A/N: Sheesh! I'm officially the slowest proofer on the planet...this took me forever. I added about three pages though and had to stop to watch Eclipse (sigh) with my daughter who demanded that I spend some time off the laptop today. It was not against the rules for her to text her bff from her ipod touch all movie-long however. Whatever.

Thanks for reading...big, big thanks to the reviewers! And those of you who are rec'ing me elsewhere, thanks a million!

Chapter 14: A Sandy Eggo

I don't like surprises. I don't like them because, in my experience, more often than not they don't turn out to be good ones. The one sitting on the barstool beside mine could go either way, I guess… but if I was placing bets, I'd bet it will turn out to be a bad one, too.

I really don't like surprises.

The surprise sitting next to me is the man I met at Hale Software in New York. The hallway-lurking, ass-staring guy. What was his name? Jim….no, Johnny…. no, that's not right either. Damn.

"Yes, I'm Bella Swan. I recognize you, but I'm sorry, I can't remember your name," I say, turning my head a little farther and smiling despite the fact that this whole situation makes me uncomfortable.

"Jamie. Jamie Hale," he replies, extending his hand. Jamie! That's it. Wait… Hale? He's a Hale?

I plaster on my best fake smile as I shake his hand, pulling my hand away as quickly as I politely can. "Yes, of course. It's nice to see you again, Jamie. I didn't realize you were a Hale. I presume you're related to Jack then?" I ask.

Bright blue eyes bore into mine as he answers. "Yes, Jack is my uncle. Can I buy you a drink?" he asks, smiling. He's good-looking and he looks harmless… so why do I have that same funny feeling I had in New York? That feeling that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up… the feeling that lets you know something just isn't right.

I suddenly wish that I had remembered to ask Edward about him when we were in New York. After all the Rosalie drama that followed the board meeting, I forgot to tell Edward about the strange encounter I had with Jamie in the hallway. And the rest of that weekend was so wonderful that I never gave him another thought. Until right now.

"Oh, um, thanks, but I don't think I need another quite yet," I answer, holding up my half-full glass to show him. Tim the bartender fixes a scotch and water for Jamie and then leaves us alone, despite the desperate plea I make with my eyes for him to stay.

Shit! I glance around quickly, hoping to see Edward approaching, but no such luck. I'm not sure how to act with one of Edward's colleagues, even one that I don't think he cares much for; the glare Edward directed at Jamie in the boardroom in New York was lethal. But since I don't know for sure what Edward would want me to say, I use a classic diversion tactic – taking charge of the conversation and steering it where I want: the beautiful San Diego weather, when he got here, how long he's staying, what it's like living in New York. Luckily, he's egocentric enough that he lets me continue to ask questions, seemingly satisfied to talk about himself and not learn much about me for almost fifteen minutes.

As he talks, his eyes repeatedly rove over my body, consistently lingering on my chest. Feeling self-conscious, I sip my drink faster than I should and Tim appears with another drink for me without being asked. As before, thinking that I've found a friend, he winks at me and then disappears.

"We should have a toast," Jamie says, turning his stool to face me. He holds his new glass of scotch up toward me, waiting for me to raise mine in return before continuing. "To… unexpected meetings. They can provide a flood of valuable information." Ugh. Now I'm drinking a toast to surprises.

He taps his glass against mine, making the fine crystal chime prettily, and smiles at me. Although his smile looks normal, the look in his eyes seems contemptuous. I try to smile back, but when my lips refuse to turn upward, I take a sip of my drink instead, hoping to swallow down the bile I feel rising in my throat. While I'm busy drinking, his eyes rake up and down my body again, hesitating on my legs this time. Finally, his gaze drifts back toward my face, but I see it halt at my neck.

"That's beautiful… your necklace," Jamie says, leaning toward me to look at the silver "B" initial pendant I'm wearing. I'm sure it's not an accident that his fingers graze along the base of my throat before he lifts the necklace away from my skin. The way he handles it, pulls on it, causes me to instinctively swivel my barstool to face him, afraid he's going to break the chain if I don't. "A gift?"

"Yes," I reply, but don't give any further information. I got it from my dad for my last birthday. When he gave it to me, he said it was to remind me of who I am. I got a lot of those kinds of atta-girl, self-confidence-boosting gifts last year from my dad in the wake of everything that happened with Jake.

