A/N - I want to thank everyone for reading this story. It means a lot to me! So, I'll let you get to it! Enjoy!

~Sorry this is up late! There were technical problems with the site all day yesterday and today and I wasn't able to post! I am so sorry that I wasn't able to get the chapter up on Saturday! I love writing and sharing this story with you all.~

Chapter 24 - Talking and Tears

EPOV

I was happy to see Dr. Hale leave. I was even happier that Bella was back in my arms, as we sat together on the porch. I knew what he had talked to her about must have been serious, because she seemed deep in thought. And she didn't want to get into what their conversation was about until later.

But she told me that everything was perfect, so I was satisfied. If my girl was happy, then I was happy. It didn't take much for me.

"Okay, cowboy," Bella said. "Let's get that hand fixed up so I can take you to bed."

"That's the best idea I've heard all day," I told her honestly. She walked over to the screen door, but I beat her to it, pushing the door closed. I leaned down and gently rubbed my fingers on her cheek. "I love you," I whispered, before pressing a kiss to her lips.

She smiled up at me. "I love you, too, Edward." She pressed one more quick kiss to my lips. "Now, quit stalling," she laughed. I chuckled as I opened the door for her.

We walked into the house and I heard everyone in the kitchen. Rosie and Em were standing at the sink; Rosie washing, and Em drying the dishes. I had the best friends. Alice had a bunch of medical looking stuff laid out on the kitchen table.

"Ready, Edward?" she asked, smiling. "I'll do this quick and painless, okay?"

"That sounds amazing," I told her, sitting down at the table. Bella stood behind me, rubbing my shoulders. She was always there for me.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at what Alice was doing to my hand. Bella put both her hands on my cheeks and tipped my head back so that I was looking up at her. "You are doing great," Bella said, softly. "She's almost done." She leaned down to kiss my lips. "You are doing so good."

I could feel Alice touching my hand, and Em chuckling, likely at me. But I was focused on Bella, her sexy lips, her sweet breath, her shining eyes. She was an amazing distraction. She brought her hand down my chest, and started rubbing it lightly. She kissed me, again. This was not much of a deterrent not to get injured, again. My sweet girl was really good at taking care of me, and she didn't make me feel stupid for being nervous.

In no time, Alice was done. "There you go, Edward. I splinted your pinky finger and taped up your other fingers just in case. Try not to use your hand much for the next few weeks, okay?"

"Well, I'm not going to lie," I told her. "I'm going to use it."

Alice shook her head at me. "I'll keep him in line," Bella said. "I can't thank you enough, Alice." Bella walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"It was no problem," Alice said. "Thank you so much for dinner. And it was so nice meeting you, Bella. It's great to have another girl out here," she laughed. "I swear I'm surrounded by so many farm boys."

I laughed and walked over to her, kissing the top of her head. "Thanks, honey," I said. "I really appreciate you coming over tonight. You saved my ass."

She laughed. "Oh, I know. And one day, I'm going to come and collect." She was so cute. Alice was just a little thing, and seemed so sweet, but she was quite the firecracker. She had a lot of personality to her. She was a great girl.

And it was too damn bad that Bella's professor was so hung up on my girl. It was pretty obvious that Alice had the hots for him, lord knows why, and he completely ignored her. What an ass. But, then again, I already knew that he was, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

After hugs all around, Rosie, Em and Alice left. Bella had invited Alice to come over again, soon, so they could get to know each other without all the distractions. I was glad that my girl got along so well with Alice. The last thing I ever wanted was for Bella to feel alone and isolated out here on the farm.

I knew she was close with Rosie and Em already, and she had me almost all day, but it was going to be nice for Bella to have someone else. And like Alice said, another girl. I knew Bella was happy now, but in a couple months, or even a couple years, she may crave more of a social life. I was used to the isolation, but Bella had been raised in a city and gone through university. She was used to hanging out with friends and going out, which reminded me to bring up Jess coming out to the farm for a while.

When Bella and I came back in the house, after walking all the McCarty's out to their vehicles, I took her hand in my good one and pulled her up the stairs. I pulled my shirt off and then grabbed Bella's hands and brought them to the button on my jeans. "Take my pants off?" I asked her, with a wink and a smile.

