Thank you all so much for the reviews! Some of you don't have an account, so I can't reply to your review. :(

But I read every single review and respond to the ones I can respond to!

I got to update quicker this time, because I had 5 days off of school for Thanksgiving! Did you guys stuff your faces on Turkey Day? I ate so much! (And I enjoyed every second of it.)

Okay, on with the story!

-JayBee

EPOV

I loved Sundays. They were almost always bum days, where I just sat around doing absolutely nothing.

"Oh! Edward, you have to see this."

My father flipped back a few channels until he got to the show he wanted me to see.

"Cocaine Cowboys?"

"This is amazing. The money they made from selling…wow. It's unbelievable. They made Miami what it was in the '70s and '80s, all from the drug trade."

I looked at my father quickly before looking back at the TV. Did he know? I dismissed that idea as quickly as it came to mind. There was no way he would've found out.

I laid back on the couch, stretching out my legs. My dad set the remote on the table and sat back on the couch next to mine.

The documentary was actually incredible. I mean, these men made so much money that they literally ran out of places to put it. They bought jets, helicopters, actual jaguars – yes, the
fucking animal – and still, they couldn't spend their money fast enough. They hid the extra money they had in places like under their lawn turf, simply because they had nowhere to put
the money. I was in shock. If they needed to get the coke across country borders, no problem – they would give the duffle bags filled with the drugs to cops – COPS! – pay the cops some
ungodly amount of money, and that was it. The bags were put in the trunks of the cop cars, and the cops would take the bags across the borders. It was as simple as that.

"Everybody has a price," one of the sellers said.

I'd heard that before, but never really believed it. I thought there must be so many people out there who would never give something up or do something against their beliefs for money.

After seeing part of this documentary, I wasn't so sure anymore.

"Dad, remember –"

I was so engrossed in the show that I didn't even noticed he'd gotten up. I heard him talking excitedly, and looked over to the front door. He was talking to someone, but I couldn't see
who, and I didn't hear a voice.

As soon as I heard my father say, "Yeah, he's right here," I turned off the TV and sat up. Who would be here on a Sunday?

I looked toward the door and couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face as Bella walked toward me.

She stood between my legs, looking down at me.

I gave her a questioning look when I saw my dad walk outside and close the door behind him.

"He's going to meet up with your mom for lunch."

"Ah." She rested her hands on the back of my neck as I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her stomach. She let out a small giggle and I smiled brightly at her. She bent down
to give me a kiss and put her hands on my chest as she pushed herself back up.

"Bells, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

I dropped my voice down, speaking just loud enough for her to hear. Alice and Em were upstairs, and they didn't need to hear this.

"Did you tell anyone about…you know. What happened?" I tried not to sound accusing. I know she wouldn't tell anyone. I just had to be sure.

She looked worried and I felt my heart sink.

"No. Why? What happened?"

"Nothing." I waited for her expression to soften a bit before I continued. "My dad just told me to watch this documentary about the drug trade in 1970s Miami. It was about cocaine. So I
thought maybe…I don't know. He knew or something."

She placed one of her hands on my cheek, and I leaned into it, loving the heat of her hand against my skin.

"I didn't tell anyone, and I promise you, I won't tell anyone without letting you know. Baby, if he knew, he wouldn't play games with you like that – making you watch shows and hinting
at it. He's your dad. He would confront you about it, don't you think? He'd be worried."

Hearing her say it out loud took my worries away, and I pulled down onto my lap, thanking her with a kiss as I wrapped my arms around her. I looked down in her lap, and brought of her
hands up, kissing the fading marks on her wrists. I gave her an apologetic look. I couldn't explain to her how sorry I was and how bad I felt. It tore me up inside to know I'd done that to her.

"It's okay, Edward. They're almost gone."

I shook my head slowly. "Stop saying it's okay. It's nowhere near okay."

"It's been over a week. I told you…bruises fade."

"And I told you…your memory of it won't." I would never forget it either. She couldn't keep blowing this off like it was nothing. "What did you tell your dad?"

I felt even worse when she wrapped her arms around my waist. It was so obvious that she was doing it because she didn't want me to keep looking at the bruises. I didn't want her
hiding any part of herself from me.

"He doesn't know. I just kept wearing long-sleeved shirts until they faded enough for him not to notice."

"I don't want you hiding things from him just because of me."

