Chapter 36

From our unique stage right vantage point, Bella and I not only had a perfect view of the projection screen, but we also could make out the expressions on the first few rows of faces in the audience. I knew the first set of pictures would be the hardest to watch. My beautiful, young, vibrant mother practically leapt off the screen, her zest for life painfully evident in every frame. Bella gently looped her fingers around mine and let me know in the most unobtrusive way that she was right behind me.

Poor Dad was standing alone on the side of the stage, without the luxury of any support. I located Jasper, sitting next to Kate at the end of the front row. I caught his eye and tipped my chin toward Dad. Jasper instantly rose from his seat and sidled up next to Dad. I watched spellbound as baby Jasper arrived, his earliest photos sprinkled amidst the construction of the outbuildings. The audience 'oohed' and 'aahhhed' whenever the little blond bundle was shown. Very soon after, the dark-haired Emmett started popping up, almost always with Jas and Mom, and usually with a funny expression on his face that caused a fair amount of tittering among the audience. Alice's music selections ranged from upbeat (We Are Family) to sappy (Mama, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys) to fun (Surfin' USA). Predictably, my arrival was documented next, a beautiful baby- if I do say so myself- who started life as a towhead before turning auburn. Bella tightened her hold on my hand and moved closer. There were some good-natured cheers in the audience, even a few leftover 'Superman' chants, followed by laughter. As the three babies grew into toddlers, the resort filled in around us. Guests were often seen in the background of our family photos, along with familiar friends who spent their vacations on the island.

There were relay races, cookouts, cliff jumps, Captain's dinners, talent nights, birthday celebrations, sleepy hugs- in short, the story of our family. Picture after picture showed us to be the perfect, happy, loving, healthy family.

As time fast forwarded in captured moments, Mom appeared less frequently. Worse, we watched her grow gaunt and pale before our very eyes, until finally, she was absent altogether. Clicking my eyes over to Dad, I noticed that Emmett had bolstered him on the other side, and they all three had their arms around each other. If Bella hadn't been next to me, I would've joined them, but I was fine and so were they. Soon, a 16-year-old Bella entered the montage, clearly picking up the baton. Alice paired this with Elton John's Island Girl.

I brought my free hand to Bella's chin and turned her toward me. Inside our dark shadow, I pulled her lips to mine, hopefully conveying my appreciation for her appearance in our lives. I traded in our held hands for my arm wrapped around her waist, and she snaked her arm around me in return and rested her head on my shoulder.

There, before our very eyes, the three of us grew up under Bella's loving care. An eight-year-old me matured into a ten, twelve, and fourteen-year-old, before suddenly, Bella, too, disappeared from our story.

The tone of the show changed at that point, and the photos were less about our family and more about the resort, our guests, renovation of the cabins, opening of the spa and salon, changes to the Hut through the years. Rosalie appeared on the scene, to loud whistles from Emmett, and finally Alice joined our collection of memories. Through it all, Dad had no other companion. And yet, he was the perfect host, with his ready smile and warm hospitality, and always could be seen extending his hand in friendship.

The slideshow picked up speed as it pounded toward present day, ending in a dizzying collage with ELO's Mr. Blue Sky as a backdrop. Victorious cliff jumpers in mid-air; tan, happy groups of friends with arms wrapped around each other; random salon customers posing with fresh manicures and hairdos; serene yoga poses and people in meditation; Bingo and Twister and karaoke and trivia nights; ice cream and hot dogs and big juicy burgers dripping down exhilarated faces of kids of all ages.

Alice ended brilliantly with a 9-section animated photo collage with a flashing '25' lighting up the screen. The audience cheered madly in appreciation.

"Alice Brandon, please come up here so we can all thank you for that wonderful gift," Dad said into the mike. Alice bounded onto the stage and into Jasper's waiting arms. He spun her out for a bow and she was immediately smothered by Emmett lifting her up and swinging her around the stage. When he finally set her back down, Dad pulled her into a long, teary hug. I couldn't hear what he was saying to her, but I saw the motion of his lips into her ear, and her head nodding in response.

Bella gave me a gentle shove toward the stage, and I took the hint and joined my brothers. I wrapped my arms around Alice's waist and rocked her back and forth. "Thank you, Alice. It's exactly what we wanted."

"It was my pleasure. Now, on with the show…before you lose their attention!"

Dad turned the microphone over to me, and I announced, "One more round of applause for the amazing Alice!"

"And now, without further ado, we move from the past right into the present. Here to start our show, Tyler and the Guards!"

