"Are you kidding?" Jasper murmured, looking around. "They just snuck off together again?"

"Why do you think they're together?" Edward asked, reaching for his beer.

"As a rule, Rose doesn't ever just offer to do something she considers to be a chore," Alice supplied, laughing.

"Why do you think that Emmett didn't just go to the bathroom, or something?" Edward wondered aloud.

"Isn't that the excuse that one of them used last night?"

"Whatever the case," Bella said, shaking her head, "I just wish they'd be nice to each other around the rest of us."

"Pardon me, Bella, but I don't think I want to see what they consider 'nice,'" Jasper said. Alice snickered. "Why don't Edward and I go ahead and move some chairs near the fire pit?" he offered. Edward nodded and rose from his seat, following Jasper around the side of the house. Alice moved to sit next to Bella, who sighed. It was grilling time, it seemed.

"Sooooo," Alice began. Bella smiled.

"So what?"

"You're seriously going to make me fish for details?"

"Details about what?"

"Bella," Alice whined, stomping her foot. Bella laughed.

"What?"

"Are you going to stay the night? Really?"

"He asked me to," Bella said softly, playing with a loose thread on the hem of her t-shirt.

"This is a big move for you."

"What is? I said I was staying the night, not that we were going to have sex." Alice frowned.

"Isn't that what's implied by the phrase 'staying the night'?"

"He said if I would feel more comfortable that I could use the guest room across from his room."

"So you don't think he expects sex?"

"It didn't sound like he did. He did say…" Bella trailed off and cleared her throat.

"What? What did he say? Jesus, Bella! Have some compassion and put me out of my misery! I mean, we've spent the last few months talking about our dream men, and suddenly one night we walk into a bar in the middle of nowhere, and poof! They're all sitting together."

"He said that as a gentleman, he didn't expect me to sleep in his bed. But as a man, he wanted otherwise."

"Ooh," Alice swooned, her hands over her heart. "How romantic! So which one will it be?"

"Huh?"

"Are you going to use the guest room, or are you going to sleep in his room?"

"I don't know," Bella admitted, biting her lip. "I mean, on one hand, I'd like to take things slow and get to know him better, just because that's the way I've always done things. I don't want to move too fast and ruin anything before it's begun."

"And on the other hand…?" Alice prodded.

"On the other hand, I want to throw caution to the wind and spend the night exploring whatever this thing is between us."

"Why do you feel like you have to go slow? I vote option two. Definitely jump his bones the second we're gone." Alice nodded, and Bella laughed even though her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"Aren't you afraid of messing things up with Mr. Right?" Bella asked, inclining her head towards Jasper. Alice shook her head.

"Nope. He's the one. We're going to get married."

"Okay, as much as I love you, I have to admit that it kind of freaks me out to know that you're talking about marrying someone you just met."

"We both know it's what we want," Alice said, shrugging. Her eyes moved to watch Jasper as he worked, and Bella's eyes were drawn to Edward. She watched as he moved around the fire, laughing with his friend as he worked. "And it looks like you and your man won't be far behind us."

"Hmm? Oh," Bella gasped, snapping to attention. "No, Alice. We just met yesterday-"

"And you're already staying the night," Alice pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean we're going to have sex," Bella hissed.

"But you want to."

"Alice, I swear to-"

"Rose has already attacked her boy toy twice, Jasper and I pretty much did it all night, and-"

"Alice!" Bella shrieked, causing both men to stop and glance over from the fire pit before resuming their work.

"What?"

"Those are things that I just don't need to know!"

"What doesn't she need to know?" Both women turned to see Rose carrying the pie towards them. Bella would've almost believed that nothing had happened, if Rose's lipstick hadn't been smudged and her blouse was buttoned correctly – which it wasn't.

"Did you get it out of your system?" Alice voiced Bella's thought.

"Please," Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes and placing the dessert on the table.

"Rose," Alice started. Rose shook her head.

"I was worked up, that's all. I don't want to talk about it. Now, fill me in on what Bella doesn't need to know." So Alice launched into the details of the previous evening's activities with Jasper, and Bella tuned out to watch the men at work. Emmett rejoined them a few minutes later, and though he appeared silent at first, gradually he began to join in whatever conversation the men had going, and he threw his head back with laughter. Bella saw Rose look over and waited for the biting comment that, surprisingly enough, never came. She turned her attention back to the men, and when Edward looked up and caught her eye, she gave him a small wave and a smile. His answering grin and the shy duck of his head afterwards made her heart feel as though it might be about to burst.

"You've got it so bad," Alice said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Why don't you just screw him and get it over with?" Rose asked, pretending to inspect her fingernails. Bella could see the furtive glances that she shot in Emmett's direction, but Emmett didn't seem to notice that Rose was looking.

"Bella can't do that because she's already in love with him," Alice said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Aren't you, Bella?"

"I don't even know him, Alice! How can I be in love with him?"

"There's no such thing as love at first sight," Rose protested.

"Of course there is. Why do you two keep denying it? It happened to all three of us last night, and yet for some reason, I'm the only one who's being honest about it."

