A/N:Well, folks. This is the last regular chapter of the story. I'll see you all next week with the epilogue. Thanks so much for reading/reviewing, and a huge thanks to my beta, Heather, for her help in fixing this chapter.
"Two more days!" Eric yelled loudly as we crossed the parking lot, and I let out a laugh at his exuberance, but I was just as excited as he was.
I was more than ready for summer vacation, and I couldn't wait to spend as much time as I could with Edward. Plus, I was ready to spend some camping time with Dad, and I was planning to visit Mom for a week or two in West Virginia.
"Any plans for the summer?" I asked him as we climbed into my jeep. I was giving him a ride home since his car was out of commission.
"Working and maybe visiting some relatives out east," he told me before asking me what I was up to.
I shrugged before replying.
"Spending time with Edward, going camping, and visiting my mom."
After dropping, Eric off, I made a quick stop at the grocery store to gather the ingredients for the brownies I was making for Emmett and Rose's graduation party.
I was secretly glad that they weren't going far for college, only a few hours away in Seattle, because I'd become really good friends with both of them, and I was going to miss hanging out with them on the weekends.
I was just grabbing the last of my ingredients when I almost crashed into Jessica. She was about five months along, and we hadn't spoken much lately. Come to think of it, she didn't speak much to anyone anymore except Mike, and occasionally, Lauren.
"Oh, sorry, Jessica," I said quietly, and she gave me a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. She looked tired and sad, and I felt quite bad for her.
"How are you?" I asked, trying to break up the awkward silence that had fallen between us.
"I'm okay," she said. "You?"
"Ready for the school year to be over," I told her, and she nodded her head in agreement, and I was sure she was ready for it to be done. Most of the gossip had died down regarding her situation, but she still got looks in the hallway.
I wasn't sure what her plans for next year were, but considering she was due sometime around October, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't come back to school.
We talked for a few more minutes, and I smiled when Mike came over and wrapped an arm around Jessica. I was glad to see that he hadn't ditched her when he'd found out she was pregnant. Now, I wasn't Mike's biggest fan, but the fact that he was sticking around made me like him just a tad bit more.
I said goodbye to them before checking out and going out to my car for the short drive home.
I grinned when I pulled into my driveway and saw Edward's Volvo parked alongside my dad's police cruiser.
"What in the world are you doing here?" I asked Edward as I carried the bags into the kitchen.
"They let us out early, so I thought I'd stop by," he said with a smile, and I certainly wasn't going to complain.
"What's all this?" Dad asked, poking through the bags I'd set on the counter.
"Stuff for Emmett and Rose's graduation party this weekend," I told him. "Don't worry. I'll make enough for us as well."
Dad grilled burgers for dinner, and the three of us sat around eating and watching some sports game that was on TV. I didn't really pay too much attention to it, but it was fun spending time with my two guys.
An hour after dinner, Dad's phone rang, and a frown formed on his face as he listened to whomever was talking to him.
"Sorry, kids. I gotta run. That was the station," Dad said as he unlocked the gun box in the hallway closet and strapped on his gun. "Don't stay up too late."
"I won't," I promised before Edward told him that he needed to be home by nine.
As soon as the door was shut and locked, Edward and I were all over each other. It felt like it had been forever since we'd gotten any good quality make out time. For the past week, we'd been constantly interrupted or busy hanging out with our friends or his siblings, and while there had been kisses here and there, there had been no major lip lockage.
"God, I've missed your lips," I told Edward in between kisses, and he let out a small chuckle before pressing his lips more firmly against mine.
It didn't take long before we found our way upstairs to my room, and our shirts and my bra had been tossed to the wayside.
I found myself on my back with Edward on top of me, his lips paying homage to one of my breast while thrusting gently against me.
Our physical relationship had moved forward a bit, but we still hadn't had sex.
"God, Edward," I said with a moan as my fingers delved into his hair and held him tighter to me.
"Like that do you?" he asked, pulling his mouth away from my nipple, and I groaned at the loss of his lips on my body.
"I think that's more than obvious," I said with a grin before pulling his face up to mine for a kiss.
