Seven years ago we all went through the flames. And the happiness of some of us since then is, we think, well worth the pain we endured.
Dracula, Bram Stoker
Chapter 28 - Back to Where We Lasted
The ten hour return to London was agony. I was restless, and fidgeted in my seat constantly. Nothing provided a distraction. Rose tried to ply me with drinks in the hopes of taking the edge off, but I didn't want to be hung over when we landed.
I was wound up enough already; I didn't need alcohol to complicate things.
Emmett met us at the baggage claim. Rose went running into his arms, and he spun her around like he hadn't seen her for a month.
A far cry from the last time I was here, when a strange British man in an expensive suit helped me retrieve the scattered remnants of my backpack.
We'd both come a long way since then. It hadn't been easy, and it hadn't been without pain. But I'd finally come to the realization that, even through everything that happened, it had been worth it.
Emmett was whispering in Rose's ear, and she was laughing in response. I knew that I should be happy for them. But my mind was a million miles away, too focused on what I needed to do.
"I'm good, you guys. You go do your thing; I'll take a cab to Edward's."
Emmett's smile was sheepish and sad. "He's not there, Bella."
"What do you mean, he's not there? Is he working?" It was awkward to realize that right now, Emmett knew more about Edward's life than I did.
"He isn't in London."
I'd spent the flight mentally preparing myself for what came next. I had it all mapped out in my head, what I'd say, what I'd do. But I'd forgotten one critical thing. Edward needed to be around for me to do it.
As if sensing my confusion, Emmett slipped his arm around me. "We are going back to Rose's. I want you to take a shower and get cleaned up, and then I'm driving you north. We can talk on the way."
"North?" I was confused. "Where is he, Em?"
"He went home Bella. He's in Whitby."
I could feel my resolve slip away. Of all the scenarios I had played out, not once had I considered that he would go back to Whitby. And the insecure remnants of the old me came floating to the surface. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed it all back down. I'd come too far to give into that now. I wasn't going to run and hide because I was afraid. Once upon a time I might have, but not anymore.
"Come on, we need to get a move on." Emmett grabbed my suitcase in one hand, Rose's carry on in the other. "I have food in the car already. Shower and we are back on the road."
"We?" I sounded like a dim child.
"Yep, I have instructions to get you home, in the shower, and then all three of us are heading north. The Cullens have been warned that the savages were descending."
I was too tired, to addled to process anything more, and followed Emmett and Rose through the terminal to parking. Our drive through London was quiet, and I used the time to try and clear my head. It would be too easy to give in to my imagination.
Better not to think, to try and relax and gather myself.
"I've got your bags. You two go hit the shower." Emmett instructed as he pulled up in front of the building. "I'm giving you one hour. I want to be on the road by 10:30 at the latest."
"Did you know about this?" I asked Rose as I followed her into the apartment.
"Bits and pieces, not all. I think Emmett is legitimately trying to make right the mess he made."
"He had help, Rose. It's not all his fault."
"True, but he needs to fix what he can. He meant well, but dabbling when he should have gone straight to you was not the right thing to do. Now go hit the shower. I'll
have Em put your suitcase in the extra room. There is a duffle bag in there if you want to downsize."
What I really wanted was to stay, to ask more, to try and understand. But a slight nudge towards the bathroom indicated that she wouldn't tolerate any hesitance.
An hour later, we were showered, dressed, and I'd shoved clothes and a small white box into a duffle. Just like my first trip to Whitby, I threw things in haphazardly, not paying attention to whether clothes matched or fit. So long as I had that box, nothing else mattered.
Emmett threw our bags in the back next to his, and I crawled in next to them. A bag of sandwiches, chips and junk food sat on the floor behind his seat.
"Share the wealth; I'll talk as I drive." Emmett instructed as he navigated Saturday morning traffic.
He didn't launch in to conversation until we were well outside of London.
"Look, Bella, I don't know how to begin to apologize for what happened. I know that you were pissed off about us talking behind your back, but you have to understand that we really meant well."
Strangely, I didn't feel the same flare of anger I had when Edward had said something similar. Maybe it was time, maybe it was proximity. Maybe it was the context.
"I just wish one of you would have said something to me instead of plotting behind my back."
"That's not fair." Emmett glanced back at me in the rearview mirror. "I did try and talk to you, you know? That day at Rose's."
