Chapter 9 (She Told Her Story)

Chapter 9 (She Told Her Story)


I woke up in the middle of the night and was so cold that I was starting to shiver. I knew it would be a little cooler down in the basement, which is why I had even put on my hoodie when I got ready for bed earlier. As I laid there I thought back over the last couple of weeks with Edward; his face, his smile, his voice, his sweetness, his heart. Every little thing about that man called to me and I was ready to answer. It was while I was lying there that I realized that he hadn’t come to tell me goodnight. That did NOT sit well with me…at ALL. Since just the mere thought of him was already keeping me awake, I decided to just get up and go find him.

I did my best to tiptoe into the main room of the basement. The sofa was one of those big ‘L’ shaped sectional monstrosities. I could tell that the bed wasn’t pulled out like I was expecting it to have been even though the room was dark. I looked over the back of the longer side and that is where I found my green eyed, big hearted, pouty lipped, luscious lawn boy sleeping soundly. I can’t get over how young he looks when he sleeps.

I tried my best to be quiet as I walked around to the front of the sofa. Edward was lying on his side facing out towards the room. Of course I stubbed my little toe on the end table forcing out a whimper, but he didn’t move. I walked over and sat down in front of him. I just watched him for a few minutes before the pull to touch him was too strong to ignore anymore. I reached out and smoothed his eyebrows. I circled around to his cheekbones and down to trace the outline of his lips. I leaned in and gave him the barest hint of a kiss on his lips.

“You know you aren’t very good at the stalkin’ thing.”

I smiled. “I bet I know where I could take some lessons.”

He opened his sleepy eyes. “What are you doing up? It’s late…or early…or somethin’.”

“I got cold.”

“I’ve heard that excuse somewhere before…”

“The difference is that it’s actually the truth when I say it.”

“Well, I think I know how to fix that. C’mere,” he said, lifting the blanket that was covering him.

“I’ll fall off of this thing.”

“Well, then we’ll switch. You lay down on the inside and I’ll lay down on the outside.”

I carefully hopped over him to lie with my back against the cushions so that I was facing him. He had turned inward so that he was facing me also. He covered us up with the blanket and wrapped his arms around me.

“You didn’t come find me,” he said sleepily.

“I did. You were still putting Ally to sleep. You didn’t tell me goodnight either.”

“Yes I did, actually. You were asleep, but I came to your room and gave you a kiss on the forehead. I’ve told you goodnight every night for like two weeks now. Just because you were asleep didn’t mean I wasn’t comin’ to get my goodnight sugar, even though it was chaste.”

My face was right in the middle of his chest. I could hear his heart beating and he smelled like soap, fresh laundry and warm boy.

“You smell good,” I said, giving him an open mouthed kiss right between his pecs, nipping his skin a little with my teeth, just because I could.

He squeezed his arms around me tighter. “You feel good.” See…there he goes, killing me with words again.

I started kissing as far as I could reach all over his chest, it having suddenly dawned on me that this was the closest that we had ever been while he was shirtless.

“Bella…” he growled.

“Hmm?”

“Baby girl you are gonna have to stop that.”

“Unh-uh.”

“Please baby. If you don’t, I can promise you that it will get extremely hot in here extremely fast. And while I certainly wouldn’t mind,” he said, grinding his proof into me, “I kind of don’t want to be in a house full of my family when that happens.”

“Fine. Point taken,” I said, feeling a little rejected.

“Hey, no poutin’. Trust me when I tell you that it will be soon. Lord knows I‘ve been having a hard time keepin’ my hands to myself. I’m trying to be good here. I want it to be just us with no possibility of being interrupted.”

“Ok.”

“I know something that might make you feel a little better for the time bein’. It’s something I learned in my English classes.”

I was completely confused. How could he be thinking about English right now? I was too busy trying to cool the fire in my pants.

“Um…ok, I’ll bite.”

“Hmm…maybe later. But for right now, did you know that ‘kiss’ is a verb?” he asked me.

“Yes…” I said, eyeing him warily.

“Good, then let’s show some action.”

“You are seriously the cheesiest man I know. How long have you been waiting to use that one?”

