I guess she was just as taken as he was.

Sheesh, even Seth’s back story is interesting. Things can go wrong at any moment in a way we’d never expect. It’s heartwarming to see him get another chance.

Sounds like what Bella would do herself:
‘I'd argued with him over it, insisted he come a little later, but in his subtle way he'd ended the conversation with a nod of acquiescence and simply showed up at the same time the next day.’

Sniffle: ‘I had too much of the future to worry on, to plan and work through, to let the gnawing anxiety over Edward bug me for too long. I pushed him aside during the daylight hours, only to bring him out like my favorite book in the late evenings when I was completely exhausted but unable to sleep.’
And yet a smile: ‘His face was etched in my memory, and I could sigh over his handsomeness whenever I wanted.’

Practical, as always:
‘I was living the life I thought I would live after my husband passed away, and I couldn't complain about that. Fond memories were just that, memories. I wouldn't disrupt my life over memories of the best summer of my life.’

What a wonderful reunion! I wonder, though, why he didn’t call her first. Was it a sudden decision?

Sweet: ‘I looked up into his eyes, saw the love I'd never allowed myself to witness before, and grinned.’
Not that it hadn't been there, just that she didn’t let herself see it.

Wonderfully described “full of stumbling” trip from the porch to the bedroom. Favorite bits:
‘I loved when he talked dirty, and it was only when I was touching him that I saw that side of him.’
‘I would just jump him in my kitchen, but I had pies and jars sitting around that I didn't want to ruin.’
Those products represent a whole lot of work, and income!

Perfect: ‘… I held him so tightly to me that I wasn't able to breathe fully. ... Pleasure that not even an hour ago would I have ever expected to experience again hit me hard, and I cried out against his shoulder.’

Excellent:
"I'm staying," he declared with defiance as he stared at me intently.
"Please do. I'd hate to think you travelled all this way to hit it and quit it."
Maybe the defiance was left over from his conversation with his parents. Or maybe he was just making his choice clear.

Yes! ‘Edward was here to stay, and anything other than that could be worked out later.’

I’m so glad you didn’t drag it out!

Great story. Thank you for sharing it. Good luck with Twifanc.

Ahhh seriously loved this! The twins are perfect! I love that they are identical! Lol and the trick scene was so hot! I love Edward and Bella as older parents!

Thanks so much for this chapter. I put off reading it until now because I figured it might be the last one. Edward was just precious in this one and so was Bella and his little girl who is all grown up. Twenty-two is young to get married I think and I’m surprised Edward or Bella didn’t tell Addie that when she said she wasn’t sure if she was ready to leave home. Oh well. I’m sure they will all be happy and unlike Edward who lives far away from his parents sounds like Addie and Amy will be living close by and frequent house guests too. They are all very lucky that’s for sure. Thanks for this sweet story.

Oh hell, I knew this chapter was coming. Like watching a car wreck, I didn’t want to see it but couldn’t look away.

Hooray, at least she’s out from under the debts her late unlamented husband ran up. Now the farm is truly all hers.

Loved the blow job in the stable. ‘It made me happy to feel so light, like I could float away with a slight breeze.’
Not to mention how good HE felt! Fun speculation about that thing he did last night and how soon he can do it again.

Good for Jess for insisting they pay for Bella’s preserves. She must have known Bella would try to give it away. You know, I’d probably like “frog jam” if someone gave me some to taste without telling me what’s in it. The rest of the ingredients sound yummy, but figs – yuck.

He’s happy that she’ll be able to hire someone: "You never have to be alone again."
But while she may never have to run the farm alone again, that’s a far cry from never feeling alone again.

‘I felt the way his shoulders shook lightly as he cried, and my heart broke for the millionth time.’
It’s so hard to see HIM lose it.

And then somehow this is so touching, when she calls out for him during their lovmaking:
"I'm here, Bella."
So simple, yet so profound. And so fleeting.

Well said, about that last week: ‘Time went by in lurches and bumps.’
I’m glad they had this: ‘The need to be near each other meant nothing was being accomplished except the very necessities. We talked instead…’

This speech was wonderful: ‘I realized there were things I needed to tell him before he went.’ Telling him exactly what his presence had meant to her, without putting any pressure on him to change his plans.

Smile: in her eyes ‘I hoped he saw love, admiration, and respect.’

I think your scene of his walking away from the porch and getting in the taxi was perfect. “Nothing was said”, because what words could possibly express that moment?

That was an amazing story. Thank you for sharing it with us :)

Thank you for this story. It was wonderful to see Bella blossom and grow under the influence of Edward's love and respect. To see the life come back into her life and the ranch after being under the thumb of Mr. Swan. (Though it took me awhile to get over thatone. Charlie is too obtained as her Dad. Even f you didn't give him a first name that I can remember).
When she cried to Edward about Carlisle's treatment my heart broke for her. Glad he came around in the end and redeemed himself with the twins.

A simply sweet wedding. It was just lovely.

I can see why you wanted to give the harvest its own chapter. I could so easily picture the three combines and the truck working together like a dance, having grown up in farm country myself. One of my favorite things looking out an airplane window is to see the patterns made by plowing/harvesting.

Nice:
‘It had always thrilled me to see what my land could produce, the fertile way she exploded with whatever I planted in her soil. … It made me proud of the generations of Higginbothams that owned this land and cared for it, and the fact that it was still mine…’

And later: ‘I loved [the farm] with a sickness, a possession that would be unhealthy if aimed at a person.’
It runs so deep in her. This is jumping ahead quite a bit, but I like that it never seemed to occur to Edward to try to convince her to come live in the city with him. He got it.

Interesting: ‘The biggest thing about harvesting any crop, besides the physical, is the amount of time available to think.’
Yes, it must allow for wonderful mindfulness. Not surprising that what was uppermost in her thoughts was life after Edward’s departure.

Yeah, thanks for this image:
‘I stopped in my tracks when Edward came around the corner of the barn. He'd removed his shirt, and his glistening skin was coated in a thin layer of dust from the wheat. I swallowed a suddenly parched throat and looked away before anyone noticed. The sight was etched into my brain; his bare skin was sun-kissed and sweaty, the definition in his muscles so very apparent.’
No wonder she went off to eat her lunch by herself. She seriously needed to cool off before she did something to reveal their true relationship!

What a contrast to the days/months/years of her marriage: ‘My home was full in a way I couldn't recall it ever being before…’

This is very generous of her: Edward ‘was the first to offer to help in any situation, and that eagerness to share the burden would serve him well as he worked toward his future goals.’
Ouch:
‘It was those qualities that I admired in him that would take him from me and damn me to a life of loneliness. … I was but a blip on the radar of his life.’

I don’t recall you mentioning later on how Bella helped out with other families’ harvests, but it’s easy to imagine her doing what she could for each family, strengthening ties.

Lovely

Thanks for sharing this with us.

Aww, he did good there. It’s so difficult with girls when they are growing into women and boyfriends / interested guys are on the scene. Unfortunately she seems to attract guys who have little respect for women, but fortunately she has more respect for herself to get involved in that..at least for now. I didn’t have such a hard time with it for my son when he was young and sexually active...I even bought him condoms. I’m not looking forward to that with my daughter even though we are very open with each other. So sad it’s done, lol. Debbie

Scary as in a mafia kind scary or a ghost kind scary?

Awww, this was sweet!