A/N: Oh my gosh, the response from the last chapter was unbelieveable! Thank you so much, even though some wanted to kill me for the cliffhanger. No, he did not (truly) "wake up". There is still so much that they have to go through if/when that will happen. But trust me, you will not be left hanging if that happens. The links to everything for the wedding are on my profile. I suggest you look at them. They're pretty awesome. Yes, Rosalie's dress is the same one from the Hangover. And no, I did not write what the preacher says at the wedding. I googled it. Literally.
Chapter Twelve: Wedding
Then, I woke up.
I sat up quickly and grabbed at the spot beside me, digging around in the sheets for Bella like if I dug and search enough then she might suddenly appear. Nothing. Her side wasn't warm or even smelling of her. I looked around me, though, quickly realizing I was still in Seattle and worrying for nothing. And today was the wedding day.
My phone buzzed with a text message:
Wake up, sleepyhead. I think the sun's a little brighter today. Smile and watch the icicles melt away and see the water rising. Summer's here to stay, and all those summer games will last forever. – B
I smiled. Thank God.
I dressed, cursing the un-godly hour that everyone was up and buzzing around in my own house and made my way down stairs towards all of the commotion. Besides Rosalie's parents and mine, it was mostly the groomsmen whom were in my living room sitting around playing video games and looking quite tired and somewhat hungover.
"No! I promise you, I specifically said 10:30. Not 2:30!" I heard my mom as she raised her voice while on the phone. "This is just…completely unacceptable! No, sir! I mostly certainly will not calm down!"
Emmett yanked the phone away from her hand angrily. "Listen here, Reverend. I did not take those fucking premarital classes that you insisted on just so you could show up four goddamn hours…"
"Emmett! Don't say goddamn to the pastor!"
"…late for the fucking show…"
"It's a wedding not a concert!"
"…So you better say a few hail Mary's before you come here if you show up one minute past noon!" He ended the call and tossed the phone back to a seething Esme.
"Emmett, I am humiliated."
"He'll be here, Ma. That's all that matters."
"That's just great, Emmett! I was going to get him to do Edward and Jasper's weddings too! But I'm fairly certain that Reverend Johnson will never come near our family again!"
"We can only hope, Ma," Emmett muttered before answering his own phone in the next room.
"Wait, wait, wait. His name is Reverend Johnson?" Blake asked with a sly grin, pausing his game to lean over and catch Esme's eye.
She sent him a glare which was something completely foreign to my mother's usual wistful and cheery face. But the wedding was taking its toll on everyone's nerves and patience, even someone as sweet as Esme…the mother of all sweetness and patience. "Blake?" her tone held a small warning in it.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Do you plan on getting married anytime soon?" she asked.
"I don't know. How old is Miley Cyrus?"
I don't think I had ever seen one woman take charge and move about while ordering people around as quick and as diligent as my mother. But everyone listened to her, afraid of the consequences of not doing so, especially Blake who gave her a hard time just for the fun of seeing Esme steam. The joys of such a big wedding, I'm sure, was for a large group of people all of whom play an important role in the bride and groom's lives to see the happy couple tie the knot and celebrate together. However, this big of a wedding only caused stress and mass chaos within the wedding party.
"Okay. I have to run to the florist then to the church. Then, I've got to go to the hotel then back to the church. But first, I have to get my hair and nails done! Edward, get dressed! All of you, put your tuxes on! Now!"
I looked up from my bowl of Frosted Flakes as Esme's small, petite frame kept shouting and pushing around large, oversized 20-something year-old guys in the kitchen then went into the living room, shoving and shouting at more of them whom hadn't moved from their video game.
Once they had all moaned, groaned and grunted their way out of the seats and gotten up to follow through with her orders, she walked back into the kitchen with me.
"Edward, dear, I want you to slick your hair down today," she said, grabbing my bowl of cereal from my hands mid-bite, still with the spoon halfway to my mouth.
"Aw, Ma. You know it'll lay flat for two seconds then it'll stand right back up again."
"Do you want me to fix it?" she asked, taking my spoon from me too and washing it out as well.
"No. Thank you but no. I think I can fix my own hair."
"Are you sure," she said in that sing-songie voice that all mother's have.
I shook my head and ran towards my bedroom before she said anything else about it. I dressed in my tux but left my tie hanging around my neck. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror for what seemed like an hour as I worked meticulously on my hair. No matter what I did though, it always stood up the same. The only one who could make it right was Bella.