Jamie is still grasping the square disc as he lifts his eyes to mine again. "Beautiful," he repeats as I swallow nervously, clutching my glass with both hands.

At last, I hear the voice I've been longing for during the last twenty minutes.

"Bella, sweetheart, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Edward says evenly from behind me. Instantly, my eyes slide shut in relief, only re-opening when he steps up beside me and slides his arm around my waist, squeezing gently. I keep my eyes on Jamie, expecting him to move away from me immediately, but he doesn't. In fact, Jamie looks up at Edward tauntingly before carefully placing the pendant back against the hollow of my throat, pressing his fingers to my skin unnecessarily as he does. Finally, he sits up straight on his stool.

"Cullen," Jamie says, his pretty face twisted by his scornful smile.

"James," Edward answers, his voice still cool, his tone still level. "I wasn't aware you were attending this conference."

"No, I'm quite sure you weren't. Otherwise…," he remarks, breaking off with a derisive chuckle. He picks up his drink, draining the last of the amber liquid from the glass, resting his eyes on my body once more. He sets his glass down and licks the lingering wetness from his lips before lifting his gaze up to meet mine. "Well, I think I'll head out to the reception. Bella, our chat was extremely… stimulating," he says, then shifts his eyes to Edward's as his lips curl into a sneering grin. He gets up from his stool and disappears out the terrace doors without a backward glance at Edward and me. I finally set my drink down and rub my hands together briskly to warm them up.

"Edward, I –," I begin, but he silences me by moving in front of me and capturing my lips with his. He holds my face tenderly between his hands and kisses me several times, then kisses my forehead before sitting down on the stool James abandoned.

"Jesus, Bella, I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was here. How long were you stuck with him?" he asks anxiously. I tell him truthfully about meeting Jamie in New York and seeing him here again tonight. I also tell him how ill-at-ease I feel around Jamie. By the time I'm done speaking, Edward's face has settled into a deep frown. But I know he's frowning about Jamie, not about me.

"Well, he may try to get to you again since he knows we're here together. I'm sure I was his primary target this weekend, but I'm afraid now it will be you," Ned says with a deep sigh.

"So, I gather you two don't get along?" I ask, pushing my drink toward Edward when he motions toward the glass and raises his eyebrows questioningly.

He laughs bitterly. "That, Bella, is the understatement of the century," he says, his tone laced with animosity, as he takes a big swallow of my drink. He tilts the glass back and forth, watching the clear liquid swirling inside, and takes another sip before setting the glass back on the bar. Finally, he raises his eyes back to mine and continues. "James and I have known each other since we were kids. We never got along, but things went downhill fast when Jack gave me the position James wanted almost seven years ago."

"You became executive vice-president when you were twenty-four?" I ask incredulously.

He shakes his head sharply twice. "No, this was earlier in my career. Jack put me in a managerial position about two years after I started working at Hale. That position made me James' boss. James didn't like it," Edward explains, rubbing the fingers of one hand roughly back and forth across his forehead. "He tried repeatedly to exact revenge on me professionally, and when that didn't work, he decided to go after me personally… to go after the people I cared for."

I notice that Edward's right leg is now bouncing rapidly – that's a nervous habit I've never seen him display before. I hope I don't look as alarmed as I feel, but seeing Edward this rattled is causing the uncomfortable feeling I already had about Jamie to escalate into full-fledged fear. My heart is racing and I feel like I'm not breathing right.

"Go after people you cared for like who? Like your girlfriend?" I ask carefully, remembering a guy from high school who would always try to get other guys' girlfriends to cheat with him just to be an asshole. But Edward, I think, wouldn't be this unnerved about something like that.

Edward shrugs. "I didn't have a girlfriend at the time," he answers tightly, his leg still jumpy, his eyes now darting erratically around the bar, never landing on me. He picks my drink up again and finishes it, then flags Tim down to make him another.

I frown, confused. "Then how'd he go after you personall-," I begin, then gasp and cover my mouth with my hands as I finally get the puzzle pieces together in my head. Edward's gaze snaps back to meet mine immediately. "Oh, my God! Alice," I whisper behind my fingers. The eyes. The hair. Riley.

Edward nods stiffly. "Yes," he says cautiously, his dark green eyes holding mine captive. "He doesn't know about Riley."

