The Breakers Chapter 19

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Chapter 19

EPOV

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I glance in the rearview mirror. Peyton's been asleep since we left Bar Harbor so I pick up my phone. Bella has a strict no texting while driving policy she's adamant about adhering to, but I can't resist checking the message. I know it's from Bella; I can feel it.

"Holy shit, the woman is trying to kill me," I mutter when I look at the phone.

A picture, just her leg from the knee down, but there are bubbles dripping off it. The skin looks silky smooth, like she's just shaved. It's obvious she's in the bathtub which means she's naked … which immediately makes me wonder what other parts of her delectable body are just as smooth. So many possibilities. So many places to touch with my fingers and my tongue.

The message along with the picture makes me groan. Bet you're wondering what else I did to get ready for company, aren't you?

You bet your fine ass I am. Be home in ten. I text back.

I toss my phone on the seat beside me and smile when I realize I just said I'd be home, not I'll be at your house. It's way too soon to think about things like moving in together, but I'd be a lying fool if I said the thought never popped up from time to time. I have no idea what the future will bring, especially because I've really just started to get my life moving in a direction that makes me happy. I know I don't want to do anything that doesn't have Bella and Peyton by my side, but in concrete terms, I don't know anything past that.

Moving in together? Getting married? I don't have the first damn clue if Bella wants either of those things and being honest with myself, I don't know what I want either. The moving in together seems like a no-brainer somewhere down the road, but the getting married … well, that's a whole other ball of wax.

I never imagined finding anyone like Bella, mostly because I never allowed myself to think past getting out of prison and getting the fuck out of Boston. Things like falling in love, settling down, getting married … being happy weren't even on my radar when all I cared about was making it through each day, but now that I'm happy and stupid, crazy in love with two beautiful girls, things have changed.

What that means, I have no idea. I figure I don't have to know right this minute. For now, I'm going to enjoy every moment I get to spend with Bella and Peyton and let things progress like they're supposed to. As I pull into Bella's driveway, I smile and shift in my seat, tingling with anticipation because I definitely plan on enjoying Bella for many … many minutes tonight.

"Did you get her into bed?" I ask as Bella shuts her bedroom door. She leans against it, holding onto the doorknob, and wordlessly nods her head.

She doesn't move. The window in her room is open and the breeze is warm, humid. Silvery moonlight streaks through the window, making patterns along the floor. Her iPod is in the docking station beside the bed and the soft, sultry sounds of John Legend float through the air. I'm leaning against her headboard in nothing but a loose pair of basketball shorts, legs crossed at the ankles. I stare at her, letting my eyes take in every inch of her from her blood red painted toenails to the hair piled on top of her head in a messy ponytail.

Oh, yes. I noticed those sexy as fuck feet the second I carried a sleeping Peyton into the house earlier.

"You planning on standing there all night or are you going to come over here any time soon so I can see just what all this planning for company you did consists of?" I smirk as I cross my arms behind my head.

She, however, most definitely does not smirk. Instead she lets her eyes smolder and in turn sets my entire body on fire. She's wearing a teeny tiny pair of shorts that barely cover her ass, a tank top that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination and that's it. Her face has been scrubbed clean, and her legs look as smooth as silk, even from across the room.

She's so fucking gorgeous it regularly takes my breath away. In a voice rough with need and want, I say, "You really need to come over here. Now."

Our eyes meet in a silent battle of wills for a few very long, very sexually-charged minutes. I never take my eyes off her, though I do lower them and feel my cock stir in my shorts when I see her nipples harden beneath the thin cotton. Her breath hitches, a mouthwatering flush of pink spreads across her chest, and I know if I were to drag my finger or better yet my tongue across the tinged flesh, it would be warm as well as taste like fucking heaven.

Finally, when I'm about to drag her ass to the bed, she pushes off the door and walks toward me. Actually she swaggers. Her hips sway enticingly and her hair swishes as she moves. She takes a few steps, stopping just short of the end of the bed.

I raise an eyebrow and wait.

She doesn't move.

I chuckle devilishly as a thought enters my mind. Her lips purse, her nostrils flare as I remain silent and keep my thought to myself. If she's lucky, I'll show her rather than tell her … if she behaves. That's a big if knowing Bella.

Still, I don't make a sound. I wait and have to bite the inside of my cheek when her eyes move from mine down to my chest. I watch as they start on the right side and move slowly to the left, taking in every inch of ink-covered skin. Her eyes blaze. She bites her lip and then she crawls on the bed and into my waiting arms.

My hands cup her ass and I press her firmly against my straining cock. Her shorts are so thin that I can feel her hot and damp as she rubs along my length. My fingers squeeze and knead as I hold her. Her hands are everywhere, and her mouth follows.

"Kiss me. I've been thinking about kissing you all damn night," I tell her as I move my hands to the sides of her face.

The words are barely out of my mouth before her tongue winds its way around my own. She moans and I can feel the vibration everywhere.

"I missed you," she whispers. Her fingers grip my shoulders and she rocks back and forth in my lap. "I thought about you when I took my bath." The words coupled with her warm breath in my ear make my fingers hold her hips, keeping her where she feels so good.