She narrowed her eyes and smirked, making me automatically smile in return. "Edward, get real. You know I don't tell my dad every single thing that happens in my life. If I
did, you and every other guy I've dated wouldn't be alive right now."

I let out a small laugh as I looked into the beautiful warm color of her eyes.

I felt my mouth pull down into a frown. "Bells, I'm scared."

"About what?"

"This whole…situation."

She let out a small sigh. "Are you afraid I won't be able to help you?"

I wanted to tell her that was a ridiculous thought, but I would be lying.

I was as honest as I could be. "With the control you have over me, if anyone could help me, it would be you."

"What if I can't do it?" She sounded so concerned, and I couldn't stand knowing that she was feeling anxious because of my own personal problems.

"Don't worry…please…don't feel pressured."

She didn't say anything, and I left it at that. I had no idea what I could say to make her feel better. I didn't want to go to rehab. I didn't want to just drop everything in my life and
leave everyone.

We sat on the couch for a few minutes, holding each other, my face buried in Bella's hair as I breathed in her scent.

When she spoke, her voice was quiet, as if she didn't want to disturb the peace.

"Edward."

"Hm?"

"Happy birthday, love."

I kissed her cheek softly, letting my lips linger there. "Thank you."

I didn't expect her to forget, but it meant a lot to me that she remembered.

She moved to get up, and I reached my arms out to pull her back down. I missed her embrace already. "Come back." I pouted up at her, hoping it would have the same effect on her as
her pouts did on me.

Of course, I had no such luck. All she did was laugh. "You're too cute, Edward. Close your eyes."

I cocked an eyebrow at her, skeptical as to what she was going to do. "Am I going to open them, only to be tied to this couch?"

"Would that be so bad?"

I pretended to think about it before answering. "Not if you were the one to do it." I smiled up at her, glad to see her happy again.

"Hmmm…I'll keep that in mind. For now, close your eyes, mister." She pointed a finger at me, but I just sat there, staring at her and thinking of what she had just said. Please, God, have
her tie me down someday soon…

"Please?" She pouted, and my eyes immediately closed shut.

I heard her feet patting on the ground as she walked away, and peeked open an eye to see that she was walking toward the front door. She grabbed something from the ground and
turned around. I closed my eye quickly and hoped that she didn't see me looking.

"Cheater!"

I laughed and tried to play innocent. "What? I didn't see anything! …Can I open my eyes now?"

She slapped my shoulder lightly. "No. You don't get your present now."

I opened my eyes slowly and looked down at the blue gift bag she was holding. "Bells, why did you get me something?"

"Because I love you. And it's your birthday. And you never let me get you anything! Okay, close your eyes again."

I sighed and did as she said. I heard the sound of tissue paper ruffling around, and as much as I didn't want her spending her money on me, I was excited to see what she'd gotten me.

"Okay. Open them."

My jaw dropped when I opened my eyes. I shot up off the couch.

"Bella!"

"Happy birthday!"

"Baby! Oh my God! This is the best present ever! EVER!"

I looked at her big smile. I couldn't stop repeating 'Oh my God.' I couldn't believe she got this made!

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a white Rangers jersey. I saw the number '99,' and expected to see 'GRETZKY' on top.

I was in shock when I saw the name on the jersey.

'CULLEN' was sewn across the top, and I had no idea how to react. This had to the best gift I'd ever received.

"Bells, this must've been so expensive." This had to have been over $250 all together.

The number '99' didn't even exist in the NHL anymore. They retired it from the entire league in honor of Gretzky when he retired. She got the number and the name
customized…This girl was incredible.

She knew what I wanted better than I did.

"I don't wanna hear anything about the price. I'm just glad you like it."

"It's prefect. Better than perfect. I…don't know what to say. Thank you!"

She laughed and gave me a kiss as she handed me the jersey. "You're welcome. You had a home jersey, so I thought an away jersey would be good."

"Baby, a bobble head would've been good. This is…fucking amazing."

I looked at the name on the jersey one last time before I put it on over my t-shirt. I held my arms out in front of me. A perfect fit.

I never wanted to take this thing off.

I held Bella's small hands in mine and leaned down to give her a kiss. "Thank you so much. I love you."

"I love you, too. And as much as I hate seeing these jerseys, you look so…appealing in them."