Slowly, I lower my hands and lean toward Edward. "He used Alice to hurt you?" I ask lowly, my eyes narrowed in anger at this man who hurt two people who have become very important to me. In my head, I run through the self-defense moves my dad forced me to learn and wonder if I can take James down. I took my dad down last year, but he wasn't fighting me too hard. Jamie would probably not think twice about hitting me. Still, I think I might be pissed enough to do it.

"Yeah. She was a kid – not even twenty-one yet. He was twenty-six. He pursued her, romanced her, convinced her to keep it a secret from me, then talked her into bed… and had the pictures to prove it," Edward says quietly, looking down.

"Oh, Edward," I say, reaching for his hand and grasping it firmly. I can tell by his demeanor that he blames himself for what James did to Alice.

He shrugs one shoulder, feigning detachment, but he's clutching my hand so tightly it hurts a little. "He got what he wanted. I promoted him… I promoted him and transferred him to our offices in Dallas as soon as Alice found out she was pregnant," Edward says flatly. "By that time, she knew the truth about James and she didn't want him anywhere near the baby… neither did I."

Before I'm even aware of my intentions, I've launched myself at Edward, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Jesus, Edward. I'm so sorry," I say, holding him tightly and kissing the side of his head. I feel his arms come around me for a moment before they slacken and I get back on my own stool. He takes a deep breath and huffs it out harshly, then looks back up at me. He forces a smile onto his face and grazes the back of one hand across my cheek.

"We're not going to let him ruin this weekend for us, but stick close to me tonight, okay? Don't get trapped alone with him again, Bella. I don't trust him at all," he says, dropping his hand away from my face. He picks up the fresh drink and downs almost half of it before offering it to me sheepishly. "Sorry. I should have let you drink first."

Smiling, I shake my head at him. "It's okay. Are you sure you're feeling up to this tonight?" I ask. "Are you sure you want me to be your pretend girlfriend even though Jamie's here?"

He leans toward me to kiss me. "Yes," he says pulling back before kissing me again, "and yes. I'm calming down. James can't hurt me anymore and I won't let him hurt you. Let's go. I want to show off my fucking gorgeous pretend girlfriend."

He stands up and takes my hand as I step down from my barstool. He pulls it through his other arm to rest on his forearm and bends down to kiss the spot right in front of my ear.

"Ready, baby?" he asks quietly.

My heart rate accelerates again - not from fear this time - as I meet his eyes with my own. "Absolutely."

The cocktail party is elegant, held on the lawn just above the beach. When Edward and I get outside, it's almost sunset, so the light is beginning to wane. The lawn area is outlined with lit tiki torches which seem to glow brighter by the moment as the daylight fades. Edward and I mingle for the first hour of the party and he introduces me to everyone he talks to as his girlfriend. I'm constantly aware of Jamie's location, and I think Edward is, too, although he's less obvious about looking around than I am. Edward always steers us clear of Jamie's general vicinity. But Jamie catches me looking his way several times; each time, he winks at me, smiling haughtily.

Like Edward asked, I stay close to him, hanging onto his arm and reveling in the way he makes me feel protected, the way he pays attention to me. Edward's always attentive in private, but this is the first time we've been at a social function like this together. He leans down to listen to everything I say and often answers me with his lips brushing against my ear. He includes me in every conversation and looks at me adoringly when I speak. He's as good as Jasper is at looking like a love-struck, doting boyfriend.

When Tanya slithers up to join a conversation Edward is having with some guys from a computer hardware company, she looks at me with obvious dislike. I return the sentiment with my eyes even as my lips curl upward into a somewhat friendly smile. I note with glee that her champagne-colored dress doesn't look good with her skin tone and it's too tight across her hips. I keep the giggle to myself though.

Edward doesn't pay any attention to her except to say hello, and as we walk away from her minutes later, he lets his hand slip dangerously low on the curve of my ass. I don't even try to stop the giggle that time even though I look up at him and raise my eyebrows. "Really?" I ask snidely.

He winks down at me and shrugs, but moves his hand up to the middle of my back. "Sorry, Stel. I shouldn't do that to you in public, but she's such a bitch to you. I want her to know that I don't want anyone but you."

Well, hell. How am I supposed to argue with that?

