Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters…
A/N: Thank you all so much for reading & reviewing! I am REALLY sorry for not putting a tissue warning at the beginning of last chapter. It honestly didn't occur to me that I might've needed one. So, again, sorry about that, and that being said, maybe you'll need one for the epilogues? I don't know. Moving on…
A lot of information this chapter (and even a different POV), but I hope you guys all like it. :-D And I think this is more of a future take. The next one will be an epilogue.
Special thanks to my beta eternally_addicted. She makes all of my messy first drafts make sense :-D
Epilogue #1
4 Years Later
"Hey, man, thanks again for doing all of this," I said, placing the last box on the floor.
"No problem…all these boxes wouldn't fit in your Volvo anyway," Emmett said, placing the box in his arms down. "Rosalie is going to help me mail them all off on Monday."
"I feel bad that you guys are going to do it. I could've done it before Bella and I left," I said, wiping my forehead.
Emmett clapped me on the back, something I was finally used to, and didn't send me flying forward anymore.
"You have bigger things to worry about," Emmett said, a wide grin on his face.
"Don't I know it," I mumbled.
If you told me, say, five years ago that I would be close friends Emmett McCarty, I would've burst out laughing in your face.
Don't forget, Cullen, you did that exact thing when you found out he was going to be your roommate.
Very true.
While I had been initially nervous, I refrained from asking housing to switch my assignment. I didn't want to…hurt Emmett's feelings, as he was seemingly happy about knowing his roommate. Bella was hesitant when I told her, but she just supported me like she always did. Rosalie was across the bay at Berkeley, so I figured we weren't going to see her too often. Plus, we weren't supposed to have overnight guests. That was a rule Emmett and I broke quite often that first year we lived together...though of course it was me that was breaking that rule most of the time. During freshman year, Bella's roommate was on the cheerleading squad. Unfortunately, they didn't quite get along as well as Emmett and I did. Bella was the one who was frequently an overnight guest.
Emmett and I got along surprisingly well as roommates and we became friends quickly. He was surprisingly serious about his education, and he didn't go out and party much with the football team. Every night after practice and study hall he was back in our room studying, and I often helped him with his schoolwork. On Saturday mornings in the Spring we went down every morning and ate breakfast in the dorm cafeteria and spent the morning just talking about random things before going off and spending our Saturdays doing whatever it was we were doing that day.
Over the course of that first year, I had become quite the sports fan, and surprisingly enough, Rosalie and I had become very good friends. Thank Christ Bella was secure in our relationship, not that Rosalie and I would ever feel that way about each other either. On the weekends during the fall, Rosalie often came over to our side of the bay. I went with her to Emmett's football games, and she came with me to Bella's volleyball games. Sometimes Emmett and Bella were there too, depending on their schedules. Over the last four years, we'd all become very close, and when we'd gone back to Forks for breaks, Emmett and Rosalie had hung out with the rest of our little gang.
Alice had flourished in Los Angeles and Jasper had as well, majoring in psychology and choosing to go on to get his Masters. While walking around in Santa Monica in one of her own creations, Alice had been stopped on the street by a buyer for Nordstrom. She had liked Alice's dress so much, and had been so impressed that Alice had designed and had made it herself, that she'd demanded to see more. Alice's new line Omniscient would be hitting all of the Nordstrom stores in the fall. Needless to say, she and Jasper were going to be staying in L.A. for a while. Bella talked to Alice every week, so I usually got my chance to talk to both Alice and Jasper then as well.
That's not to say that we didn't keep in touch with Ben and Angela either. In a surprising twist, Ben had decided to go pre-med as well. He and I would both be starting med school in the fall at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Angela unsurprisingly majored in journalism with a minor in photography. She was offered a job at the Seattle Times.
"So where's Bella at today?" Emmett said, breaking me from my thoughts. I realized he was walking out the door of the extra bedroom he and Rosalie had in their condo.
That's a good question, Cullen…where IS Bella?
Quiet…what are you implying?
Nothing…
I quickly followed Emmett out of the room.
"Well, you know her…we're actually in San Francisco. She's not going to pass up doing a little shopping around for things," I said.
Emmett and Rosalie's condo was definitely impressive. To my surprise, both of them had gotten their degrees in political science, though Rosalie was going to be the only one going on to law school for now. Emmett had achieved his dream of being drafted into the NFL, and by some miracle he was going to be staying here in the bay and playing for the 49ers. Bella and I had promised to come to the game when they were in Seattle.
"I never would've pegged Bella for a shopper back in high school," Emmett said plopping down on the sofa.
"Me either," I said with a chuckle, sitting down next to him.
"Maybe she's picking up something special to wear for your trip?" Emmett said, wagging his eyebrows.
"Shut it," I said with a growl.
Emmett laughed loudly. "Oh man, Edward! Come on! You are seriously telling me Bella never did that again for you?"
