Chapter 2

We left after Cate and Rob promised to visit again soon. Esme seemed to find her fascinating and I could understand why. She was the female equivalent of Carlisle. We ran up to the Adirondack Mountains at our leisure. "So tell me," Emmett begged Cate as we entered Long Island.

"Well, she was forever catching the eye of the deaf violinist's son, Matteo. Every time she came to stay with us as she often did, Matteo would bake empanadas just so I'd convince Rosalie to come out and speak to him. When were about eleven we came back from the Strand with my brothers one afternoon and Evan, Carter, and Jack ran ahead. Jack came back going on and on about how Mario's whole house smelled like a bakery."

"Please stop," I had to stifle my laughter. "It's in the past. You know Matteo found a wife. She looks a tiny bit like you, she has blue eyes. But that's it. Her name is Georgiana, she's from Chicago," Rob said. "You may continue," I decided as we made it to the edge of Long Island.

"As I was saying, Mario's house smelled just like my mother's kitchen at Christmas. The smells of cinnamon and sugar were pouring out of every window and crack by the boatload. We didn't walk any faster because Johnny Hamlin had just offered to buy me a strawberry malt at the drugstore and Rose wanted me to accept. Johnny had Chuck the owner make me a dash malt and put it on his tab. I took it and Rose and I shared it as we walked. When we hit the end of the block by Mario's the smells made her dizzy. "What in God's name is that? Is someone making fruitcake?" That's exactly what she said. So Mario came outside with his cane and said "Rosalie, sweetheart please make it stop. If I have to taste one more of that's boy empanadas I will keel over and die of overeating." Rose was shocked or at least she pretended to be but knowing the boys she normally gave a second look to she was actually surprised at his persistence."

I smelt the air and I could faintly catch the scent of Em's favorite animal nearby now that we were in the mountains. From the gleam in his eyes he smelt it too and he went after the behemoth without hesitation. I was curious so I watched Cate as she brought down the first thing that she came across a relatively large jackrabbit. "He doesn't call that cannibalism?" I asked her as we both buried our third kills. "He's never seen me catch one, not even with his gift. He can pull actual memories out of your head. Sort of like your brother's mind reading. I could just tell from the way he regarded me that he could. So I tested it by thinking certain things and looking at his expressions. Then Rob just asked."

"I'm glad to see you two are still so happy," I replied. "I see you've found yourself a good man. I like him, Mom and Dad would too." "He reminds me of Evan, with his infectious laughter," I replied thinking of my uncle. He'd always been an honest man, hardworking, kind-hearted, just like my Emmett. "So did I miss the wedding?" Cate asked. I grinned at her, "You didn't see my band? I'm wearing it for once." "I know I was teasing,I know it was beautiful, I'm sorry we couldn't come."

"If you had I probably would have had Jack walk me down the aisle. I respect Carlisle and I appreciate that he gave me Emmett but I can't say I like him enough to let him give me away."

"Give it time. Let's go see what's keeping them, I'm sure Emmett will want to hear more about Matteo." We found our husbands on the very precipice of a mountain and Emmett was teetering on it like a schoolboy on the playground. "Emmett, please be careful. I can accept that you are indestructible, but the peak you're standing on is not."

"I know Rosie. Did Matteo every shout his love for you from the mountaintops?"

"No and as sweet as that is, it's not very inconspicuous, babe." "I love Rosalie Lillian Hale McCarty Cullen, with every fiber of my being!"Em whispered from where he stood. "That was consciously inconspicuous, Rose," Rob laughed as Emmett jumped off of the peak gracefully and wrapped his arms around me. "I love you," I whispered to him. "With every fiber of my being and then the entire continent of China." He squeezed me tightly as he kissed my hair chastely. He kept an arm around me as we started back, "Did Mario die, that day Cate?" "Matteo got a mouthful from my cousins," I answered Emmett's question. "They threatened to drown him in the Hudson if he didn't stop blatantly flirting with her," Rob added.