A/N: Why is it that vacations never last long enough? I had a great time, but it's back to work on Sunday night.
I didn't remember my bed ever being so comfortable, I thought with a sigh as I stretched out and cuddled my pillow closer. Then my eyes flew open. I wasn't in my bed in Forks. I was in a monster-sized bed in Brazil. I muffled a squeal in my pillow before rolling over on my side and staring at the view out my window. I could see the waves rolling in and crashing on the beautiful beach. I'd thought for sure it was all a dream, but I was so glad that it wasn't.
When Mom and Dad had sat me down and told me the Cullens had invited me to go to Brazil on vacation with them, I'd been floored. But when Mom and Dad had said that I could go, I'd been beyond thrilled and more than a little stunned. I knew that money was a bit tight and even though Rose had gotten a scholarship, Emmett hadn't, so they would be paying for his schooling out of pocket. Or at least some of it. I'd told them if they couldn't afford it, it was no big deal, but they'd told me not too worry about the money.
Next thing I knew, I was on a plane to Brazil. Well, a couple of planes, but that wasn't important. The fact that I was in Brazil for two weeks with my boyfriend was what was important. Two whole freaking weeks of sun and fun! I bet my siblings were jealous as could be, and I felt slightly guilty that I got to be on this awesome vacation while they puttered around home.
A knocking on my door interrupted my thoughts, and I called out for whoever it was to enter. A rumpled Edward came into my room, looking all kinds of delicious and flopped down on my bed, pulling me in close and burying his face in my shoulder, pressing open mouthed kisses to it.
"Morning, sweet girl," he murmured.
"Morning, handsome," I said, rolling over until I was facing him and tossed a leg over his. "You look tired."
"I am. I could probably sleep for a week, but Esme made me get up. She's got breakfast ready for us," he told me.
It took a few tries, but I got the boy to move and we headed downstairs in our pajamas. Esme had outdone herself. There were eggs, bacon, toast, and tons of fruit. I took a little of everything and thanked her.
"It was my pleasure. After breakfast, why don't you all shower and get dressed, and then we'll go on a tour of the island."
It sounded like a good plan to me. Thirty minutes later, I was dressed in shorts, a tank top, and sneakers with my camera at the ready. The four of us headed out the back door of the house and through a beautiful garden that led to an old trail. Esme had sprayed us down with bug spray, not too mention sunblock, before we left.
"Stay on the trail," she warned. "There's snakes and creepy crawlies in the woods. Some monkeys as well."
I shuddered at the thought of snakes and creepy crawlies. I certainly didn't want any of those crawling on me. The trail leading into the woods wasn't very wide, so we had to walk single file. Esme was in the front, then me, Edward, and Carlisle bringing up the rear. The further we walked into the woods, the darker it got with the sun breaking through small breaks in the trees. Not that that stopped me from taking pictures. Beautiful birds were flying overhead or sitting on branches, singing songs, and I swore I spotted a monkey hiding in the treetops.
We'd hiked for about forty minutes, when Esme pointed to a small path off to the right. She told us that it lead to a waterfall and asked if we wanted to go. It was getting warmer out, and I was sweating more than a bit, but I immediately told her I was in. Carlisle and Edward both agreed as well, and we began the trek down the smaller path. The path was littered with branches and rocks, making walking down it a bit treacherous, but it so worth it. The sound of the roaring falls greeted us first, and then we walked around a bend and the most amazing sight greeted us. There was an opening in the canopy allowing sunlight to beam down into the pool of water that the waterfall was rushing into.
"Wow!" Edward whispered as I nodded in agreement.
We stayed there for an hour, taking in the beauty, and I snapped picture after picture. I wanted to upload them once we got back because everyone back home had to see this. A few hours later, we arrived back at the house, and I rushed to take a shower and get rid of the dirt and sweat. Once clean, I threw on my bathing suit, slathered on some sunscreen, threw on a cover-up, and headed to Edward's room.
His door was cracked open, so I gave a quick knock before entering. He was sitting on his bed in a pair of swim trunks with his laptop opened before him.
"Hey, sweet girl," he said, looking up and giving me a smile.
"Hey. Do you mind if I borrow your laptop when you're done? I want to upload those photos I took earlier."
"Of course," he said, pulling me down next to him. I sat next to him, my head on his shoulder as he finished sending off an email to his mother. Shew was more than put out that he wasn't going to Florida for a visit. He'd opted against it and considering how things had gone last time he was there, I couldn't blame him.
