Bella

The very first thought that enters my head upon waking on New Year's Day is that I had way too much champagne last night. I haven't moved a single muscle and my head is already pounding. I tentatively open one eye, then the other, relieved to see minimal light coming through the gap between the curtains. I'm also disappointed to wake up to an empty bed. Sweeping my hair out of my face, I sit up and glance around the room, but Edward's nowhere to be found.

Just as I begin to drift off again, the sound of a key card sliding through the lock jerks me awake. The strong aroma of nice, bold coffee assaults my nose before Edward appears around the corner.

"Morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?"

I lift a hand to my head. "Bit of a headache, but I'm good."

"Just good, huh?" He sets the coffee cups down on the dresser and crawls toward me on the bed.

I snicker, thinking of last night's sinful end. "Maybe a little better than good."

"Just a little?"

"Okay. I feel amazing."

"That's what I thought." He winks and hands me some ibuprofen and a bottle of water from the nightstand.

"When's checkout?" I ask, taking the pills and stretching my slightly sore muscles. They haven't had such a thorough…workout in a while.

"Noon. Are you in a hurry?"

"No." I sigh as his lips move down my neck. "Definitely no hurry."

"Hungry?"

"Mmm."

"Bella?"

"Mmm?"

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"About what?"

"Breakfast. Are you hungry?"

I am. But I also have a different kind of appetite. I try to ascertain which of my needs is greater: food or sex.

"Where'd you go?" he asks.

"Nowhere."

"So…food?"

"I'm a little hungry."

"Good." He jumps up from the bed and disappears around the corner, and within seconds he's back with a tray full of food.

"Where'd you get all this?"

"I ordered it when I went downstairs to find coffee. Told them I'd bring it up myself. I thought you'd prefer brunch in bed to eating in the dining room."

"Aw, that's sweet, cheese-meister."

"Ouch, Bella. I'm wounded."

"Sorry, Mayor McCheese."

"You know you love it."

"Yes, I do. I love everything about you. Now what's under here?" I lift the cover from a plate to find a pile of fluffy French toast, complete with strawberry slices and powdered sugar. I swoon. "Oh, now I love you even more."

We meet Carlisle and Esme in the lobby at noon on the dot. A delicious breakfast followed by a luxurious shower and a playful romp has left me all warm and glowy. If Edward's parents notice the goofy grins on either of our faces, they don't mention it. Thank God.

Since we're leaving tomorrow, we spend New Year's Day with Carlisle, Esme, and Betty at the condo. They take us out for a lovely dinner, and we go to bed early so we can be up with the sun to make our flight.

While leaving Chicago is bittersweet, I'm also dying to see Alice and her new engagement ring, and actually excited to talk wedding plans and details.

But I'm also sad that Edward's family lives so far away. I've really enjoyed seeing them every day. The three of them insisted on accompanying us to the airport, following us all the way to the security gate. Hugs, kisses, a couple of tears, and much love, and we're off. I love the Cullens. Adore them. They're exactly what a girl dreams of when she think of future in-laws. Maybe I'm jumping the gun, but I know Edward wants to marry me, and the feeling is mutual.

Edward stretches and sighs, falling back on our couch. "It's good to be home."

"Yeah. Sad to leave, though."

He shrugs and grabs my wrist, pulling me down with him. "It's always tough to leave family." We're comfortably quiet for a moment before he pulls out the big guns. "Speaking of family, when are we going to visit your mom?"

"We just got home. Let's talk about something else. Even better, let's go wash off the travel ick."

"Can we just sit here for a while?"

"We've been sitting for hours!"

"Are you whining?" he asks with a chuckle, pushing on my shoulders so he can see my face.

"No. But you'll be the one pouting when I take a long, hot shower without you."

"Oh?"

"I might use up all the hot water."

"That would be tragic."

"It really would." I stand and slip my shirt off, leaving a trail of clothing in my wake as I make my way to the master bathroom. I'm already in the shower with the shampoo poured out into my hand when he steps in.

"Allow me," he says as I start to work the suds through my long hair. He moves my hands and replaces them with his, lathering up the shampoo and massaging my scalp. "Feel good?"

"Marvelous."

I tilt my head back into the stream of water to rinse away the suds, then he repeats the whole process with conditioner. "You spoil me. I'll expect stuff like this forever now. Vacations, a necklace from Tiffany's, brunch in bed, washing my hair…"

"Forever, huh?"