Thinking of her, I grabbed my phone and hit my first speed dial. I briefly thought of the last time I had seen her last night when she had made the comment about "our" wedding. I remembered how I tensed. I remembered how I stopped breathing. I remembered how every unanswered question that I had rang in my head over and over. I remembered how the word "our" repeated in her voice to me again and again. I remembered feeling nauseous and scared. But still every thought that I had of leaving her also had me feeling the same way.
"Hey you," she answered after several rings. Her voice was like air, weightless and easy. I wanted to immerse in it, breathe it in for eternity.
"Hey. I miss you." It's only been a few hours, but I'm a mess without you.
Her laughter was smooth and soft. "I miss you too."
Can I come kiss you? Just one kiss. It will dissipate my pain. "Mom wants my hair to lay flat today."
"Easier said than done."
"I tried to tell her, but you know her…she won't hear reason. Especially today." Maybe just one touch. One touch. That's all I need. Please.
"Yeah, it's total craziness over here. Rose has a pimple on her back. We had to talk her out of calling the whole thing off twice since 8:00 this morning." Her tone was annoyed, but I heard her smile.
"Yeah well, I'm pretty sure the preacher is somewhere crying in a corner, hitting his head against a wall after what Emmett said to him this morning."
She laughed, again. Maybe if I can just see you…yes, just seeing you would help. "This is why people elope. It's so much easier."
"Wedding's are crazy," I said, leaning against the side of the bathroom counter.
"People do crazy things when they're in love."
She was so lovely. I wanted to picture her, maybe standing in a hallway by herself while the others were in the next room trying to calm a stressed out Rosalie. I wanted to picture her leaning against the lone, hallway wall with her hand to her ear, holding her phone; and maybe with a smile on her face as she spoke her gracious words to me. Maybe she was running her hand through her hair which she often did while on the phone, or maybe she was shuffling her feet, while looking down and watching her toes wiggle. Yes, I could picture it now.
"I'm crazy about you, Bella." That was almost the same thing, right? Love is crazy. Love equals crazy. My words were the same as 'I love you', weren't they? Weren't they?
"I love you, Edward." No, not the same. Nothing about that was the same. I was stupid. I was so fucking stupid. "Oh, shit. We're about to leave and go to the church. I'll see you there, okay?"
She didn't leave me any time to say it back. Would I have said it back?
"Okay, baby. See you there. Bye."
She hung up, and I was empty once more.
I sighed, dumping my phone to the side as I stood back in front of the mirror and tried for at least another twenty minutes to slick my hair down. It worked…mostly. But I knew that within minutes, it would be standing back up in its usual tangled mess. As I reached for my phone to leave the bathroom, I noticed a small white, square package. I had never noticed it before, and I was more than positive that it wasn't mine. I picked it up and popped it open. Birth control pills.
Bella's birth control pills. I'm not completely sure why I was so surprised by this, but I was. I expected this, but holding them in my hand and having the evidence right before me was somewhat still shocking. And according to the pills, she was right on track. But she hadn't had today's yet, so I stuffed them into my pocket, hoping to give them to her when I saw her later. I was assuming she had forgotten to take them with her, and you never know…she might need them. Just in case…you know…accidents happen.
I swallowed a lump in my throat and coughed, not really needing to but did anyway, as I opened the door and left my bathroom to make my way back downstairs to everyone once again. This time, all the guys were dressed and ready to go.
"I'm getting married today! Let's go!" Emmett bellowed. He glanced at me as I walked towards the crowd of people congregating at the bottom of my stairs. He stopped, however, when he saw me then started laughing. "Your hair…"
"Shut the fuck up, groom boy. Mom made me."
"Ma!" he shouted. "Look at what Edward did to his hair!"
Of course, after he said that, everyone turned to look at me and my hair. They all laughed, and suddenly I was a little boy again who couldn't fix his own curly, unruly hair. I was blushing and totally mortified.
"Aw, honey. I think you look very handsome," Esme said, hugging me around the waist. Yep, definitely a little boy again.
We left soon after that. When we arrived at the church, Rosalie and all of the girls were already there. We didn't get to see them though, and I happened to be the first one to ask Esme when we could. But she smiled at my obvious reasoning behind my question and just said "Soon, dear"; a very "Esme" sort of answer…annoyingly cryptic yet still sweet enough where you can't express just how much it annoys you. Emmett and Rosalie weren't allowed to see each other before the wedding and the others were still getting ready, so us groomsmen were led outside to take pictures with just Emmett.
