Just a heads up (before locals call me out, LOL), I took some (a lot) creative license with the view from the parking lot/overlook. And no, I'm not a local... just watched fireworks once from that spot with a bunch of drunk colleagues while at a conference.

Thanks detroitangel for the beta. And Lisa for the preread. I've been meandering a bit with my writing... I do so much better when I write write ahead and have time to catch it. I think I've got things back on track to keep pushing forward after this. Thanks for sticking with me.

Chapter 6

"You're sure you're all right to drive?"

I smiled at his concern. I'd just checked out of my hotel in Albany and had the rental car packed up for the drive to Buffalo. A few inches of snow had dropped overnight in an early winter storm, and he was worried.

"I'll be fine. Roads are clear and I'll be there before it gets dark."

"Yeah, but it's cold and if there's any ice—"

"This isn't my first time driving in the snow, you know," I said, starting the car and cranked the heat up, shivering at the blast of cold air that blew out.

He scoffed. "Yeah, but you're an Arizona girl . . . you're, like, at a genetic disadvantage when it comes to dealing with winter. Remember that day it dropped to sixty and you had two pairs of socks on?"

"Shut up," I mumbled, trying not to laugh. He'd harassed me endlessly about the fact I had layered up and wrapped myself up like a burrito on the couch.

His deep laugh reverberated through the phone, making me shiver for reasons that had nothing to do with temperature. The time apart had been too long, though we spoke daily. At this point, I just couldn't wait to be near him again . . . my concern over meeting his parents overshadowed by my need to finally be in the same room with him.

"I can't believe you guys are delayed," I said. While only a couple inches dropped in this region of New York state, the storm had hit harder in other areas, namely Chicago where Edward was now temporarily stranded.

"We'll get there soon enough," he said. "They've finally started letting flights take off. We just have to wait for the okay for our charter."

A few hours later, I was sitting in the hotel room, mindlessly flipping through channels and surrounded by wrappers from my earlier vending machine invasion. I'd texted Edward once I'd checked in and knew my room number, but I hadn't heard back yet. Not that I expected to; he was most likely in the air somewhere.

I finally gave up and turned the TV off, deciding to log into work for a little while to get a head start on a few things. It was an effective distraction. I lost track of time until a knock sounded at the door and I heard the muffled sounds of male voices speaking in the hall. Bleary eyed but now much more alert, I hopped from the bed and ran to the door. I fumbled with the knob in my excitement.

It seemed like there was only a split second between seeing him and being in his arms. Not that it mattered, but I couldn't say whether I jumped or he lifted. There was an 'oomf' and my arms and legs were wrapped around him as our lips fused together. I could hear what sounded like teasing or heckling coming from behind him, but I ignored it. I did feel one of Edward's hands leave my body while the voices laughed so I assumed that—whoever it was—he flipped them off.

I held on as he walked into the room. He stopped kissing me and I was about to protest until I realized he was kicking his luggage across the threshold. As soon as everything and everyone was inside, he kicked the door closed and set me down by the bed.

"You have approximately three seconds to move that laptop if you don't want it in pieces."

I wasted the first second actually considering whether or not it could be easily replaced. My sense of responsibility took the lead for a brief moment and I scrambled to move it to the desk. By the time I turned back around, Edward had a hold of the bedspread and yanked it down off the foot of the bed. Candy and potato chip wrappers went flying, as did half a bottle of Coke—thankfully capped. I gasped in shock, but only halted for a moment because in the next we were both on our knees on the bed, grasping at each other once again.

"Off. Off. Off," he said against my lips as he tugged my shirt up. We broke apart just long enough for him to lift it over my head and soon the rest of our clothes disappeared in similar fashion while we messed up what was left of the bedding.

"Nffa gn thif lng agn."

I shook my head as Edward swiped at the bits of food he'd just spit out in his attempt to speak. I laughed and tossed a napkin in his direction. Had he let this side of himself show early on, our relationship might've never gotten off the ground.

"Wanna swallow and try that again, champ?"

He chewed and swallowed, taking a big drink. "We're never going this long again. Seriously, we need to figure something out. Two weeks is entirely way too long."

