Author Note: Thank you for the great response to this story so far! If you missed reviewing the last chapter from your phone during Thanksgiving dinner, you can still do so!

Most of you hope Edward agrees to therapy, and a lot of you are calling for Bella to start telling Edward NO and to dating someone else instead of waiting for him.

Thanks again to moosals for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

Chapter 23 – All Along the Water

Two weeks after Edward's return from Chicago, the weather in Forks turns unseasonably warm. When I see that the forecast for Sunday is 80 degrees, I text him to ask if he wants to visit First Beach in LaPush instead of having a cooking lesson at my house.

As soon as I get his agreement on my plan for brunch at the diner and then the beach, I snap into action, heading out to the Thriftway to buy a set of plastic pails so that Masen can make sandcastles. I also pick up a fresh bottle of sunscreen for all of us pale faces, just in case.

After I get home from shopping, I mix up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, because every picnic needs gooey, chocolatey cookies. I'll make up the sandwiches and pasta salad in the morning.

I'm stressed out a bit over what to wear tomorrow. The temperature will be warm, so I'll for sure wear shorts — the fact that I know Edward is a leg man doesn't hurt — but should I bring a bathing suit? The Pacific Ocean is freaking cold this far north, so I certainly don't plan to go swimming. I might make it up to my knees in the water. In the end, I decide it'd be too forward to play on the beach in a bathing suit.

I get up early on Sunday morning to shower and of course shave my legs. It takes three different tops until I'm satisfied with the way one looks with my khaki shorts. I need to go clothes shopping, if only I had the money to waste on things like that.

Mixing up a couple of quick, kid-friendly dishes for our lunch, I stick them in the refrigerator until just before we're planning to leave for the diner. I put a dozen cookies in a plastic bag, then toss everything I made plus two small bags of chips into a picnic basket.

When Edward knocks, I grab my purse, the basket, and a bag with my beach blanket and other purchases from Thriftway, then swing open the door. "Hi," I smile widely when I see that he's also wearing shorts. I'm glad it won't seem so obvious that I'm trying to entice him.

He looks perplexed for a minute before he bursts out laughing. "We match!"

I chuckle along with him once I realize. Edward is wearing a white polo shirt with khaki shorts, while my white top has a bit of a lacy overlay, but is similar enough.

Masen lunges toward me from his father's arms after I've closed the door and locked up, but I can't take him with my hands full. Setting the picnic basket and beach bag in the back seat of Edward's SUV, I hop in and buckle up while he gets Masen settled.

"What did you make?" Edward asks, nodding toward the back seat.

"You'll find out later! We haven't even had brunch yet."

"Are you sure it'll keep until later this afternoon?"

"I'm sure," I nod. "The basket is insulated."

We of course reach the diner in no time at all. I can't help but puff up my chest a little to walk in next to Edward while he carries his son. The diner is pretty busy, as I expected, but we manage to find a table for two where we can pull over a high chair for Masen.

I laugh when I finally get a good look at Masen's t-shirt. "If you think I'm cute, you should see my Daddy," I read, grinning at Edward.

"My brother got him that," he replies wryly.

"Emmett?"

"You guessed it."

After we've ordered, Edward bites his lip, looking up at me. "So, um… I took your advice."

"Which advice?" I ask, confused.

"To find a therapist," he replies quietly. "I had my first session this week."

"How do it go?" I ask eagerly.

"I think… it went well. I took the crumpled up copy of my victim impact statement so I didn't have to tell the story again. Kind of wimping out, but…" he trails off, shrugging. "We mostly just talked about what I hope to get out of therapy."

"I assume you had to go to Port Angeles?" I'm not aware of any therapists located in Forks.

He nods. "Carolyn watched Masen for me."

"I'm really glad you took that step. Not that I think you're crazy or anything," I quickly add. "I just hate it when I hear you blaming yourself for what happened."

"That's something we'll be working on," he confirms.

"I can't believe you actually listened to me," I chuckle.

"Well… my family had suggested the same. You're the one who put me over the edge though," he grins.

We decide not order anything separate for Masen, since the breakfast meals here are always more than I can eat. When our food is delivered, I slide one of the silver dollar pancakes onto a separate plate we requested for Masen, along with a piece of my omelet and some hash browns.

"Uuuhhhh!" Masen grunts as he sees me pouring maple syrup onto my two remaining pancakes.

