~* Saturday, June 20th *~

"Good afternoon, Miss Cullen." I didn't bow towards Alice or Rosalie when they walked past me into the garage. My mind was elsewhere; trapped in an endless loop of brown eyes, pink paper, and words spoken over whiskey. I hadn't attempted to track down Bella in the week since my night out with Garrett, and the longer I waited, the more distracted I became.

"I'm driving," Alice said.

"Whatever. We need to pick up Tanya. Are you bringing your new pet?" Rosalie asked, her nasally voice irritating me.

Alice made a noise somewhere between a snort and a cough. It reminded me of when my grandma's cat used to throw up one of its fur balls. Nasty beast.

I took a step back into the lobby, grateful neither woman had been paying attention to me, not that I really expected them to.

"You mean Bella?"

My heart froze in my chest. I held the door open a crack, hating myself for eavesdropping simply because her name had been spoken but unable to stop myself.

"Fuck and no." Alice used her key fob to unlock the doors of her Lexus. "I told her to go back to the trailer park the second I took my English Lit final back in May. I still can't believe the things I have to do to keep Mom and Daddy happy." She climbed up into the SUV but left her door open while she settled herself in the seat. "Thank God she agreed to come here to study. It would have been so embarrassing if the press had gotten wind of me slumming around with her."

Alice slammed her door and started the engine, the roar following me back into the lobby. I stood in the middle of the small room, stunned and wishing I could kick my own ass.

Three weeks! I'd wasted almost three weeks feeling sorry for myself instead of trying to find the girl that'd stolen my heart so effortlessly. A million thoughts of what I should have done screamed through my head, but none of them mattered. The only thing I could focus on, the only thing that could make it through the cacophony in my mind, was that I needed to talk to Bella.

But first I needed to find her.

I raced to the desk, knocking over the cup of pens and pencils we kept near the phone. Cursing under my breath, I picked them up and threw them on the desktop while reaching for the phone. It was already after one; I didn't have much time left to search for her today. I dialed the first number I could think of, praying someone would answer.

"Hello," a man's voice said, and I sighed in partial relief.

"Garrett, this is Edward. I need a major favor."

"What's up, man?"

"I need you to cover my shift. Tonight. Now."

"Ah, man. Kate's gonna kick my ass. She wanted to go see some comic down at Zanies."

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency." I held my breath through his silence, and finally said the only words I thought might help my case. "It's . . . it's Bella. I think you may have been right, and I just . . . I need to—"

"Say no more. Kate will understand when I tell her it's for the mystery woman. Just give me thirty minutes to get there."

I sighed in relief, grinning. "Thanks, Garrett. I really appreciate it."

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I cursed under my breath and leaned on the horn again. All those notes passed back and forth, and never once did I ask her last name, her address, her phone number. I didn't even know what neighborhood she lived in.

But that didn't mean I was clueless as to how to find her.

I remembered the note about Navy Pier, about how much she loved to sit and people watch on Saturday afternoons. I just hoped I wouldn't be too late.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." I revved the engine and gripped the steering wheel tighter. The sun burned through my windshield and the heaviness of the air made it almost uncomfortable to breathe. Thankfully, I'd changed into my street clothes before leaving Cullen tower; otherwise I'd be melting in the driver's seat.

Traffic was a nightmare heading east across Michigan Avenue. There were too many people clogging the sidewalks, too many tourists shopping the Magnificent Mile. Taxis and handsome cabs blocked the right lane, and the left was held up due to someone trying to turn left on Michigan Avenue . . . on a Saturday. Damn tourists.

I glanced at the clock and swore again when I saw it was almost three. Bella had said she spent most Saturday afternoons on the pier. With the way traffic was moving, or not moving, it would be almost evening by the time I made it the last couple of miles to the parking garage.

When the light once again changed from green to red without my being able to move even one car-length forward, I screamed and punched the dash.

"Mother-fucking-son-of-a—"

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

I spun and glared at the man leaning down by my open window, surprised when I saw the familiar face.

"What are you doing down here, Mike?"

