A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed/favorited/followed! All mistakes are mine. I hope ya'll like this chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is a happy and a sad moment right now. This is the final chapter of The Chances We Take. I would just like to take this moment to thank all of those who have stuck with me since the beginning over a year ago. Thanks for all of your support and reviews, I can't tell you how much they've meant to me. Without further ado, here's the last piece of the puzzle.

"And all of those things I didn't say, wrecking balls inside my brain. I will scream them loud tonight. Can you hear my voice this time?" – Rachel Platten

Chapter 37

BPOV

September 2011

As soon as I see Scamp take off in a dead sprint ahead of me, I pick up my pace to chase after him. I don't know what's gotten in to him! Something just set him off and he bolted.

When I finally catch up to Scamp, I try to yank him off the poor, unsuspecting guy, but it doesn't work very well; Scamp is too strong, for me even, at only one year old. I start apologizing for Scamp's behavior before the guy even has a chance to say anything.

"Scamp! Get down!" I quickly turn to the stranger who is now covered in Scamp's slobber. "I am so sorry. I don't know what came over him. He has never done anything like that before. He only ever attacks someone like that if he kno –" My words get stuck in my throat as I finally get a good look at the stranger. "Edward," I whisper so low that I am surprised when I see his head snap up when he hears his name.

His mouth drops and Edward quickly gets off of the ground. "Bella."

We merely stand and stare at each other. Neither one of us are able to break the contact. What feels like hours goes by before someone speaks.

"Um, how have you been, Edward?" I ask him, suddenly very nervous.

I watch Edward's eyes go wide, probably shocked that I'm the one initiating the conversation. "Uh. Um. Uh, I'm fine. How have you been, Bella? I mean, holy hell, Bella, you look amazing. Not that you didn't look amazing before, but, now I mean… damn. Not that there was anything wrong with how you looked before… fuck, I need to shut up."

I can't help the giggle that comes out of my mouth at his blabbering.

A soft smile comes across his face. "I've missed that sound."

I smile sadly at him and look at my shoes. I've known this boy for three years and every time he says something like that, I can never think of something to say back.

I take this moment to take Edward in for the first time, I mean really take him in. He's grown another couple of inches since I last saw him. He's definitely more muscular. He has a slight scruff on his face. His eyes look tired and worn out. He looks more mature than he did back in high school. He looks more like a man now. It suits him well, very well. He's beautiful.

I'm broken out of my thoughts when some girl runs and jumps on top of Edward and holds him like her life depended on it. "I knew I would find you out here. You always run when you're frustrated. Anyway, I'm so sorry, Edward! I don't know what came over me last night! I'm sorry. I was so drunk and I didn't even know what I was saying. I'm sor –"

"Kate," he interrupts. "It's okay. I'm in no position to judge someone on their actions when they're drunk. Forget about it. It's done and in the past."

The girl, Kate I presume, smiles and tightens her grip around him. Edward awkwardly smiles at me and gently pushes Kate off of him. "Um Kate, this is Bella."

I do my best to smile, but I think it comes off more as a grimace.

Of course, Edward has moved on by now. He's always had girls throwing themselves at him, why did I think that he would still be stuck on me like I am on him? It's absolutely ridiculous.

"Hi, Kate. It's, um, nice to meet you."

Kate's eyes go wide and she looks in between Edward and me. "Bella? Bela Swan? The Bella? From Forks? That Bella?"

My face scrunches up in confusion, but I can't help but feel a little giddy. If Edward told her about me, maybe I meant something to him after all.

"Uh, yeah, Kate. This is that Bella." Edward looks uncomfortable.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Bella Swan. I've heard way too much about you."

I'm taken back by her comment, but I try not to let it faze me. I look at my shoes for a distraction. It's only then that I notice Scamp basically harassing Edward. He's jumping on Edward repeatedly and licking his sweaty shirt.

"Scamp! Get off of him!" He immediately obeys.

"Oh, no. He's fine, Bella." To prove his point, he reaches down and scratches Scamp behind his ears. Scamp rewards him another lick to his hand.

Despite his words, the longer I stay standing there, the more uncomfortable I get.

