Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight universe and characters.

Chapter 15

BPOV

If I wasn't falling in love with Edward before telling him the truth, it was happening right the fuck now as he remained silent when I knew he was dying to ask me questions about the bomb I just dropped. He didn't press me for answers, and I could only marvel at how incredible he was.

I still thought he was one hell of an idiot for remaining with me rather than heading for the door. If anything spelled out " I'VE GOT ISSUES," it was me telling him about my dead daughter and then not saying another word about it. I couldn't do it though, and I guess Edward was infinitely patient and caring enough not to yammer on. Instead, he simply asked if we should grab a bite to eat before the movie.

"What do you feel like eating?" I asked, shaking my head as if to clear my thoughts.

"Anything," he admitted, "I am starving. What do you feel like eating?"

"God, I'd love a huge plate with a lot of nice cheeses, pickles, crackers, and other stuff."

He shot me a wide grin, "I have never, ever heard of something so simple yet enticing. I was expecting you to say something like Mexican, Thai, or Chinese…a rather broad food request, you know? There's a nice little restaurant by the water that does up a nice cheese plate with pickles and olives, and serves the best bread pudding. It's seafood as well."

"Sounds perfect," I admitted, "Why don't you let me go freshen up a bit and I'll meet you downstairs at the bar?"

He nodded in agreement, and waved at me as he left the room.

I could only imagine what was running through his mind as I raced for the bathroom and began splashing cold water on my face. My hands were just beginning to shake, and I had to calm myself down before I lost it entirely.

I sat on the edge of the tub and inhaled and exhaled slowly and purposefully. I don't know how long I was sitting there, but I heard a gentle tap on the door, and Edward peeked in. He sat down on the side of the tub next to me, and reached for my hand. He traced slow circles around my palm, and I slowly closed my hand around his.

From where we sat, I could look directly into his eyes via the mirror without turning my head.

"I named her after my mother, but we called her Ren. She was very independent, had a great sense of humor and was definitely her own person. She was very athletic and was just… perfect. Then she got sick. I don't really want to go into it, but we tried everything, but nothing worked. In less than 3 months, she was gone."

"How old was she?" he asked, staring at me with an expression I couldn't decipher.

"Fourteen," I replied, "She had just turned fourteen."

He simply looked at me, continuing to rub my hand in comfort. I could see that he wasn't ready to talk, though. I let him mull things over, and I stood up and went to sink and began brushing my teeth. I carefully combed out my hair and looked for my lip balm and applied a thin layer. I turned to him, and he stood up, enveloping me in his arms. I felt like I could stay there for days, but I finally pulled away from him.

"I don't know what to say to everyone," I admitted, "It was hard enough telling you. I can't imagine telling it to every single person in your family."

"You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to," he assured me, holding my hand again as we exited the bathroom and sat back down on the bed.

I was silent, and he leaned over and slowly began undoing my sneakers.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, unable to keep my hand from reaching down and tangling my fingers in his hair.

He slowly peeled off my socks, and I watched as he took off his own shoes and socks and then moved back with him to lie down on our bed. He cradled me in his arms and our eyes locked again. I laid my head down on his chest and was comforted by the strong and steady beat of his heart. He gently stroked my hair, twirling strands in his own fingers and I could feel him take a deep breath to breathe in the scent of me.

"You always smell so delicious," he murmured.

"I feel the same way about you," I admitted, "I love how you smell like both the forest and the ocean."

"Let's take a nap," he suggested, "We're in no hurry, are we?"

"Not at all," I told him, wondering how he knew what I needed most before I did.

I slowly turned and took off my jeans and blouse leaving me in my underwear and camisole. He stripped down to his briefs and t-shirt and we both crawled under the blankets towards each other. There was nothing overtly sexual in the air; just that usual mixture of excitement and mutual attraction. However, it was tempered with his strength and compassion that he showed as he pulled me closer to him, back in the exact same position.

I could feel him twining his hands in my hair while I listened to his blood rush back and forth to his heart. I gently murmured his name and he whispered something back to me, and I drifted off to sleep.

"I'm never Little Spoon," I murmured, waking up with a yawn.

From behind me, I could hear him chuckle, and he drew in a breath as I snuggled back closer to him. He moved his hips away from me discreetly, but I could only smile as I figured out why.

"Hold me," I demanded, and silently he pulled me back to him, gently flipping me so that I was on top of him, and neither of us could stifle our matching groans.

"Hi," I whispered, trying not to move too much as he closed his eyes trying to maintain control.

Hi," he returned, his voice deep with intensity.

Looking into Edward's eyes, it was impossible not to see how he felt about me. It was almost overwhelming, but he reassured me without words, gently running his hands up and down my back. I was unable to stop myself from leaning down and bringing my lips towards his. I knew exactly how he felt in that moment, because suddenly I could imagine my life with him and couldn't imagine my life without him. We just fit together, completely in sync with one another.

He pulled away first, but it was only for him to say to me, "Bella, my love."

From any other guy, I would have laughed. From any other man, I would have thought it was cheesy and maybe creepy. From Edward, it just made sense. From Edward, it suddenly showed me that there were second chances, new possibilities, and something else in live to look forward to, even though she was gone. For the first time in a long time, I felt… happy. I felt needed. With one look at him, I knew I was wanted. Even though it scared the shit out of me, I knew that I had to stop running. I knew that I had to just trust in Edward, and that maybe, everything would turn out all right.