A/N ~ This is the last regular chapter for this one. Hope you enjoy! Epilogue still to come. Thanks to my pre-readers, sshg316 and msj2779, and all who are reading now. *squishes all!*

Rain On Me

Chapter 20

I ran down my attendance list one more time after a headcount showed we were still missing one. It was possible that I'd miscounted. Or that I'd duplicated someone on my list. I wasn't nearly as focused as I should have been for opening day of camp. My thoughts had been on Edward since yesterday when he had an interview with the principal of a middle school in Seattle.

I had spent a lot of time being bitter over the fact that Mr Tanner wasn't given approval to hire him at our school. He had gone back to the board after Spokane was eliminated and explained how my outside relationship with the family had no bearings on our professional relationship. It would be the same for Edward. The fact remained that I had been a student teacher under Mr Tanner prior to my involvement with Bree, not vice versa, as it was with Edward. As my dad would say, 'A complete load of horseshit!'

Regardless, Edward had several other opportunities. He had already interviewed for a position teaching math in another middle school, as well as science in an elementary school. He was really hoping for this one—social studies.

A storm had ripped through camp overnight, taking out our power and phone lines. My cell phone was still recharging on the generator power. I had considered contacting Dad on the emergency radio to ask him to call Edward but thought better of it. I didn't want to appear clingy.

"Come on, Swan. Put a smile on that face!" Rosalie crept up beside me and pinched my cheeks. She was in great spirits, anxious to start up our newest program.

Edward and I had come up with a brilliant way to utilize Carlisle's very thoughtful contribution to Eclipse. That's how we now looked at it. No sense in being bitter over it since it had backfired on him. We had used the money to add a music program to the camp, overseen by Rose. We had devised a plan to get her the summer off her job with Social Services to work here with us—by accepting a number of under-privileged children for free, they allowed Rosalie to supervise the arrangement and report back to them. Win/win. She was ecstatic.

"Bells is just grumpy 'cause her boy toy had to work."

I swatted Emmett for that remark and designated him to figure out who was missing. He joined Jasper, who was currently sorting the kids into groups. Alice was doing orientation with our new junior counsellor. Rose hung on my shoulder, watching Alice pump up the girl's camp spirit. She was being very effective.

"We're gonna have to get that girl an underwire."

"No kidding," I replied in the same hushed tone Rosalie used. "An industrial one."

"Regretting the decision to hire her yet?" she asked dryly.

"You have no idea."

I turned towards the parking lot with heightened anticipation when I heard a car approaching. "Last camper's here!" I called out.

"It's Seth." I smiled smugly at Emmett when he joined me with the clipboard.

"I know. I just figured that out."

I winked at him and ran up to greet the lanky boy with the huge grin. "Hey, pal! Look at you! You're a least a foot taller this year!"

"Yep!" He grinned proudly. "Made the basketball team, too!"

Emmett let out a whoop and fist-bumped him. "Good. You're team captain here. My right-hand man?"

My attention got drawn over to the driver's side while they chatted. Another smiling face was peering over the roof.

"Jake?"

He stood to full height, smiling even more.

"Oh my god! Jake! You're huge!" I ran around the car to give him a hug. I didn't have rules about hugging an ex-camper. "What are you dudes eating out there?"

He laughed at my surprise. "Just think, if you had ever come out to the Res, you may have reached normal height yourself." He patted me playfully on the head as I laughed.

"So… what's the deal here? Why are you bringing Seth instead of his mom?"

He shrugged. "I kinda look out for him. He's a really bright kid. Just needed some confidence. I enrolled in the Big Brother program to help his mom out with him."

"Oh, Jake! That's awesome! I'm so proud of you! How are you going to occupy your time over the summer?"

"Mill. I start college this year."

I gave him another hug. Nobody had ever expected him to excel in school. Or be a leader. "Please come visit! Come for family days?"

He agreed, and we said our goodbyes before I headed back to do the start-up speech. I was mid-way through when another car pulled in. All eyes turned and gawked at the site of the police cruiser.