"I'll, just um, be on my way then. Sorry to interrupt your jog." I side step him and call for Scamp to follow me. I go a few steps before I hear arguing behind me.

Shit, I didn't mean to mess things up with his new girlfriend.

I don't get much time to worry over it before I feel a tugging on my arm. "Bella, wait up."

"What do you want, Edward?"

"I'm sorry about Kate. I didn't know she would just show up like that…"

"It's okay. You don't have to explain your girlfriend's actions to me. It's not like we're… friends anymore." Even I can hear the depressing tone in my voice.

"Girlfriend? Hah! She wishes," Edward chuckles out.

I frown and continue walking.

"Bella, wait!" He grabs my arm once more. "Kate is not, and never will be, my girlfriend. She's my best friend, nothing romantic between us at all."

I feel embarrassed by the amount of relief that courses through me at his recollection. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume."

Edward sighs and looks around. "Do you want to go somewhere, I don't know, a little more private to talk?"

I'm a little taken back by his offer, but something in me pushes me to accept. "Um, sure. Do you have some place in mind already?"

He runs his hands through his hair, making it seem more messy than usual. "There's a little coffee shop not too far from here. Is that cool?"

I nod my head and let him lead the way.

When we get to the coffee shop, I tie Scamp to the bike rack while Edward picks a booth in the back for us to sit. Neither of us has said anything since we left the park, so I decide to break the silence. "So, what's the deal with you and Kate?" The words are out of my mouth before I have a chance to think about what I'm saying. I think I surprised Edward too because he doesn't respond right away. This is something the old Bella would have been brave enough to ask.

"When you left, things were really bad. I became… depressed. I lost you and my best friend all within a matter of days. I didn't have a way to cope with that, so I shut down for months.

"On the first day of senior year, I met Kate. She told me off and didn't walk on eggshells around me like everyone else did. It was refreshing and I ended up breaking down in front of her and she let me. She stayed with me as I cried and told her about the girl that I fell in love with. She was very patient and understanding about it.

"After I had calmed down enough to realize that I had just poured my heart out to a stranger, she made me feel like everything was going to be alright. We became friends instantly. She helped me get through everything. She was the one who convinced me to go to therapy. She convinced me to do a lot of things."

Edward's not looking at me anymore, he's looking out in the distance somewhere, completely lost in his own story.

"She's the one who convinced me to play football here. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her. I owe her so much, Bella. I needed someone like her when all of this happened. She brought me out of my funk and helped me remember who I am."

"I'm glad you found her then, Edward. It sounds like she is very good to you," I say, truly meaning it.

"She is."

I smile.

"Did you find someone like that?"

I smile as I tell him about the time I spent with Charlie in Phoenix. I tell him everything that happened during my time there. I forgot how easy it is to talk to him. We talk for ages and I love every minute of it.

"And you're talking, to everyone, not just to me. That's so amazing."

I blush at his words. "Yeah… I got a lot of support from my therapist back in Phoenix. He helped me so much." I pause for a moment, debating whether or not to tell him the rest, but his soft expression reminded me of the boy that I fell in love with, so I continue. "It also helped getting away from Renee and Phil. Charlie was an amazing dad to me. He listened to me, respected me… loved me, stuff that I didn't get from Phil and Renee. It was something so new to me and just being there with him made me see that the right people will listen to you. The right people will be there for you. The right people will love you…" I trail off.

"I'm so proud of you, Bella."

"I'm proud of me too."

"So, tell me more about Phoenix." I smile and begin telling Edward about my friends there, Scamp, and other mindless things. It feels good to talk to someone who knew me from before that I know won't judge me.

Edward chuckles when I tell him about the time Charlie almost set our house on fire. "I've really missed this, Bella. I've missed you," he says sincerely.

"I've missed you too, Edward, so much."

"I really do want to try and be friends with you, Bella."

"I'd like that." I smile and bite my lip, a habit I picked up in Phoenix.

"So, how about this? We meet here, at this coffee shop, every morning after our run. We'll sit, eat breakfast, and catch each other up on everything and anything, okay?"

I smile at him. "That sounds great. I'll see you here, every morning then."

October 2011

I hear a familiar voice call my name from across the tiny coffee shop. "Bella Swan? Is that you?"

