FYI- there are some things mentioned in this chapter that might be a little hard to deal with. Trigger warning for mental health issues and infant/child loss.

Edward

"It's almost time."

I looked up to meet Bella's eyes and saw that she was standing in the doorway of my office. Arms crossed against her chest and she looking like she was trying to hide the anxiety that skittered along her nerves. I nodded while turning back to the mess that was sprawled across my desk. "We were just finishing up." I motioned to Jasper but he kept his head down, brows drawn together, as he read.

"Anything?" She moved into the room and quietly shutting the door behind her.

We had been trying to figure out what options we would have when Bella officially turned down the position on the board at the meeting tomorrow. Under normal circumstances, I would suggest someone and there would be a discussion about their strengths and weaknesses, what they could bring to the organization, but- this was anything but normal. I shook my head to answer her question before my hands settled on my hips.

"It doesn't help that we have absolutely no clue how long all of this could take," Jasper muttered. "A week? A month?"

"We can't really put a timeline on Sue being…" Bella reached my side as her voice trailed off. "Just let me do it, Edward."

I shook my head. "No."

Her eyes followed my movements as I grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair and slid my arms into it. She blew out an exasperated sigh before looking at Jasper. "A little help?"

"Oh, no. I'm not doing this again with you two." He stood up. "Fight this battle amongst yourselves."

The past two days and nights we had discussed the details of what would need to happen to keep a board position open until Sue might be ready. Bella had suggested that she just accept the position as a filler until we had a better timeline of what this could look like and if I was honest, I knew it wasn't a bad idea. It would probably work but knowing what her concession, giving in to her mother's wishes, would cost her emotionally made it a hard no for me. There were other options. There had to be. But Bella, being Bella, pushed back against my decision. Unfortunately for Jasper that put him in the middle of our arguments that had lasted well into the early hours of this morning.

"You both know this is the easiest way." She pushed. "And if it is supposed to be my choice anyway then why not just let do it?"

"Because you don't want it." I tried to keep my voice calm.

"But-"

"Don't," I interrupted her in a sharp voice.

Bella's mouth opened, a slew of profanity laced insults ready to spill forward, but Jasper stopped her. "Let me leave before you start this again."

"Will you start gathering everyone together for the staff meeting?" I asked, ignoring Bella's glare. He nodded, gave me a look that clearly meant good luck, and shut the door behind him when he walked out.

As soon as she heard the click, Bella started. "Don't talk to me like-"

I spoke over her, all sense of calm now gone. "Don't ask me to be okay with you accepting one more thing that your mother forced you into!" She stared up at me, mouth still opened from her unfinished sentence. "I know it would be temporary! I know it would work! But I also know that you would be miserable every fucking day that you're forced to do it!"

She took a small step backwards and guilt rose up in my chest.

"I'm sorry." Shaking my head, I threw myself down into my chair and roughly rubbed my hands over my face. "Bella." Thankfully, when I reached forward, gently taking her hip, she didn't object. I pulled her to me, leaning my forehead against her midsection when she was close enough. "I'm sorry," I said again. I released a slow breath when her fingers moved through the back of my hair.

"You're tired." It wasn't a question but I nodded. "And you're stressed. Worried." I nodded again and she gently pulled at my hair, lifting my head so I was looking up at her. "Then let me help."

Cracks were beginning to show in the strong front that I had built since all of this started; the one that I used to convince Bella that everything would be fine, that we would be fine, and she saw it crumbling. Yes, we had a plan and that was a start but there were too many details left undone. There were still too many questions and not enough answers. There was still worry and fear.

My fingers tightened their hold on her hips as I looked up. "I don't want this to be another thing that keeps you awake at night."

She looked… exhausted. I worried that the line that had settled between her eyebrows would become a permanent fixture along with the dark circles that sat underneath her eyes.

"Do you think it wouldn't anyway? Until all of this is figured out…" She shrugged. "Edward, one more thing isn't going to make a difference. At least I'll feel like I'm doing something to help instead of just sitting here."

"Bella, I don't-"

She kneeled down between my legs, resting her hands on my knees. "You said that we would do this together. Did you mean that?"

"Of course I meant it."

"Then stop trying to shoulder all of this by yourself." She leaned forward and kissed me. "I'm not breakable."

"You don't want this," I said slowly. "And I don't want you taking it simply because you feel like we don't have another option available."