"And I told you I was fine, didn't I? Did you think I was lying, Em?"
He was quiet for a few minutes, processing his thoughts.
"I didn't know what to think, Bella. You were having melt downs left and right from what I heard. You kept your cool that day, but you seemed different somehow, and it worried me."
"Tell me how, Emmett? How was I different? Because I pushed? Because I didn't give in to what you guys wanted?"
"Yeah, that was a lot of it."
I shook my head and looked out the window. "Emmett, hadn't you both been encouraging me to stand up for what I wanted, to not back down? That's exactly what I did."
Emmett sighed and ran his hand across his jaw. "I realize that now, Bella. At the time, I was so focused on what I perceived to be your volatility and your recent accident that I didn't take into account the changes that had started before hand. Neither did he."
At last. We'd finally reached the 800 pound gorilla in the room.
"The emotional volatility was legit, Em. I'll give you that. But I had a handle on it before I went to Chicago. Jasper wouldn't have given me the thumbs up if I hadn't been ready."
"Yeah, that is a little bone of contention amongst their family right now. I feel sorry for both Edward and Jasper, as it sounds like Alice reamed both of them. Edward for pulling what he did, Jasper for getting everyone wound up, then failing to communicate the emotional improvements that he saw in the last week. I think Edward lit into Jasper pretty badly. He needed someone to lash out at, and Jasper was an easy target."
I shook my head and looked at the window, not sure to feel about that fact.
"Look, Bella, Em fucked up. But I think it was out of legitimate concern. Hell, it was for all of them. They weren't trying to control or hurt you."
"I know that, Rose. And I realize that I exacerbated the situation. I managed to find a way to become comfortable in my own skin here, which included a lot of changes. I think ultimately that was just as much of a contributor as anything Em could have said. There are also some things that Edward needed to deal with that fed the situation. No one was completely innocent, yet no one was totally culpable either."
Using water as an excuse to be quiet for a moment, I took a sip, and focused on screwing the top back on the bottle.
"Something changed that night, Em. Something…oh hell, I don't know…it's like it flipped. I feel like in a way, I sucked the strength right out of him."
Emmett snorted a laugh. "You really need to diversify your reading list. No one can do anything to you that you don't allow. You both had some shit to figure out. It sounds like you have yours covered. And last time I talked to Edward, he was getting there. Now you two need to put the past behind you and move on."
"When did you become Yoda?" I teased.
"Do or do not, there is no try," Emmett responded with a grin.
I flipped him the bird and went back to looking out the window. It sounded melodramatic, but it Emmett was right. Would it be possible for us to leave what happened behind and find a middle ground? Somewhere that we could both be the best of who we were, and bring out the best in each other?
Rose seemed to pick up on my need for introspection, and distracted Emmett with stories about work. I had every intention of stewing on what Emmett had revealed, but the long flight, the nerves, and the adrenaline crash had other plans. I quickly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
"Hey, Bella. Wake up. We are here sleepy head."
Rose was gently shaking my arm. I looked around, slightly discombobulated as to where we were.
A large sandstone building loomed in front of me. The front door was open, a petite pretty woman with light brown hair stood in the doorway.
We were at Dunsley Hall.
I sat up, looking around the courtyard.
There was no black Aston Martin.
"Oh, Bella, honey I am so happy to see you." Esme held her arms out to me. I don't know why, but I rushed into them like a long lost friend. She rocked me back and forth gently, smoothing my hair down.
"I told you that you'd always be welcome here," she whispered to me. "You room is all made up. Go drop off your things."
I let her rock me back and forth for a few more minutes, enjoying the sense of calm and peace.
"Esme, I need to find him."
"Honey, think. You know exactly where he is."
Shaking my head, I had to laugh. We'd come full circle yet again.
"The only thing that could make this more ironic would be if he got lost in the maze and cut his hand."
She smiled and squeezed me once more before letting me go. "He'd never get lost in the maze, he knows it too well. And while he didn't cut his hand, he did leave a nice divot in the wall one evening after a phone call from Jasper. Damn hot tempered boy."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Emmett chimed in.
I apologized to Esme, and introduced her to Rose and Emmett. She immediately went to Emmett and gave him a huge hug.