"Jess wanted a cupcake, so we took the train over to Sprinkles." He motioned over his shoulder. I smiled and waved at a very pregnant woman I assumed was his girlfriend who happened to be double-fisting chocolate cupcakes. "So what's going on? Late for something?"

I leaned my head back against the seat. "Yeah. I needed to be at the pier like thirty minutes ago but this traffic just won't move."

"It'd be faster to walk," the blond said, turning to see all the cars still waiting for their chance to cross Michigan.

"Yes, yes it would. Unfortunately, I drove my car, and now I'm stuck."

Mike looked over his shoulder at the woman with the cupcakes then back down at me. "Get out of the car."

"What?"

He opened my door and stepped back. "Hurry up and get out of the car." I did what he asked, still confused. "Jess and I will wait in this mess and find a place to park it." He climbed into the seat and leaned toward the passenger side. I could hear the clink of my keys knocking together but couldn't see what he was doing. After a moment, he handed me the fob for my keyless entry.

"Here," he said, motioning to Jessica to get in on the other side. "I'll text you with the spot once I park it, and I'll leave the keys and the ticket in the glove box."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "You don't have to—"

Mike interrupted me as he slammed the door closed. "I owe you about fifteen favors, so just go have a good time and forget about this."

I smiled, utterly stunned by his generosity.

"I don't—" I swallowed and glanced at the traffic once more, knowing this was my only chance of possibly getting to the pier in time. "Thanks Mike. Really." I leaned down and waved at Jessica. "Thanks a lot. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"No worries," she said, licking icing from her fingers. "This is what friends do."

I hit my fist against the roof of the car twice before turning and running through the waiting cars. With a little luck, I could be on the pier in ten minutes. I ran as fast as I could through the throngs of tourists and locals shopping their Saturday away. The lights changed in my favor, and I was able to continue straight across Michigan Avenue without stopping.

I ran all the way to the pier, only slowing down once I'd made it past the fountain out front. There were people everywhere – on the grass, at the outdoor tables of the restaurants, blocking the walkway. I weaved through the masses as I headed toward the end, knowing the crowds would thin out once I passed all the major attractions.

My nerves roared to life when I reached the steps leading up to the Ferris wheel. This was the only place I knew she might be - what if I couldn't find her? The crowds had lessened considerably by the time I reached the stained glass museum, and I was able to walk in an almost-straight line to the beer garden. Once I made it to the outdoor bar, I started scanning the crowd in earnest.

I headed to the end of the pier just as the band began to play. The opening notes of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' drowned out the murmur of the people around me, and I smiled. I hoped that the band choosing that song, the song Bella was listening to the first time we met, was a good sign.

I pushed through the last of the crowd and walked to the end of the pier. There were fewer people here, mostly couples cuddled on the benches or families watching the boats sail by. I'm sure I must have looked like a man watching a tennis match, what with my head whipping back and forth.

I walked along the curved railing – watching, seeking. For ten minutes I paced from one side to the other and back, begging, pleading with whatever deity I could think of for a glimpse of brown hair and pale skin. I climbed onto the seat of an empty bench and looked over the crowd again, my heart in my throat, knowing this was my final effort.

Still, no Bella.

My heart plummeted, and I hung my head. She wasn't here. My one chance and I'd failed. There was no way I could find her in a city this size when I didn't even know her last name. There wasn't anything more I could do. With no hope left, I slowly stood and started the long trek back to land.

I kept my head down as I worked my way through the crowd, mostly oblivious to the laughter and music floating on the air. I was almost to the beer garden when something hard and sticky slammed into my left leg, knocking me into the concrete steps leading to the ballroom.

"Sorry, mister!" A little blonde girl yelled as she ran past me with a stick of blue cotton candy in one hand. I shook my head and glanced down at my leg, not surprised to see blue fluff clinging to the skin below the hem of my shorts.

"Wonderful." I slapped at the blue sugar sticking to my leg right as the band stopped playing. The sudden quiet surprised me, and I looked up at the stage just as the guitarist walked to the front of the stage.

"A very good friend of ours needs a minute of your time, folks." His voice bounced around the space, echoing off the brick walls surrounding the garden. I shook my head, giving up on the blue sugar, and walked past the stage.

