Cross My Heart

Epilogue

Bella's P.O.V

The tips of his fingers draw circles on my bare back, sometimes playing with the ends of my hair and tugging it a bit. I draw the same circles on his stomach, outlining his muscles. The atmosphere around us feels different. It's so... Peaceful. There's no dark cloud looming over us. No secrets, no lies... And something deep inside tells me it has to do with Edward. Everything about him is so different. I don't know what it is, I can't put my finger on it.

"What happened to Luke?" I ask, trailing my finger up his stomach to his chest, then back down. "I find it weird to find you guys here and not have Luke with you."

"Oh, after everything that happened, he and Irene managed to find their way back to each other. They're in Boston in a little house they found together."

"Hmm, that's nice. Why was the reason they were separated?"

"She couldn't handle how devoted he was to my family. You know, he was more concerned about our safety than keeping her happy and it took a toll on their marriage. But after it was all over and Emma was okay after her surgery, he went back to Irene. We still regularly. He sends his regards."

I chuckle to myself and reach for his arm. "What about Tanya? Last I remember, she was back for her daughter."

Edward sighs. "Yeah, and a huge disappointed that was. She wanted more than just our daughter... Actually, she wanted something other than our daughter. She wanted me and when I made it more than clear it was never going to happen, she took off. She didn't even show up when Emma had her surgery."

"But why not... try?" I know it's stupid to ask. "I mean, you'd have the opportunity to have a family with the mother of your child."

"Yeah... there was only one small problem."

"What?"

Edward shifts under me enough to look down at me. "Because she wasn't you."

I could have hidden my satisfied smirk, but I couldn't and I didn't want to. I lay my head back down on his chest and inhale his scent... it was so him. The thought that followed left me in unease.

"This is oddly unsettling," I murmur under my breath.

"What is?"

"Well... me asking questions, you answering them so... openly. I don't know, I'm not used to this Open Book Edward.  I can't think of a time where I didn't almost have to beat the answers out of you."

Edward chuckles. "Yeah, I guess I am. But think of it this way, we have no secrets, I have no past to run from. We have the liberty of being... us."

I smile and lean back to look at him. "I like that."

Edward leans down and presses a kiss on my lips. "We should get up. The diner opens in a couple of hours and there is something I want to show you."

"What is it?"

He smirks. "You'll just have to wait and see." I pout when he climbs out of the bed and starts getting dressed. When he looks back and sees I'm still not getting up, he leans over me on the bed with each of his arms at the sides of my head and leans down to kiss me. "Get that gorgeous ass of yours up so we can leave, or else we'll be late to the diner and that wouldn't be very ownery of you."

I scoff. "Fine, but I'm going to complain the whole time until you tell me where we're going."

We get dressed and I'm left a little dumbfounded when he slips on his leather jacket I had no idea he had. The same jacket we wore when we went to the basketball game when we first met. We join hands and we're on our way out. Edward is pretty insistent on driving the impala since he does not want to tell me where he is taking me. Our first stop is at Forks Elementary school. I'm kind of shocked at first that he would bring us here until all the children start getting out of their classrooms and joining their parents.