"What the…"

Emmett and Jasper were in stitches. "Dude's always gotta make an entrance, huh?"

Another tall, lanky guy got out, retrieved his gear, and leaned in to say a few words to his driver. The driver waved at me. I could see the moustache waggle from where I stood.

"Sorry!" Edward called out, running towards the group with his arms loaded down. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Is that Edward?"

"Yep." I didn't elaborate to the girl next to me, chewing on her lip.

"Man. He's even hotter now."

I rolled my eyes as I turned away from Jessica. "Yes. Yes, he is." And he's MINE!

"Sorry," Edward reiterated quietly when he stepped up to me, taking a good look at my attire. "Hey! I was looking for that hoodie! No wonder I couldn't find it."

Yeah. I was in the habit of wearing his clothes. It marked me as his. I'd stolen several items from his wardrobe, and he never complained. "What happened? How did…? Why was my…?"

He was struggling not to laugh, I knew him. His lip bent up in his cocky smartass smirk. "Long story."

"Edward!" Still adorably frustrating.

x – x – x

Jasper suggested we finish up with general rules after doing the grounds orientation. More rain was on the way. I sent Edward over to join Jasper's group. Rosalie volunteered to go with Alice and Jessica. I teamed up with Emmett.

"Team Poplar?" Edward inquired with amusement when Jasper handed him a leaf to pin on his camp shirt. "Seriously?"

"Dude! We're all trees. Three groups, three varieties. It'll help us keep the groups straight, make name games easier—the association thing—and we can all teach each other about our trees as we learn." Jasper was very proud of his opening day concept. And quite enthusiastic.

Edward lifted his eyebrows with mocking concession as he labelled himself a poplar. "Interesting concept, Jazz. And I'm a poplar. Hello, fellow poplars! We're not gonna compete with the other… uh, trees. What are the other trees…I mean, groups anyway?"

"Team Willow," Jasper announced, indicating Emmett's group. I stepped up and took my branch snippet to pin on.

"Aw! I wanted to be Team Willow! Switch with me, Em?" Alice pleaded. "Willows are my favourite! Plus, they're much more feminine, don't you think?"

"What does that say about the guys in your group?" Emmett countered.

"I don't think we can associate trees with gender, Alice," Jasper chided.

"Whatever. I still want willow."

Edward was chuckling with his group of poplars as he watched me unpin my willow and hand it over to Rosalie.

"All right! Team Willows are happy now? That means Emmett and Bella are Team Hemlock."

"Woot!" I cheered and fist-pumped as I took my hemlock sprig, stepping over to my new group. "Okay, Hemlocks, Emmett will lead us, I'll trail along behind. I'm notorious for twisting an ankle on opening day, and I don't want to hold you up."

Em grabbed me in a friendly headlock. "I'm ready to piggyback, Belly-Bells."

Shooting him a reminding glare about the use of that nickname, I gave him a little shove towards our trail. Passing by Edward, I couldn't help but stare. He had the same youthful look of defiant amusement that he wore when we first met, but an underlying happiness accompanied it this time. He couldn't hide that he loved being here. He winked at me before he followed his own group down a different trail.

Amazingly, Team Hemlock was the first to make it back to base. And I made it without injury. I rewarded us with first pick at snacks, laid out by Charlotte while we had explored the woods. Emmett took a seat next to me with his iced tea, setting a granola bar in front of me and a plate of fruit pieces between us.

"Little worried about impending flirtation?" he asked innocently, sucking on an orange wedge.

"Flirtation by whom?" I replied with the same fake innocence.

He frowned at me. "You're gonna play this game? Ms Professional? You're actually going to carry out this summer pretending like you and Edward aren't a couple? He's an employee? A friend?"

I smirked. "He is. A very good friend."

"Uh-huh. And when the little girl with the stupendous ta-tas sees your friendly flirtation and thinks that's fair game for her as well, with you still be Ms Professional?"