Shortly after that, Edward introduces me to his college friend, Peter, and his wife, Charlotte. Charlotte and I hit it off immediately and the four of us spend the rest of the reception sitting together. When the reception is over, we move inside to the bar and I'm relieved when neither Jamie nor Tanya is around.

I'm having such a good time – and have such a good buzz going – that I don't realize it's getting close to midnight until Edward nudges me with his elbow. "Baby, I'm giving that presentation in the morning. I'd probably better go up," he says, sounding reluctant to ruin my fun.

"All right, bigshot," I say, leaning over to kiss him before standing up from the table. Peter stands to kiss my cheek and Charlotte and I hug, promising to see each other tomorrow. Then Edward and I walk up the old, creaky staircase to our room on the next floor.

As soon as the door's locked behind us, he grabs me.

"Hell, I didn't think I could wait one more minute," he growls, reaching for the zipper at my back. "You looked incredible tonight, but I want this off… now." As our lips meet passionately, he peels the dress from my shoulders and I push it the rest of the way down then push at his jacket. He drops his jacket to the floor as I tug his tie apart and start on the buttons of his shirt. He attempts to help, which leads to a lot of fumbling and hands getting in each other's way.

"Shit, we're clumsy," I laugh into his mouth as we finally get the shirt unbuttoned and off.

"Speak for yourself, Stel," he laughs back. "I'm extraordinarily coordinated. You were in the way." In my tipsy state, that comment pisses me off a little bit.

"Is that right?" I say, pulling back and arching one eyebrow at him. Smirking, he gets to work on his pants, quickly sliding them down his legs and then bending to slide off his shoes and socks along with them.

"Yep," he confirms as he walks toward me. I take a step backward for every step he takes forward. I know I'm getting close to the bed, but I'm not capitulating this easily.

His eyes dart to the side of the room and I turn my head to see what he's looking at, realizing too late that he's used one of the oldest tricks in the book. While my head is still turned, he doubles his advance, reaching me and wrapping me in his arms before I know what's hit me.

He lifts me and walks the few steps to the bed, lying me down crossways on it and following me down, straddling my legs. Reaching under me, he unhooks my bra and pulls it off, then leans down to kiss my lips. Despite my internal vow to make him suffer for his comment, as soon as our lips meet, I open mine and let him in. Tangling one hand in my hair and using the other to cradle my face, he kisses me feverishly.

Reaching my hands under his arms and around his back, I raise them to his shoulders then dig my nails in, scratching all the way down his back to the waistband of his boxer briefs… not too hard, but enough to cause a little discomfort. He arches his back slightly and moans into my mouth.

"Gonna play rough tonight, Stella?" he asks, panting into my mouth, his bright green eyes burning with intensity as he opens them to look at me.

"I'll play however you want, Ned," I answer, sliding my hands under the waistband of his briefs.

He pulls away from my mouth, sitting up on his knees, but careful to keep his weight off my legs. I move my hands to grip the tops of his thighs. He reaches for my breasts with both hands, holding his hands flat and using his palms to lightly graze my nipples with slow circles. Never breaking eye contact, he whispers, "I want to fuck you so hard you don't know where you are by the time I'm done."

I dig my fingernails into his legs as I moan and arch my back in response, trying to get more contact with his hands. He complies, grasping my breasts in his hands and pushing them together, then bending down to kiss and suck at my nipples.

"Fuck…. Edward," I groan, prompting him to suck harder before kissing a path up to my mouth. He lets go of my breasts and slides his hands into the hair on each side of my head. He puts his mouth on mine, but doesn't really kiss me. Looking into each other's eyes, we breathe hard into each other.

"Are you sure?" he asks. I nod jerkily, still trying to catch my breath. "You have to tell me if I'm too rough with you, okay?" I nod again, sliding one hand up to touch the side of his face. He lowers his mouth the last inch and kisses me so gently, so sweetly that I think he's changed his mind.

When he sits up again, his eyes rove my face, my upper body. He quickly scoots off the bed and slides his boxers off. Reaching forward, he grabs one side of my thong with his hands, jerking once sharply and smiling as the thin strings tear. He repeats the action on the other side, then tosses the now-useless scrap of fabric to the floor beside him. Looking into my eyes, he slowly skims his hands down the outside of my legs until he gets to my ankles and the strappy heels I'm still wearing.

