I still have proof in form of scars

The first time always falls so far

Those healing wounds heal twice as hard

But now what's mine is ours

~ Selena Gomez, Survivors

BPOV

Lady and I were cuddled in the corner of the couch in the sitting area of Edward and I's bedroom. I could hear the buzz from his toothbrush coming from the bathroom as I watched the same man on the television screen.

Ironic as it was, living with Edward Cullen made it remarkably hard to keep up with watching The Tonight Show with Edward Cullen.

"I can't decide," the man himself said as he rounded the corner, leaning in the small doorway that would lead from the sitting area to our bedroom. "Whether you actually forgot or if you're hoping everyone else did."

I frowned down at Lady, like she would have the answer for me. "Forgot what?"

Edward walked over, sitting on the small coffee table in front of me. "That in… three minutes, you'll be twenty-four."

My brows shot up as I looked at him. He was right, obviously. Our wedding was in just a couple weeks, and all my focus had been on counting down the days to it. The fact that my birthday was in the middle of that countdown never crossed my mind.

"Oh."

"Oh?"

I shrugged. "I forgot."

Edward hummed, reaching behind him and pulling out a sleek black envelope to hand to me. His voice was soft, almost apprehensive, as he said, "Happy birthday, Bella."

I bit my bottom lip, turning the envelope over in my hands to see my name written in his elegant script on the other side. Carefully peeling open the envelope, I pulled out the paper inside. On it was a photo of the beach house we rented.

If Edward was an average man, I would assume the photo meant he was taking me on another weekend getaway. Or maybe that he had postponed our original honeymoon plans thanks to my hip and we would spend two weeks in that cute little cottage before going on a more extravagant trip later.

Both options would have been wonderful, thoughtful gifts that I would have appreciated endlessly. Edward, however, was not an average man. He tended to take things a step or five overboard. I knew exactly what the photo meant.

"You… you're giving me a house for my birthday?" I breathed out, wide eyes finding his across from me.

His answer was a simple "Yes."

My eyes darted from him to the paper a few times before they settled on the photo of the house. It was a lovely home, just big enough for the two of us. The beach behind it was private and secluded and the little town down the street was quiet and quaint.

Still. It was an oceanfront home in California which meant it was ungodly expensive. Especially because I doubted it had suddenly gone on the market.

"I…"

Edward got up and took a seat beside me, taking a moment to ruffle the fur on top of Lady's head. He bent over, elbows resting on his knees. "I had my first appointment with a therapist this week," he said softly.

My heard dropped in my chest. I opened my mouth, unsure of what I wanted to say.

"His name is Alec Vincent, Doctor Stanley recommended him. I've only seen him once, but he seems alright."

I frowned down at the paper in my hands. "Why?"

"Because I live in constant fear of my phone ringing. Of getting another call that you or Masen or Lucy are in the hospital and there's not a thing I can do about it."

My throat constricted, my voice tight as guilt threatened to crush my lungs. "I'm sorry."

"It's not…" Edward shook his head, reaching out to grasp my hand and squeeze it between his. "Christ, its nothing for you to apologize for. I just—I had my first appointment with him this week and I told him how scared I was of losing you. And he told me that I needed to get my head out of my ass and enjoy our life together instead of ruminating on the unknowns that I have no control over."

"He sounds like quite the therapist," I gasped, not really sure what else to say.

There was still a kernel of guilt settling in my stomach, telling me that I had taken the carefree and relaxed man I had met and turned him into an anxious mess just like me. Broken him to the point where he needed to talk to someone.

Edward chuckled. "I might be paraphrasing a bit."

"How does… how does that lead to you buying me a house?"

"Ah," he sighed. "The house is because that first night we were there, when we were having dinner on the patio… it was the first time I saw you smile in so long. And I—" Edward paused, taking a deep breath. "I know I'll never be able to understand how hard you have to work to be able to smile after all of the shit you've been through. But I'm selfish enough to want a lifetime of those smiles.

"I thought the house—the beach—it might be a nice place for you to get away whenever you needed to. Find your smile when you needed to."

I looked down at the photo of the house, my fingers drifting over the image. I should have told him I didn't need the house, that it was too much. That he had done far too much for me in the last couple of months.

Edward wasn't just Edward anymore, though. Our entire relationship, our dynamic had changed. Not just because we were married. Because he had seen me at my absolute lowest and not once did he leave my side. There had never been a flash of annoyance or frustration in his eyes when he had to help me walk across a room or get dressed in the morning.

So maybe the price of the house didn't matter. Not when we both needed an escape sometimes.

