Hey!

I know you guys are itching to know what is going to happen, things are going to heat up right now!

Thanks so much for the endless support, it means a huge amount to me. Please continue to review and keep tabs on this story, no matter how long I take to update. Been busy lately. :(

EPOV:

I hopped out of the pool and wrapped myself in a warm towel as Bella answered her phone. She talked for about a minute, then turned to where I was sitting on the patio. As she inched closer toward me, I noticed tears pooling in her eyes.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I rushed as I got up to pull her into my arms. Her tiny frame shook in my embrace as I rubbed soothing circles onto her back.

"He's coming, Edward," her voice was barely a whisper.

"Who, baby? Who's coming?"

"Mike," she sniffed. I looked down at her in puzzlement as she lifted her head off my chest to wipe tears away from her face.

"Who's Mike?"

"Ben's father. My Dad doesn't know what he's done, he gave Mike my address because he thinks Mike wants to be a part of Ben's life. But that's not what he wants, Edward. I need to get out of here, I need to leave." Her eyes frantically searched the yard as if she was looking for a hiding place in the grass.

As much as my mind wondered what he had done to her, I had to wait to find out. I had to calm Bella down and take her away. "Slow down, Bella. You can explain what he's done to you later. Right now, we can plan a vacation. You, me, Anthony, Ben. We can go away for a week, maybe visit New York City or even go to a beach in a different state. We'll stay until we're sure he's gone, okay?"

Bella nodded and looked deeply into my eyes. "We have to leave tomorrow. He's coming on Wednesday, but I want to be safe. But what about work?

I kissed her forehead in an attempt to soothe her. "I own the company, Bella. I can call off whenever I want. I'll send a text to the crew tonight and let them know they have off for the week but I'll still pay them. I'll have Emmett or Jasper check on the houses and feed the fish every day. When the boys get home, we'll tell them that we're going on a vacation. We'll all pack tonight and leave in the morning. Where would you like to go?"

She pondered the statement as I pulled her into my lap when I sat on a chair. Comforting her was key right now. But that was quite hard considering I felt quite nauseated myself at the thought of Bella and Ben in danger. "Anywhere is fine. My Mom took me to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina a few times when I was young. How does that sound? It's about 5 or 6 hours away," she said.

I nuzzled her cheek with my nose. She giggled softly in reply, a sound I was grateful to hear. "Perfect. I've been to South Carolina before to visit my uncle who lives in Charleston. I'll just use my GPS and the rest will be smooth sailing. We can take my car. I'll look up hotels tonight and call some to make sure we get a room," I offered. She nodded and relaxed in my embrace, resting her head comfortably in the crook of my neck. I smiled at how perfectly she fit in my arms and in my heart.

"I'll pay for it all, I'm the one who is making us go there," she offered sadly.

I frowned. "Bella, it's not like it's a prison and none of us are willing to go. It'll be a blast, please allow me to pay."

She shook her head. "No, Edward." She was so damn stubborn sometimes.

"Come on, Bella-"

"No," she interrupted me.

"Tell you what: I'll pay the hotel price, but you can pay for everywhere else we go, such as restaurants. Deal?"

She bowed her head in defeat, but murmured a quiet "fine."

"We'll leave around 8 in the morning, so we can get there around 3 or 4 and then still have time to go out at night. Is that okay?" I asked gently. Her response was a curt nod.

"It's all going to be okay," I whispered reassuringly as I gently rocked her back and forth. Her response was a faint kiss on my neck.

I was quite nervous. I didn't know who this guy was, what he did in the past, or what he was planning on doing in the future. But I do know that I would protect Bella from anything, and if he did anything to hurt her or Ben, he would never see another day again.

Once Ben and Anthony came home from the sleep over, they immediately shared stories of their whole night as Bella and I ushered them into my living room.

"Daddy, the bonfire Grandpa built was huge! It was taller than me! And guess what? Grandpa got me a waterproof neck brace that I can wear in the pool, isn't that awesome!" Anthony sang as he plopped on the couch, Ben following in suit.

"I didn't even know they made those! That sounds great, bud. How's your neck? Grandma gave you your medicine, right?" I concerned.

"Yup, she put the bottle in my backpack. It feels better than a few days ago," he told me.

"I hope it does, because we got a fun week ahead of us!" Bella chimed in from the loveseat across the room. I grinned in anticipation, the boys were going to be so excited.

"What are we gonna do?" Ben asked curiously.