"These," he tells me as he grasps a foot with each hand, "stay on. Roll over."

I roll onto my stomach and Edward immediately grabs my ankles and pushes my legs apart. He traces a finger over a spot on my behind then leans down over me and kisses the same spot. "I marked you earlier. I didn't mean to, but it looks so fucking good, I might do it again," he says lowly, climbing onto the bed in between my legs. He pulls at my hips until I raise them off the bed, scooting up onto my knees. But when I try to raise onto my arms, too, Edward pushes gently between my shoulder blades and says simply, "No."

He barely lets me get balanced on my knees and elbows before he thrusts into me. I inhale sharply and push back against him. He pulls almost all the way out and slams into me again. I whimper and grip the edge of the mattress with my fingers.

"Christ, Stel, you're so fucking tight this way," he whispers, holding still for a moment and using his hands to gather my hair and toss all of it over my left shoulder. He brushes his hands down my back then around my sides to grasp a breast with each hand. Several times he slides out and crashes back into me, using his grip on my breasts to pull me back toward him. I moan quietly each time. When he releases my breasts and uses his hands to span the sides of my waist, I try to push up again with my arms.

"I said no, Bella," he says again, thrusting into me harshly again. Tightening his grip on my waist, he speeds up, thrusting shallowly and quickly as I gasp underneath him.

"Edward….God…. please," I mumble, barely able to speak coherently.

"Please what? Let you come?" he growls, still moving rapidly in me.

"Mmm… please," I beg again, he thrusts once deeply then holds still. Sliding one arm all the way around my waist in front, he runs the other hand down the back of my left leg and grabs hold of my foot. He lifts gently, pulling that knee up off the bed a few inches, thrusting shallowly into me again as I try to keep my balance. When my right leg begins to tremble slightly from the strain, he stills again and lowers my knee back to the bed.

"Jesus Christ, you're perfect," he mutters. He lets go of my foot and wraps his left arm around my waist, moving his right hand to knead my right thigh soothingly for a moment. "I'm going to make you come now, baby. I wish we were home so you could scream for me, but you're gonna have to be quiet, okay?"

I whimper and nod in response as he tightens the arm around my waist and slides his right hand up my inner thigh, straight to my clit. He begins thrusting slowly at first, his fingers mimicking the same speed, until I move my hips faster, trying to goad him into moving at the same pace. Finally, he speeds up and after only a few more thrusts, I cry out quietly, calling his name as I come undone. Bracing his left arm on the bed, he leans down across my back and I can feel the sweat on his chest as he gently bites my left shoulder, sucking at my skin until he feels my orgasm subside.

He stays there for a few more seconds before pushing back on his knees, scraping his fingernails lightly down my back and causing more fissures of pleasure to explode in me. He pulls out of me completely and scoots back, then helps me roll to my back. I push my hair away from my sweaty forehead as he settles his body between my legs and kisses me leisurely, letting me recover. One of his hands is buried in my damp hair and I instinctively reach to his, glad that he is just as sweaty from exertion as I am.

We move our hips in unison, but he doesn't enter me. When he kisses down my neck to my chest and licks a swirling path around first one nipple then the other, I moan, long and low. His answering moan is muffled as he pulls my nipple into his mouth sucking so hard that it's a tiny bit painful.

"Oh, God…. Edward…. Edward," I groan, still gripping his hair with one hand. I reach for his arm with my other hand, wrapping my fingers around his bicep and then sliding down, squeezing his forearm before finding his hand. He slides his fingers between mine and we each hold tightly as he presses our joined hands to the mattress.

Abruptly, Ned raises back up onto his knees, his eyes seeking mine again. He pulls our joined hands to his mouth and kisses my fingers before letting go of my hand. He pushes my left leg in toward my chest and then pulls my foot up to his shoulder, pausing to kiss the arch of my foot through the straps of the shoe. He bends my right leg at the knee, pushing it out slightly to the side but hooking my foot around the back of his thigh.

When he lines up and pushes slowly into me, I gasp and arch my back, letting my eyes slide closed. He doesn't go slowly at all this time, immediately increasing his pace and ramming into me again and again. I push my left hand into my hair, humming softly. Edward grunts with every stroke. After a minute, I feel his hand move to where we're joined and open my eyes to find him watching us.