"Do we have another option?" She asked. My eyes looked at the mess of papers on my desk and she nodded, already knowing the answer. "If this is a means to an end and gets us out of Forks faster then I want to do it. If this means that when we do leave that Hope House will be able to help people on the reservation, people outside of Forks, then I want to do it."

She squeezed my knees when my eyes dropped to my lap. I raised them, meeting her gaze.

"What changed?" Bella asked. "You wanted me to do this before."

"I wanted you to be happy," I corrected her. "I saw it- that night at the cabin. As soon as I walked out onto the porch and saw you crying, I knew it wasn't what you wanted. This," I waved my hand around, "is just another reminder of your mother. It is a reminder of the hurt and manipulation regardless of what her intentions were. So no, I don't want this for you- for us."

She stood, looked me over for a second, and then lifted my hands to make room in my lap for her to sit. Once settled, she pulled my arms around her and laced our fingers together. We silently sat like that, her forehead pressed against mine, and I relaxed into her touch. "You don't always have to protect me."

"I do," I said softly. "Because I love you."

"And I love you." Bella gently pressed her lips to mine. "So let me protect you. Let me help you."

"You are." I squeezed her fingers. Did she not understand that? Not see it? "This helps me."

Bella shook her head, keeping her eyes locked on mine. "Together, Edward. We'll fix it; make it what it needs to be together. So that when we leave Hope House is the legacy we both want it to be. Because even if we never come back…this will always be a piece of both of us."

I searched her eyes, looking for… I didn't know. Something- anything- that showed hesitation or reluctance. There was fear, and I knew she was scared, but it wasn't because of the board position. That trepidation was for Leah and Emily, for Sue and her father. For us. The only thing I found was a fierce determination that told me I was never going to win this battle.

Bella's mouth turned up into a small grin, watching as my eyes moved over her face. When they finally settled she met them, holding my gaze, and nodded. "Together. Okay?"

"You're sure?"

She nodded confidently. "I'm sure."

XXXX

"Hello," Bella said into the microphone at the podium in front of her. She smiled, looking entirely self-assure and comfortable addressing a room full of Hope House employees, board members, volunteers, and trustees. "Before I begin I would like to take a moment and say how appreciative I am of the overwhelming support we have received from this organization since my mother passed. From the stories you have shared with us," she motioned to Charlie who was sitting next to me. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "It is easy to see how much she meant to all of you.

"I am here tonight to humbly request that you allow me to accept the position on the Hope House board of trustees that was once held by my mother." Bella glanced down at the podium and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. When she looked back up, she caught my gaze for a second before continuing. "Civic responsibility was a value that both of my parents instilled in me from a young age. My father, who all of you know, was a police officer for nineteen years before becoming the Forks Chief of Police. He held that office for twelve years before retiring. Rene-," she stopped, correcting herself before continuing. "My mother sat on numerous committees and boards- including the Forks Historical Society and The Clallam County School Board. They both took great pride in their community and worked tirelessly to make sure that it was a place that others could find pride in also."

I knew what Bella's speech for tonight would entail, had helped her write part of it, and knew the majority of what she was saying was not only a warped version of truth but also incredibly difficult for her to say. To stand in front of a crowd and offer praises for a woman that had been more of a stranger than a mother, someone who had abused and neglected her… It made anger and resentment boil in my chest. I didn't want her to do this- to give into Renee's demands. But if Bella was willing to play the part, could assume the responsibility until we had a more permanent solution, then I told myself that the least I could do was support her.

Charlie, I knew, shared my sentiments. He sat next to me, arms crossed across his chest, staring up at his daughter as she continued her speech that was full of half-truths about their past. Bella had sat with him and Sue last night, told them the very basics of our plan, and made it abundantly clear that Sue wouldn't be forced to make a decision until she was more than ready to face dealing with it. She hadn't rejected the idea outright which made me hopeful.

"I moved from Forks when I was eighteen," Bella continued after a few seconds of looking down at her notes. "I attended the University of Washington and after graduating moved to Phoenix, Arizona to practice law. Regardless of how long it had been since I visited though, I always considered Forks to be my home. I want to carry on my parent's legacy, one of helping this community, and am beyond grateful for the opportunity to do so through this organization. Since I have been back, I have volunteered my services as an attorney to one of the clients who resides in the women's shelter. We have also been able to start the initial process of starting a new program in Hope House that will offer free legal services to people in the area. It is my hope that the board of trustees will accept my mother's request to have me fill her seat so that together we can continue to make this a community that we can all be proud of. I believe in what Hope House does, I believe the services it offers are a vital resource to the people in the area, and it would be a privilege to join all of you in continuing my mother's legacy. Thank you."

