They were mostly silent as they left the salon, each lost in thought as they drove to the closest clothing store. Leah kept glaring down at her nails as though they might suddenly grow fangs and try to bite her.

Bella finally broke the silence by asking, "You hate them, don't you?"

"I'm surprised you like them, is all. Eighteen-year-old Bella had fingernails chewed down to the nub."

"That was from anxiety, which I really don't have anymore," Bella said. "At least not like I have since I got those divorce papers."

"Well, yeah, that makes sense," Leah said. "I kind of envy that you got away from here. I'll never do that."

Bella hit her turn signal to enter the parking lot as she asked, "Well… why? I mean, some of the guys have gone off on their own for a while. Why can't you?"

"I don't have the resources for that. It's fine, though. I accepted it a long time ago. I'm kind of content, I guess. Not necessarily happy, but shit could always be worse."

Bella frowned, unable to help it. They sounded too much alike - willing to stay put, in comfort, rather than branching out any further. Life was safer that way. Less uncertain.

As Bella parked the car, Leah teased, "You know, I told you all of that when we were drunk, but you don't remember it."

Bella chuckled. "I'm sorry. At least now you know if you want me to forget anything you say, just feed me Tequila first."

"That implies drinking it together again. You leave in a week, so we better get cracking."

Once inside, the clothing selections pleasantly surprised Bella. Many items were much more 'cottage-core' in appearance than she expected for the area, with soft, billowy fabrics and peasant-style designs. Unable to decide, Bella bought three outfits and a new bathing suit at Leah's suggestion. She kept her earlier thoughts about wearing one to herself, still wondering if it was presumptuous to assume things would go well.

The girls had dinner and a few drinks at a local pizza joint, and then Bella drove Leah home. She still lived in her mother's old house, and driving near Billy's little house was bittersweet.

Hearing the uptick of Bella's heartbeat as they passed it, Leah glanced over and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Bella lied. "It's just… it's been a long time."

Leah gave her a look as if to say, 'Duh,' and turned her attention back to the road.

Bella couldn't help but wonder where her husband and his son lived now. Had she already driven past it without knowing? She was afraid to ask. What would she even do with that information? It wasn't like she could simply stop by. She doubted he would appreciate that very much, especially if he had a girlfriend who was unaware of her.

She dropped Leah off, returned to her hotel, and promptly called Charlie to pry into his schedule. Bella needed things to fill her time if she would be here for nine more days. She decided then to agree to dinner with Angela and God-only knew-who else.

Maybe it'll save me the horror of going to that reunion. And maybe reconnecting with Angela would be a good thing. Angela wouldn't be able to bring up much of the past while surrounded by humans, either.

With Charlie's schedule and solid plans for the next three days, Bella allowed herself to relax. She took another shower to ease her muscle tension, climbed into bed, and swiftly fell asleep.

A knock on the door pulled Bella from her bed. It was still dark out, the only light in the room coming from a lower light post outside. She rubbed the sleep from her tired eyes, and then, suddenly, she was opening the door.

Bella gasped as her husband leaned against the doorframe, blocking the flood of light from the hallway. He looked like the young man she remembered, with his black sports jacket casually slung over his shoulder. The top buttons of his white shirt were open, revealing a glimpse of the thin patch of chest hair in the center. His hair was much shorter, the self-trim uneven but messily styled to camouflage the poor cut. Deep brown, hungry eyes slowly appraised her from head to toe and back again.

He smirked, his voice husky as he teased, "Bout time you opened the door. I was thinking you forgot about me."

"As if I could," she muttered. Believe me. I've tried.

He stepped past her into the room and tossed his jacket onto the back of a chair. Unsure what to do, Bella gently shut the door. Before she could ask him why he was there, she was suddenly in his arms, enveloped by an exquisite heat as his mouth consumed hers in deep, passionate kisses.

Bella had forgotten how all-consuming his kiss could be. Every slide of his tongue, every smack of their lips, was like a spear through her soul, leaving gaping holes of light, heat, and need behind. It burned like fire through her limbs and settled in her lower abdomen before igniting the flesh between her thighs.

Seven years, she had gone without his kiss, without the strong, nimble fingers that began groping her flesh and tugging at her clothing. Bella reached for the buttons of his shirt and blindly worked through three of them before he released her and stepped back. He gripped his shirt with both hands and yanked, sending the remaining buttons flying before discarding it at his feet.

She nearly giggled at the unexpected move. It was like something out of a romance novel. People didn't just do that in real life. Then again, bursting from their clothes was part of pack life

He unbuckled his belt as Bella reached for the hem of her top and pulled it off over her head. Their gazes met and held as each discarded the rest of their clothing. Their movements seemed mirrored as each took a step back to look the other over, then smiled. He glanced down at himself cockily, reminding her all too well of his ego.

More to herself than him, she said, "I have to be dreaming, right? You can't possibly be here."

His resulting laugh was another shot to her heart, instantly filling her eyes with tears as she finally allowed herself, for once, to feel the pain that had numbed her spirit the morning she'd run from him. He was next to her again in a single stride, lifting her naked form in his arms. Bella instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, running one hand into his hair.

His voice shook just slightly as he said, "I missed you. You were gone too long."

Despite the consequences that would surely come with it, Bella said, "I missed you, too. More than I knew."

He gently placed her on the bed and crawled over her, straddling her knees as he pushed her hair out of her face. His presence, heat and touch, and her emotions were too much.

He said, "You remember more than you let yourself feel. You have to stop lying to yourself, Baby."