I fixed my tie in the bathroom before we got started and took another look at my hair before going outside. It was raining off and on, of course. It was Seattle, hello. But the clouds were sporadic and held a pretty grey-blue tone which made the sky light up even in the darkness of the dreary weather. I felt a few raindrops of my face as we ended our first round of pictures and waited for Emmett to go inside so Rose could come out.
We were in a grassy area outside of the church where summer flowers and greenery were scattered around us. The light rain subsided right as Rosalie came out. And gosh, she looked so beautiful. Her silky blonde hair was pinned up off of her shoulders, and a small blonde braid circled her head all the way around which also held her small, simple veil which was hanging behind her head and out of her eyes. Her dress was pretty simple except for a black, silk sash around her waist held by a white stain flower. The black sash went down across her train in the back and hung in two separate places behind her.
"Sissy, you look beautiful," Blake complimented while taking her hand and helping her up the cobblestone stairs to the pathway that led to the garden where the rest of us stood waiting.
She smiled and, for the first time, I found Rosalie to be as happy as I always thought a bride should be. And only by that fact did I think that she looked the most beautiful that I had ever seen her.
She smiled at all of us, told us how good we all looked and posed like an experienced bridal model with all of us surrounding her. We did the usual wedding photos; us circling her, us holding her in a line with her lying across us, and also one of just Jasper and I with her then another with just Blake.
Not long after that, the bridesmaids emerged, lovely and beautiful. My eyes were wide and searching for the one that I cared most about. She was the last one to come out and, of course, the most beautiful. All of the bridesmaids wore a simple, short black dress, except for Alice and Bella…the two maids of honor. Their dresses both had an ivory silk sash that wrapped around the top of their waists with a small bow to one side.
I watched as Bella's eyes danced around, searching and seeking something out in particular. The photographer was barking out orders to try to keep everyone in line and paying attention, but it wasn't working at all. We were all such a close knit group of friends that whenever we were around each other, it was like a reunion all over again. Bella was across the lawn, talking to Blake and Feltman, but her indigo, blue eyes were still dancing around behind long, thick lashes as she searched; only nodding her head as they talked to her.
Finally, finally…her eyes found their awaited destination…me. A wide smile grew across her lips as she quietly pointed in my direction and walked towards me.
Like a moth to a flame, our bodies met and connected in a prolonged embrace. It hadn't even been a day since we parted, but it felt like years. My nose brushed against her neck, smelling her cotton candy scent and laying swift, almost-kisses across her shoulder. I took a deep breath through my nose, wrapping myself completely in nothing but her.
God, this is love.
Her small body seemed even smaller against mine as I had to bend my knees some to hug her even though she had on tall, black heels. I heard the photographer's camera snapping but chose to ignore it. I breathed in her ear, "Oh my god, I hate sleeping without you." And waking up without you.
"Did you get my text this morning?"
"Yes, I loved it." I love you.
She pulled away slightly but allowed me to still hug her waist and allowed our chests to remain connected. The sound of a camera kept going off, but I kept up my oblivious nature. "I almost didn't recognize you," she smiled, patting my Ray-Bans and ruffling my hair.
I groaned. "I know. I need you to fix it," I whined.
She giggled, reaching around behind her and taking my hand in her own. "Okay. Come on."
We told them that we would be right back, earning a questioning look and a smile from everyone which we both ignored as well. Then, she took me back into the bathroom and instructed me to wet my hair completely. I did as she said without protest while I internally thought there was no way that she could make my hair look right without any gel.
But of course, she did. And it was perfect. I don't even know why I ever expected less.
We took more and more pictures, all of the wedding party together, some with Rosalie then some with Emmett. We were all posed some of the time but a lot of the pictures were funny and silly ones, and some were even candid of us when we were just standing around laughing at ourselves. I kept thinking about the friendships that I now shared with these people after having only known them for a short amount of time, but the bond that they had obviously made with me over the years only made me ache with grief at the thought of having to go back to when I had no idea that they even existed, and they would have no idea who I really was.
We went inside the church after a while and took pictures with the families of the bride and groom. We went over the proceedings of how the wedding would play out once the pastor showed up (not a minute after noon). But then, for the next several hours…there was a lot of sitting and waiting; and unfortunately, the girls and guys were split up once again…us in a room alone with Emmett and the girls alone with Rosalie. No Bella.
