Silence filled the air as we both stare each other down. I couldn't believe I had thrown an ultimatum up like that and as the words left my mouth I felt my stomach drop and my brain scream in sudden fear to take back my words.

He stood stock still, just staring at me. "What are you talking about? I'll lose you?"

I simply nodded my head and looked down, unable to say the actual words.

"You would break up with me…. if I chose Washington State?" His voice whispered in disbelief. I didn't want to answer, but he needed to understand.

"You would resent me Edward. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually you would look back and see that I was the reason you gave up on all of this."

His face dropped and he looked deflated.

"How could I ever resent happiness?" He whispered.

My stomach was literally at my feet, gazing at the fragile look on his face. Before I could speak he turned away quickly. "I need to… just think for a bit."

That's how I was left standing a good twenty minutes after he left. Alone and staring at my now closed front door. An overwhelming anxiety filled me that I could actually lose him because of the stupidity of my words.

But this is his future.

Shit.

I didn't expect him to walk away to think. I expected him to choose me. What if he doesn't?

If he chooses Washington, could I really go through with breaking up with him? No definitely not. I know that with certainty but he seems to not be able to call my bluff.

I must have gone to sit on the living room couch because Charlie walked in with a pizza in his hands and a smile on his face.

"Hey kiddo. Want some pizza?"

I pulled myself out of my daze and looked up suddenly wondering how much time had gone by since Edward left.

"What time is it?"

"Seven. I called the house and your phone but you didn't answer."

I quickly stood up and walked over to my bag to get my cell. Sure enough there was a missed call from my Dad but that was it.

No text or missed call from him. Looking down I saw the background of my phone. The picture was taken last week when I had attempted to take a picture of Edward sleeping but just as I was going to take the picture a knowing smirk appeared on his face.

"Bell, pizza?" Charlie asked. I must have forgotten he was there.

"I'm not really hungry. I have to go out for a little bit. I'll be back."

Without saying anything else I took my bag and left the house, crossing the lawn to the Cullen's.

Not bothering to knock I walked in and went up the stairs to his room. Empty.

Alice had her door open and was painting her nails. She heard me but didn't look up.

"He's in a mood. Went for a walk I think, just a little while ago."

"Thanks Al."

Soon I was out of the door and in my truck, figuring that driving would be faster.

After about ten minutes of driving I drove past the high school and parked, going there on instinct.

Walking around the corner I saw him sitting on a bleacher a distance away. Cautiously I walked over to him from the back. When I was to the right of him, he gave me a side-glance before looking down at his hands on his lap.

Silence surrounded us except for the sound of the light drizzle that had begun to fall. It was starting to get dark out.

He broke the silence first as I began to bite my nails in anxiety.

"This is a catch 22. If I choose Washington you'll break up with me and if I choose Stanford I leave you. Both ways I lose you."

"Stop that," he says gently as he pulls my fingers away from my mouth.

I hold his hand tightly and straddle the bench fully to face him. "We could make Stanford work. Don't think you are losing me in any way by being away from me. We will make it work."

He didn't say anything but continued to stare into my eyes as if he was trying to catch me telling a lie.

After a silent stare off Edward lowered his head dejectedly. "Promise?"

I moved so I was flush against him and looked up into his eyes. "I promise. I love you and I don't want to lose you either. You are just as important to me as I am to you. That's why I'm not being selfish and taking away all of your opportunities."

He took in a took breathe and exhaled slowly. "If I do this its for you, I don't want to lose you."

I shook my head at his words. "No Edward. You have to do this for yourself. I will be right by you but this needs to be your decision."

Edward scoffs. "Well you gave me an ultimatum. It's kind of forcing me in a certain direction."

"I never said we would breakup. I just don't like the thought of you not going to the school you deserve to go to and I'm afraid it will sit in my conscious for as long as we are together. Take this chance Edward. Or at least consider it. I know there is more to this that meets the eye. You didn't just apply there just to see if you got in."

He sighed against my head knowing I was right. He had applied because he had considered the school and considered his future there. He was only picking the other school because of me.

After another small silence hung in the air, Edward's face slowly showed a smile forming.

"I want as much sex as your body can muster before we both leave," he teasingly whispered.

I giggled into his chest and pulled away to lower him down into a kiss. "That's all you will miss? Not my cunning personality and sense of humor?"

