Hello lovely readers! I am back with Chapter 10 on Riptide! Some family history is revealed and I am anxious to hear your thoughts...

As always, thank you for all of the support and kind, kind reviews.

"Hi Ms. Walsh, my name is Isabella Swan, the director, and owner of the gallery," I spoke with a false confidence, smiling widely. Maggie Walsh, established writer and critic for the arts had bright red hair pulled back into an updo. She looked me over and I struggled to control my squirming under her knowledgeable gaze.

"Ms. Swan, it is a pleasure to meet you," she smiled. Relief flooded through me.

"Thank you for attending, I hope you had a safe drive."

"Oh," She waved her hand nonchalantly, "I've been meaning to visit. I'm glad I finally had the ability to get away." Her eyes roamed the walls filled with art.

"Truly, I appreciate your attendance. This exhibition, "Songs for the Sea", consists of local artists ranging from teenage to elders. Please, look around at your own pace and I am here if you have any questions."

"How were the artists selected?" she questioned, gripping her small notepad.

"Each summer I send a call for entries around town. This year, I received more applications than in the past. After filtering through the applications, I organize the artists into categories by age and technique. I try to even out the exhibit by having a certain amount of pieces from each age group, teen, young adult, adult, and elder. Once that list is narrowed down further, I ask each artist to bring in their pieces, so I may see them in person. It is quite a process."

She finished jotting notes and smiled. "I am glad a small town such as Clear Lake has a venue to show art."

"When I moved here, it didn't, so I decided to enlighten Clear Lake." I laughed. She laughed as well, slipping her notebook in her purse. "Enjoy the art!"

Maggie grinned, "I would like to talk with you further, but I noticed handsome eyes focused on you our entire meeting. She patted my arm, chuckling and gazed over my shoulder once more. "If you don't know him, you should," she winked and gracefully turned around.

I spun around only to meet Edward's mesmeric green eyes. He strode towards me, skillfully navigating the ensamble of people.

"How did it go?" He murmured in my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist, forehead inches above mine.

Peering up at him, I smiled and gave him a replay of Maggie and I's brief conversation.

"Excellent! She seemed very interested in the gallery and in you." He grinned. "How could she not be," Edward's lips were brushing my ear and his voice grew deeper.

"Bella!" Alice's high voice startled me. I had pulled away from Edward, as clear my head but Edward's hands on my waist didn't let me move far.

"Alice, Jasper, thank you for coming!" His hands still encircling my waist, I spun around to greet Alice and Jasper, my back against him.

"Brother, let me have time with my friend!" She sniggered, swatting Edward's hands from my waist.

"I've always had trouble sharing, Alice." He smiled crookedly.

"Yeah, yeah," Alice rolling her eyes pulled me from Edward into a hug. Jasper and Edward had their bro hug moment and Alice whisked me away to the refreshments. "He is very interesting with you,"

"How so?" I asked, confused.

"He's always been possessive, you know, about his possessions, but never with girls."

"What do you mean?"

"How do you not see it?" Alice giggled. "Blinded by love?"

Love? My cheeks instantly heated and my eyes grew wide.

Am I falling in love with Edward?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Girls?" My voice was small.

"Oh, you must not have had that conversation yet…" she trailed off. Alice's words grew more and more cryptic. "Anyways," she perked up, "show me some art!" I began to show Alice, and eventually, Rosalie joined us, the artworks around the gallery.

The Cullen and soon-to-be Hale tribe, save for Edward, had just left the gallery and I locked the glass doors behind them, waving one last time.

Maggie, we were now on a first name basis, came up to me after she had made her rounds in the gallery very impressed with the talent in Clear Water. She said she especially loved my piece. I had painted a 48" by 48" canvas mixed media piece depicting the sunset at the beach. I had used textures and more eccentric colors than any of my other pieces. This piece was not realistic, like a majority of my previous works. The textures I used in the piece complemented the few three-dimensional shells and objects laying on the sand. I had collected trash from the beach and repurposed the waste into shells and sea life, which I attached to my painting. Maggie had said my art was her favorite. She had asked for permission to photograph some works to include in a review she was planning on writing. I was absolutely ecstatic

I sighed in exhaustion, stuffing the last of the food in plastic containers to be stored. Edward broke down the tables and had put them away for me. He met me at my desk.

"Ready to go?" Edward asked. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached in, saw the caller and dismissed the call. As soon as he put it back in his pocket, it buzzed again.

"Do you need to answer that?"

"Not right now," his arms enclosed around my waist. "I just need time alone with you."

"Let's go home then. Want to come over for a bit?" I asked, hopeful.

"Sure,"

The car ride to my place was quiet but not uncomfortable. Edward opened my door for me and offered his hand.

"Did I mention how exquisite you look tonight?"

