Edward

I've been told, in no uncertain terms, read, threatened by my sister, that if I screw things up with Bella, Jessica is going to disown me and adopt Bella into our family. And somehow, my older sister doesn't understand why that makes me more nervous than I already was at seeing Bella today.

We agreed to meet in her town so she'd feel more comfortable, but as I was getting ready for bed last night, Bella called me, and I panicked, thinking she was going to cancel.

"No, I was just thinking, and you can say no, but—"

"What's going on, Bella?" I'm sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

She sighs. "I've had a reporter trying to talk to me. He was outside my condo, so I'm with my parents. I was hoping we could meet somewhere, anywhere, else."

"Are you all right? Have you called the cops?" I ask immediately.

Bella laughs. "My dad's a retired Highway Patrol officer. I called the cops. I just … feel weird being around here, if that makes sense. Didn't you feel that way?"

Pulling myself to lean against my headboard, I sigh. "I absolutely felt that way. I just didn't have a bunch of videos of me partying at my reception floating around the internet. We don't … we don't have to meet up tomorrow. It's okay."

"No! No, I want to. Just not in Norfolk." Her voice is tense, and I wonder how hard this past week has really been for her.

"This may sound ridiculous, but what about Williamsburg?" I offer, reaching for my iPad and pulling up Google.

Bella snorts. "Like, Colonial Williamsburg, or did you have something even more specific?"

"It could be fun. I've never actually been there." I pull up the website and look at tickets.

"Not even for a school trip? Are you from here?" she asks, and I laugh.

"We're transplants. We came here because Mom was in the service."

"Oh, right. Well, you lucked out. It was incredibly boring when I was a kid." Bella laughs, "They made us churn butter. It was a nightmare."

"I don't see anything about that, but they do have something that looks like a witch trial," I tell her and pull the phone away as she squeals.

"I'm in! Should we just drive together? It's like an hour away." She offers to drive if I pick up coffee on the way to her parents.

So, that's how I find myself walking up to the front door of a smart Craftsman not far from the Ocean View Golf Course. Just before I can ring the bell, Bella pops out of the front door with a bright red coat and a small backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Hi!" She smiles brightly, and I'm so struck by her exuberance and the sheer fact that we're standing face to face again that I freeze. "Edward? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just really happy to see you." I step toward her but stop myself before I do something we might both regret.

"I'm happy to see you too." She blushes before reaching up to grab the collar of my coat, pulling me down for a quick kiss. "Now that's out of the way, let's get going."

Bella grabs my hand, dragging me off the porch and over to her car. "Where's the coffee?"

"I left it in my car. I'll grab it while you warm up." I jog over to my car, grab the coffee, and take a deep breath. I think the ride to Williamsburg should give us enough time to talk about what's going on.

I'm thrilled that Bella tried to break the tension between us by kissing me, but frankly, we're probably moving too fast. I know that's a relative concept, but it's something she and I should discuss. An hour's drive should give us enough time.

Bella's Jeep is warmed up when I climb in and pass over her drink. She takes a sip and smiles. "Thanks for the coffee. Ready?"

"Sure, but can we talk on the way there?" I'm a little hesitant. I don't want to come off too eager, but I also don't want for us to get trapped in a situation where we somehow end up rebounding with each other.

She side-eyes me as she backs out of the driveway. "Gosh, Edward, I thought we'd sit in uncomfortable silence the whole way there."

Chuckling, I angle my body toward her a little. "I just mean … Can we talk about whatever it is we're actually doing. I like you, Bella. I think I've made that obvious, but—"

"But I just got out of a very serious, very long-term relationship very recently." She nods as she makes her way to the highway. "I don't want a rebound, Edward. I don't even know if I really want to be in a relationship, period."

Those words sting just a little, but I shake them aside. "What do you want?"

"I know I want to spend time with you. I like you, and I like your family. I feel welcomed and comfortable. Not that I'm lacking in that department; my family is amazing. My parents can't wait to meet all of you." Bella looks over and smiles as soon as we merge onto the highway. "But if this is about the kiss, I won't apologize for kissing you. I wanted to. I wanted to see if I felt the same way I did last week. I do. Do you not feel that way anymore?"

She reaches for her coffee in the holder, but I catch her hand, cradling it in mine. "I do. I just don't want—"

"For us to make a mistake?"

"Yeah." Squeezing her hand, I release her. "Kate stopped by my work the other day." From this vantage point, I can see Bella's eyebrows shoot into her hairline.

"Did she now? How was that?"

I give her the play by play, and while it doesn't directly have anything to do with what's between us, Bella reads through the lines. "You finally got some closure. How does it feel?"

I shrug. "Unnecessary, but I guess I'm grateful. I didn't think I had any lingering thoughts about Kate, but whatever was left has been put to rest."

She's quiet for a few miles until she finally sighs. "I feel like I've gotten all the closure from Garrett that I'm going to get, and I have to learn to be okay with that. But maybe you're right about moving too quickly."

I'm relieved to hear this, mostly because I want to get to know her without the weight of her failed relationship hanging over us. "I think it's for the best if we take things slowly. I don't want to screw anything up."

We agree to take a few steps back and move into the friendship territory once again by the time Bella pulls into the visitor center and finds parking. "Let's see if we can't find you some butter to churn."

The whole day is spent learning about Colonial times, being led around by historical actors, and trying not to crack jokes at anyone's expense. When I tell Bella that we never did any of the touristy stuff in the area, she seems downright scandalized. "I mean, everyone else in the family has at some point by now, but I've never taken the time to do much." I shrug as we make our way into the restaurant where I made a reservation on the fly last night.

"Edward, this place might be out of my league," Bella says lowly as I guide us to the host stand and give my name. "There's a dress code."

"I didn't realize," I say quietly as the host finds my name and tells us we still have about a 10-minute wait. "We can go somewhere else."

Bella has her phone out and squeaks. "A burger is almost forty bucks! I don't know …"

"Tell you what? You were giving me such a hard time about never having gone to Busch Gardens. Dinner's on me tonight, and you take me there. Deal?" I look down at her eagerly.

"I thought we were going to take things slowly?" She smiles up at me.

"Yeah, well, friends can pay for dinner and pay for theme park tickets, right?"

She laughs. "Okay, but we're going soon, and I'm taking you to the waterpark during the summer. Deal?" She extends her hand for me to shake.

When I grab it, there's a change in the air around us. We're comfortable and familiar with each other, but now, at this time, something changes. I can feel a sharp jolt up my arm and hit me right in my gut, and I just know. She's the real deal. If the look in her eyes is any indication, she felt something similar. "Deal." The host calls my name, and I drop her hand. "Let's go eat some forty-dollar burgers."