His lips brushed gently against mine before things quickly became heated again. As we kissed, Edward lowered down on his arms and settled more firmly between my legs, and I spread my legs a little wider to accommodate him.
He began to gently thrust up against me, and I let out a low moan as he hit just the right place. It didn't take long for me to start seeing stars as I rocked against his thrusting hips.
"Bella!" Edward growled as he thrust a few more times before collapsing on top of me.
I wrapped my arms around him and held him close as our breathing steadied, and a few minutes later, Edward rolled off of me and got up.
I loved the light blush that always crept up on his cheeks after he'd finished and had to go clean up.
Once he came back into the room, I excused myself and went to clean up as well. Done with that, we spent the next hour, hanging out in my room and watching a movie on my laptop.
"Love you," he said against my lips as I walked him to the door.
"Love you, too," I replied, giving him one last kiss before he left.
"So where are we off to this summer?" I asked Dad a week after school had ended.
"How do you feel about Alaska?" he asked, and my mouth dropped open. I'd always wanted to go to Alaska, but I never thought I'd get the opportunity.
"Seriously? I'd love to go to Alaska!" I practically shouted at him.
"Excellent," Dad said with a grin. "I've invited Sue and Seth to join us, and we'll be leaving around the end of June."
"Woot!" I said before standing up and doing a little dance. I was beyond ecstatic and I couldn't wait to tell Edward.
"Guess where I'm going next month?" I asked Edward the second he answered.
"Alaska, maybe?" he guessed, and my mouth dropped open.
"How did you know?"
"Because we're going with," he said, and I let out an Alice-like squeal. Now, I was even more excited to go to Alaska because I was going to get to enjoy an amazing experience with my boyfriend and some of my closest friends, not to mention my dad, Sue, and Seth.
The next couple of weeks dragged by, and finally, it was time for our trip to Alaska. There had been many long discussions amongst the parental units, regarding driving versus flying. It was one hell of a drive to Juneau, around forty-one hours, while the flight from Seattle was roughly three hours nonstop. Personally, I didn't see why there was a debate. I'd much rather fly than be in a car for over three days.
"Ready?" Edward asked a while later as we drove with my dad, Sue, and Seth toward the airport in Seattle.
"Definitely! You?"
He nodded with a huge grin on his face, and several hours later, that grin was still on his face as the pilot announced our arrival in Juneau.
We all deplane and made our way to the baggage claim before going toward the car rental desk. Dad and Carlisle had decided that instead of camping in tents the whole time, we'd stay in a cabin that they'd found that sleeps twelve people which was perfect since there was eleven of us.
Once Dad and Carlisle were done, we went out to the parking lot and found the two rental SUVs that would take us to our cabin.
The whole drive there, I couldn't help but take pictures out the window with the new camera Dad bought me for the trip.
"You're gonna use up your whole memory card before we even get there," Seth said from the seat behind me, and I rolled my eyes at him before informing him that I had plenty of memory cards, and I wasn't kidding. I had about four of them with me, and I'd brought my laptop so I could upload my pictures to Facebook and send them to my mom as well.
Fifteen minutes later, we were pulling into the driveway of a large house on the water, and I was stunned by the beauty that surrounded us. There were wild flowers growing everywhere, trees swaying in the wind, and the water gleamed. I didn't think I'd been anywhere more beautiful.
The inside of the cabin was just as pretty as the outside, and Rose, Alice, and I found a room with a twin bed and bunk beds and claimed it as ours. Jasper and Edward claimed the room next to ours, leaving Seth and Emmett to take a room at the end of the hall. All of the parents would be upstairs on the third floor where there were two master suites.
The girls and I tossed our bags on the floor of our room before dashing to check out the rest of the cabin. The boys met us in the hallway, and we spent a good thirty or so minutes, exploring the cabin before making our way outside.
There was a beautiful deck with a fire pit and several Adirondack chairs as well as a few canoes and kayaks.
"This is the Gastineau Channel," Carlisle said from behind us. "And over there is the Chilkat Mountain Range, and to the right is the Mendenhall Glacier."