"All yours," he said, giving me a kiss on the lips before sliding the laptop over to me. I plugged my camera into the computer before logging into my Facebook account, and began uploading the photos. Within minutes of uploading them, I'd gotten several likes and a few comments.
"You're Facebook friends with Jessica?" he asked, his chin resting on my shoulder after reading her comment which basically called me a lucky bitch.
I nodded. "Yeah. After she apologized to me, she sent me a friend request. I figured, what the hell?"
Once I was done uploading my pictures, I sent an email to Mom and Dad and told them I'd Skype them later in the week. I logged off my email account and closed the laptop, leaning against Edward. I loved that we were getting to spend so much time together. After everything we'd gone through, it was nice to be able to relax with just the two of us. Sure, Esme and Carlisle were here, but they were giving us time to ourselves. I also think this trip was something of a honeymoon for them since they hadn't taken one.
"Want to hit up the beach?" I asked after we'd been laying on his bed for a while, kissing and talking.
"You bet," he said with a grin. We headed downstairs, letting Esme and Carlisle know what we were we were going.
"I forgot to tell you that there are some rafts and floats in the mudroom off the kitchen," Esme told us. Thanking her, we headed to the mudroom and Edward grabbed two canvas rafts. While he was grabbing those, I got the bag we'd used the day before and shoved bottles of water, sunscreen, my Kindle, and towels into it.
We decided to hit up the beach on the opposite side of where we'd been yesterday. Hand in hand, we strolled down the beach, and I loved the fact that there was no one else around. No fighting through crowds of people for the best spot, no overweight people in skimpy attire, no noise.
"How about here?" Edward asked, although it didn't honestly matter where we sat. We had the entire place to ourselves.
We got set up then grabbed our rafts and headed into the ocean. It was fantastic. We basked in the sun on our rafts, holding hands, and enjoying the peace and quiet. I never wanted it to end.
"I don't want to go back," I whined to Edward as we finished loading our stuff into the boat. "Can't we just stay here forever?"
He let out a laugh as he pulled me into his arms. "I wish, sweet girl. I'd love to stay holed up here with you forever."
I thought that sounding like a great idea. It wasn't that I didn't miss my family, because I did. As loud and as annoying as they could be, I really did miss them something awful. But, there was something about being "alone" on an island with my boyfriend. We'd spent loads of time with Esme and Carlisle, especially when we were playing tourist on the main island, but they'd also given us a lot of alone time. They had trusted us not to let our hormones completely rule us, and we'd behaved for the most part. There may have been some groping over and under clothing, but that was as far as we'd taken things. As much as I loved Edward and he me, neither of us was quite ready to take that next giant step.
"You two have everything?" Carlisle asked and we both nodded. I'd had to buy an extra bag because I'd bought a lot of souvenirs for the family.
Twenty long-ass hours later, we arrived in Seattle, and we were all exhausted. Since it was a little after four in the morning, Carlisle and Esme told me I could sleep over at their house. I was fine with that. I didn't want to wake my family up because I knew that I'd be bombarded with questions and their wanting every detail of my trip. I'd like to be awake before I dealt with them, particularly Alice.
As soon as we stepped through the door of the Cullen house, I was ready to crash right then and there. I could have easily slept on their hallway floor. Thankfully, the guest room wasn't too far away and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
"Bella? Bella? Bella!" I heard an annoying, high pitched voice yelling as the bed I was sleeping in began to bounce. "Wake up! Please!"
I peeked an eye open and found Alice bouncing up and down on the edge of the bed. Ugh. I so didn't want to deal with her.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice muffled by my pillow.
"Waking you up," she said as if it was obvious.
"Go away," I mumbled, trying to push her off the bed. A quick glance at the clock showed it was a little after eleven. We hadn't gotten back to Forks until after seven.
"Bella—"
"No, Alice! We've didn't get in until seven this morning. I really hope that you didn't wake Esme and Carlisle up," I growled.
She let out a huff before mumbling that she didn't realize that we'd gotten in so late. She apologized, and I promised her I'd be home in the afternoon where she could pester me all she wanted.
After she left, I slept for another four hours before Edward woke me up with small, sweet, kisses. I took a quick shower, changed clothes, then Edward drove me home. With a sigh, I climbed out of his car, grabbing one of my bags from the backseat while he grabbed the other.
"Ready for the craziness that is Alice?" he asked.