My heart clenched because I felt the exact same way. "But it's kind of out our hands, isn't it?"

The topic had come up a few times in the past, but we both tended to make jokes and laugh it off. We were still pretty early into his season and it was already proving to be difficult. Maybe it was naïve of me, but I didn't want to think too far ahead. I saw this—us—as long term, perhaps even forever, but it would take so much effort to make it work. I was a little too scared to think of all it would entail or how easily everything could fall apart.

"Hey," he said, pushing his food aside. We'd ordered room service, not wanting to leave the room. The privacy and time alone was especially nice right now as a silent conversation passed between us.

Sighing, I leaned into him. "It'll work out."

"We're still trying to find our balance. I don't think we're doing too bad of a job, do you?"

I kissed him for reassurance. "No, I think we're doing better than most in our situation would. I just wish things were a little easier, y'know?"

His arm tightened around me as he pressed a kiss to my forehead, letting his lips stay there. "We'll get a little bit of a break here soon, though. With the holidays? Your travel schedule is slowing down after this trip, and I have more home games than away games after this stretch."

I let myself fall into him, nuzzling as close as I could get. Talking about how our careers kept us apart made me want to get impossibly close. If there were a way to glue myself to his side, I would.

"But then January comes and as soon as the All Star break is over, it's a rush to secure a spot for the playoffs. And my schedule will pick up again once companies are recovered from the holidays and the end of year."

He sighed, and I could tell that my pessimism bothered him.

"I'm sorry," I said. "You're right. The next month and a half will be better so I shouldn't worry about the rest til it gets here."

"No, no, we always avoid this, but maybe we should talk about it. It's going to continue to hang over our heads, and if we don't address it . . . I don't know, but it seems like ignoring it could cause more problems."

I let myself glance around the room, buying time as I thought over what he'd said. Part of me knew that he was right and it was a conversation I'd wanted to have many times, but a bigger part of me feared that whatever came to light in this discussion would drive a wedge between us.

It took every ounce of bravery I had to get past that fear. "I'm afraid addressing it could cause problems," I said, echoing his words, even though it came out as a broken whisper. I was apparently unable to muster as much bravery as I'd hoped.

He wrapped both arms around me, pulling me in tight. I could feel his lips and breath in my hair as he spoke. "Only if we let it. And I'm not going to."

I nodded against him, afraid to speak. My heart was pounding in my chest and I didn't trust myself to not stutter and mangle my words.

It caught me by surprise when he let me go rather than begin to talk. It took me a moment to realize he was clearing the trays of food from the bed. As he slipped a pair of boxers on before peeking out the door, opening it and setting the trays outside once he knew all was clear, I decided getting at least partially dressed wasn't a bad idea. The conversation ahead of us would be awkward as it was, I didn't need to add to it.

I slipped my underwear back on and grabbed the shirt closest to me—his. When I looked up he was watching me, one eye arched and a cocky smirk. I smiled and shrugged before straightening the blankets. I'd hidden in the bathroom when the food was delivered. Had I know how much he approved of my current attire, I'd have done this sooner.

In silence, we crawled back onto the bed and sat side by side, against the headboard. He reached over and took my hand, pulling it into his lap and playing with my fingers. I supposed he was nervous too, though he tried not to let it show.

"I want this," he said. "You. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it, okay? I'm planning on keeping you around for the rest of my life, so if it takes extra work right now to have everything with you? I don't care."

Hot tears burned my eyes at his declaration, and he twisted his body to face me so that he could wipe them away before they'd even had a chance to fall.

"I want everything with you too," I choked out. His lips were on mine immediately, growing more and more heated before we finally parted, knowing we still hadn't resolved anything.

Deciding to take the first jump, I told him about my conversation with Jake a couple weeks ago. "My schedule might slow down. I hope it does. Jake is looking at hiring another trainer to split the workload. If so, I won't be on the road so much. And it might give me a little more leeway to choose jobs that work better with your schedule, I don't know."

"Really?" he asked, grinning. "When did this all come about?"

