A/N: I'm sorry to report that the site I used for playlists had changed their format. BOOOOOOO. I'll post the list of songs on my profile for those interested. Thanks to mariahajile for giving this one a double tap. xoxo

Chapter Thirteen

She huddled herself into Edward's back to avoid the freezing wind as they sped along the road. He was her shield, but she was cold in spite of the helmet. It was thrilling and scary to watch the darkened world whizzing past her. Her teeth rattled from the thunderous motorcycle engine, and she held him even tighter when they approached the cold, black river.

She wondered where he was taking her until the bike sputtered to a stop right in the middle of the Hudson Bridge. It was around 5AM and they were completely alone. Edward helped her down.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

He pointed out toward the grayish-orange light peeking up over the mountains. "We're going to watch the first sunrise of the New Year together."

He smiled after he said the words and slipped his fingers through hers. Bella felt her throat swell. She was overcome, once again, by the sweet honesty of this man. It was all so new and overwhelming. She turned to look at his profile. He was staring out at the horizon, his handsome face filled with peace and hope. She marveled at him. He had been through so much tragedy — that which she knew of and that which he still chose not to share — and yet he held this peace. It was contagious. Bella took a breath and relaxed, then shifted her gaze to the horizon, as well.

There was a sherbet-hued line at the base of the now midnight blue sky, and it was growing lighter each moment. Maybe she would grow lighter, too… Maybe Edward would be the person to drag her out from under the clouds she carried in her heart. She was tired of being lonely.

"Do you think everyone has a sad story?" she asked him.

He was pensive. "Yes. I do." He turned toward her and leaned against the steel rail. "I'd like to hear yours, when you're ready to tell me, Bella."

Keeping herself away from people and guarding her heart was all she knew. How could she share herself with him? She wasn't good enough for him. He was too kind. He may be broken, but he didn't let it ruin his view of the world. Bella had.

"My childhood was...not good, Edward. I know a lot of people can say that…"

He interrupted. "Don't disqualify yourself from feeling."

She nodded at his encouragement. "My father left us when I was young. I have two sisters and a brother. My sisters are older, and my brother is the youngest. My mom couldn't handle it and my sisters were never around. It was just me and Emmett in that house with my ill-equipped mother. She wasn't mentally healthy for a very long time. There were times when all the food was expired and there was no soap in the bathroom. When I would tell my mom we needed groceries, she would dig some freezer-burned atrocity out and hand us dish soap to bathe with. I did all I could to shield my brother, but it was… It was awful…" She broke into tears.

Edward put his arms around her and pulled her into him. She was carrying so much pain. This was something he knew, because he carried pain, too. His torture had been sudden, but hers had been long. He had been to war, but she had fought a battle.

He leaned down and kissed her tear-stained lips with a delicate touch, and she melted against him. She was surrendering herself to him. It was slow, but it was happening and he was grateful. He had no doubt that he could help her. He could shoulder some of her burden and maybe she could do the same for him.

He wanted to meet her halfway. He wanted to tell her about Vivian, and he wanted to tell her why he had started following her on the day the tree fell. Bella deserved to know. He broke away from her lips and smiled at her sorrow-filled face. It was glowing in the first light of day. He jerked his head toward the horizon.

"Look," he said. The golden sun had finally risen over the mountains and it was free to cast warm light over the frozen Northeast. It was ready to begin the New Year, and so was Edward. He was ready to tell share his deepest pain with Bella. He cared for her that much.

"I was married," he said.

She startled. He could feel her stiffen and try to pull away from his embrace. He expected this. She broke free from him and shook her head in disbelief. Out of habit, she dug in her pocket for the only thing that could relieve her stress and pulled out her pack of cigarettes, struggling to light one with shaking hands. He grabbed them from her and tossed them into the river. She stared at him, confused and enraged at his blasphemous action.

"Bella, my wife — my family — they died in a fire. They burned to death the day I returned from Afghanistan."