BPOV

I stepped outside and the dam holding my tears back let go. I just needed to get to my car and get out of here.

I could handle Emmett and Alice tonight but not Edward.

I did the one thing I promised I wouldn't do again, I ran from him.

Leaning my forehead against the steering wheel trying to calm my nerves, I felt like I'd just ran a marathon. I turned the key in the ignition and as soon as I started the engine and turned the lights on, something hit the hood.

Standing in front of my car with his hands on the hood was Edward. "Bella, we need to talk."

Rolling the window down, "Edward, what are you doing?"

As he walked around to my door I started rubbing my fingers under my eyes and across my cheeks trying to dry my face the best I could.

When I turned to see where he was, I wasn't expecting him to be at my level. He was crouched with his forearms resting on the windowsill.

Neither one of us said anything. We just stared at each other, each taking in the subtle changes that had occurred over the years. I could still see the boy lurking in the 25 year old man kneeling down next to me. His hair still had that I just rolled out of bed look, which I had to resist the urge to run my fingers through it as I'd done so many times before. One thing I noticed even under the lights in the lot, was that his spectacular green eyes had lost their sparkle and I was the cause.

Putting my head in my hands, I started crying and sobbing all over again. I just hoped he would forgive me. I never meant to hurt him.

"Bella, why are you crying?" he said reaching over and tucking the stray hairs that had fallen out of my ponytail. He traced his finger along the side of my jaw and I found myself closing my eyes.

Sniffling I said, "I'm trying to figure out how to ask for your forgiveness for leaving you."

"There's nothing to forgive," Edward said softly.

"I called you names and said things I'll regret forever. I want you to understand I never meant to hurt you. I was hurting and lashed out at you."

Edward took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "Yes, I was hurt by what you said, but I knew when I made the decision I would lose you. Everyone kept saying let her grieve and she will come back to you. They meant emotionally so I waited and the next thing I knew you were physically gone. You blamed me Elijah's death when I made the only choice we had, the one you couldn't."

Taking a deep breath he continued, "I didn't just lose our son I lost you too."

"I've put this day off for so long hoping that when the time came I would know exactly what to say but I still can't find the right words. Moving back six weeks ago I hoped…"

Interrupting me he said, "Six weeks? You've been home a month and a half and you couldn't call me."

Lowering his head against my car door, "I just don't understand, Bella. Do you hate me so much that you have to avoid me?"

"Edward, I might have said those words but I never hated you. I'm sorry that I left that impression." Sighing, "What do we do now?"

"I still have questions and you haven't eaten. Let's go someplace where you can eat."

"How do you know that?" I stammered.

Laughing he said, "You told Alice you stopped in for dinner or did you just say that to get away from her?"

I started to feel really nervous. "We don't have to do this tonight. I know you just got off of a 24 hour shift, we can do this another night."

Edward's eyes narrowed. "And how would you know that I just got off of work?"

"I've been working at the hospital since I came back. Everyday I check with your Dad to see if you are working. If you are I take steps to make sure I wouldn't see you. Today was one of those days."

"Why am I not surprised," shaking his head, "Where do you want to go?"

Since he wasn't letting me off the hook for another night and I didn't want to breakdown in public I said the only safe place I knew of. "We can go back to my house." Noticing that he had raised his eyebrow, I knew he was thinking my Dad's so I added, "I bought a house when I moved back."

Nodding he said, "Okay, let me get my car and I'll follow you."

I still couldn't believe that everything I'd put him through he said there wasn't anything to forgive. He truly was one of a kind and I fell in love with him all over again, even if it wasn't reciprocated.

Another reason I had avoided him was because I was afraid of how to hide how much I still loved him. I'd been content knowing I would never love again. Being this close and not having him was going to be something I would have to learn to deal with.

Pulling out of my parking spot I came to a sudden stop when I saw her next to his car. Emmett said she was Edward's girlfriend. Ugh. I'd forgot about her. Since my window was still down I could hear her arguing with Edward about running out after me and leaving her with Alice.

I heard Edward tell her he needed to go and that he didn't have time for this. At the sound of my car pulling up, she turned towards me. Looking between Edward and me, she was furious, "You not only run out on our date for her but you're leaving with her."

Normally Edward was quite the gentleman even on the receiving end of my meltdown six years ago, so I was shocked at how short he was with her. "Tanya I didn't run out on you tonight. We weren't on a date. You invited yourself. Now I need to go." Once in his car he motioned for me drive.

Driving home, I was almost giddy at the thought that they were not on a date tonight. Just maybe she wasn't his girlfriend as Emmett had said. Laughing to myself I realized Emmett said that to see what my reaction would be. I'd been jealous. Even though I always told myself I hoped he would move on and find happiness, I secretly hoped he still loved me.

Pulling into my driveway, I was proud of my house. Charlie was disappointed that I took the big plunge and purchased a house. He was concerned with finances. How was I going to afford a house, a car and the furniture I'd purchased? Without going into details with him I assured him my salary was enough for a mortgage and a car payment. As for the furniture, I'd took the 12 months same as cash route and would have it paid off within 2 months.

Exiting my car I noticed Edward was already standing on my porch and he didn't look happy.

Great.

What had I done now?

Edward's eyes narrowed significantly. "Not only have you avoided me for the last six weeks, been in communication with my Dad during that time but my Mother was your realtor. How were you able to convince my parents to not tell me you were home?"

