A/N: So, this is the next to last chapter, and then there'll be an epilogue of sorts. So sad it's coming to an end!!! Thanks so much to everyone that has reviewed. Still, I'd love to know what the rest of you guys think. I know loads of you are reading!!! So please, take a few seconds and let me know what you're thinking. It means so much to me. Thanks!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, now or ever.

The Bookshop

Chapter Twenty-six

JPOV

I saw the deer and heard Bella's shout. "Oh God, Jasper, look out!"

I don't know how, but I was able to process that swerving would be worse than hitting it straight on and the next thing I knew, I was slamming my brakes and the deer was hitting the front bumper. It flew to the side of the road and we screeched to a halt at the shoulder of the road.

People always say moments like these pass slowly before your eyes. They're wrong. Split seconds go by even faster and you don't even know what's happening.

My heart was pounding and adrenaline was surging through my body. I was panting for breath as I looked over at Bella. She was wide eyed and terrified, but she was fine. We were fine.

"Are you OK?" she asked breathily.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah."

Our car and the deer were dead, but we weren't wrapped around a tree, and that's all I cared about. The roads were empty and we were on the side of the road. We would have phone service…

Not that you ever want to be in an accident but this was a good way to have one all in all.

"That was just so sudden," Bella gasped. "I can't believe how fast. Jasper, you're so amazing, you didn't panic, you didn't freak out…"

She was suddenly in my arms and kissing my face all over. I returned her embrace and we kissed deeply. There was nothing sexual about it. It was a kiss of relief, of survival.

"I love you," she breathed.

"I love you, too. Now… let's call Gramps. We don't want to worry your family."

"Right."

I dialed Gramps and he was in his car and headed our way in less than five minutes.

We were both jittery and neither one of us could stop talking. The adrenaline really threw us for a loop, I guess.

I jumped out of the car to inspect the damage. The front right headlight was completely obliterated and the bumper and hood were creased and bent from the impact. I tried to ignore the bits of deer hair and blood smeared across the car.

"I'm sure it looks worse than it is… but for now, the car isn't going anywhere."

"Oh, Jasper, your car…" Bella looked worried.

"Eh, it's nothing. Could've been worse," I assured her.

We looked up at the now dark night sky, and I realized that we were so far from any town or light source, that you could see the Milky Way. We leaned against the back bumper and watched the hazy strand of galaxy stretch across the sky. Granted, it was a small strand, thanks to the trees we were surrounded by, but it was still breathtaking. Several shooting stars shot across and I watched Bella tightly close her eyes and make a wish.

I held Bella in my arms keeping her from the brisk night breeze. She was wrapped in my suit jacket and she looked tiny and adorable. I kissed her once, then twice.

The entire time not one car drove by us.

Gramps pulled up a half an hour later, looking sick with worry. He jumped out of his old blue Ford F150 after barely throwing it into park.

"Are you guys OK? I called a towing company, they're coming, what about the deer, is it dead? We should call the sheriff about that, I think… Are you OK? No broken bones? No scrapes? Wow, the car looks bad…"

He was white as a ghost.

"Gramps, calm down, it's OK. We're fine. The car isn't so great, but we're fine."

He gave up both enormous hugs.

"I'm so sorry, it's just when you called… it was like your parents… after a wedding…"

He couldn't finish his sentence. Bella looked alarmed.

"Jasper?"

I sighed and walked her out of Gramps' earshot.

"I told you how my parents died in a car crash when I was a kid. Well, it was when they were coming home from a wedding, just like us. My mom's cousin. It was night and my dad had had one champagne too many. He wasn't drunk, he was below the legal limit, but it affected his reaction time and they were going too fast. A bicyclist was on the side of the road and my dad swerved to miss him. He missed the biker… but he wrapped the car around a light pole and he died on impact. My mom… she died a little while after, on the way to the hospital. Head trauma. So hearing that I'm in a car crash right after a wedding… Gramps is remembering the night he lost his son and daughter-in-law."

Bella's eyes were swimming with tears.

"Oh, Jasper," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

She pulled me into a hug and I let her cry softly.

"Hey. Look at me." She gazed up at me, brown eyes rimmed with red and swimming with tears. "We're OK. You're fine… I'm fine… That's all that matters. And I love you."

I kissed her forehead and brushed away her tears.

"You're right," she said with a shaky smile. She walked over to Gramps, and gave him another huge hug.

"We're OK, Gramps," I heard her reassure him.

