Bella double-checked the short red spaghetti-strapped draped satin dress she'd chosen to wear to dinner. Alone, it was slightly too daring for the small-town establishments in Forks, but pairing it with her thin, gray half-buttoned cardigan and simple pumps toned it down considerably. Smokey eyeshadow, red lips to match her dress, and a messy updo completed her 'ensemble.'

'They are certainly in for a surprise.' Bella laughed at her reflection as she considered how much less thought she put into her appearance in high school, frequently pulling on the first thing she grabbed from the closet, regardless of what it was. Back then, she simply didn't care. Bella didn't wear makeup or heels. Hell, she could barely walk in flats.

'And jewelry or manicures? Forget it,' Bella thought as she fished an ancient pair of Renee's thin hand-me-down silver hoop earrings from her jewelry bag and put them in.

Putting on her glasses, she stepped out of the bathroom and asked, "How do I look?"

Leah dragged her attention away from the television and dropped her jaw. It was a few seconds before she answered, "Like a porn star about to film something in a bookstore."

"Perfect," Bella mock-cheered as she gathered her purse and keys.

Leah turned the TV off and set the remote on the bed. "Shouldn't you save that dress for the reunion?"

Bella scoffed. "Hell no. This is a 'come fuck me' dress. I would never wear this to the reunion."

"Oh. But you'll wear it to dinner?"

Bella tugged at her cardigan, "This is an 'I'm a spinster who knits at home with five cats' sweater.' The combination says, 'This chick is hot but probably not interested in your tiny country penis."

Leah snorted and rolled her eyes. "It says you're a tease, Swan."

Bella cackled. "It says I might look nice, but you probably shouldn't fuck with me."

Leah laughed as she stood and slipped on her shoes. "So what do the glasses and pumps say?"

Amused, teasing her, Bella grinned. "That if I am interested, I'll probably spank you for being naughty." She winked at Leah and laughed.

Leah cackled as she followed Bella out the door, almost missing the doorknob as she moved to shut it behind her. "Well! Threaten everyone with a good time, Bella. Damn."

They parted ways in the hotel parking lot, and Bella headed to meet Angela alone. She wasn't overly concerned about who else was there as long as Angela was. It would be like suffering through another high school lunch in the cafeteria, considering Angela had frequently been the only person to talk to her during her depression.

'But none of that matters. Angie was the one person from high school I wanted to see, anyway.'

It wasn't surprising to find it was another bar and restaurant combination-style establishment once inside. In her experience, despite traveling the nation with Renee throughout the years, it was the way of things in most small towns.

She told the hostess who greeted her she was meeting a group of friends and could seek their table alone.

Bella spotted Angela and smiled but nearly stumbled as she caught sight of those surrounding her. Quil's presence to Angela's right wasn't as shocking now that Bella knew about them, and his eyes went wide at the sight of her. He beamed as their eyes met, and both smiled. His face still held the carefree boyishness she remembered. She could see now that his left arm was severed at the shoulder, making him seem much less broad than he'd once appeared.

Leah was right - he was as handsome as ever and looked dashing in his customized suit. The sleeve had been entirely removed where his left arm should be, and the expertly altered material drew less attention to his lacking appendage. He pushed his chair back to stand and greet her, gaining the other's attention. Bella instantly recognized Jessica Stanley, Erik Yorke, and Tyler Crowley, if not the three women she presumed were their dates.

As she rounded a partial wall, Bella finally spotted the last two men at the table and felt equally shocked by both.

Mike Newton had aged very well. His dress shirt and pants fit him like a second skin, clinging to his now-muscular form. His blonde hair was shorter than she'd ever seen in high school, and losing baby fat around his face made his blue eyes seem larger and brighter. If he'd have been anyone but Mike Fucking Newton, he'd have immediately sparked her interest. Bella hoped he was a more tolerable person these days. Still, he had been a decent friend once upon a time, and she was surprisingly happy to see him.

The last guest slowly stood, wearing a well-practiced mask of indifference that Bella remembered all too well. Mike grinned as Bella's cheeks heated, unaware the man beside him caused her to look away as her heart skipped a beat.