"Right before I left," I said. "But he hasn't decided for sure, and he won't make any moves until sometime after the new year. And even then, he actually has to settle down at home for more than two days at a time."

His hand was at the back of my neck now, his thumb teasing up and down my flesh causing goosebumps. "But still, it's something, right?"

He stilled for a moment, deep in thought. He was struggling with something, evidenced by the look of concentration on his face. It almost looked like he was hesitant to speak.

After a moment, and much quieter than usual, he asked, "Is this job . . . long term?" I was taken aback by the question, not expecting it, and after a guilty look, he continued. "I was just thinking, wondering, about what you said when we first got together, when you first told me what you do. You said it was something that you just sort of fell into, it wasn't . . ."

". . . something I dreamed of doing the rest of my life," I finished.

"Yeah," he said with a nervous laugh.

I remembered the conversation well. I'd almost slipped and said that it wasn't the kind of career I wanted while trying to raise a family, but I'd caught myself before I could scare him away thinking I was already making plans for him. But we were in a different place now and I knew those thoughts wouldn't scare him.

"Some people can probably manage it just fine, but I always knew that if I wanted a family of my own that I'd have to move on. I want to be able to come home every night. I don't want to watch any kids I might have grow up on Skype, you know?" I paused for a moment, leaning into him. "I love my job. I love what I do. I'm not ready to walk away just yet . . . but no, it isn't long term."

He sighed with what sounded like relief and pulled at my hand until I was straddling his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and tugged me closer, resting his forehead against mine.

"And you know I won't be doing this forever." He looked into my eyes as his thumbs traced patterns on my lower back. "I'm twenty eight. I've got ten years left in me if I'm lucky—very few guys make it to forty in this league. Realistically, I know I probably have less than that. And I'm trying to make the most of it."

"You love this game," I said. He smiled as I traced his jaw with my fingertips.

He smiled and stilled my hand with his, pulling it to his mouth for a kiss. "Yes, but it's more than that. I've always tried to be responsible with the money I've made. I know the chances of ever finding a job with a comparable salary are slim to none. Even a fraction of this salary. I see these guys blowing every last cent, and I refuse to do that, especially now that I have you. So for as long as someone will pay me millions to do what I love, I'm going to . . . and I'm going to bank as much of it as I can so that we never have to worry about money."

I didn't know what to say to that. He started speaking again before I could think of how to respond. "Think about it. Think about how many people are stuck in jobs they hate because the bills need to be paid. Neither of us would ever have to go through it. Work only because you want to, and only doing something that you're excited to wake up every day doing."

"How did I get so lucky?" I asked myself.

"I ask myself that question every day," he said.

We kissed again, slow and intense. He laid me down and hovered above me, but I wanted to feel his weight against me. Tugging and pulling, he finally got the hint and slowly eased himself down.

His lips broke from mine and trailed a path across my jaw, down my neck, and into the vee of his shirt.

"One more thing," he said, his words muffled against my skin.

"Yeah?"

He pushed himself up on one elbow to look me in the eye. "Move in with me."

My breath caught and my eyes widened in surprise.

"We're both on the same page here, we both see forever . . . why put it off? It's clearly going to be a while before our schedules stop working against us, so I don't see the point in any extra separation."

My smile was so wide it was almost painful. I laughed and nodded before words finally came. "Yes. Okay, yes."

"You're an easier sell than I thought," he teased.

I laughed, unable to help myself, then I decided to torture him a little bit. "Yeah, but how easy will it be meeting my dad after asking me to live in sin?"

He paled a bit, clearly not having thought ahead. Perhaps I had a little too much fun constantly teasing him about Charlie.

"Is it too late to take that back?" he asked.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him back down to me for a kiss. "Yep. No takebacks."

"Oh well," he said against my lips. "I didn't really want to take it back anyway. He can just deal."

The next morning, I took my time getting ready. Edward had an early practice then the rest of the day he was off. The game wasn't until tomorrow so that gave us all afternoon and evening to explore his hometown. He was excited about showing me where he'd grown up, but I was still nervous—served me right for threatening him with Charlie.