"Can I give him some?" I ask Edward, who nods his approval since he's busy inhaling his French toast. I only drizzle on a small amount, but hopefully it's enough to keep Masen happy.

Once we're finished and Edward has taken care of the check, Edward takes Masen into the bathroom to change his diaper before we head out to the car.

"I can't believe you haven't been to see the ocean yet!" I exclaim in surprise as I point out the turn onto LaPush Road.

Edward shrugs. "I wasn't in the mood when I first moved out here, and then the weather turned colder. Do you come here a lot?"

"Honestly, no," I admit. "I came more often when I was younger. My dad has a good friend who lives in LaPush. He'd bring me along when he visited Billy, and I'd sometimes come down to the beach with Billy's son, Jacob. We were forbidden from going in the water alone, but they didn't mind if we hung out on the beach collecting sea shells or wading through tide pools."

"Where is this Jacob now?" he asks, almost sounding jealous. Or maybe it's just my imagination.

"Still here," I shrug. "He's a mechanic at the garage in Forks. Jacob is actually the one who fixed up his dad's old truck so my dad could give it to me for my 16th birthday."

"So that's where you got that old thing!" he laughs.

"Hey," I whine, pretending to be wounded. "I like my truck. Even if its better days were decades ago."

"Were you and Jacob ever… more than friends?" Edward asks, peering over at me.

"Oh no," I laugh. "He was two years younger than me and kind of a pest."

"He used to put frogs in your book bag?" Edward asks with a grin.

"More like put bugs down my shirt." I shudder just thinking about it.

When we arrive, I point out the nearest parking area to First Beach. We decide to leave the picnic basket locked up in the truck for now, but I grab the beach bag out of the back seat. With each of us holding one of Masen's hands, we walk down onto the sand.

"This is amazing," Edward says in awe, staring out at the Pacific Ocean.

"And it's much colder than it looks — just warning you."

"I believe you," he laughs.

We find a large piece of driftwood where we can sit down, and I pull the sunscreen out of the bag, spreading it on Masen before covering myself. Edward borrows the bottle as well, since he's as pale as I am.

I surprise Masen then by pulling out the sand bucket set that I bought. "Remember these from the park in Bellevue?" I ask him.

"That's really cool, thanks, Bella!" Edward says, getting down on his knees on the sand. We make a huge sandcastle with Masen until he seems bored with the entire thing and a little antsy. We can't let him run loose, but we do take a walk down the beach with him.

"Wah!" he yells, pointing at the water.

"It's cold, buddy," Edward laughs.

"Wah!" he insists.

"Well, we can always prove it to him," I suggest, bending over to take off my sandals. Edward removes Masen's shoes and socks, and then I lead him by the hand closer to the surf. The next wave gets within inches of our feet, so I take another step closer.

The next one is a little larger, and before I can take a step back, it's hitting my calves nearly up to my knees. Masen squeals, and I have to hold onto his fingers tightly to keep him from running away. Picking him up, I carry him back to Edward, who's laughing at both of us.

Edward carries his son until his feet dry off, then sits down to puts his shoes and socks back on him. We spend the rest of the afternoon playing and exploring. The weather is perfect and it's just a really fun day.

When we start getting hungry, Edward offers to walk back to the car to get the picnic basket while I spread out the blanket. Reaching into the diaper bag, I pull out Masen's sippy cup and the wet wipes to clean his hands before we start eating.

"So what have we got?" Edward asks, setting the basket down and reaching to open it.

"Patience!" I laugh, slapping his hand away. I open it myself, taking out two bottles of water, along with paper plates and those little packages of plastic silverware that I once pilfered from somewhere.

"These are chicken pesto sandwiches," I announce, pulling out the foil-wrapped items. I made up a smaller one for Masen. "We also have chips and pasta salad," I add, setting a Tupperware container on each plate, "and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. No eating the cookies first and spoiling your meal!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Edward grins, taking a big bite of his sandwich. Since he's busy stuffing his face, I open my utensils and cut up Masen's sandwich into small bites, then open his pasta salad.

"This is good," Edward mumbles, his mouth full of food.

"I also have the other half of Masen's sandwich in here if you want it," I smile.

"You're a smart girl," he winks.

