Disclaimer: Stephenie owns all things Twilight. I did own some beers, but I drank them.

Jasper's story was put on hold while I showered, trying to scour the whiskey and cigarette smoke off my skin. After I was dressed, I resumed my position on one of the queen beds; Emmett took the other and Jasper took the arm chair, bare feet propped up on the table. Then they recounted the night for me: after my trip to the bathroom the cute redheaded waitress dropped off another round of shots and promised a free pitcher of beer if one of us rode the bull. So I did. And got thrown off. Seven times.

"Please tell me you got pictures!" Emmett gasped, clutching at his sides, and Jasper grinned.

"And video," he said triumphantly, whipping out his iPhone and tossing it to Emmett.

"What the fuck did I drink?" I asked and they simply laughed.

"That's a normal Saturday night for me," Jasper shrugged taking his iPhone back and staring intently at the screen.

"You watching porn over there?" Emmett asked him and Jasper shook his head.

"Nah… I'm uploading this on YouTube." Another grin spread across his stupid face and I had the sudden urge to make him less pretty. He must've noticed because he put his phone back in his pocket and cleared his throat quietly. "Just kidding," he mumbled as Emmett's phone buzzed on the nightstand.

"You ladies want to meet Rose for lunch?" he said after reading his text. Jasper shrugged in agreement while I tried not to vomit at the thought of food.

"Sorry… I have some work stuff that I'm behind in and phone calls to make," I half-lied in hopes that he wouldn't mind if I skipped out.

"Sure," he nodded, "can I borrow this?" he asked, picking up The Count of Monte Cristo from the nightstand. It took all I had not to leap at him and pry it from his cold, dead fingers.

"No," I barked, and swallowed convulsively as he stared, eyebrows raised.

"O…kay," he soothed, backing off with hands raised, and headed for the door with Jasper at his heels. I watched as both of them climbed into their vehicles and drove off before going inside. Back in the room, I picked up my cell phone to check my messages. A text from Alice gave me a heads-up on what the date actually was, seeing as I had basically forgotten and was measuring the days by the amount of time I got to spend with Masen.

- Happy Valentine's Day!

I replied to her quickly, then picked my book up from where had Emmett tossed it, smoothing the bent pages and closing it properly. I stared at the faded cover before opening slowly to my favorite words of the entire book, like I did every time I read it.

February 14th,1999

E,

To the first of many Valentine's Days together.

I Love You.

-B

I flipped absently through the pages trying to find a passage I would enjoy reading but, like always, I ended up thinking about the day she gave me the book. Our first Valentine's Day together, ten years ago. Bella and I had been seeing each other in secret for several months and were doing a fine job keeping it to ourselves, until Emmett found out and punched me. After everyone calmed down, things were a little better. Though Charlie had known me all my life, he became very protective when we went public. However, on Valentine's Day the Chief extended Bella's curfew and allowed us to travel to a movie and dinner in Port Angeles rather than suffering another greasy meal at Forks' diner.

I'll never forget the look on his face when Bella came down the stairs that night. Alice insisted that Bella wear pink, which she agreed to as long as she got to pair it with jeans. My sister had applied just the slightest bit of mascara and lip-gloss and curled Bella's hair so that it fell in soft waves around her face and onto her shoulders. She'd smiled shyly at me when I handed her a pink rose and kissed my cheek softly.

We spent our time in Port Angeles wisely. Movie, dinner, and making out on the pier. While I enjoyed the night I kept putting off what I really wanted to say to her. What I had wanted to say for months, but wasn't sure if I was ready. If we were ready.

February 14th, 1999

I glanced at our entwined hands and then at the clock on the dash of my Volvo that sat idling in the Swans' driveway. We had until eleven o'clock, another fifteen minutes to whisper, touch, and kiss. I wrapped one of her chocolate curls around my finger and kissed her under her ear, making her shiver. Smiling against her skin, I chuckled softly.

"That's nice," I said and she groaned.