I didn't realize I was shaking until I tried to put on my necklace. My tremors were so bad I couldn't line up the clasp. It wasn't that I was scared to meet his parents—they sounded like wonderful people—but I wanted to make a good impression and had worked myself up over it.

The door to the room opened and I heard Edward call out my name.

"In here. I need a little help."

Through the mirror, I watched him step into the bathroom. I didn't need to tell him—he could see me struggling with the necklace and moved to take over. Brushing my hair out of the way, he took the chain from my hands and clasped it, not moving away until he'd pressed a kiss to my neck.

With his chin resting on my shoulder, looking at me through the mirror, he asked, "Are you ready?"

"Is this okay?" I asked, motioning to my outfit. It was cold out and he'd told me not to dress up, so I'd settled on a layering a cream colored sweater over a pale pink shirt with jeans and nice boots.

"Perfect." He kissed me and led me out of the bathroom. "It's a little colder out there today. Bundle up."

As he quickly changed into something more appropriate, I dug my scarf and gloves from my bags.

I pushed my worries aside as we walked out of the room minutes later. He was so excited, almost giddy, it was hard not to be affected in the same way. His hometown, Lewiston, was just a short drive outside of Buffalo. Everywhere were signs for Niagara Falls, which he'd explained was just a few minutes from his parents' place.

We pulled off the highway into a cute little town that looked like it was straight out of a movie. The main road cut through block after block of small, local businesses and restaurants. He pointed out his favorite places as we passed. The street and sidewalks were clear, but snow dusted everything else. The pristine white juxtaposed against the green, red, silver, and gold of the Christmas decorations already making their appearance in mid-November adding to the Norman Rockwell effect. After a few blocks, the road began to slope downward. There were more houses now, a boutique hotel, and what Edward pointed out as a restaurant with attached bar, and at the bottom of the hill was a river. He pulled the car up near the grass and we got out. The air was even colder here, but he wrapped himself around me from behind. Ripples in the water betrayed how quickly it moved. Across the river, speckled amongst snow covered trees on the hillside were huge, beautiful homes; the kind you fantasize about having as your dream home. They were all big and spacious, never too close to each other, and featured tons of windows to take full advantage of the view.

"During the summer," Edward said, "there are boats everywhere out here. And there's a dock right over at the restaurant where you they'll take you out on the rapids on a raft. It's motorized, so it's like whitewater rafting without the effort. We'll have to come back when the weather's warm so you can try it."

Even though we'd had 'the talk' about our future last night, hearing him make plans still made me smile. "Sounds like fun."

"Come on," he said, pulling me toward the car. "It's freezing out here."

Inside the car was still toasty warm and I held my hands in front of the vent. Edward side-eyed me and laughed.

"What?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Arizona girl."

"Shut up," I said, lightly back-handing his arm. "Just because I didn't grow up in the tundra."

He barked an even bigger laugh as we set about touring the rest of the town from the safe and warm confines of the rental car. We passed old schools, old hangouts, and old friends' houses. Eventually, though, we ended up in front of a house comparable to those I'd admired on the hillside.

"And this is home," he said, regarding the house in front of us as if seeing it for the first time. The way he'd glance my way made me wonder if he was trying to see it all from my perspective.

"Gorgeous," I said, breathless and more nervous than ever.

Inside the house was just as beautiful as the outside. It was easy to tell that it had been decorated with a precise eye. Every piece of furniture, every decoration on the wall, every knick-knack had been chosen and placed with care. But it didn't feel like a showroom; somehow, everything worked together to feel homey and welcoming.

The smell of freshly baked cookies helped, too.

We walked deeper into the house, still not having announced ourselves. With each step I gripped Edward's hand tighter, and the good man that he was, he didn't tease me about it. He just squeezed back in reassurance. Voices drifted out from a nearby room, and judging by the clatter, I assumed it was the kitchen. Sure enough, Edward led us through the wide doorway into the most incredible kitchen I'd ever seen.

I only had a moment to take in the aesthetics of the room because his parents were there, their attention drawn to the two of us. We'd clearly caught them off-guard if the look of surprise and momentary pause were any indication.