"I've heard all about you. I've been told I am supposed to call you Redneck. Roll with it, okay?" Esme turned to Rose, reaching out to touch her face. "The beautiful, brave, loyal Rosalie. Edward's description didn't do you justice."
It's rare to see Rose speechless, yet in that moment, she truly was. Emmett slipped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, whispering something in her ear. She buried his head in his chest in response.
My friends were happy. They had figured it out. Things were finally falling into place. And now it was time for me to do the same thing.
"Esme," I interrupted, impatient to get moving. "I need to go find him, but I don't think I am a spot where I can drive yet. As embarrassing as it is, would you mind dropping me off in town?"
"Carlisle went round back to get a car when we heard you pull up. Drop your bag upstairs, by the time you get back down he should be ready to go."
Curiosity made me want to ask how Carlisle knew I couldn't drive. But common sense trumped. Edward would have discussed my injuries with Carlisle. They were both physicians. It was human nature.
And Carlisle, just like Edward, would take it upon himself to step in and provide a safe option. Damn doctors.
I grabbed the duffle bag out of the back of Emmett's car, and ran up the steps to my room.
Our room.
There was a shirt draped over the back of a chair. A vase of wild roses on the mantle. And the marked up copy or Rebecca lying just where I remembered it.
A note was propped up against the vase, handwriting I'd recognize anywhere;
I lied. Please come back to me.
Tossing my bag on the bed, I dug until I found the small white box I stashed inside. My safe deposit box had held everything in the world that had legal or emotional value to me. Including this.
Holding it tight in my hand, I ran downstairs, shouting out a rushed goodbye. I didn't wait for a response.
A white Land Rover idled in the courtyard. Carlisle sat in the driver's seat, sporting dark sun glasses and a polo shirt. The image was quite at odds with the last time I'd seen him.
"You look rather urban chic. What happened to the country gentleman look?" I teased as I climbed in the car.
"The country gentleman played golf this morning. You ready to knock that lummox upside the head a few times? I am tired of him moping around my house. He's drinking all the good scotch."
Our drive down into Whitby was quiet. I'd half expected Carlisle to launch in with the questions. How was I, what had happened, how could I have left Edward and gone back to the States. All the things that I would have asked the woman who ran off and left a path of destruction in her wake.
But Carlisle didn't say a word. He drove through town and up the hill to the ruins. He didn't acknowledge my clear anxiety as I fidgeted in the seat, drummed my fingers on the armrest, or sighed anxiously.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw Edward's car, sitting alone at the end of the row. It was framed by dark clouds on the horizon.
"He promised me that I would get to watch a storm roll in off the sea. He has to make good on that promise." I whispered to myself.
The moment the car stopped, I threw open the door, ready to run up the hill towards the hulking ruin in front of me.
"He loves you, Bella." Carlisle called after me. "More than I think he understands or is comfortable with. He doesn't know how to feel out of control. But he also doesn't know who he is if he's not with you."
"We're a good pair then, Carlisle. I'm not sure how often I'm in control. Maybe that's why we balance out."
Carlisle pulled away, leaving me in the parking lot by myself.
I stared up at the abbey, taking in the empty windows and jagged rocks. It was just as dark and foreboding as it had been the last time we were here. But that was the only thing that stayed the same. This time, I wasn't here to chase my own personal demons. I was looking for salvation.
I could see him, sitting in the grass close to the cliff's edge. His arms were extended behind him in support as he leaned back. The wind ruffled his hair, tossing it gently to and fro in the breeze.
Thousands of miles and hours of thinking, and I wasn't sure how to approach him.
Just as I was about to call out, a song broke the silence of the late afternoon. It was tinny, as if the speaker on the cell phone couldn't do Lenny Kravitz justice.
Edward sat up, and flipped open the phone.
"Are you here? Is she on her way?"
"She's right behind you."
Edward's head whipped in my direction, the phone dropping from his ear.
"I'm guessing by the fact that you asked 'is she on her way' and the American Woman ring tone that you are talking to Rose. We can call her back."
Edward flipped the phone shut and dropped it on the grass beside him. He didn't move to stand, but his eyes never left my face.
"Actually, it was Esme. Rose is Barracuda." A hint of a smile played across his face.