"You're such a tease, Cullen," she whispered, and pushed me away, smiling.

"I -" I started to say what I wanted but stopped, still unsure.

"What?"she asked quietly, slipping her hand through my hair and resting it on the back of my neck, absently playing with the unruly hair there.

"Nothing baby." I kissed the crook of her elbow and removed her arm from around me. "You should probably get inside. I'm sure Chief's been watching through the blinds for twenty minutes," I said and she giggled.

"Probably," she sighed. "Thank you for tonight. Everything was… perfect," she breathed, running her hand through my hair again and pulled my face to hers. Our lips met softly as my hand traveled to the back of her neck, holding her to me. We finally pulled away, breathless, foreheads pressed together.

"I'll walk you up." My voice was barely a whisper, my emotions running too high. She held my hand and leaned into me as we walked up the drive. The porch light flicked on and I knew someone was waiting on the other side of the door. When we finally reached the door she reached into her purse and handed me a small package wrapped in tissue paper.

"Open it when you get home," she said as she pressed it into my hands. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me quickly, then disappeared inside.

I barely made it home before I ripped the paper off the package. Inside was the book, which had always been one of my favorites. It felt like my heart leapt out of my chest when I read the inscription. The words that I had been trying to say all night were right there, staring right at me. She had been the brave one to say it first.

It took me all of two seconds to have the car turned on and almost out of the driveway. The drive back to Bella's house didn't take nearly as long as usual, though when I got there all the lights were off. I parked a few houses down and sprinted back to where she was, the girl who had my heart. I quickly climbed the tree outside her window, like I had been doing for so many nights in the past few months.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bella whispered after she finally answered my incessant knocking. I couldn't answer her, for she stood before me in nothing but a tank top and a pair of boy short underwear, hair disheveled and looking fucking beautiful. I crossed the room in less than three steps and pulled her into my arms, crushing her mouth with my own and lifting her off her feet. She pulled away, her chest heaving against mine and grinned up at me.

"What was that for?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my chin.

"Because… I love you, too."

~*~

BPOV

I heard the front door slam and looked up from the essays on Romeo and Juliet I was grading. Emmett strolled in, still wearing the clothes he had on the night before and reeking of cigarettes and sluts. He tossed his keys on the table and fell in the chair across from me, staring.

"What?" I asked; he was being fucking creepy.

"Nothing," he shrugged and smiled. "I just love my baby sister," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, sure," I muttered and shook my head. "How was your boys' night?" I asked nonchalantly, really only caring what Edward had to say and where he was now.

"Fine," he shrugged again and reached over to take a sip of the coffee that was sitting in front of me. "We had lunch with Rose afterwards…"

"How did she and Edward get along?" I chuckled at the thought, imagining a war of the gods when the two of then got together.

"Oh he didn't come… he was still pretty messed up from last night," my brother grinned at his own memories. "I forgot how much fun that asshole could be," he mused quietly.

"Hm," was all I said. I wasn't sure what I was upset about. The fact that he had a chance to meet someone extremely important to Emmett and chose not to, or that he went out and got wasted. Or was it the fact that my brother was treating Edward like the Prodigal Son? That could've been it.

"So… big plans tonight?" He attempted to pull me out of my mood.

"Nope," I said sourly. "Dad is sick and Sue doesn't think it would be good for Masen to be around him. Seth has a date, you're going out… so I have no babysitter," I sighed and he looked at me as if I'd grown three heads.

"You have a more than willing babysitter hanging out in a hotel room in Port Angeles, don't forget that," he got up and kissed my head softly. "He really wants to try, Iz," Emmett said softly as he left me sitting at the kitchen table with my essays and thoughts. Stupid older all-knowing brother.

~*~

EPOV

I was a little surprised when Bella called, asking if I wanted to hang out with Masen while she and James went out. And perhaps a little peeved that she wanted me to come over so she could have a romantic evening with her douchebag boyfriend. I tried to push the second emotion away and replace it with the sheer joy of getting to spend time alone with my son. Of course, once I pulled my rental into their driveway and saw James' Prius (yes, a fucking Prius) already there, the annoyance was back.