“A while. The opportunity presented itself and I’m a man who doesn’t miss opportunities.”

And that’s why he’s perfect. I nearly knocked him off of the couch I kissed him so good. I needed him to know that I wasn’t going to be missing any opportunities either, especially if he was a part of them. He kissed me until I fell asleep; going from heated twirls of tongues to little pecks of the sweetness he called sugar. His kisses weren’t the only thing that were as sweet as sugar…he was, too.

Later that morning I awoke for the second time. Only this time it was to the smell of cinnamon and bacon. I was certain that was the best smelling combination second only to Edward. That’s when I realized that I was completely surrounded by the smell of Edward, cinnamon and bacon…all at the same time. My brain just couldn’t take it. My olfactory senses were on complete overload. Right as I was about to give in and lick him because he was closer than the cinnamon and bacon, he shifted and pulled me on top of him…him and Captain Cullen. My eyes rolled back in my head. I mean, it’s been a while. A while like…three plus years… a while.

I carefully rolled off of him and onto the floor.

“Oomph!”

“What?” Edward startled.

“Nothing. Go back to sleep.”

He peered over the cushion at me. “What are you doin’ down there? Are you alright?”

I swallowed hard taking in his rumpled morning hair and sleepy green eyes and fine, fine torso.

“Yeah, I’m good. I’m going upstairs for breakfast,” I said, giving him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you up there.”

I quickly ran to the bathroom to freshen up a little bit. There was no point in getting fully ready because we would be outside in the water all day. I did, however, need to splash some water on my face and neck to cool the blush that would be a dead giveaway.

“Good morning!” I said to everyone as I walked into the kitchen. It looked like Esme and Caroline had made cinnamon rolls and bacon and fruit salad for breakfast.

“Mornin’ Sunflower,” Pops said as I took a seat at the table beside him. He gave me a sweet peck on the cheek.

“Did you sleep well?” Alice asked me from across the table with a smirk on her face.

“Ummm, yes?” Why did I just say that like it was a question?

“I bet,” she said under her breath. I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Did the bed down there sleep ok?” Esme asked, bringing me a plate and kissing my other cheek.

“It was fine, thanks.” I felt like I was missing something.

“I know it can get a little drafty down there. I hope you were warm enough,” she said, now giving me a wink.

Oh crap. Crap crap crap! Mama Cullen must have seen us snuggled on the couch.

“Perfect,” I said with a tight smile.

Edward eventually joined us as we all continued eating our breakfast and talking about the day ahead. No one asked him anything. I guess I’m just lucky like that. We all helped to clean the kitchen and then got changed into our bathing suits for the day. There really was no rhyme or reason as to what we were going to do. The kids wanted to swim and play in the sand on the shore. The men had a basketball goal that floated in the water. They horsed around, alternating between playing and wrestling because I think no matter their ages, boys just like to be rowdy. The women stayed on the dock, soaking up the sun and watching the kids…ok…and the men…and gossiped. The morning was full of sun and fun and I just drank it all in.

After lunch the kids went down for their naps while everyone settled in for some quiet time around the house. Edward and I were playing checkers outside at the table on the deck and I was pretty sure he was cheating.

“You wanna go take a paddle boat ride with me?” he asked, out of the blue.

“Sure. You don’t want to finish the game?”

“Nah. Not when you’re beatin’ the pants off of me.” Now there was a thought.

“Big baby.”

“C’mon.”

We put on our life jackets and within minutes we had the paddle boat out and into the water. It didn’t take us long to get out to where the water was pretty deep, but still just as clear.

“I wanted to talk to you about a few things,” he said, stopping his peddling.

“That sounds serious.”

