22

Once again, Bella slipped out of Edward's bed, grabbed her bag off the floor, and carried it into the bathroom. She had spent the last two nights in his hotel and still hadn't gotten over how big the bathroom was. Too big, for her. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, pulled her hair into a messy bun before digging into her bag and pulling out a red bikini, a pair of black cotton shorts and a red tank top. After she dressed, she walked back out and found Edward sitting on the side of the bed, the sheet barely covering his erection. He looked from her to her bag and frowned.

"Where are you going?"

"I kind of want to surf," she said, softly. She dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. His automatically moved to her ass. "Want to go?"

"I don't know how to surf," he said, pulling her against him. "And as much as I would love to watch you, I probably need to run. Been slacking a little over the last couple days."

Bella nodded. "I've been meaning to talk to you about how lazy you've gotten. I mean, you're slower on the court, sloppy."

"I am not," he growled, placing a kiss on her chest, just above the neckline of her shirt. "I think I proved last night that I am not sloppy."

"Hmm, if you say so," she quipped, pulling away from him.

"Good thing I know you're just bullshitting me, or I'd prove it," he said with a smirk as he stood up. His erection sprang up against his stomach and Bella bit her lip as she reached down, wrapping her fingers around his thick shaft. "Fuck, your hand feels good around me."

"Hmm," Bella hummed before dropping to her knees in front of him, causing Edward to snap his eyes down to her. "Bet my mouth would feel better."

"Baby," he groaned just before she wrapped her mouth around his tip and slid him into her mouth, letting him hit the back of her throat. "Oh, Jesus fuck, Bella."

"You like that, don't you?" she asked, before sliding her tongue along the side of his cock, from the base back to the tip, swirling her tongue alone the tip.

"Feels fucking amazing," he groaned.

Placing her hands on his hips, she pulled back before taking him in again and again, letting him slid deeper each time. Edward was too big for her to take in completely, but she took in as much as she could. She had never been one for oral sex. Most of the men she had been with didn't have the stamina to last once she had her mouth around them, and if they came too soon, they weren't up for getting her off, either. Edward, however, made her want to feel him in her mouth, she felt alive with him. And that scared her.

Edward moved his hand to the back of her head, pulling her hair from the messy bun, fisting her long locks. Whimpering at the feeling of him guiding her, moving his hips with her, had Bella aching with need of her own, yet she resisted the urge to touch herself. She wanted this to be all about him, all about showing Edward how much she needed him.

"Oh, fuck, Bella, I'm almost there," Edward whined, causing her to smirk inwardly. She had caused Edward Mason to whine for more.

Relaxing her throat, Bella took him deeper into her throat while moving her hand to his balls, massaging them. Edward cried out as he shot his release down her throat, his fingers tightening in her hair. Bella swallowed around him before slipping him out of her mouth and standing up.

"Well, that was fun."

Edward laughed as he fell back onto the bed. "Fun is a bit of an understatement, baby. That was fantastic."

"Glad you thought so," she snickered, pulling her hair back into a messy bun. She turned and grabbed her keys and bag off the floor before turning back to him. "After I surf, I have photo shoots until about five. Should I meet you here?"

"I'll pick you up at your place," he said, leaning up on his elbows. "Dress nice."

Bella quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah? Okay."

Giving him a quick kiss, Bella left him sitting on the side of his bed, and headed down to the elevator. She told herself again that she should just let him go, let him find someone knew, someone he could spend the rest of his life with, but the more time she spent with him, the more she knew she would never be able to let him go. She was truly fucked.

—BDBH—

Bella stayed on the water for an hour before heading inside. She managed to catch a dozen waves, loving the freedom that came with being on the water. After cleaning her board, she carried it back to her studio, storing it and her wetsuit in the back room, and grabbed her equipment for her photo shoots that day. She hadn't watched Kate Denali and Angela Weber or Garrett Mitchell and Ben Cheney play much, but what she had seen was good. They were definitely in the top of their league.

