The Breakers Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

BPOV

"Mom, it's time to get up," Peyton tries to whisper, but it comes out sounding much more like a holler, especially because her cold nose is pressed right up against mine.

I open my eyes and then giggle when her eyes widen and she bounces up and down on her feet, giving me some sort of pseudo Eskimo kiss.

Edward groans and his hand tightens around my waist. "P, it's too early. Come back later," he mumbles against my shoulder. I feel his warm lips, the scruff of his jaw as he places a kiss there, and then he rests his chin so he can look at Peyton. "It's only," and he groans louder when he spies the clock on the nightstand, "it's not even seven yet, Sprite!"

She nods and then leans forward so she can get closer to him. "I know! I let you sleep longer than I wanted to," she squeals and kisses him on the cheek. "I almost woke you and Mom up an hour ago. Now, get up ... there's lots of presents down there. I think Santa thought I was a really good girl this year!" She skips out of the room, tripping over her feet as she goes and Edward and I just look at each other when she hollers as she thunders down the stairs, "Five minutes, or else I'm starting without you guys!"

"How can she be so hyper on only a few hours sleep?" Edward mumbles as he rolls over onto his back. He throws his arm over his eyes and the movement causes his t-shirt to rise up, showing off a mouthwatering sliver of skin above his boxers.

No matter how cold it is outside, he refuses to wear sleep pants to bed, not that I mind however. I love feeling his strong, muscular legs tangled with mine under the blankets.

"Are you seriously asking me that question, babe? This is Peyton we're talking about and not just Peyton, but P and presents. It's a lethal combination," I tell him as I roll over on top of him.

He lowers his arm and twirls a strand of my hair around his finger. With his other hand he holds my hip, pressing against my hip bone with his thumb. His eyes are clear even though he's still sleepy and his hair is a riotous mess. The scruff on his jaw makes me lick my bottom lip and I can't help but sigh as I stare at him.

"Merry Christmas," I whisper softly. My words barely have time to travel the short distance from my mouth to his before he's kissing me like his life depends on it. His fingers plunge into my tangled hair and he cups the back of my head. The low rumble that gurgles in the back of his throat makes me press my mouth harder against his and my hips instinctively rock against his.

"Do you ..." He pants as he tries to catch his breath. His eyes close. His nostrils flare for a brief moment and his jaw clenches before his entire face relaxes and he smiles a smile that I feel all the way down to my toes. "… have any idea what it means to me to be here, with you and P, today of all days?" His words are gentle, reverent, as he pushes my hair behind my ear. "I love you so much, Bella. Merry Christmas."

The unmistakable sound of Peyton shaking a present floats up the stairs and we both start laughing when she huffs before she picks up another one and does it again.

I roll off him after kissing him one more time on the lips and sit up on the edge of the bed. "We'd better get down there before she explodes from trying to be good. Why don't you call Jasper and tell him to be here in about thirty minutes? That should give us enough time to get everything opened besides the big reveal."

His face lights up brighter than the house Clark Griswold decorated in Christmas Vacation and he giggles ... like an actual, full-on, giggle. "I can't wait to see her face!" His voice shakes from excitement and he's trying so hard to whisper, but he's not doing a good job of it. "She's going to love him, don't you think?" He grunts as he hops while trying to put on his sleep pants but he's so excited, his foot keeps getting caught in the leg.

"Edward, good heavens," I say and shake my head. My guy is too much sometimes. Seeing his face light up with a smile, hearing the happiness in his voice, and watching as he acts like a little kid experiencing his first Christmas fills me with equal parts of joy and sorrow. I'm so happy to share this with him, to witness his unadulterated exuberance for everything from making Christmas cookies and hanging lights outside to decorating the tree and wrapping presents has been the ultimate gift. I know him. I know he's gone against my wishes and bought me a present. I catch him smirking often enough to know he's been hiding something … but then again, I didn't follow along either.

Thinking of my gift for him as I finish brushing my teeth so we can go downstairs makes my stomach twist … if only a little bit. I know what I've done for him will mean a lot to him, I just hope it doesn't cause him any pain. I want today to be a day he'll never forget.

Our first Christmas together.

"Mom, Edward, come on," Peyton orders with a not-so-slight huff of exasperation.

"Let's go," Edward says. He waits by the door and wraps an arm around me, pulling me close so he can kiss the side of my head. "I love you," he tells me sweetly right before we reach the bottom step.

My breath catches in my throat and I choke back a soft cry. "I love you, too," I whisper.

The tender moment is of course interrupted as soon as Peyton sees us. "Took you long enough," she grumbles.

Edward laughs when he spies the Santa hat on top of her head. "Nice!" He grins and then gives her a hug.

He starts to sit on the sofa which makes Peyton cry out, "No! We sit on the floor to open our presents." She grabs his hand and pulls him down on the floor. "Now while we look and see all the good stuff Santa left in our stockings," she tells him in a sweet but demanding voice. She takes a breath and then keeps going, "Mom is going to go in the kitchen and fix our hot chocolate and get the monkey bread ready to put in the oven."

Peyton promptly drops his now overflowing stocking unceremoniously in his lap before she digs in. There are times I'm half tempted to think she likes looking through her stocking as much if not more than opening her presents under the tree. Edward looks slightly overwhelmed and when his eyes find mine, they're a bit wild. "What … I mean how … I didn't think," he stammers and I quickly kneel down in front of him.

"Shhhh," I tell him as I place a finger over his lips. "Just do as she says; it's much easier that way."

I kiss him quickly and then hurry into the kitchen to get the hot chocolate started.

"Bella," I hear Edward say sternly a few minutes later. He's obviously found all the little odds and ends I sneaked into his stocking last night at the last minute.

