AN: And we're back to Emmett's POV, although we'll be hearing from Edward again sometime in the future. Thank you so much for sticking with me on this adventure. And an extra special thanks to my reviewers; it makes my day every time I read one – seriously! Enjoy :)

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Chapter 18

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Last night did not going according to plan. Not even close.

First off, I completely screwed up dinner. Ugh, I felt so stupid about that. I should have at least tasted it before serving it to him.

Lesson learned.

At least he was nice about it, far nicer than I deserved. That crap was disgusting.

And then I opened my mouth, resulting in nervous and uncontrollable rambling. I never got like that, but I couldn't help it.

I was a wreck.

Edward was great though, talking me through it in such a caring way. And when he grabbed my hand, my heart skipped a beat.

What a wonderful man. I really needed to learn the rest of his story and find out what had caused this beautiful compassionate person to become so insecure and withdrawn.

When I finally got the words out, I couldn't bear to look at him and face his rejection. I knew I was being a coward, but if he was going to run, then I didn't want to watch. I closed my eyes and waited with bated breath… for his reply, his anger at me for not telling him before, his rejection of me because this was all too much to handle. I waited for something – anything. I waited and waited and thought maybe he'd actually walked out the door and left.

But, then I felt his hand caress my cheek as he softly asked me to look at him.

When I opened my eyes, I was met with his bright green ones boring into mine with intensity. I saw sadness there, but also kindness and acceptance as he spoke to me sincerely.

I told him about my prognosis and therapy stuff, but I didn't mention my Dad. That was too much for me to handle, having shared so much already. I was becoming emotional and really didn't want to break down in front of him.

I couldn't believe how understanding and supportive he was. Whatever his personal issues, whatever he was going through, he put it aside and focused on me. He made me feel safe, like maybe it would all be okay and I could get through this.

Then, after everything, Edward shocked me by saying something that I never thought I'd hear from him, let alone this soon. He was falling in love with me? No way!

And then he kissed me.

I'd never been kissed like that before. It was passionate, but still slow and tender. He poured all his love and acceptance for me into his kisses and I poured my thanks, gratefulness and love back to him. How did I get so lucky? I couldn't believe he still wanted me.

He began slowly removing my clothes as he continued to cover me with sweet kisses. Once I was fully undressed, I went to return the favor. He let me take off his shirt, but stopped me before I could go any further.

"Not right now. Let me love you baby," he murmured, his voice deeper and huskier than normal.

My heart melted right then and there.

He began to trail his fingers over my body and I shivered at his gentle touch. This was different than before; it was different than any other time I'd ever been with anyone. The tenderness, with which he handled me, touched my soul. I had never felt more loved or cherished.

He went down on me and slowly caressed and licked every inch of me, paying special attention to my sac. When he placed a soft kiss on my scar, my breath caught in my throat. He continued to place several open mouthed kisses on the area, eliciting feelings like I've never experienced before.

Not only were the physical sensations wonderful and such a turn on, but the care with which it was done was heartrending. It felt like my heart might burst from it all.

He focused on me completely, making me feel whole and loved. He made me feel like a man again. Even though he'd done similar things to me before, it was without this knowledge. And knowing that he accepted me anyway was an indescribable feeling.

It was everything.

I hadn't even realized how emasculated I'd felt after my surgery. I thought I had dealt with it, but it wasn't until now that I grasped just how much it had affected me. Edward was helping to restore me to the man I wanted to be.

Tears began streaming down my face. It was all too much. The emotions were overwhelming. I caressed my fingers through his hair, trying to reciprocate some of my feelings back to him. I couldn't speak, for the huge lump residing in my throat.

He brought me to a climax that built slowly and was the most powerful of my life.

Afterward, I pulled him up to me and kissed him with everything that I had, silently showing my thanks. I reached down to unbutton his jeans, but he pushed my hand away gently, saying, "No baby. This was about you. Will you let me stay tonight?"

"Of course," I answered.

How he seemed to know exactly what I needed, I'll never know. But, I'll be forever grateful. We made our way to my bed where he stripped down to his underwear and pulled me into his arms.

Holding me tight, he tenderly kissed the top of my head. "Good night Emmett."

"Good night beautiful," I replied as I snuggled into his chest. "Thank you so much."

I closed my eyes and began to drift off to sleep. As I was nearing unconsciousness I thought I heard a whispered, "I love you," but I couldn't be sure.

Either way, I submitted to the darkness with a smile on my face and feeling more content than I would have thought possible.

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AN: I know this was short, but I really wanted to share Emmett's POV with you. Hope you enjoyed!