Epilogue

One Year Later

BPOV

"Bella." Edward's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Quit it." He turned down the volume of the car's speakers; the gritty sound of Johnny Cash faded to the background.

"Quit what?" I turned to face him.

"Worrying."

Ugh. He could read me like a book. I rubbed my hands on my jean-covered thighs. "I can't help it; he's so little."

"He'll be fine. Charlie has everything under control."

Even though I knew Edward was right, it didn't stop my stomach from clenching with doubt. "But what if he forgets me? He was just starting to get attached."

"He won't forget you. We'll only be gone for three days. He has Darcy to keep him company as well."

I scoffed. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Don't you remember how Colin behaved when we got home from Savannah last time? He ignored me for over a week. He's a bad influence."

Edward laughed. "Don't hate on the cat. He didn't ignore me. If I recall correctly, he didn't leave my side that entire time."

I rolled my eyes as I remembered how Colin, or Darcy as Edward still insisted on calling him, had followed Edward's every step when we first started dating. "Yeah, only because you were the shiny, new toy."

Edward grinned and ran his thumb along my cheek. "Nah, he was just being protective, wondering who the strange man in your bed was."

"You are strange." I teased. "And you were in my bed quite often that first week." Edward and I called in sick the first three days after we returned from our trip. Instead of working, we both claimed to have gotten food poisoning on our way home from Savannah and spent the entire time in bed, exploring each other's bodies.

When we finally returned to the office, Edward went home after work but showed up on my doorstep an hour later, surprising me with his overnight bag. The weird thing is, as soon as I opened the door and saw him standing there, I didn't feel overwhelmed or taken aback. All I felt was relief.

Edward and I quickly became attached at the hip—not to mention a few other body parts. I used to joke he was like a virus I just couldn't seem to shake. He was at my place more often than his own, but in all honesty, I loved every single moment we spent together.

Edward once told me, "Love isn't something you find. It's something that finds you." And that's what it was like for us—or at least me. Falling in love with Edward Cullen came with no warning. I fell in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time.

And boy, did I fall hard.

Edward officially moved in with me eight months ago, and even though he still annoys me from time to time, life has been amazing.

"What are you thinking about now?" He grabbed my hand and pressed a gentle kiss on my wrist.

"Us." I sighed with a hint of a smile.

"What about us?"

"About how easily I fell in love with you."

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh, I don't know about that. If I remember correctly, you were pretty stubborn about it."

I blushed. "Maybe at first."

"Definitely at first." He winked. "But it didn't take long for me to work my magic and win you over."

"You're talking about your dick, aren't you? You do realize everything doesn't revolve around Longfellow."

Yes, my boyfriend named his penis after a 19th-century poet. I couldn't blame him; it made sense. His dick was certainly lengthy and as woo-worthy as any poem I've ever read.

He smirked then lifted a shoulder. "You're the one who brought him up."

I scoffed and swatted his arm playfully.

"Hey! You'll cause me to wreck," he said light-heartedly. "And you have to admit you're crazy about Longfellow." He bounced his eyebrows. "As a matter of fact, you seemed rather pleased with him just last night."

My gaze dropped to the bulge in his jeans. He was right; I was quite enamored with his cock. I licked my lips then met his intense stare. My body heated as I thought about our previous night's activities. Edward's hand between my legs … his mouth against my nipples. How he thrust into me from behind, clasping my hips hard against him. I squirmed in my seat as desire swirled through my belly.

He cleared his throat to get my attention. Amusement flickered in his expression.

"Ugh!" I crossed my arms. He could be so insufferable at times.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You know perfectly well what you're doing." My hands waved wildly in front of my face. "Teasing me while we're stuck in a car, driving seventy-five miles an hour."

He laughed. "Once again, you're the one who brought it up."

"Whatever," I replied with a mischievous scowl.

He tugged on one of my loose curls. "How about I make it up to you when we get to the hotel?"

"I suppose that seems fair." My mouth twitched.

"I'm glad that's settled. We should arrive in another hour. Have you decided where you want to go for dinner?"

I eyed him suspiciously. "You really didn't make any plans?"

He shook his head. "Nope. The only thing on my itinerary is attending tomorrow's film. Well, and making up with you at the hotel."

When we planned our trip to Savannah this time around, Edward promised to keep things low-key. Since becoming a couple, we had both learned to compromise—I had become a bit more organized, and he had become a tad more spontaneous.

I tapped my chin. "Let's go to the Crystal Beer Parlor."

"Isn't that the place that had the crawdads?"

"Eww. No." I grimaced. "I still can't believe you like those disgusting things."

"You don't know what you're missing. Even Charlie likes them. We had them when we went to Cincinnati."

Edward and my dad bonded over their mutual love of baseball. They took a road trip of their own in September to watch the Reds play the Cubs.

I scrunched up my nose. "Is Cincinnati known for their seafood?"

"I don't think so, but Charlie was willing, so I took advantage of the situation."

"Sounds like something you'd do." I laughed. "Are you nervous about seeing the movie?"