I poke my head out of the kitchen and grin at him. "Hush. Just enjoy it, babe."

He stares at me for a moment and my stomach flutters. He looks so grateful, but beyond that, he's just so happy.

"So much trouble," he mumbles after another beat passes and then turns to give Peyton his attention.

I didn't do much, just got him a few little things: a new set of headphones for his iPod, some cologne that smells absolutely amazing on him, a new pair of gloves for him to wear on the boat, a new pair of Ray-Bans that I'm dying to see on him. Okay, those were a bit on the pricey side, but I couldn't resist. Edward in sunglasses is a sight to behold, sue me. Peyton and I picked out his favorite candy when we were at the candy shop and mixed it with some peppermints and some other sweet treats. Peyton picked out a new key chain for his bike, a New England Patriot helmet, of course.

I carry the mugs out on a tray and sit down next to Edward then hand him his drink. "Bella, you shouldn't have done so much," he says quietly as I tuck my legs underneath me.

I lean over and lay my head on his shoulder. "It's your first Christmas with us; we just wanted to make it special," I tell him.

He takes a deep breath then lets it out slowly. I don't look up at him, but I know if I do, I'd see his eyes glassy and the tip of his nose red. I do feel his lips press a kiss to the top of my head though before he clears his throat. "Okay, so what's next?"

"Presents!" Peyton squeals then bounces up and down. How she manages to NOT spill her hot chocolate I'll never know.

I scoot closer to Edward, so close I'm practically sitting in his lap and then say the words Peyton's waited 364 days for. "Okay, baby, get to it!"

She lets out another whoop then digs in. We laugh as she unwraps clothes, books, video games, a new backpack she's been asking for, a few movies, and she really squeals when she gets to the small, flat box that houses her new iPad.

"Mom, oh my God! Thank you, thank you!" she exclaims as she throws herself at me.

It's an extravagant gift, but one I know she'll get a lot of use from. With as much time as she spends at the restaurant and driving back and forth to Ellsworth and everywhere else, she'll enjoy all the things she can do on it and I know she'll take really good care of it.

I give her a kiss then crawl toward the tree so I can pick out Edward's present to give to him. We'll be opening more gifts at my parents' house later this morning so the ones we exchange here are for us only. Our family has always gone a little overboard at Christmastime with gift giving. Everyone's thinking being that it's the one time a year we can really splurge. Jasper and Alice don't have any family besides each other and us, Emmett and Rose don't have any kids, neither do Xavier and Seth … same as Carlisle and Esme. Instead of doing the drawing names thing so many families do, we buy what we want. It's never anything too over the top, though last year when Emmett and Jasper bought each other PlayStation3's complete with new game chairs and headsets, they set the bar kind of high.

My hands shake a bit as I pull Edward's carefully, lovingly-wrapped present from beneath the tree. I have no idea how he'll react to what I've done for him. He's liable to be extremely moved … or extremely sad. My hope is obviously for the first, though I know it will be tinged with a bit of the second regardless.

"Merry Christmas," I tell him gently and set the flat box on his lap. He stares at it, as if trying to memorize the deep red paper or the wired gold-ribboned bow it's adorned with, and then finally he sighs and begins to unwrap it.

Peyton scoots over and sits in my lap; she's just as nervous as I am about his present. He carefully unties the bow then slowly slides his finger beneath the tape to take the paper off. Edward is definitely no Emmett when it comes to opening presents. When the paper is removed from the shallow white box he raises his eyes to look at Peyton and me. He waits until I nod my head encouragingly and then he lifts the lid. The present is buried beneath a few protective layers of tissue paper and as soon as he peels them backward and sees what's nestled inside, it's as though every ounce of breath he has in his body is expended in one huge gush of air.

"Oh my God, Bella! How did you … Where did you find … I can't believe you did ..." he stutters between trying to catch his breath.

I reach a hand out and take one of his, leaving his other to hold onto the box.

"You've seen the pictures of the families that visit the restaurant that Mom hangs on the big bulletin board behind the cash register right?" I ask him, waiting until he nods his head. He's not looking at me; his eyes are glued to the picture in the box. "When you were in the hospital and Mom was watching Peyton at home one night, she was putting this year's pictures into the photo album. Well, Peyton was curious and asked how far back they had pictures and Mom couldn't remember so they went up to the attic and pulled out the box with all the old albums in it. Mom dug through the box and noticed that there were albums from as far back as when you and your grandparents used to visit Corea so she pulled it out on a whim just to see if there was a picture of the three of you. Needless to say she was speechless when she stumbled across one." I laugh lightly and remember how shocked I was when I called home the night she found it to say good night to Peyton. As soon as Mom told me, I knew exactly what I was giving Edward for Christmas. I'd had it restored and then picked out an elegant, metal frame to put it in. "You were kind of a gangly thing, weren't you?" I tease and bump his knee with mine.

He doesn't laugh out loud, but his shoulders do shake. "I remember this picture being taken," he says so softly we can barely hear him. "It was our last summer here, right before my grandma died. I was twelve and I'd just hit a growth spurt. Gram said that whole summer that there wasn't enough food in Corea to keep me fed, so me and Granddad would need to catch lots of fish." I see a tear splash as it falls onto the glass and as soon as Peyton notices as well, she moves to his side and wriggles beneath his arm. She's seen the picture almost as many times as I have but she hasn't seen the frame yet.

"Your grandma was really pretty, Edward," Peyton tells him.

He sniffs and then looks up at me, giving me the most loving smile I've ever seen, and then turns to Peyton. "She was. My grandfather always said she could give Elizabeth Taylor a run for her money." His voice is thick, almost hoarse, from the emotion he's trying to hold inside.