His mother rushed from around the island, arms wide open to take him into a hug. I loosened my grip, but Edward only tightened his to keep me from going anywhere. His father moved slower, giving mother and son a moment. Before I knew what was happening, I was engulfed in a hug. His mother pulled back, looking me over and placing a hand on my cheek. I supposed the smile and slightly watery eyes were a good sign that I passed inspection.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Bella," she said.

"It's good to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen."

She immediately waved me off, lightheartedly admonishing me. "None of that. We aren't formal around here, Bella. It's Esme and Carlisle. That's it."

"Okay," I said, laughing. "Got it."

She grabbed hold of my wrist and started pulling me into the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I've made plenty. If there's something else you'd prefer, just let me know and I'll see what I have in the refrigerator."

I turned to look over my shoulder at Edward, a little shocked and surprised at how quickly I'd been commandeered. His smile was blinding as he shrugged.

"Grab a plate and help yourself," she said as we reached the island.

I looked at the spread before us. "I don't even know where to begin. It all looks delicious."

"One thing you need to know about my wife right off the bat, Bella," Edward's father said, "is that she loves to play hostess, and she always figures out how much food she needs and doubles it."

"Hush, you," she said and swatted at him with a hand towel. He ducked away from her, laughing, and in that moment I could see so much of my relationship with Edward in them. That playfulness that I'd never had with anyone else, they had it. And it was wrapped up in so much adoration that you couldn't help but feel lighter, more optimistic around them.

After we'd all loaded our plates, we settled at the table. At first they caught up with Edward. I was mostly quiet, sitting back and watching their family dynamic, so different from what I was used to.

I loved it. I envied it. I wanted it.

Eventually, the conversations and questions turned to me. It didn't feel invasive. They were truly curious and interested in learning more about me.

"So are you originally from Arizona? Or did you move there for work?" Carlisle asked.

I chuckled as I tried to figure out the quickest way to explain. "Neither?" I said, unsure of myself. "I was born in Washington, but after my parents divorced, I moved around a lot with my mom. We finally settled in Phoenix when I was in junior high. I lived there for a few years until she got remarried and I moved in with my dad for the last year and a half of high school. I went back there for college and never left."

"So do you live near your mom?" Esme asked.

I finished chewing my food and swallowed before answering. "No, she ended up moving to Florida not long after I moved to Washington. I don't really see her much. Usually just when work takes me somewhere nearby and I stop in for a day or two."

She cast me a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry."

"No, don't be," I said. "I talk to her now and then, see her on occasion. She's got a bit of a restless spirit and she tends to distract easily. If something's not right there in front of her, it's probably not even on her radar."

I started to feel uncomfortable, like I'd said too much, but something about these people made you want to confess everything so they could hug you and tell you it'd all be okay. I never really let anyone know how much it bothered me that I felt like little more than a passing thought, but I knew I'd let it creep into my tone.

Edward's hand brushed my knee, stroking, and he looked at me with concern.

"Did you get a chance to see the town?" Esme asked, thankfully changing the subject.

"Yeah, I took her all around . . . well, she mostly saw it from the car," he said.

"It was a little cold," I said.

Carlisle got up to start clearing plates. "Yes, this cold snap came out of nowhere. It was actually pretty mild up until a few days ago. Too bad you weren't here earlier."

"You really should come back when it's warmer," Esme said as she led me to living room.

We all followed and settled down on the overstuffed couches near the crackling fireplace.

"We were actually just talking about that earlier," I said, glancing over at Edward for confirmation. Esme's head shot up, her face alight with happiness.

"Okay now," she said. Standing up, she immediately walked to the bookcase. "Baby pictures."

Time passed so quickly, though I was sure Edward would disagree. More than once, his cheeks had pinkened with embarrassment as his parents shared stories and pictures. We'd talked for hours with the questions focusing on me from time to time, but nothing intrusive or annoying. I found myself wanting to share with them.

When dinner-time rolled around, we headed out to one of their favorite restaurants. We were back on that main stretch where Edward's tour had begun, and after finding parking spaces, we headed out in the increasingly colder air getting distracted by shop windows. There were so many unique items that I mentally cursed that the stores were closed for the evening already.