"Why would I be?"

I shrugged. "I'm just worried that one part didn't get cut out during editing."

"Which part?" He gave me a toothy grin.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh, do you mean the part where you jumped my bones and rubbed all over my dick?" He guffawed. "See? You were after Longfellow even back then."

"Edward." I crossed my arms and huffed. "This is so not funny."

"It's not." He rubbed my leg. "I'm only joking; I'm sure it will be fine."

His green gaze melted my resolve, so I placed my hand over his and squeezed it.

XXX

The Next Day

"Thanks for making it to the premiere." Jake greeted us as we entered the theater.

Edward slapped his shoulder. "Thank you for the invite. It surprised us to receive it, given we were only extras in the movie."

Jake shook his head. "Mr. Whitlock taught me to treat everyone who works on a film with the same respect, from the producer to the caterers. So, I made sure everybody got an invitation."

"From the little I spoke with him, Mr. Whitlock seemed like a good man," Edward responded.

"He's definitely one of the best. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it out this year. His daughter just had a baby."

"Sounds like a good reason to miss," I said.

"Yeah, I think it's like their twelfth grandchild," he said before asking, "Have you gone to any of the other festival events? I got to hear Leonardo DiCaprio speak this morning. Talk about surreal."

Edward chuckled as my face heated. "I actually got us tickets to see DiCaprio; Bella's a big fan, but we missed the screening."

"Aww, man. That sucks. Did you oversleep?"

"Nah, Bella got caught up studying Longfellow."

My mouth dropped open, and Edward shot a smirk in my direction.

Jake wrinkled his brow and looked at me. "Are you taking a poetry course or something?"

"Something," I grumbled under my breath.

Twenty minutes later, Edward and I sat in the darkened theater, watching the movie and sharing a tub of buttered popcorn. As soon as Morrell Park flashed on the screen, Edward shoved the container into my hands and pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" I watched him turned on the video function and point it towards the big screen.

"I want to get a recording of our scene, so we can show the boys the first time Mommy and Daddy kissed."

I rolled my eyes. He could be such a softie. "They're cats, Edward. I highly doubt Rob or Colin care about our first kiss."

He frowned at the name I used for our new kitten. When we got a playmate for Colin, Edward wanted to name him after his favorite Harry Potter character. I agreed, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy teasing him whenever I could. "Hmm. I disagree. Cedric and Darcy will definitely appreciate seeing my moves. Now, hush or we'll miss the entire thing."

My attention returned to the screen just in time to see the moment when Edward first pressed his mouth against mine.

Even though our scene was over almost as soon as it began, I couldn't help but think it was the best kiss in cinematic history. That kiss not only swept me off my feet but also swept away all my past insecurities.

Edward's warm breath tickled my ear. "That was the kiss that changed my life."

My eyes met his. "Mine, too. I'm sorry I was so stubborn."

He trailed a finger across my bottom lip. "We're together, all else has long been forgotten by me."

I smiled. "Okay, Walt Whitman." I recognized the quote; it was from a book of poetry Edward kept on his bedside table. One of his favorite pastimes was reading before bed, and one of mine was watching him read. He still wore those fuck hot glasses of his.

His face lit. "What do you know? I believe my love of reading is rubbing off on you."

A woman sitting in front of us turned around and glared at Edward. "Do you mind?"

He mouthed 'sorry' then looked at me with wide eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. We behaved during the rest of the movie, and when it was over, we walked out of the building, hand in hand.

"Are you disappointed about missing Leo this morning?" Edward asked as we strolled along the sidewalk towards our hotel.

"No. I'm so over him; I have a new celebrity crush."

He scratched his chin. "Are we talking about Aro?"

I shook my head. "He's yesterday's news. This guy has only been in one film."

He paused, pulling me into his arms. "Sounds like an amateur."

"Maybe at acting, but he's pretty perfect at everything else."

Leaning down, he captured my lips with his. I wrapped my arms around his neck and moaned. I could feel the heat of his mouth all the way to the tips of my toes.

He gently rained kisses along my cheeks, brow, temples, and nose. "Hmm. Does this mean you're going to start carrying my drawers around in your purse?"

I pulled away. My gaze fell to his crotch then traveled back to meet his inquisitive stare. "Why? Are you offering a pair?"

He nodded. "As soon as we get back to our room, you can take them off yourself."

I arched an eyebrow. "Well, what are we still standing around for? Let's get back to the room. I've got some drawers to remove."

"Lead the way, Swan." He planted a tender kiss on my forehead then threaded his fingers between mine. "I can't keep my favorite fan waiting."

The End.

AN:

The actual quote by Walt Whitman is "Day by day and night by night we were together,—All else has long been forgotten by me."

Thank you to all who helped with this fic - Fran, Kay, K, Cheryl, Gail, Lizzie Paige, and KJ. I couldn't have done it without your support.

And to my wonderful readers, I love you so much. Your kind words - especially last month mean a great deal. You are the reason why I love this fandom.

Until next time. Stay healthy and safe.

HE