Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. Lyrics to 'Awake' are the property of Secondhand Serenade/John Vesely. No copyright infringement is intended. The original plot and storyline of Never Enough, however, belong to me. Please be nice and don't copy or translate without permission. Thank you.
I love iadorepugs and Cullen_Crazy01. Seriously. These ladies completely rock my world.
You got a hint of it in the last chapter, but we start earning our rating here. If you're not legal, please go find something else to read.
Chapter 16
A New Page opened with much fanfare and a long line of customers that frankly astonished me at ten o'clock on Monday morning. I was touched that the entire staffs of both CWC and Ben's accounting firm were on hand, as well as the attorneys and staff at Rosalie's law firm that had worked on the project. All of my friends were there, and even Charlie had taken the morning off so that he and Sue could drive in to Port Angeles for the grand opening.
The first several days passed swiftly, and the problems we had experienced were relatively minor and completely expected as we worked through the opening process. We had kept a pretty steady business pace, and each night had been forced to chase people from the store at closing time. We were already considering lengthening the business day to accommodate our working customers. Even though I hadn't been scheduled to work, I stopped in on Friday afternoon and was surprised to find the store quite busy, so I stayed to help for a while, one eye on the clock as I anticipated my date this evening with Edward.
Despite our agreement to keep dates to my weekends without the kids, we had managed to see each other every day this week. Edward attended Monday's grand opening as part of the CWC staff, but also brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers which sat on my desk the entire week. I still grinned like a fool each time I looked at them. On Tuesday morning, he stopped by to pick up coffee on his way to work. On Wednesday afternoon we shared lunch, and some rather spectacular kisses, in Edward's car. On Thursday he stopped by to drop off paperwork from Jasper. And of course we had texted during the days and ended each evening with a phone call.
Even though I was truly looking forward to this evening out with everyone, and especially with Edward, I was outrageously tired from the crazy week. By the time I made it home and quickly got ready, the schedule, coupled with the knowledge that I would need to get up early the next morning to open the store, was catching up with me. After my first glass of wine, I was already trying to disguise my yawns, much to Edward's amusement.
Despite the fact that we had arrived together and were sitting next to and often touching one another, our usual waitress was absolutely relentless in her pursuit of Edward this evening. She took every opportunity to touch him, laying her hand on his shoulder as she took orders or brushing her breasts against his upper arm as she delivered our refills. She even dropped her order pad at one point and bent over right next to Edward. I caught a flash of bright red lace from her thong as her lowrise pants dipped and her cropped shirt rose.
The attention made Edward quite uncomfortable, much to Emmett's delight. Edward became more demonstrative toward me as the evening wore on. Currently, he had one arm around my shoulder and the other hand was holding one of mine his lap. His fingertips absently traced the valleys and curves of my palm and slid in between my fingers in a way that set my nerves thrumming. We mostly sat back and listened to the conversations around us, content to just be with one another after the busy week.
When I tried unsuccessfully to smother another yawn, Edward leaned toward me. "I'm sorry we can't leave yet. We'll head out as soon as I'm done," he promised.
I smiled sheepishly. "You'd think I've never worked for a living before. I'm sorry I'm such poor company this evening."
"Nonsense, Bella. You've had a rough couple of weeks getting things ready," Alice said with a sympathetic smile. "If you'd like, I can take you home now, since Edward has to stay to sing."
"No!" Edward and I both protested at the same time. Rosalie smirked at me over her wineglass.
It was only a few minutes later when Peter gestured for Edward to take the stage. Edward pressed a kiss to my cheek as he rose from his seat. I watched him walk toward the stage, the worn denim cupping his ass perfectly and making my mouth go dry. His fingers rose to his hair and he combed through it, tugging on the ends of the strands as he often did when he was nervous. The action made me curious. He had been relaxed and happy all evening long. I wondered what he could possibly be nervous about now.
He picked up the acoustic guitar and strummed a few notes, tuning the strings. I watched the muscles of his forearm flex, his fingers flying over the strings, and I felt the familiar tightening in the pit of my stomach at the sight of those long, dexterous digits, my sleepiness and exhaustion suddenly gone. He squinted in the sudden light when the spotlight flooded the stage, and the crowd quieted.
