分节阅读_124

  ords.
  ”i'm never angry with you — how could i be? brave, trusting… warm as you
  are.”
  ”then why?” i whispered, remembering the black moods that pulled him away
  from me, that i'd alreted as well-justified frustration —
  frustration at my weakness, my slowness, my unruly humaions…
  he put his hands carefully on both sides of my fafuriate
  myself,” he said gently. ”the way i 't seem to keep from putting you
  in danger. my very existes you at risk. sometimes i truly hate
  myself. i should be stronger, i should be able to —”
  i plad over his mouth. ”don't.”
  he took my hand, moving it from his lips, but holding it to his face.
  ”i love you,” he said. ”it's a poor excuse for what i'm doing, but it's
  still true.”
  it was the first time he'd said he loved me — in so many words. he might
  , but i ly did.
  ”o behave yourself,” he ued, ao softly
  brush his lips against mine.
  i held properly still. then i sighed.
  ”you promised that you would have me home early, remember?
  we'd better get going.”
  ”yes, ma'am.”
  he smiled wistfully and released all of me but one hand. he led me a few
  feet through the tall, wet ferns and draping moss, around a massive
  hemlock tree, ahere, on the edge of an enormous open field in
  the lap of the olympic peaks. it was twice the size of any baseball
  stadium.
  i could see the others all there; esme, emmett, aing on a
  bare of rock, were the aybe a hundred yards
  away. much farther out i could see jasper a least a quarter
  of a mile apart, appearing to throw something bad forth, but i never
  saw any ball. it looked like carlisle was marki could they
  really be that far apart?
  wheo view, the three on the rocks rose.
  esme started toward us. emmett foll look at rosalie's
  back; rosalie had risen grad strode off toward the field
  without a glan our direy stomach quivered uneasily in
  response.
  ”was that you we heard, edward?” esme asked as she approached.
  ”it sounded like a bear mett clarified.
  i smiled hesitahat was him.”
  ”bella was beiionally funny,” edlained, quickly
  settling the score.
  alice had left her position and was running, , toward us. she
  hurtled to a fluid stop at our feet. ”it's time,” she announced.
  as soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thuhe forest beyond
  us, and then.
  ”eerie, isn't it?” emmett said with easy familiarity, winking at me.
  ”let's go.” alice reaett's haed toward the
  oversized field; she ran like a gazelle. he was nearly as grad
  just as fast — yet emmett ever be pared to a gazelle.
  ”are you ready for some ball?” edward asked, his eyes eager, bright.
  i tried to sound appropriately enthusiasti!”
  he snid, after mussing my hair, bouer the other two.
  his run was mressive, a cheetah rather than a gazelle, and he
  quickly overtook them. the grad power took my breath away.
  ”shall we go down?” esme asked i, melodic void i realized
  i eer him. i quickly reassembled my expression
  and a few feet between us, and i wondered if she was
  still beihteched her stride to mine
  without seemihe pace.
  ”you don't play with them?” i asked shyly.
  ”o referee — i like keepi,” she explained.
  ”do they like to cheat, then?”
  ”oh yes — you shumeo! actually, i hope
  you don't, you would think they were raised by a pack of wolves.”
  ”you sound like my mom,” i laughed, surprised.
  she laughed, too. ”well, i do think of them as my in most ways.
  i never could get over my m instincts — did edward tell