"Stupendous? Really? They're a little saggy, I think…"

"Bella…"

"What? I'm just saying, for a girl her age, they should be a little higher. She's gonna have major trouble down the road with those. Does Rose know you think they're stupendous?"

He tossed his rind down and leaned back in his chair with a huff. "Bells, you and I have been friends forever. I love you, you know that, right? You're like my baby sister by another mother… and father." He smiled at me gently, all dimples and gleaming teeth. "I can't let you do this."

"Do what, Em? Run my business?"

"Ruin your life," he stated quietly. "Look, I'm your friend, right?"

"My best friend, Em. You know that."

"And so you get the benefit of my concern that comes with being a best friend, as well as my expertise in being a guy. You're setting yourself up for trouble."

"Edward won't respond to Jessica. I'm not worried about that," I said grumpily. "At all."

"So you won't be all possessive and jealous when she's hanging on him? Giggling over him? Getting all cozy at the campfire or in our cabin, for that matter?"

I huffed, scowling. He knew me too well. "And if I do that myself, that won't set an example that she should act like that?"

"Not if you do it right. And from the onset. You've gotta claim him, Bells. Just saying."

Laughing, I tossed a grape at his head. He snapped his mouth open and caught it, grinning proudly.

"Seriously," he continued, dropping his grin. "I don't think it's a good idea at this point in your relationship to do the sneaking around thing. I know you were hurt last time this didn't work out—"

"Em—"

He held his hand up to stop me. "Just hear me out. I've always liked Edward. I hated that he took off like he did, but now that we know his reasoning, it's much easier to fully endorse this thing you have. I've seen how it's affected you… the years without him, and the months since you've gotten together. It's good, Bella. He's good for you. I never would have agreed to help Rosalie set you two up, nor would I have gotten you drunk that night if I didn't think he was sincere with his feelings for you. I love you too much for that."

"Wait… you helped Rose set us up? You helped? And you didn't say a word to me? Some friend! I'm taking back my best friend status, Em. You're no longer my BFF."

He smiled smugly. "You won't stick to that."

"I know it," I grumbled. "Okay, so you got us together, blah-blah-blah. And I'm happy about it. Happier than I've ever been. Seriously though, I don't know about exposing our relationship here."

"I'm not saying you should be getting your freak on in front of the kids. All I'm saying is that if you are a couple, there's no reason to hide it. I'm not hiding the fact that Rosalie's my girl. Jasper and Alice are an open couple. Time to come out, Belly-Bells."

"Okay, stop with that! I mean it! And 'come out'? Come on!"

My best friend examined me closely. "Out with it. You still have reservations. His age?"

"I don't!" I hissed. "Em, this is totally different than last time. I swear. I'm not obsessing about the age thing. I don't even think about it! It's just a separation between business and my personal life."

He nodded, conceding to my statements. "Okay, but this is more than a business to you. We both know what Eclipse means to you. Think about it. How much more fulfilling could it be if you embraced everything that's good in your life while you're here? Also—pulling the guy expertise here—how do you think Edward will feel about sneaking around? I'd feel like crap."

My face fell. I know my stupid cheeks glowed. He was absolutely right. And Edward was already sensitive about that. "He'll think I'm ashamed of our relationship," I admitted softly.

Emmett gave my shoulder a squeeze and pulled my head against his shoulder. "Time to come out, Bells. Claim him."

Team Poplar piled in, and I lifted myself off Emmett's shoulder to greet them. As I stood, my radio signalled for me.

"Bella? Slight problem here!" Alice's shrill panicked voice rang out. "Jessica got her foot wedged between these boulders! We can't move them, and it's swelling already. We can't get it out!"

Emmett was already on his feet, his own radio in hand. "Al, put Rose on to tell me your location. I'm on my way!"

