out the front door, with Carlisle bringing up the rear. They said their goodbyes and clambered into the large truck. Edward and Bella climbed into the very back, letting Alice and Jasper claim the middle seats and Rosalie the front passenger seat.

Emmett chose to forgo his normal ebullient music for Rosalie's quieter, more romantic melodies. They held hands across the front console and Bella could see him lift Rose's hand to plant kisses along her skin.

Jasper and Alice shared the ear buds to his MP3 player so they could watch a movie. They leaned in close and occasionally Jasper would close the distance to rest his cheek against her. Judging by Alice's giggles, whatever they were watching was very amusing.

Bella sat curled up beside Edward on the third seat. His head rested on her shoulder and she thought he was asleep. She held a book on her lap, but was content in just enjoying the quiet times with her new friends.

A/N: I know, I know. It was a short chapter. My sincerest apologies. I still hope you all liked it.

On that note, things are going to be getting darker and angst-ier soon. I hope you'll all trust me and hang in for the ride though. On the plus side, I'm much better at writing angst so the quality should improve. ;)

Voting in the For the Love of Jasper Contest opens next week around Oct 5th. I hope you'll check out my profile for the one-shots that I wrote for it and consider voting for one of them. =)