I returned the microphone to its stand and stepped to the side stairs leading back stage. I headed straight back to the costume rack to prepare myself for our quartet. Pleased at the occasional ripples of laughter from the audience, I caught up just in time to hear Emmett's loud complaining.

"They're going to laugh us off the stage, Dad. Look at me! I look like a giant candy cane for God's sake! I don't know how Alice could do this to me."

"Hey, Em, take it easy," Jasper soothed. "It's campy. The audience is going to love it."

"Easy for you to say. You don't look like a barbershop pole. And how about these bow ties? We look like the gay version of the Chippendale's! Fuck me. I cannot believe I let you talk me into this, Edward."

I'd learned from years of experience that it was best not to try to interrupt Emmett when he was on a tirade. Soon, his batteries would wind down and he would be his usual fun-loving, docile self. In the meantime, he was taking up all the space in the mirror and I couldn't get my tie to cooperate.

"Hey, Em, do you mind?" I said, bumping him lightly with my hip to squeeze out a little space for myself. Meanwhile, Jasper was fixing his hair on the other side, and my little shove had knocked Emmett's ear into Jasper's elbow.

"OW!" Emmett responded by knocking Jasper roughly out of the way.

"Hey, what did I do?" Jasper complained.

Behind me, I heard the familiar sound of tinkling laughter. I lifted my eyes in the mirror to see a very amused Bella. "This is funny?" I asked, trying to hold my own grin in check.

"You're like three cute little puppies falling all over each other."

Emmett turned around and petitioned Bella's opinion. "Tell me the truth, Bella. Do we look ridiculous?"

She shook her head no. "You look completely adorable. And you better get ready; I think Tyler's act is just about over."

"Where's Dad?" I asked, suddenly realizing he hadn't been part of this melee. Bella tipped her chin toward an out-of-the-way spot where Dad was enjoying a quiet moment with Kate.

Bella winked and said, "Go get 'em, Tiger."

I started making my way out front when it hit me that I needed my tuning fork. "Shit- I need my-"

"Oh, here, let me get it," Bella said, making her way to my guitar case.

I swiftly shot across the room just in time to beat her to my case. No, sweet Bella, that would not be helpful tonight. She gave me a quizzical look as I pulled the tuning fork from its spot. "I…uh, just wanted to make sure I grabbed the right one. Wouldn't want to be singing in the key of G by mistake!"

Ugh, smooth save. Not.

"Tyler and the Guards, everyone," I said into the mike. "And now, a very rare performance for your listening pleasure. Ladies and gentlemen, The Four of Us!"

I turned around to the very surprising sight of my brothers and my father, lined up peacefully and immaculately dressed in white pants, tees, and bowties, with coordinating white striped vests. I took my spot next to Emmett in my blue-and-white stripes, while Dad flanked Jasper's other side in green. I struck the fork and found all four pitches, snapped the beat and conducted our foursome with my right hand. Starting out slowly, we sang-

"Take the best
Forget the rest
Sit back and be our guest
Our guest-

And we picked up the tempo as we hit the chorus:

Be our guest, Be our guest
Put our service to the test…"

The audience caught up at this point, recognizing this ultimate hospitality song from Beauty and the Beast. The audience clapped appreciatively and laughed when Emmett hammed up the Bass part. Rosalie and Alice were providing plenty of encouragement to their boys from the front row, and it seemed like even Emmett was enjoying himself. We launched into our second song- You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You. This was a great song for Jasper and Dad to showcase their talents, and the audience went wild at the ending-

"You're nobody till somebody loves you
So find yourself somebody to love."

I handed the mike to Dad, and he announced our final song. "Speaking of which, this one's for you, honey." He shot a wink to Kate, who was watching him proudly from the wings.

"K-K-K-Katy, beautiful Katy,
You're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore…"

Kate pulled her hands up over her face, but couldn't resist the urge to peek through her fingers. By the end of the song, she was laughing so hard, she was wiping away tears.

The last note rang out into the audience, and the crowd cheered and applauded. We grabbed each other by the shoulders and bent together in our well-rehearsed bow. Rosalie and Alice were on their feet whistling and pumping their arms wildly.

"This seems like the right time to thank Alice for our terrific costumes. Alice!" Luke shone the flashlight into the audience and captured the waving pixie for everyone to cheer. While I stalled, the crew was rolling out the piano for Kate. When I noticed they were done, I announced Kate and she took her place behind the keys. She tapped out the beginning Jingle Bell chords, launching into Joni Mitchell's River.

"…But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm gonna make a lot of money
Then I'm gonna quit this crazy scene

I wish I had a river
I could skate away on."