"Thank you, Edward," I replied under my breath, cheeks deepening. He kissed the back of our intertwined hands and we walked to the front door.

Upon opening the door, I called to Edward as I scurried to my room I wanted to change into more comfortable clothes. I threw on some pajamas, quickly braided my hair back, and washed my face.

When I came out of the bathroom, Edward had his dress shirt off, showing his thin white undershirt. He was lounging on the couch, typing rapidly on his phone.

"Want to watch a movie?" I asked.

He looked up from his phone, "Sounds good," he said.

"What kind of movies do you like?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

"I was raised on the classics, I love anything with Marlon Brando.

"One of my favorites is A Streetcar Named Desire."

"The start of Brando's film career. It's a good one. Do you have it?"

"Yes, on VHS and I finally got a DVD when I moved here." Edward laughed. "I'll go grab it." I quickly found the movie and popped it into the DVD player. Edward placed his phone on the coffee table and grabbed the blanket from the arm of the chair.

"If you think my family is dysfunctional, the Kowalski family is a million times worse," I laughed. "Blanche is a hell of a character."

"I definitely agree. I believe Stanley holds a lot of the blame. His toxic and abusive relationship with Stella creates the whole mess between Stanley and Stella." He added.

"Do you believe Blanche is truly crazy?" I asked. "Nobody will ever watch this movie with me because they say I over analyze everything," I said, rolling my eyes.

"There are a lot of moments in the movie and play which require intense scrutiny. Emmett can't stand this movie, and Alice would watch it with me only if I remained quiet throughout the entirety of the movie. But she would grow bored and usually leave half way in. I believe Blanche is driven to the point of insanity. I mean, look at her past circumstances."

"I totally agree! Angela claims she's making up the entire plot in her head."

I rejoined him on the couch, snuggling into his side with my legs under me. He wrapped an arm around me.

"Bella, you know I'm so proud of you?"

"What?" My brow furrowed.

"I'm so proud of you and the woman you are. The show at the gallery was a success. If I remember correctly, four pieces sold and the gallery was quite crowded. It's amazing how much work you put into this reception. The art critic was impressed with everything as well. I'm just glad to know you and spend time with you. You are stronger than you think you are."

"Thank you, Edward," I whispered, an unfamiliar feeling bubbling up in my stomach. His fierce gaze trapped my eyes. His dazzling green eyes seemed to darken, turning into an olive color. I wanted to remember that color forever.

Two parts yellow, one part blue, a small amount of ochre… I formulated in my head.

Keeping his intense eye contact, he turned his body to face mine and hesitantly moved his head towards me. I turned my body to him, rising off my knees slightly to meet him. His hands reached around my waist, the warmth of his hands felt pleasant through the thin barrier of my old t-shirt. The beginning of the movie sounded, but we paid no attention.

One of his hands reached up to my braid and he tugged the end of it playfully.

"You are so beautiful, Bella." He said lowly and his tongue wet his lips. My blush crept up my cheeks. "I love seeing your blush in reaction to something I say. " The light from the TV must have hit my face at the perfect angle, revealing my always involuntary blush. His hand traveled from my waist to my cheek, stroking it softly and feeling the warmth.

"Edward," I breathed gently.

He touched his lips briefly against my cheek. I was addicted to his touch! I moved my forehead against his and my eyes fluttered closed. His nose nudged mine as I felt his lips grow closer and closer to mine. He stopped millimeters away.

Feeling a sudden charge of passion and courage, I pressed my lips to his. His lips felt soft and warm against mine. I tenderly moved my lips against his, he responded and mirrored my movements. His hand on my cheek and on my waist pulled me closer to him, lining my body right up against his. Our lips molded together perfectly. My hands seemed to know where to go on their own. One went to the organized chaos of his hair and the other wrapped around his neck.

I might have initiated the kiss, but now he was leading. Edward started to lean backward, pulling me easily on top of him as he laid down on the couch. His tongue slid against my bottom lip, asking for permission. I granted him access and our tongues met in a rushed, dance full of passion. My shirt had ridden up a few inches, and his hand took full advantage, stroking my side haphazardly. We were both breathing hard, and my heart beat a mile a minute.

I don't know how long we had been kissing, but his phone rang, bursting our moment.

"Ignore it," I whispered against his lips, now unconnected. My lips tingled with satisfaction. I kissed him again, my lips moving frantically over his. He began to respond just as the sharp ring sounded again.

"Bella," He said, hushed pulling his lips from mine once more. "Bella," He repeated. "We need to stop." His hand unwrapped itself from my waist and stretched out to reach the offensive obstruction.

He gently helped me move back into a sitting position next to him on the couch. He pressed promptly ignored the caller and turned his phone off.

"Why?" I whispered, pouting.

"I didn't plan our first kiss to be on the couch," He chuckled but sobered up quickly. "I shouldn't have let it get as far as it did, I'm sorry."

