Jasper's POV

"Why do I have to have a practice date?," I demanded. "This is so weird, Dad."

Dad rolled his eyes at me. "You need to know how to treat women, son. You're 14 now and you'll soon be dating for real, so just be glad your sister is here to help teach you."

B stuck her tongue out at me from behind Dad's back.

"Bella, I saw that."

Her eyes widened. "Shit, how do you do that?"

"Language. You'll learn when you become a parent. Now, Jazz, you have just come to pick up your date, the lovely Bella."

B sat down in his chair and put her hands on her knees primly. I rolled my eyes and walked over to her.

"Offer her your hand to help her up."

I did and B took it, letting me lift her up from the chair. I grinned at her, pleased that I was finally eye-level with her. She rolled her eyes at me and we looked at Dad expectantly.

"Offer her your arm."

"Seriously?"

B laughed. "Dad, guys don't do that anymore. That's so old fashioned."

"My sons do it. Offer her your arm."

I sighed and held my arm out awkwardly. "Need an arm?"

She snickered and turned to Dad. "Ok, seriously Dad."

"What if the girl doesn't get what I'm asking?" I demanded. "What if she thinks I'm being stupid or something?"

Dad rolled his eyes and waved me aside. "Then this is what you do."

He stood next to B and smiled down at her. "Hey, you like chicken?"

B stared at him, clearly confused. "Um…yes?"

He jutted out his elbow. "Then take a wing."

She burst out laughing and slipped her arm through his, holding on with her other hand. He looked up at me triumphantly. "And that, my son, is that."

I stood nervously in the little room where the wedding would be. The Blacks and Cullens were already here, sitting and talking quietly. Edward was talking with them, looking completely at ease. All the girls were still in the bathroom, doing whatever it was to get B ready. I was playing dual role of escort and best man since Emmett wasn't here and that terrified me. I had the box with the rings in my pocket…Dad's pocket. My suit didn't fit anymore so I was wearing one of Dad's. It was a little big, but B had said it looked good, so I guessed that was ok.

The door opened and Alice stuck her head in and smiled at me. "We're ready," she called.

Everyone moved into their positions. It was going to be a lot like a regular wedding apparently, with Jake taking pictures and Carlisle running a video camera in the back. I waved awkwardly and headed into the hallway.

Alice looked amazing in a floaty blue dress that showed off her legs. I grinned at her, suddenly shy. She smiled back and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before standing in front of the door and looking over her shoulder at the others.

Rosalie was in a nice looking red dress and B was in a white dress. I stared at her in some shock. Her hair was down, loose almost to her waist, with white flowers in it. The dress was off the shoulder and had tiny little sleeves and a fitted top that flared out down to her knees. She had some make-up on and just looked…amazing. I swallowed a lump in my throat and pulled her into a hug. She hugged me back tightly while the other slipped into the room, leaving us for a private moment.

"B, you look beautiful," I said quietly, my voice husky.

She smiled up at me, her eyes bright. "Stop it, you'll make me cry and ruin my make-up and Alice will kill you."

I grinned. "I can handle that." I reached over and moved a strand of hair that had gotten out of place, probably from my hug. "Dad would…" I stopped. We both knew Dad would have been proud and a little sad and overjoyed all at the same time. He would have had some words of wisdom to pass on but I had nothing.

She swallowed hard and nodded, a few tears spilling over to her annoyance. I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket and handed it to her. She laughed softly and carefully dabbed her eyes.

"One of Dad's?" she asked softly.

I nodded. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I will not sob today. I'll sob tomorrow. Today I'm getting married."

I grinned and we turned to face the door together. We stood in silence for a moment, thinking of those who couldn't be there.

"You know what, B?"

"What?" she looked up at me with a grin.

"I love you."

She grinned. "I love you too."

She looked like she was going to start crying so I said the next thing I thought of. "B?"

She just looked at me then.

"You like chicken?"

Jake's POV

Bells and Jazz came in with huge grins on their faces, laughing a little as they walked to the front. I raised my eyebrows at Bella but she just grinned at me. I took plenty of pictures, making sure I wouldn't miss a second of this.