Only once we've all finished our meals do I take out the plastic bag filled with cookies, giving each of us one to start with. Well, I imagine Edward won't let Masen have more than one if he wants him to sleep tonight.

"Mmmm…" Edward closes his eyes as he chews, looking positively orgasmic. It's enough to make a girl rub her thighs together. No sex in seven months, remember?

"OK, I need another," he says, reaching into the bag.

While I'm drooling over his father, Masen is suddenly up and running down the beach.

"Masen!" Edward yells, scrambling to his feet. I'm up nearly as quickly, catching up to both of them as Masen stands pointing under a large piece of driftwood. "You can't run away like that, buddy," he says, kneeling down and pulling Masen close.

Masen grunts, pointing again. "Is something back there?" I ask, getting down on my knees to look. I realize too late that I'm more or less ass up. Peering into the shadows, I think I see something move, causing me to jump back.

Growing up around here, I'm not really afraid of small creatures… except snakes. I hate snakes. But I don't think Masen would've chased a snake down the beach. I carefully reach my hand into where I saw the movement, feeling something soft and furry. Curling my hand around whatever it is, I pull it out, then stare into the frightened face of a tiny kitten, nearly the color of the sand.

I get to my feet, cuddling the kitten close as I show it to Masen. "Is this what you wanted?"

He reaches out, but Edward stops him. "Be very gentle," he advises, showing him how to pet the kitten with one finger. Masen grins widely as he touches the soft fur.

"Maybe we should take it to a shelter," Edward suggests, making me laugh out loud.

"This isn't Chicago; there are no shelters in Forks."

"What do we do with it then? Leave it here?"

I rub the kitty's chin, staring into its pretty golden eyes. "We take it home," I shrug. "Alice had a cat when we were growing up, but my dad was allergic, so I could never get one."

"Do you actually have any supplies for a cat?" Edward asks skeptically.

"No, that's why we're stopping at the Thirftway on the way back," I laugh, heading back to our picnic site with the kitten.

Edward starts packing things up while I make sure my new pet doesn't escape. It would be really nice to have a pet carrier, but all I've got is a picnic basket with no air holes and a beach bag, and it'll probably jump out of that.

The little furball falls asleep on my lap on the way back to town, which means Edward has to run in for basic supplies while I stay in the car with Masen and the kitten. When we get home, we all go into my house, setting up the litter box in the half bath. I fix a bowl of kitten food and place it on my kitchen floor on a placemat, along with a bowl of water, and the kitten scarfs it down.

"She must be starving."

"She?" Edward questions as Masen peers down at the kitten in awe. "I thought orange cats were usually male?"

"Not that I'm an expert, but…I didn't see anything that looked male when I flipped it over." I need to get a vet appointment to find out for sure; plus, she probably needs her shots. Ugh, all of that sounds expensive.

"OK," he chuckles, "so what are you going to name her?"

"Sandy," I announce. Both for where she was found and her color.

Once Sandy has finished her meal, I encourage her to follow us into the living room. Edward also picked up a carrier and a cat bed for her, which I place on the floor in the corner.

"I'll pay you back when I go to the ATM, all right?" I ask, following Masen's lead in getting down on the floor with Sandy.

"You can just give me half," he suggests. "I imagine Masen will be over playing with her pretty often."

"Thank you. Masen, don't pull her tail, honey. Always be very gentle with kitty," I warn.

"Kitty!" he yells and the cat scampers away.

"And also don't yell right in her face," I laugh, encouraging Sandy to come closer for a few head scratches. Edward didn't pick up any toys for her, but she really has a thing for his shoelaces as we sit and play with her.

"What am I gonna do with you all day while I'm at school, huh?" I muse. I think Sandy is at least a couple of months old, but I don't want her destroying my house if she's too young to be left alone.

"When is your last day of school?" Edward asks.

"June 19."

"That late?" he asks, brow furrowed. "I thought I saw signs up for graduation earlier than that."

I nod. "Graduation is the 10th, but non-seniors have to go longer."

"Oh," he frowns. "My publishers were asking about another book signing tour next month — in California."

A/N: Another fun day out for the three of them! The weather really was super warm in Forks over Memorial Day weekend.

So Edward did find a therapist, Bella found a new pet, and now Edward's publishers have another book signing tour planned. I imagine a good chunk of you hope she turns him down this time?

Next update on Thursday!