"Well, I'm not!" I said, exasperated. "You didn't want to kiss me?" I asked, fear and embarrassment hit my veins like ice, beginning to spread around my body.

"You silly girl," He tapped the end of my nose. "Of course I wanted to kiss you," He smiled. "I've wanted to kiss you since that day at the beach the day you had dinner at my parents' house." My heart thumped in relief, erasing the embarrassment and fear. "I acted ungentlemanly, and I apologize."

"Edward, you don't have to apologize," I snuggled against him again.

"I was raised with a certain set of morals and beliefs."

I processed his words.

"So like no sex before marriage?"

"Abstinence until marriage, yes."

"My mom would just tell me to never have sex, basically. I don't think she holds marriage in good standing. She only married again after Phil convinced her after months and months of even thinking about it."

"Marriage holds great importance in my family."

"I see." I replied, looking down at the end of my shirt, twisting the hem in my fingers.

"What do you think of it?" He questioned calmly.

"My parents were only married for so long until...well...when Riley died. They were so in love, I didn't see their divorce...or Riley's death coming."

"Unfortunately some marriages can end after the death of a child." He nodded somberly.

"It just wasn't fair to me. I mean, I had lost my big brother, my best friend and protector. And then I lost my Dad and any normalcy I had remaining in my life." I looked out the window with glassy eyes. It had started to rain.

"I can't say I know how you feel, and I can't imagine how you felt then, and the effects now. But I will be here for you, Bella. As long as you want me." He grabbed my chin gently and pulled my face to look at his. "Hey there, don't cry," He said tenderly, sweetly using his thumb to wipe away the stray tears which slipped from my eyes. His lips kissed my hair, my forehead.

"My mom was raised by her grandmother, a devout Catholic. My great-grandmother and great-grandfather were both born into old money. They paid for my mother to go to a private Catholic school until high school where she was sent off to boarding school. My grandmother lived by her mother's teachings, in which my mother has instilled in her. My grandmother married right out of high school to a man two years older than her. When my mother was six, he disappeared without a trace. Nobody knows where he went...if he was killed, kidnapped, or just ran off. My mother and her mother moved in with her parents and she never remarried. My grandmother rules our family with an iron fist. We visited her often in South Carolina and my siblings and I lived in fear whenever we would visit. I guess this is another reason I have more old-fashioned and traditional views of marriage."

"Well, I think it's sort of sweet...saving yourself for marriage? It's like saving a special part of yourself for the one."

"I was taught a more Biblical approach, but yes, I agree with you."

Blush returned to my cheeks as a question popped into my head. I'm glad the only light source was the TV.

"Uh...I have a question…" I hesitated.

"Go ahead," he said as he nuzzled his face against mine.

"So...does the woman you marry have...to be a virgin?" I felt the warmth fill the tops of my ears. I mean, I haven't had sex. My ex had pressured me, but I never gave in. I was not comfortable enough with him.

"Well...no." He responded thoughtfully. "I mean I think she would have to be open enough with me to tell me how many previous partners she's had...and I guess more details, just so we're safe and everything...but...uh…" he trailed off awkwardly.

"Well just so you know...I, uh..."

"Yes?"

"I'm...well...I'm a virgin too."

"I wouldn't like you any less if you weren't, but thanks for sharing," Edward chuckled, his breath tickling my ear.

"Well, uh, good talk then." I ducked my head under his arm.

"Good talk," He repeated, pulling me closer to him.

We had missed about half of the movie, but grew quiet as the drama continued to unfold.

I rolled over onto my side, groaning as the light peeking through the curtains hit my face. I sat up, wide awake as the memories of last night flooded back.

"Edward!" I gasped. I realized I was on my bed, not on the couch as I had anticipated. I darted to the living room only to find the couch empty and the blanket folded perfectly over the arm. Moving to the window to see if Edward's car was still parked against the curb, I noticed a handwritten note taped to the front door.

As always, thank you for a wonderful evening. I left shortly after the movie ended with you asleep in my arms. It was hard to leave such an exquisite sight. I'll call on Friday evening when I am off of work. I'll miss your sleep talking.

Yours,

Edward

Damn, his handwriting had similarities to a damn font on Microsoft Word! I had been sleep talking? What the hell did he hear me say? Mortified, I pressed my palm to my forehead. Shit.

I began to move about the house, getting ready for the day. I had to wait to see Edward for two whole days. After our kiss...well make out session, last night, I miss the feeling of his body close to his and soft, sweet lips on mine. My feet might have dragged a little as I collected my bike from the back yard. Looking at my phone to check the time, I paused with a sudden realization.

My mother would be in Clear Lake on Saturday…for an entire five days...

I inwardly groaned and trudged towards the street, bike and lunch box in tow.

Thoughts?