I had to let out a laugh. "Appealing?"

"Yes. Appealing." She pulled at the strings by the collar of the jersey. "And do you know how embarrassing it was to buy a Rangers jersey?"

"We live in New York and you're a Devils fan! You should be embarrassed to wear your jersey."

I stuck my tongue out at her and her jaw dropped as she gasped. "Never. Take it back."

I put a finger on my chin, pretending to consider it. "Um….no."

I saw her face light up as she thought of something. "Okay. I'll drop it. But only if you let me pay for dinner tonight."

I loved that she knew we were going to dinner tonight without me even mentioning it.

I raised my eyebrows and gave her an attitude. "Well, what makes you think you're coming to dinner? It's a family dinner."

I tried not to laugh as her face went from playful to sad in half a second.

"Oh. I…um…sorry."

"Bella, I'm joking! Are you insane? You thought you weren't invited to dinner? My family would gladly kick me out if it meant they could have you instead." I kissed the top of her
head and wrapped my arms around her. "Sorry, though. Em and Alice already said they were paying for dinner tonight. …I guess you can split it with them if you want to."

I knew she would say no; I didn't want her to pay for a third of my entire family's tab anyway.

"Nooo. I want to pay for an entire date. I don't want to split it with other people."

"Baby, spend your money on yourself. Not on me."

"But I want to. You always pay for everything."

"Because you're my little Bella."

"I just want to treat you for once."

I pulled her to my chest and kissed the top of her head again. "You will. I told you. I promise." I would just put it off as long as I could.

She grabbed my hand and picked up the gift bag before pulling me toward the stairs. "What are you doing?"

"You're gonna change, we're gonna go to Dunkin' Donuts, and I'm gonna buy you something to drink."

I trotted along as she dragged me up the stairs. "But you don't like Dunkin' Donuts."

"But you love it."

"Can we take Emily?"

She turned around rolled her eyes. "Yes, Edward. We can take your sexy car."

Damn straight Emily was sexy.

When we got to my room, I changed into some jeans and kept the jersey on. I walked behind Bella as we went downstairs and out the front door.

The drive to Dunkin' Donuts was quiet, and I enjoyed it.

When we got there, Bella ordered for me. She hesitated before paying, and I knew she was waiting for me to oppose. I just stood there, acting like I didn't know what was
going on, trying not to laugh at her.

I looked down at the table as we sat. All she had in front of her was iced tea – the only drink she liked here. In front of me, on the other hand, was a large coffee, sausage,
egg, and cheese on a croissant, a strawberry frosted donut, and a flatbread sandwich with cheese.

Dunkin' Donuts wasn't really expensive, and it was way cheaper than Starbucks. I didn't mind letting her pay just this once.

"So, we're even now?" I took a bite of the flatbread sandwich as I looked at her.

"Nope. This isn't a date. And today doesn't count. This is just…stuff for you on your birthday." She smiled sweetly as she took a sip of her iced tea.

I ate everything but the donut. I saved that for Bella. She loved donuts, and for a moment I wondered why she didn't get any.

I held it out toward her.

"No, thanks. Those are so…fattening." She scrunched up her face.

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

She laughed and took the donut, thanking me.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"For the food. And for eating."

"For eating?"

I smiled at the confused look on her face. "Yeah. Thank you for not being one of those girls who always worries about her weight."

"I worry…"

"Ha! You haven't seen worry. Remember when I dated Tanya?"

She made a face. "Yeah."

"Remember when I broke up with Tanya because I said she was too clingy?"

"Yeah."

"It wasn't because she was too clingy. Well, yeah, she was too clingy. But I broke up with her because she talked about her weight so damn much."

I watched her as she tucked her hair behind her ear and took a bite of the donut. "Tanya wasn't fat." Her words were muffled by the donut, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I know! I hated having to always tell her that. So again, thank you. For eating junkfood and not complaining all the time." Yeah, Bella brought up her weight a few times in the
time I knew her, but a few times was nothing. I understood that girls worried. Even guys worried. But I was so glad that Bella wasn't always concerned with that shit. If she
wanted a donut, she ate a fucking donut.

"I'm sorry."

I cocked my head. "For what?"

She played with her straw as she looked at her drink. "That night. When you said you were sick of always having to comfort me when I cried. I'm sorry. I shouldn't cry for
everything. I just…I don't know. I can't really help it, I guess. And –"

I held her hands in mine. "Look at me, Bella."

