Sharing a short chapter for my birthday! Mwah.

We didn't forget about the flower necklaces Bella and Rosalie swapped before she disappeared, right? It was originally mentioned in ch 12 if you need a refresher for reasons ;) Now let's go to Forks to solve a mystery! lolol

.
thirty-four
you are in love
.

My heart buzzes all morning, waiting for Edward to pick me up.

Ten minutes before he arrives, I dig through my jewelry box and put on Rosalie's daffodil necklace, hoping it will bring me good luck this weekend in Forks. I secure the chain and kiss the flower before tucking it inside my sweater. Then, I stand in front of my mirror and give myself a pep talk to keep me grounded.

"Edward doesn't want you," I say to my reflection.

Ouch.

What a brutal bitch.

"This is strictly friendly," I add.

Despite the darker reason we're going on this road trip, I can't say I'm not looking forward to some time alone with him.

Lucy rubs up against my leg and purrs.

"I'll be back soon," I promise, picking her up. "You need to stay here and keep an eye out for Uncle Jas and make sure his shady ass doesn't pull anything crazy."

She meows, understanding the assignment. I feel guilty leaving her here, but Chelsea will be by every day to feed her. Usually, Jas would do it, but I figured not asking him to look after my cat would sting. Right now, I need him to feel every bit of my animosity.

I hear the doorbell, so I quickly grab my bag and head into the living room.

Jasper answers the door before I can and comes face to face with Edward. He's in dark jeans and a black denim jacket over a white tee, and he looks so damn good… for a friend.

None of us speak. The longest, most awkward silence stretches on.

"I guess introductions aren't necessary since you two already know each other," I offer, breaking the ice.

I can't lie—now that Edward knows who I am, I don't mind this little run-in with them, especially if it will force everyone to start being honest and lead us to some truths.

"Uh. Hey, man," Jasper says, uncomfortably tugging on the back of his neck.

Edward lingers in the doorway but stays quiet. He pulls off his baseball cap to run his hand through his hair, then slides it back onto his head without saying a word.

It's sexy seeing him silently intimidate Jas.

"What are you doing here?" Jasper asks, and I swear he sounds nervous.

Edward's eyes bounce to me, and he juts his chin in my direction. "I'm here for her."

He's not laying claim to me, but my traitor heart still skips anyway.

"Edward's going with me to Forks to talk with Jane," I say, a little too perky because I like seeing Jas squirm.

"This is so fucked up," he mutters.

"I mean, this isn't the most normal situation, but fucked up is a little dramatic," I insist.

Jas shakes his head. "I don't get what you're trying to do."

"Now that I have confirmation Rosalie was pregnant, we're trying to be productive and find more answers and closure. I wouldn't expect a secret keeper like you to understand that," I toss out, and I swear Edward almost smiles.

"It wasn't my baby, by the way," Edward casually offers.

"I know," Jasper replies.

"Wait, you do?" I chime in. "Do you know that because Rosalie told you or because—"

"You told me," Jas says with a scowl like I'm the problem. When he looks back at Edward, he stands taller. "If you hurt Isa—"

"Don't," I interrupt. His protectiveness would be touching if I weren't mad at him for lying to me. "You know Edward is innocent."

"I know. Just let me say it," he mumbles. "If you hurt her, you're dead."

"It's a little much to threaten death considering the circumstances, don't you think?" I point out.

Jasper shrugs. "He knows what I mean."

"I could say the same to you if you hurt her," Edward throws back, unaffected by Jasper's threat.

My stomach flip-flops.

He doesn't want you, I remind myself. Wanting me safe doesn't equate to wanting me.

"I'd never fucking hurt Isa. She's my sister."

"I don't mean physically," Edward clarifies, and Jasper narrows his eyes in response.

"Great," I say, done with their pissing match. "We all agree my physical and emotional safety is a top priority. Let's go."

With my bag in hand, I move past Edward to walk out the door to his car. Except the vehicle by the curb isn't his car. At least, it's not the black luxury sedan I'm used to riding in when Pete drives.

It's a black Range Rover.

Glancing over my shoulder, I see Jasper and Edward still talking. I patiently wait another minute until Edward joins me.

"What is this?" I ask.

"A vehicle," he says smugly.

"Obviously. Is it yours?"

He takes my bag, tosses it in the backseat, and then opens the passenger door for me. "Yes, it's mine."

"I've never seen it before," I point out, sliding past him and climbing into my seat.

"I bought it today just for this occasion."

"You joke, but I feel like you'd do that."

He smiles as he closes my door and then walks around to the driver's seat, the engine roaring to life as we buckle up.

"Where do you keep a beast like this?" I ask.

He pulls onto the road. "In my Batcave, where else?"

I fight a smile. Edward seems to be in a good mood today despite everything. And I love it. I'm happy things don't feel weird between us, but there's also a slightly melancholy feeling because things don't feel strained. It's just easy like he said.

"My building has a parking garage for tenants," he explains. "And I do drive sometimes. I don't always use Pete for everything."

"When was the last time you drove?"

"I don't know. Probably when I moved and had to drive from Bellevue to Seattle."

"Am I the first woman to ride in here?" I ask.

"No, Charlotte was."

This fucker.

"That's it, pull over," I blurt. "I'm hitchhiking."

He laughs softly. "Sorry, that was shitty of me. Yes, you're the first woman to ride in here. You're the first for a lot of things."

My heart screams.

I stare out the window.

"You're also the first woman I've confided in about my past," he says, his voice dangerously low.

I look over at him, trying not to read into this tiny confession.

His eyes are on the road, and he grips the wheel like a lifeline.

"Probably the first woman you want to hurt," I offer self-deprecatingly.

"Not true," he murmurs, glancing at me before focusing on the road again. "I wouldn't be here right now if that were the case."

"Why are you here?"

"Because I thought a lot about what you said the night you came clean, and it resonated with me," he admits. "Everything was hard to hear, and even if it hurt, you were honest, and I appreciate that. It's like you said—we're the same, both stuck in this mess. I guess I'm ready to move on and know the truth for good."

"It's all I want," I whisper.

"There was something else I couldn't stop thinking about."

"What?"

"The conversation during our dinner date. When you mentioned your aunt," he says, and I can feel my anxiety ramp up.

"I don't mention her to many people, so I'm not even sure why I told you that night. Maybe because I felt a kindred fucked-up spirit with you. Or maybe just to see if something sparked a memory, and you could figure out who I was by yourself."

"That detail didn't stand out to me at the time because I never knew…" He trails off, maybe unsure how to approach this dark topic. "I'm so sorry about what happened to her, Bella."

I stare out the window again. "Me too."

"After my folks and I left Forks, I didn't want to know anything about your family. I wanted to act like nothing happened because it made me feel less shitty, and I know that sounds bad."

I shrug, glancing at him. "It's the ugly truth. It's human."

"Yeah," he softly agrees. "I guess I just… the other night on FaceTime, when I said I know you had your reasons for all of this, I meant that. I've spent a lot of time thinking about everything, including you. And I realized you thought you had the opportunity for closure. It wasn't about me. Hurting me or getting revenge. Not really. It was about you and your family. And I understand that. I understand you."

His words are a balm because I've never had this before, and it's all I could want. Hearing that someone gets me on a level I was trying to hide, even from myself, is so gratifying and healing.

He sees me and gets me and he's still here after everything.

My heart screams harder this time, an unbearable yearning twisted with hope because I—

Because I love him.

I'm in love with him.

But my mind is louder, and I'm not about to mess this up, so instead of confessing that, I just say, "Thank you."