I was in Edward's room, lounging on the sofa. Edward himself was downstairs, fighting off the crowd of Cullens. Jasper and Emmett were just complimenting him on the kiss when he threw the door open.

If Edward could blush, I'm sure he would have.

He hit the 'play' button on his super-high-tech CD player, and glided to my side. Before I could so do much as sit up to make more room on the couch for him, he'd scooped me up with both arms (really only needing one), sliding under me, placing me in his lap.

"Why didn't you react this way last time?" He asked in a playfully exasperated voice.

I shrugged.

What did it matter? I really only wanted one question answered… How did he plan on asking me? Surely that wasn't a setup.

He moaned. "I will never get used to not hearing your thoughts. But I'm sorry, and so is Alice. Overexcited, you know. It wasn't supposed to be like this." He rubbed my arm apologetically.

"How was it supposed to go, then?" I tucked my head happily into his cold neck, happily.

"Well, I would just have made the final preparations with Alice now. Then, we were going to the meadow. Our meadow. We had the whole clearing lined with little Christmas lights. We also had a stereo up there, we put in a copy of the CD I made for your last birthday"-I gulped just remembering that fateful day-"in there." He played idly with the square ring on my finger. Small 'x' shaped lights played across his white skin.

The soft-jazz number played on in the background. Then we heard a light knock at the door.

"Come in." Edward spoke with volume no greater than our conversation. "Alice," he clarified for my benefit.

She swept in, looking awkwardly apologetic. "I'm so, so, so, so sorry." I shook my head. She took it for what it meant, and galloped the rest of her way into the room. She perched on the end of Edward's sofa, resting on the armrest.

"So, where are you holding the wedding?" She asked brightly.

My stomach plummeted to somewhere bellow my knees…Wedding?

Edward chuckled and pulled me closer to him, meaning that I lost all sense of insecurity. "Who knows?" He asked Alice sarcastically.

"Oh, fine, here." She predicted.

Uh-oh. "What?" I asked terrified, "I can't walk over the jungle of your front lawn in a wedding gown, and not while everybody is watching!"

Both of them laughed. I swallowed heavily, and then beat the back of my head on Edward's chest. "OUCH!" That would need ice later. Beat me with an ice sculpture, why didn't I?

Edward sighed, placing his palm to the sore part of my head. Instant relief flooded over me.

"Seriously though, I can't see anything beyond that until you decide, so we need plans." Her eyes twinkled. I could tell she was itching to play dress-up with me again, as she had done for prom, nearly one year ago.

"Not tonight, okay?" Edward saved the moment.

Alice's face fell. "Well, it's getting dark, so you should get going." She winked conspicuously at Edward, who glared back.

Edward stood up, and it was a moment before I realized that he was carrying me, cradling me in his arms.

I leaned my head to his shoulder, sighing as I did so. I felt the shaking of his silent laughter through his entire torso.

I heard the door close, meaning that we were alone again.

"I think that if we walk downstairs like this, Jasper and Emmett will never let me live it down. Yeah, lose term by 'live' but they'll never forget it." I reluctantly picked my head up at his words.

He set me on my feet, but never let me go. He twisted his arm around the small of my back, and we walked out of the room.

"Esme wants a word." Edward growled, rolling his eyes.

"I can wait here." I unwrapped my arm from its place around his middle.

"No, Love, she wants a word with you." He chuckled lightly.

At that moment, Esme came around the bend. Ignoring Edward completely, she smiled at me. "Bella, congratulations. This is wonderful! It's just, well, can I steal you for a moment?" If there was any possibility that she could cry, she would have.