I shook my head. I was still exhausted, but I had promised her she could ask me all the questions she wanted. I was rethinking that promise right about now. Wearily, I walked up the steps of the porch and opened the door. Within seconds, I was wrapped up in hugs and being pestered with questions.
"Look at you," Mom said as she hugged me tight. "You've got a tan."
Yeah, I'd actually managed to get a light tan. Edward, on the other hand, still looked as white as a vampire. He'd actually burned our first week there, but it had faded back to white. The boy just didn't tan.
Breaking away from Mom and then Dad, Edward followed me into the living room, dragging the suitcase with gifts behind him. I fell onto the couch, pulling Edward down next to me, and let out a sigh. It was good to be home despite the chaos that was about to erupt.
"Before you all burst, and I can tell Alice is about to do so, let me tell you about my trip. Then if you have questions, I'll answer them," I told them. That seemed to placate them. For the next hour, Edward and I spoke about our vacation. We talked about snorkeling, hiking through rainforests, swimming with dolphins, and enjoying a Brazilian festival. I handed my camera over so they could see all the pictures that I'd taken, which had been a ton. I'd had to buy a new memory card because I'd used up all the space on my other one.
"What's in the suitcase, Bells?" Emmett asked once I got done answering a few questions.
"Presents," I said, grinning when his eyes got big.
"Why didn't you say that in the first place! I love presents!" he cried.
I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Emmett was nothing more than an overgrown child. Opening up the suitcase, I began doling out presents to everyone. I'd used most of my piddly savings to buy them gifts, but it was worth it to see the looks on their faces. Mom, Alice, and Rose had all gotten clothing and jewelry while I'd gotten the boys and Dad books, games, and other knickknacks. I was hugged and thanked profusely, but I waved it off. It wasn't like I could go on vacation and not get them something. That would've been rude.
By the end of the week, I was back on Forks time and back at work. I'd picked up a few extra hours at the diner since it was busier in the summer, and Edward had gotten a job at Newton's Outfitters. He didn't mind the work, but he hated working with Mike. I didn't blame him. If I worked with Mike, I'd probably find a way to accidentally lock him in the storage room. As it was, I got to work with Jessica and my favorite person of all time, Lauren.
Apparently, Jessica always worked at the diner in the summer to help her mom out, but she'd begged Mrs. Stanley to let Lauren work there. From what Jessica had told me, Lauren's father had told her she had to find a job to pay off her credit cards or she'd be cut off from them. I just wished that Lauren would have a job elsewhere. She was not making my life fun or easy. She whined and complained about everything, but I could handle that. What I couldn't handle was her trying to take tips that weren't hers. The first time she did, I called her out on it which she denied. The second time she did it, I went to Mrs. Stanley about it. I worked hard for that money and no way was she going to take it from me.
Needless to say, I wasn't Lauren's favorite person at the moment. She'd been at the diner for less than a week, and she was already on probation. Mrs. Stanley warned her to straighten up her act, or she'd be out of a job. I figured she'd be gone by the next week.
Friday night, I got home from work and plopped down on my bed and kicked off my shoes. I missed seeing Edward. We'd barely spent any time together since we'd gotten back from Brazil. Our schedules didn't match up. When I was off work, he was on and when I was on, he was off. It was driving us crazy.
"Hey, sweet girl," came the voice of the man I'd been missing.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as I jumped up from my bed and wrapped my arms around him, inhaling his wonderful smell. "Don't you have to open in the morning?"
"I do," he said, placing a kiss on my lips. "But, I missed seeing my girl."
I melted into him, not realizing just how much I had missed him. His arms were wrapped tightly around my waist while my hands played in his hair. I knew we weren't supposed to be alone in my room, but I wasn't about to move from his arms, especially when his lips met mine.
Our kiss started off slow and sweet but quickly changed to an intense passion. His hands tightened their grip on my hips, while mine gripped his head, holding him close. I felt like I couldn't close enough to him. Our hips were flush up against one another, and I could feel just how happy he was to see me.
"Uh, Ed?" Jasper's voice asked, breaking our moment.
Edward sighed and dropped his head on my shoulder. "Yeah, Jasper?"
"Sorry to interrupt, but Mom wanted me to ask you if want to come over for dinner tomorrow."