"Um, hi. I'm Bella."

Her voice pierced the noise of the crowd and pulsed through me. I froze, unable to move forward, yet too terrified of being wrong to turn around and look.

"If you're a regular pier visitor, you may have already heard this speech of mine over the past few Saturdays."

I turned slowly, my heart pounding so hard in my chest, I was sure the people around me had to be able to hear it. When I finally saw the woman standing at the front of the stage, I inhaled shakily and smiled.

Brown hair, pale skin, soft curves and a smile that shone brighter than the sun above. My Bella stood on the raised platform, clinging to the microphone with one hand while holding a small box in the other.

She dropped her head for a second and then looked back up at the crowd. "Six weeks ago, I met a handsome, charming, interesting man. I was really looking forward to getting to know him better, but circumstances came between us, and now I don't know how to find him." I stepped toward the stage, weaving through the people standing and watching Bella as she made her plea. "He knows that I spend my Saturdays on the pier, and I'd hoped he would try to find me here. So Edward, if you're somewhere out there, I'm here – I've been here – waiting for you. Thank you."

She stepped back from the microphone and leaned up on her toes to whisper to the guitarist. He nodded and smiled at her before taking the microphone again.

"Apparently tomorrow is mystery-man's birthday, so we're going to play him a song!"

Bella climbed down from the stage as the band began playing the happy birthday song. I rushed through the remainder of the crowd, desperate to reach her side before she disappeared again. I passed the final person standing between us just as Bella looked up.

Time stood still when our eyes met. We hovered in our own world - no crowds, no loud music, no lights – just the two of us, looking shocked yet smiling brightly at each other.

"I didn't know if you'd be here," she said, taking a hesitant step toward me.

I stepped forward, wanting to run to her, but resisting the urge. "You stopped coming, and I didn't know why. I thought you didn't—"

She was shaking her head before I could finish the sentence. "I did. I wanted to, but I had no way to contact you after Alice—"

"I know." I stopped directly in front of her, mere inches between us. I wanted so badly to touch her, to reach out and make sure she was really there, but I didn't want to scare her. I knew if I touched her now, with the way my entire body was vibrating at her nearness, I'd pull her against me and never let her go.

The band continued to play in the background - some jazzy number I'd heard on the radio, though I didn't know the name of the song. People danced and sang around us, yet we stayed locked in our bubble, staring and smiling. After a few moments, she lifted the little box higher. There on the top was that familiar pink paper, words like art dancing across the lines.

Happy birthday, Edward. ~B

I glanced between her and the box, unsure. She smiled again, giving me the confidence I needed. I took the package from her hands and set it on the table next to her.

"You bought me a present?" I asked. She stepped closer, her body brushing against mine. I smiled wider, my eyes darting to her lips. I could hardly breathe, the clawing hunger to touch her, hold her, kiss her constricting my chest.

She nodded, and her face flushed a bit. "It's just a cupcake. I wasn't even sure if I would see you again, so—"

"What flavor?" I interrupted her, grinning, knowing already what was in the box but wanting her to confirm it.

She looked me in the eye, her gaze steady as she whispered, "Yellow cake with chocolate frosting, of course." She brushed her fingers against mine and every ounce of my restraint fled my body.

I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against my chest. I'd never been so happy, so grateful, to have a woman in my arms. I kept my eyes locked with hers as every nerve ending in my body fired in sequence, ripples of pure pleasure rolling over my skin.

"I've missed you." I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers softly, sweetly. She sighed, her breath washing over me as her hands moved over my shoulders and into my hair.

"The answer's yes, by the way," Bella said softly, her lips brushing against mine. I furrowed my brow a bit, confused. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. "You asked me if I would have dinner with you in your last note. If the offer's still on the table, then the answer is yes."

"Yes?" I whispered. She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. She reached behind her, pulling something from her back pocket. She brought her hands between us and smiled as she unfolded one more pink strip of paper. There, in the loops and swirls I'd know anywhere, were three of the most beautiful words ever written.

Yes. Always yes. ~B

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