A/N: First of all, I apologize to you all for the epic fail in getting this chapter up and posted. About a month ago, I started a new job which has really knocked me for a loop. Now I know why usually young people start new jobs, LOL! But now that I'm a bit settled in and feeling better, I am back with another piece of Bella, Edward, and Matt's story. I hope you guys enjoy! And remember, reviews are like chocolate to me!

Thanks, as always, to my fabulous beta, Jenny Cullen, aka Jenrar, for being so patient with my ramblings! You are the best!

And I must give cyber hugs to my ficwife, EternallyCullen, whom I have not seen very much of since this new job started. You're never far from my thoughts! If you are looking for some more good reading, check out their profiles!

Bella's eyes widened as she watched Edward's face come closer to her. He was going to kiss her, she just knew it. What food she had managed to ingest was swirling in her stomach as she was attacked by nerves. What do I do… what do I do? she thought frantically, as she watched his mouth come closer to hers.

She didn't want to do anything wrong, so she let her eyes drift shut and patiently waited.

Edward stopped millimeters from her lips, his warm breath washing over the delicate skin. "Bella?" he whispered.

She opened her eyes to see his green ones boring into hers. She suddenly forgot how to breathe. "Yes?" she squeaked.

He reached up and brushed a lock of her hair behind her shoulder, allowing his fingers to trail down her bare arms. She shivered at the sensation. "You don't know how much I want to kiss you right now."

Bella sucked in a gasp of air. "Then what's stopping you?" she asked bravely, but the quavering of her voice betrayed her attempted bravado.

He smiled softly at her and stroked her cheek with his fingers. "Bella, you are so beautiful." He scooted a bit closer on the blanket and leaned into the small space so his lips finally connected with hers.

She suddenly felt as if she was touching an electric fence, as bolts of electricity shot through her limbs and settled in her stomach, making her feel as if a hundred butterflies had been set loose inside of her. She sat very still for a few seconds, and then tentatively reached up and ran her hand around to the nape of his neck, shuddering at the silky strands of his hair that she was winding through her fingers.

Edward had her face cradled in his hand, and he continued to apply pressure upon her mouth, thrilling at the tingling sensation that was coursing throughout his body. Bella's lips were warm and so soft pressed up against his. He heard a faint moan in her throat, and that spurred him on further, as he deepened the kiss.

Bella thought she could just kiss Edward Cullen all day long. Her kisses with James had always been rougher and demanding, whereas Edward was being soft and gentle. It was causing delicious sensations to flicker all through her.

Too soon, Edward pulled back, and she opened her eyes, staring back into his green ones. They did not speak for several moments, but just stared at each other, the moonlight throwing their features into shadowed relief and the lights of Port Angeles twinkling down below.

It was almost magical.

Bella didn't know what to say, so she just smiled at him slightly.

"Um… that was… that was nice," he stammered, his breathing slightly accelerated.

"It was nice," she said softly.

He smiled at her, causing her already fluttering stomach to turn flip flops.

"We'll have to do that again sometime," he said lightly, causing her to chuckle.

"Yes, we will."

He grinned at her and tentatively pulled her close to his side. The air was beginning to chill, and he didn't want Bella to get cold. At least, that's what he told himself for justification. It didn't have anything to do with how the moonlight glinted off of her hair or how her smile lit up her entire face. Of course not.

He just didn't want her to be cold.

Yeah, right.

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, before Bella spoke. "I probably should be getting back. It's getting late."

He nodded, yet made no move to stand up. "Yeah, it is."

Bella continued to revel in the warm embrace she was wrapped in. It had been so long since she had been held for comfort. Ever since she had given birth to Matt, she had been the comforter, the caretaker. It felt odd – in a good way – to be the recipient.

They continued to look out over the sparkling lights of Port Angeles, while gently holding each other.

Finally, Bella broke the silence. "Edward, I really do need to get back." She hated the idea of leaving their quiet little nest, but she had been up since four that morning and was beginning to run out of steam. Plus, even though Charlie had told her to wait for a while before picking Matt up, she didn't intend to leave him there all day, so she needed to be getting some sleep pretty soon.

He squeezed her to his side and brushed his lips across her temple. "Okay. Let's go," he said, finally standing up and pulling Bella to her feet.

They quickly picked up all of their picnic items, along with any trash in the area. Edward put the picnic basket in his trunk, and then helped her into the Volvo, shutting her in securely. Within a few moments, they were slowly traveling down the gravel road back to the highway.

"So," Edward started, unable to wipe the grin off of his face, "are you free tomorrow?"

