The Best Man
Chapter 1
A/N – Thanks to all my readers for your great feedback on my stories. School is out, and that means it's time for a new one! Hope you enjoy it. Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just make them wedding guests.
Bella grabbed her beige strappy sandals out of the suitcase before pulling the zipper closed. She held them up to make sure they matched the delicate lace overlay on her new dress, not that she could do anything about it now. She hopped on one foot as she pulled the strap around her heel, then straightened up and twisted around to look at herself in the mirror.
"Alice, does this look okay?"
Alice bumped her hip on the sink and grimaced, trying to overlook the fact that they were getting dressed in a hotel bathroom. "I picked the dress, and I picked the shoes, Bella. Of course you look wonderful." She pushed Bella out of the way with her elbow and studied her own reflection. "I, on the other hand, look as good as can be expected for someone getting dressed without the appropriate resources."
Bella sighed at her pixie-sized best friend. "It is not my fault that the flight was delayed. It is not my fault there were no cabs. It's not my fault that we arrived here fifteen minutes before Rosalie's wedding. And it is certainly not my fault that we are getting dressed in this bathroom because we don't have time to check into our hotel, which happens to be three very long blocks away."
Alice sprayed them both with a cloud of hair spray. "There. We at least look presentable." She twirled, and looked in the mirror again. "Actually, we look fabulous. Zip the suitcases, and let's go."
"Okay, ready" said Bella, coughing from the hair spray. She pulled both suitcases behind her as Alice held the door. They went to the bellhop and arranged to leave their bags until after the wedding. ""Thanks" said Bella. "Which way is the ballroom?"
He pointed to a hallway on the other side of the lobby, where a small crowd of well-dressed people were hovering.
"Do you see anyone we know?" Alice stood on her tip-toes, which still didn't make her very tall despite the four inch heels.
"I don't" Bella replied, trying to stay upright while she shuffled across the floor in her own high heels. "But there are over two hundred people coming. We're only going to know a handful." She struggled to keep up with Alice. The girl could move. "Can you slow down just a little?"
"No Bella, we can't slow down. The wedding is in five minutes."
Bella stopped in front of a gold sign with elegant script. "Crystal Ballroom. That sounds like Rosalie." She accepted a program from a cute little girl in an overly bright pink dress. "Thank you, sweetheart." A good looking guy in a light gray tuxedo with a pink vest and pink tie approached her.
"Which side?" He held out his arm. "Bride or groom?"
"Bride" Bella replied, slipping her hand around his arm. "Definitely the bride. We haven't actually met the groom yet."
"We're college friends of the bride" Alice chirped. "And we are so excited for this wedding."
He grinned and offered his other arm. "They're just about ready to start, so how about if I escort both of you at once?"
"Deal" said Alice. She winked at the handsome usher and Bella rolled her eyes.
Row upon row of chairs filled the ballroom. Bella took in the hot pink flowers tied with purple ribbon on the end of each row and along the edge of a platform which she guessed was where the ceremony would take place.
The usher showed them to two chairs on the aisle on the bride's side. "I hope I'll see both you beautiful ladies at the reception" he said, before heading back down the aisle.
"Hot pink and purple?" Bella whispered to Alice. "Do you remember Rosalie saying anything about hot pink?"
"It's not exactly her usual style" said Alice. "She's usually more…understated." She looked around the room. "It's kind of pretty, in an over the top sort of way."
"It looks like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol exploded."
Alice nearly choked. She smacked Bella's arm. "Shut up, they're starting."
A handsome man with dark hair and blue eyes came out of a side door, and walked to the front of the platform. His tuxedo was the same light gray as the ushers, but cut in a different style.
"That must be the groom. Emmett, right?" Bella leaned toward Alice to get a better view. He was tall and thin and looked a little nervous.
"I thought she said Emmett was kind of muscular" said Alice.
Bella shrugged. "I thought so too. Isn't he some kind of personal trainer? Maybe…" She stopped mid-sentence and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the man standing next to the groom. He was just as tall, but a little more filled out. Kind of deliciously filled out, thought Bella. He had beautiful reddish brown hair with just the tiniest bit of curl. When he turned to face the crowd, he flashed a grin that was full of mischief. Three other groomsmen followed, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. She whispered in Alice's ear. "Now, that's my idea of a best man."
Alice slapped her hand over her mouth to keep a giggle from escaping. "Bella Swan!"
They both turned when they heard the music start. A flower girl in hot pink made her way down the aisle, followed by a three bridesmaids.
"I don't know if I can take any more hot pink" said Alice. "Oh look, at least the maid of honor has purple flowers."
Bella squinted. "Isn't Rosalie's cousin Angela supposed to be the maid of honor? Angela has brown hair, not blonde."
"That's definitely not Angela" Alice replied. "Check the program."
Bella looked at the program the little flower girl had given her. "This says the maid of honor is Jessica Stanley."
"I don't know who that is" said Alice. "Do you remember Rosalie ever mentioning anyone by that name?"
Bella read a bit more. "It says she's Tanya's cousin. Who's Tanya?"
"Oh no" said Alice. She nodded at the bride, who stood in the back on the room on the arm of an older man, obviously her father. "I have a feeling that's Tanya."
Bella grabbed the program from her chair. "Tanya and Embry?" Her eyes went wide. "Alice, we're at the wrong wedding!" She pulled the invitation out of her purse. "But…this is the right hotel. We have to be in the right place. Twilight Ballroom, right?"
"No, this is the Crystal Ballroom" Alice hissed. "How are we going to get out of here?"
The wedding march sounded and everyone stood. Both girls turned to the side, desperate to escape. Twenty people stood between them and the other end of the row. So much for that idea. There was no way they could get out of the room except by walking back down the aisle.
"We aren't" said Bella. "Just stand up and smile, and hope they have a really short ceremony."
Forty-five minutes later, they were still there, listening to the minister droning on and on about the meaning of love. Even Bella, a hopeless romantic, was getting a little sick of it. When he announced that the bride was going to sing a song to her groom, Bella knew that was it.
"Alice, we have to get out of here now. Quick, while everyone is looking at the bride." They waited till the bride started her off key song. As gracefully as they could manage, they tiptoed down the aisle.
Bella's only regret about sneaking out was leaving the gorgeous best man. There was just something about him, something more than his good looks. Without ever speaking to him, she was sure he was charming. She could see it in his smile, in the way he whispered encouragement in the groom's ear.
She took a quick look back toward the front of the room and found, to her surprise, that he was looking at her. He smiled that heavenly smile and held a finger to his lips as if to tell her to be quiet. Then he winked. Bella nearly tripped and gave them away. Alice grabbed her wrist and hustled her out of the room.
Standing on the make-shift altar, best man Edward Cullen couldn't help but chuckle. He'd spotted the beautiful brunette almost as soon as he walked in the room. Too bad she wasn't sticking around. He couldn't blame her. If he had a way out of this hot pink hell he'd take it too. With a sigh for the lost opportunity to meet the girl who'd taken his breath away, he discretely checked his watch and turned his attention back to Tanya and Embry.
