AN: Okay, let me take a second to calm some fears. This is not an angsty story. This is a story about two people who share a similar addiction and are on the road to recovery. Their war stories may be sad, but this is a story of hope and moving forward.

Feel better? :)

Chapter 3

"I have a journal full of reminders of what it cost me," he said softly. "My job. My marriage. Not that it was great, anyway, but she didn't deserve the hell I put her through. I lost my father's respect. My mother's love. I missed the birth of my niece and her first birthday party."

Bella's eyes welled with tears. "I'm sure your mother still loves you."

"You'd lose that bet."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't know why my father still loves me, but he does. He shouldn't. I broke his heart so many times."

They sat in the silence, lost in their own tormented memories, until Bella finally spoke softly.

"Are you still hungry? I could fix a sandwich."

"I raided the snack basket, but yeah, a sandwich sounds good."

Edward followed her toward the kitchen, and she offered him a seat at the island while she grabbed what she needed from the fridge.

"Ham okay?"

"Ham's great, thanks."

Edward watched her as she moved around the kitchen. She was wearing flannel pajamas and her hair was in a ponytail, and still, she was gorgeous.

"So, what's in Port Angeles?"

"Not much," he said, smirking.

Bella laughed. "I know, but trust me. Compared to Forks, it's a metropolis."

Bella put the ham sandwich on a plate and placed it, along with a glass of milk, on the island.

"Thanks," he said. "My family meets in Port Angeles each year for my parents' anniversary. Mom and Dad both grew up there, and they got married in one of the Lutheran churches in town. My mom's dad was the pastor."

"So a mini family reunion? That sounds nice."

"It's torture, actually, but it's just one weekend. I owe them that much."

He took a huge bite of his sandwich, and Bella smiled softly.

"I wonder when that ends," she said. "Will there ever come a time when we don't feel like we owe our souls for all the mistakes we made?"

Edward had often wondered the same thing himself.

"I don't know that I'll ever reach that place," he admitted. "I made a lot of mistakes. According to my mother, most of them are unforgivable."

"Well, your mom sounds . . . great."

"Let me tell ya."

They laughed lightly as Edward finished eating. A comfortable silence filled the air, until he finally pushed his empty plate away.

"Thanks for the sandwich."

"You're welcome." Bella smiled, and for the first time, he noticed a little mole just below her bottom lip. He had the strangest urge to touch it. To kiss it.

"She's wrong, you know."

Edward blinked. "Who?"

"Your mom. Everything is forgivable."

Edward sighed heavily. "She's not wrong. I did something that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"That shouldn't matter. She's still your mother."

"Believe me, Bella. It matters."

He bowed his head, and Bella could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't ready to share his story. So, she decided to share her own.

"My mom died when I was a baby, so she wasn't around to see the mess I made of my life. My dad was amazing, though. He always said, 'You can't save people. You can only love them.'"

"Anais Nin said that," Edward murmured.

"Yeah, Charlie always loved that quote. So that's what he did. He just loved me. It was tough love, though. Nothing worked for years. Not even losing my boyfriend. We were supposed to get married and run the bed and breakfast together. Make it a family business once again. But even Jacob wasn't enough. Nothing was more important to me than the bottle."

"Where's Jacob now?"

"He married a girl named Leah. It was for the best. They're a good match, and Jake and I were never really in love. We were just childhood best friends who thought it'd be fun to get married. I'm glad we didn't get that far, but still, I treated him terribly. He's much better off, and honestly, so am I. He wasn't the one for me. Our friendship is over, though. I regret that."

Edward nodded. He'd been unfair to Tanya, too. No man should feel relieved when his wife has divorce papers delivered to his office, but on that particular day, Edward had been thrilled.

"When did you hit bottom?" he asked quietly.

Sighing softly, Bella stood from the stool and walked over to the window.

"October 31. Halloween. It was a Saturday, and I was cooking dinner for some weekend guests. I had a spatula in one hand and a whiskey bottle in the other. I still don't know how it started, but there was a fire, and . . ."

Edward didn't know why, but he felt the need to be close to her. He slid off the seat and stepped as close as he possibly could, careful not to touch her.

"One of the guests called 911 while another tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher. I was drunk and completely useless. My father arrived, and he stood outside with me as we watched the firemen save the only thing in the world that mattered to me. The kitchen was destroyed, but they were able to contain it before it spread too far. I could have lost it all. That's when I asked my father to take me to rehab." Bella bowed her head as she remembered the night. "He was so relieved. It was the one and only time my father let me see him cry."

Touching her was a necessity now. It was a magnetic force, strong and irresistible, that led his hands to gently brush her shoulders. Edward stepped closer, letting his chest press against her back. Bella stiffened slightly before closing her eyes and melting against him. His strong arms wrapped around her, gentle and warm.

"I nearly killed my sister," he whispered, his voice shaking with emotion. "We were coming home from a company party. We'd both been drinking, but I convinced everyone, including myself, that I was okay to drive. I'm a business man, and I'm good at that . . . I can sell anything, even if it's a lie. We were on the I-5 just outside of Seattle. I took the wrong exit, realized it too late, and swerved back onto the freeway. The mini-van hit us from behind. I was wearing my seatbelt. Alice wasn't. She survived. She needed reconstructive surgery on her face, but she survived."

Bella began to cry softly, and Edward held her tighter against his chest.

"That was my bottom," he murmured, "and it's completely unforgivable."

Bella turned around in his arms. She looked up into his soft green eyes and raised her hand, softly brushing his cheek.

"I bet Alice forgives you."

Edward blinked back his tears. "Yes."

"Because she loves you."

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Bella smiled and took his hand, leading him back to the love seat in the tiny lobby. As they settled onto the couch, Bella reached over and gently wiped away a lone tear that had fallen down his cheek. Her touch was gentle and soft, and he leaned his head against her palm. Edward noticed her tears, too, and he slowly raised his hand, letting his fingertips trail across her face.

"Thank you for telling me your story," Bella whispered.

"Thank you for telling me yours."

He hadn't shared that story with anyone except his family, the police, and his group at AA. He had no idea why it'd been so easy to tell Bella. Maybe it was because she had shared her story first. Maybe, it was because she had the sweetest, brownest eyes he'd ever seen.

Or maybe it was because he'd finally found a kindred spirit.

Edward's eyes flickered to her mouth. He knew in his heart that kissing her would be the wrong thing to do.

"Don't," Bella said softly. "We're emotional and exhausted, and you won't stay."

"You're too sweet. Too tempting," he murmured, sliding his fingers along her cheek. "I've never been good at resisting temptation."

"And I have a very addictive personality," she said. "I don't want to get addicted to your kisses, and to you, and you leave me tomorrow."

"Funny. Leaving is the very last thing on my mind."

Edward traced his fingers along her mouth, and her lips parted. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her closer. Bella's pulse quickened when he dipped his head.

"Just one kiss." It was a quiet plea.

She closed her eyes in defeat.

"Just one," she whispered.

It was the only invitation he needed.