By the time I started losing feeling in my limbs, we arrived at the restaurant. It was a cozy, little Italian restaurant with low lighting and an intimate atmosphere. It was a little more upscale, forgoing all of the kitschy décor of too many Italian restaurants in favor of ambiance.

We settled in with a bottle of wine and appetizers, picking up conversation where we'd left off at the house. A few people—family friends and old teachers—said hello as they passed, offering their congratulations to Edward on his success. It seemed like such a quaint little town that I didn't want to leave.

"Limoncello," Esme said as the waitress handed out dessert menus at the end of the meal. "You'll have Limoncello with me, right?"

I shrugged and smiled, unable to say no to her. "Sure."

She ordered our cordials and a few desserts for the table, insisting I had to try a little of each. Who was I to say no?

"Would you like us to pick you up at the hotel for the game? That way you don't have to navigate traffic in an unfamiliar town," Carlisle asked as we waited for the waitress to return.

"Oh," I said. "Sure, if you don't mind." The thought of being alone with them in the car would've have terrified me twenty-four hours ago. Hell, knowing I would be sitting with them at the game had given me a few sleepless nights, worrying about awkward silences and bad impressions, but those worries were long gone now.

A squeeze of my thigh brought my attention back to Edward. He looked so happy and at peace that I couldn't help but feel thrilled that I had a role in that. He didn't need to say the words for me to know how much it meant to him that I got along so well with his parents. It was written all over his face.

When the bill was paid, we headed back outside, saying our goodbyes and making final plans for tomorrow before parting ways.

Once again, I held my hands in front of the vents, trying to will them to heat up faster as Edward chuckled at me. Instead of following signs for the highway like I'd expected, he took us down a dark road that meandered through what seemed like uninhabited woods.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I just want to make a quick little detour, then we'll head back."

I didn't think anything of it until he pulled into an empty parking lot. It looked to be part of a public park of some sort. He got out of the car and was at my door before I had the chance to move, too busy trying to figure out where we were.

"Come with me, just for a minute."

I took his hand and followed him to the fence in front.

"Over there," he said, pointing to our far left.

It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing. "Oh wow," I said. In the distance, Niagara Falls was lit up in pastels of blue, pink, green . . .

"Can we go closer?" I asked.

"Of course."

Neither of us moved. From behind, he had his arms wrapped around me, lips in my hair as I stared at the view. When the wind started to whip, though, he urged me back to the car. After a few more minutes on the road, signs of life started to pick up. As we neared the falls, things began to look much more touristy. Even with the cold, there were still a considerable number of people around. He found a spot on the street and after feeding the meter, we walked hand in hand to the overlook.

"It loses its novelty pretty quick when you live here, especially with all of this," he said, motioning to the chaos and bright lights around us. "That's why I wanted you to see it from down there, without all of the distractions."

I could already hear the roar of water and feel its spray. I was freezing, but I didn't care. I walked faster, eager to see it up close. We found an open spot at the fence, just a few feet from the rushing river as it tumbled over the cliff with violent fury.

The floodlights that illuminated the area didn't detract from the light show taking place, the colors morphing into each other seeming so delicate against the thunderous cascade. After a few minutes I was able to take my eyes off of it all to look at him. He was watching me, and I'd have been willing to bet he hadn't given the water more than a cursory glance.

Grabbing onto the lapels of his coat, I pulled him down to me.

"I love you," I said. On tiptoes, I kissed him.

"Mmm," he hummed against my lips. "Love you."

We stood there for a little while longer before I couldn't take the cold and wet any more. He rolled his eyes when I insisted on pictures of us, but he caved. My attempts at self-portraits were unflattering and hilarious, but thankfully a woman standing nearby took pity on me and snapped a few shots on my phone. I gloated when Edward silently handed his over to her.

That night, back in the hotel room after we'd dried off and thawed out, it felt like something had shifted. The connection between us had always been intense, but this was new. It was more. So much more.

It was the first puzzle piece clicking into place as we started to merge all the parts of our lives. Undoubtedly, the first of many.