Turning around I saw Garrett standing behind me, everyone else had vanished. He was standing there waiting for me. I sprinted to him and threw my arms around his body as I sobbed. He held me tightly and whispered promise after promise. The words didn't register with my mind, but his body language, the way he spoke as our bodies melded together started to mend some of the pieces of my heart.

When the last of the guests had left I settled down in a chair to catch my breath. Various thoughts played in my mind, recalling my time at college, the partying, finding out I was pregnant. Everything I had done in the past decade rained down and left me burdened with regret.

I recall giving birth and the first days of motherhood, never scared, but happy to have brought such a beautiful girl into the world. I wondered what she would be like, look like, and everything else a new mother dreams about when holding their newborn. Some nights, I would hold my daughter all night long and wonder where her father was. I wondered how he would react to her, knowing about her, seeing her for the first time. Wishing I had the answers I vowed that no matter what I would be there for my sweet baby girl, nothing would ever tear us apart. If I had only known then that evil was still lurking I could have changed so many things. I would not have waited so long to bring her to the doctor when her cold worsened. I would have stayed home that night instead of giving in to Rose and Alice's girls night. I should have been there with my precious, watching her sleep, ensuring she was safe, and maybe...just maybe...

I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and glanced at my surroundings. My parents were with Rose and Emmett in the foyer acting as the farewell crew before they slipped on their own coats and began to offer their own thanks and good nights to the gracious hosts. The soft tones of the voices carry through the hallway and reach me as I let out the large breath I was holding.

Assuring my mother that everything was being taken care of Rose calmly spoke to my mother as Renee thanked her for all she had done. There were a few sniffles and a moment of silence before Rose and Emmett appeared in the doorway of the living room. I am certain that it was my mother crying and I was glad that I didn't have to see it with my own eyes because that would certainly crumbled the stone walls that I had erected.

I sat with my legs tucked under my body in a comfortable wingback chair, my wine glass balanced carefully on the armrest and my shoes kicked off to the side. Garrett sat on the floor in front of the chair, his head resting near my knees as he listened to Jake and Sam talk about cars or some guy shit like that. His occasional laughter shook the chair and disrupted the drink in my glass.

Watching the golden liquid as it swirled around the bowl dangerously close to spilling all over the flowered upholstery, my mind wandered back to the events earlier in the evening and to the blast of air that chased away the balloons I released. I wondered if Peyton was trying to tell me something, as silly as that sounds I believe it. Part of the reason why I haven't ran away from this small town that ties me to this nightmare is because I am afraid that I won't be able to feel her like I do here. When I spoke to Jennifer about this, she explained it was normal for some people who experience the death of child to not want to move on. They often leave their loved ones bedrooms the same or refuse to leave the house for fear that they won't be there for when they return. I was able to change my immediate surroundings and donate what I could part with to an organization that assists teen parents prepare for parenthood. As for the things that I refused to give up I keep those in my hope chest that was left to me from my Gramma Swan. A baby book completed up to the month she passed, the outfit she came home in, a stuffed bear given to her by my parents, and a frame that holds a photo of her ultrasound sit untouched since the day I packed them away.

"Bell, you awake up there?" his voice jerked me away from my thoughts. Garrett was on his feet looking down at me as he took my glass and placed it on a nearby table. His eyes were bright like stars, his smile was contagious as he pulled me onto my feet.

"I am now," I replied as he pulled me closer to his body without letting my hands go. Our fingers intertwined at our sides, his nose brushed against mine. The heat began in my stomach and traveled upward to my chest. I could feel the blood pool under the skin of my cheeks making them red and rosy.

"I think we need to go before everyone comes looking for us," he said as he pulled me down the hall to the den. His warm hand clasp around mine as he pulled me through the doorway and sat me beside him on the piano bench.

Resting my head against the firmness of his shoulder I watched as he fingers danced over the keys tapping out a melody that I was familiar with. The music floats around me, comforting me, grounding me in a way that music only can. Closing my eyes I began to hum along, listening as the notes pulled at me as if they are begging me to let go.

Garrett's voice startles me as he begins to sing and it is surprisingly beautiful, nothing like I would imagine.

I don't know where I'm at

I'm standing at the back

And I'm tired of waiting

Waiting here in line, hoping that I'll find what I've been chasing.