"How do you know Esme was my realtor?"

"Answer my question first?"

"Fine. I explained to both of them that I wanted to get settled in before I saw you again. Of course they were against it."

Taking another much needed breathe, "Both hated to keep my arrival from you but I begged and pleaded with them to let me do it on my own."

Arms crossed Edward replied, "Two months ago, she asked me to meet her here. Said that she had a potential buyer from out of state, recent college graduate, starting a new job at the hospital. She never specified gender just said that we were the same age and felt we had similar likes and dislikes and she would like my opinion of the house. I told her she should call Alice or Rosalie but she said no, she wanted to know what I thought of the house."

I was speechless. Why would Esme ask him for his opinion of the house I was going to buy?

He looked at me for a long time, obviously formulating his next question.

"Bella, where have you been all this time?"

"Can we take this inside? Then I'll tell you everything."

Holding the door open for Edward, our eyes locked and I wondered what was going on behind his. It appeared he was waging an internal battle with himself.

Before I realized what he was doing, his head came down and his mouth was on mine. I didn't even consider stopping him, nor did I question why it was happening. I simply wanted him too much. With his lips moving over mine and our tongues mingling, the feeling and taste was just as wonderful as I remembered.

Bringing my hands up to his face urging him closer, he obeyed, somehow closing the front door and pushing me against it. With his hands on my hips pulling me closer and my fingers tangled in his hair we continued our frenzy attack on each other's mouths. He made a noise low in his throat and then his mouth left mine to kiss along my jaw and down the side of my neck to my collarbone.

Bracing his hands against the door trapping me, lowering his head to my shoulder he said breathlessly, "I've missed you." He kissed me lightly against my neck before he leaned back breaking our contact.

Sighing I replied, "I've missed you too."

His eyes held mine a moment longer before he smiled and asked, "So are you going to give me the grand tour?"

Pushing away from the door, "No. You just told me you had already been here." Kicking my shoes off, walking towards the kitchen.

After fixing both of us a quick sandwich since I didn't have anything else we settled in the living room for our talk.

Not wasting anytime Edward asked, "Are you ready to fill me in on where you've been the last six years?"

"Dartmouth. When I left I wanted to get as far away from Washington as I could. Remembering we had been accepted there before I got pregnant, I contacted them and asked if my acceptance was still valid and they said yes. So I ended up there. I graduated with bachelor in nursing and stayed another two years for my certification as a nurse anesthetist."

"Pretty smart adding that certification." Then he added, "For someone afraid of needles and the sight of blood how did you end up in the medical field?"

"I honestly don't know. When I registered I was still set on studying English Lit. Subconsciously I must have been thinking nursing. Not for sure if it was because of the time I'd spent in the hospital but that is the direction I went and I discovered I enjoyed it."

"Where did you get the idea to add the certification as a nurse anesthetist?"

"When I did my clinicals in surgery there was one present. I'd never heard of it. I started reading up on it and I thought it sounded interesting so I checked into what I needed to do." Taking a deep breath to continue, "Edward, I'm going to tell you something and when I do, I don't want you to get mad that something else was kept from you."

"How can I promise that when I don't know what you are going to tell me?"

It was now or never. "To get into the program I needed a recommendation. Since I hadn't actually worked in the nursing profession yet, I didn't have anybody to ask. I called your Dad and he wrote one for me."

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to calm himself. He was definitely mad.

Slowly opening his eyes he said, "I'm glad he was able to help you. I just wish you had taken the time to call me and let me know you were okay. I was so worried about you. You wouldn't talk to anybody. I knew you didn't want to talk to me and I accepted that."

Sighing he continued, "Bella, you just sat in our apartment hour after hour all by yourself when I went back to class with no interaction. When you blew up at me after not speaking to me for weeks, I was actually happy. I thought you were coming around but that night when I came home you were gone. I called your Dad, he said you called asking him to come get you. Charlie said that you would be in touch once you worked out what you needed to. Several weeks went by and nothing. Then out of nowhere I was served with annulment papers. Charlie said that you wanted to start over and it didn't include me. I threw myself in to school, I didn't know what else to do."

Choking back tears, "I thought leaving was the best thing for both of us. I'd gotten it into my head that we didn't belong together and that you would be better off without me. Once I finally came to my senses about how I handled things, I talked myself out of calling because I couldn't imagine you would want to hear what I had to say after so much time apart. Which brings us to the present and how I still felt the need to avoid you. I'm sorry."

"Bella, we both made mistakes. We just have to learn from them."

I couldn't believe how much time I'd wasted avoiding him and how easy it was talking to him. We talked for hours about everything, not leaving any stones unturned. He told me what I'd missed, filling me in on all of the details of the happenings of his family. How hard medical school was and that he had thought about quitting. I told him everything I could about Dartmouth and how I would have enjoyed it so much more if he had been there with me since it was actually his school of choice.

I got up to get something to drink and I couldn't believe it was one in the morning. We had been talking for over four hours.

I came back into the living room and discovered Edward asleep on my couch. Poor guy was running on empty. Between work and our exhausting conversation, he couldn't take anymore.

I just stood there staring at him. He looked so peaceful. I leaned over, kissed his forehead and whispered, "I love you, I always have."