A/N: Sorry for the delay. I decided that I wasn't happy with the next chapter so I rewrote it. Enjoy!
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Chapter 10 -
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Waking up with Edward in our home was amazing. My bladder was screaming at me to get up but even with that, the motivation to leave my husband's warm embrace was lacking.
"Good morning, Mrs. Cullen," Edward whispered.
"Good morning, Husband," I said, lifting my head from it's spot on his chest. "What are we doing today, now that we don't have to move you in here?"
"Well, I am willing to bet the pixie will show up here eventually to claim us, knowing we have no other plans," Edward said.
"Then I guess we better get up and get dressed," I sighed.
"That's pretty drastic measures. Are you sure you need to get dressed?" Edward asked, in mock horror.
"Well dressed is only an option. I do NEED to get up though, for a human moment. Then I'm certain the Bean will be demanding breakfast soon," I grinned.
"What is Bean in the mood for this morning?" he asked as we both made our way out of bed.
"Anything edible," I said as I headed for the bathroom.
Edward chuckled and made his way to the closet.
"Uh oh," he said.
"What?" I yelled from the bathroom.
"I think I have an idea of what Alice has planned," he yelled from the closet.
"Should I be scared?" I asked, finishing my business, flushing and washing my hands.
"Very," he said.
I opened the door and padded naked back into the bedroom.
"So what is it?" I asked.
"Remember what I told you about my graduation?" he asked.
"Yeah," I answered thinking of the four hundred 'close' friends and family that celebrated with him.
"We have dress clothes and note telling us to be ready by one," he said, showing me the clothes Alice had laid out. There was a fancy suit and tie for Edward and a short white cocktail dress for me.
"There's no escape?" I asked.
"None," he sighed.
"Well, I guess we're in it together, at least," I said.
"I won't let you go, not even for a minute!" he vowed.
"Is that for you or for me?" I asked.
"Yes," he answered.
Edward slipped into a pair of boxers and I put on a little silk robe and we made our way to the kitchen so we could have some breakfast. The fridge was stocked with healthy food, thanks to Alice and Esme, I'm sure.
"I'll make a fruit salad if you'll do the eggs," I told Edward.
"No problem," he said.
We worked together in the kitchen in perfect sync. I couldn't believe how nice it felt, just having him next to me doing mundane, everyday tasks. I guess it helped that every time we were close to each other we shared a kiss or a little caress. It felt... perfect.
When we were done, we sat next to each other at the breakfast table over our meal, a bowl of fruit salad, a glass of orange juice and two eggs, a side of turkey bacon, with a piece of whole wheat toast.
We hadn't spoken much while cooking but the silence was far from awkward, it was quiet and relaxing.
"So," I said as we ate our breakfast. "What exactly do I need to expect later?"
"If I know Alice, and I know Alice, we'll paste huge smiles on our faces, and we'll be introduced to a million people who's names we'll never remember. There will be lots of food, lots of drink and maybe even some dancing," Edward said.
"Oh God! People aren't going to bring gifts are they?" I asked.
"Hopefully, she'll have the sense to do what was done for both, hers and Jasper's, and Rose and Emmett's weddings," Edward said.
"Which was?" I asked.
"Remember what I told you about the conditions on our trust funds?" he asked me.
"You mean about being on the board for one of the Cullen Family charities?" I asked.
"Yup. Emmett is on Cullen Education Incentives, a charity to provide scholarships for deserving under privileged students to attend college or university. Alice is on Cullen Housing, providing good affordable homes for families working to better themselves. Mine is The Cullen Foundation for Children, it provides medical treatment for children who wouldn't otherwise have access to it," he said.
I stopped eating while he was talking, listening to the passion in his voice when he spoke of the charities.
"Wow! The Cullen Foundation for Children sounds like something I would have chosen to be involved with too," I said.
"Really?" he asked.
"In Jacksonville, I used to take a few shifts at the free clinic. It made me so sad to see kids who had such treatable diseases and injuries suffering because of a lack of available medical care," I said.
"Exactly. The focus of the foundation had always been big things, like cleft palate surgeries or cardiac surgeries, but we are now looking for ways to bring it to a more personal level, to make it more accessible to everyone," he said.