My head snaps around. I can't contain the grin on my face as it Emmett makes his way over to me. "Emmett."

"It's been too long, Belly bear."

"I've missed you, Em." He looks like he wants to hug me, but doesn't know if he can. Realizing that the last time he saw me, I didn't talk, let alone touch anybody, I knew what I had to do. Knowing that Emmett wasn't going to make the first move, I wrap my arms around him. He stiffens at first, like he doesn't know how to respond, but eventually loosens up.

We pull apart when we hear a throat clear behind us. I turn to see Edward standing there.

"McCarty."

"Cullen."

I look between the two of them. What the hell is going on with those too? They were best friends last time I checked.

"I'm going to go get something to eat and give you two a minute," Edward says quietly.

As soon as he's out of earshot, Emmett asks me, "So, you got out of that house?"

I nod my head. "I left before junior year ended to live with Charlie down in Arizona."

"I heard about what happened from some old buddies of mine back in Forks… I'm so sorry you felt like you had to do that to get away. If I had known it was that bad, Bella… I never would've left."

"There was nothing you could've done, Em. Besides, it's all over with now. I've moved on and I have a better life, one that I love living. It's all in the past."

Emmett gives me a sad smile. "I'm glad to hear that, Bella, seriously."

"Edward's helped a lot in the transition back to Washington too. We meet for breakfast every morning. Honestly, it's the best part of my day."

Emmett raises his eyebrows at me. "So, you've forgiven him?"

"There was never anything to forgive."

Emmett snorts and mumbles something under his breath. Seconds later, Edward comes back with enough food to feed a small army. "Are you planning on going into hibernation anytime soon, Cullen?" Emmett teases, I think. Something is going on between them, but I don't comment on it.

"I just didn't know what anyone wanted, so I got a little bit of everything."

"Oh," Emmett says. "That's cool."

Edward smiles half-heartedly and motions for us to dig in.

We sit, talk, and eat for a while before they announce that they have to go to practice. As I get up to leave, Edward right behind me, Emmett stops him. "Edward, wait."

I turn around at the sound of Edward's name. Edward looks to me and shakes his head, silently telling me that he'll catch up to me in a second. I nod and walk out the door.

A few minutes later, Edward and Emmett come out together, smiles on their faces.

"Did I miss something important?"

Emmett grins. "Nah, just two friends catching up, that's all."

"Oh, um, okay. I'll see you guys later?"

"Yeah, it was great to see you again, Bella. If you ever need anything," he gives me a pointed look, "and I mean anything, you call me, alright?"

I giggle and agree.

"I'll see you in the morning, right Bells?"

I smile and nod. I watch as they walk down the sidewalk talking and laughing with each other. Whatever tension I felt in the coffee shop is completely gone now and I couldn't be happier for them.

November 2011

I don't think I'll ever get over the feeling I get when I see Edward walk through those doors every morning. There's just something about the way this boy, no this man, smiles when we make eye contact. It makes me wonder what I ever did to deserve him as a friend now or even as more than that back then.

"Good morning, Bella. How was your jog?"

I smile. "It was great. I ran the most I've ever ran this morning – ten miles. It feels good."

Edward's face lights up. "That's amazing, Bella! I'm still so amazed by the fact that you're so healthy and active now. I love it."

"I do too. I love feeling in charge of my own body. I decide how I look and feel. It's exhilarating."

Edward's smile softens a bit before slowly disappearing. The air between us automatically tenses. "Edward, what's wrong?"

"I really hate to ruin the morning, but there's some stuff I have to get off my chest, Bells. Stuff I should've talked you about a while ago, but I never had the courage."

"You're starting to scare me…" I don't like where this is going.

What could he possibly have to tell me after all this time?

"I don't know how to put this lightly, so I'm just going to come right out and say it." I nod my head and make eye contact with him, silently giving him my permission to continue. "That day when you were in the hospital… after you tried to…"

I could sense the hesitation in his words, so I spoke up. "I know what you're talking about, Edward. Keep going," I say with a sad smile.