I slide my hands beneath her top and cup her breasts, letting my thumbs circle her pebbled nipples. "And what did you think about all wet and naked, hmmm?" I lower my head and suck a nipple through her shirt.

She throws her head back and stretches above me. I roughly shove her tank top over her head and with one hand on the center of her back I lick up the center of her chest before finding a hardened nipple once more. "Did you think about this?" I ask huskily. Her nails dig into my thighs leaving tiny crescent-shaped indentations. "Or what about this?" My free hand lowers and then dips beneath her panties. She's slick and swollen already which makes my cock swell even more. "Mmmm, you did miss me." I chuckle against the side of her neck.

"Oh God, Edward. Please, shit … I need … ahh." Her breaths come closer together, her legs squeeze mine as she straddles me and when her eyes meet mine, they're almost black with need.

"Tell me," I rasp, circling her clit lightly with my finger. "What do you need, baby?"

She lifts her pussy, trying, searching for more. "You … oh, God, you."

"Mmmm, you already have me, so tell me what you want." I press a little harder, let my finger dip and enter her briefly before withdrawing it again. I know what she wants, but I want to hear her say it.

I know where else is silky smooth. I'm dying to touch her there, but that doesn't mean I won't wait to hear her tell me what she wants before I do.

I circle again. Featherlight touches that do little more than to make her growl and tense above me. "Say it, Bella." My hand glides from the center of her back up until I'm holding the back of her head in my hand and make her look at me. I lean forward, kissing her until I see stars.

"Your mouth. God, put your mouth on me, please."

"Fuck, yes." I hiss. I lower her to the bed and slide her tiny shorts down her legs. I knew she didn't have anything on under those poor excuse for shorts, but to see it makes me want to bury myself deep inside of her and not come out for days. I kneel between her legs and slowly let my fingertips dance up and down the tops of her thighs … then lower. I raise my eyes to hers and see the same ache, the same pull shining back at me that I know she can see in mine.

"So gorgeous," I murmur as I look down at her all flushed and wanting, with her hair fanned out beneath her.

I lower my head and scoot back, kissing my way down her body. Across her shoulders and then I drag my teeth along her collarbones. I swirl my tongue in the hollow of her throat and let my fingers ghost across heated, creamy skin. Around her breast, into the crook of her elbow, behind the bend of her knee, my mouth and fingers work to drive her crazy.

She moans. She whimpers. She whispers a mix of love and dirty words that make my dick twitch painfully in my shorts.

I lift my head a bit and nuzzle her freshly-shaved pussy. She's not bare, thank God, I want my woman to look like a woman, but I can tell the skin is hyper sensitive because just my breath on her skin makes her eyes roll back in her head. I fucking love that, and love how responsive she is for me. "So, this is what else you did to get ready for company, hmmm?" I blow another warm breath across her and then just barely touch her clit with my tongue. "Spread your legs wider for me." I kiss all around, but never where she wants me most. When she does as I ask, I lower my head again and let my tongue move from back to front in one long sweep.

Bella curls her fingers into the sheets on her bed. Her back arches, and her legs open further. "Ahhh, yes … oh God that feels so good," she says between harsh breaths.

My tongue circles and flicks at her clit. I suck it into my mouth and then flatten my tongue, covering her entirely. I slip a finger, then another inside, and my stomach clenches, my dick throbs as I continue to work her over with my fingers and mouth.

"So close. I'm going to come. Don't stop, oh please, don't stop," she begs.

I don't stop.

I move my fingers in and out of her. I take her clit gently between my teeth. With my free hand I hold her open for me, and I bring her closer and closer to letting go. "That's it. You're almost there." Her walls flutter and her muscles squeeze my fingers. She thrashes her head on the pillow and the sounds coming from deep inside of her make me so hard I can hardly see straight.

"Oh, God. Oh, God," she chants over and over again until there's no sound. She comes in a delicious rush of heat and wet. I don't even give her time to catch her breath once her orgasm begins to subside before I lift her and push my shorts down in one fluid motion. I sit on the edge of the bed and lower her onto my cock, my own eyes rolling back into my head as she takes me fully inside.

I want to love her slowly but feeling her surround me is quickly pushing me to the brink.

Her mouth attacks the side of my neck, none too gently either. Her nails score my back and her hips roll in a rhythm that is sure to drive me insane. I take a nipple in my mouth, and keep my hands firmly on her hips as I move in and out of her.

"Oh, damn, baby. You feel so good around me," I tell her. "I love watching you ride my cock."

Her eyes glaze and her mouth opens. She wraps her arms around my neck and her tits rub up and down my chest as her pace quickens.

I feel her teeth on my shoulder and hear her squeaks and moans as her muscles clench around me.

"I'm coming. Oh God, Edward, yes … " she cries out and throws her head back.

I try to hold off my own release until she's done, but I can't. I let go and pulse inside of her, coming so damn hard.

It takes a few seconds to come back to reality. Both of us are breathing heavily and our chests heave from the effort to calm down. My shoulder stings from where her teeth were, but it feels so fucking good to know I can make her lose control that way.

She leans forward and rests her forehead against mine. We smile at one another, not needing to say anything. I rub up and down her legs because I know they have to be sore from being overworked so thoroughly. I try to lean back and lift her off me so I don't hurt her further, but she shakes her head no.