"Like free clinics?" I asked.
"Yeah. The goal is to build a clinic in a low income area just a little ways from my parent's property. There is lots of families in the area and it has one of the lowest, per capita, availability of medical care. We already own the property but need the capital funding to get it up and running. The goal is to help provide free medical care for mothers and children who cannot afford it otherwise and affordable medical options for families who struggle to make ends meet," he said.
His eyes sparkled as he spoke of this and I could just hear the passion he had for the project in his voice.
"So you're saying, you want to provide medical care to everyone and having them pay on a sliding scale?" I asked.
"Exactly. I mean people coming for obstetric care without insurance have to pay over twenty thousand dollars for regular care and delivery. For a lot of people that is unattainable. Proper health care should never be unattainable," he said, passionately.
"Sounds like this is not just something you chose because you had to," I said, looking at him.
"No..." he said, blushing. "I actually started to help there before I had to, for my trust fund. My dad helped out a lot with mobile immunization clinics and well baby clinics. I used to go with him from the time I was about eight. That was where my true passion for medicine developed."
"Wow," I said.
"Then, I actually started sitting in on the board meetings in my late teens. It has become a true passion of mine," he said with a smile.
"Can we go sometime? To one of the clinics?" I asked, smiling.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said, sucking down the last of my orange juice. "If it is something you are so passionately involved in then I want to support you. Plus I have always liked to support both medical and children's charities so it seems right."
"You are so perfect," he said, kissing me.
"Just one more thing that proves that we belong together," I said smiling at him.
We finished our breakfast and cleaned the kitchen together. Little mundane tasks were so much better with him. After we were done, we made our way back to the bedroom. We kissed and snuggled for a while before we reluctantly agreed to get ready.
"If I (kiss) want my (kiss) hair to be (kiss) dry before (kiss) we leave (kiss) then I need to (kiss) shower now," I said.
"Yup," he said, making no move to get up or stop kissing.
It was another few minutes before I finally pulled myself away from him and I went ahead to the bathroom and started the shower. Edward was there moments later, helping me remove my clothes. Once his were gone, he lifted me up and carried me into the shower.
I don't think that our lips parted for the entire shower. There was no sex...but the love and intimacy were intense. Finally, after our fingers started to prune, he shut off the water and carried me out onto the bath mat. He grabbed one of the large fluffy towels and wrapped it around my body. After wrapping one around his waist, he took a third towel and started to dry my long hair.
After we were mostly dry, we walked into the bedroom together. We had about an hour and a half before we needed to be ready and I knew I was going to need most of that to be "Alice approved'. Edward started to pull me towards the bed... and as much as I wanted to go...
"Edward, Baby... I can't... I'll never be ready on time," I told him.
"I know," he sighed. "Let me help you get ready then, Baby."
"Don't you need to get ready?" I asked him.
"I need five minutes to shave, put on deodorant, run my fingers through my hair and put on the suit. Let me know what you need me to do to help you," he said.
Honestly, I could have done it myself but Edward helping sounded like much more fun.
"Can you help me with my body lotion?" I asked him.
"I can do that," he said, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
I sat on the little chair and handed him the body lotion I use. He poured some onto his hands, rubbing them together lightly, before he started to apply it to my body. He started with my feet and lower legs, leaving my towel in place. He massaged the sweet lotion in tenderly, almost reverently. Then he moved up to my upper thighs, just moving the towel slightly. It was such an erotic feeling, having his hands caress me so tenderly.
"Oh," I said. "This may not have been so helpful."
He laughed softly as his hands nearly reached the apex of my thighs. My body quivered in anticipation before he stopped his upward motion to add more lotion to his hands. I closed my eyes and groaned in anticipation. After he rubbed his hands together I took a deep breath, ready for him to assault my moist center with his lotion covered hands.
I was not pleasantly surprised when he brought his hand to my shoulders and arms and I groaned in frustration.
"Patience, Love," he whispered as he turned me so my back was towards him.
As soon as I was facing away from him, he loosened the towel from around my torso, allowing it to fall away.
"Baby," I groaned.
