Bella girl,

Happy 21st birthday! You have grown to be such a fine young woman. You have a big and beautiful heart and a good head on your shoulders. Your Grandad and I are always so proud of that fiery little girl that you were and that now you carry within you. You can do anything and you can be anything, and you are never too old to know that. Always remember that you are loved, Bella.

Xoxo,

Grannie and Grandad

Isabella read the card again, letting out a long, shuddering breath as she did so. Her eyes were blurred. It was only a matter of seconds before the tears would spill over, that she was accustomed to.

It was the last words she had from them, her last connection to the people who had been, for all intents and purposes, her parents.

The words felt fresh. Looking at her grandmother's familiar sprawling script, it felt as if they had just been penned. As if she could rub the ink and it would smudge, having not quite dried yet.

It had been propped up against a vase of flowers on the counter in her grandparent's house. The image of her name penned on the white envelope was seared into her brain. It was what she had been staring at when her father had called her with the news.

It was her name; nothing more.

But she couldn't get the image out of her head.

It was there when she closed her eyes at night and it was there when she woke up.

The image of that greeting card would always be associated with the single worst moment of her life.

She buried her face in her hands. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tried to block the images, tried to stop the onslaught. She tried not to think about the funeral that had only been three days ago now. Tried to not to think of those closet caskets. Tried not to remember the smell of incense that had permeated the church. She tried to not to remember the tense silence between her and her father. She tried not to wish that she had them to talk to.

But God did she feel alone.

She felt so cripplingly alone, sitting cross legged in her bedroom in her college house. She had classes to go to and could not stay and seek refuge in the little rambler an hour away. She had to go on with her life.

She spent plenty of nights on her own, studying, or reading.

She was okay with being on her own.

She always had been.

But the two people that meant the most to her were not one hour away, sitting in their recliners and watching baseball or the nightly news.

They were gone.

There was a soft knock on her door that caused her to lift her head from her hands.

Jake Montgomery poked his head tentatively in the room.

"Hey there," he said gently. His handsome blues eyes were crinkled with compassion as he took her in.

"Hi," she said with a shaky breath and an unconvincing smile.

"Sandy let me in," he explained.

She nodded, not knowing what to do.

Jake had been a friend for a while now. He had been in one of the professional business fraternities with Sandy and Isabella had gone out with them a few times in the past few months. Isabella was fully aware that both Sandy and Jake thought that Isabella and Jake would make a great pair.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, coming fully into the room. Jake had attended the funeral with some of her friends, offering encouraging smiles whenever he saw her.

"I'm getting by," she replied as she shifted over to make space for him as he sat down next to her on her bed.

"It's so hard," he offered sympathetically. "You are doing well and staying strong Isabella."

She let out an inelegant snort of disagreement.

"Hey," he said, nudging her shoulder. "You are, really."

Isabella still gave him a look through her swollen eyes but grudgingly said, "Thanks."

Jake nodded as he continued speaking, "I was devastated when my grandmother died when I was a kid."

Isabella didn't say anything, too absorbed in her own misery.

Jake continued, settling comfortably onto her bed. "I found that one of the only things that helped was to try and keep my mind away from thinking about it too much."

"It's all of I've been doing," she said with a helpless laugh. "All I do is think about it too much. I don't even know the last time I've felt anything!"

Jake slowly reached over and brushed his fingers against her cheek.

"Well," he said softly as he inched his face nearer to hers. "I can help you feel something."

He kissed her.

And since he was there and she was lonely and his eyes led her to believe that he cared…she let him.

~O~

For a second, she couldn't believe she had spoken.

Standing there, at the door of a bedroom with a bed that was foreign to her, in a house that was not her own, she could not quite believe she had just invited a stranger into her room in the wee hours of the morning.

Not a stranger.

Her husband.

The man who seemed to forget how to breathe.

Clearly he had not been expecting such an invitation.

She held his gaze.

Slowly, his face unfroze. He closed his lips and then opened them a fraction of an inch, one of his eyebrows raising slightly as he stared at her.

It felt like minutes had passed in the thick silence, but surely it couldn't have been. She continued to stare at him as hundreds of thoughts flashed through his eyes.

"Aye?" he finally breathed. "Can I kiss ye then, mo muirmín?

It was her turn to feel her breath catch in her throat.

Slowly she nodded.

A shiver descended down her spine as he leaned down towards her, sweeping his lips against hers with the slowest of brushes. It wasn't until he gently tugged her bottom lip between his own did she realize that somewhere between the drams of whisky had she become aroused by him.

She let her tongue slide out of her mouth and lightly touch the seam of his mouth. He let out a heavy breath, dangerously close to a moan. She felt his hands go to her hair, weaving his strong fingers against the back of her neck and tugging lightly.

Isabella was surprised when he pulled away. But forced her hazy eyes to open in time to see a slight grin as he kissed her face; her cheeks, her jaw, her chin. His warm breath was on her face as he carefully explored the contour of her face, holding her delicately. She let her eyes close once again as she enjoyed the sensation.

When she felt his lips pause and then lift from the delicate spot by her ear, she once again opened her eyes.

There was unmistakable lust in his eyes as he stared at her with an intensity that made her pause and swallow. His thumb brushed absentmindedly against the nape of her neck as he stared at her. Through their kissing, he had pulled her against him and she could feel his desire.

But there was a sliver of hesitance in his eyes, just a hint of uncertainty that caught her attention.

This was more her territory than his.

With a soft smile, she reached down and took his hand, pulling him across the threshold and into the bedroom that he had offered to her. He followed her obediently in, offering her a hand squeeze as he did.