I give in, relax into Garrett's side as I open my mouth. The lyrics fall from my tongue but in reality they come from my soul. Our voices blend together and it sounds beautiful.

I shot for the sky

I'm stuck on the ground

So why do I try, I know I'm gonna fall down

I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?

Never know why it's coming down, down, down.

His smile is as bright as the sun and the slight nod of his head gives me the permission I need to take over control. Pulling a deep breath into my lungs I accept the challenge with a smile. My hands sweat as they rest on my thighs, I am too afraid to do anything else with them. My eyes instictively close and I sing.

I'm not ready to let go

Cause then I'd never know

What I could be missing

But I'm missing way too much

So when do I give up, what I've been wishing for.

I gave it all I had and from the look on his face he is surprised? happy? proud? I have no idea really what he thinks, but I can't help to wonder if he feels it too. We continue on together both giving and taking what we need. The bubble we creating grows larger around us. Like a cocoon it is safe and gives us what we need.

I shot for the sky

I'm stuck on the ground

So why do I try, I know I'm gonna fall down

I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?

I'll never know why it's coming down, down, down.

Oh I am going down, down, down

Can't find another way around

And I don't want to hear the sound, of losing what I never found.

I shot for the sky

I'm stuck on the ground

So why do I try, I know I'm gonna fall down

I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?

I never know why it's coming down, down, down.

I shot for the sky

I'm stuck on the ground

So why do I try, I know I'm gonna fall down

I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?

I'll never know why, it's coming down, down, down.

The last note is played and his fingers are still on the white and black keys. I look at him, maybe for the first time, I really look at him. His eyes are bright and inviting and his smile. The tiniest upturn of his lips send the dead butterflies that I believe to live inside me free. They are alive and they are flitting like crazy, sugared up babies. In this moment I actually believe that happiness is possible for me.

Alcohol flows freely and it is obvious when we begin to sing silly songs from our childhood. The fire warms the room, reddening our cheeks and forcing us to shed layers. I sit dangerously close to Garrett on the floor, my thin t-shirt not a thick enough barrier to shield the heat coming off his body. Holding his own guitar he strums a chord and begins to sing.

The other night dear, as I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms

But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

So I hung my head and I cried.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

He kept his head down as he sang and for that I was grateful because the tears fell from my eyes. I had pulled my bent knees in close and wrapped my arms around them slowly rocking back and forth as visions of rocking my baby to sleep played like a horror movie.

From the corner of my eye I could see Rose reach toward her glass beside her when she knocked the wineglass over and spilt the dark liquid across the table.

"Oh shit," she cursed out loud disrupting the song and attracting everyone's attention. We all moved quickly to help her contain the spill from staining the light colored carpet. Garrett stopped abruptly and set down his guitar moving quickly toward the kitchen to get towels.

Rose's face told me everything I needed to know, it was no accident, she would always do whatever she could to protect me. Even if it meant risking her expensive cream carpet.

By the time Garrett returned with the towels I had already wiped the tears away. The towels absorbed the Merlot and the carpet was not harmed. Jake and the boys decided to call it a night and Jasper and Alice agreed. I was more than ready to go home.

Garrett said his goodbye outside after the others left. His soft lips brushed against mine and his embrace was tight. He promised to call me when he got up in the morning so he could arrange to drive me to the benefit. Agreeing with his plan I climbed into my truck and drove along the quiet highway towards town. It was a surprisingly clear night as the rain that had fallen earlier most likely assured that a storm was going to roll through. I cracked the driver's side window and breathed in the cool air. The radio filled the cab with background noise and the dashboard lights were glowing softly, they provided a simple comfort as I traveled down the road.

Tapping the brake pedal I slowed the truck to navigate through a bend in the road. On the other side of the curve was a car on the side of the road. Yellow hazard lights blinked bright in the darkness and I slowed my truck down. Carefully moving in front of the car I stopped and shifted into park. Recalling how Charlie would always lecture me on safety I locked my door and pushed my hand into my purse that sat next to me on the seat. Quickly locating the small, metal can that lived in the bottom of my purse I grabbed my phone and pulled up the contact for my father's work phone just in case there was an emergency. Pepper spray and a phone, a single woman's weapons against the bad things that can happen on the road. Charlie would be proud.