She mumbled another "sorry" before looking up.

"No. No sorries. Don't apologize for crying. Don't apologize for looking away. I should have explained this to you. I don't ever want you to look away from me because it makes
me feel like you're uncomfortable around me. I don't ever want to see you cry because it breaks my heart to know that you're sad." I felt so bad for ever thinking her crying was
annoying. Yes, she did get emotional over small things. But that was her. I was in love with her, in love with who she was. I don't just love certain parts of her. I love all of her. Even
when she cries over small things, even when she annoys the hell out of me, I love her.

She always calmed me down when I cried or got angry. And did she ever complain? No.

I rubbed my thumb over her hand. "I was such a dick that day, Bella. Don't ever believe anything I said when I…had you against…when I was holding you…don't ever believe that
anything I said was true." I wanted to ask her to never mention that day again, but I knew it would be a wasted effort. She had every right to speak about it as much as she wanted
to. I would never forgive myself for what I did to her that day, and she deserved an explanation for my actions. The only problem was that nothing could justify what I did.

I smiled at her sadly as I intertwined our fingers. She said a simple "okay" before we got up to leave.

I don't know how it happened, but after that day, we had absolutely no arguments – except when we just joked around – and we became even closer. I couldn't believe that after
all these years, we could still become closer. This wasn't the first time I was surprised by this, and it made me wonder how much stronger our relationship could get.

My relationship with Bella didn't scare me anymore. I loved being this close to her. There was nothing scary about it, and I scolded myself for ever thinking otherwise.

This was my Bella.

I could never get tired of thinking that.

We decided to go over her house, and sat in the kitchen as Charlie ran around the house looking for his fishing rod.

He kept flitting in and out of the kitchen, asking us if we'd seen it.

"Guys, is it by the –"

Bella's laugh cut him off. "Dad, it's not gonna appear out of thin air if it wasn't here the first ten times you asked!"

He left again, going upstairs. Bella and I both looked up at the ceiling as we heard his footsteps move from room to room.

Bella bent her head down to take another sip of her iced tea.

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "You still haven't finished that thing?"

She shook her head and smiled around the straw.

"Let me help you finish it."

"No!" She pulled it toward her and hovered around it protectively as I reached out for it. "You'll finish it in one gulp."

I laughed as I sat back against my chair.

She brought the cup back up, putting it on the table and –

"Stop it."

She mumbled a "stop what?" before smiling around the straw again, this time looking up at me.

She knew exactly what.

I leaned in, whispering through my teeth. "Stop deep-throating the fucking straw!" I didn't want to sound mean, but she couldn't play games with me in her kitchen while her dad
was running around the house.

She pulled her head up slowly when she heard Charlie coming back down the stairs, and I silently thanked him for coming into the kitchen.

"I found it! I'll be back tonight, Bella." He turned around to leave, only to turn back around when Bella spoke.

"Oh, dad! I'm going out to eat with the Cullens tonight. For Edward's birthday."

His head snapped toward me, and he took a step forward, patting me on the back. "Happy birthday, son."

"Thank you, sir."

After he left, Bella bent her head back down, and I grabbed her head from both sides.

"Don't. Even. Think about it."

"Why not? Don't you like it?" I almost scoffed at the innocent look on her face.

"Actually, I love it. I love it very much." I raised my eyebrows and motioned toward the table we were sitting at. "But unless you want me to throw you over this table and fuck you
senseless…you need to stop."

"Well, as much as I'd enjoy that, I want to save it for tonight. I was just…trying to give you a preview of what's to come."

Holy. Fuck. "Bella…" I breathed out her name, barely hearing it myself.

"Yes?"

I stared at her, completely mute.

"At a loss for words? You had to know that there would be some birthday sex tonight."

I kept staring as she sang Jeremih's "Birthday Sex" when she said the words.

She got up and threw her drink out, then took my hand, pulling me up before she turned around and walked toward the living room.

I walked behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her neck. I laid my chin on her shoulder and gently squeezed her.

I rubbed the light scruff on my face against her soft cheek. "What do you wanna do now?"

"That tickles!" She laughed as she turned her head and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "It's your birthday. What do you wanna do?"