Quil wrapped his arm around Bella as soon as she reached the table, and she eagerly hugged him back. Aside from Seth, Quil had been the only member of the pack who never made her feel like an unwanted nuisance. She nearly recoiled from his intense body heat, a sign that could only mean two things. Even without his arm, Quil still phased… and Angela definitely knew everything now. She felt surprisingly relieved by the confirmation. She was also insanely curious to see Quil's wolf on three legs.

When she released him, he put his right hand on her shoulder and shook his head in disbelief as he looked her over. Bella laughed as she moved away and slowly turned for him to see the complete view.

Instead of a complete spin as she intended, she was suddenly facing Mike and being hugged again. She hugged him back, laughing at his enthusiasm. Recognizing the cologne he wore as one of her favorites, she gently patted his cheek, teasing, "You wore that scent just for me, huh?"

He sighed dramatically, feigning indifference as he said, " What scent? That's just me ."

She shook her head. "Some things haven't changed, I guess."

"Well, you certainly have."

"Yes," she said, glancing toward her husband. "I have certainly done that." He looked toward her curiously and smirked but said nothing.

What is he even doing here? Quil was one thing, but why him? It wasn't as if they'd gone to high school together. She assumed his son was with his mother and wondered if his presence was merely a coincidence. No one knew they were married, did they?

Impulsively, she said, "Hey."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile, and he nodded at her. "Lookin' good, Swan."

The sound of his voice made her heart jump. "You too." Incredibly different from the young man she had dreamed about that morning, but so, so good. She shifted her weight to stop her knees from trembling as she turned to greet the others.

Bella was passed from person to person around the table, receiving hugs, welcome home greetings, and introduced to girlfriends or wives before finally gaining a seat at the end of the table between Mike and Quil. Her hands trembled as she reached for her menu and spun it over to see the drink options.

How the fuck am I supposed to eat when I could literally touch him from where I'm sitting?

Bella's plan to avoid more alcohol that night flew right out the window as she ordered a glass of wine. Again, she felt relieved that others at the table were also drinking and briefly wondered if she ought to consider whether she had a problem.

She learned much more about Quil and Angela's relationship as everyone discussed what they'd been up to over the last ten years. Jessica primarily gushed about her wife, Leann, whom she'd fallen for in college before ever even admitting to herself that other women were an option. Leann reminded Bella a great deal of Lauren Mallory, Jessica's best friend from high school. She suspected perhaps Jessica was still slightly in denial.

Mike didn't hesitate to mention he was (happily) divorced, child-free, and ran a successful furniture store in Port Angeles. Embry and Quil ran deliveries for Mike's store during the weekdays.

As each took turns, Bella listened, sipping her wine and pushing her dinner around more than consuming it between asking questions and laughter. Her husband, however, remained silent as he ate and drank his beer, listening to everyone else. She had never known him to be so quiet or observant and supposed becoming a parent had settled him.

When everyone had finished eating, the questions finally turned to her. After Tyler asked what she'd been doing for the last decade, Bella laughed but didn't miss it when her husband tensed.

"My life has been much duller than any of yours, I'm sure. I work at a collections agency in Florida and spend most of my free time with my neighbor, Jack, who is my best friend, more or less."

"I'm sorry, Bella," Jessica said, "But I'm dying to know. What the hell happened with you and Edward? I mean, getting married at eighteen… Honestly, everyone thought you were nuts. No offense."

Bella cringed as chuckles sounded around the table. "Uh, yeah. It was just… bad from the start. In hindsight, most of our relationship was just… ick. I should've known better, but I didn't realize how … trapped I was or how toxic our relationship truly was until we were finally away from everyone. You know what they say, though. Everyone is different behind closed doors. Anyway, that's ancient history." Bella rolled her eyes and downed the last of her drink. "I moved back to my mom's before we were married for a month."

Instead of prying further, Tyler asked, "So, why are you single these days, Bella?"