He sends me a thankful smile and grabs my hand from across the table. "The entire time you were in the hospital, I wouldn't leave your side. I was determined to be there when you woke up. I wanted, no needed to talk to you, to apologize to you, to make things right. My parents took the hint after I yelled at them for trying to get me to leave you. I was so determined to be the first person you saw when you woke up…"

"But you weren't there when I woke up. Charlie was. What happened?" I remember how badly I wanted to see him when I woke up. I wanted him to be the one who was there to greet me, but he wasn't. Then I felt silly for actually letting myself hope that he would care enough to be there.

"I got a letter a couple of hours before you woke up… from Jacob Black."

I raise my eyebrow and he continues. "It was basically a confession of him saying that he was sorry for all the things he did to you… and me."

"You?" I scoff. "What did he do to you?"

"The night of Emmett's party… when everything between you and me went down… he drugged me."

My eyes go wide. "What? Are you serious? Why would he do that? That's awful!"

"He said that Tanya made him do it… I don't know, Bella, but that's not the point I'm making here. The letter Jacob wrote me wasn't only a confession to all of those things…" Edward takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair. "It was a suicide letter."

I feel my body go completely still. "What?" I ask shakily.

"I left the hospital immediately after reading it, but I was too late. It was already done. I found the body."

"Oh, no, Edward. I'm so sorry you had to go through that." I can't imagine finding someone's dead body… "How did you cope?"

He chuckles forcefully. "I didn't. I locked myself in my room for months. It wasn't until I met that I agreed to go to therapy and I truly faced everything that I went through those few days… Almost losing you, finding Jake's body, the love of my life moving away shortly after she almost died in my arms… it was all too much."

I don't know what to say to him. We haven't talked about me jumping off the cliff at all. I don't know how he expects me to react to everything he just told me.

Sensing my unease, Edward keeps talking. "I just thought you should know about Jacob. And James… well, he stayed in Forks after he graduated. He overdosed a couple of weeks before I left to come here, Bella."

"Oh," I whisper, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, well, like I said, I thought you should know."

"Um, yeah, thank you."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but didn't know how to start. Right when I thought he was going to speak again, the alarm on my phone goes off, signaling that my class is about to start.

"Sorry, Edward. I have to go to class," I say reluctantly. I really want to know what else he was going to say, what else is on his mind.

He stands when I stand and runs his hand through his hair. "Yeah, shit, I'm sorry I've kept you so long."

I smile and step towards him. "No, thank you for telling me." I slowly bring my arms around his waist and hug him for the first time in so long. At first, Edward is completely still, probably unsure of how to react, but he eventually responds. His arms wrap around me, pulling me closer to him so I could feel every inch of his body.

Damn, it feels good to be back in his arms.

After a few minutes too long, we let go. I walk to the door of the coffee shop before turning around and waving back at him, but he doesn't see me. Edward is hanging his head down. He looks so torn about something. I know I should go back to him and demand he tell me what's really on his mind, but I have an exam in less than ten minutes that I can't miss.

I sigh and make my way out the door and to class. If he really needs to tell me something, I just have to trust that he will when he's ready.

**TCWT**

The entire day, I'm completely distracted. All I can think about is how Edward looked when I left the coffee shop. I want to text him and ask him what was going through his head, but I restrain myself.

When I finish my classes for the day, I walk back to my dorm. As soon as I get to my room, my phone buzzes. I look down to see a text from Edward.

Can we meet? I really need to talk to you. – E

I reply immediately.

Of course. Where did you have in mind? – B

His response took mere seconds.

The little diner across from the dorms in ten minutes? – E

I'm walking out the door as I type my reply.

See you then. – B

It only takes me about five minutes to get to the diner When I walk into the small diner, I immediately spot Edward in a booth in the corner. He waves slowly and I make my way over to him. "I'm glad you texted me. You seemed a little distressed after our conversation this morning."

"Yeah, I, uh, didn't finish everything I had to say and I didn't want you to be late to class."

"Well, I'm here now, Edward. Tell me what's on your mind."

"Bells, I've thought of this a lot since we…" he pauses a sad look crosses his face.

Broke up. I fill in for him in my head. "I know what you mean. Continue," I say encouragingly.

He takes a deep breath. "The first time we slept together, that night in the hotel room after my football game, we didn't use a condom."

On the outside, I try to remain calm and composed, but on the inside, I'm freaking out.