It was a simple enough thing, a few words spoken, the rings exchanged, and they were man and wife. I didn't pay much attention to the words, focusing more on the pictures and how amazing Bella looked.

I'd seen her dressed up before, sure, but it had been a while. She'd grown up and into her looks and I had to admit, if I were the guy waiting for her at the other end of the aisle, I'd be hella intimidated. Edward, on the other hand, fucking beamed. He looked like he was going to burst with happiness. He took her hands and squeezed them tightly in his, not letting go through the whole service other than to slide the ring on her finger.

Esme wiped some tears from her eyes and I think even Carlisle and Dad got emotional. I refused to really listen to anything so I wouldn't get caught up in it. There'd be time for that later.

Afterwards, Edward dipped Bella back in a kiss straight out of a movie, hugging her tight against his chest. She laughed as he righted her and looked up at him with eyes so full of love it made me ache a little. There was no recessional, so they just turned to accept everyone's congratulations.

I still loved Bella, I realized with a pang. I hadn't ever really gotten over her. I dated in college, sure, but I guess in the back of my mind, I'd always kind of thought we'd get back together. I knew Edward was competition, but until very recently, he'd been married and she'd been dating the Douche. Now, my time had expired. I secretly wondered what would have happened if I'd been there the day of the service. Would she have asked me to stay the night instead? Would she be carrying my child and marrying me? I'd never know.

I forced all the thoughts out of my mind as Bella came over and wrapped her arms around me, giving me a hug and a quick kiss. "Thanks for being here and taking the pictures, Jake," she smiled up at me. "It wouldn't have been the same without you."

I grinned. "You say that now, just wait until you get my bill."

She laughed and squeezed me again before letting go of me and walking back towards Edward. We were all going to the Cullens' for dinner so we thanked the judge and headed out. I grinned when I saw all the couples grab hands. I may be single currently, but I could still appreciate the insane amounts of love around me.

"Looks like I got the best of the bunch," Rosalie grinned, coming over to walk with Dad and me. "Since Em isn't here, I get to be escorted by the incredibly good looking Black men."

Dad chuckled. "You sure you're up for that?"

"Hell yeah. I survive family holidays with Jazz and Emmett and Edward, I think you two will be a piece of cake." She linked her arm in mine and grinned. "Besides, I'm thinking Emmett probably intimidates Jake enough that he won't try anything stupid." She winked up at me as we reached the cars. She had a point, I would always be intimidated by Emmett.

Esme's POV

I bustled around the huge kitchen, thrilled for a chance to really use it. Since building such a huge house ten years ago, I only got to use the kitchen once or twice a year, if that, and I welcomed the opportunity to cook for Bella and Edward's wedding. I made everything I could remember the kids loving when they were kids and everything they loved now, along with some stuff for us older adults. There was plenty of beer and wine for the non-pregnant people and lots of water and juice for the girls.

I'd set the table with my best linens and china and crystal because if I wasn't going to use them now, then when?

I beamed when I saw Bella's look of amazement as she looked at the dining room overflowing with candle light and flowers.

"Oh Esme, you shouldn't have," she breathed, hugging me tightly.

I laughed. "Of course I did, you're my daughter now."

She smiled up at me. "You don't know how many times over the years I wished that were true. I'm so glad it is now."

I hugged her tightly, pleased with how she was starting to fill out some. I completely disagreed with modern weight ideals for women. Thankfully, all three girls seemed to be fairly confident of themselves and their weight so I didn't worry about them too much.

We all sat down and enjoyed the feast I had prepared. The girls ate almost as much as the boys, to everyone's surprise. There wasn't much left to clear away, though I boxed it up to send home with the kids.

I was headed back into the dining room where everyone was visiting when I heard something I thought I'd never hear.

"I can totally fit more marshmallows in my mouth than you," Rosalie scoffed. "I was the queen of Chubby Bunny when I was a kid."

"I beg to differ," Jasper shot back. "I'm bigger, hence I have a bigger mouth, hence I can fit more in."

"Hence? Who says hence anymore? I challenge you both to a marshmallow off!" declared Jake.

