A/N - Hey, looky looky!! It's an update! I'm just kinda waiting around to move now, so I'll try to get a couple of chapters up in the next week or so, if I can. I'm very sorry it this is taking a bit long... I know I'd be getting impatient by now if I were reading this. But don't you worry, I'm trying to make myself only write the important bits now. This one's a bit of a longer chapter than I've posted before - hopefully they'll all be like that now.
Please don't forget to review, guys!! I live on your words of love and criticism. And lots of reviews always make me write faster. I want to see if this story can live up to the great review count that I got for my other Twilight fic!! Enjoy!!
When morning rolled around again, it felt like I was settling into another pattern. I woke up, dressed and ate breakfast, by which time Edward was there to drive me to his house, and so started another gruelling day of wedding planning. On the day's agenda – the rehearsal dinner and reception.
Once again, I found myself sitting comfortably in Edward's arms while Alice pelted me with ideas and I tried to accept and deny them as they flew at me. I was surprised at how little I was really required to do. Not long into our planning, Esme joined us.
"How are you all going?" she asked, her sweet voice serene. "I hope Alice hasn't been too hard on you, Bella dear."
I smiled back at Esme and shook my head. "I'm a little surprised, actually," I admitted a little guiltily. "I was fulling expecting Alice to just go way out."
Alice rolled her eyes at my confession, but Esme tinkled a laugh.
"I suppose you would not be surprised if I told you that I've been helping to hold her to her word," she said.
I laughed this time. That would explain why Alice's offerings were always limited to two or three options – Esme was trying to avoid an information overload in my poor little human brain. She was really considerate like that.
"Thanks for that," I said appreciatively.
"Anything I can do to help, dear," she replied. "That reminds me – I was wondering if you would like me to cook for the Rehearsal dinner."
Esme's request surprised me and I looked at Edward before I replied. His equally confused expression wasn't helpful.
"I…. Do you know how to cook?" I asked carefully.
Esme smiled again. "Well, I suppose I haven't cooked anything in a long while now…" she stopped in a thoughtful silence for a moment. "You don't have to say yes if you don't want to, Bella. It just occurred to me that it might be nice to have a bit of a family dinner – it will really only be us and your parents, won't it?"
I nodded, thinking it through, and Alice groaned in disgust. After a moment, Edward groaned too. I looked at their faces in worry, they looked annoyed.
"You're not actually going to ask us to eat the food?" Edward asked distastefully. I smirked in understanding.
"Well, it wouldn't be much of a family dinner if there were only four of us eating, would it?" she demanded, surprisingly sternly. "But, that is only if Bella agrees…"
My smile turned a little malicious, and Alice shook her head with another, almost painful, groan.
"I would love it if you would cook for the rehearsal dinner, Esme," I told her. "Do you need any help learning how too cook again?"
Esme pursed her lips as she gracefully lifted herself from the couch again. After a moment's thought, she nodded her head.
"That might be a good idea, Bella," she replied. "If I could just do a bit of a practice run with you? We'll sort that out later, however. Why don't you kids get back to your planning – you're doing a splendid job."
When she was gone, I was rewarded with petulant looks from both Edward and Alice. A smile came to my face again – this one small thing could definitely make me feel better about the whole marriage. At least I could get one short moment of amusement out of it all.
oOo
Edward and Alice were still a little disgruntled the next afternoon. Alice was unusually quiet as Edward drove us to the movie theatre. I sat in the front seat, feeling extremely awkward. I knew they were trying to make me feel guilty so that I'd tell Esme not to worry about eating at the rehearsal dinner, but the knowledge of the fact didn't make it any easier to deal with. I was very close to giving in.
We reached the cinemas, and Edward moved at human pace to open my door. I smiled at him, kissing him lightly in an effort to cheer him up. A small smile lit his face for a moment, and then he frowned. I instantly knew this frown wasn't in response to anything I'd done and I looked around, to find Mike, Angela and Ben standing at the door. Mike was staring.
I rolled my eyes, tugging on Edward's hand. Alice's mood improved noticeably as we joined my human friends.
"Hey guys!" I greeted them with a small wave. Angela pulled me into a quick hug.
"I missed you, Bella," she said. "We really need to organise some more of that 'girl time' we were talking about the other day."
I chuckled, imagining the boyish tortures she must have been enduring for Ben lately. Alice squealed with excitement.
"We should totally go shopping!" she exclaimed. I suppressed a wince – at least she wasn't acting all depressed now.
Edward had reclaimed my waist as we walked in to join the queue for tickets. Alice and Angela continued their plans for shopping, while Mike and Ben were discussing the reviews on the movie. I leaned into Edward's arm and watched them – trying to imprint their faces into my memory.
"Are you ok?" Edward whispered into my ear when we had bought our tickets and food, and were making our way into the cinema. I sighed quietly and nodded.
"I'm just not looking forward to saying goodbye," I whispered back.
