A/N: Edited 5/1/13

Bella and I had returned from Forks a few days ago, after spending Christmas with her father. We had a nice visit with him, and thankfully I secured his blessing to ask Bella to be my wife. Since then, I had been planning and plotting my proposal, but nothing I came up with seemed to be right. Bella was such a simple woman, not needing or wanting fancy dinners or grand gestures.

I had been playing with my new digital piano since we got home, and toyed with the idea of writing her a song. But that still wasn't cutting it as far as proposals go. I had resigned myself to the fact that when the time was right, I would know it, and decided to stop worrying about it so much. Of course, I was carrying the ring around with me everywhere now, thinking that an idea would strike at any time and I wanted to be ready.

We settled into our life of living together easily, as if things had always been like this. There were disagreements from time to time, but for the most part everything was perfect. One of our biggest disagreements had been about money. I figured that this was something that every couple went through.

Bella had insisted on paying part of the rent, and I told her it wasn't necessary. I was able to afford living here before she moved in, so there was no need for her to pay for anything other than some of the food that we shared. But, I should have known better. Being the independent woman that she was, she wanted to contribute equally.

Ultimately, I had to relent—for now. I couldn't use my biggest argument yet, which was that one day she would be my wife and we would share everything, so it didn't matter which pocket the money came from. Although I had told her over Thanksgiving that I wanted to marry her, I wanted my proposal to be a complete surprise so I held back on using that point.

I did see the hypocritical nature of that argument, too. If everything would eventually be "ours" then it shouldn't matter if she was paying. But my need to take care of her still won out in my head. At the end of the day, I managed to convince myself that this was temporary, so I let her win.

We gathered our coats and locked up the apartment, heading over to Alice and Jasper's place to meet up before the BoDeans show. Alice wanted Bella there early, insisting that she had to help Bella get ready for the night. I didn't mind, but I also thought Bella was beautiful just the way she was and didn't need Alice's help. Bella didn't seem too happy about it either, but knowing her best friend wouldn't give up, Bella gave in to make her happy.

Jasper and I kicked back with a few beers while the girls were locked in the bedroom. I was so glad for his easy friendship.

"Looking forward to the show?" I asked him.

"Eh, it's not really my style, but Ali likes them so I'm just happy to have a fun night out with everyone," he responded honestly. Just like me, he would do anything to make his girl happy.

"At least the show is at a club, so we can still drink and have a typical New Year's Eve. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be over before midnight, so it will probably turn into a regular party at that point."

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll have a good time no matter what." He took another swig of his beer before continuing. "It's not like I hate the band or anything."

I played with the label on my bottle. "Our love of the BoDeans is one of the things that brought Bella and me together, so I'm really looking forward to going to see them with her." I ran my hand through my hair nervously.

Jasper chuckled as he set his bottle on the coffee table. "You two are too much sometimes." He leaned back on the couch, stretching his legs in front of him. "I've never seen Bells as happy as she's been since you came into her life."

I tried to hold my smile to something not so embarrassing and goofy, but had a feeling I failed miserably. "She's done the same for me, man. I feel like I don't even remember my life before she was in it."

"I'm happy for you both," he said, slapping me on the shoulder before looking at the clock. "Ali, let's go!" he bellowed in the general direction of the bedroom. "You wanted to get there early to get a good spot."

The club was general admittance, which essentially meant that while there would be some seating available, the audience would mostly be crowded on the dance floor the entire time. I knew we would have fun no matter what, and if we were squished together, I'd just have to hold my girl all night. No problem for me.

Alice and Bella finally emerged from the bedroom, and I think my heart stopped beating for a moment. I stepped in front of her to get a better look. "You look gorgeous," I told her as I took in her appearance from head to toe. She had a bit of makeup on, but not too much to hide her beautiful face. It was just enough to enhance her features even more. Her hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, looking so soft that I had to run my fingers through it as I reached her for a hug. She wore a navy blue, silky V-neck top—my favorite color on her—that accentuated her curvy figure. I couldn't wait until she turned around so I could see her ass in those skin tight dark jeans. I could feel myself hardening already.

