Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks to the lovelies mcc101180 & thir13enth from PTB for their beta skills!

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EPOV

We both got in the car, and I tried to avoid looking at her. Clearly, I needed to regain my composure. I rubbed my eyes with my hands and tried to keep my mind busy. I was exhausted and anxious, and I really needed a cigarette right about now.

Maybe watching a movie with her wasn't the best idea. I wasn't sure I could spend two hours on her couch without falling asleep… or without kissing her or touching her… Shit… I sighed, closing my eyes.

Bella had been driving me crazy since the night before. First with that dress and her fuck-me pumps, then with her Led Zeppelin t-shirt and the freckles on her shoulder, and finally this morning with that denim skirt. It wasn't without difficulty that I had been keeping my hands off of her, well… mostly.

Maybe it was just me being sick, but watching her handle the stick on her car without problems was doing things to my body. I swear my leg would jump on its own every time she changed gears. I had to keep my eyes closed to avoid growing more uncomfortable in my shorts. I tried to relax and started taking deeper, longer, soothing breaths…

…

"Edward?" When Bella touched my hand, my eyes snapped opened. I looked at her while taking a deep breath, realizing we were already parked in front of her house.

Did I fall sleep? Shit…

"Sorry…" I smiled apologetically at her and ran a hand down my face.

I am such an idiot.

"We are here," she said and started biting her bottom lip. I knew she was probably worrying about me. "Maybe we should just—"

"I'm fine. Let's go." I cut her off, opening the door. My legs were sore already, and after sitting for a while, getting up was a little painful. A soft groan might have escaped from my lips.

"Edward," she said, joining me outside the car. "We don't have to…"

"I want to…" I walked around the car closer to her.

I did want to, so badly. I knew I was exhausted, but I had pushed through much worse for many times. And honestly, I didn't give a damn. What is a little soreness if I get to spend the day with her? She seemed to want to spend time with me too, and I did not want to waste this opportunity.

"Can we just… go for a walk first?" I needed to wake up.

"A walk?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah, there's a creek behind your house, right? And a trail?"

"Yes, but maybe you should—"

"Would you like to? Take a walk with me?" I said, ignoring her concerns. "I promise we'll stay on the trail." As opposed to letting you fall down and getting lost for two days in the woods, I added in my head and winked at her.

"I'm not worried about that," she said, giggling. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, c'mon." I grabbed her hand.

"Sure, let me just leave my bag home, okay?" she said. "Be right back."

I sighed and watched her enter her house. Out of habit, I felt my pockets and grunted when I realized I had my cigarettes with me.

Maybe it will just help me clear my head and wake up, I thought, taking the pack out.

I looked at my watch: it was three p.m. I hadn't had a cigarette since after two this morning. I did the math in my head… 13 hours, what a wuss! I thought, lighting the cigarette. Relief washed through me immediately, and I inhaled hard.

Bella came out of her house shortly after. "I was wondering how long that would take," she said, coming closer to me.

"I'm sorry," I said, but took another drag.

"It's okay." She shrugged and started walking.

"No, it's not," I said with a sigh. "Don't lose your faith in me, please." I couldn't have her give up on me too. I was going to quit smoking. I had already decreased how much I smoked daily.

She turned around to face me. "I know it's hard to quit. You've been smoking less and less since we came back from our hiking… um, trip. I know you are trying. I still have faith in you."

"Thank you," I simply said, smiling at her. I grabbed her hand again and started walking down to the creek.

…

"Would you tell me about your family?" I asked, after we had been walking for a couple minutes. I was still curious and wanted to get to know her more.

"What do you want to know?" she said, looking at me.

"When you speak of your father, you sound sad somehow," I said cautiously, trying not to be too intrusive. "I know he is alive. I'm alive because of him, so I was just wondering how's your relationship with him?" I said and looked at her, but her sad expression had me backtracking. "I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about that."

"No, it's okay. I'm just surprised you picked up on that," she said, looking down. "My dad is great. Growing up was awesome, really. I feel very lucky I had a wonderful childhood." She paused and looked at me. I was just waiting for her story. There was obviously something going on with her and her father, but it was so Bella to start with the positive.