Where is this coming from? This is nothing like where I saw this conversation going.

Edward apparently didn't notice my zoning out, so I quickly tuned back into what he was saying. "We never used one after that time either. I was young and stupid and every time I looked at you, I got hard. My dick had a mind of its own. By the time I started touching you, thoughts of putting a condom on weren't even on my radar. I never used a condom when we made love. I always wanted to just feel you and only you. I didn't want some stupid rubber –"

As cute as it was to see him all flustered over this, I am curious to see what the point of bringing this, of all things, up is. "Edward," I interrupt him with my giggles, "you're rambling. Just get to the point."

He takes another deep breath. "Did you ever, I don't know, get worried about being pregnant or something? It seems silly now, but I just want to know."

I sigh and take a deep breath. This isn't the first time he asked me this, but this time I'm prepared to give him an answer, the truth. "Edward, I couldn't have kids back then," I saw slowly, hoping that he would understand what I was saying.

"Yeah, I mean it seems impossible because we were both so young, but it was always possible," he insists.

"No it wasn't," I push. His confused expression says it all, so I chuckle lightly and continue. "Edward, I didn't have a menstrual period until I was living with Charlie."

"What? Why?" I smile sadly. "The whole point of having a period is your body's way of telling you that you're ready to bear a child. Physically, I couldn't have a child back then. To have a period, you have to be healthy. You had to have a steady source of nutrition and nourishment, not to mention the fact that I was so small back then. My body wasn't ready physically to have periods. So, no. I never had any thoughts or worries about being pregnant, Edward. It never crossed my mind that we never used protection when we…" I couldn't help the blush that crept on my face.

"It wasn't exactly at the top of my list when we were, uh, in the moment either. Nice to know that I wasn't the only one a little distracted back then," he says, a knowing smirk comes across his face.

I chuckle at his attempt to lighten the mood. "No, you definitely weren't the only one distracted back then."

A strange expression crosses his face at my words. "You know what, Bella?"

I tilt my head to the side, unsure of where he was going. "What?"

"We've talked a lot these past few weeks about just random stuff, Bella. I want to hear about you. I want to know more about you. I want to know who you were exactly back in high school, the girl that you kept hidden from the world, from me. I want to know the new you. I want to know everything."

With a smile on our faces and a new goal to really get to know who each other is and was, we spend the next four hours sitting at the little corner booth in that diner. I tell him everything that he wanted and it felt good. He now knows everything there is to know about me and he has yet to run. Instead, he wants to know more. Additionally, Edward filled me in on what I had missed in his life.

The entire time we are together, I can feel something happening. Something changed between us tonight. We clicked again. Everything fell in place somehow and I find myself falling for this man all over again.

That night, Edward walks me back to my dorm. Before I walk in, he grabs my hand. "Bella?"

I turn around and face him, not realizing how close our bodies are to each other. Our faces are mere inches apart and the electricity between us is palpable.

"Do you think we could ever be… together again? Like we were in high school?" Edward whispers.

Taking a step back from him so I can think straight, I give him the answer I know he doesn't want to hear. "No, we can't."

The look on Edward's face says it all. I just broke his heart. Before he has a chance to be completely disheartened, I continue. "We can't be like we were in high school because we aren't the same people we were in high school. We've both grown so much since then. We've both gotten stronger in our own ways," I pause for a moment as I watch Edward process my words. "So no, we couldn't be together like we were in high school. It wouldn't be like that." I take a step towards him and stand on my tippy toes. I bring my lips close to his, but divert them at the last second. I bring them to his ear and whisper, "It would be better." I quickly peck his cheek and turn around and open the door to my dorm. I turn around when I'm half way inside and whisper, "Goodnight, Edward. I'll see you in the morning."

He grins from ear to ear and nods his head.

Man, I've missed that smile.

December 2011

"Will you come to my game tomorrow? It's at 12."

"I don't know if I can, Edward. I have a lot of studying to do."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry," I say, truly remorseful.

"No, it's okay." I can see the disappointment in his features.

"I have to go to class now."

"I'll see you Monday then?"

I give him a small smile. "Yeah."

He smiles back at me, but it doesn't quite reach his face.