"I'd like to sing 'Awake,' by John Vesely, for my pretty girl," Edward said into the microphone, his voice rough, and I felt my heartbeat accelerate. His voice started out quiet, and I felt the urge to shush the nearby patrons that were still talking as he started the song.
With every appearance by you, blinding my eyes,
I can hardly remember the last time I felt like I do.
You're an angel disguised.
And you're lying real still,
But your heart beat is fast just like mine.
And the movie's long over,
That's three that have passed, one more's fine.
Edward's voice grew stronger as he began the chorus. He shifted on the stool upon which he sat, leaning forward so that he was not in the direct path of the spotlight. I watched the shadows play across his face as he closed his eyes, seeming to pour the same emotion I was feeling into the words of the song.
Will you stay awake for me?
I don't wanna miss anything
I don't wanna miss anything
I will share the air I breathe,
I'll give you my heart on a string,
I just don't wanna miss anything.
Oh...my...God! I felt tears fill my eyes even as I smiled so huge my cheeks hurt. Edward's eyes sought mine in the crowd, and it took all my resolve not to get up from my chair to go to him.
I'm trying real hard not to shake. I'm biting my tongue,
But I'm feeling alive and with every breathe that I take,
I feel like I've won. You're my key to survival.
And if it's a hero you want,
I can save you. Just stay here.
Your whispers are priceless.
Your breath, it is dear. So please stay near.
I could distantly hear Alice and Rosalie speaking behind me, but Edward was truly all that I saw, all that I heard.
Say my name. I just want to hear you.
Say my name. So I know it's true.
You're changing me. You're changing me.
You showed me how to live.
So just say. So just say.
His voice quieted as he sang the chorus one last time, his eyes only on me. The applause startled both of us, and he mumbled a quick "thank you" into the microphone. Edward waved to the crowd and stepped down from the stage even as the applause picked up for his performance. He waved off the waitress who approached him with his usual post-performance drink, and ignored the calls of people wanting to speak with him. My breathing was rough and excited as he stalked across the bar toward me, a predatory gleam in his eye. Ignoring his brother and our friends, he reached down, grasping my hands and pulling me from my seat into his arms in one fluid movement as he crushed his lips to mine.
My arms automatically wound around his neck as his circled my waist, one hand dropping down to the pocket of my jeans, pressing our bodies close. His tongue stroked against my lips, which I opened eagerly in invitation. I trembled violently at his groan of pleasure and echoed it with one of my own, our tongues tangling feverishly.
"Stay with me this weekend, Bella. I don't want to let you go," he murmured, his hands and lips and tongue working to persuade me.
"But I have to open the bookstore tomorrow," I protested feebly as he peppered my jaw with kisses, moving back toward my ear and the spot just beneath it that he already knew drove me insane. I tilted my head back, not just allowing the access, but practically begging him to continue. Are you fucking crazy? Say yes! shouted my inner voice. I wasn't even sure why I was resisting.
"I just want to hold you in my arms, and wake up beside you in the morning," he whispered, his voice rough and warm. "Please say yes, Bella."
"Yes Bella," I whispered, dazed and dazzled. Edward smiled and kissed me again, hugging me tightly. "Just let me use the restroom and then we can go," I told him.
"I'll go with you, Bella," Rosalie said, grabbing my hand and leading me through the crowd. She had a gleam in her eye and determination in her step, and I wondered what she wanted to talk to me about.
We opened the door to the restroom and I immediately recognized the high, nasal voice of our regular waitress coming from one of the stalls. "I just don't get it. I've been trying to get his attention for months now, and he's into a mouse like her? I mean, what can he possibly see in her? She's so old, and chunky! Did you see the size of her ass in those mom jeans? I would be so much better for Edward," she complained loudly.
"That was certainly some kiss he laid on her, though," said a voice that I didn't recognize from the stall next to her.
"I'd like to lay something on him," the waitress giggled. "And it wouldn't suffocate him the way she would."
They both laughed. Rosalie's eyes, bright with fury, met mine in the mirror over the sink as I debated whether to leave the bathroom. Before I could make a conscious decision to stay or bolt, the stall doors opened almost simultaneously, and the waitress stopped short when she saw me standing there. The startled woman recovered quickly and stuck her nose in the air, glaring at me unapologetically. At least her friend had the decency to look chagrined at getting caught. I recognized her as the timid server that had waited on Edward and me a few weeks ago.