I sat down in-between him and Anthony and put my arms around their shoulders, gently shaking them as I announced "we're going on vacation!"

The boys both whooped in anticipation and did little victory dances in their seats, causing Bella and I to boom with laughter.

"We're going to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. It's a neat beach with boat rides and a boardwalk right by the ocean and a carnival at the beach! How does that sound?" I said.

"I can't wait! When are we going?" Anthony's voice was a loud boom of excitement.

"Tomorrow morning. So, Ben, why don't we go home and start packing and get a good night's sleep? We'll be leaving around 8 tomorrow morning," Bella informed them. The boys' bright smiles never left their faces.

After Bella and Ben said their goodbyes, and I promised Bella that I would call her tonight, I took Anthony upstairs to help him pack for the trip. However, my mind was not exactly focused on his luggage or his vast amount of clothes. I was excited and happy to be able to spend the next week on vacation with Bella and Ben. However, I just wish the circumstances were different. I knew I was doing the right thing by getting them out of here, but I was still quite worried. What if he does something to her house? Or gets into contact with her? Or is still here when we return? These questions swam through my head uneasily, but I head no answer to any of them.

"Daddy, how long are we staying?" Anthony called to me as he picked out what games for his Nintendo DS that he wanted to bring along.

"For 7 days, until next Monday," I answered as I tucked his outfits neatly in his suitcase.

"Have we ever been here before?"

"No, bud. It's something new, and it's gonna be a blast!" I looked over at Anthony with a reassuring smile on my face, but he had a sad one on his own.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked as I shuffled over and sat next to him, wrapping my arm gently around his shoulder.

"I can't play or run around there because of my neck," he whispered softly.

"Anthony, you can still swim with your new neck brace. And as long as you swim very carefully and never leave my side, you can go in the ocean. And when it's nighttime, we're gonna go down the street to the boardwalk and see neat shows and everything. It's gonna be great," I told him. His smile became broader as he thought of all the possibilities.

"It's gonna be a blast!" He repeated my slogan from a few moments ago.

Around 9:30, after I put Ben to bed, I found myself sitting on the couch in the living room accompanied by a much-needed glass of wine. The house was dark all around me, with the exception of one single candle lit beside me. The atmosphere represented my mood perfectly.

Right now, everything in my life was turning dark. The man who's goal is to end me is coming. He could very well destroy the outside of my house, or find a way to break in despite my state-of-the-art security system. He could even be here when I return, waiting for me in the shadows and making his move to finish me when the coast is clear for him. Not only could he harm me, though, he could also harm Edward, or Anthony.

Or Ben.

I had allowed him to hurt us once before. It was not going to happen again. I will protect my son through everything and do whatever it takes to make sure he is safe.

That is what the candle represented: a flicker of hope. A flicker of hope that maybe I could win. That I could fight him off, or get away in enough time for him to see that I'm not here and leave. I was praying for the second possibility.

The sound of my phone ringing caused me to jump, almost spilling my whole glass of wine. I set it down on the table beside me and answered the phone when I saw that it was Edward that was calling.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella. Everything is set. I got us a room in the Penthouse of Palmetto Shores Oceanfront Resort. It was almost impossible since it's the night before, but it's open until June 23rd. The man I spoke to on the phone was kind of annoyed that I called the night before, but I told him it was an emergency and I offered to give him a few extra hundred. He didn't deny that," he chuckled.

I smiled gratefully. "That's great, Edward. Thank you so much for doing all of this for me. It means the world."

"Anything for you, Bella. Besides, it'll be great to go on vacation with you and Ben. I know the boys are really excited."

"Yeah, I know. Ben barely helped me pack because all he talked about was all the fun we are going to have," I laughed softly at the memory.

Edward laughed as well. "I understand exactly what you mean. Anthony was practically bouncing. I know it'll be a great time."

"Yeah. I'll try to have fun and not worry," I said sadly.

"Bella, everything is going to be okay. We'll all be safe and having a great time. I won't let anything happen to you or Ben, okay?"

"I believe you. I just wish this wasn't happening. It's a nightmare that won't go away."

"I know you're hurt, baby, but you'll wake up from this nightmare soon. I hate seeing you so upset, I want you to be happy," he said gently.

"Well I'm happy when I'm with you," I whispered as I felt my heart begin to race.

"I'm happy with you, too. When I'm with you, Ben, and Anthony, I don't need anything else. Everything is perfect. That's how I know this week is going to be great."

"I feel the same way. I hope we have a great time."