"I love you," I said as I pulled her closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She looked up at me with bright eyes and a smile.

"Love you, too."

"Let's get going," Alice commanded. I had almost forgotten that they were there.

We made our way to the club and found that the line wasn't terribly long. It was only about fifteen minutes until the doors would open, so we wouldn't have to be out in the snow and cold for very long. Regardless, I pulled Bella's body toward mine and wrapped my arms around her while Alice chatted excitedly about the show.

Bella kept a grip on my arms, eventually linking our gloved fingers together while she and Alice talked. I kissed the top of her head and hugged her to me a little tighter. Although I was excited to see the band and hear them play live, sharing the experience with Bella was really the highlight of the night.

The line finally started moving and we made our way inside. Jasper took everyone's coats to the coat check while the girls scoped out a good spot on the floor and I made my way to the bar to get drinks for everyone. We had a half hour to hang out while the club slowly filled up. The band had already set up on stage, so I wandered a little closer for a few minutes to admire the instruments after everyone had their drinks.

The place was crowded but not overly so by the time the lights dimmed to signal the start of the show and I made my way back to Bella. I pulled her back into my chest and wrapped my arms around her again as the emcee announced the band. She turned and looked at me with a huge smile, excitement shining in her eyes. I kissed her and whispered "I love you" in her hear as the band took the stage.

Turning back to the stage, she leaned her weight into me and I held her close. It was then that I realized I needed to shift her a bit, lest she feel the box that was sitting in my pocket. My loose jeans and untucked shirt hid it from view, but I didn't want her to notice it by pressing it into her hip.

The band came out on stage to loud cheers and whistles from the crowd. They started off with a popular song to get everyone dancing and singing. Bella and I swayed together to the music, and a few times I felt her squeeze my arms in acknowledgement. I turned to my right and was surprised to see that even Jasper was enjoying the music. Alice was positively giddy, singing and dancing around him.

As the concert continued, my mind drifted to how this underappreciated band had brought Bella and me together that first morning after we met. I remembered giving her my T-shirt, and the look on her face when she realized what was on it. I also remembered how she sang out a line from one of their songs, and I completed it—just like she completes me. And that line couldn't have been more fitting for the two of us. If I can hold you tonight, I might never let go.

Suddenly, all of my planning for the perfect moment seemed to be a waste, because the perfect moment had just dropped itself in my lap. The crowd cheered as the last song ended, and I took advantage of Bella's momentary distraction with clapping to reach into my pocket and pull out the ring box.

It felt like the heavens had aligned for me tonight, because as I spun Bella around to face me, the band started to play Naked, the song I played for Bella the night I told her that I love her for the first time. I pulled her body close and started dancing with her, my hand behind her back tightly grasping the small box.

"You know," I murmured in her ear. "This will forever be a special song for me."

"Me, too," she agreed, pulling back from my tight embrace enough to smile at me and then kiss me lightly. She tried to deepen the kiss, but I pulled away.

"I'm not sure if you realize just how much you mean to me, Bella," I said, pushing some hair off of her face and sweeping it behind her ear. Cupping her cheek and looking deep into her beautiful brown eyes, I continued saying what was on my mind, in my heart, not having prepared any kind of speech. "You make me happier than I ever thought possible. I can't even imagine a day of my life without you in it." She was blushing furiously at my words. "And, I hope I don't ever have to be without you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, taking care of you, being your partner, loving you …"

I quietly opened the box behind her back, then slid my hands around her waist, taking hold of her left hand as I dropped down to my knee. She let out a small gasp when she saw what I was doing. I raised my voice a bit to be heard over the music when I said, "Isabella Marie Swan, will you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?"

Holding up the ring box, I watched her face as tears started streaming down her cheeks. She cupped her hand over her mouth and then began nodding furiously. "Yes?" I asked nervously.

She nodded some more, appearing unable to speak, before finally moving her hand and shouting, "Yes!"

I quickly took the ring from the box and slid it on her finger, kissing her knuckle just above it before jumping to my feet and grabbing her around her waist. I picked her up and swung her little body around as our mouths met and we kissed like we had never kissed before. I could taste the saltiness of tears as we kissed, but I was no longer sure that they were only hers. She had just made me the happiest man alive.