"Not yet. I don't want to move," she whispers. She rubs her nose against mine and leaves a few soft kisses along my lips. Her entire body is almost boneless she's so relaxed. I love that she's demanding in bed, that she can take as good as she gives, but I love afterward when she's quiet and so blissed out she doesn't even want to speak.

"I love you," she tells me as she molds her lips to mine and kisses me long and deep.

I wrap my arms around her and scoot back on the bed. "Not as much as I love you," I answer back, staring into her eyes.

She rolls her eyes but giggles anyway. "Always with the last word," she says sleepily.

"Damn straight." She doesn't hear me because she's already fallen asleep, though it won't be for long if I have anything to say about it.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~
Giggle.

Poke.

Giggle … louder this time … and accompanied with a sort of snort/squeal sound.

Another poke, harder this time, right in the middle of my upper arm.

I crack an eye open, cursing the fact that it's Friday, normally a work day and I'm awake at, I turn my head to look at the clock on the nightstand, oh fuck me running, seven A.M.

"P," I croak, my voice thick with sleep. "What in the world are you doing up already?"

"I'm excited. Come on, get up. We can play before we have to go," she tells me as she starts pulling on my arm.

I'm still half asleep, but I'm not so out of it I don't remember I'm also half naked. Bella reminded me last night to put my boxers on before we collapsed into bed after thoroughly tiring each other out - a fact of which I'm extremely thankful for right this moment.

"Peyton Renée," comes a scratchy, not quite awake voice through a mass of brown hair. "What have you been told about one, coming in here without knocking first, and two about waking up Edward to play with you, hmmm?"

"Sorry, Mom. Sorry, Edward," Peyton mumbles apologetically. She lowers her head for a moment and I yawn then shift, making sure everything is covered up the way it's supposed to be.

Peyton may not have a problem with me spending the night with her mother but that damn sure doesn't mean I'm going to parade around in my underwear.

Bella sighs - a movement that certainly does the trick to make me wake up because her breasts rub temptingly along my chest. She lifts her head, flipping her hair back from her face and gives me my first glimpse of her for the day.

Christ Almighty.

Only a few hours of sleep and she still looks amazing. It's a sight I could definitely get used to seeing first thing every morning.

"Baby, go downstairs and put in a movie or take your book to the porch and give us a few minutes. We're not even leaving for a few hours yet. You and Edward will have plenty of time to play before we have to go. Now, scoot," she tells her.

Once Peyton has left the room and has firmly closed the door behind her, Bella huffs then flops back on her pillow. My eyes of course are glued to her chest and I watch in rapt attention as her breasts bounce beneath her shirt.

"Seven freaking A.M.," she whines. The sound is muffled because she's thrown her arm over her face.

I roll over and find my favorite spot between her legs. Dipping my head down, I kiss along her naked shoulder and up the side of her neck. She smells … well, like the perfect blend of her and me and it makes me harden instantly.

I had her only mere hours before but right now it seems like a lifetime ago.

Rocking my hips without a thought I chuckle in her ear. "Baby, you know how she gets when she's excited. Maybe I should've let you go to sleep before round two." I run my tongue around the shell of her ear and shiver when I reach that tiny silver ball at the top.

She arches her back when I swirl my tongue around it. "Ummm, not just no, but hell no," she answers back with a crooked smile.

We lay in bed a bit longer, talking quietly about the day, before she pushes me off of her. I roll onto my back and groan. I'm hard as a fucking rock, but it doesn't look like I'm getting any morning loving … at least not from Bella.

Damn it all.

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"Come on, you two. Let's hit it," I holler as I stand by the front door jingling the keys for the Blazer in my hand once breakfast is done and it's time to go.

I have no idea what the hell's taking them so long but if they don't hurry up, I'm leaving the both of them here.

"Coming, coming," Peyton yells excitedly, slipping off the bottom step before she rights herself. "Edward, what are you waiting for? Come on!"

She giggles and she grabs my hand to pull me out the door. "Bella, you have about five seconds to get down here before we go without you!"

Finally, I hear the front door close as I climb out of the front seat. Peyton's buckled in her seat and a bag full of sunscreen, hats for Bella and Peyton, and Bella's camera is beside her. I turn and watch Bella walk down her front steps. She puts her sunglasses on, pats her pockets, and then lifts her face up to the sun. It's almost noon, so the sun is high above. White puffs of cotton candy clouds dot the azure blue sky and the warm breeze makes her hair flutter around her face. In the brilliant sunlight, the red in her hair is even more noticeable than normal. I love it. Warm, deep, ever-changing, it's one of my favorite things about her. Up, down, spread across my chest in sleep, or her pillow when I make love to her, it drives me crazy. I could spend hours trying to count every shade of brown and red in her hair, and I'm not sure that would give me enough time.

"You look fucking hot," I growl lowly when she finally gets close enough to hear me.

She's wearing a short sundress with those thin straps that look like little more than pieces of string. It's bright yellow and looks amazing next to her sun-kissed skin. It makes her tits look spectacular; even though the urge to demand she wear a hoodie over top of it is strong, I really don't want them covered up. I know that every guy that walks past her won't be able to keep their eyes off her because she looks so fucking good. I figure I can beat the hell out of anyone that pushes their luck … or at the very least get the bald behemoth to do it for me.