When Bella got to the pit, Bella found Alice and Felix waiting with who she assumed to be Kate, Angela, Garrett, and Ben. The two women were tall, close to five feet ten. While Kate had long blond hair and bright blue eyes, Angela had dark brown hair and hauntingly dark eyes. Garrett stood about two inches over his partner. He had dirty blond hair and greyish-blue eyes. Ben, like Angela, had dark hair and eyes. The way they looked at her made it clear they, too, knew she was dying. Bella wondered if there was anyone who hadn't been told.

"Morning," Bella said, clearing her throat. "Am I late?"

"No," Alice chirped, rushing over and hooking her arm in with Bella's. "Just eager for a great day of shooting!"

"Oh." She thrust her hand toward Kate. "We haven't officially met, but I'm Bella."

"We know," she replied, shaking her hand. "I'm a huge fan. Your work is amazing."

Bella felt her cheeks warm with her blush. "Oh, um, thank you."

"I'm Angela," her partner chirped. "Not to sound like a weirdo, but you were the reason I started playing Volleyball."

"I was?" she asked, shocked when Angela nodded. "How? Why?"

Angela laughed. "My family came to here when I was nine years old. We did the usual touristy things, but one day, we decided to just hang out at the beach. Well, what we didn't know was that there was a huge surfing competition happening. I was hooked from the second I started watching everyone paddle out on the water. You were in the last heat that went out, and you killed every wave you hit. It was like you were flying over the water. The look of freedom on your face was beautiful and I wanted to feel that so bad. But, seeing as my family and I lived in Iowa at the time and there wasn't an ocean to surf on, I decided to throw myself into any sport, see what stuck, and well, volleyball was where I found my surfing."

"Wow, that's kind of crazy, but that's awesome," Bella laughed and looked at Garrett and Ben. "It's nice to meet you, too, but I thought we weren't doing your shoot until this afternoon?"

"Yeah, about that," Felix said before either could speak. "Since yesterday's battle of the sexes was so successful, I thought we would continue with that campaign. Figured you could get some shots of them together? Is . . . is that okay?"

Bella smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "It's your dime."

"Awesome," Felix cheered and Bella shared a look with Alice, stifling the urge to laugh at him. "I'll leave you to do your thing, Swan."

And before she could stop him, he hugged her, kissed her forehead, and left them alone. While it was annoying, Bella was touched that her friend cared. She just wished it hadn't taken the end of her life for her to let go of her anger toward him.

Taking a deep breath, Bella smiled and said, "Okay, let's get started."

—BDBH—

After spending several hours on the beach, Bella wrapped up the shoot and sent everyone home. She got dozens of pictures of them in the mist of battle, so to speak. While it wouldn't garnish the same attention that Edward, Jasper, Rose, and Tanya's had, she knew this new campaign was going to lift the PV to new heights, something she was insanely proud to be a part of her legacy.

When Bella arrived at her house, she was surprised to find Carlisle and Esme sitting in the living room with Emmett. All three of them looked up at her, and she knew they had been discussing her health. She stifled the urge to roll her eyes and simply smiled and said, "Gotta hurry. Running late," before disappearing into her bedroom. She knew she was being stubborn, but she was the one who was expected to run to the mother who had abandoned her and beg her to save her life. It was humiliating enough that everyone knew she was dying, add in that the only person who could save her life was the one person who didn't love her enough to stay was just too much. So, yeah, Bella was stubborn as shit right now.

Kicking her bedroom door shut, she hurried to her closet and started sorting through her clothes, searching for something nice to wear out with Edward. Of course, she had barely started when the door to her bedroom opened and she knew before she looked over her shoulder that she would find Esme standing there.

"I really don't have time to talk," Bella said with a sigh and looked back at her sister. "Edward will be here in a half hour."

"We need to talk about mom," she replied, closing the door behind her.

Bella shook her head. "I don't want to talk about her."

"I know you don't, but we need to." Esme moved over and sat on the side of Bella's bed. "I want to go talk to her for you."

Bella turned and looked at her. "You just don't stop, do you? What part of me not wanting her help do you not understand?"

"All of it, Bells. You claim you're not ready to die, but the only way you're going to be alive a year from now is if you swallow your pride and let her help you."

Bella shook her head and turned back to her closet. "It's not about my pride, Esme. It's about the fact that she didn't love me enough to stay. Why would she love me enough to save my life?"