I stood in the doorway, staring at them in surprise. Bella was sitting in Edward's lap and they were both laughing. Alice was grinning and Carlisle and Billy were chuckling into their beers. Rosalie turned to me.

"Esme, do you have any marshmallows?"

I stared at them for a beat then started laughing myself. This was truly a Swan function. It wouldn't be complete without some kind of absurd food happening. Typically, it was cake smashed in someone's face, but Emmett and Edward had been very fond of eating contests as kids. It only proved that they were all family now if Rosalie was challenging Jasper and Jake was getting in on it. I shook my head and headed into the kitchen, returning with two bags of jumbo marshmallows. I plopped them down on the table and settled myself in Carlisle's lap to watch.

Alice jumped up and grabbed the bags, tearing the first one open and putting three in front of each competitor. She lobbed one to Bella who caught it and took a bite, a grin on her face.

"Before we begin, who's got the camera?" Alice began.

Jake held it up and Edward reached for it, a grin on his face. The three competitors were sitting beside each other across from Alice and the newlyweds. Alice and Jake had traded seats at some point, probably for better photography.

"Rules," Alice resumed, clearly enjoying her position as judge. "You may not chew or swallow until the end of the competition. You do not have to be able to close your mouth. You may not suffocate yourself to win."

I laughed at that. There were chuckles around the table.

"After you've stuffed in the first three, we'll continue one at a time until no one can do anymore. Got it?"

The competitors nodded.

"Then begin." She sat back down and Edward snapped a couple of pictures of them before they began and while they started to push the marshmallows in their mouths.

"Are you enjoying your job?" I asked Bella as the competition raged on. She extracted herself from Edward and moved to the seat next to me.

"It's fine. Obviously not what I want to do long term, but it's ok for now."

I nodded. "How are you handling being on your feet all the time?"

She chuckled. "Lots of foot rubs and baths. It's not just my feet that hurt, it's my hips and back and shoulders. I think it wouldn't be so bad if I were moving around more, but I start feeling like a caged tiger pacing back and forth behind the desk."

I nodded. "Does your doctor approve?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed softly. "Edward would rather I stay home, but I want to do something other than sit and dwell. Plus, he shouldn't have to support all of us."

I smiled. There was that fierce Swan independence. I would bet that if they won the lottery and were independently wealthy, Bella would still want to have a job and be doing something.

We chatted for a while as the contest continued. I think it finally ended when Jake choked on a marshmallow and Jasper sprayed goo across the table in laughter. Rosalie raised her hands in the air triumphantly as she managed yet another marshmallow in her mouth.

The boys rolled their eyes as they started chewing and swallowing the sticky mess. Jasper sheepishly started to wipe up the mess he'd made, shooting me apologetic looks. I laughed and waved him off. I'd had boys in the house enough to know how to clean up after them. Even marshmallow goo.

***

Tali: My dad took me on a Daddy/Daughter date when I was about 15 so I would know what a real date was like and how I should be treated. We went and played putt-putt, went to eat, and saw a movie. At the end of it, he joked that I wasn't a cheap date and then got serious and said I should never let anyone treat me like a cheap date and that any guy who didn't want to spend the money on me wasn't worth my time.

Right before we walked down the aisle, I was emotional because my older brothers had both come to give me one last hug, tell me they love me and tell me how beautiful I was. My dad and I were alone in the back with just the wedding person to open the doors for us and I was taking deep breaths to calm down and he looked down at me and asked me if I liked chicken. I had no clue what he was talking about but said yes. He stuck out his arm and told me to take a wing so I was laughing as we walked down the aisle. He was so proud and happy and more than one person told me that he was just floating down the aisle with me on his arm. The pictures and video show a huge goofy grin on his face and I miss that grin so much….ok, stopping now while I can still see the screen.

Also, the marshmallow scene is a total homage to a favorite story my dad would tell about me as a baby when I kept stuffing mini-marshmallows in my mouth but not eating them. There's a picture that we displayed at my wedding that's actually pretty cute: little 6 month or so old me, sitting at an angle in a high chair, holding on with both hands, a red bib ruffled up around my chin, my mouth oozing marshmallow goo. They like to say I was foaming at the mouth.