When he sees me looking at him, his face softens and his pace slows. "Put your hand here with mine, Stel. Feel how perfectly we fit," he whispers hoarsely. Unable to deny him, I lower my hand until he grabs it with his and holds our twined hands around him as he moves in and out of me.

"Ned… I… oh, God," I pant. I can't keep my eyes open anymore.

"Baby," he answers, picking up the pace again. We both let go – then he wraps his hand around my right thigh helping me hold it in place. I reach down beside me and grasp the sheet tightly. "Do you still know where you are?"

"Yes. San Diego. Hotel Del. It's haunted, you know," I ramble.

"Oh, fuck, Bella. Are you trying to kill me – giving me trivia now?" he groans, but he sounds amused.

"I thought you liked it," I blurt out.

"You know I fucking do," he answers gruffly. Gripping both of my thighs for leverage, he pumps into me even faster. After another minute he tries again. "Where are you?"

Eyes still shut tightly, I shake my head. "I don't know," I answer breathily. "I don't care."

"Jesus, I'm so close," he says, thrusting harder into me as he slides his fingers to my clit and rubs in quick, tight circles. I was close, too, so it only takes a couple of strokes before my back arches and I huskily call his name. I feel him jerk in response and hold himself still, pressed all the way inside me.

A moment later, he turns his head and kisses my calf and ankle as he gently removes my shoe and tosses it to the floor behind him before gently lowering my leg back to the bed. He reaches for my other foot and discards that shoe, too, then lowers his still-sweaty chest to mine. I slide my arms around his back and tug, trying to let him know that I want his weight on me.

"I'm too heavy for you, baby," he whispers, pressing his lips to mine.

"Just for a minute," I plead, sighing contentedly into his mouth when he acquiesces. After a few minutes, he pulls back and suggests we move to lay the right way in the bed, claiming that he'll fall asleep and suffocate me if he doesn't move now.

We settle on our sides facing each other, our faces close together. He reaches a hand over to rest against my neck and leans forward to kiss me once. Then he rests his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. I hear him swallow before he speaks.

"Bella, no one else has ever known all my secrets," he whispers.

I pull my head back and his eyes snap open. "I won't tell anyone," I assert, raising my hand to grasp his forearm and looking at him intently.

He smiles softly at me. "I know, baby. That's not what I meant. I meant that I've never trusted anyone, talked to anyone, the way I do you," he says. Too choked up to respond, I simply nod my head and scoot closer to him, resting my head against his chest. I'm asleep before the tears on my cheeks have dried.

Saturday morning, Ned and I eat breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. We sit on the outdoor terrace drinking coffee when we're done, Edward looking over his presentation on his laptop while I read the newspaper. He glances over at me often, smiling or making a quick comment about something… nothing. I try not to interrupt him since he's working, but he beckons me closer several times, acting like he wants to show me something on the laptop and then kissing me instead. I pretend to fall for it every time, even though by the fourth time he does it, we're both laughing as we kiss.

When the conference begins, I watch Edward's presentation, smiling proudly without having to act at all. I knew he was smart, but he's also captivating in front of a crowd. He definitely puts my public speaking skills to shame. Jamie and Tanya are both in the room, but Edward made sure I had a seat in the front so I wouldn't have to look at either of them. Charlotte sits beside me and we sneak out when Edward's done after I blow him a kiss and give him a thumbs up. He winks back at me, smiling.

Charlotte and I go for a walk on the beach and then sit in the sun while we wait for the conference to end. I like her very much and feel kind of bad that Edward and I are deceiving her and Peter… especially when she invites me to come visit them in Chicago in October – with Edward.

"Please, Bella. It will be so much more fun if you come," she pleads. "Usually Edward and Peter retell the same college stories over and over. You have to save me!" She pauses to laugh and grasp my hand. "Plus, Edward seems so happy around you. It's really nice to see him like this."

"Thanks, Charlotte. I… we'll see. I'm not even sure he'll want me to come," I hedge. "October is a really busy month for me anyway."

"Oh, right. Everybody knows October is notoriously busy for ad agencies. Kind of like April for accountants, huh?" she deadpans, knowing that I'm being noncommittal on purpose. We laugh together and trade contact information so we can keep in touch. I promise to think about Chicago.