The audience was completely entranced by her beautiful voice and her easy command of the piano. Dad was positively beaming from his seat.

"…I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
He put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees."

She peeked up at him during the piano interlude to gauge his reaction to the naughty loving line. He just smiled and shook his head, as if so completely enthralled and delighted by her that he couldn't even be bothered to be embarrassed. When she finished, Carlisle stood to applaud and then gallantly helped her down the steps and took her in his arms. Whatever Kate may have been feeling during the slideshow, she seemed confident in her role in Dad's future, and I could not have been happier for them.

"Thank you, Kate, for letting the whole island know about my naughty father." Dad stood up and gave a good-natured wave to the crowd, and received wild cheers in return.

"And now, folks, you'll want to pay special attention to this next act. At no time, will her hands leave her arms, but you will be amazed by her daring feats of magic. Give it up for the Amazing Rosalini and her lovely assistant, Alice!"

The crowd was dazzled by the sparkly costumes and upbeat music the girls had chosen. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch the show because I had to get dressed, or more accurately, undressed, for my act with Riley. I grabbed my next costume from the little corner I'd claimed earlier with my guitar case and my pile of clothing. Sneaking back into the darkness, I peeled off my white pants and traded them in for my black cotton yoga pants, which I pulled on quickly over my compression shorts. The pants were loose fitting but not baggy, and though they sat low on my hips, I could count on them not to slide down while we were moving. I rid myself of my bowtie, vest, and finally my shirt. I felt a tap on my shoulder and Riley appeared next to me. Stealth.

"Got the music all ready?" I whispered.

He nodded yes. "The show is going great, Edward. Everyone is having a blast out there."

"Thanks, Riley. Hey, I just wanted to say thanks again for agreeing to do this with me."

"I should thank you. You gave me the idea for my next big thing. I'm going to take my yoga dance to the next level and start teaching this as a class."

"Does that mean I just handed you your ticket off the island?"

"No. Why would you think that?" He looked at me with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

I poked my head out to see where the girls were in their act. Rosalie was busy pulling stuffed bunnies out of hats and cracking up the audience. "You didn't think I really knew how to do that, did you? Seriously, folks!"

Back to Riley, I said, "I just figured you'd outgrow us." And I quickly added, "But I really hope you don't."

He riffled his hand through my hair teasingly. "Aw, Gee, Edward, I always knew you were sweet on me."

I think I may actually have blushed because the conversation was just that embarrassing, and here I was about to do a half-naked dance with the guy, and I had to admit that I was pretty fucking thrilled he said he wasn't leaving.

"Go announce us, big boy. We'll talk about this another time. And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere without you." He gave me a playful wink and I rolled my eyes. At both of us.

As I turned to go, he grabbed my forearm. "Hey, Edward, stay focused out there, okay?"

"Sure, Riley. Don't worry."

"Okay. They're done. See you out there."

I stepped out from behind the side curtains and the audience went wild. "Rosalini, everyone, and the amazing and adorable Alice!" The girls took a few more bows and they and their props were helped off the stage by a couple of the guys.

Luke dimmed the lights and used the red filter we'd agreed upon. Riley came out and we took our positions. There were whistles and catcalls until the music started. I pushed everything else away and focused on our routine. I faltered in a couple of spots, starting to slide into the wrong pose, but Riley led confidently and my mistakes were unnoticeable.

When the music clicked in to high gear, the crowd began to clap to the beat, well, sort of. At the end of the routine, when we moved into the Heaven and Earth pose, the crowd quieted. And as I lifted Riley with my back and neck, they jumped to their feet with appreciation. We closed with our back-to-back breathing and the music and lighting signaled the end.

Riley stood first and gave me a hand up. We bowed side by side, arms at our sides, as rehearsed. As the crowd cheered us on louder and louder, Riley wrapped his arm around my shoulders and folded us forward together.

"Great job, Edward," he said out of the side of his mouth before exiting the stage.

I took the mike once again to introduce Alec, but the whistling and cheering didn't die down. "So, Riley just told me before our act that he was considering making yoga dance a regular class at the spa. Who's signing up?"

I looked back and found him backstage with my eyes. He popped out of the wings and waved to the crowd.

"Will he keep his shirt off?" a female voice called out.

"Will you, sweetheart?" someone challenged her.

"Okay. And now that you're all warmed up, here to bring a smile to your face is Chef Alec. And please, think twice before jeering him. This man has A LOT of sharp knives. Fresh from the kitchen to the stage, I give you Chef Smart Alec!"