Bella joked, "Who said I'm single, Ty? You know what they say about us wild Floridians. Maybe I've got a reverse harem at home that nobody knows about."

A surprised Mike sputtered into his drink, and she cackled as she handed him her untouched napkin. Bella patted his shoulder and said, "I'm just kidding, Mike. It's not a whole harem. There's only like… three or four. No big deal."

Everyone at the table howled at her joke except one. Instead, her husband looked away as though trying to hold his tongue.

Bella blatantly studied his face, noting the differences from the man in her memory, cataloging every fine line and definition. A permanent frown line spanned the center of his forehead, as did small creases at the corner of his mouth. He'd been a smoker in his youth, and she wondered if he'd kicked the habit. Not that she'd ever minded it, anyway.

Feeling her watching him, he looked toward her, raising a questioning brow as he met her gaze. The corner of his mouth lifted in a familiar smirk as he asked, "What?"

"You just look so different," she said and shrugged.

With an eye roll and a nod, he scoffed but chuckled, and the sound of it made her heart pound. It startled her as Quil touched her back, pulling her attention, and she laughed. Quil rubbed her back affectionately and grinned.

"Some of us have really missed you around here, Bella. You've changed a bit, but… in good ways. You seem… happier."

"Thanks, Quil. Charlie said the same, more or less."

He scoffed but smiled at that. "Are you, though? Happy, I mean?"

Bella said, "I don't know if I'd say I'm necessarily happy… but I'm content, and that's enough."

Angela asked, "What do you dream about for the future, Bella? I remember you wanted to teach science when we were in high school. Do you still think about that? Are you dating at all? Do you ever want to marry again or have kids?"

Quil laughed at Angela's enthusiasm and reached over to pat her pregnant belly as he teased, "Give her a chance to answer something, Babe."

As the others laughed, Bella glanced toward her husband, who kept his glare on the drink in his hand. Bella felt torn about how she should answer. What would he say if she said yes? She certainly had dreams of things she wanted, but none of those things were possible. That's why they stayed buried in her mind as she went on about her life, content doing precisely everything she wanted.

But coming home and everything that had happened since had created a fissure in the mental wall she'd hidden those old wants and dreams behind to shield herself from that pain. Every place she went, every old acquaintance she crossed paths with seemed to take chunks of that wall away with them. Bella was unsure how she'd get through another nine days in Forks. She was already beginning to feel like a different person.

And it does me no good to want things I can't have.

Dark brown eyes met hers as he asked, "What do you dream about, Swan ?"

Bella instantly thought about her literal dream that morning. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she recalled the heat of his smooth skin under her fingertips, the sensation of him buried deep between her thighs. She had cried tears of grief in her dream, staring into the same eyes that burned through her now.

Hmph. For the first time all evening, he gave her a genuine smile. Bella wanted to smile back, but it hurt, and pain always made her temper rise. It felt like he was mocking her, almost daring her to say something that would crack her careful facade. What was he fishing for?

She looked toward Angela and said, "Never having to sign another set of divorce papers. That's what I dream about."

Everyone at the table laughed at that but one. Bella watched her husband frown as he tensed, pushed his chair back, and left the table without a word.

Quil watched him walk away curiously, but Angela narrowed her eyes at Bella. Despite ten years of distance, Bella recognized that look. Angela knew more than she was saying, and Bella would hear it, eventually.

Fuck my life. Her court date couldn't come fast enough.

Quil asked, "What set him off?"

Dragging her intense stare away from Bella, Angela said, "He said something when he got here about Jamie having a fever earlier today. I think he's just worried. Maybe he went to call and check on him. You know how he gets."

Quil said, "Yeah. He's pretty protective of the little guy. He's been… off for a couple of weeks, though. Thanks for asking him to come out tonight. He needs to get out more."

Softly, Bella said, "He seems entirely different from the guy I knew."

Quil chuckled. "Well, ten years does a lot to a person, Bells."

"Indeed," Bella said with a nod, mentally correcting the number ten with seven as she watched her husband disappear through the front door.