Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, names and ideas belong solely to Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight Saga. I Own the plot and storyline. Unauthorized reproduction of these works under the name HeatherSwanCullen or any other is to be considered theft.
A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge. -Thomas Carlyle
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I felt the soft cool breeze blow across my cheekbones and along with it my senses were warned of the approach of two vampires. I inhaled deeply, smelling the sweet scents of sunshine and freesia, growing stronger as my parents drew nearer. I listened closely for the noise of soft footsteps as they approached at a human pace.
Fully aware of their impending arrival, I did not change my posture. I lay on the sweet, lush, springtime grass with my eyes closed and my hands serving as a pillow beneath my head. My knees were bent and my bare feet rested in the grass, absorbing the feel of the fresh dew in the morning.
I let my mind wander again, drifting to memories and dreams randomly passing through my conscious mind. I remembered what my mother looked like as a human, the fascination I first felt when I saw flowers, my first kiss. My mind lingered on that one. The cool caress of his lips on mine, the sweet taste of his breath in my mouth.
I sat up abruptly as I heard the footsteps grow nearer; flushing slightly at the knowledge that my father knew exactly which memory I chose to dwell on. Pushing it out of my mind I smoothed my unruly bronze curls and crossed my legs in front of me.
I looked up to see my parents walk towards me, with an ethereal aura, and such grace, like they were floating. They moved to sit in front of me, mimicking my posture with their hands intertwined between them. Gentling drifting to the ground, they sat silently with me, looking in my eyes, but not saying a word.
I smiled slightly as I saw their gaze drift to my left hand, but they must have known it was coming. My intended would not have proposed without the permission of my father. He is an honorable gentleman, and respects the wishes of my family. But when your girlfriend's family is full of vampires, it would be best to respect them.
My gaze followed the direction of theirs and I looked at my ring. Even though I had every detail cemented into my brain, I studied it again, marveling at the beauty. I looked at the large, flawless diamond, encrusted into a silver band set with smaller diamonds. It was expensive, to be sure. Even though that was not a big deal for my family, at one time it would have been for my fiancée. He has worked hard for his position in life, and I know he will continue to work hard for a good future for us together.
I looked back into the faces of my parent's as their eyes lifted to meet mine. My mother's lips slowly curved upwards into a joyous grin, but I was troubled when my father's did not mimic hers. He had a wary look in his eyes and his posture was stiff with worry.
"Daddy, what's wrong?" I questioned quietly.
"I waited one hundred and nineteen years to get married; you are only eighteen. There is no need to rush, you have an eternity, darling." He replied without hesitation.
"Edward", my mother cut in, "you gave him permission, and Renesmee said yes."
"Oh, daddy. It is because of him that I begin to understand what love must be, if it exists. When we are parted, I feel the lack of the other half of myself. We are incomplete like a book in two volumes of which the first has been lost. That is what I know love to be: incompleteness in absence." I assured him.
"Nessie, a parent's treasure is their daughter, and you, darling, are a treasure that kings would fight for. Remember this always, I love you greatly, and always will. No man will ever be good enough to claim my treasure as his own." My dad warned me.
"But I love him, isn't that good enough. I love the way he smiles, the way he fidgets when he's nervous, the way he holds my hand when he has something important to say. I love the way he looks in my eyes when we are talking, I love the way he loves me unconditionally." I said tenderly.
My father's expression softened and he smiled slightly. "I'm sorry. This is hard for me, and I worry every moment of every day whether or not you have made the right choice. I don't want him to break my baby's heart."
"I haven't chosen carelessly, I promise. He takes good care of me." I solemnly vowed.
"I know, honey, it is just hard to let our baby go." My mom explained. "Edward, let's go to the cottage, I don't want to be anywhere near the house once Alice finds out."
"Yes, Isabella, let's go." He replied tenderly.
XXXXXXX
I timidly opened the massive oak door, and slowly entered the house. Shutting the door behind me I looked in to see my family participating in their daily weekend activities. Alice was dedicatedly working on her computer, toying with new designs for her fashion line coming out this fall. I cringed at the thought of her reaction to my news, as it would be a big surprise to her, and she was rarely surprised. I almost regretted the fact that she could not see for me, as it placed me in an uncomfortable situation. I contemplated sneaking upstairs and past Alice when she called my name. I approached her as she began to inform me.
"Come look at this idea I had for some slacks, aren't the buttons darling? These would go so well with…" She began before cutting her comment off with a massive squeal. "OH MY GOD, NESSIE!"
Caught unaware, Emmett dropped his Xbox controller, disrupting his game of Mario Kart, and rushed to Alice seeking the danger. Rose appeared inside from the garage with a small oil smudge gracing her perfectly manicured hand, a telltale sign that she was also caught by surprise and careless in her haste. Carlisle and Esme appeared instantly from upstairs and Jasper rushed to Alice's side, determined to protect her from any and all harm. The reactions of my family were understandable, though extreme. Alice was never caught by surprise, and a surprised shriek from Alice was usually something to fear. They each held a protective crouch for a very short moment, before exchanging them with confused expressions in regards to the source of the danger.