I think we all knew that Mom really wanted to make sure that Edward and I weren't doing anything inappropriate and she'd sent Jasper to do her dirty work. I knew Dad had told her all about the compromising position he'd found Edward and I in, because the next day Mom had given me The Talk, again. I'd been subjected to the damn thing four times. Four! First time she'd sat all us girls down and had talked to us, then again when Jasper and Alice paired up, then when Emmett and Rose hooked up, then when Edward and I first got together, and then again after Dad caught Edward and I.
"Sure. I have to work until five though," Edward told Jasper.
After a few more kisses, I walked Edward to the door where he promised that he'd call me first chance he got.
"How is that school starts up in a month? Where the hell did summer go?" I asked Edward as we curled up on his couch together.
He let out a laugh before answering me. "Haven't you heard that saying, time flies when you're having fun? Guess, we've had too much this summer."
Which was true. We'd had a blast over the summer. We'd managed to work around our work schedules and had found a routine that allowed us to see each other. Our whole summer had been spent with one another or with our families. There had been a few camping trips and plenty of trips to the arcade or to First Beach.
"I guess so," I said. "I'm not really looking forward to senior year. Too much pressure. SATs, ACTs, college applications. Ugh."
Arms tightened around my waist. "I hear you. Plus, I'm going to try out for baseball this year."
I knew that he really wanted to play, and I felt a bit selfish when my first thought was that I'd never get to see him because he'd have practice. I dismissed the thought quickly. He loved baseball, and I wasn't going to stand in his way if he wanted to play.
"You'll make the team. I don't have any doubt about that," I told him, turning my head and placing a kiss to his chin. He leaned down to capture my lips with his, adjusting his body slightly so that I was able to roll over and face him.
Before long, my hands were buried in his hair as his tongue dueled with mine and his hands roamed up and down my body. I tossed a leg over his hip, bringing our groins closer, and we both let out a moan. Things were getting out of hand, and I knew that we needed to stop. Edward must have read my mind because a few seconds later, he removed his hands from me and pulled his lips away from mine.
"Sorry, sweet girl. You make me lose my mind," he said with a snicker.
"Oh, yeah blame the girl," I replied with an eye roll.
It was a good thing we'd stopped when we had because Carlisle and Esme arrived home a few minutes later. I was sure they knew we'd been up to something. How could they not with the way Edward's hair looked, and I was fairly certain mine didn't look much better.
Later that night as I was in bed, all I could think about was my future. Hopefully, senior year would go well and I'd get into college. Preferably, the same college as Edward. I didn't want us to be apart. Then my thoughts drifted to what life at college with Edward would be. Would we live on campus or get an apartment to ourselves? Would he ask me to marry him? Would we get great jobs, a nice house, and a few kids? All these thoughts floated around my brain, keeping me from sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, I was cranky and worried. What if Edward didn't want the same things I did? Then I told myself I was being stupid. We'd discussed our future more times than I could count, and each and every time he told me he wanted to be with me forever. There was no one else for him. I was it.
"What's up with you?" Rose asked over breakfast the next morning.
I shrugged. "Nothing. Jut thinking that's all."
She gave me a look, like she knew what I was thinking about it, but didn't say anything more. I was quiet all day, and I could tell that my family was worried even though I told them everything was fine. Unable to take their concerned looks anymore, I escaped to Newton's Outfitters and found Edward behind the counter when I walked in. Just seeing him made me feel a million times better. There was something about him that was calm and soothing and exactly what I needed at the moment.
His face lit up when he saw me, and he leaned over the counter to kiss my cheek.
"What brings you by?" he asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you."
"I thought maybe we could eat lunch together on your break."
His smile lit up his face as he eagerly agreed. I stood and chatted with him while we waited for Mike to come back from his break so Edward could take his. Thirty minutes later, Mike came in with Lauren in tow and the two were holding hands. That was a new development, and one I was positive Jessica wouldn't be happy about. Everyone knew she had a major crush on Mike except for Mike. And the fact that her best friend was poaching was not going to go down well.
"Hey, Bella," Mike said as they headed our way. I gave a small wave and said hello before Edward told Mike that he was taking his lunch. Edward only had half an hour so we couldn't go too far. The closest place was the diner and even though I'd be there later in the evening, we opted to eat there.
We got a booth and ordered a couple of burgers, fries, and milkshakes before catching up. Not like we hadn't seen each other the day before, but I always loved talking to him.
"I'm assuming the Mike/Lauren relationship is new?" I asked him because I was sure if he'd seen them together before he would have told me.
He nodded. "I guess so."