I was grumbling to myself as I walked up the steps when the door flung open and Masen threw himself at me like he had done the day before. His enthusiasm and happiness was contagious. It was nearly impossible to be anything but giddy when I was in his presence. He took my hand, leading me in the house and I closed the door behind us. I could hear Bella's voice coming from the stairs and we rounded the corner from the kitchen.

"He's his father, James! He has every right to be here." Bella's voice was a rather loud whisper, getting louder the more agitated she got.

"That's not the point, Bella!" James voice was low and angry. "We've been together over a freaking year and you have yet to let me spend the day with him, but this guy is here all of what, five days? And you practically throw the kid at him!"

"It's not like that and you know it," she hissed, and I could imagine the look of cold fury on her face.

"Then explain it to me! I want to be a father to your son, Bella. But you won't let me! I'm trying here –" he was interrupted by Masen pulling me into view of the couple. They were standing in the middle of the stairs, Bella on a step just above James so their eyes were level.

"Edward's here!" my son cried and I smiled sheepishly, wondering how this could possibly be any more awkward.

"Great…" James muttered, descending the stairs and avoiding eye contact with me. "I'll be in the car," he called.

"Sorry," Bella said softly and I shrugged.

"I'm sure this isn't easy for him," I said looking down at Masen, whose hand was still tightly wound with mine.

"I'm just going to grab a jacket," she said as she turned to go up the stairs and I finally noticed what she was wearing. It was a fitted dark blue dress that clung to her perfectly and came just above the knee. It was sleeveless and the v-neck was low enough to be sexy, but classy. It was the knee-high black boots that set me off, however. We waited and she smiled as she came down the stairs, just a hint of make-up on, her long locks pulled into a twist at the back of her neck. I fought the urge to pull out whatever was holding it up and watch it cascade down her shoulders, feeling that it may be inappropriate to full-on molest someone else's fiancée.

Masen and I walked her to the door and she bent down and kissed his forehead, then his nose, which he wrinkled adorably before smiling a toothy grin up at his mother.

"I love you, Mama," he said, still clinging to my hand.

"I love you," she whispered, kissing him again. "Thank you," she said as she turned to me, smoothing the buttons on my polo, staring at my shirt and refusing to meet my eyes.

"Have a good night," I said softly. She nodded and left without another word. Masen and I stood by the door for a moment before he turned to me, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Wanna play hide-n-seek? You're it!" He grinned before running off.

~*~

"Masen!" I called twenty minutes later. We were on our fourth round of hide-n-seek and I'll be damned if he wasn't really good. But, it was getting late and we still hadn't had dinner. "Masen, if you want dinner you'll come out!"

"I'm right here," he laughed, crawling out from behind the loveseat. I picked him up then threw him over my shoulder, carrying him to the kitchen, where we made grilled cheese sandwiches and tall glasses of milk.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Blue," I answered.

"Cartoon?"

"Pinky and the Brain," I smiled thinking of Alice.

"Uncle Emmett told me about that one," he laughed. "What's your job?"

"I'm an architect," I answered.

"So… you build stuff?" he asked, intrigued. It was amazing how intellectual he was.

"Well, kind of. I make the plans and other people build things. But I get to watch and help out sometimes, that's the best part."

"I like to build stuff," he said, smiling a milk-mustache smile at me.

"Very cool," I said, reaching for his empty plate. "Let's get ready for bed," I told him and he nodded and ran upstairs. When I reached him he was pulling a pajama shirt over his head, only the top of his messy hair sticking out. I chuckled as I helped him pull it down and smoothed his hair. He smiled and threw his arms around my neck briefly before climbing into his bed. I sat on the side of the bed and he handed me a story to read to him, but I pulled out the small photo album that was under his pillow. He looked at me wide-eyed, confused as to why I knew where and what it was.

"Do you know who they are?" I pointed to the first picture of the four kids and he grinned.

