-1Just as a warning now because I'll forget later: we don't know much about Edward's old life so I'm making up facts as I go.
6A.M. Six hours before my family would be here. It was more than enough time alone with Bella outside. It was going to be another sunny day outside, and we'd managed to keep her birthday a secret. I had been afraid all last week that one of our friends from college would plan some kind of gathering-something Bella despised, and something that would ruin my plans. The sun wouldn't rise for another few hours, but I wanted her now!
I rolled over on my side to watch her sleep peacefully. She was more beautiful than words could describe when she slept. Her heart beat slow and steady. I rested my head against her chest, partly to hear it and partly to wake her. Still, she slept. I kissed her neck and ran up behind her ear.
"Bella, love?" She breathed deep and started to smile. I held her head in my hands before kissing her ear again. "Bella, love, wake up. Isabella?" She sleepily moaned at the sound of her name. I let go of her head as she rolled away from me to stretch.
"Morning. Why am I awake at six in the morning?" I laughed and held her in my arms.
"Get dressed. There's something I want to show you today, and the earlier we get there the better." She looked up at me, full of curiosity, but I only smiled. At last she got out of bed for a "human moment."
Downstairs, I put two waffles in the toaster and poured her a glass of orange juice. I turned on the radio to listen for the weather, just to make sure. The weather wouldn't come on for another thirty minutes so I waited on the living room couch.
"You made breakfast?" Bella sounded astonished when she saw the waffles and orange juice waiting on the island for her. I smiled back, but quickly shhhed her.
"What?" she asked. I pointed to the radio on the kitchen counter as I listened to the weatherman. High of fifty-seven. Low of forty-two late tonight. Mostly sunny today. I was smiling at the good news.
"Just eat," I told her when she looked at me, puzzled. It must've been confusing to see me so happy at the news of sun or weather for that matter, but a little confusion never hurt anyone. As she ate, I packed for the morning trip.
It was shortly after seven o'clock when we pulled out of the driveway for the nearly two hour ride. We spent most of the ride talking about school and about her change. It worried me about how she was so scared of what she would be like. What if she wasn't ready for this kind of life? Why couldn't she trust those of us who have been like that before?
"Edward, do you know where you're going?" she asked, skeptical.
"Of course. I come here more often than most places," I replied casually. She looked back at me.
"The sign said we were supposed to turn left."
"But we're not going there. Don't you trust me?" This stopped her questions. I held her left hand and rubbed my thumb over the wedding ring I gave her.
At last the familiar dirt road was under us and the thick forest trees came into view. I parked the car in its usual spot behind a large group of trees, completely hidden from the road.
"Ready?" I asked her as I unbuckled her seat belt. She looked at the forest around us and back at me.
"Here? You're taking me in there?" Her voice was higher than normal, probably from the thought of hiking or running with me. I kissed her cheek and ran to the other side of the car to open the door. I held her hand and kissed it, promising to keep her safe.
We walked slowly up the rocky hill as the sun's faint rays pushed through the clouds. Once up the hill I stopped to let her take in nature's beauty. Tall, moss and ivy coated trees covered much of the land, and fallen logs covered the forgotten dirt roads. Wild flowers still clinging to life covered the ground in thick bunches. Across the way was a small, rushing river filled with enough salmon to feed a fair bear population. On the other side of the river was a similar strip of land.
"Wow. It's pretty, but what is this place?" Bella didn't look at me as she asked. Her eyes were too busy absorbing the simple landscape. I picked her up and put her on my back before taking off down deeper into the woods.
"Wait!" I said as we ran to the shore line. Within seconds we were on the boarder of river and land. I set her down on a large boulder and sat beside her. "See those trees over there?" I asked, pointing across the river. She nodded. "That's where I hunt. This land, both here and across the river, belong to a man in New York. It's private property so I'm never caught hunting," I explained.
"How do you get over there?"
"Up the river a couple of miles from here, I think, there's a rough bridge I cross. There's more bears and mountain lions over there than one vampire can eat so it's perfect. See all the rusted pipes around here and in the river? There's oil here, and some powerful oil company tried to set up rigs all over the area. The problem was all the wildlife. Environmentalists protested for months before the man in New York settled everything. He bought the land from the oil company and promised to keep it private property. He then transported all the dangerous animals to the other side of the river."
Bella looked at me while I told the story and then looked up at the sky. The sun's rays were now strong enough to change my skin. She stroked my face and smiled bright as my skin reflected the light in its unusual way. I kissed her lips and picked her up again. She yelled out in surprise, but I assured her that she was fine. My stupid lamb.
The roar of the waterfall was growing, but I doubted Bella's human ears could pick it up yet. I continued to run until she, too, hear the water's roar. I put her down and held her hand to let her walk the rest of the way.
The river made a 300 foot drop. A few rocks stood tall and firm against the pounding force against them in the water. They only reached a quarter of the way through the fall, but I'd never let her go that far. The land suddenly stopped just feet outside of the fall. Bella's heart began to race as she saw the long distance down. I could feel her panic as she squeezed my hand with all of her might.
"Edward, I'm scared!" she yelled over the fall's rushing water. She had no reason to be scared. I wouldn't let her fall, yet she screamed when I cautiously dragged her across the rocks in the water. I stood on the rock closet to the shore and beckoned for her to come with me.
"Edward, I'll fall!"
"Never!" I yelled back. "I've got you." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before allowing me to left her to me. We only jumped onto three or four rocks before I told her to open her eyes.
The world's end was right before us, the oceans flowing down to nothing, the skies open and bright. Behind us the sun felt warm and bounced off of my skin. Bella's eyes were wide with fear, shock, and captivation.
"You're too beautiful," she called to me. I kissed her deeper than I normally would before we hiked back to the Volvo. I could tell in her eyes that I'd given her the best gift ever.