We made it home in about an hour's time and quickly unloaded the last of the necessities for Bella's room: a decent desk lamp, some new curtains, and a book shelf was just a few of the things we had picked up while out that day. Charlie and I went our separate ways once we got inside. I planned on making something quick that we can both easily eat as we worked on the

final touches of Bella's room, so I ventured to the kitchen in search of something easy to make while Charlie bounded upstairs to work on the desk still packed up in a large box at the foot of Bella's bed. It took me approximately five minutes to locate a near forgotten frozen pizza in the back of the freezer and then it took another five to preheat the oven and toss the pizza inside. With one task complete, I moved on to the next mission at hand: cleaning the living room.

Now, to most people, this was a simple task. Not in the Swan residence, however. With Charlie's weird hours at the Station and mine at the hospital, it was simple for the two of us to fall behind. I sighed as I leaned down to pick up a couple of forgotten fishing magazines and outdated Avon catalogs that were haphazardly tossed beside the couch. Flipping through each one with half-hearted interest, I decided to toss them in the waste basket I was carrying

around. I then moved around the parameter and fluffed pillows, straightened blankets, and dusted trinkets and photographs. Today, I paid a little more attention to each photo as I dusted their plain wooden frames. All the photos were proudly on display on the mantle. There were a mix of photos; some from our past dates, a couple from our 'wedding', and many of Bella's school pictures (ranging from kindergarten to her sophomore year) that Renee would send Charlie every year.

I looked at the very last one we received last September. Bella had just turned sixteen and was going through that awkward teenage stage where she was trying to find her niche in the world around her. I rested my elbow on the edge of the mantle and ran my hand through my hair as a little bit of worry took over my excitement of her arrival. The last time I saw Bella she was around 13 or 14 years old.

She kept to herself most of the visit, maybe because she inherited some of her father's reticent customs or maybe because of my presence...to this day, I'm not quite sure. Now, three years later, I'm going to be more than just her father's girlfriend that stayed over once or twice a week. I was going to have to be the stepmom and my stay will be more permanent than it was in the past.

tAnd this scared the hell out of me.

It'd be different if she was younger, I suppose. With her living with her mother, the friendly, carefree spirit, I knew my own persona would be up for some scrutiny. What if Bella hated me? What if she saw me as a poor attempt to replace her mother?

BANG! "Damn, stupid desk!"

My flurry of thoughts tampered off with another sound of a bang followed by another slurry of cuss words coming from my irate husband. At least the threaded phrases of swears let me know whatever happened did not involve him getting seriously injured in the process. Before I could investigate the matter further, the timer on the stove bellowed. I shook my head slightly before heading of the kitchen to finalize dinner.

-----------------------Later that night-------------------------WARNING:LEMONS---------------------------------------

We finally finished assembling that damn desk around 11:30. It took four hands, two exhausted brains on limited plains of logic, and four beers each to get every screw and board in place. Thank god we both took personal days tomorrow.

We both finished up our showers and were in bed by 12:45, but with the excitement of Bella's arrival only hours away, I couldn't seem to fall asleep. Thinking Charlie was out, I pulled my latest read off my night table. Love Story was not my typical read, but the girls at work gave me a hard time for not ever reading the book or seeing the movie. I flicked my book light on and began reading.

I thought that my reading would go unnoticed by Charlie until I neared the end of the book. Particularly the part where the main character's love interest gets diagnosed with cancer. That's when the waterworks came full force. My silent sobs began to pick up in urgency; leading to uncontrollable hiccups. Oh no...

I buried my face into my pillow, hoping to stifle the hiccups, but they only got a little worse. The next thing I knew, I felt Charlie's fingers brushing through my hair with care.

"Baby, please don't tell me you are getting cold feet. Bells is going to love you, you'll see..."

I groaned slightly, "N-n-no...I am f-f-fa-fine...it's not the jit-t-ters..."

I heard him let out a defeated sigh before leaning closer to my ear, the whiskers of his mustache lightly tickling its shell as he spoke. "Then why are you crying?"

I wiped my eyes some before looking up at him. His chocolate brown eyes were full of concern and that's when I felt like a oversensitive teenage girl. Shamefully, I showed him the book and wasn't surprised when the silence was broken with a hearty laugh.

I guess my jitters about tomorrow played a role in my oversensitivity. I looked at him accusingly, "What is so funny? It is a horribly sad book!"

Charlie laughed harder before leaning down slightly to kiss my lips. "Oh Syl! Christ, you had me worried! You've been so mellow about all this and here you are...crying...over....A BOOK!" The laughter increased to a more insufferable volume. This only made me cry more. I felt like a total fool.

I didn't notice the laughter stopped until I felt Charlie wiping my tears away with the calloused pads of his thumbs. "Shh, oh honey, I'm sorry...it's okay..."

I shook my head in protest. What in the hell was wrong with me? "I'm such an idiot," I managed to whine out while choking sobs back.

Charlie pulled my face up so my eyes would be looking right into his and gave me his best smile; the same one he flashed whenever he was late for dinner or forget to grab something at the store. He pressed his forehead to mine and nuzzled my nose gently. "You're my little idiot and I wouldn't want you any other way."

I reluctantly giggled and pecked his bottom lip lightly, "Gee, thanks Chief Swan..."