I shrugged as I lead her toward one of the couches. I grabbed a blanket from another couch and lay down, pulling her down on top of me so that were facing each other. "Can we lust lay here?"

She snuggled up to me as I kissed her cheek and covered our bodies with the blanket. "Laying here would be perfect."

Neither of us said a word for a few minutes, and I almost felt bad for breaking the comfortable silence.

"Alice has a new boyfriend."

"Already? Wow. Good for her."

"Yeah. They just started getting serious a few days ago. I haven't met him yet, but I don't want to bash him or anything – I want to help her get over Brian. I hope this guy is
nothing like that dumbass."

"I'm sure he's nice."

I smiled down at her. "Guess what his name is?"

"Alice's boyfriend? I don't know."

"Guess."

She shrugged. "John?"

I laughed at her answer. I couldn't blame her for guessing a common name, though. "Nope."

She tickled my side gently. "Tell me!"

"Jasper."

She stopped what she was doing and gave me a confused look. "Is that a joke?"

"What? No. That's his name." Why would I make a joke like that?

She laid her head on my chest. "Wow. That's…weird."

"I know. That's what I thought when Alice told me. And then I thought maybe she knew and she was playing a joke on me."

She picked her head up and laid it on my shoulder, speaking in my ear. "Baby, no one knows. You need to stop worrying about people finding out. If your family found out, they
would never play jokes on you or just hint at it. They would be open about it."

She nibbled the outer shell of my ear, and I couldn't help the little grunt that escaped my lips as I closed my eyes. One touch from her, and I became putty.

"Bella…"

"Mm." She kissed my neck and I prayed to God she wouldn't run her hands through my hair.

"I can't wait until tonight."

She pulled back to look at me. I missed the warmth of her mouth already. "Yes you can. I want it to be good tonight. And special."

I pouted, even though I knew it would do me no good. "But it's always good. And it's always special. We can do it again tonight. Please?" I added a quick "It's my birthday" to
see if that would persuade her.

I honestly didn't want to beg her for sex, but if she couldn't tell by the bulge in my pants poking her, I wanted her. Badly.

She laid her forehead against mine and gave me a quick kiss. "You know it'll be better if we wait."

I looked down at her full lips before closing the small gap between us and covering them with mine.

Jesus Christ, they were so soft.

I pulled back for a split second before crashing my lips onto hers.

My tongue battled hers as she straddled my left thigh.

I swear I felt her wetness seep through her shorts and onto my pants. I put a hand on her behind to push her further onto my thigh as I rubbed myself against her hip.

She moaned into my mouth and I automatically moaned in return. I brought my hands up and twisted them in her hair, bringing her face impossibly closer to mine.

She brought her hands up to my head, scratching my scalp with her nails. My hair was long enough for her to grab now, and she did just that. And pulled.

Fuckkk. My hips bucked up on their own accord, and we moaned in unison before she pulled away, leaving us both panting.

I almost lost it when I saw how dark her eyes had become.

"Bella…please…you want it just as bad as I do." I tried to urge her a bit more, but I had little hope.

She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I do...but you know it'll be better if we wait. Think about it. Think about how amazing it'll be with all the pent up
frustration. Remember the last time we did this? And the time before that. It was so incredible. Remember?"

How could I forget?

I nodded my head and leaned my head up to kiss her forehead. "Yeah. I remember." I knew she was right. I knew it would feel so much better if we waited the entire day.

"Besides…I'm gonna have so much fun messing with you the entire day, knowing you can't do anything to…relieve yourself."

My eyes got wide halfway through her sentence. "Isabella, don't you dare!"

"We'll see. Maybe I'll be nice until later tonight. …Maybe."

The corners of her perfect lips pulled up slowly as she smiled down at me. I automatically smiled back as I poked her dimple with a finger.

She took me by surprised when she turned her head and bit my finger, scrunching up her face.

"Ow!" I pulled my hand away and shook it. It didn't hurt the least bit, but if she wanted to play, I would gladly play along.

She giggled and laid her head back down on my chest.

She rubbed her hand along my chest, and we sat in silence once more. I watched her hand as it moved back and forth…back and forth…back and forth…

"You're so handsome."

I wondered for a second if she was speaking to me or not. It didn't sound like she was. She wasn't looking at me, and it sounded as if she was just talking to herself.

Either way, I had to answer her.

"Thank you, love. And you're breathtakingly beautiful."