I know Xavier will have no qualms about kicking some ass if he needs to.

She gives me a very pleased smile in thanks for my blunt, but still true, compliment. "You don't look too bad yourself, Masen," she teases, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me. Her fingers curl around the edges of my short-sleeved, button-up, plaid shirt. I feel kind of like a tool or at the very least some minivan-driving soccer dad with the cargo shorts, the shirt, and the black Vans on my feet, but if she thinks I look good, what the fuck do I care about what anyone else thinks?

"Mom, stop kissing Edward so we can go. He promised me funnel cake and cotton candy," Peyton tattles from the backseat, earning her a pointed look and a raised eyebrow when I get into my seat after helping Bella into hers. Sprite really needs to learn not to tell Bella every single thing I tell her.

The short ride to Winter Harbor is full of stories of past boat race weekends and the escapades of Emmett, Jasper, and even Nana Renée. Apparently along with her slight McDonald's addiction it seems as if Renée is also quite fond of corndogs.

Just … no, I think with a shudder.

Meat by-products surrounded by corn batter and dipped in mustard is all kinds of wrong.

"Did your grandparents ever take you to the races?" Bella asks quietly when there's a break in the story telling. She squeezes my hand, the one that's been firmly and happily attached to hers since we backed out of her driveway.

I smile, a bit sad, a bit wistful and shake my head. "We were never here this late in the summer. My grandfather always needed to get back to Boston by the first of August. I remember hearing about the races a few times when I'd be on the beach playing or something, but I never really made any friends or anything while we were up here. Hearing you guys talk about it though, I know it's something he would have enjoyed."

"I'm sorry you still miss him so much," she says softly. I glance at her quickly and lift our braided fingers to my mouth, brushing a featherlight kiss across her knuckles.

"I miss him every day, my grandmother, too. They would have loved you and Peyton so much," I tell her honestly and swallow back the flare of hurt and pain and longing that threatens to force its way out of my throat.

She sighs, but says nothing, just cups my cheek for the briefest of seconds, before moving our hands back to the console.

"Edward, you gotta win me a stuffed giraffe. I love giraffes and I don't have one. I have a monkey and a tiger, and a bear from last year, but this year I wanna giraffe. Do you know what kind of sound they make? Or maybe they don't make a sound at all. Have you ever heard of an animal that doesn't make a sound?" Peyton blurts out in probably the most insane, out of nowhere ramble I've heard to date.

I chuckle, grateful for the reprieve from the heaviness that filled the truck at the mention of my grandparents. No one can ever accuse little thing of not knowing the perfect time to lighten a mood.

The mood turns positively giddy the closer we get to the grounds where the festival portion of the weekend will take place. I very carefully park Cherry at the far edge of a makeshift parking lot that's nothing more than a patch of land with some bright orange cones placed in strategic positions so there's some semblance of order. However, as I jump out of the truck and let my eyes adjust to the blazing sunlight, all I see is a bunch of older model sedans and mud-splattered pick-up trucks, along with the occasional minivan and even more rare sports car thrown in just to keep things interesting, parked willy-nilly like someone purposely tried to see how many vehicles they could fit into one space.

As we make our way to the entrance to the big happening, I spot Em's Jeep, Charlie's truck, and of course Jasper's pride and joy, parked in some sort of ridiculous angle so that there's no way anyone can park anywhere close to it.

Fucker.

"I hope a bird flies by and shits right on the hood," I whisper to Bella as we pass it.

She rolls her eyes like she can't believe I just said that, but of course I know better. "I know, right." She giggles behind her hand. "Especially because he just washed it. Alice sent a text this morning and was complaining because it's the first weekday she's had off all summer and instead of being able to watch Good Morning America like she wanted to, Jasper dragged her outside to help him wash his baby."

"He's an idiot." I laugh with her. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close so I can whisper in her ear. "There's no way in hell I'd ever give up spending a morning in bed with you." I lower my hand and palm her ass for just a second before straightening up as we approach the front gate.

It doesn't take long for us to meet up with everyone else. Hugs and kisses are spread around, and I'm kissed more times in the span of two minutes than it feels like I've been in the entire time I've been here. Rose, Alice, Renée, Esme, all take turns and then back slaps and handshakes between all the guys. For the briefest of moments I tense, overwhelmed by feeling so much all at once but I look around at everyone and take a deep breath. The atmosphere is full of excitement and I tell myself to let go and enjoy it.

Kids are running everywhere, frazzled parents try to keep up, and the smells of cotton candy and French fries fill the air. Squeals of delight float around us as we walk around and I take it all in. A day like this, full of sunshine and laughter and a sense of family … of belonging to something outside of just me, is so totally not anything I ever allowed myself to wish for. Night after monotonous night for seven years, I laid on my cot and counted for the umpteenth time the cracks in the ceiling above me as I tried to block out the unnatural sounds around me, and hoped that one day, somehow, I'd be able to get out of that soul-crushing place and make a new life for myself.

With a tug on my right hand by Peyton and my left clasped tightly to Bella's I know without a shadow of a doubt that I got way more than I ever wished for.

"You okay?" Bella asks when I haven't said anything for a few minutes.