Bella started laughing. "With pleasure, cowboy." She popped the button, slowly pulled down the zipper and then yanked my jeans down to my knees so fast, I jumped. She laughed, again. "Sorry. I guess I was a little eager."

I chuckled with her, kicking off my boots and then my jeans. "Never apologize for being eager with me," I told her. "And as much as I want to take your clothes off, I can't."

"Don't worry, sexy. Just lay back and I'll handle everything," she said, pushing me backwards onto the bed. I was completely naked, but I didn't mind in the least. The way that Bella looked at me, had always made me feel invincible. I saw the love, heat and desire on her face every time she looked at me. We were meant to be. I had never felt more complete.

Bella pulled her t-shirt off, and then unclasped her bra. She let out a relieved breath and then laughed a little. "My god, Edward. Those things are uncomfortable."

"What's that?" I asked her. "Bras?"

"Yeah, bras," she giggled, standing in front of me in just a pair of jeans.

"Why wear them then?" I asked, as I watched her unzip and pull off her jeans.

She crawled into bed with me and laid down on top of me. "Because, Edward. For one, most girls are raised that way. You know, you have to wear a bra once you started to, well, you know," she giggled, dropping her blushing face to my chest.

I ran my good hand up and down her back, concentrating mainly on that little dip in her lower back, just above the curve of her ass. "Okay, so your mom made you wear one. Now you live with me. And I'm all for letting everything hang out," I told her.

She laughed looking up at my face, and then kissed my Adam's apple. "Well, things will be hanging alright, if I stop wearing one all together."

I laughed, making her bounce on top of me, and both of us moaned at the sensation. And that put an end to that conversation. Bella sat up on top of me, and true to her word, she handled everything. And I mean everything. I loved my girl.

She flopped down on her back beside me, letting out a deep breath. She reached her hand down to my horseshoe tattoo and traced her fingernails over it. I groaned and closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation. "I love you, Edward," she said, kissing my chest.

"Mm," I hummed. "I love you, too, sunshine."

"You look like you're going to fall asleep," she whispered into my ear, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"It's been such a long day," I said, closing my eyes. "Can we just sleep tomorrow? All day?"

She laughed. "Okay," she agreed, a little too easily.

"Mm. I love you," I told her, again. Because with a girl as special as Bella, it couldn't be said too much.

"But right now, I want to take a bath," she said. "You want to come?"

"Of course," I told her, kissing her pretty lips. We got up and walked across the hall to the bathroom. I sat on the lid of the toilet, while Bella filled the tub with hot water. I watched her as she pulled her hair up into some kind of knot and pinned it back. She was so beautiful.

"So, I heard Cinnamon was giving you a little trouble tonight, huh?" I asked her, stepping into the bath and sitting down.

She laughed. "Yeah. They all miss their daddy," she said. "And I'm going to help you with your chores for the next few weeks, until your hand heals properly."

"Bella, you don't have to do that. I'm fine," I reassured her.

She rolled eyes at me, and smiled, before climbing in the tub with me. She laid her head back on my shoulder, and turned her head to kiss my jaw. I set my right hand on the edge of the tub, to keep my fingers dry, and wrapped my left arm around her waist. I traced my fingertips up and down her side and I watched as goose bumps formed over her skin at my touch. I smiled.

We both stayed quiet, and just enjoyed the feeling of being so close to one another. I knew she wanted to talk to me about her why her supervisor had come out here, and I wanted to hear it. But I wanted her to talk to me on her own.

BPOV

I was thrilled that Alice was able to fix up Edward's hand. I tried my hardest to distract him. I knew he was afraid of going to a clinic or a hospital, but I didn't know how far that fear spread. Was he afraid of doctors and nurses, too? Was it the procedures, the buildings, or just the idea? I didn't want to ask him, right now, so I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. He did amazingly well, and thankfully Alice was so good with him.

I had also really enjoyed Alice's company tonight. She was such a sweet girl, and we got along amazingly well. Apparently she just worked in town, so she was close by. I was happy to have a new friend out here.

But, now that Edward's hand was all fixed up, and we had shared a little loving in the bedroom, we were relaxing together in the bathtub. I felt so good in Edward's arms and my body always responded to him. He had asked if we could spend the day in bed tomorrow, and I thought is was a great idea.