Peyton scrunches her nose and says, "Who's she?"

Her question lightens the mood immensely and Edward spends a few minutes sharing some of his favorite memories of his grandparents. Once he begins to get choked up again, he carefully, reverently, covers the picture frame with the tissue paper again and then puts the lid on the box.

"Bella, thank you. It's … I don't even have words." He pulls me to him and lays his forehead against mine and then brushes his lips ever so slowly across mine. "I love you."

"Love you, too," I tell him and this time it's me that has a hard time speaking.

I know Edward has other pictures, of his parents, and of his grandparents packed away and in storage. His grandfather sold his house once he started to get ill and moved into an assisted living facility, but left everything inside the house to Edward. So, there are mementos there for Edward to look through and keep when he's ready to do so. He wasn't in a place to do it when he was released from prison, especially since he practically came straight to Corea and he hasn't had time to do it over the past few months, but I think he's getting closer now that he's dealt with so many of his issues.

Until then, though, he has a visual reminder of his grandparents to keep with him always.

"My turn," Peyton chirps. She finds her presents for Edward and hands the first one to him with a flourish.

"Thanks, Sprite." He laughs as he takes the box from her.

"You have to open it before you say thank you, Edward!"

He shakes it back and forth just to tease her and when she huffs, he lowers it and rips the paper off. When he pulls the Tom Brady jersey out of the box, he laughs and then gives her a big hug.

"Put it on now," Peyton orders as she stands up. She yanks the jersey from his hands and the pulls it down over his head before he can open his mouth. "Do you like it? I picked it out myself," she says proudly and nods her head in approval once he slides his arms inside.

"I love it. Can I tell you thanks now?"

"Nope, you still have to open the other one." She grins and then hands him a bright, and messily-wrapped present. Messy because she refused to let me help her and she's not so good with folding the ends yet.

He shakes his head and wisely doesn't say anything about the wrapping job. This present is small, but it will mean a lot to him.

Once the item is free from the paper, he chuckles and then looks at her. "Now can I say it?" She nods happily and when he opens his arms to her, throws herself against his chest. "Thank you, sweetheart, I've wanted one of these for a long time now."

In his hand he's holding a picture of him carrying Peyton on his back. She made the frame herself, painstakingly picking out each bead, every afternoon for a week at the restaurant. There are a few pictures up in my house of the three of us, of the two of them and of him and me, but since he still stays a few nights a week at the boarding house, Peyton wanted him to have a picture of her to keep him company.

She proudly shows him the frame, telling him in no uncertain terms that she made the frame and then kisses his cheek and gives him a long, sweet hug. "Now you won't be by yourself when you have to spend the night alone," she whispers before sitting down beside him.

He and I share a look at that statement, both of us silently agreeing with her. After the New Year, I think it's pretty safe to say that a few changes are on the horizon.

Edward sets both gifts down on the sofa behind him and then claps his hands. "Okay, that means it's my turn, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulls a small box out from under the tree and hands it to me. He kneels in front of me and covers my hands with his, stopping me from opening my present. "I've never done this so if this sucks, I'm sorry, okay?" he asks with an adorable scowl on his face.

"Babe, stop. I'm sure I'll love it. Now move; I want to open." I give him a reassuring smile and try to keep my fingers from shaking as I tear the paper off the small box. Yeah, my present opening isn't much different from my brother's … or my daughter's.

Once the paper is off and I hold the black velvet box in hand, my heart starts to thump wildly in my chest. My stomach does a few loop-de-loops and I can't stop the huge smile I feel spread across my face even if I wanted to try, which I don't. I'm so nervous for some reason and I take a deep breath. Edward always thinks he's terrible at all this relationship business, but in all actuality, he's pretty damn perfect. Sure he has his moments where I'd like nothing more than to shake him or kick him in the shins, but those times are very few and far between. Even as great as he is, this is the first gift he's given me and it's kind of a big deal to me. I've never been given a gift by someone that I loved … that wasn't family or friends, and the fact this is from Edward, makes it the most special thing I've ever been given, before I even see what it is.

"Go on, baby, open it," he encourages.

I nod and then watch myself as I slowly lift the lid. "Oh, Edward," I breathe out, and blink away the tears that fill my eyes. I can't take my eyes off the beautiful pendant that's been inlaid with a picture of me and Edward and with one of Peyton as well. It hangs on a simple, but elegant silver necklace and I know when I put it on, I'm never going to want to take it off.

"It seems we all had the same idea with the pictures," he says, sounding somewhat unsure.

"That's because we're all brilliant," I tell him. I look up and when our eyes meet, it takes my breath away. "And," I whisper, leaning forward and wrapping an arm around his neck, "it's because we always want to keep our family with us."

He doesn't break our gaze; he merely swallows then whispers, "Christ. Bella. I want it. I want that with you and with Peyton."

His hand is warm and so gentle as he cups the side of my face and rubs his thumb across my cheek. There's so much I want to say, so much I feel right at that moment that it feels like my chest is going to explode but before I can do, let alone say anything, our moment is interrupted by Peyton huffing, "Hey, what about me?"

We each turn with our foreheads still connected and laugh at the same time when we see her sitting with her arms crossed and the poorest excuse for a scowl I've ever seen. Edward's phone vibrates in his pocket and I know that means Jasper is here with the puppy. I giggle when he squeaks, even though he tries to cover it up with a cough.

"P, come help me put this on your mom," he sweet talks her and of course the faux scowl is replaced with a mega-watt smile.

I hand Peyton the box and she says in an awed voice, "It's so pretty, Mom. Wow, it has all our pictures on it. Edward, this is so cool." She stands behind me and helps me hold up my hair while Edward attaches the necklace around my neck.

