U Epilogue
New Hampshire
If I had been given the chance to choose a gift, I probably would have picked being able to skip the whole Newborn phase. So this Self-control Shield thing was working out pretty well. I was honest to Edward on our honeymoon when I had said that I would have liked to gone to college for a few months. He could see that when I let him into my head some nights. So I guess I wasn't particularly surprised when he brought up Dartmouth just a month after the whole Volturi thing. Jasper believed that I could handle being around humans and my eyes had turned gold rather quickly. Edward and Carlisle seem to think it's due to my self control and the fact that I've never drank a humans blood, ever. But when Edward had brought up college initially, I wish I could have been inside his head to see what he was thinking. I mean we have Nessie and the whole Jacob imprinting on her thing. Not to mention Charlie.
"It's ok love. I think we can work this out." Edward said to me as I stared at him blankly after retiring to our quaint cottage.
"What about Nessie? Charlie? And you know Jacob won't let us go anywhere without him!"
"I've been thinking about this for some time. It could work."
"I don't see how." I honestly could not see it happening. "We can't just leave Jacob even If we did want to go." As much as the whole college idea was sounding rather appealing, the separation between Nessie and Jacob was impossible. Stupid Imprinting.
It's like Edward could read my mind even without me removing my shield. He was as attuned to me as I was him, most times, but right now, I couldn't see where he was going with this.
"Bella, love, listen for a minute." He grabbed my hands in his and lifted them to his chest. Dammit. He's dazzling me again.
"Oh k-kay..." I stuttered.
"We already have a place in New Hampshire, right on the edge of the woods. It's a rather large block of land, so we don't have to worry about neighbours." Of course it was large. No surprise there. "We could take night classes together because the weather is not like it is here. During the day, we could home school Nessie." Renesmee wouldn't fit in at any school yet because she grows at such an alaming rate. We'd have to wait until it slowed before she could go to school. But what about Jake?
"But Jaco..." I started to say.
"Love, I haven't forgotten. Let me finish." He quickly cut me off. "I know Jacob is still at school and I know how much you want him to still try and have a normal life. Jacob could go to school during the day while we are with Nessie, then he can come home to her in the afternoons and stay with her through the nights."
Okay, so he had thought this through, kind of.
"What about Billy and Charlie and Alice and ..." I started to sound a bit hysterical. Edward dropped my hands and brought his beautiful marble warm hands up to hold my face.
"Sure we have to talk to Jacob and Billy about this first before anything is planned. And we can visit Charlie whenever you want to. We can fly him to New Hampshire too. I'm sure he would be slightly relieved to see you go on about life in a normal way."
"Alice and the rest of your family?" I added hesitantly
"Well Bella dear, the Cullen's have out grown their stay in forks. If we stay any longer, people may begin to wonder why we never look like we are ageing." He had a point. "Carlisle is more than happy for night shifts at the hospital, Esme can't wait to work on the gardens at the house, and Alice and Jasper are looking into some night courses as well." Wow. Okay so it all started to make sense. I had to give it to him.
"Rosalie though? And Emmett?" Rose was a part of my life now after Nessie. The compassion was still there, even months after the birth. It was good to able to call her my sister.
"Rosalie and Emmett wouldn't mind travelling again. They are thinking Barbuda this time. Although Rose does want to stop in every month or so see Renesmee."
I just stared at Edward. My Edward. He truly was amazing. He had thought everything through. He has considered every aspect of this plan. Surely I had to be the luckiest person alive. Well technically that statement doesn't make sense, but you get it. He was mine, forever.
"One problem." He looked at me baffled. His beautiful features crumpled in confusion. I lifted my hand to his perfect face to stroke away the creases. "What am I going to study?"
His hands dropped from my face to my waist as he began to chuckle.
I broke from his embrace and slumped onto the bed. He swiftly followed after me and scooped me up onto his lap. He looked at me with such love in his eyes.
"My darling Bella. We have eternity and forever after that. You can study as many things as you desire."
He was right in saying that, but I really only wanted to study one thing.
I looked down into my lap. "I'd rather just study you."
He lifted my chin with his gentle and warm hand.
"I love you." he said gazing deeply into my eyes.
"As I do you."