Edward grabbed the first aid kit and followed him out the door. I was stuck at base with the other campers and a sense of impending doom.

x – x – x

We all cheered when we saw the last group emerge from the trees. Emmett was carrying Jessica. Rose did not look impressed. Jasper and Alice escorted the kids in for their snacks. Edward was stifling a laugh.

"Is it broken?" I asked, examining Jessica's wrapped ankle.

"Nah. Just a good twist. I see you made it back intact this year—maybe she took the hit for you?"

"Very funny, smartass." I took a swat at Edward. He chuckled and ducked away.

Emmett made a face at us. "Okay, can we play later, kids? I'd like to set her down sometime soon."

He went ahead, with Edward and I following. "What happened? How did she get stuck between boulders?"

"Rocks," Edward corrected me with a snicker. He held his hands up to indicate the size of them. "Basketball-sized. Alice is a little dramatic. And that one should be in hiking boots, shouldn't she?"

"Hiking boots are ugly!" Jessica called back over Emmett's shoulder.

"So is a bruise up your leg! That'll stick around all summer, you know. The boots can come off!" Edward retorted, teasing her.

She buried her head against Emmett, groaning and sobbing over his remark.

"Who's dramatic?" I whispered, rolling my eyes before focusing on Edward. "How was your interview? I've been dying to find out how it went. Stupid storm! Did it go well?"

He held up a finger to pause our conversation while he ran ahead to open the door for Emmett. He smiled at me as I passed through behind them.

"God help me, but I'll be spending my days with pubescent children this year. No master's."

My mouth gaped open, and I let out an Alice-like shriek. "You got it? They told you already?" He was grinning widely. "You got it!" Unable to control my enthusiasm, I leapt for him, throwing my arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

His cheeks were flushed when I released my grip on him, and we discovered every eye in the room on us.

"Is it Edward's birthday?" Jessica asked from her perch. Alice was applying a fresh ice pack to her ankle. "Are we having cake again?"

Edward flushed more, looking at me to handle that one. We had cake with our friends a few days earlier. And then more cake. Privately. He truly loved chocolate cake.

"No, we already celebrated Edward's birthday. He was here for it this year. He only left for an interview… which… oh! You should tell them your news!" I turned the floor over to him.

Smiling, he made his announcement and modestly accepted praise and congratulations from our group of friends. Charlotte laid a kiss on his cheek, and he hugged her warmly. "You smell like cinnamon, Char. I've missed you and your spiciness."

"I've missed your sauciness!" She giggled like the camp girls as he teased her. "And your company in my kitchen. Will you be joining me again from time to time?"

"You couldn't keep me away!"

Charlotte giggled again when he winked at her. Rosalie made a gagging face and groaned, "My mother has a crush. So disgusting."

"It's not a crush, dear. It's an admiration. Edward keeps me young! I've got a new iPod! And a docking station in the kitchen!"

He raised his eyebrows in interest. "Yeah? Meet you there at six tomorrow? French Toast?"

"You've got a date!"

Edward bowed her way, eliciting one last giggle before she departed. I grazed his fingertips and tilted my head off to the side.

"So what was the deal with my father dropping you off?"

"He's adopting me!" The smartass smirked. "Yeah. I'll be coming for Christmas and all that. We haven't worked out the logistics. I don't know how you'd feel about sharing your room with me, sis, so we may have to look into a bigger house."

"You're hilarious," I remarked dryly.

He glanced around at the antsy kids. "It really is a long story. I'll tell you everything later on. After lights' out?" His sexy grin flashed at me briefly.

I finished up the camp rules speech with an intense blush and rapid heart rate. I had to avoid him for the remainder of the day. His sly little grins from across the room were enough to get me worked up. Dammit! He was a master of flirtation. Never mind him with the pubescent kids, God help the hormonal girls in his class. And the poor boys in the school would have no hope of having the girls crush on them with Mr Cullen around.

x – x – x

Once the campers were squared away in their bunks, I checked in on Jessica who was resting comfortably but still whining. I brought her the book she wanted and some lemonade, set the Advil she'd need in an hour by her bed, and then snuck off to find Edward. He'd only been away from me for a few days, but I missed him desperately, and I wanted to talk to him.

