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AN: Sorry for the delay. Tis the season! I promise that it will not always take this long to update! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

Chapter 13

EPOV

God kissing Bella was at the top of my list for favorite things to do. I just couldn't get enough of her lips! I had to constantly remind myself that she was in no condition to do more than this right now, but my body had other ideas. I just couldn't reconcile the fact that she was safe and here with me, and that the events of the last few days were finally behind us. I knew that although we had hashed out many of the details from that fateful night, I also knew that there was more discussion to come. My hope was that any future discussion would be on a much more pleasant note.

I still had yet to tell Bella that I loved her and that I wanted her to be with me forever. I wasn't ready for a marriage proposal quite yet, but I certainly was sure that she was it for me. How to tell her all of this was another matter. I didn't want to overwhelm her right now while she was recovering. My goal was make sure she healed and regained her strength.

Having her here in my house and in my bed was a dream come true, even if the situation that led us here was less than desirable. I would have much preferred that she was here under different circumstances, but fate handed us the current ones instead. I wasn't going to complain, either way she was here with me at least for the week anyway.

I had cleared it with Esme and Rose that I would be taking the next week off from the patrol. Emmett was more than capable of taking care of things while I was gone. In all honesty, Emmett was just as capable as I was to run the ski patrol, but he preferred to remain more low key and out of the control positions.

My entire family had been worried sick over the events of the past few days. Bella was already a part of our family whether she realized it or not. It killed them that they were stuck at the resort while I was at the hospital. Under different circumstances they would have been there waiting with me to make sure Bella was alright.

However since I brought Bella home this morning, Esme and Rosalie have called to see when would be the best time for a visit. At the time Bella was sleeping, so I told them I would call back after talking with Bella. Alice on the other hand having no such compunction came over already without calling first mind you. She could have cared less if I had said yes or no anyways.

Bella was still sleeping when Alice stopped in, but Alice went into my room to see her for herself. I think she just needed to reassure herself that Bella was really and truly going to be okay. Alice is one of the strongest people I know, but when it came to those she loved she was also fiercely protective. Bella had long since made it onto Alice's list of those she loved. I had no doubts that Alice would lynch me if I ever hurt Bella again, regardless of the purposefulness of the event.

Alice had only stayed a short time. Long enough to check on Bella and drop of some supplies that she swore Bella would love to have here.

"Girl stuff," was her simple explanation. I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but I was sure that Alice would know what she was doing.

She left to go to work for the day, but promised that she would be back this evening to check on Bella again. I know that she realizes that I am more than capable of caring for Bella, but Alice is Alice and has to check for herself.

***

Looking at the clock I saw that it was getting late and Bella was due to take some more pain medicine. Even though she had come out of this relatively unscathed, she was still uncomfortable from the shock and trauma her body had suffered during the crash.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and her medicine and made my way up the stairs to my bedroom. I pushed the door open slowly trying not to startle her.

Bella was asleep with her hair spread out around her across the pillows. Here breathing was slow and steady. Even covered in scrapes and cuts, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

Walking over to the side of the bed, I gently brushed the hair from her forehead and gently kissed the top of her head.

"Hey beautiful, you need to wake up for a minute," I whispered against her cheek. I hated to wake her up, but I didn't want her to get so uncomfortable that she wouldn't be able to get the rest she needed.

"Mmmm," she mumbled stretching in small movements as she became more aware of her surroundings.

She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she adjusted to the dim lighting in the room.

"Hey, what time is it?" she asked in a voice still raspy from sleep.

"It's a little after nine, but it's time to take some more medicine. Are you hungry?" I asked sitting beside her on the edge of the bed and gently rubbing her hand under mine.

"Wow, I can't believe I slept that much. I feel like all I do is sleep. I hate feeling so useless," she grumbled at me right before she yawned again.

I had to chuckle at her for that one. Only Bella would complain about too much sleep while yawning.

"Baby, the best way to get better is to sleep and rest. I know that this is not your idea of fun, but please listen to the doctor and stay in bed," I pleaded. I wanted nothing more than to have Bella back to her old self as soon as possible and if this what it took then damn it I would make sure she complied!

She grumbled a little under her breath before she nodded in acquiescence and took the medicine I offered her.

"I know that staying in bed is supposed to be for the best, but I hate being stuck in here," she proclaimed with the sweetest pout on her lips. Seeing that full bottom lip all jutted out was too much to resist, so I leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips.