"Google?" Edward asked, and Carlisle grinned.
"No. The owners left a description of the cabin and its surroundings on the small table in the entryway."
While Carlisle and Edward talked, I pulled the camera out of my pocket and began taking pictures of our surroundings as well as the people standing around me.
"You up for a canoe trip with Sue and Seth in the morning, Bells?" Dad asked, and I nodded eagerly.
Later that night after dinner, we discussed our plans for the two weeks that we would be in Alaska. There would be whale watching tours, hiking, canoeing, and plenty of relaxation. It was still chilly, despite it being the end of June, so sunbathing and swimming were pretty much out. Although, I was willing to risk a little chill to say I went swimming in Alaska.
"Back paddle, Edward!" I hollered as the two of us were canoeing in the channel not far from the cabin.
"I'm trying," he yelled back, but I knew it was useless. We were going to hit the log that was floating in the water, and I braced myself for the impact.
Canoeing with Edward was quite the experience. He swore he knew what he was doing, but I was beginning to think he didn't have a clue.
Sure enough, we hit the log, and the canoe began to tip. I tried to keep us upright since the water was freaking freezing as I had discovered the other day. I'd decided to take a dip in the water the previous afternoon when the temperature had hit a high of 68. The water had been a little over 50 degrees, if even that, and I hadn't lasted long in it.
"Fuck!" I squealed as we tipped over, and I looked over at Edward who was laughing like a loon while treading water to stay afloat.
"Stop laughing, and help me right this thing before we get hypothermia," I said through teeth that were beginning to chatter.
It was a struggle, but we managed to get the canoe righted, and then we had the pleasure of trying to get back into the damn thing without tipping it back over.
It took forever, and by the time we returned back to shore, I was freezing and pretty sure my lips were blue.
"Let's get you warmed up," Edward said, wrapping an arm around me as he led me back into the cabin.
"What in the world?" Sue asked as we came in through the backdoor.
"Edward tipped the canoe," I said, and Edward rolled his eyes and chuckled before Sue shooed us out of the room and told us to take hot showers to warm up and she'd make us some tea.
…..
The two weeks in Alaska passed by far too quickly, but it had been a blast. I'd loved spending time with everyone, and Edward and I had even managed to sneak off for some kisses and quality couple time.
I'd taken a million pictures and sent postcards to everyone I knew, including the Cullens, even though they were there with me.
A couple days after we got back to Washington, the six of us went to First Beach on the La Push reservation for the bonfire party they were holding. Dad was going as well to meet up with Sue, and I had noticed that things between them were getting really serious. I'd heard Dad telling her he loved her, and I was hoping that he'd pop the question soon.
"You made it!" Seth hollered as he came running across the sand to greet us and wrapped me up in a huge hug that lifted me off my feet.
"Of course," I said with a laugh as Seth set me back down on my feet. "We said we'd be here."
We followed Seth over to the bonfire and got the surprise of our lives when we saw Tanya there. She was sitting next to some Native American guy that Seth introduced as Embry. We waved to them as we took a seat on a log on the opposite side of the fire, but I didn't want to really spend any time with her, and she seemed to feel the same way.
We sat around talking with Seth and his friends before Edward and I decided to go for a walk along the beach.
We slipped off our shoes before making our way to the shoreline where we clasped hands and enjoyed the feel of the sand under our bare feet.
I wasn't sure how far we'd walked, but we eventually stopped to look at a few of the tide pools that were nestled in the crevices of some rocks.
"It's gorgeous out here," I told Edward as I bent down to get a closer look at the starfish and seashells residing in the small pools of water.
"So are you," he said, and as I looked up at him, my breath was taken away by the love I saw in his eyes. In that moment, I wanted him more than anything, but I also knew I didn't want to lose my virginity on a sandy beach with family and friends nearby.
"Are you okay?" he asked me, and I nodded my head before standing up and reaching out for him.
He pulled me into a hug, and I held onto him tightly before pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"We should probably get back," I told him, and he nodded.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked once more, and I told him I was.
"Okay," he said with a smile before challenging me to a race back to the bonfire.