Chapter 4

Despite the box of roses in my lap and the other guaranteed-to-be-naughty red item I have yet to retrieve from the box, I can only think about one thing: the beginning of my whirlwind relationship with Edward…

"Do you have condoms in your purse?"

I spit the Sprite in my mouth out all over my bathroom mirror. "No, Rose, I don't have condoms in my purse. This is our first date, for god's sakes."

"Emmett and I got down and dirty on our first date. Twice, actually."

I set the phone on top of the toilet tank and pressed the speaker button. "That's more information than I needed, thanks."

"Bella, you need to live a little. That's all I'm saying." I heard a crash in the background followed by Rose's muffled voice.

"What's going on over there?" I asked, eager to move the spotlight off myself.

"This puppy is driving me insane, that's what's going on," Rose gritted out. "I told Emmett we needed to wait until we found a bigger flat before we got a dog, but no, he insisted on buying one right away."

I smiled sadly and grabbed my concealer stick. Rose had moved to London shortly after we graduated college. Her intent was to live there for a year, possibly two, just to have a new experience before she settled down. Then she met Emmett McCarty, a British investment banker who wined her, dined her, and stole her heart. Six months into their relationship Rose informed us that her temporary stay was turning into a permanent one, and that was that.

Her wedding was a big affair, held at a castle in Scotland, and it gave Alice and I an excuse to spend a few weeks traveling throughout Europe. Even though we'd arrived in just the two of us, it felt weird to return home without the third member of our trio.

I missed Rose like crazy, but I tried to keep in touch with her each week, either by Skyping or calling her. Alice was amazing and I loved her to pieces, but when it came to relationships, Rose had always been my go-to person. Having an ocean between us when I was about to embark on the start of something new and hopefully special sucked.

"Be thankful he has puppy fever and not baby fever," I said.

"Neither of us wants kids, thankfully. That was something we established before we agreed to spend our lives together." More crashing sounds echoed in the background and Rose sighed. "I have to go and deal with this four-legged brat. Facebook me after this date. I want to hear all about your exploits!"

"I don't have exploits, Rose," I snorted. "But I'll send you all the important details." We said our goodbyes and I finished putting on my makeup. I had no idea what we were doing, but Edward had told me to dress comfortably, so I assumed fancy wasn't a priority. I finally settled on a dark red sundress and pair of black flats.

The doorbell rang at exactly four-thirty. I grabbed my purse, checked my reflection in the hallway mirror, took a deep breath to calm my nerves, and opened the door.

"Hello, beautiful." Edward stepped forward and slid an arm around my waist, pulling me against him and pressing his lips to my cheek. It was a chaste kiss, but I felt it throughout my entire body. Every nerve responded and every inch of my skin ignited.

He stepped back and looked me up and down. "That dress is amazing," he said.

I looked down at my feet, hiding my giddy smile. "It's just something I had hiding in the back of my closet."

"Well, I'm glad you pulled it out for today." He gestured toward the curb, where a beat-up Chevy truck sat. "All ready?"

I double checked the locks and followed him down the sidewalk. Never in a million years would I have pegged Edward as a country-music loving, pickup truck man, but it turned out that's exactly who he was. As he helped me into the truck, I took in every detail. The bench seat was well worn in, the leather cracking and fading in places. Blueprints and other random pieces of paper were scattered all over the dash and the seat, and the air smelled like Old Spice and pipe tobacco.

Once he was seated next to me, I pointed to the blueprints. "Are all these projects you're working on?"

He nodded, starting the engine. "I always have way too many things going at once. It's a bad habit."

"You're motivated," I countered. "That's an admirable quality in my book."

Edward's cheeks flushed. "I appreciate that." Our drive was filled your run-of-the-mill chatter. We talked about work, our plans for the rest of the weekend, and how we were both looking forward to the Fourth of July.

I was so focused on Edward and that I didn't realize we'd reached our destination. "We're not hiking, are we?" The words flew out of my mouth before I had a chance to add a polite buffer to them.

Edward chuckled. "No, no hiking today. But I probably should have asked you if you liked seafood before heading over here."

"I love seafood."

"That's good, because Sea Salt has the best oysters and baskets in town." Edward cut the engine and came around to my side of the truck, opening the door and holding his hand out. He didn't let go as we started walking.

"Would you believe I've never been here," I said, looking around at the park.

