Author's Note: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Your enthusiasm for this story means so much to me.


Phil left early to meet his team for the championship game. He held out his hand for me to shake, and when I took it, he pulled me into a hug. "Great meeting you, Edward. Best of luck with everything." He wrapped Bella in his arms. "Keep in touch," he whispered to her. What a super pair of kids.

At breakfast, Renee was preoccupied with our imminent departure. She didn't notice that I rearranged my food instead of eating it. But even while I was successfully hiding my inhuman physiology, there was another part of me I had to show her—my human feelings.

I took a deep breath. "Renee, there is something else I want to talk to you about." They waited for me to speak.

"You must be wondering," I began. In fact, Renee was not wondering, not at the moment. She didn't know where my words were leading, and neither did Bella. But I felt I had to say them. "If I am so happy being with Bella, why did I break up with her?"

Now they reacted. Renee remembered Bella's deep distress. And Bella's expression contracted in pain.

"Edward, it's OK," she said. "You don't have to explain. I've already told them. It was a misunderstanding, and it was awful for both of us, and I forgave you."

"I know you forgave me. But what I did, I think it hurt your parents too, to see you so upset."

"Edward, you don't have to—" Renee began, but I interrupted.

"Please let me say this." She nodded. Once again, there was no way I could tell the whole truth, or even nothing but the truth. But I had to give her some truth. "You know my father got a job offer in Los Angeles. I thought I should decide what was best for Bella under the circumstances. I thought that she deserved better than a long-distance boyfriend. I thought she would get over me and find someone else, and it would be easier for both of us if that happened sooner rather than later."

Bella' expression was troubled. I reached for her hand.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I know you don't want to be reminded. But I need to tell Renee how I feel about it. Because if I were your mother, I don't think I could like or trust someone who hurt you the way I did."

I turned back to Renee. "What I did was very wrong. It was wrong to take away Bella's decision. It was very wrong to lie to her. I never stopped loving her, but I thought it would help her move on if she believed I had never really loved her at all."

My poor baby. She was so devastated. Charlie and I didn't know what to do.

"I was so happy when my parents decided to return to Forks. I was only worried that I had ruined everything between Bella and me. But she has a very generous heart, and she forgave me. Breaking up with her was very stupid and destructive, but I learned that Bella should decide what she wants to happen in her life. And I learned that it really didn't work for me to be apart from her. So now I am going to be with her as long as she'll have me."

"Always," said Bella very softly, for my ears only.

I looked into Renee's eyes. "I'm so sorry that I hurt Bella. I learned from it, but that still doesn't make what I did a good thing. I can't promise I'll never hurt her again, because people make mistakes. But I do promise that I'll always listen to her and I'll always be honest with her."

"I learned from it too." Bella rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She spoke quietly as she looked down at the table. "Edward just said he thought I deserved better than him. I used to think that he deserved better than me, and when he left, that just proved I was right. But when he came back, I realized that I did make him happy. I used to be afraid of losing him. I even expected that someday I would. Then I did lose him, and it was pretty bad. But we're together again, and I'm not afraid anymore."

Renee was mulling things over, replaying my words in her head. I'd given her a lot to think about. It was really brave of him to say all that. He's right. She told me that she forgave him, but I didn't. I've been half waiting for him to drop her again.

"Edward, it's my turn to say something to you. I want to thank you for everything that you said, last night and just now. You're very important to Bella, and as her mother I can't help worrying. Maybe you and I are alike that way. We want Bella to be happy, and we might think sometimes that we know better than she does how that should happen. I really appreciate having the chance to know you better. I have to say I'm impressed that you can be so open about your feelings. Most boys, most teenagers aren't like that."

"Well, Edward isn't most teenagers, and neither am I."

"No, you aren't. I know that," Renee agreed. "Listen, it's beautiful out. How about going for a walk along the beach?"

"Sure, Mom. I would love that." Her beautiful smile and the tears still sparkling in her eyes sent a wave of emotion through me. My dearest wish was for her to be safe and happy with me, and I was making it happen.

"That sounds great, but I should probably stay here and finish my paper."