So I will warn that there's a cliffy, but it's a good cliffy, so I hope you enjoy the wedding. The end of this chapter was one of the first images for this story and is based off a RL moment with a guy I had a crush on. (We were just friends, but it was a super sweet thing for him to do.)

Review 250 on ffn was written by cullengirl08 and review 125 on twcs was left by errant diva.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 11

I was settled on the train just before the doors closed; giving me plenty of time to find my ticket so I'd be ready for the conductor. The train started to pull out of the station so I reached for my iPad, hoping to pass the time quickly. The game was loading when my phone rang with Edward's special ringtone.

"Hey, I may lose you when we go through the tunnel, but what's up?" I warned, not wanting him to think that I'd hang up on him.

"Bella, I just wanted to apologize for Heidi. I promise you that nothing is going on, and I told her that plainly after you left. She was annoyed by it, but I think she took the hint." He sounded nervous and I hated that he was worried about it.

"Edward, it was so obvious that she was putting on a show for my benefit that it wasn't funny. I trust you, I love you, Edward. I wouldn't be in this if I didn't. Please don't worry about what happened, because I'm not. Now, you go enjoy your day with the kids tomorrow and I will see you Sunday," I told him. I had been wanting to say it to him since he'd left my room that night and now seemed like the best time.

"Okay, love. Have fun at the wedding and give my best to Angela and Ben," he said as he ended the call.

I tried to relax as the train rocked along; knowing that tonight and tomorrow were going to be exhausting. When the Mineola train stop was announced, I grabbed my suitcase from the overhead rack and took my garment bag off the hook next to the window. Walking towards the door just as the train rolled to a stop, I exited onto the platform and was immediately ambushed my Samantha.

"Oh, my god, Bella, I'm so happy you're here." Samantha's words rushed together as I hugged her tight.

"I'm happy to see you too, hon," I told her as we walked to the car. "We missed you at the graduation."

"I know, I hated that I couldn't be there, but with the anniversary and all…" Sam trailed off and I gripped her hand.

"Sam, I get it. You had to go back and visit them. Believe me, no one understands losing their parents better than I do," I told her. "But this was only the first year, it does get easier."

Samantha was Angela's cousin. She lived in Georgia with her dad until a year ago when he died of a heart attack. Angela's parents became her legal guardians and she moved to Long Island to finish her last two years of high school. In the year she's been here, we've talked a lot to help her deal with the loss of her dad, but the last few months have been busy and we haven't spent much time together recently.

"I know. Now, tell me about the new job," she asked and I couldn't help but laugh.

We drove from the train station to the Weber's house so that I could put my stuff away in Samantha's room. She'd moved into what had once been Angela's room, so it was the largest and had a trundle that I'd be able to sleep on. Once my suitcase and dress were dropped off, we walked the couple of doors down to the church where Pastor Weber was a minister and the ceremony would be held.

We walked in and everyone was buzzing, our arrival being the last one needed for the rehearsal to begin. There wasn't a lot to the duties; most of us had been to religious services before, so it was a matter of just going briefly over taking the bouquet and fixing the train of her dress at certain moments as she turned this way or that.

It didn't take long for Angela's dad to declare us ready for tomorrow's ceremony and tell us to head over to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner.

The restaurant was fifteen minutes from the church, so I went with Sam to get her car and then we drove over to enjoy the meal together.

The dinner itself was loud, the two families meshing together so well it was a really sweet sight. There were toasts and jokes every few minutes and no shortage of laughter. My necklace once again sparked questions about the mystery man who gave it to me, which I could see bothered Ben, so I changed the subject quickly to talk about the kids and working for the Cullen families.

I didn't miss Angela's smirk, but thankfully no one else understood it as the conversation once again turned to another member of the party. When it was time to leave, Angela piled into Sam's car to spend the night with us in her old room. Jessica lived in town so she just went home, and Mike was crashing with Ben at his parents' house twenty-five minutes away.

The three of us beat her parents home, and Angela immediately looked at my nails. "How did you manage to get a manicure and not chip it?"

"I got it done last night and today Alice and I hung around the house until I dropped her off at Edward's office," I explained and her face lit up.

"So, you saw that sexy beast before coming out here? Any quickies in the office yet?" Angela asked and Samantha and I both gasped at the same time.

"What part of keep this to yourself didn't you understand?" I hissed.

"Actually, you told me that Ben couldn't find out," she countered, turning to her cousin. "Ben can't find out, because he works in Edward's office."

"Yes, Edward's his boss-"

"Technically, but he's one of the assistants for the group Edward oversees, it isn't like he has Gia's job." She shot me a glare but to me it was still something he couldn't know until we were ready to make it public.

"Are you happy, Bella?" Samantha asked.

"Very," I answered immediately, because I was. Edward made me feel so special and it had been a long time since I'd felt that.

"And you're not worried about the skanks that troll around that office?" Angela fired at me.