BPOV

It took the tow truck over an hour to reach us and then we drove back in Gramps' rattled old pickup. It smelled of motor oil and vanilla and the radio didn't work, but I loved it.

Gramps dropped us off at our house and we went straight to bed. After the adrenaline wore off, I was exhausted. We fell asleep with late night TV on in the background, facing each other and holding hands.

In the morning, I called my mom, and of course she threw a fit that we didn't call them last night, but I assured her everything was alright. That we weren't hurt and that Gramps truly didn't mind coming to get us.

"Of course, Jasper will borrow our car until his is repaired," Renee said fiercely.

"No Mom, that's not necessary, he'll just-"

"Bella, don't be silly. You both need a car. You work tomorrow in Forks, correct?"

I sighed. "Yeah."

"Phil and I will bring the car up tonight after he gets off work."

"Fine, then you have to have dinner with us tonight."

"Deal. See you and your gorgeous man later, Bella!" and then she hung up.

I rolled my eyes.

Jasper strolled into the kitchen, wearing a white T-shirt and red boxers. He still had a bit of bed head, and he was wearing his glasses. My heart skipped several beats.

"Who was that?" he asked. I realized I still held the receiver in my hand.

"My mom," I said, hanging up the phone. "They're bringing you a car to borrow for awhile while yours gets repaired."

He groaned. "I hate borrowing things from people… I hate asking for things."

"Renee insisted. You're not getting out of this one, buddy. You know how persuasive she can be."

"Right." He looked grumpy. Even with a frown on his face, he was unbelievably sexy.

"C'mere," I prompted, holding my arms out to him. He swallowed me in his embrace and I melted against him.

"I'm so tired from yesterday," I complained. "Let's go take a nap."

"It's 10 o'clock in the morning!" he said, clearly amused. "I just woke up."

"Fine. Read. I'll keep nice and quiet for you, so when I touch myself before I fall asleep, I won't disturb you. I wouldn't want you to run up the stairs to see what's wrong when I call out your name."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You're… you're going to… uh…."

He got a glazed look then and I knew I had him.

"Yeah, I figure I'll just pretend my fingers are your tongue, and-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence as he swooped me into an intense, bone-melting kiss.

Before I knew it, he was lifting me into his arms and walking up the stairs. We stopped at the top and he pushed me roughly against the wall.

If he hadn't held me up, I knew I would have simply fallen to the ground. His kisses were intense and powerful, yet loving. I wanted to be closer… infinitely closer.

As if he could read my mind, Jasper pulled me from the wall, and carried me the rest of the way into our bedroom, his lips never leaving mine for a moment.

He laid me across the bed and quickly covered my body with his. My legs went instantly around his waist and he ground his erection against me. I whimpered and attached my lips to his neck.

"Bella," he gasped. "I need you."

He ground himself into me again making sure I knew just how much he needed me.

I kissed him again and we began tearing clothes off each other. It felt like eternity before my bare skin made contact with his and we both groaned in pleasure.

He sunk into my heat slowly and it was perfect. He was made to love me just this way. We fit together so perfectly. We moved together and slowly, yet still too soon, we found our release and he collapsed on top of me. I loved feeling his wonderful weight on top of me.

"Marry me," he gasped, nuzzling my neck

"What?!"

He looked down at me with an unreadable expression. "Shit, I didn't mean to say that."

The pain was searing. I couldn't breathe. The lump in my throat was so big; I couldn't speak even if I had wanted to. The tears instantly formed and I couldn't move fast enough away from him. My stomach twisted and I felt like I was about to vomit.

"No, Bella, I didn't mean it like that, I-"

"I'm sorry that the thought of marrying me is too awful for you to comprehend. Well, don't worry. I would've said no anyway."

Had he not smashed my heart to pieces five seconds prior, I would have instantly felt guilty at the look of pain and heart break on his face. He sat up, the sheet pooling around his waist as he watched me dress quickly and start pulling a bag together.

"Bella, no, don't do this. Let me explain, please," he pleaded but I blocked him out. I grabbed clothes blindly out of my closet and threw them into my bag.

"I'll be at my mom's house," I said stiffly. "Please don't try to contact me."

And with that, I left the house. I tried very hard not to notice the devastated look on his face as I slammed the door.

I drove all of two blocks before I had to pull over and that's when the tears came.

A/N II: So... they didn't die in a car crash.... *ducks and hides from various things being thrown at her* Trust me, please!!! This isn't the end... of anything.