Rosalie opened her mouth to speak, but I shook my head at her, and she looked upset that I wouldn't let her defend me. I smiled very slowly and very deliberately at both women before directing all my attention to the flirty waitress. "Mom jeans or not, his hands were on my ass, not yours. And nothing that you say or do, including rubbing your plastic tits on his arm or flashing your cheap thong in his face is going to change the fact that I am going home with him tonight, and not you." I flipped my hair over my shoulder and winked at the women who were watching me with open-mouthed shock. "You ladies have yourselves a wonderful evening. I know that Edward and I will."
Rosalie was already giggling by the time we exited the bathroom, and was laughing hysterically by the time we made it back to our table. "Oh my God, Bella. That was absolutely epic!"
"Epic?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow as he welcomed me back with a kiss to my cheek.
"Don't piss her off, Edward. She just gave our waitress quite the verbal smack down for getting so flirty with you," Rosalie laughed.
Both of Edward's eyebrows rose in surprise and I shrugged my shoulders. "Sorry, I don't share," I told him, my tone unapologetic.
He grinned and winked at me. "Me either."
I said my goodbyes to each of our friends in turn, and waited as Rosalie hugged Edward and whispered something in his ear. He nodded before he turned back to me. "Ready to go?" he asked. I nodded. I was as ready as I was ever going to be.
#####
I was not ready. And I was afraid to leave the bathroom.
When I had thought about sex with Edward—and let's face it, I had thought about sex with Edward a lot over the past couple of months—it had always been in the abstract. I had concentrated on the feelings, being close to someone again, feeling wanted, cherished. I had focused on the sensations, hands, fingers, lips, tongues, the way our bodies would come together...and come together.
In my mind, I was still the young woman with the trim, pretty figure that I had been in my youth. My romanticized fantasies of being with Edward had glossed over the awkwardness that accompanied first-time sex. Add to that the fact that I had only had first time sex one other time, and my insecurities regarding my time-stamped, child-altered body increased exponentially.
Even my bedtime attire was wrong. Instead of a beautiful silk gown, or a lacy, racy baby doll negligee, I was dressed in my usual sleepwear of a tee shirt and oversized sleep shorts. With Edward's impromptu invitation I hadn't had time to shop for something pretty or sexy, and was forced to grab whatever was handy when we stopped by my house so I could pack a bag. Even the bra and underpants I wore were functional instead of fashionable.
"Bella? Are you going to come out of the bathroom tonight, or do you want me to squeeze a pillow and blanket under the door?" Edward's voice on the other side of the door was calm, with a hint of humor.
A part of me seriously considered his offer for a split second before common sense took over. "I'll be right out," I called, hoping he wouldn't notice the tremor in my voice. I took a deep breath and muttered "Don't be a coward!" to my reflection and then opened the bathroom door.
Edward stood in the hallway, leaning his shoulder against the wall across from the bathroom. He wore a thin white tee shirt almost identical to mine and flannel sleep pants with…was that SpongeBob printed on them? I couldn't stop the grin that teased the corner of my mouth when I looked down to the floor and had the errant thought that even his bare feet were sexy. When I looked up, I first noticed his lazy grin, then the completely disheveled condition of his hair. His obvious indulgence in his nervous hair-tugging habit actually calmed me, knowing now that we were both anxious.
"Love your pants," I teased.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Christmas gift from the twins. I thought this would make you more comfortable than my usual sleeping attire…or lack thereof, actually," Edward answered.
It took a moment for my brain to register what he'd said. Lack thereof…holy crow, he sleeps in the nude! My blush caught up with my brain, and Edward chuckled. He reached out to touch my cheek. "I meant what I said, Bella. I just want to hold you in my arms all night, and wake up beside you tomorrow." He reached down and took my hand, lacing our fingers together. "Ready for bed?"
I nodded my head, not trusting my voice not to betray my nerves. He tugged gently on my hand and led me down the hall to his bedroom. I wanted to look around, to examine his home more thoroughly, but when he led me through the doorway all I saw was the huge bed that dominated the room, the comforter and sheets already turned down. I couldn't disguise the tremor that went through me.