I open my eyes to see a smirk on his face. "Well, I mean, as long as you keep me. Because I'm never letting you go."

His hands slide down my body and stop at the small of my back. "Eh, I think I'll keep you around," he says through my favorite grin.

The next day we make plans to meet Alice and Jasper for dinner. They're already seated when we walk in, and Alice waves her arm and bounces in her seat.

"I missed you!" she cries as I wrap her in a hug.

"I missed you, too. Now let me see this ring."

It's a vintage-inspired cushion style, absolutely gorgeous and just so Alice. "It's beautiful," I tell her, laughing at myself as my eyes tear up.

We talk wedding plans throughout dinner. She wants a formal, candlelit wedding. She even shows me some pictures of bridal gowns on her phone. "I haven't gone to try anything on yet. I wanted to wait until you got back. But now that you're here, we really have to get a move on. June is only five months away, and there's no telling what places are still available for the reception, and we'll need to order dresses right away…"

She goes on and on, and her excitement is contagious.

Later, in bed, I put myself in those daydreams about dresses and flowers and legally binding myself to the man I love. I haven't had thoughts like those in a long time. With Mike, I thought about what our wedding would be like, but I wasn't quite as sure about it then. But everything is different with Edward. Instead of it being a scary idea, thinking about marrying him makes me feel high.

"What about March?" Edward asks suddenly, kissing me on the shoulder.

"What about it?" Surely he can't know what I was just thinking.

"I think you promised your mom a visit. March sounds like a good time to do it. I bet it's really nice in California then."

I blow out a long breath. "I know. It just feels weird, having been angry at her for so long. I don't know what to feel now."

"Just stop worrying about it. She's your mom. I'm sure things will be fine once you see her."

"If I could just stop worrying, I would, Edward," I say, finding it difficult to keep the irritation out of my voice. "You have the perfect family. You have no idea what it's like."

"You never know what goes on behind closed doors, Bella. I was a sullen teenager, too. We had our rough patches. It's different when you grow up and move away. Of course parents are happy to see you and dote on you when you visit." He pauses, as though debating whether to continue. "I think you only feel the way you do because you've distanced yourself from them. You've spoken with your mom on the phone a few times recently. She obviously loves you and wants to see you. It's your own fear that's keeping you away."

I bury my face in my pillow and sniff quietly, but he hears it anyway.

"Hey, I didn't mean to make you cry," he murmurs, kissing my hair and trying to nudge me so I'll face him.

"It's not you. It's just the whole damned thing." I wipe a hand across my face and turn over. "You're right. I'm the one who distanced myself from them. Honestly, what business is it of mine what my parents do with their lives? They're adults. They've each done what they wanted, and they're obviously both happier for it." I sniff again. "Maybe if I'd paid better attention instead of being a brat, I would've learned something from that."

He chuckles into my ear. "You're not a brat. I can't even imagine what it's like having your parents divorce when you're an adult. Of course it would give you some insecurities."

"I know I need to grow up and get over it. So yes, Edward. We'll go to California."

"I've never been to California."

"Me neither," I say with a smirk. "It kind of sounds like fun. Aside from being nervous about meeting my mom's new family."

"Well, you don't have to worry about it for another couple of months." Edward pulls me into his arms, and we snuggle down under the covers.

"You're right. I have plenty of time."

"You have all the time you want, love," he says, kissing my hand.

Edward

January goes by so quickly that we barely have time to blink. I grow more and more nervous by the day, having finally decided to propose to Bella on Valentines Day. It might be a cliché, but I figure she might not be expecting it for that very reason. It's a good thing I picked out the ring with my dad while we were in Chicago. Things are busy at the music shop this time of year with people who received the promise of music lessons for Christmas. Once Bella's internship ended, Kate offered her a part-time job, which she hoped would turn to full-time soon. The moments I'm away from her Bella filled with thoughts of her, and the bits of time we have together end way too fast.

I can't explain the apprehension I feel. We want each other forever. I know she'll say yes. But it's an important moment, and there won't be any do-overs. I want it to be perfect. So I plan it out, discussing details with my mom and Jasper. We don't let Alice in on the plans, just as Bella didn't know about her impending engagement.