I heard him pick up the bottle and pour more lotion to his hands, before his hands started to work on my back.
"Move your hair forward, Baby," he whispered into my ear before moving his head and kissing my neck softly.
I did as he instructed and his hands caressed my entire back, causing goosebumps everywhere.
Then, when he was done, his hands ghosted around to the front and he began to caress my abdomen.
My groans were coming full force now.
"Baby, please," I begged him.
His hands moved back to the lotion bottle again, and before I could even breath they were back on my stomach, this time moving up to my breasts.
"Oh Baby," I groaned as he massaged the cream into my breasts, paying extra attention to the tightened peaks of my nipples.
He moved in front of me again and brought his hands down to my center, massaging the outsides of my core.
I was panting, and begging him for more.
"We don't have time, Baby," he said, as his fingers slipped deeper into me, now massaging my very swollen clit.
"They can't start without us," I said, breathlessly.
Apparently Edward didn't need anymore encouragement than that and he scooped me off my chair and carried me to the bed. He placed me gently on the bed and removed his towel, joining me.
"Baby," he said, pulling me into his arms. "I don't think we have time for me to make love to you right now."
"I know," I said, kissing him passionately.
As much as we needed to hurry, we just didn't want to and we spent the next forty minutes worshipping each other's bodies. Finally, in need of another shower, we got up again with just under half an hour until we were told to be ready.
"The pixie is going to kill us," I said as I put my hair into a bun so it didn't get wet in the shower.
"So worth it," Edward smiled.
"Definitely," I agreed.
After a quick shower, Edward headed into the closet to get dressed, while I opened my lingerie drawer to pick something for under the dress. Alice, of course, had a white set on top with a note. "Wear Me."
I giggled as I stepped into the french cut panties and skimpy push up bra. I walked into the closet in search of the dress.
"Shit," Edward said.
"What's the matter," I asked, concerned.
"Now that I know you have those on under your dress, I'm going to be hard the whole time," he moaned.
I giggled and shook my butt.
"So they look good on me?" I asked.
"You have no idea," he moaned.
"I promise, when this is all done, you can peel these from my body...." I started to tease.
"So not helping, Isabella," he groaned.
I grabbed the dress, really looking for the first time at the dress that I would be wearing today. It was a knee length, sleeveless, lace dress with a white belt. To be honest I had a slight panic attack, thinking that it would accentuate the fact that I was pregnant. Edward seemed to sense what was going on in my head.
"I don't care if the whole world knows about the bean. In fact, I want to shout from the roof tops, 'Look at the beautiful woman who agreed to be my wife and is giving me the greatest gift ever'," he said with a smile.
"Thank you," I said simply, in response.
"Never doubt it, My Love," he said. "When I saw you in my office, the only thought that went through my head was 'please let it be mine'. There was no doubt or worry, and when you told me it was... Baby, I felt like I'd won the lottery. I only prayed you'd give me a chance and look what happened, I got the girl of my dreams and our baby."
Tears were streaming down my face and I brushed them away furiously.
"I love you," I managed to sniffle.
"Those are the greatest words ever! I want to hear them a hundred times a day for the rest of our lives," he said. "Isabella Cullen, you are my everything. I love you more than I can possibly explain."
After another minute in his arms, I sat at the vanity table again to try to get ready. I applied my simple make up and let my hair down to brush it out. After I had managed to get most of the snarls out, I decided to put my hair up in a french twist, securing it with dark bobby pins. Finally I stepped into my dress.
Before I could ask, or even struggle with it, Edward appeared behind me and zipped me into the dress. I realized for the first time that the back was low cut and the bra was going to show.
"Ugg," I said, looking at my back in the mirror. "I guess I'm going to need to go braless. Can you unzip me again?"
"Going to be so hard all day," he muttered as he unzipped the dress.
I giggled and slipped out of the straps of the dress.
"I would ask you to unhook my bra, but I wouldn't want to be cruel," I said, giggling.
"I'll do it," he moaned, as he unhooked the bra. I slipped it off my shoulders and his hands went immediately to my breasts to caress my hardened nipples.
"Oh, Baby," I moaned as I turned to face him.