"So I don't really know when things started to go wrong, but then my parents divorced, and my dad, well…" She stalled. She looked at me again. I caressed her shoulder, trying to comfort her. She seemed to be getting upset. "Wow… I haven't told this to anyone," she said, and before I could stop her, she started again. "I think he has a drinking problem. I mean, I don't know really. It's not like he drinks every day, but when he does, he loses control of himself. So he would disappear for weekends sometimes. I was completely clueless because my mom would lie to me about it, saying he was at a conference or something. I feel sad because now he is alone, and I think he is depressed, but he doesn't let anybody in. He always tells me everything is fine, so I don't know how to really help him, you know…" Her eyes were filling with tears as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I didn't mean to…" I said, reaching for her. I just wanted to kick myself for bringing this up and making her cry.

What a douche…

"It's fine. I'm being silly. I'm fine," she said, wiping her tears and giving me a small smile. "It's just that… when I started confronting him about his drinking, he completely shut me out. And I think he's getting worse and worse. I guess it's just frustrating not being able to help him, but he has to realize he has a problem first, right? That's what they say," she said, still looking at me.

"He has to want to get help first, yes," I said, saddened by her tears, but happy to know a piece of her. "You are quite the caretaker, aren't you?" Her eyelashes were still wet as she shrugged. "You are too good for me, Bella," I stated the obvious as I dropped on the stump that was there.

"Don't say that," she said, sitting next to me. "Edward?" She bit her lip in hesitation. "Do you want to get help?"

Stunned by her question, I turned to look at her and the tears that were still in her eyes. Her words hit me like a thousand stabs to the gut.

"Bella…" I grabbed her face, wiping her tears. "You already help me… so much."

"I do?"

"Yes, you do. You calm me, Bella. You make it better. You… you do things to me… You… you make me feel… I… I…" I had to clear my throat to avoid the three words that were burning to get out.

How selfish of me would it be to tell her that I love her? I couldn't do that. Not before she knew what she was really dealing with first. I let go of her face, trying not to say too much. I had to be honest with her, for a change.

"I messed up, Bella," I started and hung my head in both hands. "I relapsed," I said and I couldn't look at her. "That night at the hospital, after Masen and everything, when I told you to leave, I just gave up. I needed you to go because I wanted to use again, and I used while I was in jail as well," I confessed.

I waited to see if she said anything, but she was giving me time to keep going. "I tried to have things under control, but I was still taking morphine that night when you told me you wanted to give me a chance. I felt like shit because there you were, having faith in me, and I was fucking using again." I breathed hard, almost spitting the words. "I stopped that same night, cold turkey," I finally said and breathed, relieved to have her know the truth.

I dropped my hands to my thighs and tapped my fingers impatiently. The pressure on my chest was coming back and hitting me hard. "I'm so sorry for not telling you this before," I said. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, showing me support— support that I most definitely did not deserve.

"That was the night before we went hiking," she guessed. She knew there was something else going on. I just nodded. "The pain that you had… all those symptoms… they weren't just because of your ribs," she stated instead of asking. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Bella," I said and hated myself for it all over again. The pressure in my chest was getting more than uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I should have stayed with you that night at the hospital… you had been through so much. You were only trying to protect me. I shouldn't have left you alone," she said, and her eyes were filling with tears again.

"Do not do that!" I got up, letting go of her hand. "None of it was your fault. It was all me, Bella. Do not think for a second that you are in any way responsible for any of this shit!" How classic of Bella that she would blame herself.

"I'm sorry," she said and looked down.

"I understand if you need time to think things through…" The words hurt just hearing them in my head. My chest was starting to ache. This is it; this is where she finally walks away.

"I don't need time, Edward. If you want me around, I'm not going anywhere," she said, leaving me speechless again. I had to rub my hand on my chest to relieve some of the pressure. It didn't help very much.

She looked at my hand on my chest and stood up. "Let's keep walking, or we'll never get to the creek," she said as if trying to distract me, as if she knew I was falling apart. "You can have another cigarette if you want to, Edward," she suggested as I still did not relax. "Do you think this is the best time to quit smoking too?"

"I have to," I started. "My breathing capacity is bad as it is. For the tryouts with the Sounders, they can't know I smoke. I can't…"

"You said they'll do a drug test too…" she probed timidly.

"Yes, but it's been over two weeks. It should come out clean."

"So then it will," she said and smiled. I tried to smile back at her and continued to walk.