"Well, Heidi seemed to want to imply that they were more than co-workers, but Edward made it clear that she wasn't. I trust him; I couldn't be doing this if I didn't. And if he was screwing around at work, Ben would find out, gossip to you, and then I'd know about it. But for now, we're on solid ground and if you want to hear more about the man I love then you will be supportive." I got up to take a shower, needing a break from the conversation.

When I returned fifteen minutes later, Angela apologized for the attack and we settled in to watch Penelope and sigh over the beauty that is James McAvoy.

Waking up, the morning was a bit chaotic. My shower the night before saved me from having to wait in line to use the bathroom, so I put my hair in curlers as the hairstylist Angela hired had requested. Jessica arrived and the next two hours were a blur of hair products, make-up and lacy undergarments.

By ten o'clock, we were in our bridesmaids' dresses and the photographer was there to take photos of us helping Angela into her gown. After she was ready, we took some group shots in the room before walking the few dozen feet to the church.

Angela went into her father's office until the last of the guests had arrived, and just before eleven a.m. the boys came out from the back of the church and walked up the side aisle to meet us. They were only there a few moments before the music changed and the doors to the sanctuary opened.

Samantha and Isaac walked out first, followed by Jessica and Joshua. Mike and I were about to cross the doorway when he whispered, "If you came home with me tonight, no one would ever be the wiser."

Looking up at him I answered, "In your dreams, Newton, and even then I'd be laughing at you."

No one noticed anything out of place between us, and as we made it to the front of the church the music changed and we all turned to watch Angela walk down the aisle.

My best friend was glowing as she approached the altar, her father waiting beside Ben as she walked confidently towards the two most important men in her life. After she reached Ben, I stepped down to fix her train before taking my place beside her again and taking her bouquet. The remaining bridesmaids and groomsmen sat in the first row as Michael and I stood beside our friends to offer any help they needed during the ceremony.

I listened as Pastor Weber spoke of love and commitment, sacrifice and support, and I found myself wondering if Edward and I would ever get to this point. I knew there was love there, but with everything we were facing, I hoped it would be enough.

Angela and Ben spoke the traditional vows and I found myself getting emotional as I watched them exchange rings. They were so perfect for each other and I felt honored to be one of the people standing up for them.

Pastor Weber ended the service, pronouncing them husband and wife. I handed Angela back her bouquet and followed out behind them as we exited the church. The limo was waiting to take us to the banquet hall where they had an area reserved for photos so that we were close by for the start of the reception.

Photos took us about an hour to finish, and we were escorted into the second part of the cocktail hour so that we could start to enjoy the afternoon. Clair and her boyfriend, Quil, came over, saving me from an awkward moment with Jessica and Mike, and we started to catch up with everything that had been happening in the last few months.

Angela and Ben came by to say a quick hello as they greeted as many guests as possible before we had to leave to make our grand entrance.

The reception began with the official announcement of the bridal party and Angela and Ben as Mr. and Mrs. Ben Cheney. The first dance blended into one with the bridal party on the floor with them and then an invitation for the rest of the guests to join us on the dance floor.

It was a beautiful reception with great food and a lot of fun on the dance floor. I had plenty of dance partners, but I couldn't help but feel a little sad that Edward wasn't here to dance with me. As they started the dessert course with the cake cutting, I laughed as Ben made a small mess with the cake, knowing that Angela would make him pay for not being gentle.

The cake was delicious and the other desserts were just as decadent, and I could feel how full I was. Angela pulled me aside during the Viennese hour to ask what I thought about the food, wanting to know what a trained chef thought.

"It was great, Ang, really. Catering is tough to pull off that number of dishes with that kind of precision and it was excellent. Now, congratulations and go enjoy your husband and stop worrying about it. I'm going to be heading out soon with Samantha, so you enjoy your weekend and start planning your honeymoon for when you get your vacation time in January." I hugged her and left her to continue to say her goodbyes as the reception started to wind down.

I gave Ben a big hug and he told me that we'd have dinner next weekend and maybe we could finally have an appearance from my mystery man. I sighed at his tone, but agreed to dinner either way, knowing Edward wouldn't be able to come.

A few more goodbyes had me driving with Samantha to the house to pick up my bags before she took me to the train station.

"Bye, Bella. We have to get together soon." She hugged me in the parking lot.

"Definitely, you should take the train in and spend a night one weekend," I told her and she laughed.

"And get a chance to meet your hot boss, I'll be there." She dodged my hand as I swatted her and then I grabbed my things before I missed the train and had to wait an hour.

I texted Edward to tell him that I would be getting home in about an hour or ninety minutes but I didn't get a response.

Esme did text me asking if I wanted to meet them at Bryant Park tomorrow when I got back into the city, leaving me confused. I assumed Edward had covered for us, so I texted her back saying that we'd see when I got in.

As I finally made it back to Manhattan, I collected my things and walked up the stairs. I turned on the landing and started up the second set of stairs when I looked up and was shocked by man that was waiting for me.