He lowered his head to claim my lips and the second our lips touched, there was a loud knock at the door, one I had heard before.
"Emmett," we both said in unison.
"I can't answer it, Baby," Edward said, in a slight panic, motioning to his very prominent erection.
"Well zip me up quickly then," I said, as I slipped my arms back into the dress.
I dashed down the hall towards the door and as soon as I unlocked it, the door opened and I was swept away into Emmett's arms in a huge bear hug.
"Put her down before you wrinkle her, you big oaf," Alice shrieked from behind him.
I was dropped onto my feet quickly but before I could even get a breath in, Alice had her arms wrapped around me in a hug.
She's oddly strong for such a little thing.
"Nobody better be hurting my wife," Edward yelled, finally coming out of the bedroom.
"I'm fine," I said as the rest of the Cullen clan finally made it into the apartment.
As always with the Cullens, there were hugs, kisses, pats on the back, handshakes and more hugs.
"Esme, Alice... I love all the pictures. You guys are amazing," I said.
"Thank you, Dear," said Esme, at the same time as Alice said, "But of course."
Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice finally made their way all the way into the house and the door was closed.
"So, Alice," I asked my sister-in-law. "Why did we need to be dressed up today?"
"We're having a little party to celebrate," she said, looking extremely pleased with herself.
"How little, Alice?" Edward asked.
"It was short notice, so not many people could make it," Alice defended, not giving up the numbers.
"Alice," Edward threatened.
"What?" she asked, innocently.
"More or less than my graduation party?" he asked.
She whispered something incoherently and the other Cullens laughed.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked.
"More," she said quietly. "We just know a lot of people, that's all."
"Alice," he groaned. "I would rather..."
"You would rather have kept your wife cooped up here all to yourself. I know that, Edward, but I really really really wanted to show off my newest sister-in-law," she said. "And don't you want everybody to know she's your wife?"
Alice was gaining ground with Edward. I smiled at him.
"So tell us about this party, Alice," I said.
"I'll fill you in after I finish getting you ready," she said, taking my hand and pulling me back to my bedroom. "Come on, Girls."
Soon I was in the room surrounded by Alice, Rose and Esme. I was forced back into my vanity chair and Rose started to add things to my hair while Alice polished up my make-up a bit.
"Where is your jewelry, Dear?" Esme asked.
"My locket is on the dresser. Everything else is in my jewelry box to the left," I said.
"So how was the rest of your honeymoon? Did you get to see lots of sights in Vegas?" Rosalie asked.
I blushed.
"Of course they didn't. They'd have to have left the room to do that," Alice said with a giggle.
I blushed even more.
"Eddie must be really good if he can keep you in the room for a whole week," Rosalie said.
I blushed even more.
"Girls," Esme admonished. "Don't even listen to them Bella."
"So not used to girl talk," I said, trying to recover.
Esme put my locket around my neck and picked some earrings from my collection to attach to my ears. We were ready to go within fifteen minutes and Esme and Rosalie left the room first.
"I see you realized that the dress wouldn't work with a bra," Alice said.
"Yup," I said.
"Well, let's go party," Alice said.
We joined the men in the living room and paired off as we headed down in the elevator.
"Where are Carmen and Eleazar?" I asked.
"Carmen and Eleazar are meeting us there," Alice said. "She's been in charge of decorating this afternoon."
"I can't wait to see them," I said.
We got to the bottom floor and made our way outside to a huge Hummer limo. I gawked in surprise at the monstrosity before me.
"Why on earth do we need something this large?" I asked.
"Emmett," Alice and Rosalie said by way of an explanation.
Unfortunately it made complete sense. I had been a part of this family for a week and I already had a sense of everyone's personalities.
We all got into the limo, sitting next to our spouses. Edward had his arm around me, his hand drawing soothing circles on my shoulder.
"What time is everyone arriving, Alice?" Edward asked his sister.
"2:00," she answered.
"Please tell me you said no gifts," he said.
"Of course," she smiled.
Both Edward and I breathed a big sigh of relief and we snuggled in, just listening to the conversation around us. It seemed neither of us wanted to leave the Edward and Bella bubble we had created.