"So, when do you think you and Alice will get married?" Blake asked Jasper as we all sat around, waiting.
"I'm not sure. We haven't set the date yet."
Blake nodded but didn't reply. At least not to Jasper. "What about you, Red?"
I looked up, startled and not expecting such a blatant question. "What about me?"
"When are you and Bella gonna make it official?" he clarified.
To me, a wedding is a ceremony between two lovers joining in front a bunch of people so that that same bunch of people could see exactly what they want to see: the perfect union of two people in love. But it's so different than that, isn't it? Weddings are never perfect and neither is love. But when you go to a wedding, you expect it…the perfection…the love. A perfect love joined in marriage. Ultimately, you're seeing what you want to see.
So how is any of that different from me? Am I not simply playing a role? Are they not all just seeing me now as the Edward that they want to see? Because if any of them were to look deeper, scratch the surface and probe and prod their way through all the lies and all of the bull shit, they would find someone else entirely. They would find a lonely, scared as hell individual whom has not a clue as to what the fuck their doing. They would find someone who is only living the life they were given, day by fucking day. So is it not just all lies? Weddings…me…the whole bit…is it nothing but trivial yet not so trivial lies?
Then, there is the other part of me. The one that is so completely immersed in playing this part…living this lie…that finds marriage and weddings and love all something obtainable. That is the same person who has fallen in love. That is the same person who wakes up every morning begging and pleading for another chance…even just one more chance to look into the bright, blue eyes of the one that matters most. That is the person who would love nothing more than to spend the rest of their life at the side of their soul mate. And God knows, that is the person who still believes in love because they are the one who has experienced it…even through all the bull shit and even through all the lies.
"Soon, I hope." I avoided Jasper's all-knowing eyes, and secretly hoped that he would not look too deep and see the scared child within me. But I imagined he saw just that.
We kept a steady conversation running the whole time while also keeping Emmett calm as he anxiously paced the room with sweat pouring from his body.
"Emmett, you're gonna need to chill out. I'm getting nervous, and I'm just standing there smiling the whole time…" Shally said.
"Hey, Shall…who are you walking up the isle?" Feltman asked after Emmett made no attempt to stop pacing or even respond to Shally's comment.
"Uh…oh, shit. I forgot!" he replied, suddenly alarmed. "Uh…um…I think she has brown hair. Wait, no…I'm pretty sure it was red. Yes, definitely red! But it could have been brown with red highlights. I don't know. Are the lights in there red?"
"I think you're partner is Erica," Jasper responded. "You're right behind me, right?"
"Uh…" Shally drew out in thought. "Possibly…"
"Oh my god! You don't even know what order you're in?" Emmett bellowed, pausing his pacing briefly.
"What? Yeah! Of course, I do! I'm definitely behind Jasper!"
"No, I think I'm behind Jasper," Blake chimed.
"Okay, then, I'm definitely behind Blake…" Shally said with a smile.
"Yeah, but my partner's not Erica," Blake replied.
"Holy shit! We're all fucked!" Shally shouted, suddenly not giving a shit about worrying Emmett any longer. "What the fuck are we going to do? We're all just going to start grabbing girls…and then…then what if there's not enough? What if we run out of girls? Oh god! There's not enough girls!"
"Shally, there'll be enough girls, dude," I replied, calmly. I already knew where I was placed and who my partner was.
"You don't know that!"
"I'm gonna go get the wedding planner…surely she's got this shit written down somewhere," Feltman said, walking out of the room.
And before long, it was time.
The wedding planner had us all lined up in the back of the church in order (Praise God); Bella and I were the very last ones. There were nine couples in all, but since Bella and I were supposed to be standing on either side of Rosalie and Emmeett; we were last.
Everyone was talking while simultaneously getting yelled at by the wedding planner for talking. I was holding one of Bella's hands that wasn't clutching her bouquet of flowers and rubbing soothing circles on her knuckles with my thumb. She was extremely nervous for some reason.
"There's just so many people, Edward. Doesn't that scare you?" she asked, shifting her weight from side to side.
"Why would it scare me? I'm not the one getting married," I smiled then laughed after she shot me a quick glare. I hugged her waist, letting her know that I was just kidding…however, if I was being honest then the thought of getting married really did make me nervous and scared as hell.
