~!~

I hated Halloween. I stood in front of the mirror, critiquing myself and my poor excuse for a fall wardrobe. I knew I should have gone shopping with Rose when she'd asked, and I sighed, thinking my oversized sweater and jeans would have to do. They seemed appropriate for the occasion, and I was just happy that costumes weren't required.

I collected Jake at six o'clock, and when we pulled into the driveway, he directed me up a winding road past the barn. A large farmhouse sat atop the hill, and I could see the bonfire in the distance. The flames stretched upwards, and the embers swirled in the night sky like a multitude of fireflies that twisted and danced before they winked out into nothingness.

After I parked, we walked down the road toward the small crowd of people before Emmett saw us and jogged over.

"Glad you could make it," he said, handing us each a beer. "Come on over and meet everyone."

Placing his arm around Jake's shoulder, he guided us toward the group where about a dozen people surrounded the fire. Doing a quick scan, my eyes immediately found Edward. He was collecting wood a few feet away and threw one of the logs onto the burning pile before accepting a beer from the man beside him. I watched as he laughed at something the man said, and when he turned, our eyes locked. He raised the bottle to his lips, staring at me, and I looked away quickly.

"Everyone!" Emmett shouted. "Everyone, this is Jake and Bella. Make them feel welcome, okay?"

The group smiled and waved at us, and I tipped my drink in acknowledgment before taking a large gulp. Emmett and Jake walked over to a young man who was strumming a guitar, and when I turned back to face the fire, I almost slammed into someone who had come from out of nowhere. Sucking in a quick breath, I took a reflexive step back to avoid hitting him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Edward said apologetically.

He was standing close, and at this proximity, I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.

"It's nice to see you again, Bella."

I felt my body flush and tried to convince myself it was due to the fire and not the man standing next to me.

"It's nice to see you again, too," I replied and nervously shifted on my feet before turning my attention to the soft sounds of the guitar from nearby. I let my gaze wander over the rest of the guests, and Edward cleared his throat.

"So, yeah, the guys across from us are my cousins and their wives. They help run the farm when we need some extra hands."

He tipped his head in the direction of the guitar player.

"That's Alec. He's doing an apprenticeship here while he attends Agricultural College."

Scanning the rest of the crowd, I caught Jake staring at me. Looking from Edward to me, he gave me a discreet thumbs-up, his eyes comically wide.

"Oh my God!" He mouthed.

"What about your dad?" I asked quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when I found he had been looking the other way. "Emmett mentioned he was retiring soon."

Taking another sip of beer, Edward turned to me.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what he'll do when he retires. We've been trying to convince him to buy an RV and take an extended road trip across the country with Mom."

Chuckling, he ran a hand through his hair.

"More than likely, he'll still be bossing us around. I don't see that changing."

Watching him talk about his father, I realized it was the first genuine smile I'd seen on his face since I'd met him.

"That's him over there."

He pointed with his beer bottle, and I followed its direction to an older man and woman who stood close to the fire, wrapped in each other's embrace.

"This place was their dream," he said softly. "My grandfather passed it down to my dad, and he and mom made it what it is today."

I detected a note of wistfulness, almost regret in his voice, and gave him a perplexed look. It almost sounded like he thought their dream was over.

"But you and Emmett are going to expand. You're continuing the dream."

Edward didn't answer and instead asked, "Do you want another drink?"

Looking down, I realized my bottle was empty but shook my head. "No, I'm fine, thanks."

"Okay, well, I guess –" I looked up at him, as he stopped midsentence, swallowing hard when our eyes met. And that's the moment a switch flipped. I don't know how else to explain it.

There was a blinding white light around Edward Cullen, and it had nothing to do with the glow from the fire.

A burst of energy, like the one I felt when I first met him, ran through my body, but this was exponentially more powerful, and I almost fell back from the force of it. Reaching out quickly, he grabbed my elbow and tried to steady me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I frantically tried to block it and push it away, but it wasn't working. No matter what I tried, the light permeated everything around us, and before I could stop it, I began to know things about Edward. I knew he didn't want to expand the farm; his truth was hidden and eating away at him with every passing day. The inner conflict encompassing every cell in his body was palpable, and it poured over me, causing me to stumble back again.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concern lacing his tone as he continued to hold onto me with a firm grip.

Keeping my eyes closed, I tried with all my might to wish away the onslaught, and when I finally opened them, miraculously, my wish was granted; it all disappeared - almost as if it had never happened.Blinking twice, I wondered if I had imagined it all and anxiously scanned his form from top to bottom - nothing. There was just blessed silence, and I had to fight the urge to sag against him in relief.

"Bella? What is it? What's wrong?"

"I'm … I'm fine," I responded, unsure if I was trying to reassure him or myself. But I knew I needed a moment alone.

"May I use your bathroom?" I asked quietly, noticing how he still held onto me.

Without hesitating, he lowered his hand to my waist, letting it linger gently.

"Follow me."

My feet propelled me forward almost as if I had no control over them … as if I had no choice but to follow where he led.