Just after two o'clock, the conference wraps up. Edward and Peter want to charter a boat and cruise around for the afternoon. Charlotte and I excitedly agree, eager to spend the afternoon in the sun with the guys. We have a great time and Charlotte takes pictures all afternoon, promising to email them to me when she gets home.

When we get back to the docks after sunset, we're all tired so we skip dinner and go straight back to the hotel. Since our flight is early on Sunday, Charlotte and I hug goodbye in the lobby.

"It seems silly to say I'll miss you, but, Bella, I will," she says with a giggle.

"I know it's silly, but I'll miss you, too," I answer, as we continue hugging and swaying back and forth.

"I wish you could see the guys. They're looking at us like we're fucking nuts," she whispers and we both laugh loudly. I turn my head slightly, but can't see either of the guys standing a few feet behind me. "Think about October, okay?"

"Okay," I answer. We let go, promising to keep in touch with email and phone calls, and Edward takes my hand to pull me toward the staircase.

"You all right, Stel?" he asks as we walk down the hallway toward our room. I haven't spoken since I let go of Charlotte.

"Yeah. I just really like her… well, them," I answer softly. When we get to the door, I lean my back against it and look up at Ned, blocking the handle so he can't unlock it. "Don't tell them, okay? I mean, later. Please don't tell them it was all pretend," I beg, embarrassed that my eyes are tear-filled, my voice strained.

In an instant, his arms are around me and I'm crying quietly into his chest. I feel his lips press several kisses in my hair.

"I won't tell them, Stella," he says, rubbing my back gently. He unlocks the door and leads me inside, then sits on the bench at the end of the bed and pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me.

"Shh, baby. It's okay," he murmurs.

"I know. I'm sorry. I think I have sunstroke or something," I mumble, finally getting my emotions under control. He chuckles into my hair and kisses my forehead.

"It's been an eventful weekend, yeah?" he muses. I nod against his chest. "But, Bella, it's been a really good weekend. I've had a great time with you and I'm so glad you came with me."

"Me, too," I sigh. "Thank you, Ned," I say, wrapping my arms around his neck to hug him. When I pull back to look in his eyes a minute later and then lean in to kiss him, I feel a twinge in my chest that I know isn't sunstroke… but I lose myself in the kiss, unwilling to dwell on the rising tide within.

I'm curled into Edward's side, snuggled up against him. He fell asleep fast tonight – usually I'm asleep first. But not tonight. Tonight I can't turn off my brain. It's going 100 miles an hour.

I flop onto my back and stare up at the ceiling of Ned's bedroom. Why can't I just fall asleep? Truthfully, it hasn't been a very eventful week. We've been back from San Diego for five days and have been together every night. Nothing big happened at work. Jasper and Emmett blew off our regular dinner to play golf and have dinner with some potential client.

Edward is leaving for Europe tomorrow night. Maybe that's what's bugging me. I knew this big overseas trip with Jack was coming up, knew they had meetings in Paris and London. He'll be gone seven nights… we haven't spent that many nights in a row apart since we met. That makes me sigh loudly.

I toss and turn a little, hoping Edward will wake up and wear me out so I can sleep, but he's really out. He fell asleep while I was still wearing pajamas – which never happens unless Riley's here, but she's not here tonight. Turning back onto my side, I stare at Edward for a while in the moonlight, trying to memorize every feature, learn every nuance of his face. I'm the sleeper around here, so I don't get this luxury of looking without him knowing very often.

At two-thirty, I decide to go drink some hot tea, hoping to lull my brain into shut-the-hell-up-it's-sleepy-time mode. After I'm settled on the couch downstairs, my legs covered with the blanket from the back of the couch and my feet propped on the coffee table, I sip my tea, looking out the window at the street.

My car isn't out there anymore. I park in the garage now when I stay here. On the front porch are planters that I planted flowers in, the porch swing that I helped Ned pick out. Out back, Riley's playhouse has dishes and play food that I bought for her and that she and I play with when she comes over. I've given her baths, let her do makeovers on me, played dress up with her, and gotten comfortable snuggling on the couch with her. I smile every time I think of her.

"Stel? What are you doing?" Edward asks sleepily from the stair landing behind me.