"Do you mind if I sit down?" I asked, not waiting for him to grant permission. I dropped down onto the grass, bending my knees, and crossing my ankles. My arms went around my legs involuntarily, more out of a need for somewhere to place them than for a sense of protection. My left hand grasped my right wrist to form a loop. My free hand was squeezed into a fist to protect the precious item I'd pulled from my bag.
Neither of a spoke for a long time. We stared at each other, taking in the changes, some easily visible, others inferred.
"You don't look like a doctor. Where's your stethoscope?"
"What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. A kid said it to me at the hospital a few weeks ago. I promised myself that I'd use it on you sometime."
"That's pretty lame, Edward."
"Consider the source material, Isabella."
We lapsed into another awkward silence.
"Look…" He started, but I cut him off.
"No, me first. I've had almost a full day of traveling to figure this out, so let me go first."
I shifted, so that I could lean my head against his shoulder, and closed my eyes.
"You were partially right, and you were partially wrong," I started, my voice shaking a bit. "I did pretty damn well. Except for when I screwed up and said Edward instead of Arthur. Fortunately my advisor stopped me before I could really fuck up."
"That wouldn't have been when you were talking about him stabbing Lucy in the heart, would it?"
"No. Actually, it was just before that, when Lucy was trying to lure Arthur in. Good thing Dr. Banner caught it and stepped in, or else I might have ended up telling everyone that I shagged you senseless." I paused, debating how to continue. "Look, Edward, I never stopped to think about how things looked from your perspective. I probably would have questioned some of my rather out of character actions too."
"I was so torn, Bella. I was walking a fine line between what I saw in you and what I'd been told by others."
"Did you really think that if I left that I wouldn't come back?"
He sighed and shifted his gaze out to the horizon. "It was never an issue of thinking you didn't want to come back. It was what would happen if you couldn't"
I sat quietly, waiting for him to continue.
"So you are Dr. Swan now, eh?"
"Yes I am. I am also Dr. Swan who has an in person interview about a research position at a literary foundation in London on Wednesday. I did a short phone interview with them yesterday morning, and it seems like a good fit."
"I'm glad for you. It sounds like everything is falling into place like you said it would. I should have had more faith in you when you said that it would all work out."
There was another lull in conversation as we watched the waves break.
Taking a deep breath, I decided that it was time to lay it all on the line. "I don't know if everything is falling into place. Yes, I got my doctorate, but it felt hollow without you there. I kept imagining what you would have looked like if you'd been there. But it's probably a good thing that you weren't."
I reached down to pull out a handful of grass. Extending my arm, I opened my palm so that the wind could catch the blades and carry them away.
"One of the last questions they hit me with was about sexual and emotional manipulation. I'd been thinking a lot over the previous days as to how much our relationship paralleled relationships in the book, and my response really crystallized something about us. I accused you of manipulating me emotionally, and I do still think in a way that you did, but I realize now that it was never malicious. More out of self preservation than anything."
I pulled up another tuft of grass and extended my palm, letting the blades float away. Maybe it was a naïve way of trying to let the fear and hurt go with it.
"But I also get now that I was just as bad. You were worried about me, and my actions that night probably came off as completely crazy, and my response after just as
manipulative. I couldn't see it until I had the distance and perspective to think rationally."
My hand dropped back to the ground, fisting into the grass. "All I wanted to do that night was make you feel like I did. I wanted to throw you off balance and make you experience what it felt like to be out of control and totally consumed. Make you realize how much I really did love you. And in doing that, I made things a thousand times worse than they should have been. And then I couldn't reach you, and I couldn't not go back, because if I didn't go back, then we couldn't go forward."
The words were spilling out faster now, and tears filled my eyes. It hurt to admit my culpability in everything. But I had to in order to make things right again.
"When I was in Chicago, I came to realize how much my life here, my time with you, has changed everything about me. I've never really stood up to anyone before I met you. Rose, but that was really it. I never had the courage to do things on my own, or to take the big risks. That's all because of you. You make me want to live, Edward. To go outside of the safe zone, color outside the lines, I don't care how you say it. You've given me the strength to dig in and try. I never had that before. I am the person sitting here today because of your influence."
Giving a sharp tug, I pulled another chunk of grass up, but Edward's hand on my wrist prevented me from releasing it into the wind.
"Is this the sitting outdoors variation of peeling the label off a beer bottle?" He asked quietly.
I laughed and shook my head. "I guess I am a little nervous."
