“If you can come up with more I’ll be amazed.” I muttered.

“Walk with me.” She requested, throwing a knowing glance at the bedroom window where Edward was no doubt listening to our conversation.

The fact that she wanted to have a conversation with me away from Edward’s ears intrigued me into a silent agreement. I cooperatively paced her as she set off across the yard towards the farthest corner and then even into the cover of the trees. There was a well maintained nature trail through the tree’s and we followed it in silence for a long while. There was the ever present distinct sound of birds and crickets mixed with the soft whisper of the wind through the trees that remained un-broken by our silent footsteps.

“Bella,” She finally spoke again… “Do you want to know why I am so grateful for you?”

“I want to know what reason you think you have to be grateful for me, yes.” I nuancially rephrased her wording to fit my expectations and prepare for my pending argument.

“You didn’t know Edward like I did. The only Edward you know is the Edward that we were introduced to after you came into the picture, which is a good thing.”

I frowned in confusion. Was she saying that she didn’t like Edward before?

“I have always loved Edward as a son, from the moment that I came into this family.” She continued, “But he wasn’t always so personable. He used to be a hermit, if you will. He would leave for long periods of time and he wouldn’t talk to anyone about how he felt. He was lonely and angry and he didn’t want to exist. He was afraid of the future, and afraid of being alone. He was the loner, not by default, but by choice. He had no one and he was more depressed than I could have ever imagined possible. Bella, I don’t think I saw him smile once before you…..” She trailed off. The memory of her sons previous mental state was obviously a painful one. When she spoke again, a new pain and raw emotion was present in her voice. Her brow drew together like she was trying to keep back the tears that she was unable to produce and her voice cracked with the effort. “Bella, you saved him. You don’t understand how positively you have impacted us all. You brought Edward back to life, in a way. I used to feel awful because I regarded myself as being responsible for his loneliness. I felt that if it weren’t for me, he would still have Carlisle. You were the missing piece of our family, Bella. You completed us.” We had stopped walking by this point and she was avoiding making eye contact, addressing the surrounding foliage with her words instead of me.