Chapter Eleven
She felt him snake his arm around her waist and hold her close. It still astounded her sometimes that things like that – that had become so second nature to the pair of them – things like that could possibly make her heart race so fast and swell so far with happiness. She leant into him, smiling; the pair of them watching as Alice gingerly took Jasper's hand for their first dance as a married couple. Light strains of the saxophonist playing Fly Me To The Moon spread through the cool, pleasant evening air to their ears, and Rosalie thanked God that the Forks weather had stayed nice for her brother and new sister.
Alice, for all her crazed planning and obsession when it came to both Bella's and Rosalie's wedding, had chosen a simple and beautiful ceremony in the huge garden of the Cullen's Forks house, with a huge marquee and dancing to a softly-playing jazz band until all hours of the night. She looked… Rosalie was pleased to say, the most beautiful woman in the room, her short hair styled beautifully and with a white flower tucked just above and in front of her left ear, a white lily. The dress, which Alice had designed herself, was sublime; it was tight fitting, with a long train, in the purest of whites, strapless, with a bodice sequinned in white and pale gold. Around her neck she was wearing the same string of pearls that both Bella and Rosalie had worn at their weddings – the pearls Carlisle had bought for Esme for their wedding day, and the pearls that Renesmee would one day wear around her beautiful, pale neck, whenever she found someone to spend her life with.
And maybe, now, maybe if they had a girl, she would wear them too, or whoever (if it was a boy) their son married…
She shook herself, but couldn't help the smile spreading over her face. Emmett didn't fail to notice, and kissed her cheek.
"What you grinning about?"
She wrinkled her nose slightly and turned her head to him. "Our baby." She whispered. In the past two weeks they'd started trying – every opportunity they got. Emmett loved seeing Rosalie beam constantly, Rosalie loved that he wanted it as much as she did. It was perfect, for a while, their own slice of perfect.
He grinned and kissed her again. "It's wonderful, this, isn't it?" he whispered, gesturing around, to the beautiful decorations, the family sat around the table, Alice and Jasper dancing in the moonlight.
"Everything will change now, won't it?" she asked, and for a moment he felt a pang of pain – he'd only even been considering this for two weeks, but that sudden inkling that Rosalie had even had an ounce of doubt, that hurt. He wanted a child more than anything, all of a sudden, and he wasn't sure he could be let down on that. But when he looked back at his wife, he could see her glistening, joyful eyes, and knew she meant change in a good way.
"For the better." He murmured, just to clarify, and she nodded, and rested her head on his shoulder. It was one of those moments where both were thinking it, and neither needed to say anything. They didn't think it was possible to be any more in love.
Moments later, Emmett stood up and took Rosalie's hand, as Edward and Bella – dancing stiffly and not quite close enough, but dancing all the same – Carlisle and Esme and Rosalie's parents took to the floor to join the newlyweds. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. In the eight years since Rosalie had left her parents house on bad terms, some form of polite interaction had been salvaged, but that was all. Emmett couldn't see eye to eye with them, she couldn't see eye to eye with them – the one thing that hung over them constantly was that when she had been broken, before she'd had Emmett, when she had needed them most, they hadn't been there. So these days they had polite hellos and goodbyes, they'd come to Rosalie's wedding but not stayed long after the service – they were a little more keen to be at Jasper's, him having always been the favourite son and all, but he had made it perfectly clear that he did not appreciate the way they had behaved towards his sister, now and in the past, and he joined Rosalie with the clipped, false niceties and the hardly seeing each other.
Emmett drew her closer, swaying in time with the music, breathing in the scent of her hair.
"Do you think… y'know… there's a baby there already?" he whispered, one of his hands resting flat on her stomach between them. She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, but couldn't help the happiness bubbling inside her, and the thudding of her heart.
"Maybe." She whispered, "I guess… I guess I thought I'd feel it… but I don't know…" she smiled up at him, violet eyes gleaming, "I… I wouldn't really feel anything… so I guess there could be."
He stroked her stomach lightly through the satin of the deep blue dress.
"There could be." He echoed, "That's good enough for now."
With the moonlight shining down, they danced, until Rosalie tugged away.
"Come on." She whispered, "We've got a brother and sister to congratulate."
Emmett spun Alice across the floor, and then caught her, lifting his little sister up into his arms and into the air, making her squeal with delight, remembering when they used to play by the river when they both only reached Esme's waist. She was beaming like he had never seen her before, and while a few years ago there would have been a pang of regret, a pang of jealousy at losing his sister, at the thought of Rosalie at home, the whole of them still one big, beautiful family, he didn't mind at all.
"I'm proud of you." He whispered, and Alice smiled wider, if that was even possible.
"I'm proud of me, too." She whispered, and rested her head on his shoulder, "Emmett, does it ever stop being so perfect?"
He frowned for a moment. "You're gonna fight, Al, of course you will. And sometimes… sometimes it'll feel like you're losing your grip on it, if only just for a moment. But then… then I look at Rose, and you'll look at Jasper… and we know we'll love them forever, no matter what…" he smiled a bit too wide, and Alice narrowed her eyes.
"What aren't you letting on, Emmett Cullen?" she demanded, twirling again and then bring her eyes to his, frowning playfully.
"Rose and I… we're gonna try and have a baby…" he whispered, and clapped a hand over her mouth before she let out a squeal. "But don't tell anyone, not even Jasper, not yet. She wants to tell you all."
Alice's eyes widened in happiness, but she said nothing, putting a finger up to her lips.
"They're sealed, Emmett." She grinned, "Congratulations!"
He grinned. "I… you just get happier, Alice. That's what I've found… you can only get happier."
"Jasper… you take care of her, won't you?" Emmett asked in a hushed tone as he hugged his friend, Alice and Jasper about to leave for their honeymoon in Thailand. Jasper clapped a hand on Emmett's shoulder, and with a nod and a rough hug, they parted.
Alice threw her arms around him, after making tearful goodbyes to every other member of the family. "Emmett Cullen, I'm gonna miss you."
"Alice Hale-" he started, and then smiled, "That does sound good. Anyway, I love you. Have fun. Be good. See you soon."
She kissed his cheek and hugged him close once more. Across the drive, Rosalie pulled away from Jasper, tearfully too, and walked over to take her husband's hand.
"They're perfect for each other." Emmett whispered as the car accelerated down the drive, heading straight for the airport. "Almost as perfect as you and I."
A/N: Again, author's note is minimal, because it's almost DOCTOR WHO time!!!! Woot woot!
xx