Her reaction was immediate and she kissed me back firmly. God she tasted phenomenal! All too soon I slowed our kiss down and placed a few more chaste kisses on her lips before sitting back.

"Mmmm, that gives me a few ideas that might make being stuck in this bed a lot more bearable," Bella whispered in a deep husky voice.

I groaned because my body, specifically the area below my waist was in complete agreement with Bella's musings.

"Bella," I warned her.

"Believe me I would like nothing better than to show you the many ways that this bed can provide you with entertainment, but you are in no shape for that right now. Just the thought alone is enough to send me over the edge!"

"Hmphh." Was her only reply, but I knew that she was well aware of the fact that she was in no shape for any extracurricular activities just yet, but by god I hoped it wouldn't be too much longer!

"I know, Edward, but I just want to feel close to you. All of this has given me quite a bit of perspective and I don't want to waste a minute or take anything for granted," her voice was filled with so much emotion that it made me chest tighten. I knew that I wasn't the only one affected by the events of the past week, but it was heartwarming to hear Bella say those words nonetheless.

"Baby, I know how you feel believe me I do. I will do everything in my power for the rest of my life to make sure you know that," I told her. I still had not spoken those three little words, but this was as close as I could without just blurting it out. I wanted to make sure that when I told Bella that it was special and meaningful. Sitting here in my bedroom right after her accident didn't feel like the right time to spill the beans so to speak.

She sighed in response, but I knew that she understood our current limitations.

"Will you at least sleep here with me tonight?" she asked in a tentative whisper.

"Of course I will, baby," I whispered against her hair as I leaned in to kiss the top of her head. There was no way I could deny her anything, but to be honest I wanted nothing more than to curl up beside her and know that she was safe here with me.

She nodded in acknowledgement and yawned deeply, the meds already taking effect.

I quickly changed into some flannel pajama pants and a soft t-shirt before crawling into the bed beside her. I was careful to not jostle her too much as I wrapped my arm around her waist. She snuggled closer to my chest and let out a deep sigh of contentment.

"Night, Edward." She murmured before finally drifting off to sleep.

"Night, beautiful. Love you," I whispered back knowing full well that she couldn't hear me, but wanting to say it nonetheless.

***

BPOV

The past week had flown by rather quickly. I was almost back to the point of feeling close to human again, minus the cast and remaining healing scrapes. I could breathe without pain anymore and the bruises were fading to a yellowish hue that was hopefully soon gone.

Edward had been fabulous to me while I recovered. He was so attentive and caring. I couldn't have asked for anything better. As each day passed I grew more and more certain that Edward was the man I was destined to be with forever. Although we had yet to have any serious discussion on the matter, I was ready to tell him I loved him. It just never seemed quite right.

In my defense I was asleep quite a bit for the first few days that I was home from the hospital and our talking was minimal at best. Thankfully I was off the pain meds and markedly more coherent these days.

Edward had taken me back to see the doctor this morning and I was given clearance to begin resuming my regular activities albeit in moderation. The doctor however did tell me that I had to stay home for at least another week though to make sure that I had regained my strength. I wasn't thrilled to be off for more time, but I also knew that my body wasn't totally recovered just yet.

Alice had been to visit every day to check on me, and I was so grateful for our friendship. She had even told me about decking Tanya and I was immensely satisfied that the bitch got what was coming to her. Although I would have liked to have dealt that blow myself!

It was great to have Alice to talk to every day. Edward was always available for conversation or to just keep me company, but it was nice to talk to Alice about girl topics. One of which happened to be her brother. Alice had confided in me just how devastated Edward had been when he found out what I had seen. I knew that Edward had felt horrible for the circumstances surrounding the accident, but hearing it from Alice shed a whole new light on the matter.

I also shared with Alice that my feelings for her brother ran very deep. I didn't feel it would be fair to tell her that I loved him before I actually told Edward, but I am fairly certain she understood what I was saying.

***

It was the day after my doctor's appointment, and I was currently sitting on Edward's couch with a book on my lap, but I wasn't reading anything. My mind was to preoccupied to concentrate on the words in front of me. Yesterday's doctor's appointment had been great as far as my health was concerned, but it had left me unsure about some other things. Now that I was given the green light so to speak to resume life as normal, I wasn't sure where that left Edward and me as far as me going back to my cabin.

