Chapter 11: Agreement

The weekend was upon us. My hipbone ached from my fall, and every time it did, I thought of Edward.

Seth had me awake by six in the morning to start the day. We ate a quick breakfast of oatmeal and toast and with coffee. After making sure we had our backpacks ready, we sauntered over to the barn where everyone else was readying their horses. Alice and Edward were missing, making me frown with wonder.

What if he had told her about our kiss? I couldn't get his wet mouth out of my mind, but I was so worried about how awkward this trip was going to be, now because of my weakness. I mentally chastised myself for being so stupid. I grinned as I watched Seth practically skip over to Jules and help hoist her up in the saddle atop her small, black horse. I smiled and then let my eyes search the barn. With Jasper assisting Garrett ,and Seth tending to Jules, I walked towards the back of the barn where the wide doors had been opened. I dropped my backpack to the ground in front of Cleary's stall.

Then, I heard Alice's voice in a hushed whisper. I stepped closer to the barn exit, but stayed in the shadows. The sun had yet to rise thankfully. I leaned up against the barn wall and listened.

"You need to sort this out, Edward," Alice hissed. "She owns the land that we need to live on for Christ's sake."

"I know, I know!" He snapped agitatedly. I could hear Alice sigh.

"It'll be eight years next month," She said painfully.

"I know," Edward cracked.

"You're not doing anything wrong."

"Alice," He warned.

"She'd want you to move on."

"Stop," Edward said, the whisper disappearing from his voice. I took that as my cue to stop eavesdropping. I felt ashamed and stepped away from the wall.

We had been riding for a couple hours and my ass was numb. The kids whined for a break, too, so we all stopped down by the river. The summer sun was unrelenting. Alice took out packed sandwiches and handed one to each of us. The boys gobbled theirs down in one breath, and then dove into the wide river. Blue swam across and leaped out to do more sniffing. He had stayed right with us the entire day.

Jules and Alice soon followed along into the water. I perched myself on a large rock downstream and watched as Seth splashed Garrett and Jules with the cool crystal liquid. My stomach was in knots. Edward hadn't spoken, nor even looked my way the entire morning as he rode at the head of our pack. That hurt more than what I overheard between his conversation with Alice from this morning.

Then I remembered my childhood days spent swimming in this very river with Edward, when I was just a little girl. How things were so easy back then before anything bad could taint our lives. I sighed and put my turkey sandwich down, unable to finish it.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Edward. My spirit lifted, as he gave the best smile he could, and took a seat next to me. I instantly tried to forget my eavesdropping to figure out a way to get him to open up to me.

"You see that rock down there?" He asked, pointing down river. "The one with all that moss?"

"Yeah."

"You slipped on the moss when you were nine and sprained your ankle. Remember?" He asked, now chuckling. I laughed, to while nodding. "You made me carry you all the way home."

"You said, if I cried it would only make it hurt more, but I didn't believe you," I added. Edward leaned in to bump his shoulder with mine.

It was a small gesture that spoke volumes. He was trying, and I was grateful. Jasper interrupted the talking and swimming. We needed to make it to the cattle and set up camp before night fell.

This time while riding, Edward didn't ride so far away from me, and that gave me some hope, that all would work out.

We cooked baked beans and chicken over a campfire as it grew dark. The cattle were right where Garrett guessed they'd be. He was a good herder who was teaching Seth all he knew. I helped Alice and Jules pitch the tent that we'd be sharing, while the boys would sleep around the fire.

The cattle stirred restlessly after everyone had gone to bed. I of course, couldn't sleep. Dawn would arrive in an hour or so. Alice snored something awful, as I groaned inwardly and climbed out of my sleeping bag. I had on thick sweats and an old t-shirt. I slipped my boots on and quietly exited the tent.

As I looked down to the campfire, three men slept comfortably with one missing. I frowned and looked out past the cows. There was a cliff lined with large rocks, and I could see Edward's silhouette. I snuck off towards him quietly, so as not to wake anyone. As I got closer, he heard me and turned. The falling moon gave just enough light for me to see where I was going, and to see his perfect face. He wore a black v-neck, showing off his chest hair. My mouth became extremely moist.

He scooted over on the rock and I sat down next to him. We stared out off the cliff, the moon making everything blue, even the usually yellow wildflowers. The air was warm and calm.

"Edward, I-"

"I'm sorry for how I've treated you," He interrupted quietly. He didn't turn to look at me, but I watched his mouth as he finally spoke to me. "I've got my own batch of fears when it comes to love, too."

"I've never felt like this," I choked out. Edward's head snapped over to look at me, and he smiled. It was a brilliant smile. He studied my face.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" I blushed and broke eye contact. Edward's hand hooked beneath my chin, pulling my face back up.

"I'm no good with this, Bella."

"You're doing fine," I breathed. His hand felt soft and gentle on my face, as my feelings of fear collided with something new. It yearned to be fed. He released his hand and looked back out to the property.

"I think," I said slowly. "That we should get to know one another."

"I think that's a good idea." We both smiled and stared out at the exquisite view before us. The sun began shining gold colors just behind the mountains.

"I never thought I'd care about this place again," I admitted truthfully. We sat close together, our shoulders touching, as I leaned back on my hands.

"It has a way of capturing those with an open heart," Edward replied. Warmth spread over my body just as the sun peeked over the Rocky Mountains.

My pale skin glowed and Edward's hair shined. Never had my heart pumped so loudly before. Edward cared about me, and that was enough. Then, I frowned.

"May I speak hypothetically?" I asked. I sat upright and he nodded his head.

"What happens if this... becomes something? What do we tell Seth and Jules?"

"The truth. We didn't plan for anything to happen. I accept their growing feelings toward one another, but they're still young, and we're their parents."

"You're right. But I don't think we should say anything until this is more..." I waved a hand in the air between us. "Figured out," I finished.

"Agreed."

Suddenly, we could hear the quiet voices from camp, and the smell of brewing of coffee over an open fire hung in the early morning air. Edward stood up and offered me his hand and I didn't hesitate. My hand reached for his and he pulled me up into whatever it was that we were trying to figure out.

At least we were finally in on it together.

Yay some communication, right?!

As always, thank you Sunflower3759 for your Beta work!

And thank you readers for enjoying this story! I've got something big in the works with Beffers87 ;)