"It looks better than I imagined it would," Edward says, sounding very pleased with himself.

As he should be. The necklace is gorgeous and so perfect.

I reach out and grab his hand, pulling him over so I can give him a kiss. "Thank you. I'm never leaving the house without it," I tell him.

We sit back down and I have to bite the inside of my cheek, hard, when Peyton looks at Edward and narrows her eyes. She knows she hasn't gotten her present from him yet and she also knows … there's nothing left under the tree that's not unwrapped. He pretends not to notice her watching him, instead he grabs the box with his picture in it as well as the picture of him and Peyton and places them, quite ridiculously, with the things from his stocking. He grabs a peppermint, undoing the wrapper. The crinkling of the plastic is absurdly loud in the all but silent room and the corners of his mouth lift ever so slightly when Peyton growls at him.

"Hmph," she grunts as she moves from the floor to the sofa.

"Something wrong, Sprite?" he asks, the picture of innocence.

My poor girl, you can see the battle brewing inside of her as plain as day. On one hand, she's been taught to always be gracious about gift giving and to be grateful for what she receives, no matter how big or small. On the other, she desperately wants to ask, or probably demand, Edward tell her where her present is.

The knock on the door startles everyone but Edward who grins like the cat that swallowed the canary. "I think someone's at the door. Why don't you go see who it is?" he prods and she glowers at him before stomping to the front door.

"She's killing me," he murmurs and then stands as she approaches the door.

I hear him hold his breath when she places her hand on the doorknob then he reaches for my hand when she opens it. It's like something out of a movie - Peyton looks out, but not down, completely missing the little ball of brown and white fur that's sitting on the doormat by her feet … that is until he barks … or yips is more accurate. Her mouth makes a huge 'O' and you can tell she wants to say something, but no sound comes out. Her eyes grow so big, I swear for a moment I worry they'll stay that way. She turns to look at Edward, smiling a smile that she's never given anyone else ever, not even me, and then squeals in such a high pitch, the little puppy has to be the only thing within miles that can hear it.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! A puppy, you got me a puppy! You did get me a puppy right? I mean it didn't just show up here, how did it get here? It's mine though? I can keep it?" she rambles as her head pivots between Edward and the puppy that yips at her again.

When Edward nods his head and says, "Yep, Sprite, he's all yours," she drops down to her knees and scoops the fluffball up.

"I really hated giving him back, even to P," Jasper says forlornly.

"Aww, Jas, you still haven't been able to talk Alice into letting you get a playmate for P's puppy?" Edward taunts and throws an arm around his shoulder. "Thanks for keeping him for a few days and for bringing him over," he whispers to Jasper and to Alice who walks up behind us, carrying a mug of hot chocolate.

"Jasper! Alice! Look what Edward got me!" Peyton cries out when she notices the additions.

"Wow, Peyton. You're one lucky little girl," Jasper tells her, and then gives Alice his best pout. "Just think about, Al. We could get one, too, and then take them both for walks on the beach and stuff. Please," he begs shamelessly.

"Edward, I'm so killing you for this," she hisses under her breath, and then gives Jasper a withering look as she passes him to go talk to Peyton. "He's so cute, P. What do you think you'll name him?"

Peyton picks up the puppy and holds it so their noses are touching. "Hmmmm, I think, I think …" she drags out and looks at the animal with her head tilted to the side. "It's a boy, Edward?" she asks for confirmation. When he nods, she grins. "I think I'll name him Brady."

Like I didn't see that coming from a mile away.

After numerous hugs and kisses are given, to both Edward and the dog, Edward walks outside to the garage and brings in all the necessities for Brady.

I motion to Edward that I'm going to step into the kitchen. As I reach the doorway, I hear Peyton say, "Brady, you and I are going to be great friends, but Edward's always going to be my best friend."

I can't help but smile at that and know without a doubt what she's said is one hundred percent true.

While I'm making some orange juice and coffee, I think back to last night. Midnight Mass, as always, was just beautiful. The candles, the poinsettias on the altar, the nativity set up in the front of the church, all of it. Edward of course looked so handsome all dressed up in a pair of black dress pants, a white dress shirt, and a red tie. We don't have much opportunity to wear such nice clothes, which is such a shame because, really, Edward was made to wear a suit. Peyton looked adorable in her dress … the only time I can get her in one without complaining is for Midnight Mass.

We'd spent the evening at my parents' house, eating dinner and watching Christmas movies, like we do every year. I kept a close eye on Edward, making sure he wasn't feeling overwhelmed by everything, but he was just fine, laughing and joking most of the night with Emmett and Jasper. There were many times I caught him with his head bent close to Jasper's and I knew they were talking about the puppy. Xavier and Seth were with us this year since Seth's parents had decided to travel for the holiday, which didn't come as too much of a shock to him, no matter how disappointed he was to not see them for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Xavier's dad was working on an offshore oil rig out in the Gulf of Mexico. Xavier and his dad have a pretty decent relationship considering they're lucky to see each other once a year. Of course Jasper had no desire to be anywhere but with us, the same with Alice, and Rosalie's parents were, as usual, much too busy with hosting parties and being seen at all the right events to make time for their only daughter. Asses.

Sitting in church before Mass started gave me a few minutes to think about everything that's happened over the past few weeks, and really since Edward roared into my life on the back of a classic motorcycle. I thought about it all … from seeing him that very first time in the restaurant, to watching as Peyton sucked him in and wrapped him so tightly around her finger it was done before he even knew what was happening to him. From ignoring the way he'd captured my attention and made my insides feel like jelly to the way it felt the first time he touched me. From finding out about prison and how alone in the world he was to telling him all about Evan. From how it felt the first time we made love to the way my heart hurtled into outer space and then exploded like fireworks when I told him I loved him the first time … and he said it back. Then, of course, I thought about his accident and the fear I'd felt when word came that contact had been lost with the boat.