Edward felt it and he squeezed my fingers. "Breathe, Bella. Come here." He stepped forward, sitting on the edge of the bed so that I now stood slightly taller than him. He placed the hand not holding mine on my hip and gently nudged me forward. I put my free hand on his shoulder, then stroked up his neck to touch his hair. He tilted his head back, and his eyes were heated when our gazes met.
I freed my other hand from his and buried my fingers in his hair as I leaned down to kiss him. The kiss was slow and gentle, Edward's mouth moving rhythmically against mine, nibbling and teasing. I opened my lips to his, stroking my tongue against his teeth before delving into his mouth. He sighed into my mouth, and the flavor of him sent a rush of desire through me. His hands splayed across my back, stopping suddenly when he encountered the thick ridge of elastic beneath my tee shirt.
"Bella, are you wearing a bra?" Edward asked, his tone almost conversational, even as his lips continued to nibble at the corner of my mouth.
"Yes," I whispered, feeling a blush heat my face once again.
"Do you always sleep in your bra?" he asked, his fingertips tracing along the straps, then across the band positioned beneath and between my shoulder blades.
"Um, no," I admitted.
"Then why tonight? I've never worn one myself, but sleeping in one just seems kind of uncomfortable to me." His tone was casual, his lips now grazing my jaw line, making it difficult for me to think.
"I'm fine," I said, not willing to admit the reason for the bra. I couldn't care less about comfort at the moment. My mind was focused on not having him see what pregnancy, breast-feeding and weight gain had done to my body. Despite my snarky comment to the waitress about breast enhancement, I knew my body wasn't pretty and perky like hers. I was disappointed enough in myself, I didn't know if I could handle his disappointment in my appearance as well.
I squealed in surprise when Edward laid back suddenly, grabbing my wrists and pulling me down on top of him. I came very close to kneeing him in the groin and then gasped when my thigh rubbed against his very hard, very ready erection. "I was worried this would happen when Rosalie told me about what happened with our waitress in the bathroom. Bella, talk to me, please," he begged, raising a hand to my face and stroking my cheek.
Damn Rosalie. So that's what she had whispered in his ear before we left.
The sight of Edward beneath me, and the feel of his body pressed against mine, was enough to make me shiver. It was the concern in his heated green gaze, however, that was my undoing. Words I hadn't planned to confess tumbled from my lips.
"I'm not thin or perfect like those girls from the bar. I've had babies, I've gained and lost weight, a lot of weight, and I haven't lost all that I've gained. I don't have toned abdominals, or shapely thighs, or high perky breasts. I have stretch marks, and cellulite, and wrinkles and gray hairs. I'm thirty-five years old and I've never been with anyone except my ex-husband. Rosalie said I'm practically a born-again virgin, and I couldn't stand it if I were to disappoint you." I buried my face in his shoulder, appalled and relieved at the same time that my misgivings and shortcomings were out in the open now. Run Edward, run.
Edward's hips rose, pressing his arousal into my hip, and we both groaned. "Does that feel like disappointment to you, Bella? Does that feel like I find any part of you unattractive, or unappealing?" He raised his knee, pressing his thigh between my legs as he scooted us up the bed. "Do you not understand the effect that you have on me? I've been trying to hold back, trying not to rush you or to frighten you, but I'd be more than happy to demonstrate what you do to me." Once he had us both securely on the bed, he rolled so that I was lying beside him, and then shifted us so I was on my back with him above me.
He stroked my cheek with the backs of his fingers. "You are beautiful, just like your name says. In a very real way. You're not plastic or fake like the waitress. You're not skinny and emaciated like the girls at the bar. You're warm and soft and real, and I want you more than I've wanted anyone ever before. Even more than that, I want to show you how beautiful you are to me." Edward stroked his finger from my chin, down the center of my chest to my waist, where he fingered the soft cotton of my tee shirt. "May I, Bella?"
I nodded, sitting up as his hands grasped the hem of my tee shirt, pulling up until he was able to slide it over my head and toss it to the floor. I laid back against the pillow, clad only in my sleep shorts and bra…and a deep blush…feeling my nipples begin to harden.
"Are you cold, love?" he asked huskily. My body's reactions would not escape his vigilant gaze.
My pulse raced at his endearment. "No," I confessed, biting my bottom lip.