"I just know I'm going to fall flat on my face." I snorted with a laugh because she would never ever in a million years do that. She was too perfect and flawless to ever trip or mess up.
"Shut up. No, you won't."
"But what if I do?" she shouted, grabbing onto my arm so I would lean down. She stood on her tip toes and whispered in my ear, "What if my dress comes up over my head when I fall? I'm wearing a thong. Hello."
I stood back up, chuckling as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders in a close embrace. I kissed the top of her head. "You aren't going to fall, baby. I won't let you," I whispered in her hair.
She nodded and raised her head to give me a small smile. I watched as she licked her lips slowly, her eyes dancing from my own then down to my lips back and forth. Her arms tightened around my waist as I leaned down and captured her lips with my own. We kissed slowly and lovingly, savoring the moment that we were given before we had to part and begin the ceremony. I used my tongue to part her lips and give it entrance into her mouth right before we heard the scolding of the wedding planner.
"Okay, kids. We're in a church. Come up for air."
Bella's shoulders shook underneath my arms as she laughed quietly then pulled back only allowing enough space between us so that we could hold hands once again. The slow, winding music of "Cantata No. 78, Jesu, der du meine Seele" started to play as the mine and Rosalie's grandparents were escorted through the double doors in the back of the church where we stood waiting.
My grandparents, whom I hadn't seen in an extremely long time because they lived in Chicago, gave Bella and I a hug and a kiss on the cheek as they moved through the crowd of bridesmaids and groomsmen to walk out the doors and down the aisle, escorted by Jasper. Next were Rosalie's grandparents, escorted by Blake. "Cantata No. 78" continued to play as I took my mother down the aisle with my father following behind us. It was my first glance of the church, and damn, there were a lot of people in the huge cathedral. But there was no denying how beautiful everything looked. The flowers arrangements that stood at the altar where the pastor and Emmett were standing were tall, large bouquets of bright colored flowers, mostly vibrant shades of yellow and green.
I kissed my mother's tear-stained cheek and held her delicate hand as she sat in the church's pew at the front. I turned briefly towards Emmett and smiled at him because he looked like he was going to collapse at any moment. His face was pale and shiny in the dim lights of the cathedral across his brow, but he returned my smile and his shoulders visibly relaxed as I turned back around and headed back down the aisle.
After Blake also escorted his and Rose's parents out, the wedding planner (I really need to learn her name) shut the double doors and asked us to make sure we were back in our proper places. Bella immediately latched onto my arm again and whispered, "Please, don't let go."
I smiled, gave her a swift kiss on her sweet and on her pouty lips and replied in a low tone, "Never."
The trumpets of "The Prince of Denmark's March" began to play and then, it was finally time for the wedding party to appear. Feltman and his bridesmaid, I think her name was Rachel, were the first to walk out. It wasn't long before everyone else had walked down the aisle expect for Alice, Jasper, Bella and I. Bella's small, clammy hand was clutching mine for dear life the entire time, while with her other hand, she held her flower bouquet and her index finger held Alice's right in front of us.
I whispered in her ear how beautiful she looked and how she had absolutely no reason to be nervous, but she only nodded still with apprehension and nervousness on her face. It wasn't until Rosalie appeared off to the side of us, looking totally relaxed and quite lovely with her sheer veil hanging over her face just below her chin, that Bella sighed and smiled proudly.
"Rose…" she breathed.
"Don't be nervous, Bella," Rosalie replied, glowing in a large smile. "I love you."
Bella's hand relaxed in mine immensely, and she let out a breath that she had been holding. "I love you."
I knew she wasn't saying it to me but just hearing the words come from her mouth in her voice made my heart race.
I watched on as Alice's fingers slipped from Bella's, and then she and Jasper walked out and then it was just us. The woman beside me, holding onto my hand for dear life, took a short intake of breath and slowly moved her hand so she was holding the crook of my elbow. I looked down at her and waited patiently as she finally recognized that I was staring at her. Then, her bright but scared blue eyes found mine, and with the just a look from me, she noticeably relaxed.
"I won't let go," I said, placing my hand on top of hers on my arm. And I didn't.
And step by long uncomplicated but justified step, Bella and I took our first strides down the aisle…together as a couple. With her on my arm and walking at my side down the aisle of this beautiful church in front of her family and mine, I had never felt lighter and freer. As the music played in the background as we walked, I looked into the adoring eyes of everyone who sat as we passed. They might have been waiting just to see Rosalie right after us, but in this moment, they only saw us, and the smile on their faces were only for us.