Bella stepped away from the podium, smiling appreciatively at the applause that had broken out, and made her way to the stairs. I met her there, taking her hand to help her down the stairs, and gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze before taking her place behind the microphone. I watched as she took my empty chair, in-between her father and Jasper, and then cleared my throat once she had sat down.

"As the executive director I am supposed to remain unbiased when it comes to new trustees being appointed," I said slowly. "However, before I call for a vote, I would like to say that I have had the privilege of knowing Ms. Swan the majority of my life. I know that she would be a valued asset to the Hope House board. We… we would be lucky to have her." Charlie put an arm around Bella's shoulders, hugging her against him, as a blush covered her cheeks. "So now I ask that the board of trustees state your vote in appointing Isabella Swan by saying aye or no when I call your name." Glancing at the meeting secretary, she nodded to confirm she was ready to begin. I called each name- all five- and regardless of the conversation Bella and I had had in my office yesterday, I hoped that someone would object. However, when I got to Don Williams and he confirmed his vote with an aye, I knew there was no point in continuing that hope. All five had voted yes. I took a deep breath before casting my own. "My vote is also an aye which makes the decision unanimous. Please join me in welcoming our newest trustee member, Isabella Marie Swan."

There was a polite round of applause while Jasper helped Bella back up the stairs so she could rejoined me at the podium. Looking entirely pleased with the outcome, she walked towards me and held out a hand for me to shake. My eyes darted down to it, noticed the smirk on her face, and I couldn't help but grin.

"Congratulations," I said before taking her hand in mine and pulling her into a celebratory hug. Our newfound relationship, while not something we were hiding, was not exactly common knowledge to the majority of the people in this room. So I kept it simple, turning the two of us so my back was to the audience, and whispered. "The handshake was a nice touch."

"Knew you'd enjoy that." She patted my back. "Let's get the rest of this over with so I can go home and get out of this stupid dress."

"I'll enjoy that, too." I leaned my head forward, quickly kissing the shell of her ear, and then let her go. Turning back around, smiling at the still applauding crowd, I knew without looking that a blush was more than likely creeping up Bella's chest and neck.

"Please raise your right hand." I could recite the oath without the placard in my hand, had issued it many times over the past six years, but looked down at it anyway- thankful for the distraction- so I wouldn't laugh at the pure look of annoyance that Bella was giving me. When she raised her hand, I continued. "As a trustee for Hope House do you promise to fulfill your role and responsibilities as defined in the board policies? Do you promise to respect the bylaws, policies, operations, and board decisions?"

She nodded. "I do."

"Do you promise to conduct yourself in a spirit of collegiality and respect for the collective decision of the board and subordinate your own personal issues to the best interest of Hope House? Honor confidentiality regarding discussions, comments, and deliberations as well as those that we serve?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to exercise these responsibilities at all times and with due diligence, care, and skill in a prudent manner?"

Again, Bella nodded. "I do."

I swallowed, looking up to meet her gaze before continuing to the last part. "Do you promise that you are entering into this oath without hesitation or reservation as to your ability to serve as a trustee of this organization?"

"I do." There was another applause and Bella looked up at me. An understanding lingered between us, one that only her father and Jasper would understand, and we ignored the sound of everyone else in the room. She smiled, a true genuine smile, and then mouthed the word together.

XXXXX

"Can I ask you something?"

It was well after midnight by the time Bella and I had crawled into bed. She was curled up against my side, hand splayed against my stomach, and had a leg lazily thrown over mine. My head was turned to face her, taking deep breaths of her scent, while my fingers toyed with the loose strands of her hair near her neck. I had thought she might have been asleep until her hushed voice broke the silence around us. "Mmm?" I hummed.

"What…" She faltered for a second before continuing. "What do you think we will do when all of this is over?"

I had known Bella long enough to understand exactly what that hesitation in her question meant. It was the same guilt from before making her feel like it was somehow wrong to think about something other than the current reality we were in. She worried that it made her a bad person, a selfish one, for somehow wanting to focus on her own future.