"Of course I'll miss that but phone calls will alleviate that. Physically, I wont get to touch you."

"Anything you want. We have the whole summer ahead of us still." I snuggled against his chest.

We were quiet on the ride home, just holding hands and contemplating what the future held in store for us. After sneaking Edward up to my room, we laid side-by-side, Edward's fingers tracing the shape of my face.

"God what am I going to do when you're not close to me. I haven't spent a night away for the past twelve years…" he trailed off as the beginnings of anxiety showed on his face.

"Shh…. don't think about that now. We have time. Just feel." With that I brought his hand up to cup my breast as my mouth extended to his. He groaned into my mouth and brought my hips forward, trying to mesh our bodies as close together as we could get. For the next couple of hours all we did was feel.

"Well that was the shortest graduation that I've ever been too," Charlie grumbled as a group of us walked across the main field.

"I personally liked it," I stated happily as I walked alongside Edward with my arm around his waist, his slung across my shoulders. He leaned down and kissed my head.

"That's what the school gets when they have an outdoor graduation as a severe thunderstorm approaches," Charlie mutters again. He seemed to be happy though and I swear I saw his eyes sparkle when he told me how proud he was of me.

My mom made a surprise visit in for the graduation without her husband Phil in tow, which was a first, but she brushed off questions about it and told me how happy she was for me. I hadn't seen her since early last summer when Edward came with me to visit her for four days. Charlie seemed a little uncomfortable around her but every once and awhile I would catch him staring at her. If he saw me catch him, his cheeks would pink up before he quickly turned away.

My mother was looking a lot better then when I had last seen her. She had a healthy tan and looked thinner and toner than she had ever before. She was only thirty-six but I thought she looked to be in her late twenties. She was certainly happy to hear that when I told her it as well. Of course Edward had to comment that she was a 'M.I.L.F.' and he was happy I had good genes and would look good when I got older. That earned him a tackle from me, which then led to other things.

"At least you didn't fall when you were running across the stage to get your diploma." Alice jokingly nudged me in the side.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny." I was very nervous that would be the case as the principle read of the names of students with lightening speed as the thunder began to rumble and the big drops began to fall.

"She's not all that spazzy, she can balance very well when she puts her mind to it," Edward retorted with his signature smirk.

I looked up at him in horror as he gave me a sly wink. I knew he was referring to the strange positions we had tried during some of our sexual rendezvous. Many of the crazier attempts were fails but we had fun trying and it certainly made us laugh.

However, it was not something that needed to be brought up in front of the whole Cullen family and my father. Unfortunately, when Edward had sex on his mind everything else in the world was of little concern to him. I pinched his arm and gave my best glare but he laughed and wrapped his arms tighter around me.

"Honey I would love to see your prom pictures when we get back to the house!" My mom exclaimed as she walked next towards me as we headed towards the car. Charlie huffed a little bit and I had a feeling that he didn't want mom to come back to the house. It would be the first time she set foot in the house since the end of their marriage.

Renee had insisted that she was staying in a hotel so she wouldn't be a bother but I complained and told her to just take my room. That didn't go over to well with Charlie, but I had suckered him into it in the end.

Esme threw a small family party back at the Cullen's house so my family went over there after graduation was over. It was small with their grandparents coming in to celebrate as well as some aunts, uncles, and cousins. Edward pulled me down onto his lap on the couch while we watched Emmett get his ass kicked in a video game by his 7 year old cousin Collin, who's mother was Esme's sister Caroline. I laughed as Emmett tried his hardest to defeat the kid, who won with a smug look on his face, which made me laugh.

I felt a hand on my face and looked down at Edward staring back up at me adoringly.

"I love your giggle," he replied before kissing my lips tenderly. As he went back to watching Emmett I looked across the room at my mother staring at me intently. I blushed at the obvious show of affection that I had shown with Edward in front of her and stood up to get a drink.

The party slowed down eventually as Esme began setting up sleeping arrangements for the out of town guests.

"Bells I'm heading home now, can you uh bring home your mother when she wants to leave? Get her situated?" Charlie asked with a hint of anxiety in his voice. I knew my father did not want to deal with it and he was doing as much as he could already which really made me proud of him.

"Sure Dad, no problem."

He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "I'm really proud of you kiddo, you're growing up fast."

I smiled up at my father and gave him a hug. "I'm happy that mom is here but I just want you to know that I consider you my real parent. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you dad. You raised me to be who I am."