This was it. Without a doubt, this was it. This was right. This was Bella. This was love.
And maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow or even the day after that, but soon…she would know how I felt.
Right before we parted where she had to go to her side and I had to go to mine, I released her hand, squeezed it and watched as it slipped through my fingers. Her eyes were on mine, and again, it was just us. Just Bella Swan and Edward Cullen…separated by nothing except one secret, one lie. Holding us back was only that.
I took my spot next to my to-be-wed brother who smiled at me, and I responded with a wink. I was in love. He was in love. We were connected in a way that only we understood. Then, there was new music. The wedding march. The doors closed then opened to reveal the bride. Everyone stood. Everyone looked. Except me. All eyes were drawn to the back but not mine. Mine were to my right, over my shoulder and locked in the eyes of oceans in a simple black dress, clutching simple yellow flowers.
Rosalie and her father suddenly appeared, and the wedding began. But I…I was still stuck in the oceans.
"Please be seated. Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God – and in the face of this community – to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore – is not by any – to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly – but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons presented now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause to why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace.
"Marriage is the union of husband and wife in heart, body and mind. It is intended for their mutual joy – and for the help and comfort given to one another in prosperity and adversity. But more importantly – it is a means through which a stable and loving environment may be attained.
"Through marriage, Emmett and Rosalie make a commitment together to face their disappointments – embrace their dreams – realize their hopes – and accept each other's failures. Emmett and Rosalie will promise one another to aspire to these ideals throughout their lives together – through mutual understanding – openness – and sensitivity to each other.
"We are here today – before God – because marriage is one of His most sacred wishes – to witness the joining in marriage of Emmett and Rosalie. This occasion marks the celebration of love and commitment with which this man and this woman to begin their life together. And now – through me – He joins you together in one of the holiest bonds.
"Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?"
"Her mother and I."
Emmett took her hand and led her to the altar in front of the pastor. Together, they locked eyes and smiled. He was finally relaxed. Her presence was calming to him. But during his pastor's words, all I saw was the depth and the finality of the two blue oceans.
"This is a beginning and a continuation of their growth as individuals. With mutual care, respect, responsibility and knowledge comes the affirmation of each one's own life, happiness, growth and freedom. With respect for individual boundaries comes the freedom to love unconditionally. Within the emotional safety of a loving relationship – the knowledge self-offered one another becomes the fertile soil for continued growth. With care and responsibility towards self and one another comes the potential for full and happy lives.
"By gathering together all the wishes of happiness and our fondest hopes for Emmett and Rosalie from all present here, we assure them that our hearts are in tune with theirs. These moments are so meaningful to all of us, for what greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together – to strengthen each other in all labor – to minister to each other in all sorrow – to share with each other in all gladness.
"This relationship stands for love, loyalty, honesty and trust, but most of all for friendship. Before they knew love, they were friends, and it was from this seed of friendship that is their destiny. Do not think that you can direct the course of love – for love, if it finds you worthy, shall direct you.
"Marriage is an act of faith and a personal commitment as well as a moral and physical union between two people. Marriage has been described as the best and most important relationship that can exist between them. It is the construction of their love and trust into a single growing energy of spiritual life. It is amoral commitment that requires and deserves daily attention. Marriage should be a lifelong consecration of the ideal of loving kindness – backed with the will to make it last.
"Do you Emmett take Rosalie to be your wife – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"
His smile was wide and contagious. "I do."
"Do you Rosalie take Emmett to be your husband – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
"May I have the rings?" He took the ring from Bella and looked at me in waiting. I reached into my pocket, felt around for the ring and pulled out the circular semblance. However, when the ring came out, so did something else that fell to the floor in front of the pastor's feet. And yes, there in front of the bride and the groom and God and the preacher was Bella's birth control.
I watched as their faces turned from one of surprise to one of confusion and then finally…understanding. The pastor's eyes were bulging, and Bella's face flushed as she too recognized the small pill package lying on the ground of the church that had popped open when it fell.
Emmett's head turned to look at me. I felt my ears burn as I whispered, "Sorry," then proceeded to bend down as discreetly as possible and pick up the pills and slip them back in my pocket. The pastor's hand was still out-stretched and waiting as I placed the ring into it, ignoring the deep snickers behind me .