"Good evening, ladies and germs. Actually a chef never jokes about germs…I mean, there's almost nothing funny about e coli…"

I ducked out quickly. I had a major costume change and only one act to get it done. Bella was waiting for me back in my little corner.

"Wow, you look fantastic in that dress," I said. "That Alice sure knows what she's doing. Keep an eye out, would you? I've got to change my pants. Bella?"

I stepped in front of her and put my hands on her shoulders. "Hello in there?"

She shook her head a few times. "Oh, sorry," she said, blushing.

"What is with you?" I asked, peeling off my yoga pants.

Her eyes were locked on my boxers, which was causing some dangerous stirrings in said region. "Okay, that thing you just did with Riley? That was…."

"Bella?"

"It was one of the hottest things I've ever seen. Like unfairly hot, Edward."

I snorted. "Glad you liked it. Hand me my jeans please?"

She complied, but her mind was elsewhere.

"Shirt?"

She passed me my blue button-down. "What a shame," she mumbled.

"Shoes please."

She shook her head no. "Do you have to?"

"I'm not playing Bach barefoot. Besides, you look really pretty and I don't want to go out there all…"

"Dead sexy?"

"Come on little vixen. You need to let Good Bella come out, just for our performance, then I swear you can come back out to play."

She drew her lips into an adorable pout. "It's not fair. You did this to me."

"Save that passion for Tico, baby. But you're gonna have to stow it for the Bach. I swear I can't play with you looking at me like that."

"Don't worry, I'm a trained professional."

"Well, I'm not. Hand me my tie."

"Your tie, Edward? Am I being punk'd? Not funny, Ashton," she said, pretending to look for the hidden camera crew. She looped the tie over my neck and fixed it under my collar.

I pulled her in for a kiss. "Maybe you needed another pre-game!"

"If I had known you were going to be rolling around on stage bare-chested, doing hot yoga moves with another hot guy-"

"Whoa, Nellie Bellie."

"And then wearing your oh-so-sexy slightly ripped jeans and THE TIE…Ughhhh."

I gave her another kiss as I heard Alec start his final bit. "Time to grab your instrument."

Without hesitation she reached out and grabbed my hardening dick. "Oh, you are in so much trouble, Bella."

"Well, as long as you're in it with me…"

"I'm way the hell in it, I promise you." One last kiss and I reached for my guitar, checking that it was still in tune. Alec was finishing his routine, and I fought to calm my nerves and libido. I ran my hand through my hair because I thought it might calm me down, but all it did was mess up my hair again.

I met Alec on the stage and took the mike from him. "Well, there aren't any tomatoes up here, so I'll take that as a positive sign. Chef Alec, everyone!"

I put the mike into the stand in front of us and shook Alec's hand. Meanwhile, two stage hands came out with stools and Bella met me on stage with her guitar.

"Ready for action, my love," she teased quietly. I gave her a look that was meant to say, 'Behave' but I think it ended up saying, 'If I could, right now, I would fuck you against that wall right there.' Hopefully, nobody in the audience spoke horny or I'd be totally busted.

Before sitting down I announced, "This is a piece called Invention #13 by a man you may have heard of, Johann Sebastian Bach."

Taking my place on my stool, I could see that Serious Bella was in the house, and she counted out like a pro, starting us off on the right foot. The audience was quiet and respectful, and possibly a little bored after the raucous events of the evening. But it was a nice piece, and a cool duet, and we played it well. They clapped appreciatively, and I pulled Bella up, held her hand and we bowed together. Shouts of 'Encore' started immediately. Even though the program read differently, I pulled Bella's ear to my lips and said, "Let's give them Tico Tico as an encore after your presentation."

She clearly liked that idea, so I let the audience know. "Thank you, folks. The lovely Bella and I do have one more piece to share with you, but we're going to do it a little bit later. Right now, I'd like to draw your attention to the screen behind us, where you're about to learn about exciting plans for the future of The Cliffs. Take it away, Bella!"

The curtain in front of the screen lifted dramatically, the entire building dark but for the brightly lit spot on stage. There, projected 20 feet tall and 15 wide, was a close-up of a 9-year-old boy jumping Notch, arms thrown high above his head, fists tight in victorious celebration of a first cliff jump, legs folded cannonball-style, hair crazy with the momentum of the fall, eyes wide open taking in every detail of the moment, mouth smiling but prepared to receive its final gulp of oxygen before breaking the surface. My heart skipped a beat in recognition of my first sanctioned jump. I vividly remember signaling Dad where he stood on the shore with the camera pointed at me before yelling, "Geronimo". Bella had taken her spot near the cliff chair, poised to drag me out again if need be. Emmett and Jasper cheered me from Challenger. But all I could see was the cute little red-headed girl on the beach who'd jumped just before me and dared me to follow her.

