Bella's POV

Esme picked up Nessie and I sent Edward a text, telling him to go home and change before coming over… letting him know that we were going out and to dress for the beach.

It was a warm evening for the time of year, and I spent the time while I waited for him packing us up a picnic dinner… finding a small pile of warm blankets and pulling one of Edward's sweaters over my head.

By the time he had come in, I was a nervous wreck and I grabbed the pile of blankets, as well as the bag of food and dishes I had put together, moving towards the front door. Taking a deep breath, I greeted him with a smile, leaning in and reaching up on my toes to offer him a gentle kiss hello.

I loved kissing Edward. At first, I had worried that it would trigger me… send me spiralling through waves of horrendous memories. But James had never kissed me… he had never even tried. His focus had been on sex only, and while I had been forced into other horrid acts, this was one thing that I could treasure.

"I saw Nessie with Mom?" He asked once we broke apart and I handed him the bags I had been holding. Putting my shoes on, I shrugged, smiling as we headed out the door.

"I wanted to talk to you about a few things…" I hinted quietly. When we reached his car, he placed the bags and the blankets in the trunk while I got into the passenger seat. He was being fairly quiet, and I hoped that I hadn't scared him at all.

Reaching over, I grabbed his hand and we rode in a comfortable silence, the twenty minute drive to First Beach, going quickly.

When we arrived, Edward helped me set everything up at the beach, the wind chilly as we sat down and wrapped blankets around us. It was a beautiful spring night though and as I opened up the containers of food, I watched a small family playing Frisbee just down from where we were sitting.

"What's wrong Bella?" Edward asked a few minutes later and I looked over at him. The sun was lower in the sky now, the light glinting off of his copper hair and causing it to shine brightly. I smiled when I saw it… his hair and his eyes… they had never changed, still the same features that I remembered from before.

"Edward… today I spent a long time thinking about us." I began and I saw him frown, his forehead creasing and his eyes darkening as he worried about what I was going to say next. "We've never really talked too much about our relationship… and we've never really defined anything… and each step is so controlled… but without any real discussion, without ever telling you how I really feel about you." I began and he looked even more terrified, his eyes filled with grief.

"Bella I'm so sorry…" he began but I cut him off.

"Edward I loved you when we were ten years old. I knew probably before even then that I liked you and that I trusted you. Alice was always my best friend… but you… you were more." I began again and I let out a deep breath. This is where it was going to get difficult to explain.

"The day that I was taken… I wanted space from you because I was scared." I confessed and I watched the horror flood Edward's face. "I wasn't scared of you… I was scared because I was feeling such a strong connection to you… and we were still so young. I felt pulled to you more than anybody else. I felt like we were in some sort of set story, where we were going to be together… we were soul mates. And I was ten… I just wanted to have fun… we were always together and I knew that I felt strongly about you even back then." I confessed and he hung his head. This was his worst fear… that day… that it was his fault that I was taken.

"From the second that I got into the car with Victoria… I realised that I shouldn't have and my first thought was you." I again confessed, needing him to know. "As soon as I knew that we weren't going back to the fair… I knew I had to get back to you. It wasn't my Mom or Dad that I thought about right away… it wasn't Alice or Rosalie or anybody else… I was sure that once you realised how stupid I had been… that that would be it for us. You would hate me forever."

"I could never hate you Bella."

"I spent the first year of my captivity locked in a basement… never knowing what was next. Nobody touched me… nobody really did much except to threaten me and keep me locked up. That entire year, I prayed every day that you would burst through the door… followed by my mom and dad and everyone else… but you leading the way. Every single day I wished I could go back to that day at the fair, and stick to your side like glue… because as ridiculous as it sounds to know that you were meant for me at ten years old… I did know."

"Bella… I…"

"After Victoria and Laurent stopped showing up… I knew… I knew I wasn't getting out alive. James was different… darker. The first time that he touched me I closed my eyes and I remember squeezing them so tight… and I just imagined that I was somewhere else. I pictured me and you at the playground in the forest, and we were just sitting… talking… I was just telling you everything…" I could feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. I could feel the wind whipping around my hair. But I couldn't stop.