Though January flies by, the first to weeks of February seem to drag. I get antsy. Keeping secrets from Bella isn't easy. And it's not just because I want to share everything with her. My girl is nosy! If I have a vague phone conversation when she's around, she asks a million questions, under the guise of wanting to know how my parents and Gram are doing.

After all the work and preparation, you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when all my meticulous planning falls through. The extravagant dinner for two. The reservation at a bed and breakfast. All those damned flowers I ordered. Everything goes to shit—no pun intended—because of a stupid little fucker called Norovirus, a horrible illness that makes me want to shoot myself full of drugs and sleep until it passes.

It hits when Bella's busy simmering a very fragrant spaghetti sauce a few nights before Valentine's Day. The scent of what is normally one of my favorite meals suddenly nauseates me hardcore. I flop down onto the couch with a cold cloth over my eyes, hoping it's not a migraine. I haven't had one in a long time.

"Dinner's ready!" Bella calls from the kitchen.

I sit up and groan at a wave of dizziness.

She enters the living room in with two plates of spaghetti. "I thought we could curl up and eat in here. Watch a movie or some— Edward? Are you okay?"

My mouth salivates, and it's not over the dishes she just set on the coffee table. "I don't know."

"You look pale." Her cool hands on my face are soothing, and I lean into her touch. "Oh, babe. You're burning up."

"Shit. I can't get sick."

She's on the phone with my dad when I feel the tell-tale tightening in my jaw. I race to the bathroom and puke everything I consumed all day. It doesn't make me feel any better, though. I'm still nauseated and dizzy. As I swish water around in my mouth and brush my teeth, I hear Bella on the phone, giving Dad the gross details.

"I think he just got sick. Oh. Okay. I will. Thank you, Carlisle. I'll call you tomorrow."

I open the bathroom door to find her standing there with a worried look. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know. It came on really suddenly."

"Your dad said it's probably a twenty-four-hour virus." She runs her hands through my hair as I lie face down on the bed. "You probably caught it from one of those kids you've been teaching."

"Damned kids and their fucking germs."

"I'll get you something for the fever."

She's gone and back again within a minute, handing me a glass of water and some pills. "Here, take these. And drink all of that. Carlisle said it's important to stay hydrated."

I groan between sips of water. "Yeah, yeah."

She rolls her eyes and kisses my forehead. "Just drink the water and get into bed. I'm going to clean the kitchen. I'll be back, okay?"

"Thanks."

"Of course."

I think I'm probably asleep before she even steps foot out of the bedroom.

Bella

"I can't do this, Bella."

"Yes you can, Edward. Just try."

He whimpers as he nibbles on the corner of a piece of dry toast. It's the third day of this awful virus he's caught, and I feel so badly for him, but there isn't anything I or a doctor can do for him. We heard on the news that there's a particularly bad bout of Norovirus going around. Edward's not the only one suffering from constant nausea and vomiting and…other bathroom behaviors I don't want to know anything about. Alice has it, as do Jake and Rosalie and Emmett. I never thought I'd find myself taking care of a sick person so effortlessly. I'm a sympathetic puker. Oddly enough, nursing Edward back to health has been easy.

I might go a little overboard with the bleach and Lysol, though. As much sympathy as I have for him, there's no way I want to catch that sucker.

"See?" I say when he finishes the entire piece of toast. "Not so bad, right?"

He sips from a bottle of Vitamin Water. "Not horrible."

"If you can keep that down, I'll get you another one."

He nods and slumps back against his makeshift bed on the couch. Edward's not the best patient in the world. I guess that comes from being fussed over as a doctor's son.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me," he says. "I'm surprised you haven't run out the door screaming."

"Of course not. I don't have anywhere else to stay."

He throws a pillow at me, and I laugh. "Hey, look at that. You're getting some strength back. You've even got a little color in your cheeks."

"Don't antagonize the weakling," he says, coughing delicately for emphasis before sinking back into the cushions.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Why don't you take a nap? If the toast stays down, I'll make some soup for dinner."

He grins through his pale-faced, red-eyed countenance. "I love you."

I go to him and squeeze his hand, refusing to get close to his face for fear of the horrible germs. "I love you, too. And taking care of you is my pleasure."

I blow him a kiss and promptly go into the kitchen to disinfect my hands and arms with antibacterial soap.