"Yep, I'm great," I tell her honestly.

She watches me for a moment, seeing so much behind the tinted lenses of her sunglasses, even looking through the gray-black of my own. The corners of her mouth lift in the sweetest smile. I want to pick her up and twirl her around like someone straight out of those sappy movies I catch her watching from time to time, but instead I settle for a quick, open-mouthed kiss to her bare, sun-warmed shoulder.

We stay in step with the others, though every few steps groups start breaking off. Peyton skips ahead and plants herself firmly between Charlie and Renée. When I see her tug them toward the sno-cones I can only roll my eyes and think better them than me. Bella squeezes my hand once before she's swept up into a conversation with Rose and Emmett. Alice and Jasper hang back and we walk side by side as we weave between the ever increasing crowd.

Alice attaches her arm to mine and says, "So what's this I hear about you and Peyton going on a date last night and leaving poor Bella home by herself?"

"What? I was just taking P for ice cream. It's not my fault it got us out of helping you guys last night," I answer back with a smirk over her head at Jasper, who scowls back at me.

Yeah, he and Emmett, along with Seth and Charlie all had to help last night at the restaurant. Apparently shutting The Breakers down for the weekend involves a lot more than just throwing a closed sign up on the door. Food has to be stored and frozen or wrapped, and whatever couldn't last the weekend was boxed up and sent home with everyone.

"Oh, shut up, fool." I chuckle at him. "Don't tell me you guys minded stuffing your faces with all the leftover food from dinner."

He pats his stomach proudly and gives me a lazy smile. "Hell no, man. There was more for all of us without you there anyway. But next time, you can bet your ass will be the one cleaning out the cooler with all the fish in it. Don't forget, you're still a greenhorn."

I narrow my eyes at him at the word. I hate that fucking word. I hate it even more when it comes out of Jasper, Emmett's or worse - Charlie's mouth. I know they're just teasing and it's a rite of passage or whatever, but still, I've worked damned hard to learn how to pull my own weight on the boat so it kind of pisses me off when they still use it in regard to me, especially when we're at the pub. Whenever Bella, Alice, and Rose declare they are having a girl's night, the guys and I hightail it to Finn's. I'm always amazed at the stories I hear while we're there drinking beer and hanging out. Old fishermen, brand new ones, guys born and raised in the countless postage stamp-sized towns that dot the coast, transplants like me, Jasper, and Xavier all have such different perspectives that sometimes it's impossible to do anything but just soak up every word they say.

Winter is coming, and with it icy black water and wind that I know will feel like a whip lashing at my skin. I'd be a fucking fool if that didn't scare me a little bit, hell it scares me a whole lot, but this is the path I've chosen so there's no backing down, no turning back. I know I'll need to dig deep and face whatever comes, but I have no doubt I'll be ready when it does.

I look up, surprised, when I see Xavier standing beside me and Jasper and Alice walking off in another direction.

"So, that's your former PO, huh?" Xavier asks as he tips his chin toward Wayne and Bella.

I nod, feeling a strange sense of jealousy/pride when I see her hook her arm with his as we stroll down the street. Their heads are bent, leaning in close. I have no idea what they're talking about. I can hazard a guess but between the two of them, it could be any number of things. Most likely whatever they're saying to each other has to do with me. I shiver at the thought.

"Any particular reason he came to visit?" He tries to make the question sound casual, but with Xavier, anything having to do with Bella or Peyton is anything but a passing interest.

We've managed to call somewhat of a truce after he found out about my being incarcerated. Shockingly, he took the news much better than either Bella or I expected. When Bella asked him, point blank, what the hell he was trying to pull, he'd merely told her that she'd made her choice to be with me and that he'd support her.

I understand Xavier much better than he thinks I do. I suppose it comes from both of us loving Bella and Peyton. Their happiness is all that matters to us both, even though it's for very different reasons. I know the past few months haven't been very easy for him, though there's no way in hell he'd ever admit it, at least not to me. I can't begin to imagine having to give Bella and Peyton up after having been the man in their life, so to speak, for so long. It unhinges me to even think about, but he's had to step aside and let me take over. Bella and Peyton will always love him, just like he will them, but their relationship will never be the same as it once was.

Bella's different. She's not the same scared, closed-off, guilt-ridden woman that I saw that very first day. Now she smiles all the time … except when she's scowling at me … and she laughs and she sings with the radio in the morning while she makes breakfast. She spends more time with her family and friends and it's obvious that the changes mean as much to them as they do to her.

I helped do that.

She's still not over Evan, she probably never will be, but she's much closer to letting go of all the guilt she's carried around for the past seven years.

"I'm not in trouble or anything like that, if that's what you're wondering," I snap at him, answering his question and my back's up immediately.

He holds his hands up. "Whoa. I never said I thought you were. I was just making sure everything was okay," he tells me.

I sigh. It's still a bit hard to get used to the fact that he doesn't want to beat me to a bloody pulp anymore … or if he does, he hides it damn well.

I turn and look at him as we walk. "I think he just wanted to visit some old friends and make sure I was doing okay," I tell him with a shrug, unwilling to delve any deeper.

Telling Bella about Wayne's son, Zach, is one thing, telling anyone else is something altogether different.

