DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyers owns these characters. We've only borrowed them for this story.

Chapter 20

Bella's POV

I can't believe it's only been 2 days since I left my family in the Amazon…and Edward. It feels longer. But then again, anytime away from him felt like too long. We've always had this gravitation pull between us. Why would now feel different? I mean, it wasn't like I didn't want to be with him. I was so distracted with the thought of him dying that I hadn't realized how much his actions hurt me. His life was my priority. Now our life is once again my priority.

This time to clear my head was a good idea. I was sitting in the living room of our cottage-the one in Forks. I needed to get back to a place where things were good for us. Where we started our new lives together. Not that I didn't love our home in Seattle, it was lovely. But this place…this place was my home.

I knew he was here before I heard him. His scent is so intensely familiar to me. I could smell it for miles. "Edward." I whispered his name, but I new he could hear me. I don't know what came over me. The sight of him--his scent. He was here. I was overwhelmed. I bolted to the doorway where he stood and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him immediately into a kiss. He responded but then he pulled away slightly to look at me.

"Well, that wasn't the greeting I was expecting." I hugged him.

"Oh Edward. I'm so glad you're alright. I was so worried. I just needed to feel you…make sure you were real." I moved away from his grasp and put my hands on my hips. "Despite my reception. You're not getting off that easily." He motioned for us to sit on the couch. I followed.

"I can't say I am disappointed by your greeting, but I knew that would be the case. That is why I came right away."

"How did you know I would be here?" He smiled at me. That angelic smile I love.

"Bella, love, please. Give me some credit. I know what this place means to you…to us. This would be the place I would come if I needed to think."

"Yes. That's it for me. But, no, not you. You ran to the Amazon." How could he not know that I would never betray him? The thought of that still tortured me. "Edward. We need to discuss what happened. Forgoing all the minute details of this gross misunderstanding…there is one thing I can't get past." He was listening intently. I could tell by his eyes. He reached for my hand and I let him hold it. I still needed to feel his touch. "How could you think that I would ever betray you…and with Jacob? How could you think that I would do that to my own daughter?" He pulled his hands from mine and stood up facing the fireplace.

"Bella. I know you see this as a betrayal of trust between us. I can only imagine how you must have felt, knowing what we do now. But I feel you need an explanation for my motives. Only then will you be able to possibly understand where my actions came from." I sat back on the couch

"I understand. Please go on." He turned and came back to sit by me.

"Bella…when you were human, I was already a vampire. I have memories that are vivid in my mind from the day I first saw you. For you, those human memories have faded, things aren't as clear as they were to you then. As a vampire, the things you remember after you were transformed are your clear memories now. You can't imagine how I felt when I saw what Nessie had seen. I remembered the feelings you had for Jacob and how you struggled with them. I saw how much you loved him then. I know--not like you loved me, or love me, but regardless of what you said, I knew how you felt about him despite your feelings for me. And more importantly, I knew how he felt about you. If you recall, I was subjected to his thoughts over and over. You can't possibly understand what that can do to someone." He paused and took an unnecessary breath. "I guess what I'm saying is, look at it from my perspective. Although I knew deep in my heart I was wrong for thinking those things. Can you blame me for having some doubt, when it was coupled with the limited information I had?"

"Limited information? Edward, don't you see? It was only limited because you ran away- instead of talking to me first." I had never really thought about the toll those feelings and memories took on him. He lived them and remembered them vividly. To me they were just faint memories, barely tangible. I held his hand, intertwining our fingers. "Edward. I had no idea you had these feelings still. I always thought you knew for certain how I felt about you…regardless of what happened in the past. But did you even give any credence to what I sacrificed to be with you?" He kissed the palm of my hand. That same electricity stung me and pulsed through me.

"Bella, yes. I have. And for the record, I don't doubt you…or how you feel about me. Not now. Not ever again…I…I just saw something that I guess had been in my thoughts years ago come back and haunt me. I should have never let it get to me."

"Edward. What you should have done was talk to me. But you ran… with our daughter I may add. Do you see how that made it worse?"

"Of course I can see that now. And for the record, I wasn't running. I just needed some time to sort it out but our daughter has her mother's lack of impulse control and she was ready to run off by herself. Could I let her do that?" I realized he had a point on that too. Renesmee was impulsive. Whether that is from me, we'll leave that up for debate, but she did react more than she thought things through.

"I see your point. I know what she's capable of when she's irrational. Remember what she did when we told her should couldn't drive you Vanquish? I mean she was only 8 years old!" We both laughed at that and then cringed. Remembering how long it took Rosalie to get the parts and put it back together.

"Edward. I see we both have made mistakes in this. I also see that we need to work on our communication. Sometimes just loving each other immensely isn't enough. It takes work to share eternity with someone." I chuckled a little and smiled at him. Realizing I was staring into his eyes for the first time since he was back. I was able to fully see him and his beauty once again. I knew that we were done with this. We could move on and learn from it. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and never let him go.

"Agreed. Work together for eternity it is…..and now how about a little play to go along with that "work"? I hear make up sex is the best kind." He flashed me a crooked smile and when it registered that I understood his meaning. He scooped me up as fast as I've ever seen him, and took me to our room...but his time we actually made it to our bed".

A/N: It's not over yet…wait for 2 more chapters!