“Somewhat. I know there are still tons of things we don’t know about each other and I think it would be a good time to do more talkin’. I mean, we know each other’s likes and dislikes as of right now, but we don’t know much about each other’s pasts. We don’t even know birthdays. I want to know everything there is to know about you. I want to know who your first boyfriend was. I want to know about your parents and why you don’t talk about them. I want to know why you change assignments every six months. I can’t help that I’m greedy when it comes to you, but I’m also not gonna apologize for it. I want it all, but I know I have to be patient and I that I can only take what you are willing to give me. I promise not to push you. I just wanted you to know what I was thinking…why I stopped things earlier. There is nothing between us that I take lightly. I’ll always want to be your best friend, but I don’t think I’m mistaken in saying that we also want more. For me, the more is where it’s at. I need to know that there’s not some crazy ex out there that is going to hunt you down and go all ape shit because we are together. So I just want us to lay it all out there. No hidin’.”

I sat silently for a few moments just staring at him. No one had ever taken this much interest in me. Not my parents and certainly not my ex-boyfriend. I was nearly afraid to say anything to him at all. I’m not that interesting and I’m not hiding any sordid secrets. Yes, I’ve lived through some emotional pain, but who hasn’t? I had decided last night that whatever he wanted, whatever he needed, I was willing to give him. It may not be all at once, but this was my opportunity. It would be a start. I could finally have a best friend. I may even be able to have a lover. But I couldn’t have either of those things without complete trust and honesty.

“This is going to be a two way street, right? You know…more you’ll show me yours and I’ll show you mine?”

“Anything you want to know, just ask. I’m an open book. I want you to know everything. I need you to know everything.”

“OK. Well, I’ll start with the easy one first. My birthday is actually really soon… September thirteenth,” I said, blushing. “I’ve never really celebrated it. I mean, I guess I may have had a few parties when I was younger, but I haven’t done anything in years. But let me just say right now that if you tell Alice and she throws some big party, that will earn you top spot on the beast list,” I said, eyeing him so that he knew I meant business.

“Does that mean I can’t do something for you?” Gah, again with the pout. He uses that damn thing like a super power.

“Depends on what you have in mind. Plus, I’m on call next weekend, so I have to stay close to home.”

“Is that a yes?” His hopefulness was a little too precious.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I suppose so.”

He smiled at me. “Mine is June twentieth. I’ll be twenty seven. How about you?”

“I’m turning twenty six. So we’re just a few months apart.”

“Do you want me to start or do you want to?” he asked me hesitantly.

“I will. I want to be completely open with you. My history is all kind of intertwined; my parents, my exes and my job. It may take a while, but I know it’s what I need to do, for both of us, really. I mean, it’s nothing crazy or sordid. It’s just that it can be a little emotional for me. It’s why I don’t talk about it. You will honestly be the first person that I have talked about it with in the last three years. Just please be patient with me.”

“Bella, we don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready. I trust you completely. I know you’re not hiding anything. I don’t want this to be painful for you,” he said, brushing the hair from my face.

I stared into his sparkling green eyes. He was always so patient with me. In all of the times that we had been together, he had never asked anything of me. He has only ever given, showing me who he is. It’s the true essence of his very soul to give to others without asking for anything in return.

“No. I need to do this. You were right when you said that we would always be best friends. I know that you mean that and you have given me no reason to doubt you. Best friends know everything about each other. There are no secrets, right? Well, I’ve been keeping something in, and it may not exactly be a secret, but I know that I should just say it and get it over with. I do want more with you. I don’t want to hold back anything from you, physically or emotionally. There have been times already in these last couple of weeks that I have held back because I already know that you hold the power to break my heart. It’s not that I think that you are a ‘love them and leave them’ kind of guy. You very obviously aren’t. Your heart is too precious to allow you to do anything like that, but you need to understand that I haven’t let myself get close to anyone, much less a man, for a very long time. That being said, I can’t seem to stay away from you. Not even since the first time that we met. You are consuming me and it scares the hell out of me. But if you promise not to break my heart, I’ll open it to you. I’ll give it all to you.”

I closed my eyes and waited for him to give me some kind of response. That was actually more than I had intended to say, but honesty was all he was asking of me and it was exactly what I was going to give him. I felt his hands on either side of my cheeks. He brushed my eyebrows with his thumbs and then under my eyes as he wiped away the tears that I hadn’t even realize that I had been crying. He kissed my eyelids.

“Open your eyes and look at me baby girl.” His voice was so steady; so quiet but so strong.