I set the paper down, standing up before carefully straddling Edward's waist. My elbows rested on his shoulders, fingers intertwined in his hair. I pressed a kiss to one cheek, then the other. Then one quick, soft kiss to his lips.

"You make it easy to smile," I told him quietly.

…Closure…

"Goddamn." Edward's voice came from behind me.

I turned around, fastening my final earring in place. I could have returned the sentiment as I watched him walk over. He was in all black with dark jeans fitted down his legs and a black button down with the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders. His hair was slightly damp, which made it a shade darker than usual.

Two months ago, the sight would have made me drool. For about thirty seconds before I had every inch of myself pressed against him. Now, I had to repress the whimper in the back of my throat and remind myself that I couldn't push myself too far, too fast. Not if I had any hope of getting cleared at my doctor's appointment next week.

Maybe it was my own sexual frustration talking, but I had never seen a man that oozed sex on a regular basis as much as Edward. The suits he wore for his show fit him in just the right way to hint at the sculpted body beneath. I caught him swimming laps in the pool a few days ago and the plain black trunks slid just low enough on his hips to reveal my favorite inch of skin that I liked to lick before I—

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" I hummed, my eyes refocusing on his face as he stood before me. I knew I was in for a snarky remark when I saw the cocky smirk on his face.

"You've got a bit of drool right—"

I swatted his hand away from my lips while simultaneously wiping at my chin to make sure there wasn't any drool. "Shut up," I grumbled, grabbing for a necklace from my display of jewelry.

Our closet was bigger than my kitchen had been in my place with Rosalie. There was an island in the middle, full of drawers and glass shelves filled with displays for more jewelry than I ever pictured myself having. It looked pathetically empty with what I had now.

Edward's arms carefully wrapped around my waist, pulling my back against his chest. It took me aback for a moment—the lack of pain in my ribs when he touched me. Quite the improvement considering I had stopped taking the slew of pain pills I had been on for months.

"You look—"

Edward didn't get to finish his sentence before Rosalie wandered in.

"Okay, break it up. She's mine for the rest of the night, Cullen."

Edward pressed a kiss to my cheek before turning toward Rosalie. "Take good care of her for me."

I fastened my necklace, turning toward Rosalie after Edward was gone. "I'm not going to a strip club."

Rosalie had the nerve to pretend to look offended. "I would never—"

"Yes, you would."

While my birthday had, thankfully, been a quiet affair with the family I knew Rosalie would try to push things with my bachelorette party. Especially because she had been trying to convince me to go to a strip club with her since I was twenty. Because she thought it would loosen me up a bit.

"Fine," Rosalie sighed. "Alice is going to be very disappointed, though."

I snorted, following her down to the living room where Alice was waiting. With her cute little growing stomach on display in her purple dress. It still blew my mind a little bit, that Alice would be sitting across the table from me actively growing a tiny little human inside of her as we spoke.

We ended up at a bar right in the center of downtown. It was some exclusive new place and we got frowns from everyone in the line wrapped around the block as we were ushered right in. It was a classy place; no loud music or grinding bodies to be found. It made me realize how little I had done in the last few months. I had never been big on going out, but the exposure made me smile this time.

"So," Alice smiled, sitting on the leather couch across from the one Rosalie and I were perched on.

"So," I hedged, grabbing the drink menu and scanning the list. I hadn't had any alcohol in a very long time. Now that I wasn't full of pain pills, I could have a drink. Or two.

Rosalie sighed, snatching the menu out of my hands. "Bella."

"What?"

"This is your bachelorette party. And you forbade all of the penis paraphernalia I wanted to order and the strip club. So, we want the dirt."

"The dirt?"

"Oh, yes. You've given me some details, but I want to know how my sweet little best friend who had never even been on a date ended up having an affair with her client."

I frowned between the two of them. "Just because I wouldn't let you buy a pack of a hundred penis straws for the evening?"

Rosalie grinned. "Yes."

I smoothed the baby blue silk of my dress. There was really one simple explanation for the whole thing. "He was always supposed to mine."

Their questions were easier to answer after I had finished my first drink. Everything was easier with the alcohol buzzing around in my brain. It helped me enjoy the evening of talking and laughing with my two friends, with my sister-in-law who didn't even know she was already my sister-in-law.

…Closure…

I enjoyed the gentle buzz of alcohol rushing through my veins. It was a nice change from the sluggish drain the pain meds usually left on my brain. Even as I stumbled into the door jam of my bedroom, I enjoyed it.