Edward surged forward and captured my lips between his, using his teeth to free my bottom lip as he groaned into my mouth. "God, it kills me when you bite your lip like that. It's so damn sexy." He settled a hand on my abdomen just above my belly button, his thumb touching the very bottom of the front closure of my bra. He brushed the digit back and forth very slowly against my ribs between the underwire of my bra cups as he swept hungry kisses along my jaw and down my neck. Edward stopped to nibble lightly on my collarbone before moving to the middle of my chest. His lips were soft, gently sucking, his tongue stroking firmly in counterpoint. He placed one last kiss just above the closure of my bra as his thumb and forefinger grasped the clasp.
I ached to feel his touch, his lips on me. "Edward," I breathed.
He heard the consent in my sigh and he released the clasp, slowly peeling away the plain white cotton cups to expose my breasts to the cool air and his heated gaze. I fought the self-conscious urge to cover myself even as my blush spread to my upper chest and my breathing grew ragged.
"Your breasts are beautiful," Edward said. I rolled my eyes at his obvious line, snorting in disbelief at his absurd statement. "You doubt me?" he asked, pulling back slightly to give me a questioning look. I nodded, moving my hands to cover my exposed flesh.
Edward grasped my hands before they could complete their mission, gently forcing them over my head to lie on the pillow above me. "If that's not true, Bella, then tell me why I want to touch them so badly. Tell me why I have dreamed about having them in my mouth, and on my tongue," he growled.
A full body tremor shook me as he nuzzled one distended peak with his nose, his hot breath making my nipple tighten even further. I watched in fascination as the very tip of his pink tongue traced the outline of my nipple, and whimpered loudly when he blew on the wet skin there. I felt a deep throbbing between my legs, as though there was an invisible cord connecting my nipples and my sex.
"You're so fucking beautiful," he groaned as he took the peak in his mouth, suckling it with firm strokes of his tongue that made my hips involuntarily rise from the bed. He used his forefinger and thumb to smooth and pluck the neglected breast in time with his tongue's movement on the first, then switched his ministrations. I couldn't control my mewls of pleasure as he brought me to fever pitch with his mouth and fingers alone. My hands left the pillow above me to grasp his hair, tugging gently until he raised his face to mine to kiss me fiercely, our tongues battling with one another as we both moaned into the kiss.
The fingers of his right hand traveled down my side as his lips moved to the sweet spot below my ear, then down my neck. He swept his tongue across the rigid peaks of my breasts before dipping lower, laving the heavy lower portion of my breasts, then nibbling on my ribs and making me squirm and giggle. His fingers found the waistband of my sleep shorts and I inhaled sharply, realizing where he was headed.
Edward noticed that I had frozen up again, and he pulled himself on his elbow, looking down at me with the sexiest smile I had ever seen on his lips. I felt another rush of wetness between my legs as he very deliberately stroked his fingertips over the soft roundness of my belly between my hips. He circled his index finger around my belly button before tracing a line straight down. The feel of his fingertip pressing against my pubic bone, even through two layers of cloth, was enough to make my eyes roll in the back of my head.
"I love the feel of your body under my hands, so soft, warm and pliant," Edward breathed, his nose buried in my hair, his lips seeking my neck. "Your body curves and dips the way a woman's body should, no sharp angles or planes. The mere sight of your ass in those faded jeans you wear to work in the bookstore makes me harder than I've ever been in my life. Sometimes it's all I can do to resist your siren's call, to not just grab you and take you, like I wanted to in the bookstore last weekend."
His fingers rose, then dipped beneath the waistband of both my shorts and panties, stroking the soft hair there and eliciting a loud moan from me. Embarrassed, I covered my face with my hand, but Edward tugged it away. His eyes were bright with arousal as he shook his head. "No, my Bella. I want to hear you, I want to see you." His fingers trailed down and circled my clit, and I cried out even louder. My hips shifted up, his fingers slid down, and my knees fell open to grant him the access we both wanted.
"Jesus, Bella," he swore reverently. His long, dexterous fingers, those musician's fingers I had fantasized about since the first night I met him, slipped between my folds, caressing, seeking, and I bit my lower lip to try and stop the exalted noise that was trying to force its way from my throat. Edward growled, kissing me forcefully as his fingertips found my opening. He dipped first one, then two fingers inside, his thumb stroking my clit in tandem. My hips rose of their own volition, following the rhythm Edward was setting.