I did as he asked and looked into his bright green eyes once again. I knew what I told him was the truth. He could absolutely break my heart, but like Carlisle told me, I couldn’t be afraid. I had to jump.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere. My heart has been broken before, too. I know what that feels like. I told you I don’t take this lightly. It’s why I’m not rushing things. It’s why I had to stop earlier. I haven’t been with anyone in a very long time either. The promise that I made to myself a few years ago was that the next person I was with, fully with in every way, would be the last for me. I know that’s a lot to say after only knowing you for a few weeks. I know by saying that, I am taking the risk of scaring you and running you off, but it’s what I feel. It’s becoming too much for me to try to contain. It’s better to know now than later. You need to know that you hold the same power over me; the power to break my heart. All I can do is hope that you’ll take care of it because I’ve already given it to you.”

I leaned in and kissed him like my life depended on it. And maybe it did.

“We need to get off of this freakin’ paddle boat because I need to be able to kiss you like I really want to,” I said, panting as he continued to kiss down my neck. I put my hands on his face pulling it back up so that he could look at me. “I also want to be able to feel your arms around me while I tell you all of this. I need you. Can we do that?”

“Sure. I know just the place. I have a secret hiding spot over in that alcove,” he said, pointing across the lake.

We paddled over and took our life vests off after we drug the boat up onto the shore. He took my hand and led me towards the trees. Right at the edge where the tree line met the sand, I saw a hammock strung up between two pine trees. I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“My family can be a little much sometimes. Plus it’s not always easy being alone in a crowd, you know?”

He sat down on the hammock keeping a leg on the ground to steady it. He opened his arms motioning for me to join him. We got ourselves situated with him lying on his back and me snuggled into his side. I had my hand on his chest over his heart so that the beat of it would calm me as I talked. As usual, one of his hands was tangling in my hair while the other made lazy circles over my hand that was over his heart. Taking in a deep breath, I started telling my story.

-x-X-x-

“My parents were high school sweethearts. They dated their entire senior year and even went to college together at The University of Washington that fall. Mom wanted to be an art teacher and Dad wanted to go to law school. They were back at home for the Christmas break of their freshman year and getting ready to go back for the next semester when Mom discovered she was pregnant. She went to my Dad, sobbing that her life was over. She didn’t go back to school. Dad decided not to go back to school either, instead he opted to stay in Forks and get a job with the police force and marry her.” I took a deep breath.

“Their marriage was never all that great. I think she always blamed him for the pregnancy. My Mom was always kind of immature, truthfully she still is; but my Dad loved her and only her. He was determined to make it work. He usually catered to her every whim, which only spoiled her and reinforced her immaturity. She was a decent mom to me. She took me to dance classes and art classes. We played at the park, you know, typical childhood stuff. But that’s as far as it went. She was a taker, never a giver. She wasn’t the kind of mom to rock me to sleep or make up silly stories with me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that she was there for the most part physically, but not emotionally. My dad didn’t really know how to take care of a little girl, always defaulting to my mom; which is why when she decided to leave when I was ten, he thought I should go with her. He thought I would be better off with her instead of him.”

All of the time I had been talking, Edward was comforting me. He would squeeze me tighter. He twirled my hair. He kissed the top of my head and my fingers over and over. This is the kind of comfort that I had never had. The kind I’d always needed. How, after only a few weeks, does he already know what I need without having to tell him?

“So the next eight years were spent moving from town to town; my mom never really settling down. Looking back I think she was just always searching for something. She was never satisfied with what she was doing or where we were…or who she was with. That was how she ended things with her boyfriends. We would pack up and leave. I went to a different school every year. After a few years I stopped trying to make close friends. To me, there was no point when I knew I wouldn’t be seeing them during the next school year. That’s when I found my guitar and taught myself how to play.”

“During the summers I always went back to stay with my dad in Forks. He worked most of the time and when he wasn’t working, he was fishing with some of his buddies down at the local Indian Reservation. His friends’ kids were the only ones who were ever a constant for me. It was one of my friends there that I had my first kiss with, my first time with. It was all experimentation. We weren’t even boyfriend and girlfriend. It was more about the experience and getting it over with. I trusted him and he never treated me badly.”