Even standing at the island, in my house, on Christmas morning, with Christmas carols playing softly in the background, and Edward's laugh floating through the air, does little to stem the chill that I get anytime I let my mind wander back to that day. I'd been so scared, petrified into an almost stupor, when Mom told me Aggie was no longer able to contact the boat. I held it together though, how I'll never be sure, but when I heard Edward's name crackle over that radio as the one that was being medi-vaced to the hospital, I'd never wanted to scream or cry so badly in my life. As difficult as it is to admit, hearing about Evan didn't affect me nearly as much as just the prospect of losing Edward did. Of course, Evan wasn't the love of my life either … no, that's Edward, and Edward alone.

Seeing him in the hospital, unconscious and pale is an image that will never fade, will never go away, not for as long as I live. I came so close to losing him, to losing what our life will be like together … to losing the family that we already are and will be in the future, that just the prospect of him going back out on the water is enough to make me sick to my stomach. But, I know I can't ask him to not go back out. He's a proud man, and the person he is will not go back on his word, and he gave Wayne, Carlisle, and my dad his word that he would work hard, every day, and do his best to live up to the promise he made them.

I've struggled with knowing this, being so proud of him I could cry for continuing to be the person he was meant to be but being scared out of my mind that the next time, because there will be one, he goes in the water, Jasper won't be there to pull him out. The first Sunday he was home from the hospital, I'd tried to get out of bed early in the morning. Since Edward had made it a habit to spend his Sundays with me and Peyton, we had stopped going to Mass. I felt horrible for being so wrapped up in Edward that going to Mass became something that wasn't a priority. It was easy to blame it on the fact that over the summer Peyton didn't have Sunday school, but the fact was I'd gotten lazy and after what happened to Edward, I wasn't about to take my faith for granted again.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early?" he'd asked me in a voice still rough and deep from sleep.

"I was thinking of going to Mass this morning," I'd told him when I sat back down on the bed. I'd brushed his hair back off his forehead, and felt my heart stutter in my chest when my fingertips brushed across the stitches still in his forehead. The scar he'd have now would always be a reminder of how close we all came to losing him. "I have a lot to be thankful for, you know? I just thought it would be a good time to acknowledge that." I'd shrugged my shoulders, unsure of how to verbalize everything I was feeling.

He'd reached a hand out and linked our fingers together. "Do you think, I mean would you mind … can I go with you?" he'd wondered which made tears pool in my eyes.

"I'd love it," I'd told him.

So we went, and promised each other to keep going every Sunday. It's a promise I don't intend to break.

"Hey, baby, is breakfast almost ready? I'm starving." Edward's voice pulls me from my thoughts and back to the here and now.

I pick my head up and let the sight of him chase away the tiny bits of fear that linger inside. "It is. Has Peyton put him down yet?" I ask as I put a stack of plates on the island and grab some forks out of the drawer.

"Hell no." He chuckles. He pushes off the doorway and walks to me. "I did well, didn't I? She loves him."

I scoff. Turning so I can face him, I lay my hands on his chest. "Of course she loves him. Not only did he come from you, her most favorite person, but she's wanted a puppy for a long time. In her eyes, there couldn't be a better present."

He beams … like he literally lights up from the inside out. "This has been the best Christmas ever, you know that right?" He holds my hips and pulls me flush against him. "I'm so happy. I never imagined this … being here with you and Peyton, with your family and friends."

"You mean with your family and your friends," I whisper.

"It's more than I ever dreamed of, more than I ever let myself hope for." His words fill me … like a balloon inside of my chest, growing and growing until it feels like it might burst from being so full.

And because Edward is as ornery as he is sweet and charming, he just can't help but say, "So about breakfast? I want to hurry and get to your parents' house. I can't wait to rub Charlie's, Emmett's, and Xavier's noses in the fact that I … the newbie, the greenhorn of this group … am the present king this year."

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

"I could stay like this forever," Edward practically purrs a few weeks after Christmas.

"Mmmm, I think I might let you." I lean down and kiss the top of his shoulder and stretch my arms down his naked chest.

I've been massaging his shoulders while he sits in front of me. The TV is on, though I have no idea what we're watching. It's all background noise to me because I'm much more interested in listening to the soft groans and rumbles coming from Edward.

"Remind me to thank Ali for having Peyton and Brady over to spend the night," he murmurs. He leans his head backward and hooks my legs over his shoulders.

I kiss the tip of his nose. My fingers dance across his chest and then I dig my nails in his skin and drag them up. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough so that his jaws clenches and his sea glass eyes darken.

God, he looks so good sitting in between my legs.

The fire crackles in the fireplace, and the glow paints his skin in the most delicious gold. When Alice complained, again, about Jasper whining about wanting to get a dog, and then mentioned having Peyton and Brady spend the night, I jumped on the chance to have a night at home, alone, with Edward.

Home … it only feels like home when he's here now.

I circle his nipples and then brush across them with my thumbs. His fingers wrap around my calves and goosebumps break out all over when he turns his head and kisses the side of my knee. It's my turn to groan when I feel his warm, wet tongue run up the inside of my thigh.

"I've missed you," he says softly against my skin, his caramel turtle voice deeper and grittier than normal.

I lean over, letting my hair fall over us in a sheet of dark brown and nuzzle the side of his neck right behind his ear. "I think you need to show me how much," I whisper, biting down gently on his earlobe.

