STILL WATERS

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CHAPTER 7

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26
"Mountain therapy," night 6

So, that happened. Twice.

Tomorrow ought to be fun.

#lifesucksandthenyou'redead

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"Your marshmallow is on fire!"

He jostled me from behind, but I pressed my back against his chest and pinned him in place. His body made such a comfortable lounge chair when he wasn't being all twitchy.

"I know it is. I did that on purpose."

"What? Why?"

"It's called 'toasting.'"

"You're not doing it right."

"I was not aware there were rules on marshmallow toasting."

"They're more like generally accepted guidelines."

"How about you toast yours and I'll toast mine?"

"Fine, but you're ruining your breakfast."

I cracked a smile. Edward had already stepped well outside his comfort zone this morning, agreeing to forgo the sensible oatmeal he'd brought in favor of the s'mores we'd never quite gotten around to enjoying last night.

Still, it wouldn't be right to let his rigidity go unchecked, even if I wouldn't be around much longer to see it. I considered this a public service . . . to the next girl . . .

Aw, fuck.

"It tastes better when it's a little singed."

"A little singed? You've got a forest fire going at the end of your stick!"

The flames had grown significantly since we'd started this little battle; I blew as vigorously as I could while still appearing nonchalant. "Relax, Smoky. I have extinguished the raging inferno."

"Smoky?" He chuffed behind me.

"Would you prefer Paul Bunyan? That's what Mike called you yesterday."

"Pshh, on his way out, I hope."

"Yep." I slid the charred remains of the marshmallow off the stick using two graham crackers, stuffed a chocolate square inside the sticky mess, and shoved half of it into my mouth.

"How's your ash sandwich?" he asked.

"Breakfast of champions! I'm sure your marshmallow will be sensibly tanned by lunchtime."

"Some things are worth waiting for." He scooped my hair away and pressed a soft kiss to the base of my neck. A chill rushed down my spine.

Gawd. Mountain man was mushier than the inside of my marshmallow.

"I think you better stop that soon."

His lips moved across my collarbone. "Stop what?"

"Stop being so sweet."

His kisses stopped, and he pulled away. "Why?"

"Because." I sighed. Shit. "Because now, we've come to the part that hurts."

"Oh." He reached for the graham crackers and chocolate at his side. He placed two perfectly scored chocolate squares on top of his crisply broken cracker, slid his perfectly toasted marshmallow between the two sides, and took a thoughtful bite. "About that . . ."

I couldn't take the physical contact any more, now that I'd invoked the end. I slid away from his body and shoved another marshmallow on my stick. "Yeah, that."

"I had a crazy thought," he said, gaze darting to me, then away.

"I thought crazy was my department." Neither of us made the effort to smile at my lame joke.

"What were you planning to do all summer back in Hartford?"

"Stress out about getting a teaching job for the fall."

"Why not do that here? With me."

"What?"

He cast aside his stick, sucked the sticky residue off his fingers and knee-walked over to where I was trying to escape him. Very slowly, he pulled the twig out of my hands, set it down on the blanket, and grasped both my hands in his. "Stay here with me."

"Right here?"

"Yes." He stared at me while I shook my head. "No! I didn't mean right here on this trail. I meant here in New Hampshire."

"Edward, I can't afford the retreat—"

"Oh my god!" He slapped the heel of his hand against his forehead. "I am making a horrible mess of this."

My thoughts raced along with my heart. Stay here? Not go back home? Not leave Edward and this . . . whatever this might turn into?

"Okay." He grasped my hands again, started over. "Sooo, would you consider staying up here for a week or a month or even the summer? I've committed to Emmett and Rosalie that I will stick around through the end of August, continue to clear trails, and see what all I can do to enhance the outdoor programs here. You could stay at the family house with me, so you wouldn't have to pay for housing, or even food, and we can . . . not have to say goodbye just yet."

Bits and pieces of what he was saying were making their way inside my head, but I couldn't put together enough of the puzzle to see the whole picture. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

He smiled. "So to speak. It's a really big house. You can have your own room if you want."

"Why would I want that?"

He shook his head and laughed. "I don't know. I felt like I should offer." I think I was confusing him as much as he was confusing me.

"Who all lives in the house?"

"At the moment, Jas and Alice and now Louisa live in the main house, and I live in the carriage house."

"What's a carriage house?"

He laughed again. "It's basically a garage, but I have my own apartment above it. Indoor plumbing, Wi-Fi, and a microwave. All the comforts of home."

I was warming to the idea. "Hmm, do you have a bed?"

"Yep, a big one, in fact. Plenty of room for two."

"What about Emmett and Rosalie?"

"They have their own bed."

Oh, he was really proud of that one. "Where?"

"They live at the inn 24/7. Somebody needs to stay on site in case of an emergency."