We pulled up to a large building on the waterfront. The Bell Harbor International Conference Center. There were valets standing ready for all the other cars pulling up and a big sign indicating that it was Edward and Bella Cullen's wedding reception. I looked at Edward with a mixture of shock and fear.
He grinned sheepishly, before whispering in my ear, "As I said, Alice doesn't do anything on a small scale."
I groaned softly.
The valet opened the door and waited as the guests unloaded, allowing the men to get out on their own, and offering a hand to the women. Edward and I were last to exit and as he exited the limo, he motioned the valet away and offered me his hand.
"Mrs. Cullen," he said, smiling.
"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," I responded.
We were led into a large room, decorated elegantly with white flowers. There was a large screen on one wall and soft music playing in the background. On the screen was a slideshow of pictures of our wedding. There was a large bar set along one wall and a table on the other wall with six ladies behind it. I looked at Edward, questioning what they were for.
"When people make donations to the foundation, they will do so at those tables. Each of the ladies has a receipt book so that people will get their tax receipts and a ledger, so that we will have a record of who donated what in our honor. Then we will have the joy of writing thank you cards to each person," he whispered.
"That's a lot of writing," I said.
Alice, Rosalie and Esme disappeared shortly after we made it in the door and I kept catching glances of them and of Carmen and Eleazar. Shortly before two, they reappeared with Carmen and Eleazar, and it seemed General Alice was ready to give out her commands to the family.
"Dad, Mom, Edward, and Bella, you will stand at the door and greet people as they come in. In that exact order," she commanded.
I giggled as Edward mock saluted her when she turned her back.
"Carmen, Eleazar, Rose, and Em, you guys will mingle, talking to everyone with Jasper and I," she commanded. "The waiters will start making their rounds with champagne and hors d'oeuvres by 2:05."
I realized as I looked around the room that I still had no clue of exactly what I had gotten myself into.
"Bella, just smile, nod and make small talk," Alice said.
I nodded in response and turned to Edward. "Don't let go," I said, wrapping my hand in his.
"Never," he promised.
Carlisle, Esme, Edward and I made our way to the doors and as soon as we were in position, the two attendants opened the doors allowing people to enter.
For the next hour, I was introduced to hundreds of people. Most of them, it seemed, were doctors. Quite a few had the most comical names, Kitty and Bunny Stephenson, to quote my favorites.
"Promise me we will name Bean something normal," I whispered to Edward after the last five guests had entered. Mr. Paul McKenzie, his wife Fifi, and their three teenage children, Trixibelle, Saffron, and Princessa.
There was a short lull in the handshaking and I looked around the room, which was practically full. There were hundreds of people in attendance and I can honestly say that I had personally met under twenty of them before today, and all of those were doctors that I worked with.
"It seems we can head in and start to mingle," Carlisle said warmly.
I turned to do just that when we heard a large commotion from the outer hall... with a voice that I knew far to well.
"No I don't have an invitation," the shrill voice said. "It's my daughter's reception. Why would I need one?"
I looked panic stricken at Edward.
Shit! My parents were here.
"What do you want to do?" Esme asked.
"I guess I'll go out and try to diffuse the situation," I said.
"We're in this together, remember," Edward said grabbing my hand and leading me out the door.
"See," my mother shrieked as Edward and I appeared.
"Oh, Honey," she said to me. "You look beautiful."
I ignored her and turned to one of the four security people who currently had my parents detained. "Is there somewhere private I can take them to talk?"
"Follow me," he ordered.
Edward and I followed him closely and my parents and the three other security guards were not far behind. They led us to a small conference room and we all walked in.
The I decided I would acknowledge them.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, venom seething out of my voice.
"We saw the notice in the Seattle paper and we realized we couldn't miss it, Honey," my mother chirped.
"In other words, you realized that the man I married had a name that would look good and possibly up your social standing, right?" I asked.
"How can you say that?" my mother asked.
I looked back and forth between my parents incredulously.
"So all that crap you said to me last week on my wedding day, doesn't matter? All the shit you dumped on me in Seattle the last time you were here, when I needed you, is supposed to be forgotten?" I asked.
"Well you never told us who he was. I mean, of course that makes a difference," my mother said.