I hate leaving like this. Things have been so wonderful between us these past few weeks. It's like we started over completely. I can feel old feelings resurfacing and making themselves present in my heart, but I don't know how prominent they are.

The entire day goes by quickly and before I know it, I'm getting ready for bed.

When I go to sleep, all I can think about is the look of disappointment Edward had when I told him I couldn't go to his game. Something in the back of my mind keeps saying that I need to go to this game. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's persistent.

When I wake up, I make up my mind to go to the game. I'll surprise him and hopefully figure out what this feeling is inside of me in the process.

At precisely 11:45, I leave my dorm to head to the football stadium. It's very crowded when I get there, but I am still able to find a seat close to the front of the field for an easy exit.

There are so many memories, good ones, that come back as I watch Edward play. There's just something about seeing him down there, doing what he loves, that makes me realize something. It's the same feeling that haunted me in my sleep last night. As I think about everything that I've been through with Edward, I realize what it is.

I never stopped loving him and I never will.

He's it for me. My one true love.

This is the only thing I can think about throughout the entire game. I barely even notice when the final buzzer goes off. I take a quick glance at the scoreboard to confirm that we won.

With a smile on my face at my epiphany, I make my way down to the field to find Edward. It doesn't take me long. When our eyes meet, he takes off in a sprint towards me. He picks me up and spins me around when he reaches me, our gaze never breaking. "You came."

"I love you, Edward."

I watch as his expression changes as he processes my words. "I love you, Bella, so much. I never stopped." And with that, he softly presses his lips to mine and nothing has ever felt so right before in my entire life.

When we pull apart, he breathlessly asks me, "Will you go somewhere with me? Right now?"

Without a second thought, I agree.

He takes me by the hand and leads me out of the stadium and to his car. The entire drive to wherever he's taking me, he keeps my hand in his. Every once in a while, he brings my hand to his lips and plants small kisses om my knuckles. Other than that, no words are spoken between us, none are needed.

About two hours into the trip, I see a familiar road come into view.

We're back in Forks.

I give Edward a suspicious look, but he just smiles.

A few minutes, later he pulls into a small gravel parking lot and we get out. I know exactly where we're going. I can't help the smile that forms on my face as Edward takes my hand once more and leads me into the woods and up to our meadow.

When we get there, Edward is the first to speak. "I know you can never forgive me for what happened back in high school, but I want to make it up to you," Edward says, looking directly into my eyes.

I smile softly at his sincerity. "There's nothing to forgive."

"But –" He interrupts, but I continue.

"That's what you do for the people you love. You forgive them." I pause, preparing myself for everything I'm about to say. "I took a chance on you Edward, you know, back when we were in high school? I risked my entire world being turned upside down on the slight chance that you might be different. Now look at me, over three years later, I got out of that terrible foster house, I found someone who truly believed in me, not only as a student, but as a daughter. I found Charlie. I found that I am worth loving. I am capable of love…" I glance at him slowly. His eyes are soft and filled with emotion. I pause before saying what I have to say next. "I love you, Edward." I'm looking directly into his eyes now. "You came into my life when I needed you the most. You were the first person to even think I was worth anything. You showed me what if felt like to be wanted. You were my first everything – first friend, first kiss, first love, first time." I blush as I recall the feeling of him inside of me from all those years ago. "I can't tell you how much you meant to me back then. I can never repay you for all you have done for me, Edward."

I pause and wait for him to say something, anything, but he doesn't. He looks like he is processing my words and finally he gets it. His face breaks out into a giant Cheshire grin and I have only a split second before his lips crash against mine. This kiss is different than the ones I remember. This one is filled with mutual love, not just one sided love. It's filled with passion.

Finally, he breaks apart from me and whispers, "I love you so much, Bella. I always have and I always will." He crashes his lips against mine once more.

A/N: The end! Let me know what you guys thought of everything! Look for my other stories in the future also! I might post some outtakes for this story – certain chapters told in the other person's point of view (this one for example) if enough people would like it. Seeing as this could be the last time I hear from you guys on this story, make sure you review and tell me what you thought of everything! Also, I have a knew book that I am going to start posting on Wattpad next Monday. Username basketballchick32 and the name of the story is One Step at a Time. Hope to see some of you there!