Intro to the next chapter
Edward's wild heart had been locked in a cage since the tender age of ten. It was barricaded with tremendous sadness, feelings of loneliness, confusion, abandonment, and the jaded, bitter words of his father… "She's not coming back."
"Love isn't real."
Those feelings and those words had been strewn around Edward's tender heart, like chains.
There, in the confines of the safe cage… his heart grew thicker and thicker, remaining inactive as he aged.
It wouldn't be too long though, before changes would occur in Edward's body as well as his mind and heart.
First kisses, hasty touches and beautiful girls were happening at a pace he couldn't slow. And anytime Edward's heart had tendencies to come out of the cage, it was those chains that kept it there, pulling it tighter, keeping it confined.
Until years later.
When Edward had grown taller.
When he had matured.
When Edward had made bad decisions and needed a mother's guidance.
When Edward needed to be hugged. When Edward needed to feel loved.
When the girl in the frame.
When Charlie.
Chief Swan meant something to Edward. He respected him. And vice versa. It was that tender loving care and respect that broke away the first chain that said love isn't real.
Once that chain was broken, it loosened all the others. But still, Edward's heart was safe in the cage. So, afraid of the unknown, he'd kept it there, confined to the loose chains… not yet ready to break them.
Until a few days ago.
It was the fiery kiss he'd shared with Bella that broke away the rest of the chains restraining Edward's heart.
As his lips pressed to hers, the chains fell broken, one by one. First, the chain that said all women lie. Then the chain that said all women leave. Next the chain that said she's never coming back.
When Edward walked away from Bella that night, he walked away with an unchained heart for the first time since they'd been together as children. He felt almost restored by her.
The memories of abandonment and feelings of loneliness and confusion were still there floating around, but they were quieter now— the sound of them much softer.
There were no more chains holding his heart inside that cage he'd built, and whether or not he had the courage to free it, depended on her acceptance of him.
He couldn't take another rejection. She was the only other he'd ever opened the door for aside from his mother… if she pushed him aside, he was convinced that this time, he'd lock the door and throw away the key.
So as the days went by, Edward waited patiently knowing deep down, that she'd call when she was ready.
And she did.
A/N: Edward's heart is a character all its own, I hope you enjoyed getting to know it a little more. Next chapter is pretty long, and back to first person. EPOV and BPOV, so I thought I'd cut a little of it and post this here, separate from it. Next one is all yours in thirty minutes. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, my apologies if I haven't replied, I've been tight on time, but I read every word and appreciate it more than you know.
XOXO - ex