The unexpected term of endearment ripped a sob from her as she tried to understand what he meant.

"Remember what we had, Bella."

He leaned down to kiss her forehead and then the tip of her nose as he nudged between her legs with his knee. Bella instantly spread her legs to accommodate him. His hands slid down her body in one long, continuous touch as he sat upright on his knees, only to stop at her hips and lift. Bella squeaked at the sudden tug as she slid toward him, and her ass cheeks rested on his thighs.

He carefully positioned himself against her before leaning down to study her face. Bella's husband wiped her tears away with his thumb before pushing his hand into her hair to cradle her head. She held her breath as their eyes met, and her heart skipped a beat.

His eyes had always been expressive and alluring, even in the dark. Bella could recall how often their eyes had met while believing he hated her - Glaring at her from across the room. Leaning against a tree in her backyard when it was his turn to guard her from Victoria. Wrestling with Jared, Quil, and Sam on the grass at Emily's. The gray-blue hue his brown eyes took while in wolf form as he followed her truck through the woods along the highway.

Bella's brain kicked into warped speed as a thousand questions left her spinning, shaking underneath him, too overwhelmed to do anything physically except feel. And she could feel him, hard and ready, waiting for her to show him she wanted him to move.

Bella slowly raised her arms, beckoning him closer as she rolled her hips. She watched his pupils dilate as he pushed himself inside of her, and she finally released her breath. Bella sucked in another deep breath as he slowly slid back and moaned. It felt incredible, just like it had the night she married him as if his body was made to fit hers.

She rolled her hips, pushing herself back onto him, beckoning him to lean closer again. Finally, giving her the skin-to-skin contact she craved, he sunk onto his forearm, and Bella wrapped her arms around him. Her legs followed, and as Bella locked her ankles under his buttocks, fresh tears fell.

Again, she held her breath, hoping to calm the storm in her mind and focus on the building sensations throughout the rest of her.

Suddenly, a jarring slap was delivered to the side of her face, and reality washed over her like a bucket of cold water as her eyes flew open wide. Bella gasped for air as she sat up, instantly furious with the beautiful but worried Quileute woman sitting at the side of her bed.

Bella yelled, "What the hell are you doing?!"

Leah said, "You wouldn't answer anyone. It's like noon. Did you drink more when you got back here, or what?"

Bella groaned, covering her eyes as she flopped back onto her pillows. "No, I was just sleeping very well." She recalled what she'd been dreaming about before being so rudely interrupted and felt the rush of blood to her cheeks.

Leah said, "More like the dead. You quit breathing in your sleep. Did you know that?"

"No. That was the dream. I remember…" Bella stopped that train of thought in its tracks. Leah did not need to know what she'd been dreaming about.

Besides, it's just a dream. It doesn't mean shit.

Bella opened one eye to glare at her sister and asked, "How did you even get in? The security bar was locked."

Leah chuckled. "No, it wasn't. I told the concierge it was a family emergency and got housekeeping to let me in. The security bar wasn't closed."

Bella bolted upright again in alarm. "What happened?"

Leah laughed and shook her head. "You, you idiot. Me, Charlie, Mom, hell, and even Angela, have tried to reach you all day. Jack was trying to call you when I got here."

"Ugh," Bella sighed. "I'll apologize or whatever. I was just exhausted, and I haven't given myself much chance to slow down since arriving. Finally caught up to me."

Leah nodded. "I sorta figured but we wanted to be sure you were okay. I tried knocking, for the record."

Bella wondered if Leah's initial knocking triggered the dream. She could have sworn she remembered using the security lock at the top of the door, but perhaps that was because she unlocked it in her dream. Either way, it was disorienting to think about.

She reached up to rub her cheek and winced at the slight remaining sting. "Slap a little lighter next time. Huh? Ouch."

Leah snorted. "Sorry. If it bruises, I'll let you swing on me a few times."

Bella shook her head. "You sound like the guys used to."

"Comes with the territory."

"Uh-huh."

Bella threw the covers back, climbed out of bed, and headed straight for the bathroom. She didn't even care this time as she sat on the toilet to pee with her step-sister in view. They'd already crossed that bridge.

She glanced over as Leah's eyes bulged in recognition, and she chuckled, looking away.

Bella stared back at her suspiciously and asked, "What?"

"Nothing," she lied. Bella scowled, flushed the toilet, and reached over to start the shower.

Oh fuck. Wolf senses. Bella rolled her eyes. Of course, the wolves could smell it when someone got turned on. It would have been obvious the second she'd thrown back the covers.

Her husband's voice came back to her from the dream. You need to remember.

"Oh, I'm remembering shit, all right," she muttered to her reflection.

How a lack of privacy came with the territory, for example. Bella ignored Leah's presence as she tugged off her clothing and stepped into the shower.

After texting and calling everyone she'd missed - Charlie, Sue, Seth, Angela, Jack, and even Renee - Bella ordered from room service and turned on the television. Despite the rude awakening, Bella was glad Leah was there. Without the distraction, she would have wasted hours overthinking her dream and the flood of emotions and memories it spurred.

Leah wasn't oblivious, however, and too observant of Bella's quiet demeanor and sensitivity. Eventually, she asked, "Are you about to start your period, girl? Because you're a whole other person today."

Bella laughed. "I have an IUD, so probably not. They stopped a while ago, and I honestly don't keep track."

"Makes sense," Leah said absently, her eyes glued to the screen. "You seem to enjoy avoiding unpleasant things."

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Not really. Not like you can," Leah said, leaving Bella to wonder what she meant.