Thirty-Five

B

My phone going off wakes me up from some great sleep. Edward is still snoring softly and wrapped around me like an octopus, but I manage to reach my phone.

Text messages. Multiple. From Jacob. The first few are apologetic. He's sorry that he ambushed me in the kitchen, but he still thinks that Edward is a mistake. That we belong together.

Please, just leave me alone, Jacob.

The three little dots appear. He's typing out a reply.

I slide out of bed and run to the bathroom to take care of business and return to find a rumpled Edward sitting up, holding my phone with a frown.

I climb on the bed and take my phone from him before straddling his thighs. "Good morning, handsome."

Edward squeezes my hips and kisses me softly. "Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?"

I braid my fingers in the soft hair on the nape of his neck and tell him I'm fine.

"What are our plans today before we have to leave?"

"Mom and Dad go to Cora's diner for breakfast everyday, so we'll start there. Forks isn't that big, so there aren't any places to take you. We'll probably just come back and hang out before we go home."

"Sounds good to me." Edward hums and leans up to press a soft kiss to my lips.

My phone dings and I groan.

"He's persistent."

"He's fucking annoying." I open the message. "And he wants to talk to me. Alone."

Edward's jaw clenches. "Over my dead body. I'm not going to allow you to meet that dog by yourself. He's unhinged and delusional."

"I know, and I don't have any plans to see Jacob. Alone or not."

Edward slips his hands under the back of my shirt, and I sigh, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact.

There's something about the way my body reacts to his touch. He makes my skin sing and my tongue swell with want. If I didn't hear my parents shuffling around the house, I'd take him downstairs for a repeat of last night. Because I definitely want to experience that again.

I kiss him, silently relaying my feelings, and his hold on me tightens, fingers digging into my skin.

"Hmm." He hums. "We should get ready and spend as much time with your parents as we can before we have to leave."

I nod and climb off him. My brain is hazy with lust, so I turn my back and get dressed without looking at Edward.

He chuckles knowingly and packs our bags. "We'll be back home soon enough, baby."

Mom and Dad are sipping coffee and reading the morning paper when we join them.

"Good morning, you two," Mom greets, moving to grab two more coffee mugs.

Edward doctors both of our drinks while Dad invites us to Cora's for breakfast.

"Sounds good. I could drown myself in a plate of biscuits and gravy."

Not wanting to draw attention to ourselves, we pile into Edward's SUV instead of Dad's cruiser. Dad rides up front, and Mom grabs my hand, squeezing my fingers with a smile. Cora's isn't far from their house, so the drive isn't long.

Edward opens my door for me, and Dad takes his lead, helping Mom out of the car.

The diner isn't busy for a Tuesday morning, so we get a table right away. Leah, a friend from high school, is our server, and she's happy to see that I'm visiting.

"We need to catch up soon," she says while I gush over the new ring on her finger.

Her long-term boyfriend finally popped the question, and I'm for sure invited to the wedding.

We're ordering our breakfast when the bell above the door rings, and Jacob enters, eyes zeroing in on our table.

Edward's hand on my thigh tightens, and Dad's smile falls into a grimace as my ex approaches with a cocky smirk.

"Renee, Charlie." He turns to me. "Bella. Fancy meeting you here."

"We always eat breakfast here, Jacob." Dad shrugs. "Everyone knows this, so don't act surprised."

"What do you want, Jacob?" I ask, grabbing Edward's hand and placing it on the table, fingers laced.

Jacob glares and asks to speak to me alone, but I shake my head firmly.

"There's nothing to talk about. I was dumb to think we could still be friends, or at least cordial, when I broke up with you, but I was wrong." l all but growl. "We're over. So, get it through your thick skull and leave me alone."

"But—"

"She asked politely, son," Dad says. "I won't be so courteous. Now, get your food and go, or I'll be having another talk with your father."

Defeated, Jacob snatches a to-go bag out of Leah's hands and stomps out.

"Well, that was rude," she says loudly before the door closes behind him.

Edward refuses to let the drama ruin the rest of our visit, and there are tears in my eyes when we say goodbye to my parents.

"You two don't be strangers," Dad says, pulling Edward in for a man hug. "Try to convince your girl to visit more often, yeah?"