Emmett teased me relentlessly with that old challenge, "So if a girl asked you to jump off a cliff, would you just do it?" Apparently, I would. I guess I've always been a sucker for a cute girl.

I couldn't remember her name, but I never forgot the utter joy of that moment, and there it was, bigger than life, for the whole island to behold.

I leaned over so that my lips were directly next to her ear. "Bella, where did you find that picture?" It had a certain familiarity, but I couldn't recall having seen it for many years.

She answered out of the side of her mouth, "Carlisle let me take it with me after our talk in his bungalow the day before I left."

"This is what you were hiding from me earlier?"

I regarded her nervous face in the reflected light. "I kind of made you my poster child. I wanted to surprise you with it. You're not mad, are you?"

"Mad? No, Bella. How could I be? It's actually perfect."

She nodded with relief and continued her presentation. "I give you Exhibit A- the young boy in this photograph, trusting himself to take the leap, trusting the adults around him to keep him safe, spending quality time outdoors, exercising, eating well, making friends, having meaningful conversations with grown-ups, trying out boating or biking or running or swimming or guitar. This boy is joyous."

She took my elbow and held me arm's length away. "Exhibit B," she stated, pointing at me as if I were a game show prize. Suddenly, a spot light illuminated me, and I squinted into the audience for a second before I adjusted. "The very same boy, grown into a…" Bella faltered with her description of me, probably running through all those adjectives she'd used to describe me in private that were clearly inappropriate to this situation. "…Grown into a fine young man. Confident, sturdy…" I gave her a quizzical look at that one, which she answered with a slight shrug that only I saw, "…self-sufficient, responsible, caring, loving…" I gave her a warning with my eyes. "And good," she concluded.

"Now, I'm not saying that one week out here on this island is going to turn every troubled or underprivileged child into Edward Anthony Cullen. This particular boy is the result of a lifetime of nurturing, the finest education, the most positive influences around him, and let's face it, a dream team of a gene pool."

"You got that right, sister!" came an enthusiastic heckle, followed by laughter and whistling.

"But just think of the possibilities when we inject just a little bit of this into these kids who are lucky enough to come to..."

Bella squeezed my hand and caught my eye, asking permission for something that I couldn't discern. I cocked my head in question and she finished her statement, eyes glued to mine.

"Lucky enough to come to Camp Esme. Wouldn't that be a fine return on your investment?"

Bella's eyebrows lifted to me, seeking approval. Confused, I sought out Dad's face in the crowd. He looked stunned for a moment, but his face soon relaxed into a broad, satisfied grin. I felt my own expression follow suit. Bella sighed in relief.

The crowd cheered, fully into Bella's proposition. "Boys?" she prompted. Two stage hands appeared swiftly, one placing an easel at the front of the stage, the other setting a giant foam board on its ledge. Bella moved forward to her props and explained.

Stepping closer behind her, I could see the outline of the cliff schematic. In the manner of a fundraising thermometer, Bella had cleverly superimposed the heights of each of the cliffs, marking off the various donation levels.

"I'm going to start right at the top, ladies and gentlemen, and tell you that once we reach High Cliff at $75,000, we will be able to bring four summers' worth of campers to our island."

She moved her arm down one level.

"Now, Challenger is a $50,000 platform, enabling us to roll out our program this summer and fund another six weeks of campers for each of the next two years. Still, nothing to sneeze at. Notch, at $25,000, gives us the chance to prepare our facilities and spend more time on fundraising. It will push us back a bit, but it's a start.

"And Bump here, at a mere six feet…" Bella gestured to me to move next to her, which I did without question. "How many of you know the story of Edward's real first jump?"

I groaned, and there was some tittering in the audience, but only my family and the oldest guests knew the lore of my near-death experience. Clearly, Bella was about to remedy that situation.

"It may surprise you to learn that the photo behind me was not Edward's first jump. No, an impatient and immature eight-year-old Edward made a terrible choice one day, and he jumped off Bump without permission and without following the safety rules of the cliffs. Another jumper stepped off Challenger exactly at the same time, causing a horrible mid-air collision."

I flinched involuntarily, all these years later, remembering the terror of that moment of impact. The audience groaned sympathetically.