The room was dark, the bed still made, so I knew Edward was still out. Sam and Seth had come to town a week before the wedding and took him out for a bachelor party tonight, too. Even though, according to Seth, Edward hadn't really comprehended the idea of being a bachelor since he was seventeen.

I slipped out of my flats, leaving them in the seating area before wandering over to the closet as I attempted to unzip my dress.

"Need some help?"

"Shit," I gasped, nearly falling over my own two feet as Edward emerged from the closet. He had already changed—a pair of grey sweatpants hanging low on his hips, his chest bare.

He ignored my blunder and sauntered over, the tips of his fingers trailing down my bare arms. Warm lips pressed against my shoulder where they traveled along my neck before his teeth tugged at my earlobe.

"You're drunk," I gasped, smelling the alcohol on his breath.

I didn't mind it. Edward deserved a night of letting go as much as I did. Drunk Edward was a good friend of mine. He was handsy and whispered dirty things in my ear. It was a shame he decided to show up when he couldn't follow through on any of the dirty things.

"So are you," he chuckled, making good on his offer and letting his fingers carefully tug the zipper of my dress down.

I sighed, my own buzz dying at the thought of another night spent sleeping beside the man when I wanted to do much more with him. When I went to step away to change, his hands carefully wrapped around my sides and pulled me back against his chest.

"Do you have any idea," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear as his hands slithered beneath my unzipped dress, his palms warm against my back. "Any idea how badly I want you?"

My palm reached around, finding him hard and ready.

"No," he snapped, pushing me the few steps backward and twisting me until my back gently pressed against the wall. "I don't just want your hand. I don't just want your mouth. I want you."

His fingers cupped my chin, tilting my head up to give him ample access to my throat. I forgot to breathe, just for a moment, when his tongue trailed up from my collarbone to behind my ear.

"I want your taste on my tongue while my fingers are curled inside you and you scream my name. I want to feel you coming, feel every wave of pleasure as you clench around my cock. I want—"

"Stop," I gasped, my breath already coming in pants. "I can't—I want—"

Edward gripped my chin again, tilting my head up until my eyes met his. A sinister gleam shimmered in his eyes. "Can you be still, Bella?"

My mouth open and shut half a dozen times as he smirked down at me, then another dozen times as he slowly backed me through our bedroom. He let my dress fall to the floor in the process, before gently lowering me in the center of our bed.

My breathing halted completely as his tongue slid up my abdomen, between my breasts and along my collarbone. I choked out his name as his lips brushed against my ear. "Be still."

Edward kissed his way back down my abdomen, his hand carefully brushing against the scar on my right hip. "Still."

I nodded, whimpering as he carefully guided my right leg over his shoulder while slowly spreading my left out.

A deep groan rumbled in his chest. His tongue slid along my center. I had to slap a hand over my mouth at my own moan.

I watched him, eyes wide, as a smirk spread across his face. He pressed a gentle kiss to my clit, followed by a few teasing bites to my left thigh. Coherent thoughts were few and far between after that. I knew his tongue was always on me, even as his fingers curled inside of me. He kept a gentle arm wrapped around my right leg, keeping it still as I fought against every urge to squirm underneath him.

He didn't stop. Even after I shuddered through my release, his fingers never stopped. He leaned over me, hand still between my legs as his lips wrapped securely around my nipple. He swallowed my every moan through my second release, his tongue twisting lazily with mine.

"You're so fucking pretty when you come," he whispered against my cheek, his fingers still lazily sliding between my legs.

I collapsed against the pillows, eyes wide and unfocused as he licked his fingers clean. Edward collapsed beside me, gently pulling me into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly a few minutes later. After my breathing had evened out.

"Yes," I sighed, my eyelids already drifting closed.

…Closure…

I had been to more doctor appointments in the last two months than I had in the last ten years of my life. I'd had more tests and scans than I knew existed. I was hoping, hoping beyond belief, that this would be it. The last round of appointments before I could get on with my life.

My fingers drummed against the armrest of my chair as I sat in Doctor Roberts' office. He had a wall full of diploma's behind his desk, photos of a happy family scattered along the desktop. The office was small, but obviously well used. Most surfaces were covered in medical textbooks.

"Hello Bella," he greeted, walking in and quickly taking a seat behind his desk.

I sat up straighter, giving him a tentative smile. "Hello."

He was quiet for a moment, eying my depressingly large medical file. "Everything is looking good. Excellent, actually. The swelling in your hip is gone, which is great. Your ribs aren't bothering you too much anymore?"

"No," I answered, too quickly.

He looked at me with a raised brow. "Are you sure?"

"It's been a few days since they've bothered me."

He nodded. "Good, good. Any other issues?"

