The tension in Bella's living room could be cut with a knife.

This has to be the most awkward moment of my life. Brady's thought made Edward stifle a smile.

Judging by the short conversation he had with the man, Brady was a nice guy, who understood and respected Bella's choice. Unlike Jacob.

Edward closed his eyes, trying to focus on anything besides Jacob's loud thoughts. It was clear he was hurt by Bella's decision, and even more so by his crush being revealed. Edward still doubted it was possible for a werewolf's imprint to be one-sided. He knew that Bella liked Jacob, but not enough to consider it remotely imprint worthy.

"I'd like to keep talking to both of you once I leave," Bella said, breaking the silence.

"You bet we'll still talk. I need the full Jacob Black handbook with details on how he operates. You know I like speed, but fuck me. He neared ninety on the way to his house last night. And don't get me started on the show he put once we got there. I think there's nothing left to break in the kitchen." Brady shook his head.

Edward concealed his amusement at the vivid pictures Brady painted in his mind by pressing his face into Bella's hair. Her elbow met his stomach, more in warning, because she couldn't hurt him.

Not yet, at least. He'd started thinking more and more of the inevitable time she'd be like him. The thought terrified him, and at the same time, it thrilled him. She was going to be absolutely stunning if Alice's visions were anything to judge by.

It's a surprise he allows her so underdressed around us.

Edward whipped his head to Jacob, narrowing his eyes at him.

Jacob met his eyes, smirking. I know you're in my head. Pretty confident she's yours, huh?

"There were times when I doubted it, but I've come to understand that even though Bella is human she loves me as much as I love her," Edward replied.

Damn, that's creepy. Brady's eyes widened. You heard that one, right? Shit.

"I usually try to ignore everyone's thoughts. It's rude to invade their privacy."

"Could have fooled me," Jake muttered.

"Please go upstairs and put on pants," Edward whispered in Bella's ear. "I have no idea how much longer I can endure Jacob's atrocious thoughts."

Bella blushed furiously. "Bathroom," she said as an excuse, running up the stairs.

"When?" Jacob asked flatly.

Edward didn't need the ability to read minds to know what he was referring to. "Like I said, we are going to leave Forks in a few weeks. Probably after New Year. Carlisle and Esme should arrive later tonight and we'll have a meeting."

"Good. I hate keeping secrets from my father."

"What about Sam?"

Like I give a shit about him. I'm the Alpha, leech! "Haven't talked to him since he was an ass to Bella."

Edward nodded, then got up and went to the storage room. If Brady thought of escaping the room any more, he'd kick him out himself. Instead, he brought the shovel he'd been thinking about.

"Here you go. If you need help, let us know."

Brady stared at the shovel for a moment, then snatched it and left.

"Is he going to dig a hole for you to sleep in outside?" Jake joked.

"Ha, ha." Edward rolled his eyes, keeping an ear on Bella still upstairs. "You should consider her wish. Bella might have us forever, but I know she'd love to keep in touch with you for as long as possible."

You mean until I die? Is that what you want? Imagine the pain she'd be in, bloodsucker! It's better we put an end to our friendship when you leave town.

In that moment, Edward realized Jacob wasn't trying to be mean by declining Bella's wish to stay in touch.

"That's very noble of you, Jacob. I won't influence her decision if Bella insists to have you in her life."

Maybe I don't want to be part of her new dead life. I've told her that she'd be dead to me. It's how we see it. He looked away, fighting tears. You have to make her see it's for the best.

"I'll try."

Bella returned into the living room. "Where's Brady?"

"Digging a hole outside for your leech," Jacob answered promptly.

"What?" Bella frowned, turning to Edward.

"He's digging up his bike."

"Oh. I see." She came to sit down, choosing the spot between Edward and Jacob.

Smooth, Cullen. You sent her to get dressed.

Edward didn't even try to restrain the warning growl.

Bella shot him a curious look, then pointed at Jacob. "Stop upsetting him! Keep your thoughts to yourself."

"Believe me, I'm trying. He's digging through my mind."

Edward snorted. "Your mind is shouting at the moment."

"I'm going to help Brady. The faster he's done, the sooner we're out of here." Jake disappeared out of the room, thumping on his was outside.

Bella touched Edward's cheek. "I understand why you liked it when we were alone."