We sat down just as the lights began to dim and the cheesy jingles started to flash along the screen. Edward lifted up the armrest between us so that he could wrap his arm around me and pull me close. I was very aware of Mike in the seat next to me, no doubt watching us.
Soon, the lights turned off completely and the movie began. I rested my head on Edward's chest and curled my legs on the seat, watching in perfect bliss. As we watched the movie, I tried hard not to think about what I would have to do when it was over and we were at the diner. Still, even with Edward occasionally popping Maltesers into my mouth, I managed to get nervous.
The problem was, I didn't know how to break the news. Of course, I couldn't tell them that, for their own safety, they could never see me after I was married, and that made it all the harder. How could I say goodbye without them realising that was what I was saying? I was almost tempted to take Edward up on his offer to scrap all the pretences and just run away. Almost.
When the movie finished, a few people in the theatre clapped. The lights sprang back on as the credits began to scroll and I looked around in bewilderment – I'd barely paid attention at all. We all stood up and headed outside and, though I should have expected it, I was still surprised to find it was dark.
The others chattered excitedly about the movie as we slowly made our way to our cars. Apparently the ending had been particularly shocking, though I hadn't noticed. Edward chuckled when Mike asked for my opinion and I struggled to answer. Thankfully, we reached the Volvo before he had time to notice my lack of reply, and Edward handed me in.
"We'll see you at the diner in a few minutes," Edward said to Mike, closing my door pointedly.
Mike nodded and, giving me a small wave, rushed off to his Suburban. Edward chuckled as he slid into his seat and started the car.
"What's funny?" I asked, just as Alice began to snigger from the back.
Edward chuckled again, waiting until Mike had left the car park before he started to drive. "Mike just decided that he's going to try to beat us to the diner."
He took a corner a little faster than normal. My hands automatically moved to grip my seat. I was going to be so glad when this speed didn't bother me anymore, I thought as we sped through the many side streets between Forks Cinema and the diner we were eating at.
Because of our speed, we made it with plenty of time to spare. Edward parked in a very conspicuous parking spot and waited smugly for Mike to come around the corner with Angela and Ben. His thoughts were obviously bewildered enough to satisfy Edward – he chuckled just as the Suburban came into view of us.
We got out, Alice giggling, and met them at the door. Mike looked perplexed.
"How long were you waiting?" he asked. Edward pretended to shrug it off.
"A couple of minutes."
"But…" Mike looked between Edward's face and the shiny silver Volvo. "But we left before you – and I didn't see you overtake us."
A smile crept onto Edward's beautiful face. I rolled my eyes.
"I took a shortcut," I could hear the laughter he was suppressing in his voice.
Mike gave a humph of defeat and I caught Angela titter quietly behind her hand as we took our seats at a booth. As we waited for someone to take our orders, I shifted uneasily on the sticky linoleum seats. Edward rubbed comforting circles in the small of my back.
Eventually, a perky blonde young woman came to take our orders.
"Hiya! I'm Lucy, and I'll be your server this evening. What can I get y'all?" she asked brightly, her pencil poised over her notepad expectantly.
I was surprised to see that this girl had, in no way, tried to flirt with my exceptionally gorgeous fiancé. Something that I was used to have to deal with everywhere I went with Edward. That was one less worry off my mind for the night, at least.
Ben and Mike quickly rattled off a list of greasy foods that they were going to eat, and Angela followed hesitantly after them. The girl nodded as she scribbled, then turned to Alice.
"And you darl?"
Alice shook her head. "Nothing for me," she said. "I ate enough junk-food at the movies to last me out."
Lucy nodded and moved on to me.
"I'll just have a coke and a small bowl of chips with gravy," I told her.
"Make that a large plate," Edward put in unexpectedly. I frowned up at him, about to object that I really wasn't very hungry when his expression stopped me.
"So that we can share," he explained with an I'll-tell-you-later expression. I shrugged and let it lie – he was the one who'd have to regurgitate it later, not me.
Lucy hurried off with our orders, and soon returned with our drinks. She placed them down on their tray with a cheery "Here y'all are!" I reached across the table to take my tall glass of Coke off her and Angela gave a sudden gasp of surprise.
My eyes flew to her face, to find out what was wrong, and I found her staring at my left hand. I looked down, and quickly realised what she was looking at. In the bright fluorescent lights of the diner, my engagement ring was glittering. I looked back at Angela; her face was still slightly stunned.
The waitress, Lucy, had followed Angela's line of sight and spotted the ring too.
"Oh, that's a pretty little thang!" she exclaimed. I nodded, blushing.
"Thank you."
She seemed to sense the unease in my voice, and she took her leave. "I'll have your food out in a jiffy!"
When she was gone, Angela finally found her voice.
"Bella… i-is that an engagement ring?"
She had composed her expression now, though her tone was still a little shocked. I felt an inaudible laugh rumble in Edward's chest – the three facing us must have been having very amusing thoughts. I sighed. At least this solved my problem of trying to broach the subject myself… though I was a little worried at Angela's reaction. I proceeded with caution.