"Don't be." He released my wrist, and pulled his knees up to mirror my posture. "I probably have just as much, if not more reason to be nervous. I was a git, and I handled everything wrong. I'd gotten all wound up from talking with Jasper, and never stopped to check in on your progress. I didn't realize that you were doing better, and hit the panic button when I thought you might leave. He had me so worried that you would fail and be stuck in the States and that I'd lose you…"
"Like you lost Maggie." I finished the sentence for him.
"Initially, yes. But then I realized that I was using Maggie as a bit of an excuse. I never had to give up anything, never had to sacrifice. I slotted you into my life easily. You were the one giving up everything, taking 98% of the risks. The only risk I ever had was losing you, and I pretty much messed that one up on my own. That's when I
realized that I you are a scrapper and that there were things in your life that predated me that you needed to do. I may not have offered to give up my country or my home, but I gave up my stupid immature need to hold on to you so tight that you'd never get to fly."
He stared out at the horizon for a long time. I could see the muscle working in his jaw, and I knew enough to realize that he was processing his thoughts. He'd talk when he was ready.
"I've always been in control, Bella. I save people. I always have the answers. But I don't have any of that when I am with you. And it doesn't matter. But it's scary to have faith in that when you aren't here. I guess I am the one that needs to have more faith in the things I can't control. You say that you love me, and that should be enough for me. I need to figure out a way to trust that."
I squeezed my fist tighter, feeling the cut of metal in my hand as validation of the decision I made earlier.
"It probably hasn't helped matters that you and I are great at talking and confrontation, but seem to shy away from what's really on our mind. If this is going to work, Edward, we both need to get over that."
A faint trace of a smile graced his face. It was nice to see.
"I had the same thought." He responded. "I'll admit that I've distracted you in the past to keep from talking about things. Although I can tell you now, there is no way in hell I will ever give up baiting you. It's part and parcel to who we are."
"I wouldn't expect you to. Just know that I may dish it back now too. I'm not little wimpy Bella anymore. I think I know how to push back now."
"Now that is something that I'll enjoy seeing."
Tightening my fist one final time, I took a deep breath and launched into the thoughts I had collected on the flight.
"There are a lot of things we've never talked about, marriage being one of them. In some ways, I feel like I know you better than anyone, but in other ways, I don't know you at all. That's not good or bad, it's simply the truth." I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts. "There are a million and one unknowns in my future, but there are two things that I have absolutely certainty about."
I dropped my knees to the side so that I could turn to face Edward.
"Knowing you has made me a better, stronger person. I never really thought about whether or not I like myself. When I look back on it, I didn't like the person I was before I met you. And as much hell as we've been through, I understand now that it was all necessary to get me to a place where I liked who I am. That started here, with you."
Edward continued to stare out at the water.
"Look at me, please?" I was scared, and I needed some sort of response, or reassurance from him before I continued.
He dropped his forehead on his arms for a moment, and then turned his head so that he was facing me.
"Hi," I said quietly.
He didn't answer, but his smile was brilliant enough to give me that subtle little push forward.
"I brought something back. Something that is important to me. And I want you to have it. I'm not putting any type of label on it, because my obsession with labels and rules and structure is what got me in a lot of trouble in the past. Life is more complicated than I gave it credit for, and I am accepting that and rolling with it from now on."
I squeezed my fist one final time and launched in.
"My grandfather gave me my first copy of Dracula. I was twelve. He knew that I loved all things scary, and wanted to give me something that would develop my brain. I laughed at him at the time, but he told me something that has always stuck with me. He said 'Bella, you never know how the things that you learn might influence the path you take in life. For all you know, this book could change your life.''
Raising my arm, I turned my fist over and opened it to reveal what I held in the palm of my hand.
"In a way, he was right. It did change my life, because without it, I don't know if I would have met you. So it only seems right that I give you this." I tried to keep my hand still, but my nerves betrayed me. "It only seems appropriate given he set me on this path to begin with."
Edward's gaze lingered on my hand for a moment, before shifting to face me.
"I thought about it for a long time, and I can't think of anyone else I'd want to have it. I don't know where life is going to take us, and I mean what I said about staying away from labels, but take the intent of what it represented to my grandparents as sincere."
He reached out to retrieve the gold band. His hand was as unsteady as mine.