"You could ask her that," Esme suggested.

"Or, I could not," she chirped. "Besides, it's not like Emmett is really going to be able to save my life anyway."

"You don't know that."

"Don't I?" Bella looked back at her sister. "I agreed to let him run his tests and pretend he can be my savior, Essie, but you and I both know what the end is for me. Right now, I just . . . I don't know . . . I just want to live what little time I have left and be as happy as I can."

"You've already given up," Esme whimpered. Bella walked over and sat next to her. "Why won't you fight?"

"I am fighting," Bella cried. "I'm fighting to live the rest of my life to the fullest. I just can't hold on to this false hope that Emmett is going to have this magical cure for me."

Esme shook her head and pulled away, walking over to the door. "Dad would talk to her. He would beg her to help. Beg her to do the right thing for once in her fucking life. But you? You're too busy living in self-pity to see that everyone is fighting for you. For the first time in my life, Bella, I'm disappointed in you."

Without giving Bella a chance to say anything else, Esme left her alone.

—BDBH—

Half an hour later, Bella walked out of her bedroom, having showered and dried her hair, leaving it flowing down her back. She opted to wear a coral strapless dress that flowed from just under her breast and hit the middle of her thighs. With a pair of white strappy sandals, she grabbed her clutch off her dresser, making sure she had her phone, lip gloss, and keys before walking into the living room, finding Edward sitting in the living room with just Emmett. The two looked to be in the middle of an intense conversation, yet both stopped talking and looked back at her when she walked into the room.

"Wow, honey, you look." Edward whistled. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she murmured, feeling herself blush. "I'll be right back. Gotta . . ."

She gestured toward the kitchen, knowing that he would understand that she needed to take her meds before they left. When she walked into the kitchen, however, she found Carlisle and Esme sitting at the table. He was holding her as she cried, and Bella felt guilty for hurting her sister. Sighing inwardly, Bella walked over and pulled her meds from the cabinet and began placing her pills in her hand one by one.

"If it's that big a deal to you, Essie, you can . . . You can ask her," Bella whimpered, trying to keep her tears from falling as she turned and faced her sister. "You can ask her, Esme, but I just can't. Not right now."

Esme opened her mouth to say something, but promptly closed it before launching herself out of her chair and throwing her arms around Bella. "I love you, Bella. I love you so much and all I want is for you to be happy."

"I love you, too, Essie," she whispered, hugging her back.

Esme pulled away, grabbed Carlisle's hand and dragged him out of the kitchen. Bella took her meds before following them into the living room, where they stood with Edward and Emmett. Edward reached for her, and when she placed her hand in his, she saw Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme smile, which she thought was weird. But she didn't question it as Edward led her out of the house to the driveway, where black motorcycle sat next to her jeep.

"When did you get this?" she asked, placing her hand on the seat.

"Just a loaner," he said handing her a helmet. "I have one like it back in Chicago, but I don't get to ride it as much."

"So, where are you taking me?"

Edward smirked. "It's a surprise."

"And if I said I hate surprises?"

"Then I'd say tough shit."

Bella laughed and waited until Edward was on the bike before she climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around him as tight as she could. She would never get tired of feeling him in her arms. Edward started the bike and took off down the highway. As soon as she realized the direction he was heading, she knew he was taking her to Ka hanu o ka'ānela.

When he parked and helped her off, he kept his hand interlocked with his, leading her down the narrow path and into the cove. Bella gasped, tears filling her eyes. There were candles and flowers everywhere. There was a blanket and half a dozen blankets, and what looked like a picnic basket.

"Are you trying to woo me, Mr. Mason?" she asked, tilting her heard toward him.

"I'm trying to marry you."

Bella gasped, pulling her hands up to her mouth. "What?"

Edward pulled a small box from his pocket before kneeling in front of her, taking her hand back into his. "I love you, Bella. I love so much, and I know you're scared. I'm scared, too, but I know that I want to spend every day of the rest of your lives together being your husband."

"Edward," she whimpered, shaking her head.

"Marry me, Bella."

"I . . ." Bella placed her free hand on the side of his face. "Yes."