Edward and I had had a rough couple of days. My black eye, the stressful meeting in Jasper's office, the phone call from my mom, Edward's broken finger, and Dr. Hale's unexpected visit tonight. I had to agree with Edward. We definitely needed the break. I was looking forward to a day of nothing but sleep, kisses and relaxation.

But, before we could go to bed, I had to talk to Edward about why Dr. Hale came over tonight. I was nervous to tell him, because I didn't want him to get upset. I knew he didn't like Jasper, and the idea of me going to the States with him for a conference was not likely to go over well.

I had to tell him, though. I didn't want to keep secrets from Edward, and I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was my boyfriend and I loved him. I pressed one more kiss to the column of his throat and took a deep breath.

"Edward," I said, my voice sounding loud in the quiet of the bathroom.

"Yeah, Bella," he said, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the sensitive skin on the inside of my wrist.

"Jasper apologized for the way he reacted on Monday morning at the meeting," I told him.

"I'm glad," Edward said. "I know he upset you."

"Yeah, he did," I told him. "But, I think he was just looking out for me, you know?"

"Uh huh," Edward said. I could tell that he didn't agree, and I had to hold back a laugh. I loved Edward so much. His jealous streak was actually flattering to me. I loved that he wanted me to himself.

I reached my hands under the water and rubbed his legs. "But, he came here for more than that, didn't he?" Edward asked.

"Yes," I told him. "Actually, he came to tell me that there is a graduate level history conference coming up, and he invited me to go and present my research."

"Wow, Bella. That's great," He said, lifting my chin up so he could kiss my lips. "I'm so proud of you. Why didn't you tell me that right away? That's amazing news."

"Because, Edward. The conference is in North Carolina," I told him, hearing the disappointment in my own voice.

He let out a deep breath. "Okay. That's okay, Bella. That's exciting, right? I mean, you get to go show a bunch of students and professors how brilliant you are."

"Edward. For one thing, I can't afford to fly all the way to North Carolina," I told him. "Not for just a three day conference."

"Did you tell him no already?" Edward asked. "Because, I have the money, Bella."

"No, Edward. I'm not taking your money to fly off to some conference. I don't need to attend and once I'm finished with this degree, I'm done with school," I told him, defensively. I would feel horrible taking the money he earned on the farm to take an unnecessary trip all the way to North Carolina.

"Hey, hey, sunshine," Edward said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "Calm down, okay? Why are you getting so upset?" He leaned in and kissed my cheek. The tenderness and supportiveness of the gesture made me start crying. I turned and laid my head on his chest, watching my tears slide down his skin and disappear into the bathwater.

"Shh, honey," He said, gently rubbing my back. "We'll figure this all out, okay? Just, tell me what's bothering you. It has to be more than the money. Talk to me, okay?"

I nodded into his chest, but cried a little longer. "I don't want to leave you," I got out, quietly.

"Aw, Bella. You're not going to leave me. It's only a little trip. You'll be back before you know it," he assured me, sweetly.

"Jasper. He said, he said, I should look into the doctoral program, while I was there," I sobbed.

EPOV

I could have started crying right then with her. Just the thought of her leaving me tore my heart in half. I leaned my face forward and buried my face into her hair. I took a deep breath and let it out.

I wondered if that was what she wanted. Was she crying because she was going to look into continuing her studies in North Carolina?

But, I knew one thing for sure. I had to calm the hell down and get Bella to talk this out with me. I knew a doctoral program would probably take her a few years to complete, and I would not let her handle this alone.

If I had to sell my farm, I would. I did not even want to think about doing something like that. This was the only way of life that I had ever known and I would miss it. I would miss Em and Rosie and my horses. I would miss the open skies, the golden wheat field, and the unbelievably fresh air.

But, love was a powerful thing, and Bella was my world now. If she wanted to go to North Carolina, I would pack up and follow her. I took another deep breath.

"Bella, honey," I whispered. "Please, stop crying." I rubbed her back and placed another kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," she hiccupped. "I didn't mean to cry."

"No, Bella. That's not what I meant," I chuckled a little. "I mean that I don't want you to cry because your sad. Let's talk it out."

"Okay," she said, looking up at me with a tear stained face.

I wiped under her eyes with my left thumb, and then leaned in to kiss her little button nose. "Okay. Can we with start with the big question?" I asked and she nodded her pretty little head. "Good. Do you want to study your doctorate in North Carolina?"

"No," she said, looking into my eyes.