"Mama, Alice, Uncle Emmett, and you." He pointed to each face as he said our names.

"Alice is my –" I started but he interrupted.

"She's your sister. And she was Mama's best friend?" He looked up at me for validation.

"Right," I smiled.

"Do you know why your Mama gave you these pictures?" I asked softly and he nodded.

"She said she wanted me to know about the people she loved," he explained. I watched his face intently, part of me wondering if he knew exactly who I was. I cleared the lump from my throat quietly and tore myself away from his gaze. It felt like I was looking into a mirror that showed me my past self.

"You should get to sleep." I pulled the comforter up and reached for a story, not sure if we should be having this conversation without Bella's permission. I opened the book and started to read but he interrupted me.

"I know you're my daddy," he said softly. My whole body froze, hands outstretched and empty because the book had fallen to the floor. I could feel my heart stutter and I couldn't force my mouth to say anything so he continued. "Mama told me. She said that… that you had to do something really important and that I shouldn't be mad at you."

"Are you?" I asked softly and he shook his head.

"No," he answered simply. "Will you read me Skippyjon Jones again? I like how you sang the song."

"Of course," I whispered, overcome, before I took his face in my hands and kissed his forehead. I only had to read the story once before he was out cold. After I cleaned up the kitchen and our mess from the consecutive games of hide-n-seek I settled on the couch. I must've dozed off because the next thing I knew a tiny hand was tapping my face.

"Edward," I heard Masen's voice calling me softly.

"What's up, buddy?" I looked around at the clock. It was after eleven and some late night talk show was on the TV. Bella still wasn't home.

"I had a bad dream," he said so pitifully that I had to pull him into my arms. He settled himself against my side, his head resting on my shoulder and his arm over my chest; he was asleep within minutes. I pulled the afghan from the back of the couch and wrapped it around him. His little hand fisted in my shirt and I wrapped my own around it, stretching out his tiny fingers, reveling in the softness of his skin. I pressed my cheek to his hair as my arm tightened around him, finding it hard to believe that he was mine.

BPOV

It was nearly midnight when I finally arrived home from my date with James. We enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner and an extremely boring play that made me wish I were at home watching Spongebob with the kid. He walked me to the door, no doubt hoping I would ask him to stay, especially because Edward was there. But my rules had not changed. If my son was in the house, there were absolutely no sleepovers. James took the dismissal stoically, though I could tell he was angry that he was going to leave me alone with Edward.

"I love you," he said and kissed my cheek. I smiled and smoothed the lapel of his jacket.

"You too," I whispered, kissing him softly. I did love him. But it was hard to say it. It was hard to admit that I could feel that way about someone other than Edward, no matter how many years it had been.

"Goodnight." He kissed me again and I watched his figure retreat to his car. When he was out of the driveway I went inside. I took off my coat and boots by the door and noticed the faint blue light coming from the TV in the living room. I hoped Edward was awake so we could talk about how his night with Masen went, but when my eyes fell on their figures cuddled on the couch, I knew I didn't have to ask. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes at the sight of them, so I took a deep breath and steadied myself. I gently pulled the afghan from Masen and tried to extract him from under Edward's arm without stirring them but I failed miserably.

"Hey," Edward said, his voice thick with sleep. He used the hand not wrapped around our son to rub his eyes.

"I was just going to put him in bed," I whispered.

"I got it," he replied, shifting his weight from under Masen and lifting him expertly in his arms. I followed him up the stairs, watching the way Masen's arms wound around his father's neck and imagining doing this, watching them together, every night. My heart warmed unexpectedly at the visual. I shook the thoughts out of my head as we approached Masen's room and watched as Edward placed him in his bed and pulled his covers around him. I didn't realize I was standing so close until Edward straightened himself up and turned around, his body mere inches from mine.