"As much as I'd do about anything to hear your thoughts, it's tiring to hear everyone all the time. And now that we have the others back, it will never be quiet again."

"Unless we go somewhere together. Alone." Bella grinned, taking his hand. "Alice told me that Emmett and Rosalie usually spend some time apart from the family every time they get married."

Edward smiled. Bella was talking about marriage willingly. "Now you want to get married?" He teased.

"Well, you proposed…"

"WHAT?"

Edward hung his head. He'd hoped that Jacob was back but not headed into the living room. He hadn't meant for him to find out like that.

"You knew he was there," Bella said, scandalized.

"Believe me, he wasn't there when I said it."

"So." Jacob folded his arms across his chest. "Now you're getting married!"

"Isn't that what two people in love do? Besides, it won't happen any time soon," Bella explained.

"God forbid he touched you like that while you're still human." Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Did you find the keys?" Brady appeared in the doorway, his face red from the cold.

"I got sidetracked," Jacob muttered.

"Don't say a thing," Bella hissed to Edward.

He was debating whether or not he should enlighten Jacob that he had indeed touched Bella like he suggested.

"What did you lose?" Bella asked Brady.

"Valerie's keys."

"Might be in the kitchen." She led him to the kitchen, while Jacob huffed under his breath.

"Do you mind?" Edward snapped, tired of the silent insults thrown at him. "Don't worry, you won't be invited."

"Maybe I've changed my mind. I suddenly have this desire to keep in touch with Bella."

"No, you don't! Stick to your plan. And you better tell her the truth when you say goodbye."

"She'd plead with me to still talk." And you know it. Did you ever try saying no to her big, doe eyes?

"I meant the other thing." Edward stood up, walking closer to Jacob. "Tell her you love her. She has a right to know."

What if she chooses me?

Edward refrained from rolling his eyes. "She won't. And if by some unfathomable reason she does, it's her decision."

Damn, you do love her a lot. You'd let her go, just like that?

"You know the feeling pretty well, too."

Jacob looked away, then noticed Brady and Bella joining him the hallway.

"All done! We can take her to the garage," Brady said, excitedly.

"Let's go!" Jacob moved to the door. "Don't be a stranger," he told Bella on his way outside. I want to see her one more time before you take her away.

"Goodbye, Jacob," Edward said flatly.

If Bella wanted to meet her friend, he wouldn't stop her. If she didn't want to see Jake again, that would be her decision.

Edward went upstairs to allow Bella to say goodbye to her friends. He checked his phone, seeing several text messages from Alice. After scrolling through them, he called her.

"You're annoying," he spat.

"But I miss Bella! You had her for yourself for three months!" She whined.

"If it weren't for her pleadings to get back in touch with you, we'd still be blissfully alone."

"So when are you coming back? I see Carlisle and Esme arriving before another snow storm hits."

"We'll be back later, if Bella isn't too tired." Edward hung up, throwing the phone on the bed. Keeping it on silent was the best decision, especially at the moment when Alice called back. He wouldn't have to hear the annoying ringtone.

"Phew! We survived what could have been another world war." Bella stepped into her room, grinning.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" Edward took her hands in his, smiling.

"Maybe eat something, shower, nap… Why?"

"Carlisle and Esme are going to return tonight."

"Oh! We'll be there. I know you miss them. And I miss them too!" Bella threw herself on the bed. "You barely had time to catch up with the others."

Edward rolled his eyes. Being around his family was at the bottom of things he wanted to do anytime soon. After having to listen to Alice and Jasper for the past few days, now Emmett and Rosalie were back too. And Emmett was as crass as Edward remembered him.

"Believe me, I'd rather spend my evening in the mutt's company than be around Emmett."

"Hey! He's not a werewolf anymore," Bella berated him through a yawn.

"You should sleep. Tell me what you'd eat so I have it prepared for you."

"Anything. Though, there might be leftovers if they aren't spoiled by now."

"Sleep." Edward kissed her forehead, heading into the kitchen.

He was engrossed in preparing lasagna from scratch when he heard Bella's voice whispering from upstairs.

"Well, I bet he still can hear me." There was a long pause. "Do you want me to break my neck? Not even Edward could save from such a fall!"

That piqued his interest.

"No way! Just use the door like a normal person." Another pause. "How about a compromise? I eat something, then I convince him to come back? Good. Yeah, right. Bye, you little freak!"