We lay in the couch until it was time to get ready for dinner. I don't know how time could possibly pass by so quickly. Hours had passed, and yet, it felt as if we had just lied
down moments ago.

I would have gladly lain in that couch with Bella for the rest of the night.

But of course I couldn't disrespect my family that way. I did cherish every moment we spent together, even if they did get annoying at times.

I kissed the top of Bella's head before we got off the couch, and all I wanted to do as soon as I stood up was crawl back under that blanket with her.

Nothing could be better than lying down with her soft warm body on top of mine – unless we were naked while that was happening. That was always better.

I laughed at the thought, and Bella's head shot up to look at me. "What?"

"Nothing, baby. Let's go get ready." I gave her a final kiss before leaving.

I wanted to watch Bella get ready, but I had to go home and get ready as well.

My mother said we were going to a 'fancy restaurant,' and by the time I got home, everyone was almost done getting ready.

I walked up the stairs and knocked on Alice's door before walking in.

"Edward, can you zip me up?"

I walked over to her and pulled the zipper of her dress up slowly, making sure not to break it.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She turned and smiled at me. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks."

I quickly moved to her side. I looked at the yellow spot on her arm, the bruise almost completely gone. This was far worse than Bella's bruises. It took so long to go away…

I ran my hand over it slowly before looking up at her. She took my hand and pulled it away. "Edward, stop. It's in the past."

She took a step back and spun around. "So do I look okay?"

"You look beautiful." Not a hair was out of place.

"Thank you."

I smiled as I turned around and made my way out, closing the door behind me.

I rushed into my room and threw on my maroon button-down shirt and black dress pants, quickly putting on my black belt.

I stood in front of my mirror and wondered if I should part my hair to the side. No one had ever seen my hair that way apart from my family, Bella, and her dad. Maybe it
would be a good change.

I went into the bathroom and shaved quickly, then ran a comb under the running water. I tried hard to force my hair into a side part, but kept ending up getting this weird
cowlick thingy in the back.

I opted for some gel, and finally got the look I wanted.

I looked in the mirror one last time.

Fuck that. I ran my hands through my hair, bringing it back to its usual mess as my mom walked in, bringing her hands to her chest.

"Oh, Edward. You look so – Edward! Why did you ruin it? You looked so dashing!"

"Mom, I looked like Steve Carell."

"But he's adorable!"

Getting called adorable by your girlfriend was one thing. Getting called adorable by your mom is a completely different story.

I finally finished getting ready and went to get Bella.

I rang her doorbell and turned toward her driveway. Her dad was home, and I stared at his car as I waited for the door to open.

I let out a huff of air and stopped breathing when I turned back around.

Bella stepped out and closed the door behind her.

She stepped toward me and I absentmindedly took a step back, staring her up and down. She was wearing a plum-colored dress with black heels, her soft hair falling
in curls over her shoudlers.

How was it possible for anyone to look this perfect from head to toe?

I couldn't help but smile when she blushed and bit her lip. "What is it?"

"Y-you're…gorgeous."

A small smile played on her lips as she took a step forward and kissed me softly.

"Hey, lovebirds! Come on!"

I sighed and pulled away, resting my forehead against hers. "Let's go before Emmett pops a blood vessel."

I took Bella's hand as we walked toward my dad's car.

We said hi to Rosalie and Bella greeted my family as I turned toward the front door of the house. Alice walked out, with who I assumed to be Jasper following behind her.

They made a beeline toward me, and I wondered briefly if he had already met everyone else. He held his hand out, looking me dead in the eye, smiling.

"Nice to meet you. Jasper."

I took his hand in mine and shook it firmly. "Edward."

Alice's face lit up. "Hey! Edward, don't you have a friend named Jasper, too? That's so weird!"

I turned my head to her, dismissing what she had said as quickly as I could. "I stopped talking to him."

I was glad when Jasper stopped looking between Alice and me.

He turned toward Bella, shaking her hand gently. "Hi. I'm Jasper."

She smiled sweetly at him, though it looked a bit forced. I wondered if anyone else noticed. "Isabella. Nice to meet you."

I raised an eyebrow and turned toward her. Isabella?

We all got in the car, and I took Bella's hand in mine as my dad pulled out of the driveway. "So, how are you, Isabella?"

I didn't emphasize her name. I just said it as if that was what I had always called her.