…

Once we arrived at the creek, we sat on a rock that overlooked the falls. Bella sat with her legs crossed. I stretched my legs in front of me. The place was really beautiful and calming. The sound of the birds chirping and the water falling was very soothing.

"This is what weekends should be all about." I sighed.

"Yeah."

"When did life get so complicated and busy?"

"I guess when we stopped being kids." She smiled.

"Right," I said sarcastically, looking down. My childhood was not very different from my life now.

"Would you tell me about yours?" she asked, as if reading my mind. I knew she was trying to get to know me too. I didn't want to talk about my childhood, since those were definitely not happy memories. But she had shared with me so much; getting to know her involved her knowing me as well. And I really wanted her to know me.

"Oh, where to start," I joked without excitement. She grabbed my hand and placed it, palm up, on her knee. Then she started drawing circles in my palm with her finger. "I never met my father, so there's nothing really to say about him, except that he left when I was born," I started. I closed my eyes and enjoyed her touch and its calming effect.

"So it was just you, Masen, and your mom?" she encouraged.

"Yes, for a while. My mom was a musician, I guess you can say. She sang and played the piano. She would teach piano lessons and sing at some bars, and that was how we got by." I remembered the last time I heard my mother play before she had to sell the piano. I had to breathe deeply to continue. "Masen had to work too… so that I could stay in high school," I said and looked at Bella. "See, my mom wasn't very consistent with work." Bella looked deep in my eyes. "She was a drug addict too."

"Edward, you are not a drug addict," Bella whispered. And I should have guessed she would say something like that.

"Oh, Bella, yes I am. In recovery, maybe, but I can't even promise you that I won't use ever again. I mean, I'll try my damn hardest not to…I'll fight it every single day, probably for the rest of my life. But it would be foolish of you to think that I am not an addict, because that's exactly what I am." I took my hand from hers. I felt at a loss instantly. My hand was aching to be back on hers. I was in so deep already.

"Did she pass away?" Bella graciously changed the subject from my addiction to my mother.

"No, but she is dead to me," I said bluntly, standing up. Too many memories were coming at once. The pressure on my chest hit me hard and left me out of breath. I rubbed my hand on my chest in vain. I picked up some rocks and started throwing them at the creek. I was too on edge, and my hands were shaking.

Fuck it… I felt my pocket and took a cigarette out.

"Edward," Bella said behind me, but I ignored her. I heard her stand up and walk closer to me. I had the cigarette in between my lips and the lighter in my hand. "Don't," she whispered and grabbed my shoulders, disarming me completely. I sighed, looking to my feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you anxious. I just wanted to get to know you better," she explained, still behind me with her hands on my shoulders. The relief her touch gave me was immediate and far-reaching. It made everything bearable.

"I know," I said, turning around. She dropped her hands to her sides. "I want us to get to know each other better too. It's just… some things are really hard to talk about. Can you give me some time? I do want you to know me," I said, putting the cigarette back in the pack.

"Of course," she said and smiled. We sat back down on the rock. She started playing with a wood stick and decided to share some more.

"My mom smoked… a lot," Bella said quietly. She was looking down; her hair was hiding her face from me.

"Did she quit?" I asked her, hoping I could find some inspiration in her story.

"No," she said, and her voice cracked. I saw a couple of drops falling on the rock. She was crying and my heart broke. "She passed… two years ago… lung cancer," she said and sniffed.

Well, fuck my life…

"Shit! Bella, I'm so sorry," I said, holding her.

What an inconsiderate dick I am, smoking in front of her and wishing my own mother was dead!

I held Bella's head on my shoulder while she cried. "Shhh… I am so sorry," I whispered. I wanted to take the pack of cigarettes from my pocket and throw them down the river and promise her I would never smoke again. But I didn't think I was strong enough to make her that promise yet.

"I'm okay," she said, wiping her tears. I moved her hair back to look at her face. "It's okay." She wiped more tears. I breathed deeply and kissed her forehead. I was at a loss for words yet again.

This girl sitting next to me had an alcoholic father and a mother who died of lung cancer, and yet she still approached life with the most positive attitude. She was going to school, double majoring even. She never complained about this before. She didn't feel sorry for herself. Bella was an amazing woman.