I pressed my lips against the crown of her head. "If I answer that question will you promise me something?"

She nodded.

"Stop feeling guilty," I whispered into her hair. She sighed and then pulled herself closer to me. "There is nothing wrong with being optimistic about your future- about our future. It takes a strong person to face this and still be able to… to… hope. I can't tell you how many times since we found out about all of this bullshit that I've stopped and thought about what is waiting for us when this is over. A life. A life together."

Her head lifted slightly. "What do you think about?"

"Things that nobody else would ever consider important."

"Like?"

Taking a deep breath, I answered. "Like getting to watch you read a book. Or us having one of those moments when some random song comes on and you make me dance with you regardless of where we are or what we are doing." I felt her laugh and curled my arm around her shoulder. "To answer your question, I have no clue, Bella. I don't really care to be honest. You could tell me you want to buy a goat farm and I would probably go along with it."

She let out a full belly laugh. "A goat farm?"

I grinned at the sound. "The point is that it doesn't matter because the only thing I'm concerned about in my future is you.

"But what do you want?" Pressing me for a more detailed answer, she playfully tugged on my shirt. "I want to know."

I was silent for a moment, thinking about all of the things I wanted for her, for us. What I wanted from her. "Everything, Bella. I want… I want everything."

After a silent moment she whispered, "I don't know what that means." She lifted her head, tilting it back to look at me.

"I want to hear you laugh huge obnoxious laughs like what you just did. I want to watch you smile." Her lips curled up into a grin as I explained. "I want to watch you- just watch you do boring everyday things that I took for granted before and missed like hell the past six years. I want to kiss you every single morning and every single night." My heart ached as I remembered how difficult it had been when she'd left; as I remembered what I'd missed most without her. "I… I want to hear you tell me you love me a million times before I die and even then that won't be enough."

A crease formed between her brows and I slowly reached forward, letting my thumb run over her bottom lip. "I want to want you, like this, for the rest of my life. I want to be consumed and overwhelmed when you touch me. I want…" My voice trailed off.

"Everything."

I nodded, letting go of a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

Emmett hadn't been wrong when he'd joked about me being in love with Bella long before I'd ever admitted to anyone- myself included. She would say that it happened all of a sudden, hard and out of nowhere, that one day we'd just realized that our feelings went beyond the platonic friendship we'd had for years before. For me though... it was different. I had known I'd loved her, had fallen in love with her, slowly over time. I had kept falling in love with her, over and over again, as we got older. I fell in love with the awkward teenager that hid away so much of herself. I fell in love with the young woman who had broken free of the torment her mother subjected her to. I fell in love again as we became adults and I'd watched her find her own sense of purpose and finally became comfortable with who she was. Now, despite the heartache and time we had lost, I'd fallen in love with… with her. I had fallen in love with this woman who still showed bits and pieces of the Bella from six years ago but was more now.

"There was never a choice," I whispered. My fingers brushed against her cheeks and her eyelids lowered. "You know that, right? There wasn't a choice when we were fifteen, wasn't one when we were eighteen or twenty-three, and there isn't one now. It has always been you, Bella. Even when…" Even when I wasn't sure that she would ever come back… It was still her. "And when you ask me what I want… Baby, I don't care. Because as long as you're here with me, as long as we have this, then this is everything. And this is what I want."

Bella turned her head into my touch, reaching up to hold my hand still so she could kiss the center of my palm. Her lips stayed pressed against my skin for a moment before she turned back to look at me again.

"What about you?" I asked in a low voice. "What do you want?"

"You." Her answer came quickly, making me grin.

"Well you already have that. So what else?"

She sat up, crossing her legs underneath her, and took my hand in her own- intertwining our fingers. I watched as her mouth subtly moved as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I know that things will never be like what it was before… before I left, but that is what I want. I want everything I ran away from even though I know I can't." Her eyes finally lifted to meet mine. "I want us to get married. I want…"

"What?" I asked as her voice trailed off.

"I want the chance to be a better mother than what Renee was to me." She swallowed. "I want…a family."