The guys' area was quiet. Jasper was in with the boys, and Emmett had gone to spend some time with Rosalie and her parents in their house. I crept up behind Edward as he stashed his bag on the top shelf of his small closet. He turned and dipped his head for a kiss as his arms gripped me in return.

"Hi," he whispered with a grin when our lips parted.

"Hi."

I tugged on the back of his hair to come down for another kiss. He chuckled against my lips as he obliged.

"Alpha Lady is back."

I scowled at him playfully. "Why do you love teasing me?"

"Because you do this." His fingertips ran across my hot cheeks. "It's so beautiful. And now I love it even more because I know it's the exact colour of your perfect little nipples."

I gasped as his fingertips passed by one of those as well. We gravitated towards his small bed. So much for talking.

x – x – x

"Okay, Edward, seriously…" I gripped his hand to stop where it was headed. "Stop distracting me. I want to know what happened this morning."

He laughed, low and sexy, next to my ear. "Well, it started out much like a moment ago. You were panting and whispering obscenities. I was having the longest orgasm known to man. And then I stopped daydreaming and got my ass out of the shower."

"You were thinking of me in the shower?" I beamed, frustration with him set aside.

"Mm-hmm. And in bed before that." His soft lips ran kisses down my temple and cheek. His beard was scratchy against my skin, with a day's worth of growth. He obviously hadn't had time to shave between fantasies.

"Did I tell you how much I'm liking this pill you're on?" he murmured against my throat. I could feel movement against my leg, and his legs weren't moving.

I snickered at him, nudging his growing appendage. "Obviously. Dude, you just finished. You can't seriously want more right now."

"No?" He flattened me out, bracing himself above me. "Sure about that? I'm a young man, Bella. I can be ready with very little provocation. As it happens, I've got a ton of it."

His mouth went back to my throat.

"Right here."

His lips moved down my collarbone, and he nipped at the fleshy part of a breast.

"Here."

His tongue darted out to swirl around my nipple.

"Heeeere."

I grunted, and he hissed moving his mouth just a bit lower to lick at the underside of my breast.

"And here. I love this part. I love the entire breast, but this part is my favourite."

I quivered as he repeated his action on the other with a soft moan. Fuck. His sex noises were the biggest turn-on.

"Edward!" I moaned. "Come on… don't do this to me! I won't be able to concentrate if I keep thinking about Charlie!"

His head popped up. "You're thinking about Charlie? Ew."

"Exactly!" I giggled. "I'll be much more effective at pleasuring you if we talk first."

He sucked in his lip and raised his eyebrows in contemplation. "Well, if you think so…"

"I know so." I cupped his smiling face and kissed him. "I promise so."

With my guarantee for spectacular pleasuring, he relented. He sat up and pulled me with him between his long legs to nestle against his chest. His voice was soft in the dark, quiet room. "On the way from Seattle, I was thinking about you and Charlie."

I tilted my head to place a gentle kiss on his chin. It made him smile. That made me smile.

"You're what I always thought family should be like. You know, he's not judgemental or demanding. He's just… there. He gives some solid advice, too."

"He does," I agreed. "For a guy, he gives some pretty awesome advice to his daughter, too."

"When we went to Forks, he got me thinking about my family. At first, it was just bitterness. I'd kill for a father like yours. I can't even imagine what I'd be like if my dad was even a bit like him."

Panic rushed through me. "Edward… you weren't serious before, were you? About him… adopting you?"

I felt like a complete idiot when he laughed at me, but the relief was greater than the embarrassment.

"No, Bella. I wasn't serious. Not about that. I mean, I wouldn't mind being part of your family, but not as your adopted brother."

"Whew!" I chuckled nervously against him.