"You are, aren't you? I mean Bell comes to work every morning with rainbows shooting out of her ass so it doesn't seem like you've managed to fuck anything up … yet," he grouses.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," I snark back.

We walk for a few steps. Our conversation lulls as we move around a crowd of people standing around a clown making balloon animals. Once we're clear of the throng he picks back up again. "Dude, you've got to admit that Bell is a handful. She's stubborn and opinionated and doesn't listen for shit. On top of that, you have Peyton who knows how to smile at you just right or pout or even tip her head to the side to get what she wants from you. I'm just saying from where I'm watching, it looks like you're doing the right things."

I don't say anything because getting a compliment from him is about the last thing I ever expected. I must look at him like he's sprouted wings or at least hair on that bald head of his because he chuckles and then slaps me on the back … hard … hard enough to make me trip over my feet even. He flashes a mouthful of perfect white teeth at me and says, "I know I was an ass when you first got here. I still feel kind of bad about that, but you have to admit, if you were me, you'd have a hard time letting someone like you around people like Bella and Peyton. I've taken care of them for a long time, man, and it's hard to let them go. Seth gives me shit all the time about Bella being a big girl and capable of making her own decisions, but, Edward, before you got here, she was just going through the motions, every damn day."

He shakes his head and stops beside a booth where they are selling homemade kettle corn. While he buys a bag, I look around and try to find Bella and Peyton. I spy them ahead, and hope Xavier is almost done with whatever this is.

"Does she still have nightmares?" His question takes me by surprise, but not as much as the sharp, piercing pang of jealousy that twists my stomach into a painful knot. For a moment, I hate him because he knows that she has them at all.

I hesitate to answer, mostly because I'm too selfish to want to share that private knowledge with him. I want to keep it tucked away, as something only I know because I'm the one she clings to when I'm in bed with her, the one she calls when they wake her up and she's too afraid to go back to sleep … and lately, the one she's been calling for, the one she's trying to save from the biting cold water, the crashing waves, and the raging wind.

She's been so much better lately about me being out on the water. So much so that she merely gives me a kiss goodbye and asks for a promise to see her later if I leave from her house or a quick phone call just to hear my voice if I'm at the boarding house. Even the overnight trips barely register with her these days. Whether it's because she's come to terms with Evan's death and is slowly learning to let go of her guilt as she realizes what happened wasn't her fault, or if it's because she's decided that loving me is worth the possible chance of being hurt in the future, I'm not sure, but I know that when she's awake, she handles it all with ease. At night, when her mind is free to roam where it wills, her fear is still there, as palpable as ever. When I kiss her back to sleep or whisper soft, soothing words over the phone, a little part of me always worries what would happen to her if anything ever happened to me.

I still don't have an answer.

And because of that I have to nod my head at Bella's best friend, and admit that being with me still might not be the best thing for her. "She does. Not as often anymore according to P, but they haven't stopped completely."

"She'll get there, Edward," he tells me in a momentarily brief show of compassion.

I shrug my shoulders and look at her a few feet in front of me. I need to be close to her. "I hope so," I tell him before walking to her side.

"What have you two been cooking up?" I ask as I slide my hand around her waist and look from her to Wayne. The two of them share a smile full of secrets and hidden meanings before they laugh at the frown on my face.

"Wouldn't you like to know, kid?" Wayne teases before he walks off to find Carlisle and Esme.

Hours pass. Sunscreen is applied, then applied again. I spend a small fortune trying to win Peyton a stuffed giraffe. Truly, the amount of money I spend constitutes enough to buy her at least ten of the damn things at the toy store. I would have given up trying to shoot water from a squirt gun into the mouth of the most bizarre and really quite freaky-looking clown face after the first five dollars … if Emmett hadn't won Rose a stuffed bear on his first try. However, the look on Peyton's face when I hand her the giraffe is worth every damn penny … though I could do without the smug grin from Emmett.

The sun begins to set, and the atmosphere changes from excited to languid. Families huddle together around picnic tables draped with plastic tablecloths. Boys and girls, ones that look much too young to be all starry-eyed and touchy-feely, press their bodies close as they giggle and bend their heads, caught up in the feeling of summer love. Men stand in clusters, drinking beer and forget about everyday trials and tribulations.

I look around from our own table, at the plates piled high with lobsters, potatoes, and corn and at the platters of sun-ripened watermelon, and wonder how in the hell I got here … surrounded by the best people I could ever hope to meet and the two beautiful girls that have changed my life. I watch Charlie and Renée, his arm draped casually, possessively around her shoulders as they laugh with Esme, Carlisle, and Wayne. I watch Peyton hold court like the princess she is between Xavier and Seth, her sweet giggle floating through the nighttime air as she waves her little hands in the air and her smile shines brighter than the twinkle lights hanging over the eating area. Emmett and Rose and Jasper and Alice talk and eat, totally comfortable with one another.

And then, there's the woman beside me.

I turn my head. "You're making a mess," I whisper huskily as I sweep my thumb along her bottom lip, wiping the melted butter that's dripped. I lift my hand to my mouth and lick it off, our eyes locked.