He cracked his neck some, cleared his throat but continued on. "Emmett, in placing this ring on Rosalie's finger, repeat after me: Rosalie, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed.
"Rosalie, in placing this ring on Emmett's finger, repeat after me: Emmett, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."
The rings were placed. The words were spoken. It was joyous. Bella's eyes were on mine, still blushing as she smiled and laughed silently with a small shake of her head. I returned her smile. It was all still right. This world, this life. It was all still right.
'I love you,' I mouthed the words to her. Her eyes went wide for a moment. She really didn't realize that this was me…trying. This was me trying so hard for her. It was the first time to ever utter those words whether I was really speaking them or just breathing them, but it was something. Right? I was growing. Right? But slowly, she smiled and nodded, repeating the same words in silence back to me. I felt like I was making the same vows as the couple in front of me. It felt like this was the same commitment. Was it not? One small step for anyone else…one giant leap for me.
"May you always share with each other the gifts of love – be one in heart and in mind – may you always create a home together that puts in your hearts – love – generosity and kindness.
"In as much as Emmett and Rosalie have consented together in marriage before this company of friends and family and have pledged their faith – and declared their unity by giving and receiving a ring – are now joined.
"You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each other's best friend.
"What – therefore – God has joined together – let no man put asunder.
"And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Washington and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth.
"You may now kiss the bride."
And kiss, he did.
"I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder began to play as the congregation began to clap, and as Emmett and Rosalie made their way the same way they came only this time together joined as man and wife. In unison, the groomsmen did as we were told and pulled from our pockets, sunglasses. I made sure to grab mine from the pocket that didn't house Bella's birth control pills to pull my Ray-Bans out and slip them over my eyes.
Bella took my arm once again, and together we joined and walked back up the aisle. People were laughing and smiling…some were crying in elation, but I thought of nothing except my leap of faith hanging on my arm.
"Wanna tell me why you threw my birth control pills at the nice pastor?" Bella whispered through her smile as we continued down the aisle.
I laughed. "Just wanted to make sure he knew we were being safe."
She looked up at me and giggled, giving my arm a gentle squeeze. Familiar faces watched us as we walked steadily down the aisle until we were back to the double doors from which we came. Emmett and Rosalie were wrapped in a passionate kiss by the time we made it back to them. Bella was a giggling, crying mess when she squealed and jumped up and down in joy, tugging on my arm the entire time. I laughed along with her before wrapping my arms around her and lifting her off the ground as I spun her around, kissing all over her face. Her eyes, her cheeks, her forehead, her jaw, her lips. She was still giggling while she held her arms around my neck.
"I've decided," I told her in between kisses.
"You've decided what?" she asked in between laughs.
"I've decided that I love weddings."
"Hey Edward…try to leave your lady pills in your purse next time," Blake's voice rang in my ear as I set Bella back on her feet while she kept giggling.
"Oh you think that's funny?" I asked her, holding her hips and pressing my forehead against hers. "If you hadn't forgotten your pills, this would have never happened, little lady." She continued to giggle and laugh and look so utterly and imaginably beautiful that I wondered if it could have been us. Did we get married today? The thought shook me, but not enough to make me wish any different.
Stevie Wonder kept singing while our friends and my family were escorted back to us as well. Soon enough, Bella and I were back to being squished together in a huge crowd of people. But this time, their focus was on congratulating the bride and groom. But my attention was set on Bella as she sang along with the words, obviously loving the song.
And once the song was almost over, she leaned into me and whispered two lines while Stevie Wonder's voice kept singing and while chaos and commotion surrounded us, "But what it is, though old so new to fill your heart like no three words could ever do."
All I had to do was say them.
The reception was one big party. It was held in a large banquet hall at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. It was a large, four star hotel which I could only imagine how expensive it was for Emmett. But it really was spectacular. The banquet hall continued the theme of black, white, yellow and green like the cathedral. The room was littered with huge round tables with white table clothes and green runners, dawned with large yellow centerpieces and little name tags in front of each stark white seat.
Bella and I were seated at the largest table with the rest of my family and Rosalie's. We waited patiently for the happy couple to arrive, sipping champagne and talking about the wedding with my parents. My mother was much, much more relaxed than this morning, and if you looked close enough into her eyes, they were noticeably red and dilated with shed tears. She was no longer stressed out and worried, instead, all of it was now gone with joy and happiness in its place.