"Yes," I pouted, rather childishly.
It had been my and Bella's one year anniversary, and she had insisted that she didn't want anything special. She just wanted to spend the night with me in my dorm room. I had thought it was odd, but I didn't complain. She didn't have a game that weekend, and Emmett was going to be in Berkeley visiting Rosalie. When Bella met me at my room, she completely ambushed me, doing the stereotypical trench coat with not much on underneath. All she had been wearing underneath was this ridiculously sexy cobalt blue lingerie. She was right in the middle of doing a very sexy strip tease for me when Emmett had come home unannounced. Needless to say our anniversary had been kind of a bust, and Bella had never donned sexy lingerie for me again. That was when Emmett and I had implemented our text and dry erase board on the door system. It had worked out well until the last month of the school year and the guys on our floor had figured out what the big "X" on the dry erase board meant. It was a long month for both Emmett and I after that.
No kidding, Cullen. You two were practically the definition of blue balls.
I'd rather not remember that, thank you very much.
Well, just keep imagining what Bella could possibly be out buying right now…
I'll do that.
We were quiet for a few moments before Emmett spoke again.
"So you got it, man?"
I swallowed heavily and replied nervously. "I do."
"Don't be nervous, Edward. Everything will go perfectly."
"Thanks, Emmett. I hope you're right."
He grinned and clapped me on the back. "I'm Emmett McCarty. I'm always right about these things."
Just as we were discussing potential dinner plans, Rosalie and Bella came home, arms laden with various shopping bags and grocery bags.
"Hey, babe," Emmett said, jumping up off the couch and taking the grocery bags from Rosalie.
"Hi," Rosalie said, giving Emmett a quick kiss. "Hey, Edward!"
"Hey, Rose," I replied, standing and going to Bella's side. She quickly stuffed a pink bag into a much bigger Nordstrom bag. I couldn't help but grin.
"Did you get me something, baby?"
Bella smiled as she put her bags behind her back. "Maybe…"
I closed the distance between us so that there was barely any space between our bodies.
"I bet I could make you tell me…" I whispered.
"Mmmm…" Bella hummed. "Nope."
She giggled and stepped around me.
"Bella…." I whined.
"Edward…" She drew out, placing her bags on the couch. "Come on, let me have this surprise. You're already whisking me away to Napa for five days, and making poor Rosalie and Emmett ship our stuff back to Washington. Let me do this for you."
"All right," I said, pretending to be disappointed.
"Hey, are Rosalie and I going to get something out of this surprise too?"
Rosalie smacked Emmett on the back of the head.
"OW! Damn, babe!"
"Don't ruin their romantic getaway. You're going to be the last person they'll be thinking about," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes. She went to go sit on a chair in the living room before she spoke again. The rest of us joined her, Emmett sitting on the armrest of her chair and Bella and I on the couch.
"So," Rosalie began, "if it's okay, I thought we'd stay in tonight and have one of our cookouts before you two leave. Lord knows when you'll actually make it back to the Bay Area."
"That sounds great," Bella answered, looking up at me for confirmation. I nodded in agreement.
After our freshmen year, Bella and I had found our own place off campus, about a fifteen minute drive away. Emmett had been sad, but he understood, and had ended up rooming with a friend from the football team. We'd all made it a point to get together once a week, either to study or hang out on the weekends. Rosalie was actually quite a good cook, much like Bella, and we ended up staying in a lot to cook and eat dinner and watch movies. Turns out, Emmett and Rosalie's tastes in movies weren't that much different from Bella and me. They even loved to play Halo, which was awesome.
And what did we learn way back when, Cullen?
You don't judge a book by its cover.
Our dinner turned out to be fabulous. Rosalie had bought all the ingredients for a surf and turf meal, and we used their outdoor grill since the weather was nice. It was weird that Bella and I were here, closing yet another chapter in our lives. Bella was going to be in grad school while I was in med school. She got her Bachelors degree in English, and was going to work on her Masters at UW. She was working on a novel, but wasn't ready to share it with me yet. As the night wore down, we soon found ourselves saying goodbye to the two people I never would've thought would become so important in our lives.
Rosalie gave Bella a big hug. "I'm going to miss you, girl."
Emmett and I chuckled as our two girls got a little teary eyed. He clapped me on the back and extended his hand to me. I took it and to my surprise he pulled us into our own hug.
"You don't need it," he whispered, "but good luck."
I patted him on the back.
"Thank you, Emmett. You too."
"You better call me," Emmett said, pulling back and placing his hands on my shoulders.
"He will," Bella said, coming to my side. "I won't let him lose touch."
Both Emmett and I knew that wasn't what he was talking about, but we nodded anyway. I gave Rosalie a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug. She wished me luck too, and I realized Emmett had spilled the beans to her.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "Bella has no idea."
I nodded, incredibly relieved.