If I have my way, sometime in the very near future we won't have to miss each other at all. Ever since Christmas, well since Edward was given a clean bill of health by his doctor and started spending a few nights a week back at the boarding house, a fact which made all concerned relatively miserable, an idea had taken root in the back of my mind, one that grew and grew more every day.

I'd had every intention of bringing my idea up, subtly of course, until I feel Edward's tongue on my thigh … now I can't form much thought past "yes" and "please."

With those two words in mind, I bend over again and kiss, and lick and nibble my way up and down the side of his neck. I can smell the cologne I gave him for Christmas mixed with the scent of stain and sawdust from spending the day helping Carlisle around the boarding house, layered with just him and it makes me groan. It also makes me turned-on.

My fingers trace over every dip and ripple across his chest. I spread my legs more and stretch my arms even farther so I can reach the soft, dark hair that runs from his navel and dips teasingly below his jeans. I'm on a quest for what lies even lower.

"Ah, fuck … baby." He moans when I waste no time and undo the button on his jeans so I can slide a hand beneath his boxers.

"I hope so," I tell him and suck on the skin behind his ear as I wrap my hand around his cock.

"Jesus Christ," he hisses once he registers my words. His hands wrap around my ass and he scoots me forward, making me lean over so much I'm practically bent in half.

I slowly let my hand glide up and down a few times, but realize quickly that as good as he feels in my hand, I want to feel him someplace else. I move my legs from his shoulders to on either side of his body and with my free hand, urge him to sit on the couch. As he lifts from the floor, I throw a pillow between his legs and tug on his jeans hard enough that they fall over his hips. Once I get them to his knees, I push them all the way down and toss them to the side.

"Bella, what are you … ?" he starts to say, but the words are cut off abruptly when press my hand against his even harder erection.

I lean forward and kiss the inside of each of his thighs before I do the same to his cock. His hips buck off the sofa as soon as he feels it and it gives me the perfect opportunity to pull his boxers off as well. So I do. As soon as his cock is free, I lick up its length until I reach the head.

"Oh fucking hell," Edward pants, already needy and so, so hard.

I lock my eyes with his and watch his face morph from need to sweet pleasure as I take him in my mouth. He spreads his legs wider, scoots his ass closer to the edge of the couch, and plunges one hand into my hair. I lap at the head, dipping my tongue in the slit at the top and taste him for the first time in a long time. This is not something I get to indulge in very often. Not that I don't like it, because I damn sure do, but with Peyton at home, even though she's down the hall and in her bed, it's just an act that usually gets left out of the nighttime repertoire.

So, now, I'm going to indulge.

I'm going to enjoy.

I'm going to take my time.

And take my time I do. I lick and suck. I take him deep then tease just the tip. I kiss him up and down, relishing in the dichotomy of hard covered by soft. Of smooth skin and of skin that's wrinkled. I listen to him beg for more, then plead with me to hurry. I feel his fingers wrap my hair tighter and then let go. I watch his eyes squeeze close, then focus so intensely on me that it's a wonder my clothes don't vaporize right off my body.

I enjoy.

"Bella, oh fuck, baby," he groans as he throws his head back. "I want to come, please. Jesus, please, I'm so fucking close."

I groan around his cock when I lean forward and my already hard, aching nipples rub against the couch cushion. My panties are so wet and I want him to come, only so I can crawl on top of him and take him inside of me. I need him so badly.

I speed up, moving up and down even faster, sucking harder, scraping along his length with my teeth. I curl my tongue around him, and take him farther in my mouth, as far as I can go.

"That's it. Oh God, oh fuck … shit, shit," Edward grunts between each up and down of my mouth.

His legs tense, his fingers clench in my hair, his hips lift from the couch. He moans so loud and practically yells, "I'm coming."

I don't stop until he's finished, taking all he gives me. He comes so hard his entire body literally shakes with little aftershocks and I have to admit, I kind of really love that I can make him feel that good.

Edward is not one to ever shy away from anything sexual so it's no surprise when he pulls me up from the floor and into his lap so he can kiss me. Somehow in the course of losing all sense of reality because he kisses me senseless, my clothes are off and I'm laying down on the sofa.

"My turn," he tells me with a sexy as hell smirk.

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

"So, what are you going to get Edward for Valentine's Day?" Rose asks me. I cradle my cell phone on my shoulder so that I can grab the bowl of popcorn off the counter and my glass of Coke to take into the living room.

Balancing everything precariously, I manage to make it to the sofa without spilling anything or dropping my phone and let out a sigh of satisfaction when I sit down. Once I have the bowl on the table in front of me and my Coke on a coaster, I pick my phone back up and answer Rose. "I have a few ideas," I tell her cryptically.

"Bella," she whines and I smirk while I munch on a handful of popcorn … rather loudly in her ear.

"Nope, not spilling, sister mine," I tell her. "Besides, if I tell you that means Alice will find out and we all know she can't keep a secret, especially from Edward. She thinks it goes against their two peas in a pod thing to not tell him something."

We both chuckle at that, because we both know how true that is. Even before his accident Alice felt a connection with Edward she didn't feel with anyone else, but now, it's like she thinks they are long-lost brother and sister or something. If I didn't trust them both implicitly and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that her entire world is Jasper, I might be tempted to be a tiny bit jealous at how close they are, but instead, I love seeing it. They both give each other something they haven't found in anyone else and it's actually beautiful to see.

Rose huffs. "Fine, fine, be that way. If you're not going to tell me what you're getting for Edward, then I'm not telling you what I'm getting for Emmett," she says as if she's hurting me by not telling me.