"We saved him from the depths of the ocean, revived and resuscitated him, and gave him a second chance. This is the picture of a boy who learned from his mistakes and understood the value of that second chance. This is no less than what I'm asking you to give the children of Del Rio."

The audience was on their feet, applauding Bella's impassioned speech.

"Thank you. Now," she started again, causing the crowd to hush, "as you can see, we're already almost at Bump's $6,000 level, with the help of some very generous donations over the years from grateful patrons of the resort. We all know that you can't climb up to the High Cliff without first reaching Bump, so let's go ahead and mark that first step, on our way to greatness, with the first step. I just happen to have some pledge envelopes here, and there's absolutely o pressure tonight, but if you're interested in hearing more after the celebration, please come and find me and I'll gladly tell you more. Thank you, everyone for listening."

Appreciative applause followed.

"Now, I believe Edward promised you all an encore! We'd like to play a piece called Tico Tico no Fuba by the Brazilian composer Zequinha de Abreu. I have a strong feeling you'll enjoy the performance."

The crowd buzzed in anticipation as the easel was pulled to the side, but the giant image of my jump remained. Bella picked up her guitar and arranged herself onto the stool. I stepped behind her and slung my left leg around her back. The crowd went absolutely nuts. I gently twisted Bella's hair away from the left side of her head, taking the chance to whisper, "You were amazing, Bella. Thank you for that beautiful tribute to my mother."

Resisting the urge to nuzzle her further, I hooked my right arm over her shoulder as we'd practiced and scooted even closer so I could reach the neck with my left hand. The crowd was completely out of control now, having no idea what to expect.

"Ready, Babe?" I asked.

"Not quite," she answered.

Oh-kay…

"Do you trust me, Edward?"

"With my life."

"I just want to try something…sit tight." With that, Bella wriggled out my grasp, much to the disappointment of the audience, and frankly, me. She walked forward to the center of the stage, and approached the crowd with her hands palms out, asking them for their indulgence.

"I just had a wicked thought," she started, in a stage whisper. She drew them in with her conspiratorial tone, as if I couldn't hear what she was saying from my perch behind her.

"This is a little bit awkward, because my partner over there," and she gestured behind her with her thumb without looking back, "doesn't know anything about it." I'm sure the natural anxiety crossing my face must've been enormously satisfying to the audience, because they continued to cheer and whistle in between her words.

"So anyways," she continued, "I was just remembering how…um…er, healthy Edward looked doing his dance out here with Riley. You know, without his shirt?"

Holy shit. You are not going there, Bella.

Catcalls and whistles and shouts of 'Take it off, Edward' rang through the auditorium.

"Now, I can assure you, this piece we're about to perform is a whole mess of hot, sexy fun. BUT," she continued quickly, before the crowd got out of control again, "if you could somehow help me convince Edward to take off his shirt…"

And now, the crowd was on their feet, at least the females in the crowd. Rhythmic clapping began and soon chants of, "Take it off, take it off" echoed through the room.

"Okay, okay," she said, holding out her palms again. "Let me just go ask him."

Bella turned dramatically and came back to where I was sitting. "So, what do you say, baby? The audience would really like to see this number without your shirt on." She smiled at me sweetly and her eyes gave me my answer.

I shook my head no.

"No?" she stated, as if surprised.

I crooked a finger to bring her ear down to my lips. "You are a fucking genius, Bella."

"Really?" she said out loud. "You really want me to tell them that?"

I nodded. Bella shrugged and walked back out the stage's edge to have her conversation with the crowd again. "Okay, he said he might be convinced."

They clapped and then watched while Bella picked up the donations board and returned to my side. Facing the numbers out to the crowd but addressing me, she pointed to the Bump line. "Bump? $1,000?"

I shook my head violently. Not Bump.

"Notch? $25,000?"

I shook my head again.

"Challenger? $50,000?"

I crooked my finger again, and she dutifully leaned in. "Tell them about Elizabeth."

"Ah, okay," I nodded to him very seriously. Then, to the audience, "Edward wants me to explain to you about the Challenge grant. We have a most generous donor in the city of Del Rio who has challenged us to raise $50,000, which she will match dollar-for-dollar from her own foundation AND guarantee another $20,000 in funding from private donors in the city. That means your $50,000 will buy us $120,000, three years of campers."