Her pink tongue darts out, flicking at the butter that still coats her lip. I don't even think about stopping myself, not caring that her father is at the other end of the table, or that her brother will probably kick my ass because he thinks I'm disrespecting his sister, or that half the town of Corea is sitting all around us … the only thing I want in that moment is to feel her lips against mine.

"Come here," I order in a voice rough with need.

Her breath catches. The golden white light from above sparkles in her eyes but she leans toward me, the same desire I feel mirrored back. I slide my hand around her neck and let my fingers tangle in her hair. I caress her jaw with my butter-coated thumb and then cover her mouth with mine. My tongue dips into her mouth, tasting, exploring … taking because I want her so much.

"Oh fuck, Bella." I groan and kiss my way from her lips to behind her ear. "I can't wait to get you home so I can take this sexy as hell dress off of you." I suck at her pulse point, feeling her blood pump against my tongue. "I'm going to fuck you so good, baby, all," teeth scrape against red-tinged skin, "night," a flick of my tongue at her earlobe, "long."

"Edward," she moans, squeezing both her eyes and her legs closed. "Oh God," she breathes as I curl my fingers around her hip bone, stretching them toward where she is so hot for me.

"Hey, you two," Seth calls down the table, a veritable bucket of ice water on our quickly escalating hormones. I suppose I should be glad he stopped me from making it so Charlie and Emmett didn't have a choice but to kill me because really, I was seconds from tearing Bella's pretty little sundress to shreds and fucking her senseless on the table.

Not really of course, but thinking it starts the fire burning again.

I really hope we can go home soon. My feet hurt, I'm tired and sunburned, and as nice as it's been to spend the day amongst family and friends, I'm ready to be alone with Bella.

I take a deep breath and allow my body to calm once more before I pull Bella close to me, flipping off Seth discreetly over her shoulder. He chuckles like the pain in the ass he is, and then blows me a kiss.

Idiot.

Bella just shakes her head at our antics and then lays her head on my shoulder. Peyton scrambles off the bench when she spies Bella and quickly crawls into her lap.

We stay that way, in our own little bubble until the crowd starts to thin. After promises of safe trips home and arranging to meet tomorrow to do it all again, I lift Peyton from Bella's lap and we head for the truck.

The hour long ride back home is spent in near silence. Peyton sleeps, Bella drifts, and I just soak up the feeling of pure, unadulterated contentment as we drive toward Corea.

Once Peyton is changed and tucked into bed, I do exactly as I told Bella earlier and strip her out of her dress. However, instead of taking her hard and fast as I had told her earlier, it's slow and gentle. Soft kisses, even softer sighs. Reverent touches meant to adore and love instead of claim and possess, build and climb, delicious in their teasing, seek to give and take. Fingers travel over dips and peaks, lips kiss along ink-stained skin, mouths so close together we share the same breath. We rock, we move. Skin glides along slick, warm skin. My hand over her breast, her heart. Her legs pull me deeper, closer.

"I'm so close, Edward," she pants as her back arches off the bed.

"Wait, not yet. Please. I need more, just like this," I breathe against her glistening neck.

My lips find hers again. I suck her bottom lip into my mouth, and then swirl my tongue with hers.

Her heels dig into my ass. Her fingers twist in my hair. "Fuck, Bella." I moan, letting the strokes in and out of her get longer and deeper with every thrust.

"Oh, God. Yes … ah, right there. Oh please, more," she cries out as she pulls her legs back, knees flush with her chest.

"So good, so fucking good like this." I hiss, moving faster, needing more.

I push deeper and her orgasm washes over her. She shakes beneath me, falling apart in the most beautiful of ways. Her mouth opens, but no sound escapes. I release inside of her, over and over and over again. My arms burn, the muscles screaming in protest from holding my weight up for so long.

As soon as the aftershocks calm, I scoop her up and carry her to the shower where we silently wash the day away.

"I love you so fucking much," I whisper to her as I wash her back. I feel so close to her, closer than ever. I let the feeling fill and then settle inside of me.

She turns in my arms and meets my eyes. She doesn't say anything for what seems like the longest time, but I don't really need words to know, down to my toes, that she loves me, too.

The next morning is much like the previous one, though this time when Peyton comes in to wake us up, I shoo her out with a promise to meet her in the kitchen. I slip out of bed and pull on a pair of shorts. Bending over, I leave a light kiss on Bella's forehead and then quietly pull the door closed behind me so I can go make her breakfast.

Or try to anyway. Cooking is most assuredly not my forte – a fact of which I remind Bella of when she snickers at my extremely unsuccessful attempt to make French toast.

"Hey, give me a break. I worked in the laundry, not the kitchen when I was inside," I tease, stunning not only myself, but Bella and Peyton as well with my glib comment.

The morning passes quickly and in no time we are on our way back to Winter Harbor for the boat races. They're as much fun as both Bella and Peyton promised me they would be, even though by the end of the day I have vowed again to keep Peyton and Emmett's boat far … far apart.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

The next few weeks pass by in a blur. There are less visitors in Corea these days because the end of summer is fast approaching. It's kind of weird to notice every day when you drive through town or go to the Booze & Bait and can tell that the season is drawing to a close. The lines are shorter to get into The Breakers, the shelves at the store are fuller, at least Mr. Norris doesn't run out of mint chocolate chip ice cream or Bella's favorite Salt and Vinegar potato chips anymore. The end of summer also means the first day of school is just around the corner as well. Peyton is like a yo-yo when it comes to the big day. Some days she bounces up and down, talking a mile a minute about all the things she's looking forward to now that she's going to be in third grade … things like having more homework and art class. Though there are other days when that little furrow in between her eyebrows seems like it will be there permanently she's so worried about all the changes coming her way.