"Charlie? Are you going to say anything?" I asked my father.
"Why are you calling him Charlie? He's your father," my mother said, snottily.
"Really Renee? I think you guys lost the rights to be called Mom and Dad when you decided to treat me worse than a dog. You lost the right to be called my parents when you disrespected me and my choices on my wedding day. Now, I suggest you leave calmly or I will have you removed and the police will be called," I seethed.
"Are you going to let your wife speak to us like this?" Renee screeched at Edward.
"Renee, let me tell you something," Edward said, gently. "I've listened to everything my wife has told me about you..."
"Well she's obviously lying about us. I have no clue why she would say anything cruel about us. We gave her everything. Vicious lies I tell you," she said.
"I believe every word she has said. I have also spoken to Alice," Edward said.
"Alice is a bitch! Do you know what she said to us? That little tramp," my mother started. "She's...."
"My sister," Edward finished.
"Figures!" my mother retorted.
"Mrs. Swan, I will not allow you to speak of my wife or my sister this way. Bella has treated you guys with the utmost respect for years and for whatever reason you have chosen not to treat her in that manner and I will not allow that to happen," Edward stated firmly.
The door opened moments later and Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper all entered, standing behind and beside Edward and me.
"I don't know what you people have done to corrupt my daughter," Renee seethed.
"Shut up, Renee," I said. "You will not say anything to or about any of these people. They are more of a family than you have ever been. They accept me for who I am and don't try to change me into what they want me to be. You can leave now and if you do not, the police will be called, charges will be laid and restraining orders will be sought. I am through with you and your games."
Edward addressed the security guards, "Please have them removed from the premises. If they refuse, make anymore commotion or return, call the police immediately."
One security guard grabbed my mother and forced her out of the room and another grabbed onto my father's arm and started to do the same.
"Bells," my dad said softly, opening his mouth for the first time since I'd first seen them.
"What?" I spit back at him, in no mood for any of his antics.
"I'm sorry, Baby Girl. You look really good. Be happy. I love you," he said, looking absolutely torn, before going peacefully with the security guard.
I stood there dumbfounded. Charlie had been just as vicious as Renee, but this was different. He had never been one to stand up to her. What the heck was going on?
As soon as they were gone, Edward wrapped his arms around me and just held me. The rest of the family stood close.
"Sorry, guys," I finally said. "Trust the Swans to ruin a good party."
"Never apologize for them," Esme said vehemently. "They don't deserve it after the way they've treated you."
That was met with a chorus of yeahs.
"Shall we go party?" Emmett asked.
"You guys go ahead. Bella and I will be there in just a little bit," Edward said.
"No funky business in here," Emmett said causing Rosalie to slap him.
They all hugged us and went back to the party, telling us that we would be moving in for dinner soon.
"Bella, I'm so sorry," Alice said, before she left.
Edward said nothing after the door closed, he simply wrapped his arms around me and held me. I could honestly deal with Renee. She had shown her true colors and I knew what to expect. The thing that raced through my mind over and over was what Charlie had said.
Could he really have meant what he said?
Was this a game or a ploy to get in my head?
I resolved myself to put it out of my mind and took a deep breath and looked Edward in the eyes.
"So you've met the in-laws," I said, with a giggle.
"Wow," was all he said.
Really what else could he say?
"I love you,"I told him simply.
"I love you too," he said kissing my lips softly.
Like any kiss with Edward, soft just wasn't enough, and before long, we pulled away from each other panting.
"I guess we need to get back in there," I said.
"Or maybe they have a back door," Edward said, leaning his forehead against mine.
"Uh uh, no way," I said. "One set of pissed off in-laws is enough for one marriage. We can't alienate your family."
"I know, but I just want to take you home and hold you. I hate that they..." he said.
"I'm fine. Let's go party with all the people we don't know, and who's names we won't ever remember," I said.
"No... there are some names I'll never forget," he said. "Who the hell names their kid Bunny or Kitty?"
"So we won't keep the name Bean?" I asked jokingly as I opened the door to go back to the party.
"Sorry! Bean Cullen is cute for now... but once he or she is born he or she will get a nice normal name like Harold or Mathilda," he said with a wink.