Alice's squeal soon proved to be one of excitement, as she smiled and sprung over to where I was still standing. Embracing me in a congratulatory hug she lifted my hand to inspect the ring. Everyone's eyes widened slightly as they realized the nature of my news
"OOH, NESSIE! IT'S BEAUTIFUL! What took you so long to tell me the news? I am so excited to plan your wedding! I do get to plan it, right? I have just the dress in mind, and must order it soon. We need to come up with color themes, and what flowers? The venue, the house is too small for the amount of people I have in mind, where should it be… Should we fly them all somewhere?" Alice rambled excessively, and not allowing me to get a word in edgewise. "Congratulations Nessie, but I have so many ideas and need to get started right away, tell me all about it soon!" With that she disappeared upstairs to begin preliminary planning for my wedding.
Carlisle and Esme soon occupied my attention and congratulated me sweetly, as grandparents do their granddaughters. Their eyes were alight, sharing the joy in my moment with me before Esme retreated upstairs with the excuse to rein Alice in, though I feared she would only help with the wasting of a small fortune.
Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were the next to offer their congratulations as they took turns hugging me and approving of my ring.
"I bet Edward was thrilled at this news!" Emmett Joked.
Jasper chucked and commented, "I bet he is hunting down the guy that stole his baby's heart right now."
Rosalie rolled her eyes at the antics of my uncles and linked arms with me, leading me to sit on the couch before indulging. "How did he propose, Nessie, what did he do?" She asked, her eyes alight.
I sighed lightly before recounting the events of the previous evening.
XXXXXXX
We had plans for dinner. He picked me up at five thirty, promptly. I thought he was taking me to a little Italian restaurant about an hour away. When he headed in the other direction, you can imagine my surprise. We ended up in the middle of nowhere, at least nowhere I recognized. He parked his car on the shoulder of the highway and opened the door for me, taking me by the hand and leading me out of the car. The weather was chilly, but no competition to the heat of my skin.
We walked into the thick woods, the darkness putting a haze on my vision. The walk felt long, at least a couple of miles, and not very comfortable in high heels, but with his hand in mine it was more than bearable. We walked in silence mostly, occasionally glancing at the other but feeling no need to rush. We eventually reached a small clearing in the woods, lit up by moonlight and candlelight. The tea candles were scattered throughout the clearing, leaving a bare path to the table, there were hundreds of them. There was a carpet of green grass on the ground, lush and healthy. On the edge of the clearing there was what looked like a pond, but turned out to be a natural hot spring, heating the clearing as the breeze blew across it. There was a small, low table set up with what looked to be a delicious meal on it. There was a bottle of champagne in the ice bucket chilling and the table was set with the finest china. There were rose pedals scattered about the table, red and white. The clearing looked magical, and my breath caught in my throat.
I looked to the face of the man who knew me better than I knew myself, the one who created my utopia, and knew without a doubt that I was hopelessly in love. He carried my heart, and I prayed dearly that he would treat it with care. He gazed back into my eyes tenderly and took my hand, leading me in a dance to the music of the wind blowing through the grass. He tenderly and gently pressed his soft lips to mine before ceasing the dance and leading me to take a seat on the silk cushion beside the table. My eyes widened at the sight of the food. There were copious amounts of food, extremely rare roast beef, which looked so tender; my mouth immediately began to water. The mashed potatoes were light and fluffy with a slight hint of garlic to them, but what really caught my attention was the dessert. Tall creamy slices of cheesecake topped with blood-red scoops of strawberries, they looked sweet and succulent.
He poured us each a glass of champagne, and following a slight clink, passed me mine. I took the first sip and noticed a slight taint in the taste, there was the slightest metallic flavor. I looked into the side of the clear champagne flute and my eyes widened at what I saw inside. Pouring the contents of the glass out and onto the grass, I caught a small ring. Upon further inspection I realized it was a cheap ring one would find in a cereal box or at a dentist's office. My face immediately drooped and I looked to the place for an explanation, but immediately my date was kneeling by my side and holding open a black velvet box, and nestled inside was a beautiful diamond ring.
I jumped up and kissed him with all my might, a silent conversation conveying my acceptance.
XXXXXXX
I blushed slightly, at the memory that was created the night before. I opted to end my tale there, choosing not to retell the continuing events of the night, and the later use of the hot springs.
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Rosalie breathed.
"He did well, Nessie, you can tell a lot about a man by how he proposes." Jasper approved.
"And you can tell this one is a romantic sap." Emmett continued.
Rose shot him a death glare and responded, "Now the bar is set a little higher, Em, you would do well to ask him for some advice."
Emmett gulped theatrically and before I could respond with a comment of my own, the musky, woodsy, cinnamon like scent of my love wafted towards me and I bolted towards the door to greet him.
Author's Note: So, what do you think? Please leave some feedback, positive or otherwise. I apologize in advance for mistakes, as this is un-betaed.
I can also make no guarantee as to the regularity of the chapter updates, as I am a full time student and I work part time, but I can be easily motivated.
Let me know what you would like to see, as this is being written just for you.
HeatherSwanCullen
Ps- Who do you think her fiancée is?