When I pulled away Charlie had glassy eyes and cleared his throat, obviously caught on my emotion. "Love you kiddo, you are the best thing that came from being with your mother and I don't regret that."

I smiled at him as he pulled away to put his baseball hat on and ventured out into the rain.

"Wait Dad! Can Edward spend the night since I'll be on the couch? His room is for Grandpa and Grandma Cullen and the house is a little packed."

Charlie grimaced at the idea. Little did he know that I spent every night with Edward, but maybe I could slowing wean Charlie into the idea of sleepovers.

"Ok but no funny business. Let me talk to him when he comes over alright?"

I rolled my eyes at his protectiveness but nodded in agreement. "Alright I promise."

An hour later, after saying goodbye to the Cullen family and promising to see everyone at breakfast, I escorted my mother and Edward back to my house. I sent Edward into the living room to talk to Charlie who was watching some sports highlights and brought my Renee up to my room to get settled. She walked around it slowly inspecting every little thing as if it were a prized treasure. I changed for bed as my mother continued to look at the millions of pictures of Edward and I all around my room. The most recent one of us as a couple was in a sea glass frame next to my bed. Edward had given it to me as a present after graduation.

"So you and Edward have become pretty serious since last time I saw you," my mother mused as she continued to inspect things.

"Yes are relationship has grown to be more than just friends," I replied as I took a seat on my bed. She turned and came to sit down next to me.

"Do you love him?"

"Very much so," I answered without missing a beat.

"He seems very passionate about you as well," she said as she stared me down.

"I'm just as passionate about him as well."

"Are you using protection?" She asked out of the blue as if it were a common question.

"Mom! Uh please no sex talk." I certainly did not want to talk to her about this. We were both sitting on my bed and that question brought up images of the depraved things Edward and I had both done on that bed countless amounts of time.

"I'm just making sure my baby doesn't end up pregnant before college like her dear old mother did. Not that I regret having you but I just want you to have different choices."

"I'm safe ok?" I added with red cheeks, trying to end this horrible conversation.

"Oh my baby's a woman! I'm happy for you," she exclaimed and clapped excitedly.

I groaned and buried my head in my hands as Renee pulled me into a deep hug.

"Bella, I know I haven't been there for you like your father has but I just want you to know that I love you and I'm so proud of the person you grew up to be."

I heard her sniffle into my hair and hugged her tighter. "Thanks Mom."

"Your father has always been a good man, he raised you right."

I smiled at her and nodded my head. After getting her all set up I made my way back downstairs to find Edward.

Edward was on the couch when I came down the stairs. He came over to me when he saw me standing in the hallway.

"So what did Charlie say?"

He rubbed his jaw in contemplation. "Pretty much not to stick my 'death stick' anywhere near your body so all your dreams can come true."

I hid my face in his chest, shaking my head in disgust. "I hate sex talks."

He laughed and pulled me closer. "I don't like them either but they sure don't make me any less hornier for you."

To prove his point he shifted his pelvis against me so I could feel just how horny he was.

I slapped his shoulder. "After that gross talk you are still horny? You are crazy."

He smirked and leaned down to nibble at my ear. "Swan, I've been crazy the second you let me inside that body of yours and don't think that I don't know you love it. I know you do."

I giggle and wrapped my arms around him. "I have a secret…" I whispered into his chest. He leaned over and rubbed my back, waiting for a response.

"I am just as horny as you are, I am just a girl so I pretend not to be." I gave him a knowing smile and he growled and threw me over his shoulder. The fast motion of him tossing me over his shoulder made the front of my body start to slide down his back. I squealed but soon Charlie walked back into the room and gave us both the warning look.

Edward almost dropped me on my face. "Sorry sir, I was trying to make her go to bed."

What a liar….

Charlie nodded and walked away. I shook my head at Edward in playful disgust. He still had me partially hanging over his arm. I slapped his butt after Charlie headed upstairs to his room. He pinched my butt in return before dropping me down onto the couch. I didn't even have time to protest before Edward's body covered my own.

We just kissed and held each other that night, afraid that Charlie would come down to check on us. I talked to him about our plans for the summer and past things we had done together that made us both quietly chuckle. We never talked about our upcoming separation, which was looming over us like a dark cloud. That night we were just content being with each other. The future might be uncertain, but the present was spectacular.