"I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to wake you," I say, turning my head as he approaches me from behind. I hear the quiet scrape of his fingernails against skin and know he's scratching his belly the way he does every time he wakes up. I stretch, he scratches. I smile as he comes into my field of vision and confirms what I thought.

"Can I sit with you?" he asks.

"Of course," I say. He sits down a little way away from me and lays down, resting his head in my lap.

"Is this okay?"

"Absolutely, Ned," I say, smiling down at him and immediately putting my hands on him. I rest one hand on his chest and tangle the other in his hair, running my fingers through it slowly, gently. He closes his eyes, smiling too, and I turn to look out the window again.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks after a few minutes.

I shrug even though his eyes are still closed. "A bunch of stuff. Riley."

He chuckles. "Why her?"

"I love her."

"I know you do. She loves you, too," he says, reaching a hand up to grasp the hand I have resting on his chest. He intertwines our fingers and squeezes gently.

"It snuck up on me, you know? She just plopped herself into my heart the same way she plopped herself into my lap the first day I met her," I say, smiling at the memory.

He laughs before he answers me. "She's that way. Does it bother you?"

"No… no. It bothers me that I'm 26 years old and never knew that I like kids. I never thought I would want any – and I was always okay with that." I gnaw a little on my bottom lip, suddenly nervous, knowing something big is brewing in my chest.

"And now you want them?" he asks, sounding surprised.

"I don't know. Maybe. Now I feel like I have options that I didn't before," I say honestly.

"Bella, you'll be a great mom if you ever decide to be one," he says, opening his eyes and tipping his head back to look up at me.

"Thanks, Ned," I say, smiling softly down at him. He closes his eyes again, smiling, and I turn back toward the window. Several minutes pass with neither of us talking as I continue idly fingering his hair.

I look back down at him. I barely contain the big sigh as I finally admit to myself why I can't sleep: him. Riley's not the only one who snuck up on me. My friendly affection for Ned is now not so friend-ly. It's more.

"Edward?" I whisper, hoping not to wake him if he's asleep.

"Hmmm?" he says sleepily, raising his eyebrows partway but not opening his eyes.

"Do you remember that first night – the night we met?"

"Vividly," he murmurs, his lips curling into an amused smirk.

I chuckle quietly. "Remember when you asked me if meeting you was a good thing or a bad thing?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes. You told me you'd let me know," he replies.

"I'm ready to let you know," I say.

"Okay. Shoot," he says, laughing lightly.

I silently blow out a shaky breath. "Edward Cullen, meeting you is one of the best things that's ever happened to me," I say softly, struggling to get the words out without releasing the sobs that want to come out, but unable to stop my voice from breaking slightly at the end. Edward opens his eyes and looks up at me, then squeezes the hand he's holding and pulls it to his lips to brush his lips over my palm.

Edward sits up and untangles the blanket from around my legs, removing it and tossing it to the other side of him. He scoots closer to me and then leans in to kiss me. He pulls back far enough to look into my eyes as he speaks.

"Isabella Swan, meeting you is absolutely the best thing that's ever happened to me," he says quietly, making me smile. He smiles against my lips as he leans back in to kiss me again. "I want you. I want you slow and sweet and until the sun comes up. Come back to bed?" I nod and he stands, offering me his hand and pulling me up.

Much later, when Edward's room begins to brighten at sunrise, we lie facing each other, both of us smiling sleepily as I arrange the sheet and comforter over us. Several minutes ago, I agreed with Edward's assessment that we got a lot of exercise overnight and we don't need our regular Saturday morning run. I force my eyes to remain open after his slide closed so I can study him for another minute. Lazily, I let my eyes rove over his hair, his face, his neck, his shoulders. I reach my hand over to gently cup the side of his face, stroking his cheekbone slowly with my thumb. He sighs contentedly, but doesn't open his eyes.

The tears I've held for several hours make their way down my cheeks at last as I look at him. I'm not sure exactly when this happened… I won't allow myself to dissect the last several weeks and try to pinpoint it. It doesn't matter anyway when it happened, just that it did. I know I can't tell him how I feel – he'll run away the same way he runs from every emotion that involves anyone except Alice and Riley. I know I'll go back to denying my feelings for him by the time I wake up later today because I also run from emotion that doesn't involve Jas and Em. But right now, in this moment, I can finally acknowledge the emotion I've pushed away for weeks: I'm in love with him.