"Are you warm enough, beautiful?" Edward asked as he reached out to shut the water off.
I nodded and drew my legs up to my chest in the huge bathtub. "Thank you," I said simply as I wrapped my arms around my legs and laid my head on my knees. I smiled at him sweetly while he knelt beside the tub and swirled the water around with his hand.
"You're welcome. Do you want some music?" he asked with a beautiful grin.
"Naturally," I replied. I watched him stand up and leave the bathroom to put some music on the stereo in the bedroom portion of the hotel room. I closed my eyes and sank into the bubbly scented water when I heard the gentle, soothing tones of Iron and Wine drifting through the air.
Edward came striding back into the bathroom and sat down on the floor next to the tub once more, getting comfortable. "I love this song," he said quietly.
"Me too," I whispered. "I wish I could have Sam Beam sing me to sleep every night. Whenever I listen to him, I imagine him perched on the edge of my bed, serenading me..." I admitted without looking at him.
Edward laughed softly. We listened to the words of the song in peace. "I've always wanted green eyes, you know," he said quietly, not wanting to ruin the tranquility spread between us.
I leaned toward him and brushed my wet fingertips down the bridge of his nose. "I think you would be beautiful with green eyes, but I love you exactly the way you are. Thank you for being here with me," I said tenderly.
"I'd follow you anywhere, my beautiful Bella. You only have to ask," he said as he opened his eyes to kiss me sweetly on the mouth.
"How did you get to be so wonderful?" I mused aloud.
Edward smiled and reached out to brush the hair away from my ear. He leaned in and whispered into my ear, "On the contrary, Bella. You are the one who makes the world light up with your beautiful eyes and your wonderful smile."
I shivered at his words and his nearness. I had no idea how I'd gotten so lucky when I met Edward, but I thanked my lucky stars for him every night before I fell asleep. He was the one person I knew I would never take for granted in my life.
Edward relaxed back onto the floor and I allowed my stressed muscles to relax in the steamy, aromatic water. "You know this tub is big enough for both of us," I mumbled.
He smiled. "I know, but you needed to relax. If I get in there with you, it'll be less about you and more about us," he replied. How could I not be madly in love with this man? It was like asking someone not to breathe, honestly.
We drifted into silence as the music set the perfect mood for my relaxing bath. Edward was humming softly as his hand continuously swirled the water.
Once the water began to cool, he reached over and pulled the plug to drain the tub. He grabbed a fluffy towel from the pile next to the sink and held it out for me to step into. He gently rubbed every inch of my body, removing each drop of water with care. His lips drifted over my shoulders as he inhaled deeply.
"You smell so good right now," he said into my neck. I turned to look over my shoulder and smiled at him.
Edward dropped the towel, picked me up, and walked into the room. He deposited me on the bed and went to grab a bottle. "What's that?" I asked curiously.
"Massage oil. I'm going to put these magic musician hands to work," he said with a soft chuckle.
I stretched out on my stomach and my eyes closed in anticipation. Edward gave amazing massages; I supposed it was due in large part to his strong hands he got from drumming. "You're too much, you know that?" I asked him as I peeked at him with one eye half-open.
"I know, but you love it, so don't even try pretending you don't," he teased as he began to massage my tired, sore, stressed muscles.
"What am I gonna do without you here?" I whined.
"I'm not sure. You'll probably have to find some poor bellhop and make him your love slave," he joked.
He rubbed me down thoroughly for about thirty minutes. His voice and hands lulled me into a deep sleep.
I woke up to the sound of my cell phone ringing about three hours later. The lights in the hotel room were off and the blinds were drawn, so it was pitch black. I shuffled around in the dark, praying I wouldn't trip as I found my purse and pulled out my phone.
"Hello?" I said.
"Bella, have you heard from the hospital yet?" Charlie asked over the phone.
"No, why?" I replied, feeling panic rise in my chest.
"Jake apparently woke up about an hour ago. The doctor just called Billy to tell him the good news. Apparently he's gonna be okay," my dad said.
My shoulders relaxed as I comprehended his words. "Seriously?" I asked, afraid to trust the news.
"Yeah, they said he's still in a lot of pain from his injuries, but it looks like he'll make a full recovery," he replied.
"Thank god!" I exclaimed.
I heard Edward sit up in the bed and turn on the bedside lamp. He looked at me questioningly and I hurried my conversation with Charlie so I could tell him the good news. "Jake woke up, and the doctor said it looks like he's going to be okay."