"Yes," I replied, trying hard to keep my voice calm. "Edward proposed to me last Wednesday."
I couldn't help but notice Edward's ecstatic smile as I said this, and my own answering smile crept onto my face before I knew it was coming. Angela, Ben and Mike stared at me expectantly.
"I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner," I continued quickly. "I didn't know how to tell you… and I was worried about how you might react…"
I trailed off as Angela suddenly laughed. The smile on her face was natural and it warmed my heart.
"Oh, Bella – that's fantastic!" she said, her eyes twinkling. She reached out her hand to take mine. "Can I look at it?"
I let her twist my hand as she admired the ring Edward had given me. Ben bent over to examine it too, but Mike still looked like he'd seen a ghost. He sort of reminded me of Jacob – how could he possibly have been still hoping that I was going to leave Edward? I stopped the train of thought before I could get depressed.
"Wow, Bella it's so beautiful," Angela complemented. "It looks really old, where did you get it Edward?"
Edward's smile was still broad, and the truthfulness of his answer caught me a little off guard.
"It's the ring my father gave to my mother when he proposed," he explained. "It's been passed down through my family for a few generations now, and I inherited it when they died."
Angela and Ben nodded, leaving the matter at that. I felt an overwhelming surge of love for my friend – she was so considerate. At that moment, Lucy came over again with our orders. The arrival of the food seemed to bring Mike out of his reverie. He blinked, still staring at my hand.
"You're getting married?" he asked.
The table was silent for a moment as we all looked at Mike. His brow was furrowed, almost in confusion. Then we all laughed, Alice and Edward loudest of all. I felt the smile on my face grow bigger.
"Yes, Mike," I answered gently, like I was talking to a small child. "Edward and I are getting married this summer, before we move to Alaska."
Angela looked a little surprised again, and she swallowed her mouthful of food quickly.
"This summer? So soon?"
I nodded, picking up my fork and stuffing a gravy-soaked chip into my mouth when I noticed Edward doing the same. Other than when he'd taken a bite out of a pizza to prove to me that he could eat if he had to, I'd never seen him eat before. I found the sight slightly amusing.
"Bella didn't want to wait," Edward explained, while I was silenced by my mouthful. "And I couldn't possibly deny her anything."
He wasn't exactly lying, though I certainly thought that he was stretching the truth much too thin. It was him that couldn't wait for the wedding – I had other things on my mind that made me eager for the big day to come as quickly as possible. However, we weren't at liberty to discuss that in the present company.
"Really?" Angela seemed incredibly surprised. I'd been sure that she would be one of the few to take the news without any more fuss than a blink of the eyes. I gave her a quizzical look, which she understood at once.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "It's just… I knew that Edward was likely to propose soon – I see the way you two are at school. But, Bella, I was so sure that you would want to wait. I don't mean to seem rude or anything, I just figured that… well, given what happened with your parents, it would be at least another year before you said yes."
I couldn't help it. Angela was just knew me so darn well! I laughed. It started as a as an insane little giggle, then grew until I was laughing so hard that I was crying. Edward chuckled quietly with me as well.
"Sorry," I managed to gasp when I'd settled down enough to speak, "but you have no idea how right you are! Edward… actually proposed… a few months ago, shortly after he came back." That memory sobered me up pretty quickly. "And that's exactly why I said no then… but I finally agreed last week."
Angela nodded, probably sensing that there were other things involved in the story, which I didn't want to share. By now, Alice was nearly bouncing out of her seat, and Angela noticed.
"I take it that you're helping with the planning, Alice?" she asked unnecessarily, opening the floodgates.
The spotlight was suddenly removed from me as Alice gushed to Angela over all her ideas and plans for Edward's and my wedding. I briefly wondered at how she'd held out from saying anything about it for so long - I'd almost wished that she'd crack before I could mention it, breaking the news herself.
The rest of the evening was pleasant. Mike still looked a little downtrodden when we said goodbye, though he tried to be convincing when he congratulated me and Edward, who was looking intimidatingly smug. His face was still bringing nagging memories of how badly Jacob had taken the news.
I got into the Volvo with a sigh and Edward held my hand as he drove me home. The porch lights were still on when we pulled up. I stayed in the car, unwilling to move, until Edward finally got out and opened my door for me. He walked me to the door slowly, stopping me before I opened it.
His hand cupped my face, the other fiddling with the ring on my hand, and kissed me gently. I leaned into the kiss, inhaling his sweet smell hungrily. I ached for more, but he pulled away before we could get carried away.
"I'll be back soon," he murmured into my hair. With that, he turned and walked back to the car. I stood and watched him pull away, waving before I let myself into the house.
"You kids have fun?" Charlie asked. He'd obviously been waiting for me to get home. I nodded, yawning.
"Yeah, Dad," I replied, moving slowly up the stairs. "It was a very interesting night."