Bella was surprised. She had not expected him to want to see her again so soon, but then she realized she hadn't actually thought past their first official date. "Um… just in the early morning. Matt's going fishing with my dad, but then I had planned on picking him up soon after that. I'm not accustomed to being away from him for so long, so I begin to feel kinda lost when he's not home." She smiled softly at the thought of her son.

Edward reached over and entwined his fingers with hers, gripping gently. He heard her breathing accelerate slightly. "Well, I was wondering if you and Matt would be interested in going to Seattle with me to the zoo."

"You already had plans to go to the zoo tomorrow?" she asked with a laugh. The mental image of a dapper Edward Cullen wandering through the primate house was giving her the giggles.

He shrugged. "Only if you and Matt accompany me. It would be boring all by myself." He turned his eyes on her, displaying the best puppy dog look he could muster. "Please?"

Bella grinned at him, the car illuminated only by the dash lights. "Well, Matt won't be home until around noon, so that would probably be too late to get started, but how about Sunday? I'm sure you have some school work you need to concentrate on." She hated the idea of monopolizing his time when he needed to be focusing on school.

He lifted their conjoined hands to brush his knuckles lightly over her cheek. "That sounds great. We could even go up tomorrow night and get a great hotel room. Can Matt swim?"

She felt her mouth go completely dry at the idea of sharing a hotel room with Edward. She didn't know if she was ready for that yet or not. "Um…"

"Don't get the wrong idea, Bella," he said quickly, catching on to what was bothering her. "That's not what I had in mind. I just thought that it would be easier to go up the day before, let Matt play in the pool for a while, and then we could go to the zoo early. I know you'll have to go to work on Monday and want to be back home early on Sunday."

Bella nodded, feeling her face blush crimson in embarrassment. She had not meant to imply anything, but Edward made her nervous, although it was somewhat exciting. However, she was unsure of how to deal with all of the feelings and emotions he had brought to the surface, so she wisely kept silent, not wanting to dig herself further into a hole.

"Yeah, that sounds great. And yes, he can swim."

Edward smiled over at her. "Excellent. I'll pick you both up around three tomorrow afternoon, then, and we can head to Seattle. I'll make the reservations when I get home."

She returned his smile. "That sounds wonderful."

They were just pulling up in front of her apartment building, and Edward walked her inside. They stood outside her door, and she fiddled with her keys, not sure how to end the evening. So much had happened that evening. "Well…" she started.

He reached up to run his fingertips lightly down her cheek. "Good night, Bella. I had a wonderful time with you tonight. It was nice to get to know you better."

Bella looked up at him through her lashes. "Yes, I had a nice time, too. Thank you, Edward, for everything."

"You're welcome." He then leaned forward and brushed his lips softly against hers. "Night."

"Good night," she whispered, and then quickly let herself into her apartment.

She had done it. She had made it through her first official date and had an exciting future to look forward to. Hopefully, things would only improve from here.

xXx

Bella lay in her bed the next night, unable to sleep. She was irrationally worried about the trip to Seattle. She knew that Edward would not push her to do anything she didn't want to do, but the problem was that… she wanted to. Not since James had she been really attracted to a man, and Edward already was making her feel things she had never felt – things that not even James had brought out in her.

But she was a single mother, with a chronically ill son who depended on her. She could not afford to jump off the deep end with one Edward Cullen. She knew instinctively that if this new relationship turned sour, she would never be able to trust the male species again – or herself, for that matter. And that was what really worried her.

She had always thought herself a good judge of character, but she had questioned her instincts after the fiasco with James. Now, she found herself wishing and praying that her instincts about Edward were correct.

She would be devastated if she was wrong – again.

She turned over and looked at the clock. Three a.m. She had not yet been to sleep. She knew she needed to get some much needed shut eye if she were to be coherent for the Seattle trip.

She had to have all of her wits about her so she didn't screw anything up royally with Edward.

When she next opened her eyes, she noticed the grayness of the day coming through the curtains and pulled herself out of bed. She had managed to get a few hours of sleep, and now, she needed to prepare for the overnight excursion with Edward.

Her heart jumped in her chest at the thought of spending an entire night in his presence. He had not mentioned getting two rooms, and she was unable to pay for one herself, so she hoped and prayed that he was not expecting her to take the ultimate leap in their relationship.

If – and when – that time came, she really wanted it to be special and romantic.

She quickly threw a load of clothes in the washer and dropped the lid unceremoniously. She had been irrationally analyzing the scenario to death, and she was tired of worrying about it.

She would just go to Seattle with Edward and see what came of it. If anything came of it.

Which she secretly hoped that it would.

She grabbed Matt's duffel bag out of the top of his closet and began packing for the trip.