Edward's sleepy face brightened into a smile. "That's fantastic, Bella. Do you want to go see him?"
I nodded and he climbed out of bed to find his clothes. I looked at the clock on my phone and saw that it was only an hour before visiting hours were over. "We'd better hurry," I told him.
We were out the door and on the way to the hospital fifteen minutes later. I fidgeted in my seat and willed the car to go faster; I needed to see that Jake was okay with my own two eyes.
Edward laid a comforting hand over mine and squeezed gently. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you," he said.
I just bit my lip and held my breath as we searched for a parking spot. I practically dragged Edward through the hospital and up to Jake's room. I stopped short in the doorway when I saw he had a visitor.
The pretty girl with the long black hair looked up at me, surprised. "Bella?" she asked uncertainly.
"Leah? When did you get here?" I asked, confused.
She looked down at her hand grasping Jake's. Jake was looking between the two of us with a tired and confused expression on his face. "Bella? When did you get here?" he asked me in a voice raspy from disuse.
Wow, awkward. "I've been here since you were brought here, pretty much. Billy couldn't fly yet and the guys were forced to leave," I tried to explain, feeling completely uncomfortable.
Edward's warm hand was still wrapped in mine, and he tightened his grip encouragingly. "Hey, man. It's good to see you're okay," he said to Jake with a smile.
Leah looked just as confused as Jake did, but her face also held a measure of guilt. "I didn't know you were here, or I wouldn't have come..." she told me.
I looked over at her. "Why not?" I asked curiously.
She blushed and pulled her hand away from Jake's. "Because...because of what happened. I never apologized to you, and I should have." she said guiltily.
I waved my hand and smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I think it's all worked out for the best, don't you?" I said as I squeezed Edward's hand in return and smiled up at him.
Jake's eyes narrowed slightly at my actions and I wondered what he was thinking. Edward seemed to sense something, so he made up a lame excuse about grabbing a cup of coffee from the vending machine down the hall. Leah, also very perceptive, offered to go with him.
Once we were alone, Jake cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, you flew all the way out here to watch over little ol' me?" he asked with his familiar charming smile.
I walked over to him and stroked down his arm. "I sure did, but maybe I see that it wasn't my place anymore," I said honestly.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
My eyes drifted to the door and back to Jake before I responded. "You're with Leah now; she should be the one sitting by your side," I explained.
"Yeah, Leah... she just got here today, I guess. I hadn't talked to her since that night at the show. She said she felt too horrible about what happened, because she had no idea I was with you," he said.
"But she's here," I told him, feeling like I was missing something.
"I know. I guess she heard about the accident through the grapevine and she made up her mind to come see me," he said with a small smile playing on his face. I knew that smile; it was his goofy infatuation smile.
"Well that's...that's actually really awesome," I said with a big smile for him.
Jake looked up at me and grasped my hand in a friendly way. "Yeah, it really is. I think I could seriously fall for this girl, you know?" he confided.
"That's really great, Jacob," I said honestly.
He looked like he was considering something before he spoke again. "So...you and Cullen, huh?" he said, somewhat awkwardly.
My smile grew wistful and dreamy. "Yeah... me and Cullen," I sighed.
His eyes widened and he laughed loudly. "Man, Bells, you didn't waste any time, did you?" he teased.
I drew my hand back from his and flushed in annoyance. "What is that supposed to mean?" I hissed.
"Hey! No, I didn't mean it like that, honest!" he said with his hands outstretched towards me, trying to calm me down. "I just meant that you obviously didn't waste any time falling in love with him."
I exhaled deeply and relaxed. "It's true," I admitted with a rueful smile. "I tried to hold back, but, well... he's just..."
"Yeah, I don't need the details. Save those for your chick friends," he joked with a friendly smile. "But I'm really glad to see you so happy and well taken care of," he said with simple honesty.
"I really am, Jake. I really am," I replied happily.
I leaned over the bed railing and hugged him gently before I said my goodbyes. Out in the hallway, Edward and Leah were standing together awkwardly. I smiled and grabbed his hand. "We can go now," I told him.
Edward smiled and said goodbye to Leah. I turned to her and looked her straight in the eye. "He's yours now, okay? Take good care of him," I told her.
Leah looked slightly shocked at my words, but she quickly nodded and turned to return to Jake's room. I caught Edward looking down at me approvingly and I smiled self-consciously. "What?" I asked.
He shook his head and chuckled. "Nothing. You're just so amazing," he said with a grin.
We left for the hotel, making plans to call the airline so we could fly home tomorrow.