"To Sea Salt?"

"No, to Minnehaha Falls."

Edward raised his eyebrows. "You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head and laughed. "I've never gotten around to it I guess."

"Well, then we might need to do a bit of minor hiking, because you have to see the waterfalls." We came to a stop near the pavilion that housed the restaurant. "Do you want to grab a table and I can order?"

"Sounds good. Just no shrimp for me. That's the one thing I don't care for."

"Got it. No small crustaceans for the lady." Edward jogged off and took a place in line while I found a picnic table that was semi-secluded from the crowd. Twenty minutes passed, and I was starting to get worried that he'd changed his mind and decided to dip, when a basket of delicious looking fried fish appeared in front of me.

In the spirit of being polite I waited until he was seated before taking a big bite. "This is delicious," I moaned, closing my eyes and relishing in the perfectly cooked catfish. Edward cleared his throat and I blinked, gigging in my head when I saw the expression on his face.

"I told you it was the best." He picked up an oyster, squirting some lemon juice on it before bringing it to his lips. I watched as he tipped it back into his mouth, Adam's apple bobbing when he swallowed the delicacy.

"So, are you an only child?" I asked the most generic question I could think of, hoping it would pull my mind out of the gutter it had lodged itself in.

Our conversation ebbed and flowed naturally after this. I learned that Edward was the youngest of four siblings. His oldest brother, Riley, was an admiral in the Navy, based out of Washington, D.C., where he lived with his wife and three kids. His sister Siobhan was a doctor and still lived in Phoenix. His other sister, Bree, was a bit of a wild child, filled with wanderlust and completely uninterested in committing herself to anything or anyone. She flitted from city to city, working odd jobs and falling in and out of love. The last time he spoke to her she was in Nashville, giving tours of downtown and bartending at one of the clubs on Broadway.

I learned that his best friends were a couple of guys named Mike and Garrett, both of whom still lived in Phoenix. He had a few friends he'd met through work and the different jobs he did, and he kept himself busy, but nobody could hold a candle to his childhood friends. Edward loved art museums, books, and cooking, and tried to live each day as if it was his last.

I told him all about Alice and Rose and the crazy things we got ourselves into growing up. I talked about my parents, who had been married faithfully for 25 years and still lived in the house I grew up in. When he inquired about my sibling status, I explained that I was an only child, but that I'd grown up surrounded by cousins, so I'd always felt like I had a bunch of brothers and sisters.

Edward told me about his aversion to sports and I talked about my distaste for camping. We talked and talked, until the sun began its descent toward the horizon.

"C'mon, you have to see the falls before it gets too dark." Edward stood and grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the water. The falls were small compared to others I'd seen, but beautiful none-the-less. Large, white waves spilled over the edge, crashing into the rocks below. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, loving the sweet smell of the summer air and the feel of the mist as it sprayed against my skin.

"I really want to kiss you right now." I blinked my eyes open and found myself staring into the emerald orbs that I had quickly grown fond of.

"So kiss me," I whispered. Edward's gaze roamed over me. I could feel his desire as he looked at me, hands coming to rest on either side of my face. The electric current I'd felt the first time he'd texted me was back, setting my soul and every other part of me on fire. He blinked twice and lowered his face to mine, pressing his lips against the corner of my mouth chastely. He peppered kisses across my jaw until he reached the other side of my mouth, where he placed another chaste peck. I knew I was going to fall for him the minute he stepped into the bakery, but now, as his tongue traced along my lower lip and I eased my mouth open for him, I could feel it happening. My defenses dropped, my heart split wide open, and any caution I had left was thrown to the wind.

I slid my arms up over his shoulders and around his neck, twining my fingers together and tugging him closer to me. Everything around us fell away until it was just Edward and I, tongues twisting together in a dance that we were only just beginning to learn. I clung to him, afraid if I opened my eyes he'd disappear and I'd find that this was all just one big, teasing dream.

"Bella," he moaned, pulling away and resting his forehead against mine. I stood on my toes and tilted my face up until our lips met again. This kiss wasn't soft or slow. It was fiery, full of lust and emotions I didn't think I could feel after just one evening with someone.

Behind us, I could hear someone clearing their throat, obviously offended by our very public make out session. I didn't care, though, and neither did Edward.

His lips were oxygen.

And I was in desperate need of air.