10

"Dangerous how?"

"Just . . ." Edward shook his head. "Reckless, stupid."

She just stared at him.

"He and Alice used to go out."

"Okay." She waited for him to continue, but he just sat there. "I don't see how that makes him dangerous."

Edward sighed.

"Did he beat on her or something?"

"No, of course not. He wouldn't be breathing if he did. He just . . . Look, Whit's a partier. Like hardcore."

"Like drinking?"

Edward nodded. "And other stuff."

"Drugs?"

"Sometimes."

"And how do you know this?"

Edward frowned. "Because for a minute he was my friend, but I . . . Well, I'm not into that shit, and when he gets drunk, he gets mean, and . . ." He blew out a thick breath. "He's never hit Alice, but he . . . he got verbal with her one night after a big party, where he drank too much and got high. Well, she doesn't much like that shit, either. They started fighting, and Whit made some pretty wild accusations, and well, I ended up taking her home. He thought she was cheating on him, so to get back at her, he slept with someone else."

"You. He thought she cheated on him with you, didn't he?"

Edward nodded. "But Alice and I have never been anything more than friends. My only friend, really."

"Oh," she whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing." Bella pulled a piece of funnel cake off, popping it into her mouth.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No," she replied softly. "I just, kind of, sort of, thought we were friends."

Edward grinned. "Yeah?"

"I mean, if you don't want to be my friend," she mumbled.

"I do," he said quickly. "I was just kind of hoping we were . . . we were more than friends."

Bella couldn't keep from smiling. "We are on a date."

Edward laughed. "Yes, we are. Let's finish eating, and then we'll have more fun."

Biting her lip, she nodded.

—TBHC—

Once they'd finished, Edward insisted they stop riding the kiddie rides, as he called them, and they ventured into the action park section of the Pavilion. Bella had never been one for adrenaline rides, but with Edward holding her hand, she endured every single one.

They left the park ten minutes before it closed. They'd ridden every ride at least twice, and she'd stood back and watched as he almost threw his shoulder out, winning her a stuffed pig that she named Wilber. They also stuffed their faces with cotton candy, caramel apples, and kettle popcorn.

Bella laughed, screamed, squealed, and cheered Edward on until her throat hurt. It was the first time she could remember that she felt like a normal girl. It was the first time she felt seen, and that scared her. What would happen the next time they found themselves face to face with his brother? Would she suddenly become a nobody again?

Edward parked next to her uncle's truck, cut the engine, but made no effort to exit the vehicle. They sat in silence for several minutes. It wasn't awkward or tense. It was peaceful, calming even. Bella had never minded the quiet, though. Toward the end of her mother's illness, there had been nothing but silence. Medication kept her in a near-constant state of sleep, and Bella found herself curled up next to her, watching, waiting for the moment when she'd take that final, ragged breath and be free from her personal Hell.

And when that moment came, her mother opened her beautiful blue eyes, looked right at Bella, and said, "I will always love you, baby girl. Always."

"Hey, what's wrong?"

It wasn't until she turned to Edward that she realized she'd been crying. "Nothing."

"The tears kind of say otherwise."

Bella used the back of her hand to wipe the moisture off her cheeks. "I was thinking about my mom."

"Oh."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. From what you told me, she was a good mom who loved you."

"Yeah," Bella whispered.

"You're lucky you had such a good one."

"You don't?"

"I . . ." Edward shook his head. "She used to be."

"What changed?"

He sighed, his hand sliding over the steering wheel until his fingers gripped the top. "She drinks. A lot. Only got worse after my dad cheated on her."

"That's why you stopped being friends with Whit, isn't it? Because he drinks, and it reminds you of your mom?"

Edward nodded. "I don't remember a time when she didn't have a glass in her hand. Vodka is her favorite. She hides it all over the house and sometimes passes out."

"Is that what happened last week? She was in the hospital, isn't that what you said?"

Again, he nodded. "She didn't pass out, but she . . ." Edward inhaled a deep breath. "She tried to commit suicide. My father called, demanding I go live with him and his new wife. He called her a lush, an alcoholic, and that she was an unfit parent. She started screaming profanities, and then she threw her glass against the wall, shattering it. She picked up one of the shards and cut her wrists. I found her lying in the middle of the kitchen with a pool of blood around her. I called 911, and they managed to save her life. They held her on a seventy-two-hour psych hold where they badgered her to go to rehab. She refused and said she could stop on her own. I can't tell you how many times she's told me she would stop. It'll be three, maybe four days before I find one of her bottles."

"At least your brother is here to help, though, right?"

Edward snorted. "Emmett doesn't care about anyone other than himself and his girlfriend. While I was left to clean up after my mom, he went back to Chicago to see Dad. Said he'll be back in a few days, though," he added with a grimace.

"He just . . . he just left you here alone?"

"Yep," he chirped.

"That really sucks."

"I don't want him here, anyway. Better when it's just me and Mom."

"Still sucks," she whispered, biting the inside of her lip.

Edward didn't reply as he climbed out and hurried around to her side. "I'll walk you to the door like a proper gentleman."

Bella laughed and extended her hand, and as his fingers tightened around hers, they slowly took each step before stopping outside the door. Carlisle had turned the outside light on, illuminating the back porch.

"I had a really nice time tonight, Bella."

"Me too."

"Can we maybe, I don't know, go out again? Tomorrow?"

She smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."

"And, um, maybe I could have your . . . your number. You know, just in case."

"Are you planning on standing me up again?"

"I didn't mean to last time, either."

"No, I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I should have found a way to contact you or sent Alice to meet you instead. I . . . I don't know, I'd just like your number, but if you don't want to give it to me, I'll understand."

Bella sucked the inside of her lip between her teeth before she slipped her phone from her back pocket, opened her contacts, and pressed the little plus sign. "Put yours in. Then you can text yourself, so you have mine."

Edward grinned before doing as instructed. He handed her phone back before digging his own from his pocket and saving her number. "I'll, um, pick you up tomorrow around noon. Is that okay?"

Bella nodded.

Edward smiled before he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Sweet dreams."

"You, too."

She waited until he was in his Bronco before letting herself into the house, closing the door as quietly as possible. Leaning against it, she couldn't keep from smiling.

"I'm taking it you had a good time?"

She shifted her attention to the doorway of Carlisle's bedroom, finding him leaning against the frame with his arms folded. "Yeah, it was fun."

Carlisle grinned. "Do we need to have the talk, Birdie?"

"What? No!" she exclaimed, feeling warmth flood her cheeks.

"Okay, okay, I was just asking," he teased, pushing away from the doorframe. "You like him?"

Bella rolled her eyes before walking toward her bedroom. "I'm not having this conversation with you."

"No need to be embarrassed, Birdie. Just make sure he keeps his hands to himself."

She groaned as she closed her bedroom door, hearing him laughing from the other side.

Did she like Edward?

. . . More than she was prepared to admit to her uncle and herself. The real question, though, was whether she could trust him.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Huge amount of gratitude to Sunflower Fran for being an awesome beta!