“That was part of the reason I decided to move back to Washington to go to college. I could be closer to my dad, who at least had a consistent address, and I’d know some other people that were close by if I ever needed anything.”

I lifted my head to look at him. He was heartbreakingly beautiful, especially when he was giving me that soft smile.

“Are you bored yet?”

“Nope.”

“Not falling asleep?”

“Unh-uh. I told you I want to know everything. Keep going.” He leaned down and gave me a slow kiss, refueling me.

I took another deep breath knowing that the true heartache was coming up next.

“While I was at school, I went home twice a month. I would grocery shop and make plenty of food to put in my dad’s freezer. It was during those visits that Charlie and I started finally getting to know each other. He was funnier than I thought he was. He was sarcastic and had a quick wit. He liked to read a lot, so we always had something to talk about. I eventually told him what it was like living with Renee and he apologized. But I didn’t hold it against him because he was only doing what he thought was right.”

“My last semester in nursing school I started dating a guy named Colin. He was a year younger than me. We met at the library when we were both studying one weekend. He was majoring in biology and planning on becoming a doctor. He grew up in the next town over from Forks so we knew some of the same people from the Reservation. It was just something else that we had that in common. We would meet at the library and end up talking more than studying over the next month or so. It was nice to have some sort of connection outside of my classes. He eventually asked me out on a real date. He was charming and polite and said and did all of the right things, making me feel important. The next year was actually pretty uneventful as far as relationships go. But I didn’t have any experience as far as that went, so I didn’t really know what to expect. We didn’t fight other than the occasional misunderstanding. It started to feel more like a friendship than a relationship as time passed. Even when we were together physically, it seemed more…mechanical. There was no fire or passion.”

I took Edward’s hand and pulled him over to his side so that I could be closer to him. I needed to be able to hear his steady heart beat and to touch as much of him as possible for this last part, knowing it would calm me.

“I graduated and passed the NCLEX exam for my nursing license. I stayed in Seattle, taking a job as an ER nurse. I was working the night shift and Colin was studying all the time. We were growing apart and I knew it, but I was too comfortable to do anything about it.”

Hot tears started to stream down my face and I knew Edward could feel them because they were rolling onto his bare chest at this point. He hugged me tighter to him and entwined our legs, getting closer still.

“That March my schedule got changed at work and I was off on a day that I normally wouldn’t have been. I thought I’d surprise Colin by making a nice dinner before taking him to a concert that he had really wanted to see. I thought that since he had been working so hard trying to finish up his last semester before starting medical school that he deserved a night to relax. I went shopping for the ingredients that I would need to make dinner and picked up the tickets at the box office. I drove over to his house and used the hidden key to let myself in. His car was there and it was the middle of the afternoon, but I just thought he had probably gotten out of class early or something. When I walked in I could hear his voice coming from his bedroom in the back. I sat the groceries down and walked down the hall, hearing the now unmistakable noises getting louder. I opened the door and found him fucking a girl that we both knew from the Reservation. I was so humiliated that I turned and left, slamming the door behind me. He never even called me after that. It was like I didn’t even exist.”

Edward was rubbing his thumbs under my eyes and kissing me all over my face. I was completely exhausted, but I knew I was almost finished and just wanted to be done with it.

“Do you need to stop baby girl?”

“No. There isn’t much more and I want to get it all out.”

“Maybe we should save my story for a little later then?”

“I think so. I didn’t realize how draining this would be.”

“I’m sorry angel. I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok. Let me just get through this last part and we can go back to the house. I’m sure the search party will be here before long and I think I’m going to need to rest before supper tonight.”

“Anything you need.”

And I knew he was telling the truth. He would give me anything that I needed, without even having to tell him. He already did.