Edward snorted at Bella's way of addressing Alice. He had no doubt she'd been on the phone with Alice.

Bella appeared in the kitchen looking sleepy and downright beautiful.

"You can start seducing me into going back home. I'm a willing participant." Edward grinned.

"Oh, God! So you did hear!"

"You're adorable when you think a little whispering can deceive my ears."

"Well, it was this, or my imminent death. Alice tried talking me into jumping out the window. She had this plan for Jasper to wait for me down to catch me, then whisk me away before you realized."

"In what parallel universe does she exist? Has she even met you? You'd break your neck trying to climb out the window, let out jump down."

Edward had to have a talk with Alice about endangering Bella's life. And Jasper was definitely not a good candidate at catching the self-injury prone Bella.

During their hunting trip, Jasper had separated from Alice for a while, probably deliberately. They had the much dreaded conversation. At first, Edward was all for brushing him off, but Jasper needed to talk about it, to be able to forgive himself.

Edward had never seen his friend so ashamed and unworthy as when he apologized for being the weakest of them all and causing Edward so much pain. Edward hadn't even tried to reason with him, because everyone had been blood frenzied when Bella cut herself, only him and Carlisle had been able to succeed in staying. And only briefly for Edward, because her sweet ambrosia had coaxed the monster to surface.

Edward was aware Bella was talking to him, but her words didn't make sense. His mind was miles away. He was back on that fateful night when their lives changed forever. He didn't often allow himself to think of it, because even though he had her back now, the darkness of the past was palpable.

"Snap out of it!" Bela shouted in his face, making him blink.

Edward focused on her soft, brown eyes, and on her rapidly beating heart.

"There you are." She smiled, looping her arms around his neck.

He placed his hands on her elbows, bending for a small kiss. "I apologize, love."

"You zoned out. That never happened before."

"I was just thinking…" He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Please take a seat. I'm almost done."

"And what are you cooking? I've been trying to get an answer from you for the past five minutes."

He felt horrible for not keeping his focus on his sweet Bella. "Lasagna."

"Mhhhm! Yum! I'll hop in the shower while you finish."

Edward turned to the stove, in an attempt to hide what the news did to his body. As much as he'd embraced their new side of the relationship, he was still ashamed of how his body reacted to Bella. He'd kept that part hidden from her back in high school, and on some nights it was beyond difficult. Especially when she used to throw one leg over his thighs.

Now, she knew how his body reacted to her: her voice, her touch… everything made him act like some hormonal teenager. Edward had witnessed plenty of such reactions during his high school experiences, but he wasn't ready to embrace that part of himself. He was still a man from the eighteenth century who couldn't tolerate such behavior. It made him mad at himself for what he thought of Bella sometimes. She deserved so much better than what the teenage hormones trapped in his seventeen year-old body wanted. Sometimes, the hormones got the best of him, and he succumbed to her pleas, like what had trespassed on the couch before her friends visited.

That was definitely not proper behavior on his part.

Edward still couldn't believe how his moral allowed him to even take this step with Bella, because he had never envisioned himself having relations with a woman before marriage.

Bella was right. This was another century. Everything had changed. Women had more rights and they had learned how to use their powers to get their man to do just about anything they wanted with a simple look.

The lasagna was done and on a plate when Bella returned from the shower. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, and she was wearing his Harvard hoodie.

She folded herself on a mismatched chair, inhaling the way her food smelled.

Edward did his best not to gag. He loved cooking for her, but it still smelled terrible to him.

"Thank you," she whispered, cutting into the piece of lasagna on her plate.

"Anytime." He leaned against the counters, keeping the dishtowel in his hands as he watched her.

"Please stop staring at me. I'm going to choke on a bite."

"We wouldn't want that, now, would we?" Edward teased, walking over and stopping behind her chair.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning to kiss her bare neck. He nosed the skin for a brief moment, closing his eyes, allowing her sweet fragrance to envelope him.

"I see. So this meal was your attempt to seduce me so I became your meal."

Edward moved to the other side of the kitchen, horrified. "No! I swear, that wasn't my intention, my love."

"Your face, Edward!" Bella laughed loudly. "Seriously, I won't object."

"Don't I know? I'll go pack some clothes for you. I have a feeling you won't see much of this house again."

"I don't exactly mind. I can't wait to have the family reunited."