"No. I feel… kind of normal."

Doctor Roberts smiled. "Wonderful. As disappointed as I am for our visits to come to an end, I think I can give you a clear bill of health."

"Really?" I gasped.

The doctor leaned forward, closing my file and leveling my excitement with a grim face. "The average age of a hip replacement patient is between sixty to eighty-years-old," he said slowly. "The parts used in these replacements are only built to last twenty years at most. Usually when someone has a replacement we warn them to take it easy, try to get the most out of their hip to hopefully avoid another surgery."

I tried to keep the frown off of my face. I didn't want to take it easy. I wanted to go for a run every morning and a hike every Saturday with Edward.

"You're twenty-four," he sighed. "You're going to need another hip replacement. There is no getting around it. Then, you'll probably need another. I could tell you to keep the running to a minimum, keep your time at the gym shortened to try and make the equipment in your hip last longer, but there is no scenario where any of that keeps you from needing another replacement eventually."

"So… what does that mean?"

"It means… live your life. Go for a run whenever you want to. Rest your hip, stretch it out if it ever gets sore of uncomfortable, but you're not at risk of dislocating it at this point."

Live your life.

I bit my lip. "So I—I'm all good now?"

Doctor Roberts nodded. "You're all good. I don't want to see you again for another twenty years," he joked.

I smiled. "Thank you."

I grabbed my bag from my feet, giving the doctor one more smile before I left his office. Even the sterile scent of the hospital, the hectic energy of the place that usually formed a knot of anxiety in my stomach didn't dampen my mood.

Live your life.

I could feel it, the change in the last couple of weeks. My body felt like it was mine again, like all of the silly little rules I had been following for so long were no longer necessary.

As I leaned against the wall of the elevator, I crossed my right foot over my left, just because I could.

It was all I could do to keep from skipping down the hallway toward the cafeteria. Jasper was already waiting, sitting at a table with two trays of food. He blended into the crowd of staff wearing dark blue scrubs.

"How'd it go?" he asked as soon as I sat down opposite of him.

I slowly crossed my right leg over my left, a movement I hadn't had the pleasure of doing in months.

A proud smile crossed Jasper's face. "Well, damn. Nine… ten weeks to a fully recovered hip is amazing, Bella."

"Thank you," I beamed, too excited to pick at the salad in front of me.

Jasper gave me a serene but solemn smile. "I'm glad you're okay, Bella."

His words triggered a memory. One I hadn't actively been suppressing, but had gotten lost in the jumble over the weeks.

"You're going to be okay, Bella. I promise. You're going to be okay, I'm right here."

He repeated it. Over and over when I was first brought into the hospital. It was one of the only things I remembered before waking up after the surgery.

"Thank you," I breathed out. "For—for what you did that night."

Jasper pressed his lips together with a small nod. "I didn't do much, wasn't allowed to."

"You were there, though." It was much more than I could say about a lot of people. "Thank you."

…Closure…

I'd had this plan. One where I got the all clear from the doctor today, just a day before we left for our wedding, and kept it to myself until our wedding night. Gave the news to him as a small wedding present. That plan disappeared entirely as I walked into the house that night.

The car service that Edward was so adamant about me using dropped me off later than usual. I had a few things at work to clear up before the wedding, and I had a newfound focus after my appointment to get them done.

I walked through the front door, fully intending on sticking to my surprise plan. Then I saw Edward setting plates full of food down on the table, saw the small smile on his face when he heard my shoes before he turned to see me walking down the hallway.

After everything he had done, every shoe he tied and every tear he wiped away from my cheeks, I couldn't keep it to myself.

Edward turned to face me, taking a couple steps in my direction before I sped over and wrapped myself around him completely. My arms wound around his neck, my legs wrapping comfortably around his waist.

His arms wrapped around me on instinct, but I saw the moment of fear before he understood.

"I'm all good," I told him quietly.

Edward's arms tightened around me, his eyes wide but soft with tears glistening on his lashes. The look of relief, the disappearance of weeks worth of stress and fear, it was all written across his face. "You're all good?"

I nodded, pressing a kiss to his smile.

"You're all good," he repeated, over and over as his hands traveled over my back and hips.

A/N: This chapter somehow wrote itself, it seems. It was easy to write and I'm kind of in love with it, so I hope you are too. I'm posting early as a thank you for everyone voting for me and my stories over at the TwiFicFandomAwards. The Butterflies series and the Hopeless Kingdom series are all up for quite a few awards, and I appreciate each and every one of you guys that have been voting.
Thank you, as always, for sticking with me and my stories. I'll see you for the wedding next :)