He took a step closer, raising his hand as he did. He placed it, first, on my shoulder squeezing it softly, then let his fingers trail up and around to the back of my neck. His adept fingers found the small clip that had been holding my hair together at the base of my neck and pulled it gently out, causing the curls I'd worked so hard on to fall down my back. I stared up at him quizzically.

"That's been bothering me since you left," he said softly and I blushed into the darkness. I should've known. His fixation with my hair was almost as bad as the one I had with his unruly locks.

"James likes it up…" I explained and his hand, which had been resting on the back of my neck dropped, fingers grazing my arm softly. Edward took a step towards me and gently pressed his lips to my temple.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bella," he whispered into my hair. I nodded as he walked out of the room. After I made sure Masen was comfortable and kissed his head softly, I nearly sprinted to the front door to stop Edward from walking out of it.

"Stay," I said, a small amount of conviction in my voice.

"What?" he asked and I could see the shock under the mask of sleepiness.

"It's late. You shouldn't drive. Em's not coming home, you can sleep in his room," I explained and to my surprise he didn't argue. He tossed his keys down, removed his shoes and jacket and trudged upstairs to the room across from Masen's, my old room. I hesitated, wondering if I should follow him up, help him out. Help him out of what, his clothes? I almost laughed out loud at myself as I took the stairs two at a time.

The door to Emmett's room was ajar and I was just going to peek in to see if he needed anything. At least that's what I'd promised myself. But when I did peek in I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sight before me. I had seen Edward shirtless many times. I'd witnessed his pudgy baby fat, his scrawny and awkward prepubescent body, and of course the gloriousness that was the body of a high school football receiver. But this, this man that was standing, back to me in my brother's bedroom was… beautiful. I watched as he pulled the blankets from the head of the bed, the way the muscles in his back moved and rippled across his body. My eyes got caught on the dimples that were just above his boxers, exposed over the top of his jeans. I could've stood there for hours watching him… but I decided against being a perv and made my presence known.

"Do you need anything?" I asked and he turned to me slowly. I should've known that the front view would've been just as compelling as the back. I tried to keep my eyes on his face instead of his body and to save myself from feeling like I was completely objectifying him. But then I noticed that something was off. His skin was a darker shade than I had ever seen it, tanner obviously. A perk from not living in a state of constant cloudiness, I assumed. But I was disturbed by what looked like a bright white scar that had been burned onto the left side of his chest, just over his heart. My eyes were drawn to it and I took a step closer to see. Edward must've noticed my gaze because he turned to a small pile where his shirt lay and extracted a white undershirt. He pulled it over his head quickly before turning back to me.

"I don't need anything," he said, "thanks for letting me stay."

"Is that a scar?" I asked; my eyes still trained on the spot now hidden beneath his tee.

"Something like that," he said softly. I tore my eyes away from his chest and met his emerald gaze.

"Um… thanks for watching him tonight," I mumbled as I walked backwards out of the room, utterly dazed.

"Anytime," he said as one corner of his beautiful mouth turned up. All I could do was nod in my attempt to excuse myself. "Goodnight, Bella."

"Night," I said from the hallway. I turned abruptly and headed to my room, closing the door and leaning against it.

That man will be the death of me, I thought to myself, before taking a long, cold shower.

A/N:

*waves*

Thanks to my beta Becca Graymoor for making these words make sense.

Next, I just wanted you to know I am being monitored by the Awesome-est of the Awesome - Messynachos. We're fucking listening to the Spice Girls right now and I'm a little drunk. Messy says I'm a liar because, in fact, I'm quite drunk. Whatevs. We (I) drank rum and made cakes for Slapsgiving. It's the best holiday of the year.

Messynachos: Don't put me on the spot.

Me: Tell our readers something about yourself.

MN: Stop staring at me you fucker.

Me: Wha?

MN: Tell people what?

Me: *facepalm*

MN: The "scar" was totally my idea because IdPattThat is a fucking looooooooser.

Me: *facepunch*

THE END.

*Don't forget to review because you may or may not receive a teaser. I haven't decided yet. HAPPY SLAPSGIVING! Can we break 100??*