"Hmmm, Harry Cullen," I said with a giggle.
We walked back into the reception room and were immediately attacked by the hyper pixie.
"Oh Good! You guys are here," She said. "Dinner will be served in twenty minutes and we have to lead the charge to the dining area."
"You must be starved," Edward said in my ear. "We managed to completely miss the hors d'oeuvres."
"I'm very glad we did, now I have more room for dinner!" I said.
"Always the optimist," he said, kissing my hair.
As we made our way through the crowd to the dining room, we were congratulated over and over again by many faces that we had seen briefly, and who's names we definitely didn't remember. When we finally made it to the doors, we were escorted into the room to the head table.
The dining area was beautiful. Two full walls were glass, with stunning views of the harbor. There was a long table set up in the front with ten seats and the rest of the room was filled with round tables, each seating twelve people. There were hostesses at the door, with seating charts, positioned to guide people to their places.
The room filled up quickly and Carlisle stood at a small podium to address the crowd.
"Thank you all for joining our family in celebration of my son and daughter-in-law's wedding. As most of you now know, Edward and Bella decided they didn't want a large wedding, something small and intimate. They obviously forgot they were related to Alice, who despite her size, does not know how to do things 'small and intimate'. So, the waiters and waitresses are now pouring champagne in each glass and I would like to toast the happy couple. To Edward and Bella," he said raising his glass.
Everyone in the room followed suit and there were some cat calls for us to kiss.
Not that I minded.
Edward brought his lips to mine and we kissed gently. My cheeks went beat red when the cheers and whistles sounded.
When the audience calmed down, Carlisle continued with his speech, and I realized how truly blessed I was to have him as a boss and father-in-law.
"Now, a personal note from Esme and myself. Edward, Son, as with everything in your life, we are so happy and proud of you. I see the way you look at your wife and it reminds me of the first time I saw your mother. Cherish her always. Bella, I officially met you as a prospective employee and was thrilled with your intelligence, you manner and your quick wit. When I learned later that you were the girl who had befriended my daughter so willingly, I was happy. And after that, when I learned it was you who had captured my son's heart, I was beyond thrilled. Both Esme and I agree we could not have chosen a more perfect partner for our son. Welcome to our family," he said smiling at us.
Edward kissed my hand and we smiled back at Carlisle, with me fighting tears the whole time.
"So, many of you know our family through the hospital and in other medical circles. Most of you joined my family here a few years ago for Edward's graduation. You all know how proud I was when Edward followed me into medicine and I spoke at his graduation about how proud I was to share the title, Dr. Cullen, with him. Today, I am thrilled to tell you that I am equally as proud to once again share that title. This time with Edward's beautiful bride, Dr. Isabella Cullen," Carlisle said.
The tears steamed down my face. Honestly I don't think anyone had ever said anything so sweet. edward and I both got up and went to give Carlisle a hug, stopping on the way back to our seats to hug Esme.
"So, now that the sappy part is done, the waiters and waitresses will be around to collect the cards at your places with your order for dinner. Your choices are Halibut with Chicken, Filet Mignon and Salmon or Ribs and Scallops. Make sure you tell your server your preference of wine as well. There is a list on each table of beverages. So enjoy," he finished.
The noise in the hall picked up and we were soon surrounded with all sorts of inane chatter. Dinner was absolutely fantastic and as everyone finished their main course, an older man came up to the table to talk to Edward.
"Bella," Edward said as the man approached. "I would like to introduce you to Mr. Liam Ireland. He sits on the board of directors for The Cullen Foundation for Children with me."
"Good evening Mr. Ireland. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, extending my hand.
He shook my hand gently. "Believe me, the pleasure is all mine, Dr. Cullen," he said. "Please call me Liam."
"Thank you, Liam. Please call me Bella," I said.
"So congratulations, Edward. Where have you been hiding this lovely lady?" he asked.
"Trying to keep things on the downlow you know," Edward said.
"Brilliant idea to have donations for the Foundation in lieu of gifts. Has anyone told you the total yet?" he said.
"No, I assumed it would be a few days before we heard anything," Edward said.