For as honest and open as we had been with each other this was still one topic that we'd never discussed beyond the bare facts of what had happened. Our discussions, if you could even call them that, had been more clinical than personal. I had never pushed for details, not even sure if I could handle hearing them, and Bella had never offered them up. Regardless, those details wouldn't change how I felt. "Bella," I squeezed her fingers. "Who says you can't have either one of those things?"

One shoulder pulled up in a shrug as her gaze fell back to our hands. "If I can't…"

"If we can't," I corrected her.

The right corner of her lip slightly curled up. "We?"

"Well it does take two."

At that she fully smiled but it only lasted a second before the doubt crept back over her features. "And if not- you knowing that- you'd still want me? Want to marry me?"

"Look at me." She did, reluctantly, and I reached up to gently hold her chin. "You're not broken, Bella. Of course I still want you. That doesn't change anything."

"But-"

"It doesn't change anything," I repeated. "If you need me to get down on one knee right now, and ask you, I will. If you want to fly to Vegas and do it today then we can. But I will tell you the same thing I told your father the other day- I am going to marry you." She inhaled sharply. "And this- what may or may not be a possibility doesn't change my mind. Blood doesn't make a family, Bella. Hell, Rosalie and Emmett have been doing IVF for a year. Do you think that changes anything between the two of them?"

She blinked, obviously shocked at the news. "What?"

I let go of her chin to lay my hand on her thigh. "They'd been trying for two years and then decided to start IVF before looking into adoption."

"I…"

I squeezed her leg when she didn't finish. "Does this make you look at Rosalie differently?"

"Of course it doesn't." She sounded offended.

"Then why do you think it would change anything about the way I feel about you?"

Her gaze fell. "I.. I don't know. I…"

When she didn't continue I slowly sat up. "Bella." She didn't look at me and I didn't ask her to. It might be easier for me to say this if she didn't. "Losing her wasn't your fault."

I saw her squeeze her eyes shut at my words.

"I don't blame you," Leaning forward I pressed my lips against her forehead. "I hate that I wasn't there for you, for her. I can't really understand how I can miss someone that I never… never knew… but none of that means that you need to carry around this guilt inside of you. Yes, you made the choice to leave but I know, I know," I reiterated forcefully. "That you didn't choose to let her go. Maybe if you had… if you had made another decision, then I could understand the guilt but Bella, you didn't ask for this to happen."

"But I couldn't save her." Her voice was a shattered whisper.

I wrapped my arms around her shaking shoulders, pulling her to me, as my own tears ran down the side of my face. I didn't know what to say, how to comfort her in this kind of pain, because it hurt me also. To know that there had been a tiny piece of both of us, someone that I'd never heard or seen, to know that Bella had planned on coming back to me until she'd lost her and the shame and guilt had kept her away…it made the loss unbearable.

"I've never… I never talk about her," She whispered. "Not with Dad or Sue. I've never told anyone about the first sonogram. I never told anyone about hearing her heartbeat for the first time or what it felt like when they had told me it was a girl. I… I think that's why. Why the hurt and the guilt constantly bubble up in my mind."

"Why?" I quietly asked.

"Because it wasn't fair for anyone else to know… when you didn't."

Her words, the truth, hurt. It made my chest heave with barely controlled sobbing. But I knew that Bella wasn't saying any of this to be cruel or make the pain worse. She was telling me because she wanted me to know our daughter in the only way I could. It took a moment for me to reign in the rushing tide of emotions but eventually I was able to speak. "Will you tell me?"

There was a long moment of heavy silence.

"When…" Bella took a deep breath and started again. "When I took the pregnancy test I was so excited. Even though it wasn't what we'd planned, and knowing it would change everything, I never felt like it was a mistake."

"Because she wasn't."

Bella nodded against my shoulder. "Because she wasn't. And that was how I knew I was different than Renee- better than her. I didn't feel scared or worried about knowing a baby would alter every single plan that I'd made for myself. I didn't feel regret or anger. I didn't consider alternate choices." Bella slowly pulled away to look up at me. "As soon as the test read positive I knew I would be a better mother than Renee. I knew I would do whatever I had to, give whatever I had to, to make sure that the baby never felt one second of the shame and humiliation I'd ever felt from my mother."

Her fingertips carefully touched my cheek.

"The first time hearing her heart, I couldn't believe that it was real. Afterwards I cried for hours because you weren't there. I hated myself for taking that away from you… I still hate that I took it away from you." Bella took a steading breath before meeting my eyes. And then, even with tears streaming down her face, she held my gaze. "Every time I thought about coming back, about calling you, I… I thought about Renee. And I…"

"Couldn't." I finished for her.