We stayed quiet for a while. It seemed we both needed some silence to absorb everything we had shared. When Bella calmed down, we started walking back to her apartment.

We arrived at her door. She got her keys out and looked at me.

"So…" She started biting her lip again. She was going to drive me crazy. I figured she was still worried about me being too tired.

"Is the offer for the movie still open?" I said, interrupting whatever was going on in her head.

"Do you still want to?" she asked with a smile, and her eyes lit up.

"Of course," I said, smiling back at her. "Unless, I mean, if you are busy or have somewhere to go or something, then that's all right."

"No, I'm done with school, remember? So I'm free," she said and smiled, turning to her door. She opened the door, and we both went in. I followed her in and stood by the living room. She walked into the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink? I'm getting some water."

"Water's fine," I said, sitting on the arm of the couch and rubbing my hands on my thighs.

"Are you sure? I have other stuff," she said from her kitchen.

"Okay, what do you have?"

"What do you want?" she asked, peeking her head out and smiling.

What do I want? I thought. Well, besides kissing you, making love to you, and sleeping next to you?

"Maybe some coffee?" I said then regretted it. "Or Coke, or whatever, really, water is fine."

She came out of the kitchen and looked at me. She came closer and put both hands on her hips.

"Edward?" she asked, and I looked at her. "Are you trying to get some caffeine in you to stay awake for the movie?" She had seen right through me again. Her eyes showed me mostly concern, but there was something else there I couldn't place. "If you are tired, maybe you should go and rest. I—"

"Can we put a pause on the going slow rule?" I asked, and she looked at me, her eyes widening which had me backtracking. "I mean, for a minute or so. Just so that I can say something, then we can go back to it, if you want."

"Okay," she said, taking her hands off her hips.

I took a deep breath. "Yes, I am tired, and yes, I am sleepy, especially after a big meal like that, but…" I grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to me. "I don't care. I don't want to leave. I want to stay with you. Is that all right?" I asked softly, looking at her. She eyed me while biting her bottom lip.

"Is there some time left on the one-minute pause?" she asked, and now I was the one surprised. I smiled and nodded.

She moved closer to me then, my knees touching her hips. She grabbed my neck and kissed me softly on the lips. My reaction was instant. I grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her back. She pulled on my hair, pressing her body against me. I loved how she did that. I could easily get used to that. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her even closer. I was so hard for her already it was painful. I kissed her neck, and she moaned, dropping her head back.

"Take me to bed," she whispered in my ear, and my hands froze on her back. She started kissing my ear and licking my neck, and I had to close my eyes. Bella kept kissing me and pulling at my hair, and I couldn't resist her any longer. My hands grabbed her ass, and I pulled her closer to me as I stood up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and kept on kissing me. I couldn't help but think that her panties were the only thing between me and where I wanted to be the most.

My mind was racing as I walked to her bedroom with Bella wrapped around me. We both flopped on the bed with me on top of her. I was trying not to squish her by holding my weight on my elbows. She pulled at the hem of my shirt until she got it off of me. Her hand caressed me from my neck all the way down to the hem of my shorts where my boxers were sticking out. The touch of her fingers on my chest and my abs left a tingling trail. Then she pulled her own white tank top over her head.

She was wearing a red bra, and it was one of the sexiest things I'd ever seen in my life.

Bella's breasts looked perky and beautiful. I remembered looking at her breasts for the first time. She was so beautiful. I couldn't help but think again about the first time we had sex and how it was under the worst conditions possible. I regretted it so much because I felt like I'd used her. I haven't hated myself as much as I had that next morning. I'd always thought if I was lucky enough to be able to be with her again, I had to make it up to her. I needed to stop, but I couldn't get away from her.

"Bella," I said, kissing her neck, and she moaned. "Are you sure about this?"

"Edward, I want you so much, please." She pulled my mouth to her again.

She tasted so good.

I would never be able to get enough of her. Her hands caressed my stomach and went down to my shorts. She started undoing the belt and my button fly. She felt me over my boxers, and I couldn't help pushing my hips against her hand. I needed to do something fast before I wouldn't be able to stop.

"Bella, please…" I tried to clear my head. She moved her hand inside my boxers, and I grabbed her wrist in reflex. My whole body was screaming at me in protest to let her keep going. "Listen, um… Can we… Can we just talk for a second?"