"Well, I hope you will be pleasantly surprised when I tell you that the total is over nine hundred thousand dollars," he said.
I nearly choked on my sparkling water.
"Amazing!" Edward said, a huge smile gracing his face.
"We have some planning to do at the next board meeting. Maybe the clinic is more of a reality now," Liam said, smiling.
"That is incredible. I can't wait," Edward said.
"I hope to see you again soon, Bella. Edward, I'll be in touch," he said as he left.
"Nine hundred thousand dollars!!" I whisper yelled to Edward.
"Breathe, Bella," he said. "It's a win win situation. The charity makes a ton of money, our guests get a tax receipt for their wedding gift, and we don't end up with piles of crap that we don't need and will never use. Plus the snobby ones get to be seen donating money... which is extremely important to them. Something about prestige..." Edward whispered back to me.
"Crappy reason, but I can't say that I'm disappointed with the result. Will it really help that much with the free clinic?" I asked.
"The board determined that we'd need a million dollars to get it off the ground properly. So with this, we are damn close," he said kissing me. "We just need a bit more capital and doctors who are willing to staff it."
The wait staff started to serve the dinners at that point, and I must say they were phenomenal. Edward and I had ordered different meals and spent most of our time sampling each other's meal.
"That's so cute it makes me want to vomit," Emmett said loudly.
As soon as dinner was cleared, Carlisle announced that we would be heading back to the previous room for some dancing, starting with a dance for the bride and groom. I have never been so thankful for the dancing lessons as we walked to the center of the dance floor.
Everyone else had circled the floor and all eyes were on us.
"Wonder what they're going to play tonight?" I whispered to Edward.
"I'm sure Alice will surprise us," he chuckled.
The music started and Edward and I grinned in surprise.
"Aerosmith?" he chuckled as he pulled me to him and we started to spin around the floor.
Don't Want to Miss A Thing blared through the room and I'm sure many of the snobby guests were probably rolling their eyes at the song choice.
As the song ended, Carlisle and Esme came to the floor and claimed each of us for a dance which set off a long line of dances with anyone other than each other. It was over an hour later, in the middle of the dance floor, when I finally managed to spot Edward again. He was dancing with one of the society snobs, Kitty or Bunny or something, while I was dancing with some old guy who's hands kept wandering south of the border, if you know what I mean.
"Ah, Allistair, do you mind if I claim my bride back," he asked politely.
"Not at all son," Allistair said with a smile.
"Mrs. St. John, it's been a pleasure," Edward said to his partner.
"Kitty, if I may be so bold," Allistair said offering her his hand.
I was thrilled to see them dance off in the other direction as Edward pulled me into his arms.
"I haven't held you in far too long," he whispered into my ear.
"I agree," I purred back.
He kissed me softly as we danced. After two songs we were interrupted by Carmen and Eleazar who wanted to dance with us.
"Are you enjoying the party?" Eleazar asked.
"It's overwhelming, to say the least, but I am enjoying myself," I said.
"I am sorry that your parents caused you any grief," he said.
"Don't mention it... Please.. Ever again!" I deadpanned.
"Sorry," he laughed.
Eight partners later, I finally made it back into Edward's arms.
"You ready to head home?" he asked.
"Completely," I said.
"How about one last dance with your husband?" he asked.
"Hmmm, five more minutes in your arms... I can handle that," I said.
Lots of guests had started to leave at this point and the dance floor was relatively empty so we stepped up our game and twirled around the dance floor, showing off, just a little bit.
"I could dance with you forever," he said as the final notes of the song played.
"I'd like that," I said.
He dipped me then, and pulled me back up into a searing kiss.
I couldn't wait to get home.
We said our thank yous and our goodbyes, heading for the front. I didn't remember, until we got there, that we had all come together in the Hummer limo and I wasn't sure how we were supposed to get home. I was pleasantly surprised to find a regular limo out front.
"Back to reality tomorrow," Edward said after we were settled into the car.
"Can we do reality?" I asked, suddenly aware of the fact that in our time together neither of us had worked, or truly been apart from each other. Tomorrow we both faced a full day of work.
Reality was coming to bite our asses.