“Ok, so that was March. I kept working there for another month when the worst day of my life happened. The ambulance had called ahead to let us know that there had been a head on collision just outside of town and that there were two victims. One was critical while the other was ok other than a few suspected broken bones and lacerations. I gloved and gowned up and was waiting in the ambulance bay when the first rig pulled in and started unloading the patient. I immediately recognized him as my dad and fell to my knees sobbing uncontrollably. I later found out from his friend Billy that he was on the way to see me after he had gotten off of work. I hadn’t been back to Forks after I found Colin cheating on me and he was worried, even though I had still been calling him. Billy said Charlie just felt like something was wrong. They worked on him for hours, but when he coded for the third time, there was nothing else they could do. There was too much internal bleeding and damage.”

“I lived in a guilty fog for another month after his funeral when I finally woke up one morning and just couldn’t take being in that city, hell even that state for another minute. Dad’s friend Billy helped me with all of Charlie’s things and with his estate. Renee never came. She and I had grown so far apart over those last five years that I really wasn’t even surprised. We rarely even spoke on the phone. I didn’t have anyone left and I didn’t want the reminder of everything from the past few months, so I signed up to be a travel nurse. I laughed thinking about moving around so much, knowing how much I had detested it as a child. But it was a lifestyle that I knew and one that I was sure I could get used to again. I could move every six months and never have to make a commitment to anyone or anything. The solitude helped to numb the pain, but there were times that the loneliness threatened to over take me. Those were the only times that I would reach out of my comfort zone and make a friend. That’s what was going on when I met Angela back in Boston…and all of that is what brought me here.”

We laid there silently for what seemed like ages. I felt like I had been talking for days, when it had probably only been an hour or so. Finally Edward spoke.

“I’m really sorry about your dad. I hate that I’ll never get a chance to meet him, to know him. It sounds like you did get to have some good years with him.”

“I did. He would have given you a hard time, but I think he would have liked you. You have a similar sense of humor.”

After he kissed every inch of my face his lips met mine and he poured every ounce of himself into that one moment. He gave me his sympathy, his comfort, his promise to never hurt me, and his heart in that one kiss. It was one I’d hold on to and never forget. It would get me through any pain that might come my way in the future. I had not heard his story yet, but it didn’t matter. I knew right then that I was completely in love with Edward Cullen…and that didn’t scare me one bit.

-x-X-x-

We made our way back to the house shortly thereafter. I went downstairs to shower and lie down for a bit before supper. Edward went to find the guys, knowing that I’d need some time alone to process everything that I had finally said after being silent about it all for the past three years.

Pops, Doc and Uncle James, as I was instructed to call him, made us a delicious supper of fresh fried fish, baked potatoes, salad and hush puppies. I got a little choked up at one point, the dinner reminding me of Charlie, but I swallowed the lump in my throat. Of course Edward noticed. He squeezed my knee under the table in support. I didn’t know how long I’d be able to keep those feelings I had for Edward to myself. I know we said no secrets, but I needed to be sure he felt the same way before giving my heart away completely.

After supper we all went back out for some family time around the fire pit again. This time Edward and Jasper had brought out their guitars. Everyone was making requests and the guys were completely happy to oblige. I even got to hear the song that Edward was singing to Ally the night before. It was Return to Pooh Corner by Kenny Loggins and was apparently ‘their song’. My heart will never hold everything that I am feeling for this man. He and Jasper sang a little bit of everything…country, southern rock, oldies. I should have known that there wasn’t much that they didn’t know. Show offs!

Alice told Jasper to give me his guitar and she started requesting duets from Edward and me. The first one was I Need You by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. I should have seen something like that coming. Rose asked me to sing a few by Colbie Caillat and Sarah McLaughlan. We had such a good time. I hated that I would need to leave the next day. I had to work on Labor Day and I needed to get back home so that I could be rested before my early morning on Monday. It was getting late and everyone was starting to go back inside so that they could get their kids ready for bed.

Edward took my hand and led me down to the basement.

“Go change back into your swimsuit. I wanna take you for a night swim,” he said, pressing kisses to my neck.

“I’ve never swam at night before. Strange things aren’t going to come out in the water, are they?”

He grinned at me wickedly. “Well, there may be something you aren’t familiar with, but I wouldn’t call it strange.” Oh my Jesus Lord. Remember all those times I accused him of trying to kill me? This may be the worst one yet.

I was breathless. He knew all the places to kiss and all the right words to say. I had to turn and run to my bedroom before I jumped him right there on the couch.