"Anyway, Charlie had wondered if I could have some form of a relationship with my parents now or in the future. Not go back to how it was, but… something. I wondered about it myself. I've tried envisioning showing up on their doorstep or just calling them out of the blue, but I realize that it would just be awkward. What would I say? It would be better with an opening. A reason for calling or whatever."

I was thinking as I was listening. It broke my heart that he was left with no family, and clearly, he still wanted something from them. "You could tell them about your new job," I suggested. "That's an opening." Surely, they would be proud of what he'd accomplished.

"My opening actually came," he announced with a snort. "Just outside of Forks, my car turned into a raging bitch. It was shaking like hell trying to ascend the hill, and at the top it kinda groaned. Sputtered a bit. And then, poof! Smoke, small flames. It died on the hilltop."

"No!" My heart raced thinking of the danger he'd been in and I had no way of even knowing.

"Dead. I dumped all of my water over the engine and then sat on the roadside watching it smoke away while I considered my options. The sun came up while I sat there, gleaming off the garish fucking glass in the distance."

I pulled away to look at him. "You called them?"

He nodded. There was no indication he'd received any peace from contacting them. My lip trembled when he closed his eyes.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"My dad answered. I told him what happened. That I was just down the road. Asked if he could come get me. Maybe give me a drive to my job site. I didn't even mention that it was Eclipse. Just that I needed a drive to work. I sounded desperate. Fucking pathetic."

My eyes pooled with tears for him.

"There was silence on the other end. I figured he was working up a lecture, or maybe even considering actually helping his fucking kid. Then I get, 'I think not. If you're so independent, I'm sure you can find a way to sort out your own wrecks now.'"

"Damn!" Even for the man I saw peel out of the parking lot in a snit years earlier, this seemed very cold. "That's… that's just unspeakable…"

He huffed, drawing his hand down his face. "Yeah. Well, I shouldn't have got my hopes up for anything else. I thanked him for his time and hung up. Then I considered pushing my stupid car up the road to their yard and just torching the fucking thing. Sadly, I lack the upper body strength to pull that off."

"Too bad Rose and Em weren't with you," I joked, drawing a chuckle from him.

"So I wandered a bit. Up and down the road. Having a bit of a nervous breakdown or whatever. I was so pissed at him, but all I could think of was how I was letting you down again. I just needed to get here. To Eclipse. To you."

"Aw, honey, you wouldn't have let me down! That was a shitty start for the day. And it was shitty of your dad to be a complete asshole about it. You don't deserve that. You don't. I'm sorry that happened to you. All of it."

He grinned for me, but it still held some sadness. His eyes were closed, so I didn't get the full effect of his emotion. It probably would have devastated me.

"Did one of my dad's men find you on the side of the road?" I prodded when he didn't continue immediately.

He chuckled a bit, eyes opening. "Nope. I finished my solo pity party and then got down to business with how the fuck I was getting over to Camp Pleasant Beaver." He looked for a reaction from me, braced for the slap. I was too thrilled to see the playful glint in his eyes that I didn't follow through. "It really is now, you know. I can verify that."

"I'll react later. Get on with it."

Pleased with himself, he chuckled again. "Well, one of my recurring thoughts during the whole shitfest this morning was how great Charlie was. And then it hit me. Charlie. Before I could even think twice, I was calling him. He asked…" Pausing, Edward swallowed heavily, closing his eyes again. "He asked what I needed. If I was hurt at all. Did I need an ambulance? Fire truck? Tow truck? I was so astounded by his reaction—I suppose that's what concern would come out like, foreign concept—that I went with logic. If I got a tow truck, I'd solve both problems. Get rid of the bitchy firetrap and pay the driver to bring me up here."

"Jesus! That would cost a fortune!"

"You're Charlie's girl, all right," he said with a snicker. "That's exactly what he said. He told me to sit tight and showed up twenty minutes later with burgers and Cokes. We sat on his bumper to eat while we waited for the tow truck to haul away my heap. And then he drove me here—as you saw."