I gasped for breath, feeling the familiar tightening start in my lower stomach, so much better at the hands of a lover, at Edward's hands. Edward's lips left mine, sliding down my neck to take the nearest breast in his mouth. I cried out as his teeth gently scissored my nipple, his tongue soothing the sting, the entire sensation only building on what he was doing between my legs, where I was rapidly reaching the point of no return.
I felt Edward tilt his pelvis, his thick erection pressed against the softness of my hip. I wanted to reach down and cup him, grasp him, stroke him as he was stroking me, but I couldn't move my arms. I could move nothing except my hips, which rocked back and forth with his movements, and in turn rocked against the hardness pressing against me. Edward rose up to take my other nipple in his mouth, his fingers inside me curving forward, creating sensations I had never felt before even as he applied pressure to my clit, making my legs shake. My back arched off the bed and I lifted my hips, a keening sob escaping my chest. Edward's lips released my nipple with a pop and his eyes, dark with desire, met mine. "That's it, love. Let it go, let it go. God Bella, come for me, please come for me!"
A low scream tore from my throat as my entire body seized in a climax like I had never felt before. My toes curled, my legs shook, and I felt my body contract powerfully on Edward's fingers even as they continued to move them within me. I had my hands in my own hair, pulling and tugging as my body shuddered almost convulsively. I felt tears slip from the corners of my eyes as my body began to relax, aftershocks making me shudder deliciously. Edward's fingers slowed, gentle and soothing, stroking me. He scooted down the bed for a brief second, pressing a kiss to my center through the dampened fabric of my shorts and panties. My entire body shuddered again as I imagined his lips and tongue adding to the sensations he had just created. He smiled wickedly as he slowly climbed up my body, and I felt his tumescence against my thigh.
"You…are…absolutely…stunning," Edward whispered, punctuating each word with a soft kiss, his lips tracing the lines of my tears where they had trailed past my temples into my hair.
"What was that?" I asked hoarsely. God, my throat actually hurt from crying out. "I mean, I know what that was, but I've never cried before," I said with a blush, which was really ridiculous given what we had just been doing.
"Good tears, right?" Edward asked, looking inordinately pleased with himself as he pulled up the covers over my naked torso and snuggled behind me, keeping careful distance between his hips and my bottom.
"Hell yes!" I said with a giggle, shifting closer to him. Edward hissed loudly when my backside brushed against his rock-hard erection.
"For the love of all that is holy Bella, if you value my sanity, you will stay perfectly still tonight." His voice was rough, pleading.
I flexed my hips, enjoying his responding groan as he gripped my hips tightly, and relishing the feel of his arousal even more. "Why exactly am I not reciprocating? I'd really like to help with that," I purred, sliding my hand across his hip.
"Because, pretty girl," he growled in my ear, capturing my hand before it could make contact. "You have to work tomorrow, and I refuse to rush our first time. I intend to make love to you all night long until we both drop into an exhausted slumber, only to awaken you to start all over again."
I shuddered violently at the mental pictures his words evoked. I turned my head to kiss him, burying my fingers in his hair to hold him to me.
After a moment of tangling tongues, he groaned again and pulled back. "Please, Bella, no more, before I change my mind and keep you in my bed all weekend long."
And what would be wrong with that? I thought to myself, a shiver of desire coursing through me at the thought. I pretended to pout for a moment and then winked at him, settling into the soft pillow and smothering a yawn. Edward nuzzled his nose into the curls at the back of my neck and kissed my shoulder, looping his arm around my waist. "Good night my beautiful, sexy girl." As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but feel like I was right where I belonged.
So…yeah. Like I said, we start earning our rating here, and it's only gonna get worse (or better, depending on your opinion on lemonade :)
If you've never heard any of Secondhand Serenade's songs, you should go check them out. I love John Vesely's work, and I think Rob could do some decent covers of his music.
Super love to Aidan PaulMomma for my new banners. One of them is up on Twilighted, the other two are on my Facebook page. Feel free to look me up there if you're over the age of 18 and don't mind adult content ;)
I never thought sixteen weeks ago when I started posting this that I would have more than a couple of readers, so the alerts I get telling me that you have reviewed or favorited the story simply astound me. I cherish each and every bit of feedback I receive from you, and do my best to reply to every one. If there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please hit that "review" button and let me know.
Thank you so much for reading.