"Every time he violated me and I laid there, the pain nearly crippling me… I remembered every time that you fixed one of my injuries… the day when we were nine and you carried me through the woods and back to your house because I twisted my ankle. The time that I fell down the stairs and you sat by my side making sure I didn't move until your Dad got there to check me out. The time that I had to have a tooth pulled and you brought me flowers that you picked from Mrs. Thomas' yard… and then you sang to me until I fell asleep.

When Nessie was born… I pretended that you were her father. I pretended that we were a family unit and I spent hours and hours at a time telling her stories about you. As she got older I told her stories about everyone… I always made up the silliest things and yet… throughout it all, in every story, we somehow ended up together. Always." I told him the tears still flowing as he sat across from me. He was crying now as well, not bothering to move to wipe any of his own tears away.

"When you burst into the bunker… I knew who you were right away… but I also wasn't even sure I was alive at that point. I thought it had to be a dream… some sort of hallucination at the very least. But you were there. And you didn't leave again… even when you went home at night… you were with me. I could feel our connection again.

And you have continued to be there every single step of the way… no matter what I have needed over the last several months… no matter what Nessie has needed… you have been there for both of us… you've never stopped… you've never been disgusted or repulsed… you've never gotten annoyed or angry or impatient… you have been our rock." I reminded him and he nodded.

"I would do anything… be anything that you and Nessie need…" He spoke hoarsely and I smiled. I already knew he would. I had never doubted it.

"I know that while I was gone, you faced your own trauma and grief… I know that you were in almost as much emotional pain as I was… that you never gave up looking for me, because you could feel it that I was still alive." I said quietly, repeating the words he had told me several times now. "I want you to know how much that means to me." I whispered, looking him in the eye, seeing the emotion pouring out of his emerald eyes. "I want you to know that I never once blamed you… this wasn't your fault… and it wasn't mine." I reminded him, seeing the doubt flare up across his features.

"I want to be with you Edward." I stated firmly, still locked onto his eyes… hoping to convey the sincerity to my words. "I know that we have kind of begun to take small steps in our relationship… but we have never even called it a relationship… never talked about a future together." I bit down on my lip as I spoke these words, suddenly nervous. What if I was assuming too much?

"Bella, I want to be in your life… but I don't ever want to push you into anything you aren't ready for." He responded a minute later, his eyes still sparkling as he watched me, reaching his hand out and taking mine in his.

"Edward… I want to define us. I want to be your girlfriend. I want to look at the future… and although I'm still not ready for too much physically, and I don't really know what exactly our future holds together… I just want to talk about it. I want to open up doors and possibilities for a time down the road." I told him cautiously and he smiled at me for the first time since I had begun speaking.

"Isabella Swan… I would be honored if you would consider officially becoming my girlfriend." As Edward spoke he shifted, moving closer to me and reaching into his sweater pocket, pulling out a small black box.

"I bought this a few weeks ago, and I've been waiting for the right time to give it to you." He said as he opened it up and I felt my jaw drop.

Inside the box was a silver bracelet with three teardrop charms hanging off of it.

"There are two sapphires… one for each, You and Nessie." He explained and I smiled, seeing the two blue stones on the two outer teardrops. "The third charm has a garnet, which is the birthstone for January… my birthday." He said quietly, watching for my reaction. "I saw this in the window at the jewellery store, and I know it might sound a little bit presumptuous… but it was perfect, and the stones were perfect… and I plan on being with you Bella… as long as you'll have me. I know that neither of knows exactly what the future holds, or what will happen. But I want you to know, that no matter what, I am here… I am with you… I want to be in yours… and Nessie's… lives. For good." He told me and I smiled up at him. I couldn't help it. I knew that I loved him and I knew that he must have been prepared to wait for the exact right moment to give me this bracelet.

"I love you Edward." It was the last thing I needed to say before I launched myself into his arms, wrapping my own arms around his neck and holding tightly. Pulling back only slightly, I planted my lips against his, kissing him firmly, and letting him feel the emotion that was filling me.

"I love you too Bella. I always have, and I always will." He whispered before kissing me a second time, this time softer, gentler. It was exactly what we both needed.

A/N: I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for continuing to read and review this story. Every comment means so much to me!

(Also, I know that traditionally Edward Cullen's birthday is in June… I needed to change it however to match up with the storyline.)