We kissed in our own little bubble for a minute before I noticed that the room was eerily quiet. I pulled back from Bella and darted my eyes around, finding Jasper and Alice standing next to us; Jasper with his mouth open, Alice with a huge smile and her cell phone in her hand. The people in front of us had turned away from the stage to look at us, as were most of the other people in our immediate area. Bella hid her face in my chest, clearly embarrassed to be the center of attention.

That was when I really looked, and saw that it wasn't just the audience gaping at our scene. The band had stopped playing, or finished the song—I don't know which because I was lost in my own little world with Bella.

The lead singer leaned into the microphone, looking right at us, and said, "Dude, did you just propose?"

I couldn't contain my smile as I nodded at him, sure he wouldn't hear me from the stage.

"I'm guessing she said yes?" he asked, and I kept nodding furiously. "Get on up here, you two!"

I finally put Bella down and looked at her. She was wiping the tears from her face but laughing, so I just cocked my head toward the stage asking silently if she wanted to go. She nodded and laughed some more, so I took her hand and started to walk up there. Alice and Jasper now wore matching smiles as we walked past them, shouting their congratulations as we went.

We made our way up onto the stage, with our hands clasped tightly together. The lead singer asked our names, so I proudly said, "I'm Edward, and this is my fiancée, Bella." Turning to her, I kissed her temple and wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

"Well, congratulations, you two! I think this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened at one of our shows. I think we all enjoyed watching that little scene unfold, didn't we?" he asked, turning to the crowd. We were met with roars of approval. "So, let us help you make this night extra special. Is there a song we can play for you?"

Bella and I looked at each other, wide smiles on both of our faces, before we turned back and answered in unison. "Still the Night."

"Wow," he said, looking at us and chuckling. He turned back to the audience and announced, "For Edward and Bella!" just as the music started.

Bella and I moved off to the side of the stage while the band played the song that brought us together. I took her in my arms once again and danced with her slowly, in direct contrast to the upbeat music that was playing.

If I can hold you tonight, I might never let go
If I can hold you tonight, I might never let go
If I can hold you tonight, I might never, no never, let go

I like the way you dance, I like the way you paint your lips
And if I had a chance, to be with you, I wouldn't slip
So hey what do you say, just see a thing or two in me
Then let's be on our way, we don't need no other company

If I can hold you tonight, I might never let go
If I can hold you tonight, I might never let go
If I can hold you tonight, I might never, no never, let go

Well we don't need no wine, and we don't need no other stuff
'Cause we'll be doing fine, from being close and tastin' love
So when the night set ends, we'll close the curtains way up tight
And then we'll just pretend, that it isn't day, but still the night

If I can hold you tonight, I might never let go
If I can hold you tonight, I might never let go
If I can hold you tonight, I might never, no never, let go

There's a fire burnin' deep down in your eyes
It's got me almost hypnotized …

When the song ended, the band congratulated us again and we made our way back down to Jasper and Alice who were waiting with glasses of champagne for us. Jasper gave me a pat on the back while Alice practically bowled Bella over in congratulations. When she turned to congratulate me, I thought I had been hit by a boulder as her tiny, little being rammed into me and wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Alice gushed. "That was the most perfect proposal I have ever seen."

"Thanks, Alice," I said, once I had regained my senses. "And, thanks for always supporting our relationship. It means a lot to have you guys in our corner."

The champagne was finally passed around and we all held up our glasses as Jasper proposed a toast.

"To a new year, and new lives together!" We all clinked our glasses together and drank to the future.

Bella and I remained wrapped around each other until the band finished the show. I reveled in the feel of my girl held tightly in my arms, knowing that I never had to let her go. Someday—soon, if I had my way—she would be my wife. That thought sent a feeling of euphoria throughout my body. I couldn't wait to get her home and make love to her all night long.