He led me down to the dock and said, “On the count of three. One…two…three!” We jumped into the dark water together while still holding hands. The only light we had was from the moon and it wasn’t even full. We swam out a little farther down the shore line so that we were no longer in front of the house. We played and splashed until we were far enough out that he could still touch the dirt floor below, but I couldn’t. He held onto me while I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. We kissed and whispered for what seemed like ages. I always lost all track of time with him.

“Is it terrible that I really wish we were skinny dipping?” he asked me, putting his forehead to mine.

We had been kissing much more intensely and were both panting trying to catch our breath.

I grinned against his lips because I just couldn’t keep mine off of him.

“No, because I wish we were too. I mean you are half way there, but I’m not losing my bathing suit to the dark waters of the lake. It’s my favorite one. Plus Alice would kill me, because she bought it.”

We continued staring into each other’s eyes. He slid his hands slowly up my sides until his thumbs brushed right under the edge of my bikini top.

“Edward…oh hell. I was gonna three name you for being so insanely evil, but I don’t even know your damn middle name! How is that even possible?”

He chuckled while moving those devil fingers back and forth teasing me to death and making me whimper. I couldn’t even care enough to be embarrassed about it.

“My full name is Edward Masen Cullen. Edward was Mama’s dad’s name and Masen was her maiden name. What is your middle name…Isabella?” Oh my Holy sweetness what that man can do with his voice alone.

“Marie,” I barely managed to squeak out. I took a deep breath. “Isabella Marie Swan.”

He continued his little teasing torture game until I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Sugar please. I need you to touch me.”

His movements stopped. Um…that was the opposite of what I wanted him to do. If this is one of those displays of super human resistance I swear I will crawl on top of his head and drown him.

“Sugar?”

“What?”

“You called me Sugar,” he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Oh, yeah. I guess I did. You don’t like it?”

“I love it. But where did that come from?”

I was feeling a little unsure about it now. “Well, you’ve always had a pet name for me and I needed something for you. I thought of Sugar last night while you were kissing me into oblivion. You are ridiculously sweet and you give the best kisses of anyone ever and it’s usually what you call kisses…sugar. And it’s a southern term of endearment, so I just thought it fit.”

I was looking at his chest now, so embarrassed I couldn’t even look up. It’s not something I have done before and he’s a guy. What if it makes him feel stupid?

“Never mind. I know it’s probably…”

He cut me off with some of that famous sugar. He kissed me so hard I was sure my lips would bruise. I pulled away to catch my breath.

“Wait. What about what you call me? You have changed it three times since you have known me. When are you going to decide on one and stick to it?”

“What do you mean?”

“You started with pretty girl. Then you moved on to angel girl. But since the first time we kissed it’s been baby girl.”

“I honestly didn’t even realize it. I think it’s changed as my feelings have changed. Do you have a favorite out of those? Or I can try something else?” He was rubbing up and down my sides again making me incoherent.

“Baby girl. It makes me feel…cherished…adored.”

“That you most definitely are baby girl. If that’s the one you like, then that’s the one we’ll keep. Besides, I guess it really didn’t matter to me what word I put in front of the word ‘girl’ as long as it meant that you were MY girl.”

“See? That…that right there is why I’m going to call you sugar. Even though it has the potential to be cheesy, you say the sweetest damn things.” I paused just a minute, gathering up the courage to finally ask what I had been wanting to know.

“Am I? Your girl?”

“God I hope so. For as long as you wanna be.”

“That’s an awfully long time. How will we entertain ourselves?”

He pulled the material of my top to the side and brushed my very hard nipples with his thumbs. My eyes fluttered closed and I moaned from the sensation.

“I believe we’ll think of somethin’.”

Mother.Of.God.

We continued to touch and kiss; savoring those first touches and lingering on the last kisses, until it was too cold to be in the water. We went back inside to dry off and change into our pajamas. That was the first night neither of us tried to sneak into the other’s bed. He laid down behind me, snuggling as closely as he could, knowing he was fully welcome.

“Night sugar.”

“Night baby girl.”