She turned to me with a confused look on her face and leaned her head in, speaking in a whisper. "Huh?"

I tried to hold in my laugh, and I didn't have to say anything for her to understand.

She mumbled her response, making sure no one else heard. I was thankful that the radio was on. "Well, he looked so…formal. I didn't think 'Bella' would cut it."

She could've just stood there and shook his hand without saying a word, and that would've been enough. Granted, it would've been rude, but she didn't have to say
anything if she didn't want to.

I leaned forward and kissed her temple, letting my lips brush against her skin as I spoke. "Babe, sometimes you're just too funny."

Everyone in the car started trying to talk over each other at one point, and I guess Jasper thought that would be a great time to talk to Bella.

He tapped her shoulder and looked at both of us as we turned toward the row of seats behind us.

When he leaned in toward Bella, I felt like shoving him back into his seat.

"Hey. Sorry to interrupt, but everyone calls you Bella. And when Alice tells me about you, she refers to you as Bella. So…can I just call you Bella? It's a lot easier than
Isabella and –"

I looked at Bella as she cut him off with a laugh. "Bella is fine."

"Alright. Bella." He flashed a smile and sat back before turning to talk to Alice.

Bella smiled and turned back around. I could see that her smile was sincere this time.

I pushed down the tinge of jealousy I felt.

I realized that I would always feel a bit of jealousy whenever Bella spoke to a new guy I didn't know. Until I got to know the guy, I didn't know what his intentions were.

I know Bella would never cheat on me.

I couldn't help the way I felt, though. And I didn't feel guilty for getting jealous. Because I would never tell her that she wasn't allowed to talk to a guy if I didn't see
any potential harm.

I smiled at Bella when I felt her playing with my fingers. She kissed my hand, and then my chin.

"I love you."

I kissed her forehead. "I love you, too. Always."

I looked out the window as we pulled into a parking garage. When we got out of the car and walked out of the garage, I looked at the street sign on the corner of the sidewalk

I turned to my dad excitedly. "Are we going to Peter Luger?"

"Yupp."

I turned to Bella. "Why didn't you tell me?" I tried to contain my excitement. I loved this place!

She laughed as she looked up at me. "It was a surprise! Oh, and your parents weren't meeting up for lunch before." I gave her a look, silently asking her what she was
talking about. "They came here to make sure everything would be set up properly for tonight."

All I could muster was a "wow."

When we got inside, there were two tables pushed together for us, in a somewhat secluded area of the restaurant.

I loved the feel of this place.

Everyone started talking as soon as we sat down. Jasper was pretty quiet, but that was expected. He was new. I didn't know what to make of him yet. He seemed nice, but
almost everyone seems nice when you first meet them.

Right then, I gasped. Holymotherfuckkk – Bella's hand is on my crotch.

I coughed to cover up my moan, and gave Bella a death glare. She turned to me and smiled innocently, then took a sip of her water, as if she wasn't torturing me under the
fucking table.

I looked around the table, and realized that no one seemed to know what was going on.

I looked down at my lap. I could barely see what was going on beneath the tablecloth.

"Edward, honey, are you hot? You look flushed."

I looked up at my mom. "I'm fine." I closed my eyes when I heard my voice crack.

"Yeah, baby. Your face looks like it's on fire. Are you sure you're okay?"

I turned my head toward Bella again, and almost begged her to speed up her strokes. Her hand was moving so slow. How could she ask me that right now?

I spoke through clenched teeth. "I'm. Fine."

I know, I know! I'm so sorry I ended it here. I had time during my Thanksgiving break to write, and I didn't want to rush through Edward and Bella's 'rendezvous' later. So I ended it with a little cliffhanger.

I thought you guys would rather have a quick update and have it be a bit shorteer than have to wait longer for a longer chapter.

Oh. I was thinking of which color to make Edward's shirt for the dinner, and we all know how freaking amazing Rob looked in that maroon-colored suit he wore to the Eclipse premiere in LA, so I went with that color. Good choice? I think so.

And you all need to watch Cocaine Cowboys! It's an amazing documentary. There's a Cocaine Cowboys 2 now, and I can't wait to see it.

Peter Luger is an actual steakhouse. I used to hate steak until I had steak there. This place has been voted the #1 steakhouse in NY for like…forever.

Please review!