I shook my head and told him it wasn't going to end well. First of all, the two were users and were probably just using each other to fulfill their needs, and we both wrinkled our noses at that thought. Second of all, Jessica was sure to be pissed when she found out. However, I wasn't going to say anything. It wasn't really my business, but I told Edward I had a feeling that work was going to be interesting.
I was right. Several hours later, I was standing in the diner watching as the cat fight of all cat fights broke out between the two girls. The night had started off fine with Lauren being her usual catty self, but I hadn't really cared. I'd learned to ignore her as much as possible.
Things were going well until Mike, Eric, and Tyler showed up. They took a seat in Lauren's section, but it was when Mike reached over and gave Lauren's ass a squeeze that Jessica lost her shit. The plate she was holding had fallen to the floor, and there was a look of betrayal on her face. Hence, the cat fight that I was now watching and there was no way in hell, I was going to try and stop it. I had no desire to get clawed, slapped, or bitten. I did, however, call Mrs. Stanley on her cell and let her know that a fight was going down between Jessica and Lauren.
They were making such a raucous that even Embry came out from behind the counter. He tried to break it up but stopped when one of the girls clawed his arm.
"Fuck that. Girls so aren't worth the trouble," I heard him mutter as he walked back to the kitchen.
A few more minutes passed by and tried to continue working as if two girls weren't fighting for their lives near the front of the store. Heck, some of the customers seemed extremely interested in watching the fight. Who knew they'd get free, live entertainment with their dinner?
Someone must have called the police though because a few minutes later, Dad showed up and he looked pissed. He yanked the two girls apart and threatened to arrest them both for assault and battery if they didn't stop immediately. The girls complied right away, both of them red-faced and looking the worse for wear.
Mrs. Stanley arrived not too far behind Charlie, and she was furious at both Jessica and Lauren. After a long talk with Charlie, both girls were allowed to leave, but not without warning. I watched as Dad shook his head and gave a sigh before taking a seat at the counter. My eyes narrowed as I watched him order some prime rib.
"Does Mom know that you're eating prime rib?" I asked him, scaring the crap out of him. He gave me a sheepish look and begged me not to tell. Like I would. I didn't blame him one bit for not wanting to eat at home.
"It was awful, Bells. One of her weird casserole concoctions. So when I got the call about a fight at the dinner, I came right out. Not for the food," he was quick to assure me. "But to make sure you were okay. It doesn't hurt that this place happens to have an excellent prime rib dinner either."
I let out a snort but promised to keep his secret, but I had a feeling that Mom would find out. She always did.
Dad stayed until closing, and then followed me home where Mom busted him right away. The man had gravy from the mashed potatoes on his shirt. He gave me a glare and asked why I hadn't told him. I pleaded innocent. I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Traitor," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
"What happened at the diner?" Alice asked the minute she got the chance.
With a grin, I told them all about the fight between Jessica and Lauren and the fact that it was over Mike Newton of all people. They roared with laughter, unable to believe that Newton could cause that kind of trouble.
"You know, from now on, he's going to be strutting around like a proud peacock thinking he's the shit," Jasper said, wincing when Mom hollered at him to watch his language.
I had a feeling he was right, and the next day Edward confirmed it. Mike had told Edward the whole story, although he'd embellished quite a bit.
"You should have seen him. He was strutting around the store acting like he was all that," Edward told me with a grin. "It was ridiculous. He was going on about how Lauren and Jessica were fighting over how hot he was."
I let out a snort. "No, it was over the fact that Lauren poached on Jessica's territory. If you know you're best friend likes a guy, that guy becomes off-limits. It's the girl code."
"Yeah, well now I get to spend the next three weeks dealing with his 'I'm hotter than shit' attitude," he said with a grimace.
"Sorry, babe. At least I don't have to deal with Lauren or Jessica," I told him, relieved by the fact. Mrs. Stanley had fired them both for fighting in her restaurant. She had been beyond furious, and I was glad that she wasn't my mom. I had a feeling Jessica would be grounded until graduation.
Those next three weeks flew by and before I knew it, Rose and Emmett had left for college and the rest of us were preparing for our senior year. I couldn't wait for it to begin. So, it was with a smile and holding the hand of the most wonderful boyfriend a girl could ask for, that I stepped into Forks High for my senior year.
a/n: Okay, folks, next chapter is Tuesday and it's the last one. *sniffle* As always, let me know what you thought!