"Are you sure, Bella?" I told her. "Because, I don't want you to make that decision based on me. I want you to be happy in life and not have any regrets. If you want to continue your education, I'll be right there to support you, Bella. I'll sell the farm and we can move to the U.S.. If this is what you want, then I want it."

I wanted her to know how I felt. I wanted her to be able to make her decision based on what she really wanted for herself. I didn't want to hold her back. I loved her.

New tears streamed down her face, and she shook her head. "That is the last thing that I want, Edward. I love you for offering that. I cannot believe you would leave all this for me."

"I would Bella. I love you that much," I told her.

"But, Edward, what I want is to be with you. I want to learn how to take care of this place. I want to ride the horses and cook you dinner every night. I want to have a baby together one day," she said, her voice raw with emotion. "I do not want to study anymore. I want this life. Here."

I smiled at her and pulled her close to my body, capturing her mouth with mine. I loved this woman with my whole heart and soul, and I was so happy that she wanted to share my life with me. We were going to turn my parents farm into our own.

I had to marry this girl. I had to make her mine. And soon. I wanted to show her that my commitment to her was a great as what she had just described to me. I wanted that life that she had just detailed to me. I wanted her. Forever.

I stood up and stepped out of the tub, before I leaned in and lifted her out of the water. We were dripping wet and naked, but I didn't care. My hand was killing me, but I didn't care. I walked back into our bedroom and set Bella on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling over the side.

"Edward," she giggled, likely at the absurdity of the situation. "What are you doing?"

I smiled at her, not answering yet, and walked over to my closet and opened the small wooden box I had on the top shelf. I found what I was looking for, and grasped it in my hand. I turned and walked back over to Bella, before getting down on one knee in front of her.

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, her tears starting back up again. I chuckled a little at her surprise. Hey, I was surprised, too, but I had never been more sure of anything in my life.

"Isabella Swan," I started, reaching up and taking her left hand from her pretty face so I could hold it my own. "I love you. I have never loved another living soul on earth as much as I love you. You mean everything to me. From the second you walked into that diner, and my life, I have loved you. I have never met a more gorgeous person, on the inside, or out, than you, Bella. You make me happy and you give me hope for a beautiful future. I cannot see my life without you. And I want us to share forever."

I took a deep breath and wiped the tears from my own eyes, chuckling a little. Bella seemed frozen in place, the only thing moving were the tears falling from her eyes. But she had a smile peaking out from behind her hand.

I held up the simple yellow gold ring that had belonged to my great grandmother. It had a small diamond set in the middle, with two even smaller diamonds on either side. It was old, and it was quite plain, but it was important to me and I wanted Bella to have it.

"This ring, Bella, was my great grandmother's. I know it's not much, but it I have always kept it in my closet, hoping that one day I would find a woman that I loved and wanted to share my life with. It was waiting for you."

I looked down at her tiny hand in my larger, rough, callused hand. Both of us were shaking. "Will you, Bella Swan, do me the honour of wearing this ring, and be my wife?"

She took an unsteady breath, her eyes flicking back and forth between the ring and my eyes. So many questions were flashing through my mind. What would happen to our relationship if she said no? Was this too soon? Should I have taken her out to dinner? Should we have at least gotten dressed? Should I have waited until tomorrow?

"Edward," she whispered, sliding off the bed. She stood on her knees in front of me, and placed both of her hands on my cheeks. She smiled and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Yes."

We both started laughing and I was trying to kiss her, but I couldn't get the smile off of my face long enough. "Yes?" I repeated, just to double check.

She nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "Yes, Edward. I love you and I would love to be your wife," she said, before laughing, again. She looked so happy. And that's all could ever ask for. I would work my entire life to keep that smile on her face.

I laughed with her. I picked up her hand and slid the ring on her dainty finger. I had always been awed by how tiny my great grandmother's finger was, but it fit Bella like a glove. It was like the ring was made for her. I brought her hand to my mouth and pressed a light kiss over the ring.

"Oh, my god, Edward," she squealed, pulling me into a tight hug. "We're engaged."

I chuckled, moving my hands over her body, my fiancé's body. I lifted her up and set her on the bed. I went over to turn out the light and then climbed into bed with Bella. She instantly had her hands on my body and her lips on mine. I had a feeling this was going to be a night to remember.