I roll my eyes, even though she can't see me. "Rose, knowing you and my brother, you've probably planned some scenario that involves you dressing up like a slutty schoolgirl or something," I snort.

"Nope, that was last year, Bell. This year it's a slutty nurse." She giggles and then out and out laughs when I make a gagging sound. "Hey you started it," she sing songs.

Just then, there's a loud knock on the door, three quick raps against the door frame that startles me so badly I drop the phone on the floor. "Rose, there's someone at the door," I say as I pick the phone up and hold it to my ear. I can see the outline of whoever it is through the glass window in the middle of the door. Whoever it is shifts from foot to foot. It doesn't look like anyone I recognize but I can't really tell through the distortion of the glass. "Let me call you back," I casually tell her before disconnecting the call.

I walk toward the door, curling my fingers tightly around the phone. My heart starts to race and a chill creeps up my spine. A sense of danger washes over me and I shiver involuntarily. I bite my bottom lip. I have an irrational need to hide behind the sofa and call for Edward but I shake my head at my overactive imagination. This is Corea for God's sake, not New York City where an unexpected knock on your door is cause for alarm.

Taking a deep breath, I lift an unsteady hand to the doorknob and open the door slowly. The guy standing in front of me turns to face me and that sense of dread I had not more than a minute ago is back, and waving a big fucking red flag. He's not that tall, no taller than Seth from my first impression, but it's the way his eyes bore straight into mine that makes me shrink back into the doorway. My fingers itch to press the speed dial on my phone for Edward and just as I'm about to give in, the guy opens his mouth.

"I'm looking for Edward Masen. Is he here?" he asks. His eyes still lock onto mine, and I'm powerless to move. My breath catches in my throat and I swallow a few times, unable to answer him. "Are you okay?" The question should be simple to answer, but it's not. For some reason every instinct I have is screaming at me to deny I even know Edward much less where he is.

The man continues to stare at me, his eyes deep, black and most frightening of all, cold and calculating. He smirks. I guess it's supposed to put me at ease when all it does is make me want to slam the door in his face and run upstairs to hide under my bed.

He clears his throat and cocks an eyebrow at me. "Edward, is he here?" he asks again.

I finally find my voice after swallowing a few times and cross my arms in front of my chest in a move that's purely defensive. "I don't know who you're talking about," I tell him, hoping the slight tremble of my voice doesn't give away how scared I truly am.

Brady barks from behind me and then pokes his little head out between my legs which causes the man to gasp and then chuckle. When I hear the sound, I feel a little foolish for thinking him to be some devil incarnate, though the hair on the back of my neck is still standing on end.

"Cute dog. How old?" he questions as he squats. He takes off his gloves and holds his hand out.

I can't help but smile when Brady nudges my legs apart and rubs his nose against the man's fingers. The smile fades when I spy a strange-looking tattoo on his hand, right on the web between his thumb and index finger. It startles me, only because it seems like such a strange place for a tattoo. I tell him Brady is almost three months old. He simply nods and then scratched Brady behind the ears. "What's its name?"

Brady yips and then licks the man causing another round of laughter from the man. "Brady," I answer without hesitating.

The man stands once again and Brady ambles down the stairs of the porch, though gravity does most of the work and the little guy is helpless to resist. Once he's sniffing around in the yard, the stranger asks once again, "So, Edward? When is he going to be home?"

Feeling much braver now that we're both standing on the front porch I hold my hand out, "I'm Bella, I don't think you said your name."

His eyes actually widen in embarrassment and pale pink spreads across his cheeks. "Oh, hell, I'm sorry. No wonder you keep looking at me like I'm Freddy Kreuger." He chuckles and then holds his hand out. "Ryan Masterson," he says easily and immediately I relax, thrilled to be able to put a face with the name of the man that helped Edward so long ago.

"Ryan, oh goodness." I smile. "Edward's told me a lot about you! Nothing's wrong is it?" I ask, suddenly nervous. Corea is a hell of a long way from Boston for a surprise visit.

I seem to catch him off-guard because something flashes in his eyes, but it's gone as fast as it comes. Before I have time to question if my eyes are playing tricks on me, he's walking down the stairs. "Just passing through," he says calmly and without a hint of any hesitation, "and thought I'd stop in and see how he was doing, especially after his accident. I got your address from Wayne and Edward's told me all about you and your daughter, Peyton." His top lip curls back, looking so much like a sneer that I gasp and wonder yet again if I'm seeing things, but the goosebumps that break out over my arms and the way I take a step back tells me I indeed saw what I did.

My nails scrape along the screen of my phone, and when the guy sees what I'm doing, he walks a bit farther out into the yard. I look around for a car, but don't see one, and the absence of one chills me to the bone. I take a deep breath though and remember this is Ryan, this is the guy that helped Edward when it seemed like all the cards were stacked against him, and curse myself for letting my overactive imagination run away from me again … and vow to kick Xavier's ass for making me watch scary movies the last time he was at the house. Deliberately shaking off all sense of the ridiculous, I go down one step and stop, and smile at Ryan.

"Do you want to wait for Edward? He shouldn't be much longer," I tell him, half hoping he decides to just go, but knowing how excited Edward would be to see him.

Since he's been in Corea, with the exception of Wayne, there hasn't been any contact with anyone or anything from his life before he arrived here. Ryan is one of the halfway decent memories he has.

He smirks again. "Nah, I need to hit the road, long trip back to Boston and all. I'll catch him again some other time," he says and heads toward the end of the driveway. "Tell Edward …" he pauses to stare at me again, "that I'll see him soon. Real soon. Take care, Bella, and take care of Peyton. You never know when something might happen," he finishes cryptically … menacingly.

And now … the chills have come racing back.