"What should I do with it?" He asked, uncertainty coloring his words.
"What do you want to do with it?" I knew what I wanted, but I couldn't ask that. It needed to be his decision.
Edward studied the ring in his hand for a long moment, before slipping it onto the ring finger of his left hand.
"Look at that, it fits." He extended his fingers so that the little bit of light left in the day could refract off the band. "Is that a sign that it was meant to be?"
"No, that's on the inside of the band." I grasped his hand and flipped it over so that I could run my finger along the band. "I always thought my dad was named after my grandfather, since they were both Charlie's. But I was wrong. Look inside."
Edward frowned and slipped off the ring. He held it up, rotating it until he saw the inscription.
"E+I?" He asked, confused.
"I was named after my grandmother. His name was Eric."
Edward studied the ring for a moment longer before slipping it back on his finger. "Don't you ever tell Alice; she'll never let this go."
"Actually, I had it engraved earlier in the week. A little leap of faith if you will. Not even I would believe something that corny."
It drew the first legitimate laugh out of Edward that I'd heard in weeks.
"So what happens now?" He asked.
"Immediately, I think we go back and hang out with our friends. I haven't done that in a really long time, and I really missed it."
"And then?"
"Well, I'd say it depends on what you have packed in the front pocket of your bag," I quipped, feeling more confident in the tone of our exchange. "But we both know that you don't have to travel prepared anymore."
"I meant longer term, Bella."
The trace of hope was there. We hadn't solved everything, and there was still a lot of work to be done, but we were in it together.
"I go on an interview and hopefully land a job or two. You go back to work. I buy you some books so that you can finally know what a lemony snicket is."
"Are you coming home with me?"
"Home is with you, Edward. It always will be. But I want to do this the right way, which means going slow. I'm going to move my stuff into Rose's for now."
"But we both know that you'll probably be at my place most of the time."
"Is that a question or a statement?"
"Bella, it can be whatever you want it to be."
"Does that mean I actually get a key?"
He took a playful swipe at me, flipping my hair off my shoulder.
"Depends on what's in it for me."
"I'll give you your tie back…" I offered. He hadn't mentioned the picture, and I was curious as to whether or not he'd actually gotten it.
"No, keep it. I kind of like knowing that I am in your trousers, although I'd like to think I'm more the type to take them off than hold them up."
He stood and brushed off the front of his jeans, then extended his hand
"Well then, I guess we should get moving, shouldn't we?"
"I guess we should." I grabbed hold, and he pulled me upright and into his arms.
"I missed you. And I'm sorry about everything. I'd say that I want to take them all back, but I don't want to for fear of ruining anything in the future," he whispered into my hair.
He didn't need to elaborate. I understood what he meant. And maybe someday, he would ask again. And mean it.
Someday.
"I love you, Isabella. You know that don't you?"
I tightened my grasp around his waist. This was home. Everything else would come.
"I love you too Edward. And more importantly, I need you. I've never really needed anyone before. Or allowed myself to."
What I didn't say, but what we both knew, was that there were different types of need. Physical, emotional, intellectual. When all wrapped up together, they formed an unbreakable bond. We wouldn't be without our challenges. That's not the reality of life. But we'd face them together.
In the end, that's all that either of us could ask for.
"Come on, I hate to think what Emmett and Esme might get up to together. Poor Carlisle is probably apoplectic." Edward teased as we walked hand in hand toward the car.
"Oh, say that again. I like the way that sounds."
"Apoplectic? Are you daft?"
"Watch it! I had a traumatic brain injury, bud." I bumped my hip against his, throwing him off balance. "Actually, there are just certain words that I like to hear you say."
We'd reached his car, and he twirled me around so that my back was pressed up against the passenger door.
"Really. Well, truth be told, there are a few things I am partial to hearing you say as well."
"Such as?"
He grinned at me. "I'll tell you tonight. I had Esme put Emmett and Rosalie at the other end of the house. That way I don't have to worry about what anyone might overhear."
"You aren't going to tell me?"
Edward dipped his head down, and kissed my throat. I let out a small sigh in reaction.
"That's one. I can think of probably five or six more, but you'll have to wait."
"I'm not a patient woman, Edward."
He grinned at me and walked around the car.
"That's what I love about you. Now, do you remember how to work a manual transmission?"