I took in the mood of the audience. Murmuring, wow's, applause, and excited laughter rippled around the room. And then, I caught my father's face. There, sitting in the darkened corner of the front row, was an ashen-faced Carlisle. Having put two and two together (two being money and the other two being Del Rio), he had obviously made the connection to our benefactor, his former…whatever she'd been to him. His eyes drifted to mine, and I realized I'd fucked up not warning him about this beforehand. In fairness, I had no idea Bella was going to mention the challenge grant tonight, and I did have a few other things on my mind this afternoon. Still, I felt bad that he'd been blindsided. I tried my best to beam him a sincere apology, but I felt miserable for his discomfort. Coming on the heels of the Camp Esme reveal, invoking Elizabeth Whitely must've felt like a surreal trip down Memory Lane.

"So, Edward says," and I sprang back to the present with her mention of my name, "that if we can get up to the Challenger level tonight, right here, right now, he'll gladly remove his shirt for our next number. Right, sweetie?"

I nodded lamely.

A lone male voice in the crowd shouted out, "How much for your shirt, Bella?"

A curt retort from the crowd came instantaneously, "Don't even think about it!"

Oh, no you didn't, Charlie. But oh yes, he had. I held my breath for one panicked moment while Bella squinted fruitlessly out into the crowd. I cleared my throat to snap her attention away from the familiar voice, and she picked up my cue and moved forward, shaking off her confusion.

"So, what do you think, gang? Are you up to the challenge tonight?"

Applause, and our first pledge rang out. "One thousand dollars!"

"Wow! Okay, I am going to need a little help. Carlisle, Rose, Emmett, Jasper, Kate, Alice- can you come up here for a minute so we can figure this out?"

They all quickly jumped up and approached the stage. "Okay, Carlisle, you're going to stay up here and keep a tally going. Here," she said, handing him a marker. "Meanwhile, the rest of you are going to go out there and take names and pledges, calling out the numbers to Carlisle as you get them." She handed each of them a legal pad and pen. "Go!"

I shook my head and smiled, marveling that she'd had this whole thing planned out ahead of time. Well, Miss Bella, I may have a surprise or two up my sleeve for you as well. She motioned me to come up and stand beside her, so I gingerly placed the guitar into its stand and walked up stage.

"So, did somebody say $1000?"

"1000 right here!" Alice quickly found the voice and confirmed it.

Bella said, "Well $1000 is certainly a great start. Can I get another?"

Three more hands went up. Dad scribbled quickly as the bids were all recorded. "Hmmm," Bella said, reaching over to loosen my tie, THE TIE. "One more thousand and I think we can say goodbye to this!"

Several more hands went up excitedly, and Bella looped the tie over my head and placed it around her own neck. Fuck if that wasn't the hottest thing I'd seen all night.

"Is anybody out there feeling super generous? Because I'd say this first button could go for $5,000."

"I'll give you ten!" Mrs. Molson shot out of her chair in her excitement. The crowd cheered her madly. I borrowed the mike from Bella. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Molson. That's extremely generous of you." I led another round of applause.

While the crowd was still worked up, Bella reached over and opened the top two buttons of my shirt. Somehow, though I'd already been shirtless on this stage, I felt more exposed right now than I had earlier. And my cock was starting to stand up and take notice. I was grateful for my compression shorts, which would help mask the situation under my jeans.

"Good start, people," Bella called out. "Who's next? It's $5,000 per button from here on out."

Four bids came in at that level, and Bella happily unbuttoned me to the middle of my chest. "We're already four-fifths of the way there! I promise the last two buttons are well worth it."

"Do I have any more at $1,000?" A few hands went up, and the four pledge takers raced madly from one hand to the next, calling out numbers as they went. Bella unbuttoned all but the last button and went to stand behind me. Just for fun, she untucked my shirt, so now it was hanging off me almost identical to the way it had been on the boat. I knew with one glance behind me that she was thinking the same thing.

"One more button, people. Come on, you can do it. Help me out here, Edward," she said. Next thing I knew, she was coaxing my arms up, locking my fingers together behind my head with my elbows straight out. She whispered in my ear for encouragement. "You are so delicious baby. I'm ready to give the last $5,000 myself right now."

I shot her a dark lusty look, because that's the only kind I had right now. I fixed my gaze above all the heads in the audience, trying to forget I was being auctioned away like a slab of beef. I reminded myself the cause we were fighting for, and my conviction in the work we were doing. Which made this a whole lot more palatable. I fought off the fact that not only my father but Bella's father was also witnessing this scene. For the kids, for the kids, for the kids. And I was deep into this trance state when I felt the last button pulled open.

"We did it, Edward!" Bella was standing in front of me, blocking out everything else. All I could see was the deep flush of excitement and accomplishment on her face as she threw her arms around my bare chest.