Out of courtesy to Alice and Jasper, we stayed at the bar for the countdown to the new year. When the clock struck midnight, the cheers of the crowd were drowned out by Bella's warm lips against mine. I knew this was the first of many years we would ring in together. Her soft tongue met mine as I groaned into her mouth. With one hand cupping her face and the other pulling her waist close to me, I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth and ran my tongue over it, earning me a whimper from Bella.

Knowing I could have continued kissing her into the next year, I finally pulled away and met her eyes.

"Happy New Year, baby."

Her bright eyes danced with a glow of happiness. "Happy New Year, Edward. I love you."

"I love you, too. More than anything," I promised.

Bella held her hand up in front of her body and admired the ring. "I can't believe we're getting married!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with joy.

I grabbed her hand and kissed it again. I'd never get enough of seeing that ring on her finger. "Do you like the ring?"

"I love it. It's perfect." She sighed.

"It belonged to my great grandmother," I told her and she gasped. "My dad always told me I could have it if I wanted it. I know it's not traditional, but I've always loved it and I thought you would, too. If you want something more traditional, we can go tomorrow …"

Bella cut me off with a kiss. "I really love it, Edward. And, I love it even more because it's a part of your family history."

She wrapped her arms around me as I let out the breath I had been holding. "If you're sure …"

"I'm sure. Absolutely sure." She kissed me again. "Just curious, how come your dad offered it to you and not Emmett?"

"My parents gave Emmett another piece of family jewelry, but I think he knows that antique is not Rose's style so he'll probably just take it apart and use the stones for something different."

"Well, it sounds like Emmett knows his woman as well as you know yours," she said with a sly smile. "Antique is perfect for me. I love you."

Kissing her more deeply, I showed her how much I loved her and how happy I was that she was going to be my wife.

We shared hugs and wishes for a happy new year with Alice and Jasper before saying our goodbyes for the night. Alice hugged me tightly again, repeating how happy she was for us, and letting me know that she got the whole thing on video. Leave it to Alice to know what was coming before I did, and be prepared to record it.

"When I saw you reach into your pocket," she started. "I knew what was coming. I doubt you can hear the words on the video, but trust me, you can see all of the emotion."

"Thank you," I said sincerely, kissing her on the top of her head. "Will you email me the video tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," she replied with a wink.

After grabbing our coats from the coat check, Bella and I made our way outside and walked the short distance to our apartment with our arms wrapped around each other.

Once inside the apartment, I decided that tonight I was going to take my time worshipping my future wife. Not that I doubted that she knew how much I loved her, but sometimes it felt like words just weren't enough. I wanted to show her with my body that my heart was full for her.

I locked the door behind us and helped her out of her coat, placing it on the rack by the door before removing mine. Before she could move too far from me, I took Bella's hand in mine and led her to our bedroom.

Standing behind her, I swept her long hair over one shoulder while I kissed down the side of her exposed neck. I could feel her breathing pick up as she leaned her head to the side to allow me more access. "You look so beautiful tonight," I whispered in her ear. Reaching down to her left hand, I took it in mine and held it up in front of her. "But, now I need to see you in nothing but this ring."

She turned to me with a seductive smile on her face before catching my lips with her own. Her fingers threaded through my hair as I reached for the hem of her shirt, letting my fingers brush lazily across the soft skin above her jeans momentarily until I started moving them upward, millimeters at a time, taking her shirt with me.

Her arms reached up high, allowing me to lift the shirt over her head, breaking our kiss only long enough to pull it from her body. Like magnets drawn to metal, my hands instinctively reached for her breasts, cupping and squeezing them through the thin material of her bra. Low moans from the back of Bella's throat spurred me on, and my mouth wandered down the creamy skin of her neck and chest while my fingers pinched and pulled at her nipples.

Reaching back, I unhooked the clasp of her bra, slowly pulling the straps from her shoulders and arms, enjoying the beautiful flush of her skin as I drank in every lovely feature with my eyes.

Bella reached for the hem of my shirt, but I caught her hands in mine. "Not yet. Let me love you first," I said softly. Her cheeks and chest burned crimson as I pushed her back toward our bed and slowly laid her down in the middle.