Finally, Emmett and Rosalie arrived through the hall's double doors with large, happy grins on their faces, and with red lipstick stains covering Emmett's lips down to his chin. It was an endearing sight which had Bella and I laughing.
I met Bella's mom and stepdad. Well, by "met" I mean "talked to" for the first time because they most certainly already knew me. Renee hugged me fiercely and whispered in my ear how handsome I looked and how happy Bella looked. She might have looked a lot like Bella, but they could not have been more opposite. Meeting Phil was like a dream come true, however. His pro baseball career over that past couple of years had been highly extraordinary, but he seemed very laid-back and down-to-earth. I hope I didn't come off as a crazed fan in front Bella. If I did, she didn't say anything.
Emmett and Rosalie had their first dance to "Come Away with Me" by Norah Jones, and it was perfect. They were perfect. About halfway through the song, Rosalie motioned over Emmett's shoulder for Alice and Bella to join them. So, Jasper and I followed them, and I slow danced with Bella in my arms while everyone watched.
The DJ picked up the pace after that, and then the reception was nothing but just a huge expensive, extravagant party. All of our friends were there (mostly for the open bar) and most of them I had no idea who they were, but I think I was getting more and more used to the familiar faces who knew me. Yes, I was becoming a pro at lying.
All of the fraternity brothers gathered around Rosalie in a big circle as we all sang to her. Of course, I didn't know the song, but I faked it. It was apparently a song that was a tradition to sing to the bride at her wedding if she marries an Omega and was once a Sweetheart. It was slow and rhythmical, but the guys were pretty much trashed while singing it so I couldn't quite catch all of the slurred lyrics to tell what exactly the song was about.
And after that, the Phi Mu girls gathered around Rosalie as well and sang a song to her while holding hands and moving around in a circle. It was slow too, but it wasn't slurred or off key at all. I heard every word.
Picture a girl of beauty rare
Picture a girl, so sweet and fair
Dressed in a gown of rose and white
Radiant in the candlelight
Frame it an inspiration true
Then let it fill the heart of you
A picture of a Phi Mu girl will be
A sister for you and for me
Once that was over with, Blake took all of the groomsmen outside to decorate Emmett's car. We used white car-window paint and shaving cream on all of Emmett's windows. My mom came out there with us to make sure that nothing too "inappropriate" was written on his car. So, Blake had to scrub off the giant dick and balls that he wrote "Just Married" in on the back window and just leave the words once Esme saw it. But when she wasn't looking, he blew up a condom and tied it to the radio antenna on the hood.
When we were done with our masterpiece and ready to go back inside, Esme pulled me away from the others and asked me to talk to her for a moment. I agreed, even though I wanted to go back inside just to see who Bella was dancing with now, (yeah, I know, pretty pathetic, huh?), so we sat on the edge of a large fountain by ourselves in the very front of the hotel.
She set her small clutch purse in her lap onto of her knees and opened the clasp but stopped before she took anything out. She looked at me, smiling with tears glistening in her eyes once again.
"Mom? Are you okay?" I asked her.
She took my hand and squeezed it in her own on top of my knee still locking her watery eyes on mine. "I just want you to know that I love Bella. I could not have picked out a better woman for you, Edward. She's beautiful, of course, but she is also sweet and kind and nurturing. She loves you so much, and that's…that's all I ever wanted for you. Growing up, you were different than your brothers. You didn't have girlfriends or date that much so you were never falling in and out of love. And for a while, your father and I worried that maybe you were better off alone. But then you met her, and I knew that you were just waiting for the right person to fall in love with all along."
I didn't say anything while she talked. I sat, motionless and expressionless, listening to the wise words of someone who knew me before and after all the lies.
She continued on, "I am so, so proud of you. And I know that my mother would have been too. That's why I'm giving you what you asked me for."
And slowly, she took out something from her purse and set it in my hand that was previously holding hers.
I looked down, examining the small object. It was a tiny, black box.
A/N: You're welcome for the less than a week update. I graduated college and now I'm unemployed so lots of time on my hands at the moment while I search for a job and figure out what I want to do from here.
But I like updating on Saturdays so I think I'm going to stick with that. Thank you for your kind words.
I love weddings so I went into a lot of detail and ended up making the chapter a hell of a lot longer than I meant to. I'm wordy sometimes. Do you like weddings?
Don't forget to look at the links on my profile.
'Preciate you.