"Come on, let's give the crowd what they earned." She moved to the side and peeled my shirt off. The crowd was on their feet now, the men every bit as caught up in the excitement as the women. I rewarded them with a good-natured spin.

"You really need to lose those shoes, Edward. Just the jeans. Trust me on this."

Figuring it hardly mattered if my feet were bare, I cheerfully kicked my shoes to the side. The crowd was so riled up, I think they would've cheered if I stood there and sang Happy Birthday.

"Thank you all for your generosity! We will keep you posted on our progress. And now, I think there's a duet you wanted to hear."

Taking me by the hand, she led me back to our stool and retrieved her guitar. She settled herself once again and pulled the guitar to her chest. Realizing the tie was going to be in the way, she looped it over the guitar stand. Moving behind her, I settled my left leg across the back of the bench and scooted in. I took a minute to pull her back to my chest and inhale her sweet smelling hair. She answered me with a very soft moan. I pushed my hips into hers and made her feel my hard-on.

"You feel what you did to me, Bella?" I accused.

She wriggled a bit and said, "The feeling is mutual. Now come on, wrap those strong arms around me and let's play."

There were whistles and giggles as we settled into position. I drew a line down her neck with my index finger as I tucked her hair to the side once more, leaving the left side of her face completely exposed to me. I put my lips to her ear and said, "I have to admit, I'm having a little trouble with my focus right now."

"Tell me about it," she laughed. "It's okay, though. It's part of the song. Just close your eyes and run through the switch once in your head and tell me when you're ready."

I did as she suggested and then said, "Ready."

"Okay. You lead, and I'll be right behind you." Her confidence gave me the ability to start into the introduction, and once my fingers took over, the rest was easy.

I tuned out the laughter and applause and focused simply on our hands and the music, passing the melody back and forth between us in a friendly game of catch. We moved seamlessly into the switch, much to the entertainment of the crowd, who picked up right away on the difficulty of what we were achieving. I also tried to ignore the way my bare chest was rubbing against the silk of her skin and dress, her own muscles rolling and moving against and with me to form this shared creation. And I bit back my desire to nuzzle my nose up the long, graceful column of her neck. Concentration played beautifully on her face, giving way to surrender to the music. To me.

I took back the melody line and began the slow crescendo to the climax. She moved with me in perfect synchronicity. Though our beat was not the disciplined metronome of the Bach, we had no problem finding the same wave and following it as one. After a one-beat pause, Bella tapped out the beat on the body of the guitar while I played the schmaltzy interlude, and then she joined my fingers on the strings to rip out the end. The last pluck was hers alone, a playful atonal combination meant to leave 'em laughing and wanting more. Mission accomplished, from the sound of the audience.

She turned her bright eyes to me and I could no longer resist. Audience be damned! Moving my right arm even closer around her neck, I cupped her right cheek with my hand and held her as I brought my lips in for the kiss I'd been holding back since…well, since about 6:00. I took control of her lips and her tongue and I stole the oxygen right out of her lungs, but I couldn't get enough of her. I closed my eyes tightly to crowd out the eyes on us. Mercifully, Luke killed the lights and let us share the moment in relative darkness, the only light in the house being the reflection off the giant backdrop behind us.

There were so many things I was burning to say, so many places I was itching to touch, my body felt like the smoking tinder one second before the flame erupts. I knew if I didn't detach myself from her physically right this second, we were going to have a five-alarm fire on our hands.

"Mmmm," I tried, pulling away from her lips.

She wasn't having it. Quickly reaching her right hand up to the back of my head, she captured me.

"Mmm mmm," I said, more firmly this time. "Bella…have to…get off you…unghhh…please, baby."

I finally extricated my face and quickly pulled my right leg out from around her. I signaled to Luke to hit the lights again and pulled Bella up for a bow. The audience was cheering mightily, enjoying our lack of control. Cries of 'Encore!' were going up all around, and the audience settled into a unified clap, calling greedily for an encore.

Bella shrugged and looked at me, knowing we didn't have anything else prepared. "I wish I had brought my duets with me. We could've winged something."

I smiled brightly at Bella as if an idea had just occurred to me. "I may have just the thing." I turned abruptly to get my guitar (and the ring).

"Oh," I said, quickly returning to her and squeezing her hand. "Wait right there one second. I'll be right back." She laughed at my enthusiasm.

My heart was pounding right out of my chest. I returned to my guitar case and carefully retrieved the ring case, checking one last time to make sure its contents were still intact. Taking a deep cleansing breath, I pocketed the ring and retuned the strings. This was one song I needed to perform perfectly.