"Let's start with this," she murmured as lifted the hem of his dark shirt. He lifted his arms over his head to aid her in removing the article of clothing. For a moment, she simply admired him. He was well built. The shirt had been tight fitting enough that she see he had a lot of muscles and not much fat.

Seeing is believing.

The absurd thought filtered into her brain and she smiled.

He smiled in return as he rested his large hands on her hips. Staring at her with that same smothering gaze, he slowly lifted her sweatshirt up over her torso and then all the way off as she obliged him by lifting her arms.

When she had drunkenly changed out of her wedding dress, she had left on the strapless white bra that was just barely staying upright enough to cover her breasts.

Surprising her, he pulled her close then, so that their warm bare chests were flush against one another. She almost sighed at the lovely feeling of it, but he was brushing his fingertips against her cheek while his other hand splayed at her lower back.

"I do not expect this, Bella," he whispered. "Christ, I dinae marry ye with this in mind, I promise ye."

Isabella smiled as she released a breath.

"I know."

She lifted her hand out to his cheek, mirroring him.

"And you…you do not have to do this," she whispered softly.

He didn't immediately respond. Instead, he leaned down to brush his lips against hers once again. He kissed her until her head was spinning and she took that as his response. She lightly raked her nails against his warm back, enjoying the feel of solid muscle under her hands.

But then he broke away and once again said something she was not expecting and did not entirely understand.

"Aye, but I trust ye, mo chroí."

Their lips met as his fingers found the bra clasp. Apparently getting her out of her dress had been good practice as he easily undid the clasp and let the bra fall to the floor at her feet. Both of his hands went up to her face to reverently caress her face, a smile on his lips. She returned the smile, a bit shy.

But his hands moved slowly and carefully from her cheeks down her shoulders and arms before stroking up her torso until they cupped her breasts. She bit her lip at the sensation as his warm hands cupped and tantalized her breasts. As his figures reverently explored and fondled, she felt dizzy and lightheaded from the lingering alcohol and his fiery touch.

Isabella was so caught up in enjoying the sensations he was eliciting from her that she hardly noticed when they made their way to the bed. She was aware of them each removing their respective pants before settling into the bed with no clothes left to remove.

She was tentative as she reached out to touch him.

His gasp was sharp and sweet.

She smiled against his shoulder and she lightly moved her fingers, exploring the silky feel of him. He was responsive to every little touch and was horrible at preventing the noises from leaving his mouth. He hissed when her hand drifted to wrap around him.

He didn't let her get very far before he had her pressed into the mattress, kissing her harder while grinding gently against her. She gasped at the sensation, coupled with the tug of his teeth on her bottom lip.

She felt him take her hand in his as he whispered against her lips.

"Show me."

The words were a soft growl.

Wonderfully delirious, she led his hand down to where she was aching to be touched. He shifted his weight so that he could fully access the area she was blindly showing him, moving his fingers gently. It was a bit awkward at first, but soon his fingers had found the rhythm she wanted. She gasped against his lips when he took over the ministrations fully.

She closed her eyes and whimpered as he kept his touch as light and consistent as hers had been. He paused when he heard the noise and she felt a smile against her lips as he continued with even more determination.

"Oh!" she gasped in surprise as she felt the familiar feeling start to build.

Surprised, he stopped for a moment.

"Mm," she hummed, shaking her head urgently and urging him to continue.

"Aye," he muttered against her lips, continuing the same rhythm of exploration.

She let out more whimpers and groans as she got closer and closer until she burst. She cried out, closing her eyes and arching her back, pushing her chest into him. He wrapped his arms around her and caught her and she came back down.

"Aye," she muttered, rapturous as she breathed in and out slowly.

Edward smiled and leaned down to brush her cheek with a soft kiss.

"Aye," he repeated teasingly.

She opened her eyes and offered him a warm smile. She shifted so that she could wrap her legs around him and pull his warmth against her.

Feeling the sensation, his eyes lifted to meet hers, a question in his burning irises.

She nodded.

Keeping his eyes on her, he moved against her, shifting his hips into a new and unfamiliar angle. She reached down between them and guided the tip to her entrance. She was a breath away from encouraging him to go slow, but as he started to move, it was unnecessary.

He was slow as he entered her, moving carefully so as not to hurt her. He let out a groan when he was fully inside her and her back slightly arched at the sensation. She reached out to cup his cheek and leaned to place a kiss on his full lips. When he opened his eyes, she smiled and nodded.

With that encouragement, he started to move slowly. She was content to simply feel him as he learned and felt sensations that were new to him. As he gained more confidence and started to settle into a cautious rhythm, she started moving her hips to meet his strokes, helping him and moving with him.

As they moved together, she found herself moved in a way she would have never expected.

He moved with a tenderness that made her heart ache. On his face was a look of wonder as he experienced a new ecstasy for the first time. She felt an overwhelming and surprising amount of affection for him that she could not credit the whisky for.

As he moved, his muscles tightened and bunched and she moved, feeling a sweet sensation start to build as he began to move faster and faster. When she felt that he was still stubbornly holding back, she whispered, "Let go, Edward, let go."

And with a few pounding strokes, the muscles she was wrapped around tightened and he let out a loud moan that turned into a sigh as he began to untense.

Isabella smiled as easily flipped his limp body so that his back was pressed against the bed and she was resting against his chest, watching as his breathing started to level out.

"Oh Bella," he whispered, pulling her tightly to him and holding her reverently.

He leaned down to place a kiss on the top of her head as she sleepily snuggled into him, the pull to slumber instantaneous.

"Mo leannan bhiodheach."

As she drifted easily into sleep, she remembered those words from his earlier Gaelic translation.

My beautiful sweetheart.

I wonder what morning holds for them. Surely things can't go this smoothly for long? Can they?

See you soon my loves.