"Aw! My daddy!" I gushed, never more pleased with my dad than at that moment.

"He's awesome, Bella. Don't ever forget that."

"You're awesome, too. Don't you forget that. I'm proud of you for calling Charlie for help. Much better alternative to torching your car on your parents' front lawn."

"I'm storing that one for future use," he quipped. "Nah. Seriously, I'm done with that. I tried. I made the effort. I'm happy where I am in my life, and I'm going to keep going on this route. If they want to be part of that, they can come to me. Otherwise, I'm over it."

Could anyone ever really be over being rejected by their own family? I couldn't imagine. "You do have us—an entire extended family, not just Dad and me. Emmett's my brother from another mother—and father—he just told me that today."

Edward laughed softly against my hair.

"And Charlotte and Peter would line up to adopt you too. With them comes your sister, Rosalie."

"What if I said all I really need is you?"

I twisted so I was facing him. Holding his cheeks in my hands and gazing into his sincere eyes, I kissed him. "I'd say, I love you, Edward Cullen. Just as you are. And you've got me." I kissed him again. "You've. Got. Me."

"Bella?"

I pulled back to smile at him. "Something more?"

"Kind of. It's about Charlie."

"Oh god. Did he say something insane? Give you a sex talk or ask what your intentions are—something stupid like that?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. Why, do I need a sex talk?"

I let out a throaty laugh. "Fuck, no!"

"No, it's about Charlie. He said some things to me that made me see a lot about your parents. He loved your mom in the same way I love you. After being with you this way, I can't imagine losing you. I'd be completely devastated. A wreck. I wouldn't know how to live without loving you."

My throat closed over and tears threatened to fall.

"Charlie still has you, but he's got to be lonely, Bella. I think we should spend more time with him. It's not the same as having his wife back, but it's something to go on for, you know? I just think it would be good for him."

I squeezed my eyes shut. The tears fell regardless. "That…" I croaked out, "is the sweetest sentiment. God, Edward! I didn't even think of…" A full sob escaped. I stopped until I could control it. "Impossibly, I love you even more right now, for thinking of my dad that way. You know what? Your parents are jackasses. They have no idea what they've given up. But we'll take it. We'll take all of you and love all of you."

Our second round of love-making was gentle and tender rather than the frenzied coupling of the first round in his small bed. After a long cuddle, I kissed him goodnight and snuck back to my own room.

x – x – x

I repeated the routine for the next few days, creeping back and forth between sides of the cabin. I didn't think I kept my affection for Edward hidden, but I didn't flaunt it either. He seemed content with how things were. Emmett, on the other hand, kept giving me disapproving brotherly looks.

"You're not really my big brother, you know," I warned him sternly on the way to our first campfire of the season with the kids. "Or my watchdog."

"Nope. Just the BFF who loves his little Belly-Bells and wants her to be as happy as can be. That's all."

He stepped up his pace, catching up with Rosalie and throwing an arm over her shoulder. She smiled lovingly at him and wrapped her arm around his waist. He tossed a smirk over his shoulder at me. Realizing we'd left the marshmallows behind, I ran back for them. When I returned, everyone had their place. Edward sat with Seth on one side and Emmett on the other. Rosalie had saved me a seat, or I could sit by Jessica.

I deposited the marshmallows by the roasting sticks and stepped up to Emmett. "Move. I wanna sit by my man."

The boys nearby howled and cackled; the girls all started chattering and giggling. Emmett broke out in a huge grin as he stood. He leaned in and whispered, "That's my girl."

I pulled his chair over, butting it against Edward's and took his hand.

"Alpha Lady!" he whispered in a tease.

Even in the darkness, I could see his cheeks turning red, as I'm sure mine were. But it was his smile and the light of the campfire reflecting off the joy in his eyes that gripped my heart. I didn't need the rain to make me feel comfortable anymore. I just needed the heart of this guy next to me. The heart that had consoled me during my worst time of life. The heart that had loved me, just for me. And the heart that I adored.