9

"What are you doing here?" Bella felt like a broken record as she repeated her question, but she didn't understand. Her husband, her Edward, was standing in the doorway of her hotel room. How did he know which room was hers? How'd he get access to the room? And then it hit her. "Emmett — he did this, didn't he? He called you."

Edward smiled, his hand still stretched. "He did. Have to admit I was a bit taken aback by the strange man who was telling me that my wife was sleeping in his bed. But then he explained about the accident. Said it might be a good idea if I met you here."

"He did, huh?" Bella pressed her lips together. "And you came."

"I did," he admitted, still reaching for her. "I told you: I'm not ready to say goodbye."

"Edward," Bella whimpered, bringing her hand up to her chest.

"Just come inside, and let's talk. If you want me to go afterward, I will. Please?"

Though the rational part of her screamed not to trust him, to curse him and tell him to leave her alone, her heart yearned to be near him. She hadn't stopped loving him. He'd been her entire life for as long as she could remember. So, instead of listening to the hurt and pain, she chose to follow her heart and follow him into the room.

Two shopping bags from Bella's favorite department store were lying on the bed. She turned and looked at Edward, whose ears had turned pink.

"He said you would need something to wear. Though, your luggage has now been delivered by the airport." Edward walked around her to the bags. "I bought you some jeans, a couple of tanks, some panties, and a new bra. Also a pair of flip-flops like those black ones you got while we were in Hawaii."

"You remembered what sandals I like?" she asked, peeking inside the bag.

"I remember everything about you, Bella," Edward slid the bags into her hands. "Go take a hot shower, and then we can talk. I've ordered takeout. It should be here in about ten minutes."

"Oh, um, okay."

The shower felt amazing. Her shoulders had been tense from driving that monster of a pickup, and her body ached from the accident. The cut on her forehead, however, had stayed sealed thanks to Emmett's use of Superglue. She couldn't believe he had called Edward, yet at the same time, she could. He'd urged her not to make any rash decisions when it came to her marriage. Perhaps, this was his way of trying to help.

With a sigh, Bella turned off the shower, wrapped a white terry-cloth towel around herself, and carefully stepped out of the shower. Once she'd dried off, she hung the towel over the shower rod and dug into the bag for something to wear. Edward hadn't disappointed. She selected a pair of light blue, silk panties and a matching bra, amazing that he knew her size well enough to purchase her clothes. She added a pair of snug-fitting jeans and a dark blue tank top. Brushing through her hair, she wrapped it in a bun on the top of her head before walking out of the bathroom.

Edward stood by the window, one hand resting against the wood frame and the other leaning against his hip. On the small table were several cartons from her favorite Chinese place. Every time she came to Houston on business, she'd order takeout from Wang's.

She cleared her throat to get his attention. When he looked back at her, she almost dropped to her knees. The anguish, the pain, the sorrow in his eyes had her tearing up.

"I'm an idiot. A goddamn idiot. I can stand here all day and make excuses for my sins. I could blame the anger I felt, the hurt I had. I could blame your job. But none of that would be true. I'm an idiot. I felt lost and alone, and Angela was there. I wish every day I could take back that night — that I'd come home instead of hiding out in my office. I wish I hadn't opened my office door that night and told her no. That I'd pushed her away. But I didn't. I was weak and stupid, and the second I let her in, I hated myself for the pain I was going to cause you."

"I don't know what to say," Bella admitted, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Are you still seeing her?"

Edward shook his head. "I was never seeing her, not like that. It was a one-time thing. The next morning, I had her transferred to a different professor. I knew I couldn't risk being around her."

"But she's still on campus, right? Still in the same department?"

Sighing, he nodded. "Until the end of the semester at least, but I swear, Bella, she's nothing to me."

"Do you think that makes me feel better?" she asked. "You had sex with someone that meant nothing? At least if you'd loved her, I could understand. But she was a quickie on your desk and nothing more!"

Edward flinched but didn't say anything.

"I don't know what to do, I really don't," Bella confessed. "Maybe . . . maybe I am to blame. Maybe I focus too much on my career, and I let work get between us."

"I'm the only one to blame for the affair." Edward sat on the bed next to Bella. "That falls one hundred percent on me. I just . . . I don't know, Bella; I felt like you didn't want me anymore. We used to spend all night talking about vacations we wanted to take, about politics, about life. Hell, we'd spend all night making love. And then, suddenly, we weren't Edward and Bella, lovers and companions, anymore. I was Edward, the lonely book nerd, and you were Bella, the dedicated employee, getting promotions left and right. You didn't have time for me anymore."

"That's not true," Bella stammered.

"Isn't it? When was the last time you and I spent the entire weekend at home doing nothing? No work, nothing."

Bella opened her mouth to reply, but to be honest, she couldn't think of the last time work hadn't been her priority on the weekend.

"That's what I thought. And it's not all on you, either. I brought papers home; I spent time trying to improve my students when you needed me to love you."

"So where does this leave us?" Bella asked. "I don't know how to trust you again, Edward. I don't. You cheated on me."

"I know, and I don't have all the answers. All I know is I'm not ready to say goodbye. Are you?"

"I . . ." Bella closed her eyes as tears tipped down her face. "No, no, I'm not. I still love you. I've always loved you."

"I love you, too."

Bella opened her eyes just before Edward leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. For the moment, she could let go of the hurt and pain, the anger that had spurred her for too long. They had a long road to travel, but for now — at this moment — they were no longer deserted hearts on a lonely highway.

Thank you for all the reviews. Big thanks to Sunflower Fran for betaing. Just the epi left.