I watched in my side mirror as a person cautiously walked up the side of my truck. I recognized it was a man but it was hard to see anything else with the blinking lights behind me reflecting into the mirror. I rolled the window down a bit more when the man approached the driver's side door.

"Bella, is that you?" the voice I have tried so long to forget pulled me from my defensive state.

"Ed-Edward, are you alright?" I asked him because he looked like hell. A few days worth of stubble along his cheeks and chin and his crazy hair was peeking out from a knit hat. Wearing only a lightweight coat, his body shivered as the wind whipped around him.

"I think I hit a deer...I mean I am sure that is what it is, but it ran off into the woods. My phone is dead because I never charged it today. Anyway it did some damage to the front and I can't get it to start," he rambled on to me while he pulled his hat from head and ran his fingers roughly through his hair.

"I can call Emmett for you if you want," I said to him through the open space in the window. It felt weird to be speaking to him, but I felt more comfortable with a glass barrier between us.

"That would be great," he said and he immediately smiled. The tension disappeared from his brow and he let out a long breath.

I threw the pepper spray back into my purse. Edward wouldn't physically harm me that I was sure of. I cleared out my father's contact and dialed Emmett's number. The phone rang a few times before he answered. Edward waited outside my truck as I spoke to Emmett but when I turned my head away from him, he walked back to his car and leaned against the hood.

Emmett's reaction was almost funny as I tried to explain the situation. He was more concerned about my reaction to Edward than he was about Edward, but also what I would do until he could get dressed and drive over. Clearly he did not want me to be with Edward alone and I agreed with him, but I also knew at some point I needed to get over all these feelings I had. It was over with a long time ago and to continue to let the past dictate my well being was only going to keep me from finding my happiness.

I exited the truck and walked over to where he stood. He looked defeated and I could agree that being stranded on the side of the road was not something that would make any person happy. Stopping just a few feet from him I spoke his name to get his attention. He looked at me with an intensity that caught me off guard. No words were exchanged between us, we just stared at each other for a moment.

Unable to stand the quiet I decided to speak up to break the silence.

"Are you alright? I m-mean... you didn't get hurt or anything?" I asked him nervously.

He shook his head back and forth and let out a laugh that sounded nervous or possibly humorous. It was hard to determine what it was. Resting against his car with his eyes cast down he was carefully folding up a piece of paper.

"Alright? You want to know if I am alright?" he sounded on edge, but not in a way that I was fearful of his actions. It was clear that something was bothering him and it most likely had nothing to do with the car he leaned against.

He looked up from his hands, his eyes were black, empty. Pushing off from the car he walked over to me stopping just a few inches away. I had forgotten how tall he was as he towered over me, looking down. His movements were not frightening me, it was the way he moved, with purpose. Determined to do something, but thankfully he did nothing.

There was nothing said between us, nothing was needed to be said. I owed him nothing and expected less from him. The silence was so loud, my heart thumping so hard that I could hear the whoosh of blood as it passed through my head.

"Do you believe in fate, Bella?" his voice broke the silence between us. "I need to know if you believe in fate, that everything we say and do happens for a reason."

The question was so random that it was almost humorous. Fate? I knew nothing about fate, much less if I believed in it. Was it fate that I got pregnant? Was it fate that I dealt with our breakup in such a destructive way? Was it fate that my baby died after I realized she was my everything? Was it fate that I ended up so miserable, so determined that my life was over?

"Why?" It was all I could ask.

"Because I want to know if you think that this is a coincidence?" he answered as he waved his hand between the two of us.

Anger filled me as soon as he insinuated there was anything between us. That had ended many years ago when he disrespected me. I drew in a large breath and blew it out hoping it would calm me. It seemed to have a reverse effect as I decided it was time to ask the one question that I have wanted to ask for so long.

"NO, you don't get to ask me anything! If any questions are going to be answered it will be mine. So why don't you tell me the reason behind what you did back in college? Because we both know that we were so much more than acquaintances?" I screamed at him. Chest heaving, skin reddening, and if smoke could bellow from my ears it would have.

He paused for a second and I waited for the answer. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Slipping the paper he was holding into his pocket he turned away from me, but immediately turned back around. Just as he started to speak the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle interrupted him. The truck came to a stop in the middle of the road and the unmistaken voice of my friend yelled.

"Does someone need roadside assistance?"