Bella considered this as she turned back to the men. Did she feel like she loved Edward already? She'd spent an entire year with Jake, and she hadn't felt half of the physical chemistry that she'd felt even just sitting near Edward, that was for certain. Edward shared many of her interests. He seemed to be a decent guy. Bella mentally ticked things off in her head: he loved his mother, he had his own home, he had a steady job, he was down to earth, he liked to read, he was so beautiful that it almost hurt, he seemed to be a gentleman, he –

Oh, God.

Alice was right. She might be a little bit in love with someone she'd just met. When she glanced over at her friend, Alice was watching her with a smug look on her face. Bella couldn't help but roll her eyes. Bella chewed on her bottom lip again, wondering if maybe Edward wasn't a little too good to be true.

"Are you ladies ready?" Jasper asked, approaching the table.

"I'm always ready, Jazzy," Alice exclaimed, launching herself at him. Bella hid her smile and Rose groaned.

"Again, Alice – file that under things we don't need to know," Rose said.

"Ready for a bonfire?" Edward asked, holding his hand out to Bella. She smiled before taking the hand he proffered. He kept a hold of her hand as they walked, which she admitted silently that she loved. He led her to the chairs and waited until she'd chosen one and sat down in it before he chose the one right beside hers.

"You need benches, Edward," Alice pointed out, waiting until Jasper chose a seat and then settling herself in his lap. "It'd be easier to cuddle."

"Who wants to cuddle next to a fire?" Rose snarked.

"You're kidding, right?" Alice asked. Emmett fed the fledgling fire another log before taking a seat across the fire from Rose. "A bonfire is the perfect place to snuggle! The weather is chilly all around, but you have a fire and your sweetheart to cuddle up to to take the edge off."

"Speaking of it being chilly," Edward began softly, leaning towards Bella. "Are you cold? I can get you a blanket, if you need one."

"I'm fine," she said, smiling at him. There's another positive about him – he's considerate.

"Why didn't anyone offer me a blanket?" Alice pouted. Jasper chuckled and rubbed her arm.

"Because you don't need it with me here. I'll keep you plenty warm." Their lips met, and Rose groaned.

"Keep it in your pants, you two." She had grabbed the wine bottle from the table and was now drinking straight from it.

"Who's got the marshmallows?" Edward asked. Emmett held up the bag, but said nothing. Jasper and Edward exchanged looks before Edward took the bag and opened it. "Anybody want one?"

"I do," Alice squealed, leaving Jasper's lap long enough to grab a handful. Emmett silently handed her one of the sticks that he and Edward had collected. Bella was surprised to see that one of the guys had whittled the bark off of the end that would be going into the marshmallow.

"Bella?" Edward asked, holding out the bag of marshmallows. She shook her head.

"Sorry – I love a good bonfire or campfire, but I've never enjoyed the taste of marshmallows."

"Rosalie?" Edward held the bag up again. Rose shook her head.

"I've got my sweets for the night, thanks," she said, indicating the bottle of wine. Emmett rolled his eyes but didn't say anything before grabbing the bag from Edward.

There were several minutes of peaceful silence, which Bella enjoyed immensely, since the crackle of a good fire was one of her favorite sounds in the entire world. After a while, they chattered about several topics – the weather, music, the weird sound that Alice heard coming from their far right (it turned out to be Edward's cows in the distance). Bella drank two more beers slowly, and by the time they'd decided to let the fire die out, it was one o'clock in the morning. Bella helped Rose and Alice take the food back into Edward's kitchen and wrap it up while the men cleaned up outside.

"Don't overthink this, Bella," Alice said, hugging her friend goodbye. "He's perfect for you. Why waste time when you could be having lots of sex and babies?" She giggled. Rose rolled her eyes, and Bella was glad that the men were off to the side by themselves.

"So you're staying with your boy toy, and you're staying here with yours?" Rose asked. Bella and Alice both nodded. "Well, shit. I'm going to go back to the hotel and get tanked, then."

"Be careful," Bella begged. "Don't do anything stupid or rash."

"You never let me have any fun," Rose pouted. Alice hugged her, too.

"Emmett is going to lead you back into town so you know where you're going. Don't worry, you don't have to talk to him or see him, you'll just have to follow his truck." Rose rolled her eyes.

"Jasper will bring me back to the hotel tomorrow afternoon," Alice said, frowning slightly. "He has to get up too early on Monday morning for me to sleep over again. He knows I have no intention of letting him get any rest when I'm around."

"Do you want us to come and pick you up?" Rose asked, looking at Bella. Bella shrugged.

"I don't know if I need a ride home from you guys, or if Edward's bringing me back. We haven't really talked about how long I'm staying."

"Give me a call and let me know," Rose said, turning towards the driveway. Bella nodded. Alice took off, too, once she'd called her final goodbye over her shoulder. Bella watched as her friends drove away, and then it was just her and Edward. She felt him move closer to her, and she smiled when he reached for her hand.

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you stayed," he said quietly, threading his fingers through hers. Bella watched the motion of their hands and felt her heart speed up.

"I can't think of any place I'd rather be."