Kissing a hot trail down the middle of her chest, my fingers quickly opened the button and zipper of her jeans. Using my flat palms, I slowly slid them down her thighs along with her underwear while my mouth followed the path, licking and sucking at her heated skin. She arched her back and lifted her hips to help me, whimpering and moaning at the feel of my mouth and hands all over her body. I wished like hell that I had more hands, because there was no piece of her skin that I didn't want to touch.

I sat back on the edge of the bed after removing the rest of her clothes and reveled in the view of my future wife. She was a picture of perfection. "I can't believe you're mine," I mumbled as I kissed my way back up her leg. "All mine … forever."

She gasped softly, and I couldn't determine if it was from my actions or my words until she whispered, "All yours."

I finished with her left leg and moved back to her right ankle, repeating my kisses and whispering my words of love and devotion.

When I made my way back up to the apex of her thighs, my hands wandered around to her fleshy cheeks, lifting her hips toward my mouth. She moaned loudly as my mouth made contact with her clit, my tongue swirling around and then flattening. I licked hard from her entrance back to her nub and then burrowed my face in to give us both what we wanted.

She panted my name as I worked her over, kneading her beautiful ass all the while. I continued to suck and lick and pull on her sensitive flesh until she was writhing against me. Pushing her hips down to the bed with one hand, I thrust two fingers into her hot center and twisted them around with the other.

"Oh, god …" she moaned, causing me to increase my efforts. "Ah … Edward … ahhh!" she screamed as she came, her muscles twitching around my fingers and her legs shaking at my shoulders.

I kissed her inner thighs a few more times while she came down from her high, and then worked my way back up her body. Her little hands latched onto the sides of my face as she grabbed me and thrust her tongue into my mouth. I groaned at the thought of her tasting herself on me and met her eager kisses with matched intensity.

Her fingers drifted down my back and under my shirt, scratching at my skin and causing my lust to surge even further. Reaching behind my back, I whipped my shirt off and let my weight drop onto her body, enjoying the feel of her hot skin on mine.

I tried to keep my lower half from thrusting into her, not wanting to hurt her sensitive skin with the harsh material of my jeans. But we were always of like mind in this state, and I felt her eager hands working to open my fly. Sitting back on my knees between her legs, I quickly finished what she started and shed the rest of my clothes, returning to the view of my gorgeous girl waiting for me.

"You look so sexy with nothing on but that ring," I told her sincerely.

A shy smile crossed her face before she sat up and wrapped herself around my body. "I need you now, baby. I want to make love to my future husband."

My right hand cupped her jaw as our foreheads met and our eyes locked on each other. "Fuck, you have no idea how incredible that sounds to me."

With little fanfare, she lifted her body and took my erection in her hand, stroking it twice before slowly lowering herself onto my length. She stilled as her ass met my thighs, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist, holding her to me and savoring the feeling of being completely joined with her.

"I love you," I breathed, tangling my fingers in her silky hair.

"I love you, too," she said, catching my lips between hers and slowly starting to rock our bodies together.

We kept the pace slow and steady, with an intensity that was overwhelming. Our bodies were completely melded together, and our mouths barely parted. Her chest was pressed tightly to mine, and groans escaped my mouth as I felt her tight nipples rubbing against me.

After an eternity, Bella began to move faster against me. My eyes squeezed shut as I tried to hold back against the new sensation. She rained kisses down all over my face until her breathing picked up to the point where she couldn't kiss me anymore.

Uncontrollable moans filled the room along with the wet sound of where we were joined. I squeezed a hand between us and rubbed her as my hips involuntarily moved harder against hers. We finally came within seconds of each other, her explosion triggering me in a way that I had never felt with anyone before her.

We stayed wrapped in each other for some time, my mind rejoicing once again over a seemingly simple decision to go out by myself one lonely night a few months ago. I'm glad I didn't know what was in store for me that night, but now I would never regret a single choice that led me to that restaurant … that table … that beautiful girl.


A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. Reviews really make my day. Welcome to all of my new readers!

Special thanks to LayAtHomeMom for recommending my story. She is also a first time writer, and I am absolutely in love with her story, In Your Room. It's hysterical fun with some drama, and a dirty talking Edward—my favorite! Go check it out and show her some love.

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