EPOV

I looked deeply into Bella's eyes. There was nothing more I wanted in the universe than to make love to her, but we had absolutely no conversations about us since she had been changed. So much needed to be said. I had been waiting for her bloodlust to settle before we talked.

I kissed her again, without replying, and she took it as answer. Yes. She pushed me back, pinning me to the ground and began unbuttoning my shirt. It was incredibly erotic, Bella taking control like this, and I was proud of the control of her strength, fingering the buttons without smashing them. As a newborn, she was doing remarkably well.

Rolling over, cradling Bella in my arms, I then pinned her to the ground, and began kissing her neck, savoring the way she tasted, my desire for her building. I was tempted to make love to her, on this boulder, in the wilderness, but my love and respect for Bella told me that she deserved more. I wanted our first time together to be special, romantic, and in a more comfortable place. I wanted to marry Bella before I took her to my bed. Despite being a vampire, I was old fashioned like that.

We continued to kiss, deeply and passionately, and Bella reached down to unbutton my pants. I reached down and grabbed her hands with my own, to stop her. I was amazed that I was thinking so rationally. I wanted Bella, I wanted her bad. But, not like this.

Bella looked at me curiously.

"I want to marry you, Bella," I told her. "You deserve to be treated with respect."

She sat back, with an unreadable expression on her face. "Respect?" she repeated.

I sat up, too. "I want to be with you forever, but I want to do things the right way. I want to marry you before we make love."

It made complete sense to me. I knew her generation might think it was ridiculous, but in my day a man married the woman he loved. It was a commitment to faithfulness. There would never be another woman for me, but Bella.

Something in her seemed to snap. She jumped up.

"Always excuses, Edward!" Bella screamed. "When I was a human you were afraid to hurt me, but now that I'm a vampire you won't love me because you want to get married? What a load of bull shit! Are you keeping Tanya on the side to fuck her while you indulge your fascination with me?"

Bella stormed off, not wanting an answer, and I was completely horrified. I chased after her.

"I do love you Bella. I want to honor you. I'm not fucking Tanya. She was a lying bitch that tried to separate us. And she's dead."

She visibly shocked upon hearing Tanya was dead and stopped in her tracks. I grabbed her by the shoulders. We would finally have this conversation.

"What did Tanya tell you? Was she the reason you left for Jacksonville?"

"Yes…no. She told me that you didn't love me. She told me I was considered a pet to your family and I was just a novelty until you became distracted by something else."

I suppressed a growl. If Tanya wasn't already dead, this new piece of information was sufficient enough to give reason to rip her head off. She told Bella that our family thought she was a pet? It was obscenely offensive.

"You believed her?" I asked.

Bella looked vulnerable, as if she was gathering the courage to answer.

"It never made sense for you to love me. So, yes, I believed her."

I opened my arms to pull Bella into an embrace. She hesitated at first, but then fell into my arms and began to sob. I smoothed her hair.

"I love you, Bella. I love you, I love you, I love. When you came into my life, my entire world changed. You became the center of my existence. Do you know how happy you've made me? My family can testify that I am completely devoted to you."

"Do they think of me as a pet?" she asked, bashfully, burrowing her head in my chest.

I held Bella tighter. "Carlisle and Esme consider you to be a beloved daughter. You are Alice's best friend and Jasper really respects you. Rosalie…it takes time for her to accept new people, but she has never once had any thought of you as a pet. And Emmett…well, if he had been here when we found out how Tanya lied to you, he would have killed her with his own two hands."

Bella looked up at me. "How did Tanya die?" she asked.

"When she confessed, I was on the verge of attacking her, but Carlisle arrived moments later to tell us about your accident. I became unconsolable, thinking that you were dead, and Carlisle demanded that Tanya leave. He told her she had betrayed our family and she should never return."

She was surprised. "Carlisle said that?"

I nodded. "He doesn't see you as a pet. He sees you as a daughter. Although he has the most control and diplomacy of anyone I know, he's fiercely protective of our family."

I sighed in relief as Bella's eyes widen and I could see that she believed me.

"Never doubt my love. It's true and deep, eternal. "

Bella closed her eyes and began to sob again. "I'm so sorry for believing Tanya. I should have talked to you about it instead of running away."

I rubbed her back. "I'm sorry for being an idiot and not realizing Tanya's scheme. I should have communicated with you too, instead of thinking you were better off without me."

"Did you kill Tanya?" she asked.

I shook my head. "As Tanya made her way back to Alaska, the wolves were already on alert after their run in with Victoria. They thought Tanya was a threat and killed her."

After all that Tanya had done to Bella, she still responded a compassionate sigh. I wasn't so generous.

"It was an accident, but she deserved it," I told her.

"I'm sorry for calling you a monster," she apologized, changing the subject. "When I thought you were with Tanya, it crushed me. When you were in my bedroom in Jacksonville and opened your arm, I thought you were playing games with me. I thought you were being cruel."

Of course, I remembered that moment with perfect clarity. I had long forgiven Bella for speaking those words, I felt I was a monster, but it was a relief to know she was speaking out of hurt and misunderstanding. She didn't mean it.

I kissed her gently on the lips. As much as I hated the way Bella had been changed into a vampire, I didn't regret it. I was happy she was alive and would be with me for eternity.

"Do you believe me when I tell you Tanya was lying?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied immediately.

"Do you believe that my family thinks of you as a pet?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

"Do you believe that I love you?"

For a brief second, she paused. I became nervous.

"Yes, I do," she replied confidently. "When I was burning, although I couldn't reply, I heard every word you spoke to me. The anguish and heartbreak I felt previously began to wash away. As I was being transformed, I think your words of love also transformed me. Even though I believed Tanya, I think deep in my heart, somewhere, I knew nothing would be able to separate us. "

There was still a hint of hesitation in her voice that concerned me.

"But?"

She looked embarrassed. "But…you won't make love to me? Do you realize how rejected that makes me feel? Is there something wrong with me?"

I sighed. "There is nothing wrong with you. I want you, Bella. No other woman has made me feel the way you make me feel. But, I'm committed to making you my wife before we become lovers. "

Bella mirrored my sigh and rolled her eyes. "Seriously?" She was truly surprised.

"Let me explain," I replied. "When we're transformed into a being a vampire, it's like we're frozen in time. Our values, personality, beliefs are cemented for eternity. When I was changed, I lived in a time where a man slept with whores, but married the woman he loved. As much as I desire you, I would feel that I was disrespecting you if I took you before I committed myself to you."

"You're not already committed to me?" she asked.

"Of course, I am," I replied quickly. "I mean that I want to make a public declaration of it. I feel like my humanity was stripped away when I became a vampire, but I don't want you to miss out on human experiences."

Bella looked at the ground. "Do you regret that I was changed?" she asked quietly.

"It was my wish that you remain human and not be damned to a soul-less existence," I answered honestly. "I regret that Victoria was the one to turn you, but I don't regret that you were changed. It's completely selfish of me, but I'm happy you're one of us now."

I put my arm around Bella's waist and we began to walk back to the cabin. It didn't bother me that Bella need reassurance about my love or commitment to her. I would spend eternity declaring it.

"So…you won't make love to me until we're married?" she asked.

Inwardly, I groaned. I had spent decades building a control, but Bella tempted me like no other. It was my wish, my desire, to do things "right" yet I also knew if Bella insisted I make love to her, I wouldn't be able to resist for long.

I nodded. "Yes."

She smiled. "Can we get married tomorrow?"