The last week had been so comfortable and natural living with Edward. The injuries and physical pain aside, it had felt so right sharing a home with him. I doubted that I would ever be able to sleep without him beside me again. I had never felt as secure and dare I say loved as I had with Edward wrapped around me while I slept. Now I wasn't sure what to do about it. Obviously we needed to have a serious conversation, but I wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

As if Edward was reading my thoughts, he walked over to the couch and lifted my feet up before sitting back down and laying my feet across his lap and gently rubbing my feet and ankles.

"Hey there beautiful, you look deep in thought. Is the book that good, or is your mind elsewhere?" he asked with a look of concern on his face.

I knew I wasn't fooling him in the slightest, so trying to lie was pointless, but I wasn't sure what to say exactly. How do you start this type of conversation?

Well I didn't think I could hold out any longer, so I took a deep breath and plunged right in.

"I guess I'm not quite sure where we go from here," I said to him.

Edward looked concerned at these words and I could see his jaw tighten,

"Um, I'm not sure exactly you are referring to baby," Edward said with a slight note of worry in his voice.

I immediately realized that he thought I was talking about things between us not going well, when I was actually wondering how I could tell him I wanted to move forward with him.

"Edward, it's not what you think. I've never felt like this about anyone before. This past week has been wonderful for me. I have never felt so cared for and comfortable before in my life. I'm just afraid that now that I can go home that things will feel different in some way. I don't want to lose what I feel right now," I felt so awkward telling him all of this without just saying I loved him out loud.

Edward listened to me intently and visibly relaxed as I was speaking until his face broke out into a huge grin.

Instead of answering me, he leaned forward and scooped me up to sit on his lap.

He slowly brushed my hair back from face and turned my face to look directly at him.

"Baby, I feel all the same things as you do. I was thinking along those very same lines myself. I have loved having you next to me each night and waking up every morning with you in my arms. I wasn't sure how to bring all this up either. I guess we both need to get better about talking through our feelings with each other."

I simply nodded at him too stunned to speak, I was glad to hear that he was feeling the same as I was though.

He must have realized that I wasn't going to say anything because he started speaking again in a low, husky voice, "Bella, I know that it is too soon to ask you to move in here with me, but I think that we are both wanting the same thing. I think that for now we can just agree to be together as often as we want and we can discuss a permanent solution at a later date. I know that I am not willing to let you out of my sight for any length of time in the near future though, so you'd better get used to me being around a lot!"

"Isabella Marie Swan, I am hopelessly in love with you. Nothing in the world will ever change that. I have never told another woman that before and I plan on you being the only woman to hear me say these words."

The words just didn't seem enough, so I figured actions were my best response.

I turned my upper body to face him and placed my hands on each side of his face and kissed him with all the passion and emotion I could at that moment.

Somehow the perfect moment I had been waiting for was here right in front of me and I knew that I wanted to tell Edward the same thing.

"Oh Edward, I am so in love with you!"

He seemed stunned for a moment before he began kissing me back, his hands trailing up my neck and tangling in my hair. Our kisses became more passionate as our tongues began to explore each other, and I quickly forgot what we had been doing just a few minutes before. I was willing to let this go as far as possible. I had wanted this for so long now that I was ready to be with Edward in all aspects.

Edward slowed down our kisses, but instead of stopping he placed hot, open mouth kisses along my jaw and down my neck to my collarbone. I could feel my heart racing as I leaned back to give him more access. My skin was on fire and I was breathing in quick gasps.

"God Bella, you taste so good, baby," Edward groaned against my skin. I wanted nothing more than to lead Edward up the stairs to his bedroom and finally be with him, but as I started to shift off his lap Edward stopped kissing me and looked worriedly up at me.

"Bella. I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" he asked in a worried tone. He looked so contrite that I almost laughed at him, but I thought better of it.

"No Edward I'm fine. I just thought that we should continue this upstairs. I don't think the couch is an ideal place given the circumstances," I told him as I continued to shift off his lap and hold out my hand to him.

It took the briefest of moments for my words to sink in. As realization dawned on Edward's face though, his eyes darkened and his face filled with lust and longing. I am sure my face mirrored his. Without another word he gently scooped me up in his arms and kissed me thoroughly once again before walking us up the stairs to his bedroom.

AN: Please review! I promise that I will have a lemon the next chapter. I will not let it go here and skip over the good stuff! I loved to know what you think and anything that you might like to see in future chapters.