Eclipse (Twilight, #3)

by Stephenie Meyer

“You two are more serious than I’d been thinking,” she went on. I frowned, quickly reviewing the last two days in my head. Edward and I had barely touched—in front of her, at least. I wondered if Renée was about to give me a lecture on responsibility, too. I didn’t mind that the way I had with Charlie. It wasn’t embarrassing with my mom. After all, I’d been the one giving her that lecture time and time again in the last ten years. “There’s something… strange about the way you two are together,” she murmured, her forehead creasing over her troubled eyes. “The way he watches you—it’s so… protective. Like he’s about to throw himself in front of a bullet to save you or something.” I laughed, though I was still not able to meet her gaze. “That’s a bad thing?” “No.” She frowned as she struggled for the words. “It’s just different. He’s very intense about you… and very careful. I feel like I don’t really understand your relationship. Like there’s some secret I’m missing.…” “I think you’re imagining things, Mom,” I said quickly, struggling to keep my voice light. There was a flutter in my stomach. I’d forgotten how much my mother saw. Something about her simple view of the world cut through all the distractions and pierced right to the truth of things. This had never been a problem before. Until now, there had never been a secret I couldn’t tell her. “It’s not just him.” She set her lips defensively. “I wish you could see how you move around him.” “What do you mean?” “The way you ...