Charlie surprised me then by letting out a low growl before returning the kiss, making it much more longer than originally intended. This kiss was full of pent up frustrations...urgency...and I knew exactly where this kiss was leading.

He pulled the book out of my hand and tossed it across the room before returning his attention back to me and my lips. The lips remained locked for only a short time before slowly trailing down to the corner of my lips, down my jaw, to my neck, across my collarbone, then finally ending at my exposed cleavage.

A quiet moan slipped from my swelling lips as his lips brushed down the partially hidden valley between my breasts. Charlie's hands slowly , and very gently, caressed down my sides; slipping and sliding professionally against the cream colored silk and lace of my nightgown before reaching the hem that rested at mid-hip. I felt his fingers, feather light, curled around the hem and slowly pull upward. I arched my back slightly then sat up long enough for him to pull the offensive material off and toss it across the room to keep my forgotten book company for the rest of the night.

Charlie smiled slightly as he gazed over my nearly naked body in the moonlight. He leaned down to kiss my stomach, right above my navel. "So beautiful...I'm sure glad I pulled you over for running that stop sign..."

I blushed and giggled as I bit my bottom lip in effort to stifle another moan. I ran my fingers through his hair as he kissed up my body to my left breast. He looked up at me once more before taking my nipple into his mouth; rolling it between his tongue and teeth with upmost care. My mouth parted enough for a gasp to escape and my fingers gripped lightly at his hair. One of his hands began to palm my right breast causing the other nipple to stand at attention while his other hand began to trail down my stomach, dipping into my navel, then back up and down to my core. His calloused fingers traced the panty line between my right inner thigh and my core. Without warning, he pushed the lacy fabric of my thong aside and began to map out my slit with two fingers. His lips detached themselves from my hardened nipple to kiss my lips once before he turned his attention and eyes back down to my arousal. He watched with intensity as he slipped two fingers inside me.

I tilted my head back and released a louder moan as he began to pump in and out slow...fast...slow...I felt his lips lavish open mouth kisses to my breasts, nipples, then down my stomach, hip bones, thighs and then finally replacing his thumb at the bundle of nerves.

"Mmmm, oh my god...." I whispered as he continued to kiss and suck gently on the small button; his fingers curling inside me as they continued to thrust against my g-spot. My gasps, pants, and moans only made him go faster and harder. I clutched at his hair and tried to match my hip movements with his thrusting, but he put a stop to that quickly by throwing his free arm down across my hips pinning me down to the bed. He began to suck harder and added another finger into the alright tight space. My moans increased with the friction and I knew that I wouldn't last much longer.

It was then he started to hum against my clit that I started to quiver. He removed his fingers from me and began to lick me all over until I was spent. I cried out once the coil in my stomach was unleashed. My head hit the pillow as I rode out the orgasm; shivering as the hot sweat running down my neck and chest met the cold night air.

My hands reached down to meet Charlie's that still rested on my hip bones. I began lacing my fingers between his as he placed one soft kiss to my clit and to the inside of my thigh. I lightly tugged his hands, silently begging to come up from the tangle of sheets.

Charlie crawled back up the bed and carefully pressed his body close to mine. I blushed as I felt his hardness press into my stomach. It didn't matter how many times we made love...Charlie's desire for me always made me feel like a teenager experiencing her first time.

He smiled down at me as I looked up into his eyes, then trailing down to his slightly rounded nose, his neatly trimmed mustache, the razor thin scar just below his bottom lip from a past inmate scuffle.

I reached up to touch the scar carefully, almost as if it was still a fresh cut. I traced it upward where my fingertips slowly danced across each lip. He greeted them with kisses before reaching up to take my wrist and pin it back down to the pillow. He then leaned down to kiss my lips slowly before slipping his tongue into my inviting mouth.

Our tongues waltz sensuously together to the music of our spiked breathing and moans.

Eventually, I pulled away enough to catch my breath then whisper against his lips, "Please...I want to feel you...I need to feel you inside..."

I didn't have to finish my request. Charlie nodded and kissed me once more, "Anything you want, Syl."

Before I realized it, he was pushing deep inside me; making me cry out in pleasure. I rested my hands on his shoulder blades as he began to thrust into me with great care in compassion. My eyelids became hooded with desire as he kept going, his breath becoming labored. A car light passing by lit up the room for a brief moment, causing the solitaire diamond of my wedding band to glitter and capture my attention. Another thrust hitting my g-spot made me moan again as I slid my left hand up to cup the back of his neck. I thrust my hips upward to meet his as I pull him down for another kiss. Pulling away some, he sucked gently at my bottom lip before whispering, "Come, Syl...come with me..."

He went faster and harder as I tightened my arms around him. I buried my face into the crook of his neck, gently biting down as I cried out once more as we both climaxed. I shook violently from the second intense orgasm; matching Charlie's quivering body.

We stayed in the embrace for a little longer before he laid down on his side of the bed. He pulled me closer to him so my sweaty, naked body would be pressed against his own. He kissed the shell of my ear before moving down my neck then up to my lips. Between kisses, he whispered, "I love you, Syl...you've given me hope again..."

Before I could respond, he was sound asleep. His face buried in the crook of my neck. I reached down to my stomach where his hand rested and laced my small fingers between his.

Charlie's love gave me hope. My jitters and fears of what would come tomorrow melted away.

With a new outlook on my new journey, I drifted.