As if sensing my distress, Brady yips then growls as Ryan walks down the driveway. I don't even wait to see which direction he goes, I just reach down and pick up the puppy and race inside the house, locking the door soundly and quickly behind me. I lean my back against the door, breathing like I've just run to Ellsworth and back, and when I feel Brady's little cold nose against the side of my neck, I giggle.

"Okay, little guy, is it just me, or was that whole thing just weirder than weird?" I ask him as I hold him up in front of my face.

He tilts his head at me and then barks, almost like he agrees with me.

I take a few deep breaths and replay the whole encounter back in my mind. There is no mistaking the sense of something being off, but as I think about it, I can't help but think I've let my imagination run away from me. From everything both Wayne and Edward have told me about Ryan, there is no reason to think that him showing up here, even if unannounced, is anything to be concerned about, so I shake off my uneasiness and concentrate on the fact that Edward and Peyton will be home soon.

I'm putting the dishes away in the kitchen when I hear Cherry rumble up the driveway. Brady hears it, too, because his ears rise and then he slips and slides his way to the front door, barking as soon as he hears the doors to the Blazer close. I wipe my hands on a dishtowel and lean against the doorway, waiting for my two favorite people to walk through the door.

"Brady!" Peyton squeals and drops to her knees the second her feet cross the threshold. Brady wriggles against her, making Peyton laugh so hard she falls over on the floor which gives Brady the perfect opportunity to lick all over her face.

Edward steps in front of me. He reaches a hand out and curls his index finger around mine. His eyes are my favorite sea glass color and from the way they look me over from head to toe, I know that it's a good thing Peyton's going to bed soon."I think I'm jealous, baby," he whispers and then leans forward and brushes his lips so softly against my lips, it's barely more than a wisp of mouth pressed against mouth. "How come you don't ever act that excited to see me?" He shamelessly sticks his bottom lip out, and it takes all I have not to stand on my tiptoes and bite it.

However, there's nothing wrong with a little teasing, so I hook my free index finger in his belt loop and pull him forward. I purposely slide my knee between his legs and rub it against the erection he's sporting beneath his low-slung jeans. He groans, just loud enough for me to hear it, but not so loud Peyton can. His eyes darken, his nostrils flare just the slightest bit, and when he rolls his hips against my knee, pressing more of his hard cock into my knee, it's my turn to whimper.

"So, you're telling me, you want me to jump on you, knock you down on the ground, and then lick you all over your face?" I ask and try desperately not to smile at him.

He doesn't answer but instead raises one eyebrow and smirks in such a way that if I wasn't hanging on to him, I'd most definitely be a puddle of Bella goo right about now. He leans in close again and places his mouth right beside my ear. I can feel the slight stubble along his angular jaw barely ghost across my cheek but between that and his warm breath fanning across my ear, I'm unable to do anything but pull him closer and hang on for dear life.

"Mmmm, I think that's," and after that word comes out of his sinful mouth, in the caramel turtle voice that makes me lose all reason, he sucks my earlobe slowly into his mouth. He releases it after curling his tongue around it for a few moments and then says, "Exactly what I'm telling you."

Christ on a cracker.

We stare at each other for a few long, sexually-charged seconds before he finally takes a step back, letting some much-needed space between us. He kisses the end of my nose before he walks into the kitchen and gets himself a beer. The next few hours pass with Peyton talking nonstop about her trip to Ellsworth for ice cream and then watching her play with Brady on the floor.

Thankfully, Peyton is ready for bed earlier than normal and goes with no fuss, with Brady happily in his bed beside hers. I barely have time to close the door to her room before Edward grabs my hand, throws me on the bed, and promptly proceeds to show me the proper way to show excitement.

I'll definitely know for next time.

It's while we're brushing our teeth that I remember to mention Ryan's surprising … and odd visit. I rinse my mouth out with water and then turn to him. "You'll never guess who stopped by while you and Peyton were getting ice cream," I say and then walk out of the bathroom and move toward my dresser.

I hear him rinse and spit, too, before following me into the bedroom. I take off the necklace he gave me for Christmas, pressing my fingers to my lips and then to the picture on the pendant like I do every night, and lay it in my jewelry box. Edward watches me, as he does every night he's here, and then begins pulling the blankets down the bed.

"Bella?" He chuckles because I've stopped mid-sentence and haven't told him the answer.

I shake my head and then climb in on my side of the bed. Once we're laying down, face to face, and nose to nose, he tangles our legs together and then crooks an eyebrow and waits for me to continue.

"Ryan Masterson," I tell him.

His eyes widen, so big they resemble saucers. "What? You're kidding me! What did he say? Is everything okay? Why didn't he tell me? What did he want?" he fires questions in rapid succession.

I open my mouth then close it a few times as I play the conversation back in my mind again, finding it odder and odder with each passing thought. The whole encounter just seemed … off.

"I don't know," I say slowly and look at Edward. He frowns and quirks his lips to the side. The dip between his eyebrows becomes more pronounced as he watches me. I can tell he sees how confused I am and the frustration he's feeling at my inability to articulate pretty much anything at the point is evident on his face.

My mind races through Ryan's words, actions, and I can picture the way his eyes looked so cold and calculating, but what really gets me, what causes my breath to hitch in my throat is something I barely registered before.

"It's weird Ryan has a tattoo," I tell him.

His hands, the ones that have been constantly in motion through my hair and up and down my arm still … eerily so.

Our eyes lock and his are alight with … surprise, then confusion, then fear.

Pure, unadulterated, abject fear.

"Baby," he croaks, squeezing the breath out me as his arms wrap tightly around me, "Ryan doesn't have a tattoo."

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