And Third, I Was Unconditionally And Irrevocably

Do You Really Have Any Idea How Important You Are To Me? Any Concept At All Of How Much I Love You?" He Pulled Me Tighter Against His Hard Chest, Tucking My Head Under His Chin. I Pressed My Lips Against His Snow-cold Neck. "i Know How Much I Love You," I Answered. You Compare One Small Tree To The Entire Forest." I Rolled My Eyes, But He Couldn't See. "impossible.

His Gold Eyes Grew Very Soft. “you Said You Loved Me.” “you Knew That Already,” I Reminded Him, Ducking My Head. “it Was Nice To Hear, Just The Same.” I Hid My Face Against His Shoulder. “i Love You,” I Whispered. “you Are My Life Now,” He Answered Simply. There Was Nothing More To Say For The Moment. He Rocked Us Back And Forth As The Room Grew Lighter.

It Was Strange And Amusing...and, Honestly, A Bit Embarrassing...to Realize How Much Being Near Bella Had Softened Me. It Seemed Like No One Was Afraid Of Me Any More. If Emmett Found Out About This, He Would Be Laughing For The Next Century.

I Was An Empty Shell. Like A Vacant House―condemned―for Months I'd Been Utterly Uninhabitable. Now I Was A Little Improved. The Front Room Was In Better Repair. But That Was All―just The One Small Piece. He Deserved Better Than That―better Than A One-room, Falling-down Fixer-upper. No Amount Of Investment On His Part Could Put Me Back In Working Order.

I Tried To Remember How To Exhale. I Had To Look Away Before It Came Back To Me.