"I have the recordings," She whispered. "And all of the sonogram pictures. If you want… to hear her, see her, you can. She… of course the early sonograms didn't show anything but a smudgy blur but the later ones," a small smile formed as she remembered. "I could tell she was going to have your nose- yours and Alice's nose."

"Like Peter and Charlotte?" I asked.

Bella nodded. "Like your mom."

I grinned at that, too.

"And I craved chocolate ice cream."

"Really?" My forehead crease in confusion. "You hate chocolate ice cream."

She shrugged, touching the collar of my t-shirt. "But you don't- it's your favorite. So maybe that was a piece of you as well."

The tiny details of the story, ones I thought would hurt, actually warmed the dull ache in my heart. I intently watched Bella as she continued telling me what she had guarded so closely all these years.

"I was coming back," Bella said, staring up at me. "That's why Dad and Sue were there. I was coming back to find you and tell you everything. I was going to give you the choice to stay or leave with me… with us. But then…"

Her eyes closed and she slowly shook her head.

"You don't have to tell me," I whispered. "If you don't want to…if you can't."

She released a breath slowly through her nose. "I was packing my clothes when it started. It was… like cramps- like what I would usually get with my period. Sue said that she sometimes got them when she was pregnant with Leah so I just… I just assumed it was normal. We called the doctor on call and she just said to take it easy. So I rested, let Dad and Sue finish the packing, and honestly I felt better after a couple of hours. We went to dinner, I was fine, and then I went to the bathroom and…" She swallowed thickly. "As soon as I saw the blood… I knew. I knew something was very, very, wrong."

Bella's eyes finally opened and she looked up at me. "She so was tiny, Edward. And she did have your nose." Again, her fingers reached up to touch my face. This time she wiped away the tears. "I held her as long as I could- memorizing what her fingers and toes looked like, how the curve of her ears looked- until Dad told me it was time to let her go. Even then, I fought him. I knew that I would eventually have to face letting them take her but… I couldn't. I screamed at him, at Sue and the nurses…"

To keep all of this, each one of these pieces, to herself for the past six years- It was no wonder the misplaced guilt ate away at her. It had been an enormous loss, on top of the trauma from her childhood that had never been dealt with. And now I could somewhat understand why she'd said what she did- why she was constantly seeking reassurance about if anything would change my mind about us.

"Bella," my voice sounded broken. I swallowed and tried again. "Did… did you ever talk to anyone? At all? About any of this?"

She shook her head.

"Have you ever talked to anyone about Renee?"

Her back straightened at my question. "No. I don't need…"

The way her voice trailed off told me she knew she wasn't being honest with herself. Or with me.

Trauma, regardless of how old, could cause immense psychological problems- especially when it hadn't ever been dealt with. While I might not have had as much trauma informed training as other staff members for Hope House I knew enough to know that there was a very real need for Bella to at least try and talk to someone- anyone.

"After I came back to Forks," I started- making sure she was looking at me. "I saw a therapist. I didn't want to, didn't want to talk to anyone about my problems- about us, but it was court ordered because of the DUI. The first four sessions I just sat there and stared at the wall behind his head. He didn't force me to talk but instead explained what could have led to me escaping what had happened with alcohol."

The crease between Bella's eyebrows had reappeared. "Did it help?"

I nodded. "If you want me to be honest it probably saved my life."

Mental health wasn't even a term that was used during the eighties and nineties while we were growing up, not that Renee would have ever considered letting Bella see a therapist, but even after we'd moved to Seattle it wasn't common. So of course no one had ever bothered to suggest that she go see someone who could help her process what had taken place during her childhood or why she thought she could handle any of this on her own.

"If I… if I asked you to see someone, talk to someone, would you consider it?" I asked. Her gaze dropped and I leaned my head down so I could see her eyes. Carefully, slowly, I reached forward and slipped a finger underneath her chin. "Please?"

"Edward-"

"For me?" I leaned forward. "For us?"

Her body relaxed and she released a breath. I wasn't sure if it was a sigh of defeat or exhaustion- maybe both- but eventually she nodded.

"One crisis at a time," Bella said, smiling wryly. "And then I'll think about it."

It was a start.