"So, tell me about this Brody kid," I begin the Sunday before the big day over breakfast. As I ask, I reach for the syrup for the delicious-looking blueberry pancakes Bella made this morning.

Pancakes, bacon, and orange juice almost make up for the fact that she tiptoed out of her room while I was in the shower.

Almost.

Of course if she would have still been in bed, and still enticingly naked when I got out, there's no chance in hell we'd be eating anything but cereal this morning so I suppose I shouldn't complain.

She rolls her eyes at me and I hear Bella snort from the kitchen. Apparently this little punk has been away most of the summer and the fact she'll see him tomorrow at school is causing her loads of distress. Last night when I got here, she dragged me up to her room to help her pick out her first day of school outfit … one that's been changed more times than I can count.

Seeing my Sprite anxious … and about a boy no less, is not sitting well with me at all.

"Edward, hush," Bella tells me as she slides into her seat beside me.

I hold my fork halfway between my plate and my mouth. I look back and forth between the two of them, not caring that there is syrup dripping down off the side. "What?" I ask. "Nobody, especially a boy," I shiver as I say the word, "is going to make my best friend nervous about going to school."

I shovel my fork in my mouth and chew furiously and wonder if there's a way Charlie would let me take Peyton with me to work tomorrow. I bet if I told him there was a boy in the picture, he'd let me.

Peyton giggles. "I can't wait to see his face when I tell him about you," she tells me before she takes a sip of her juice. "He's gonna be so jealous that my best friend has a motorcycle, even if I can't ride on it yet." That part is said with an evil eye directed only at Bella.

I make sure to keep a straight look on my face even though I kind of want to smirk at her.

I'm not stupid. There's a chance for sex later; I'm not about to fuck that up.

"Yeah, in your dreams, baby. You might be going into third grade but there is no way you are riding on that motorcycle so get used to it," Bella tells her and gives her the look to let her know that the subject is closed.

Guess it's time to use some of that hundred thousand dollars collecting dust in Carlisle's safe and buy a car, I think.

The rest of the day is spent lazily watching movies and playing games. It's my favorite kind of day. No interruptions, no having to be around other people, just the three of us enjoying spending time together. Dinner is a no-muss, no-fuss affair: spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread followed by ice cream on the front porch.

"Edward, are you going to come with me to school in the morning?" Peyton asks.

I shake my head, swallowing the cold ice cream before I can answer her. "Sorry, sweetheart. I'll be gone before you wake up."

She sighs heavily and then says softly, "Oh. Okay. Will I see you tomorrow night?"

"Of course. I can't wait to hear all about your day and how jealous Brody is of me. Make sure you tell him I won you the giraffe, too, okay?"

She giggles and it eases my heart. I hate disappointing her, but I know she's going to have a great day.

We go inside and Bella helps Peyton get ready for bed which gives me the perfect opportunity to get my little surprise for my little Sprite. I head toward Peyton's room, stopping in the doorway to watch as Bella brushes her hair. It's a sight I definitely wouldn't mind seeing more of.

I could watch the two of them for hours.

"You all ready to be a big third-grader tomorrow?" I ask as I push off the doorway and walk toward the bed. I kneel in front of them and hold out my hand. Peyton squeals then slaps a hand over her mouth when she spies the small box resting in my palm.

"Is that for me?" she asks, her voice sweet and breathy.

I look at Bella and wink. I didn't tell her I was buying Peyton a present so I hope she doesn't mind. "It is. Open it."

I watch, anxious and excited as she unwraps the present. Her eyes grow, slate-blue eyes as big as I've ever seen and so, so, happy.

With hands that I try to keep steady because I haven't given jewelry to a girl ever before in my life, I lift the delicate charm bracelet out of the box. "You keep giving me reminders of you when I have to go with Pop on the boat, so I wanted to give you something to remind you of me when I can't be with you," I tell her softly as I attach it to her tiny wrist. "I picked these out just for you." I have to clear my throat a few times before I can go on. "See, here's a giraffe, a seashell, a football, and a book. So, whenever you miss me, you can look down and know that I'm always with you."

She doesn't say anything for a moment until she lets out a scream that would scare away dogs and then throws herself at me, wrapping her arms as tightly around my neck as she can get them. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she says. "It's the best thing anyone has ever given me!"

"Well, only the best for my best girl." I smile, helping her get under the covers and kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams only, okay? I can't wait to hear about your day tomorrow night."

Bella kisses her, too. Both cheeks, then the tip of her nose like she does every night and then we leave together. Bella pulls me down the hall, her hand gripping mine so tightly she almost cuts off the circulation. Once we're in her room, she walks me backward until my knees hit the edge of her bed. She follows me down and her mouth is everywhere leaving hot, wet, open-mouthed kisses wherever she can reach.

"You're going to make a great dad someday."
~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~