"Talk?" she asked in confussion, frustration coloring her voice.

"Yeah, um… yes," I said, getting some of my weight off of her. I could still feel her heat so close to me. I needed to get up if I wanted to make any sense.

With a grunt, I got off the bed and stood beside her, running a hand through my hair. She lifted herself on her elbows and stared at me. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were swollen. Her chest was moving up and down with her breathing. I had to face down to avoid looking at her in her bra, but the sight of my hard-on wasn't helping either, so I stared at the window instead. "I have to apologize for what happened the first time we were together."

"Edward…" She breathed hard, flopping on the bed. "You apologized already!" She groaned in frustration, and I noticed how she pressed her thighs together. She wanted this bad. I almost lost my resolve — almost.

"Please, I… I need to. I am sorry for how I acted before. I was completely inconsiderate of you and your feelings, and I have been hating myself ever since. I hate that our first time together was like that, and under those circumstances."

"Hey, that was my first time, like ever, and I have no complaints," she said and smiled. She probably meant it as an encouragement, but I was wrong when I thought I couldn't hate myself more.

"Y-your first time?" I said and pulled at my hair.

No way… It just couldn't be… could it?

"What? How? I mean…"

I would have noticed, right? I tried to remember that night, but it was all foggy. Bella got off from the bed and came closer to me.

"Edward," she said with a hand on my cheek. I closed my eyes to enjoy her touch and to try to digest what she just told me. Bella had lost her virginity to me. No wonder her friend wanted to beat me to a pulp.

"Bella, I… I…" I said, stalling, without enough words to express my atonement.

"It's okay," she said and grabbed my hand. I was at a loss for words. She got on her tiptoes and kissed me and pulled us back to her bed. "I don't want to go slow anymore, Edward." She kissed my neck and my chest. "I want to be with you." She undid the buttons on my shorts.

"Bella, I do too," I said, as my shorts dropped to the floor, grabbing her ass again, pulling her up and wrapping her legs around me. We landed on the bed again, and I grabbed her face with both hands. "Not just like this, Bella, but I want to be with you in every way."

She smiled and kissed me again. Bella wanted me. She wanted to be with me.

I might be the luckiest son of a bitch alive!

There was nothing else in my life I wanted more than Bella. I would try my best every day to be good for Bella.

I started undoing the button and zipper on her denim skirt, revealing beautiful matching red panties. I pulled her skirt off her legs and then planted kisses all over her legs. She moaned and twitched.

When I moved closer again, her hands flew to my boxers and started feeling me. I kissed her neck and nibbled her ear as I worked on the clasp of her bra. She moved her hand inside my shorts and put her fingers around my erection. She grabbed me firmly, and my eyes were ready to roll back. I tried to take deep breaths. I needed to calm down. I didn't want this to be over too soon. I would make up for our horrible first night together.

I cupped her breast, and she moaned. Her nipple was instantly hard under my hand. My other hand worked its way down her belly and into her panties.

She was so wet and ready. I tried to take deep breaths. As my finger touched her clit, she gasped and pressed her legs on my sides. I put one finger in her, and she started stroking me. Having her little hand stroke me was too much. She was making the right kind of pressure at the right pace. I tried to take deep breaths, but breathing wasn't helping anymore.

"Bella," I said, and she moaned and kept stroking me. "Bella, baby," I whispered, and she moved her hips against my hand. "Bella!" I groaned. I was so close already. "If you keep that up, I'm going to come on your hand," I released her breast and grabbing her wrist with my hand.

Her hand stopped and released me, and she looked at me with hooded eyes. She was blushing the loveliest shade of red. My dick was painfully screaming at me to let her do what she was doing so well. But I told it to shut up.

"I want to take care of you first," I said, and Bella moved her hips against my hand again. My Bella was so ready for me. I stroked her folds with my finger as my other hand released her wrist and moved back to her breast. I put two fingers in her while my thumb circled her clit. Bella arched her back, and her hands were fisting the sheets on each side of her.

I kissed her neck and nibbled her ear, and she made the most erotic sounds I'd ever heard. I planted kisses all over her collarbone while my fingers were still busy inside her. I kissed every one of the freckles on her shoulder and moved down to her breasts. I continued planting kisses on her body until I reached her panties, and she stopped me with one hand on my shoulder.