"We will. Now, why don't you get some sleep? It's getting late and we have a long day of driving tomorrow," he suggested.

"Alright. Do you want us to walk over to your house at 8 or are you just going to pick us up?"

"I'll come pick you up and help you guys put your luggage in the car. Oh, and I've already called Emmett. He's agreed to come feed the fish and check up on the houses once a day."

"Okay, that sounds great. I'll have to thank him. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight, Edward," I said tiredly.

"Goodnight, beautiful."

The wind in my hair felt great as we zipped down the highway. I felt free as I looked out the window, watching the cars go by and the buildings we passed become a blur in the distance. It was relaxing in an odd, thrilling sort of way.

We had been on the road for the last 2 and a half hours, and we were about 20 or 30 minutes away from Georgia, where we were going to stop at a Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Time was going swiftly due to the fact that Edward was driving at 90 mph. I had to remind him numerous times to slow down.

"Are we almost there yet, Mommy? I'm hungry!" Ben whined from the back seat.

"Ben, please don't complain. We'll be there in about 20 minutes. Eat this until then," I instructed as I reached into my purse for a granola bar. He took it graciously.

"May I have one, Bella?" Anthony asked sweetly beside him.

I smiled warmly at him. "Of course, honey." He thanked me as I handed it to him and he bit into it hungrily.

The rest of the ride to Cracker Barrel was spent in silence. The boys were playing a game together on their Nintendo DS's, and Edward was focusing on driving and his GPS. I, however, felt at peace. Despite everything that was going on, I felt alright, like everything was going to be okay.

We pulled into Cracker Barrel successfully, and had a table in no time. We all ordered breakfast and ate happily. Ben and Anthony spent a lot of the time sharing stories about their sleep over.

"Remember when I was trying to roast a marshmallow but then it fell into the fire? That was so funny!" Anthony chirped as him and Ben fell under a spell of giggles. I smiled, amused with the boys.

"We should have a fire for me and Daddy's birthday!" Anthony suggested happily.

I turned to Edward. "You guys have the same birthday?"

Edward chuckled softly. "Not quite. Mine is June 20th, and Anthony's is June 24th."

"Yeah, and this year, we should all have another bonfire and make s'mores! And then we can have a campout, with us 4, Angela, Eric, Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie!" His animated tone was adorable.

I laughed while saying "I'm not sure if pregnant Alice would want to sleep in a tent, but it's worth a shot!"

The rest of breakfast was spent talking happily and sharing stories. It felt perfect, just us 4 in our own little world. It was where Ben and I belonged. We were one big happy family.

I watched with anxiousness as Edward unlocked our room in the penthouse. I was itching to see what it looked like. The hotel itself was beautiful, with lazy rivers floating around on every 3 floors.

Once the door was pushed open, the boy sprinted inside as they carried as much as they possibly could. Edward and I followed in suit, and I gasped at my home for the next week.

When entering the penthouse, I was welcomed with a beautiful kitchen with a granite island and beautiful marble counter tops. Behind the island sat a large wooden table with a beautiful chandelier hanging from it. And, behind the table was the living room with 2 giant microfiber sofas and a large flatscreen television. Off to the left were 3 bedrooms, with bathrooms connected to 2 of them. Each bedroom contained 2 large beds, beside the master bedroom, and bathrooms that were brightly lit and cozy.

I picked one of the bedrooms for myself. Although I would much rather sleep with Edward, I didn't want to freak the boys out. I'm sure Edward would understand.

As I began unpacking my clothes and placing them in the empty drawers in my dresser, I heard Edward call from somewhere in the penthouse "Bella, come here!"

I followed the sound of his voice to a sliding glass-door that was located in the living room. I hadn't noticed it before because it was covered by a curtain. I could see the boys and Edward standing on the balcony behind the sliding glass-door, looking off into the distance, and I couldn't wait to find out what they were gazing at.

As I stepped onto the balcony, I felt my eyes grow wide and I grew thankful that our hotel was located directly on the beach. Right out below the balcony and out in the distance was the ocean. The waves crashed harshly and suffocated the beach-goers for a few seconds. Boats were visible out in the deeper proximity of the ocean, and some fish were even seen jumping out of the water. The mid-afternoon sun was high in the sky, causing the ocean to glimmer. I should be used to seeing the beach, but something about seeing it from so high up gave me chills. It was like it was a whole new perspective.

And as Edward put his arms around me from behind, and us four gazed out into the ocean, I finally felt something for the first time since yesterday.

Relaxation.