~!~

"Wait, like Jesus? As in, the Jesus? Like, the son of God?"

"That would be the one," I confirmed as I took another sip of wine.

The booze was making my lips loose. I never told people that story, at least not people I'd just met. But even if I hadn't been drinking, I thought I might have divulged it. I felt comfortable with Edward. It was irrational, considering I'd known him less than a week, but there it was. I felt like I'd known him much longer.

We had moved to the bar after dinner, where we'd talked about everything from birthing cows to my job as a counselor.

"So," he asked as he leaned toward me and placed his arm on the bar. "Did you always know that's what you wanted to do?" I drained the remnants of my wine and reached for the water the bartender had placed in front of me before taking a long sip. We were getting into dangerous territory, and I wasn't drunk enough to spill my entire family history. The water helped, and I shook my head.

"Not really. After college, I was going to go to law school." He raised his eyebrows, and I chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

"What changed your mind?"

I must have hesitated for a moment too long because he sat back in his chair. "You don't have to answer that. I don't want to pry."

"No, it's not that, it's just …" I looked up at him and saw nothing but sincerity on his face.

"My younger sister has issues with drugs and alcohol … among other things," I said quietly. "For years, I tried to help her, but it was hard because I was too close to the situation, you know? So, I figured if I couldn't help her, maybe I could help other people."

He gave me an understanding look.

"Apparently, I'm good at it because they haven't fired me yet," I chuckled.

He cast a soft gaze at me and took a sip of his drink. "That's Alice, right?"

I nodded. Jake told me Edward had asked him a few questions after I'd left the bonfire.

"You're good at taking care of people."

"Well, …" I began uncomfortably.

"You are. It's not hard to see. You take care of Jake and your sister, and it sounds like other people too."

I turned the tables back on him.

"What about you? Did you always know you wanted to be a farmer?"

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Emmett did …" he replied quietly, picking at the label on his beer bottle.

"And you?"

He raised his gaze, and I could see the pain he was trying to hide. "I thought I did, but …."

Now, I was the one who felt like they were prying. I started to interrupt, to tell him it was none of my business, but he kept talking.

"Emmett's always known who he was and what he wanted. From a young age, he knew he was gay but decided to wait until high school to come out officially. His friends on the football team took it in stride. Hell, most of them didn't even care."

He continued to pluck at the label.

"He's always been in charge of himself and his life, and I'm envious of that."

"So, why did you stop painting?" I asked softly.

He looked at me in surprise and then chuckled. "Jake?"

I nodded.

"Your work is beautiful, Edward."

He smiled, but I could see the anxiety hiding behind it; like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Why can't you still do that?"

I could almost picture him sitting in a studio, covered in paint, hair in disarray as he worked the brush back and forth against the canvas.

Sighing, he hung his head slightly. "It's not that simple."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked gently.

His gaze softened, and he leaned over, so his face was inches from mine.

"Not right now, I don't," he whispered.

"Right now, all I want to do is sit here … with you. Is that okay?"

Nodding, I felt my face get warm at his words. Sitting back in his chair, he reached over and grasped my hand, lacing our fingers together and smiling at me.

That's all I wanted too.

~!~

We were the only ones left in the restaurant by eleven o'clock, and it became apparent they wanted to close for the night. Putting on our coats, Edward helped me down from the stool and kept his fingers intertwined with mine as we walked out the door and into the crisp fall air. Reaching my car, I turned to face him.

"Thank you for tonight, Edward."

He moved closer, raising his hands and pulling the collar of my coat together to fend off the chill. Staring at one another, I had an overwhelming desire to kiss him.

"Can I see you again?" he murmured.

I smiled. "I'd like that."

"Good," he whispered.

His eyes were fixated on my lips, and when he lowered his head, I knew it was going to happen. He was going to kiss me.

He pulled me closer, and I rose on my toes, grabbing his arms and closing my eyes just as his lips met mine. They were soft and smooth, their touch light, almost reverent, and I brought my tongue out tentatively and ran it over his bottom lip. When I did, I heard him moan softly before his arms encircled my waist, and he lifted me from the ground. He deepened the kiss, and I raised my hands to grip his hair, feeling a slight shiver run through me.

Setting me on my feet, he pulled back slowly, and I felt a surge of disappointment.

"You're cold," he whispered against my lips.

I kept my eyes closed and shook my head as I smiled.

"I'm fine."

"Now that I have your phone number, can I call you tomorrow?" he asked softly while peppering my lips with a few light kisses.

I smiled again before finally opening my eyes.

"So, how about -"

I stopped mid-sentence, and he looked at me quizzically.

"Bella?"

I couldn't speak. All I could do was stare at the white light that surrounded his entire body and floated up into the night sky. Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head from side to side as I tried to dispel the image.

"Bella?" he asked anxiously. "What? What's the matter?"

"I … I have to go," I answered as my fight or flight response kicked in. "I have to go, Edward; I'm sorry."

Looking into his eyes, I saw hurt and confusion, and it caused me to hesitate. When I did, he jumped at the opening.

"Tell me what's wrong," he pleaded. "Tell me what's wrong and let me help you."

"You can't," I whispered as hot tears began to roll down my cheeks. "You can't help me, Edward."

Bending his knees, he brought his eyes level with mine.

"Talk to me," he pleaded softly.

Looking at his face, I watched his aura as it danced and swirled around him like starlight.

Leave. Leave and go back to your normal, safe life.

But it wasn't a normal, safe life. It was a prison; one that I had built for myself.

You had control; you controlled it before you met him.

"There's an all-night coffee shop down the street," he said hopefully as his eyes searched mine.

Hesitating, I looked between him and my car.

"Please," he whispered.

"Come with me, Bella."

I watched him through watery eyes, wanting to trust him, wanting to tell someone aside from Jake finally.

"Okay," I conceded, hoping I wasn't making a mistake.

Giving me an encouraging smile, he took my hand, and I gave in, allowing Edward to lead me into the unknown.