"Edward, what are you-?" she said, panting. As my thumb moved around her clit, she kept pressing her hips against my hand. She looked at me in confusion. I moved closer to her to whisper in her ear.

"Bella, I want to taste you," I said, breathing hard. My dick was straining against my boxers, ready to take her.

"Do you really?" She moaned, closing her eyes.

"Yes, Bella." I continued rubbing her clit. "Would you let me, please?" I kissed her neck.

"Mmm hmm," she said and finally relaxed the hand on my shoulder. I moved down again, and I took my fingers out of her and got rid of her panties. She was still squeezing her thighs together, so there was no room to get my lips on her.

"Bella," I said with a hand caressing her thigh. "Relax, if you feel uncomfortable, just say it and I'll stop, okay?"

"Okay," she said and took a shaky breath. She relaxed her legs, so I pulled them apart and kneeled between them. I had to swallow hard at the sight of her sex. When the tip of my tongue touched her clit, Bella gasped, her hand flew to my shoulders, and her nails dug in my skin.

I stopped and waited to see if she wanted me to stop. After a couple breaths, Bella's hands went back to fist the sheets. I licked her as my fingers pulled apart her folds.

"Oh my god," Bella moaned as I flicked her clit with my tongue. "Edward! Ung!" Bella covered her face with the pillow. My tongue was in her then, and I could feel she was ready for me.

"Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod." I could hear her through the pillow. I needed to make sure Bella was ready for me like I should have our first time. "Edward…" Bella said, letting go of the pillow and pulling at my arms. I released her with my mouth but kept stroking her softly with my fingers. She pulled me closer to her and kissed me.

"I want you inside of me," Bella said into my ear. I breathed hard on her neck as she pulled my boxers off of me. I aligned myself on top of her so that the tip of my dick was right at her entrance. I could feel her heat and her wetness. It was driving me crazy. I searched for my shorts around the bed and took the wrapper out of my wallet.

As I entered her slowly, Bella clenched all around me, gasping. It was almost enough to drive me to the edge. I focused on my breathing and closed my eyes until I was all the way inside of her. And then I was home. Bella was all I needed. Bella was everything I wanted. "You are everything," I said, breathing hard with my forehead on top of hers. Bella moaned and moved her hips against me. I held Bella against me as I kneeled on the bed with her on top of me, ignoring the pain in my thighs. I knew this way would feel better for her. I held her up as I moved in and out of her painfully slow. I breathed in her neck, taking her scent in. I could easily get used to her fruity smell. As I felt her getting used to me, I increased my pace.

"Oh… Edward…" Bella said, hanging her head back.

"Bella… you… you feel so good." I kissed her neck and nibbled her earlobe to try to avoid the moans that were threatening to come out. It was all in vain. I tried to hold on for a while longer, but as I felt her walls clenching, I knew I was going to lose the battle soon.

"Edward!" she screamed with her orgasm, and I followed soon afterward. I moaned into her neck with the ecstasy of my release.

I carefully put Bella down on the bed and flopped next to her with a groan, stretching my legs. I felt Bella move closer to me, and then she was caressing the hair behind my ear with a finger. I closed my eyes and enjoyed her touch. She traced patterns on my shoulders and arms.

"That was amazing," Bella whispered, and I opened my eyes. She smiled at me from her pillow. The sweat had made some of her hair stick to her forehead, and her cheeks were still flushed. She was so beautiful, and she wanted to be with me. I doubted I could get used to that.

"Bella," I said, caressing her cheek, mimicking her moves. "I love you." I couldn't keep the words in anymore. I was afraid it might be too soon, but nothing was going slow anymore. I needed to be honest. I couldn't be away from her anymore. Bella's eyes widened in surprise after my words, but then her smile got bigger and she pulled herself closer to me.

"Edward," she said and kissed me. "I love you too." She hid her face under my neck. "I want to do that again." She giggled.

I knew she'd be the end of me. She'd be the end of my life as I knew it until now. I could never feel sorry for myself again because Bella loved me. Bella trusted me enough to want to be with me after really knowing who I was. I made a promise to myself that night after we made love again. I would fight my hardest to never disappoint her, to be good for her, because she gave me everything just by breathing next to me. And as long as she wanted me around, I would never leave my Bella again.

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