"I can't. Oh my God, I can't."

"Come on!" Edward grunted. "You can do so much better than this."

I wiped perspiration from my forehead with my glove, gasping for breath. Joining Edward for a morning run in the park was the first thing on the list of my early New Year's resolutions. I had recklessly stuck the list to the fridge and now he just wouldn't let up on me. It was December 30 and I hadn't missed a single jog since Christmas. Yes, Christmas. We went to Midnight Mass with Mom, and he woke me up at nine on Christmas morning. He was merciless.

"I'm freezing," I moaned.

"Then move your ass faster, Swan." He smirked, increasing his speed.

"I'll kill you."

"You'll have to catch me first. Come on, we're in the homestretch. And stop talking for fuck's sake—the air is cold and I don't want you to catch pneumonia."

I gritted my teeth and breathed through my nose, bracing myself for the final push. And just when I thought I would die from exhaustion, I'd finally caught my second wind, making Edward laugh as I outran him and headed to the park exit.

Later, as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, drying my hair with a towel, all of a sudden I remembered the resolution I made a year ago and couldn't help but snicker.

"What's so funny?" Edward leaned closer to the mirror, inserting his contacts.

"You," I said, taking him in, naked torso and wet hair. My man was drop-dead gorgeous. "I love you."

He raised his brow. "I love you too. How come this is funny?"

"Because my 2011 resolution was to become independent. And as soon as I decided I would be better off alone, I met you."

"God has a good sense of humor, doesn't he?" He chuckled. "Hurry up. You have yet to finish packing and we don't have all day."

Having blow-dried my hair, I lingered by the mirror. There was something different about my reflection and I liked it. My features became softer and my eyes were always shining these days. I looked happy. And happy I was. I had never been so truly and deeply in love before, and, more importantly, I had never felt so loved. Maybe Edward wasn't a Prince Charming, but he was definitely worth the wait.

I shivered, realizing I would never have found him if I hadn't had guts to leave Jared.

. . .

The sun was beginning to set when our Jeep turned from the highway to the narrow road. It was hard to recognize it now when the ferns and the road were covered with snow.

He stopped the engine and rested his hands on the wheel, staring ahead of him.

"You're sure?" I asked softly.

"Yes," he breathed, opening his door.

It was cold outside and I put my hands in my pockets as we walked down the road in silence. Since our first visit to the house, we had only been there once—when Esme had finished with the interior decoration. I had no idea whether he had liked it or not; his expression gave nothing away. We made love in the master bedroom but neither of us could relax completely. And maybe he'd already been thinking about it because when I suggested selling the house as we cuddled up by the fire afterward, he had taken it surprisingly well.

Even more surprisingly, it was sold almost immediately after it had been put on the market. The buyer wanted it so much he didn't even try to negotiate the outrageous price Edward had set for it. Edward even joked that it had appeared to be his most profitable project by far and suggested we used the money left after paying off the loan to start a college fund for our children. He was anything if not a real planner.

It was my idea that he go say good-bye but he had been putting it off until the last moment.

Dusk was falling quickly, and when we reached the house, stopping at the edge of the forest, the lights were already on. From our angle we could see the whole living room. The fire was lit and there was still a Christmas tree. Three kids were playing tag; a woman with a tray entered the room and they came running up to her, laughing. I was watching other people's lives and suddenly I felt like an intruder.

"Do you want to come and say hi?" I asked Edward.

He shook his head quietly, looking calm and peaceful. It could be from the wind, but his eyes glistened.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just kind of weird to see your dream become someone else's reality." He paused, rubbing his eyes. "But I don't regret it. It's just a house—it has never been a home. I feel like something heavy has been taken off my chest. It's a good thing. Very liberating. I feel like flying."

He smiled and reached out for my hand, rubbing my frozen fingers, and I smiled back.

"We'd better go then if we don't want to miss our flight," I said. Later tonight a plane would take us to Rio where we would celebrate New Year's Eve. It was Edward's Christmas present—the man had a very good memory.

"I love you," he whispered against my lips.

"I know."

The bright orange disc of setting sun was getting lower and lower on the horizon as we were driving back to the city. Soon it would disappear and the night would descend and then another day would begin. I didn't know what tomorrow would bring us (except for the Tiffany box I had come across when I was looking for something in Edward's carry-on bag), but I was positive of one thing: you can't embrace the future until you let go of the past. If I had learned anything during this year, it was this. Our future might not be easy—real life rarely is; I was still afraid of what might happen if it didn't work out. But much more than that, I was afraid I would never find out what might happen if it did. I'd always wanted to know what exactly happily ever after meant.

I would be forever thankful to my grandmother for making me believe in fairy tales.

Author's Note:

New Year's Eve in Rio is the ultimate happy ending for me.

Thank you, Fliki, for inspiring me. A lot. From that very moment I asked if there was a 9 1/2 fic and you said I would have to write one. I'm always up for a challenge! I was trying to write a story that you would love. And early happy birthday, girl!

Thank you, Carol, for giving me your advice and encouragement.

Thank you, Katie1824, for not letting me doubt myself and not giving up on these two even when... you know when ;)

Thank you, every reader who has left me a review. You made me feel loved. It's the best feeling ever. To those who commented on each chapter... I owe you for life. You are the kindest. I'm sorry if I didn't reply to each and single one (time management, eh), but I really wanted to and I wish you were my best friends.

And I'm done. Thank you EVERYONE for reading.

Find me on Twitter: LuckyStar815 and on Facebook: Luckystar Fic.

XO