"Okay." This was starting to sound way too good to be true.

"In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably mention my parents usually spend most of the summer here, too. But they're pretty easy to live with, and my dad is an amazing cook."

Meeting the folks. Explaining why you're living with their son after knowing him less than a week. Good times.

"You'd have to let me pitch in for food and stuff. I don't want to be a mooch. I do have some savings set aside from my fellowship last year, and I never took that graduation trip to Europe my parents wanted to give me. I don't think they would mind if I put it toward a summer here instead of a couple of weeks in Barcelona and Paris."

His smile spread so wide, I thought his face might crack. "You're saying yes."

"I am?"

"Yes, you basically already did." He leaned in and kissed me.

"Edward, wait." I pressed my hand to his chest and held him off. "I have to talk to my parents first."

"Fine." He brushed away my hand and kissed me even harder.

"Also . . ."

He scowled when my hand went up again.

"I had sort of informally agreed to help at this little sandwich shop back home, so I need to tell the Banners I can't—"

He pinned me to the ground, laughing and kissing me. "This is gonna be so great, Bella."

A terrible thought entered my head, and I hated to do it, but I turned my head to the side. "What if it isn't, Edward?"

Oh, shit. He looked like someone had set fire to all his marshmallows. But to his credit, Edward didn't just knee-jerk with some meaningless platitude. He sat back on his heels, and he gave the question some serious thought.

"I don't see why it wouldn't work. We'll have mountains and books and each other. But, if something awful were to happen . . . between us . . . I guess you could just go home and take that job at the deli."

He had it all figured out, and it all seemed so reasonable when he said it. "Maybe you should be the one to talk to my parents," I joked.

Without missing a beat, he answered, "I'd love to meet them. Maybe I could drive home with you at some point to pick up your stuff."

Good god, he was serious. "That won't be necessary. All my worldly possessions are in my car."

"Even better. All we have to do is move you into my place, and that's that."

"Well, we do still have that project we need to finish in the library."

"Right." He grinned. "I was trying to figure out how to approach the travel section. I mean, there are so many ways to do it. Geographically, by continent, then alphabetically . . ."

"By publisher . . ." I offered.

"In order of places we want to visit . . ."

Did Edward just invite me to see the world with him? I guessed the world probably contained a whole lot of outdoor wonders, and I wouldn't mind venturing outside my comfort zone with my own personal survival guide.

I was still trying to wrap my head around not leaving in three hours, and he was planning our lives. It was a bit overwhelming in the best possible way.

I shook my head. "It's a mess. We're definitely going to need to study that."

"Mmm, might need a field trip into Conway to see how a real bookstore does it."

"I kind of love that idea." What a beautiful picture he'd just drawn for us, walking hand in hand through one of New England's many quaint towns. The summer stretched out before my eyes like the bright checkered tablecloth—no telling what we'd serve, but who the hell cared as long as we tasted everything together?

He slapped his knees and stood up suddenly. "I don't know about you, Bella, but I'm feeling pretty sticky from all those perfectly toasted marshmallows. Should we see how the water is this morning?"

"Only if you promise to keep me warm." I was already peeling off my T-shirt and shorts, and he was already looking.

"You know I will."

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Well, I gave them a summer, anyway! After that, these two kids will think of the next thing themselves. And I have a feeling with his planning skills and her wild imagination, they'll figure it all out! Telling their story, while brief, has been a most satisfying journey for me. I gave my Mountain Man the fresh air he needed outside my brain, and I fixed up a stressed-out mess of a Bella, who really needed him.

For my regulars, thanks for being here. It's always great fun to see you people in my inbox and catch up again! For the newbies who made their way over based on a recommendation, thanks for giving me a shot! It's been fun getting to know you! If anyone is looking for more of my words, there are more than a million here and another couple million on my blog, many of them Edward/Bella but some male/male pairings as well. Also, I'll be entering a story in the PS I Love You contest here on fanfic in November. I can't tell you which story is mine, of course...but maybe you'll figure it out! And if you miss me, find me on Facebook (Kaye P. Hallows) or come play in Born's Pumpkin Patch!

The thank-yous, again: Jeannie Boom for hosting the Fandom for Mental Health, to raise money and awareness for issues surrounding mental health, the heart and soul of this story, a sweet lady with a huge heart and never-ending determination! To Noel Bish/Oh Gee! for pre-reading my story and helping me with mountain tools, and Betti Gefecht for lending the shirt off her back to make the story banner, and always, my Chayasara, who makes sure the words are the best they can be. Love you all.

To everyone who left a review, I thank you for sharing your thoughts and lively responses. Reviews are the currency of this community, and I cherish each one. To anyone who recommended the story to a friend (or 200K followers), you're the butter on my bread. Thank you so much!
XOXOXO ~BOH