Bella and I stepped out into the cool San Francisco air, deciding to walk back to our hotel since it wasn't too far from the condo. She pressed herself tightly into my side as she held my right arm with both of hers, her fingers playing with mine as we walked.
"Can you believe we're going back already?" Bella asked quietly.
"Four years sure flew by fast."
"Did you ever think that Emmett and Rosalie would become such good friends?"
I paused and chuckled quietly. "No. I was thinking the same thing earlier today when Emmett and I were storing our boxes."
"I'm glad they changed," Bella said quietly.
"We all changed," I replied.
"For the better."
"For the better," I said, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Bella's head.
I just prayed that after this weekend, things would change for the better yet again.
BPOV
"Ms. Swan? It's time for your aromatherapy massage."
My eyes opened lazily, my entire being feeling already completely blissed out. I was clad in only a very fluffy white robe and slippers, and if it wasn't for the temptation of a message, I might not move a muscle. My spa technician, Emma, looked at me with a knowing smile. We had already completed a honey rose enzyme exfoliation and a rose petal custard body masque. I had my massage and then a spa pedicure left to go. All of this was courtesy of my Edward.
I had agreed to go to Napa after our graduation to relax and celebrate with Edward. Our parents had come down for the ceremony and had flown back home. Edward and I were driving back since we were leaving the bay area behind. Never did I think that Edward would have gotten us accommodations in such a lavish resort. The Auberge du Soleil Resort was, in a word, amazing. It was up on a hill that overlooked the entire valley. It was so lavish and the grounds were absolutely beautiful in this June weather. I couldn't help but sigh dreamily as I thought of our suite.
"Ms. Swan?" Emma said, breaking me slightly out of my dreamy state.
"I'm sorry," I said, standing up. "I'm coming."
When Edward told me I was going to be having a deluxe spa day, I was hesitant, especially when he said that he wasn't coming with me. He claimed he had other things he needed to do and that he wanted me to enjoy myself. What he had to do in Napa, I had no idea, but over the years I had become very good at accepting his gifts. When I arrived at the spa, the ladies asked if there was also any waxing I wanted done with knowing grins on their faces after Edward left. I declined immediately. After the one time Alice and Angela convinced me to get my nether regions waxed, I vowed that I was never going to do it again. Number one: It hurt like a bitch, and number two: no one besides Edward or myself needed to be looking at my vajayjay that closely…not that I could really look at it, but that was besides the point. Shaving worked just fine.
I followed Emma and soon I found myself face down on the massage table and moaning in near ecstasy. Yesterday had been a long day, and Edward and I had definitely enjoyed a good amount of wine, visiting three wineries, Rubicon, V. Sattui, and Peju. We had also polished off a bottle of Moscato from V. Sattui last night after dinner. I was feeling that bottle a little bit this morning, and that probably also contributed to my accepting Edward's gift of a day of pampering so easily. In the past four years I had been spoiled by our athletic training facilities and the deep tissue massages that were available to us athletes. I let myself get lost in the relaxing movements of Emma's hands. As my mind had traveled back to the past four years and my volleyball career, I started to think about the other things that had happened over the past four years. Especially concerning my relationship with Edward.
Our first year had started out with a bang, attending Comic Con, which had been something that Edward and I had done two more times since then. We had both completely geeked out, and while he was nearly shocked to death by getting the chance to meet Sarah Michelle Gellar, I was practically a puddle of goo when I had gotten to meet Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth. We had both gone back to start our freshmen years at Stanford incredibly happy. Being away in San Diego and alone in a hotel room certainly hadn't hurt either. It had felt like it had been forever since Edward and I had been able to make love, even though we had done so on our entire trip from Forks to Palo Alto.
Though we had started out our freshmen year well, it had begun to take its toll on us as well. I still couldn't believe that Emmett McCarty had been Edward's roommate. I was so hesitant since he had been one of Edward's tormentors, but I trusted Edward when he'd told me it would be fine. I had been so busy with volleyball practice and study halls, not to mention that I traveled quite a bit for games and was gone a lot. The anniversary fiasco certainly didn't help matters either, and right before Thanksgiving, Edward and I had gotten into our first fight. Looking back, it had been so stupid. Edward had been working himself to the bone, both at the hospital working for his father's friend and trying to maintain his perfect grades. He had been in the library and had lost track of the time while he was studying, and he had kept me waiting for over an hour outside of his dorm. When he had finally shown up I just blew up at him. It was one of my rare weekends off, and my team had been getting ready for the playoffs, and all I had wanted to do was go out on a date with my boyfriend. I had ended up storming off, after saying some truly mean and stupid things, but luckily for me, Edward wasn't about to let it go. He'd run after me, pleading and making me see how foolish I was being. We'd ended up ordering a pizza and experiencing the wonderful phenomenon of make-up sex.
Things got a little better when Edward and I had moved out on our own after freshmen year. We had our newly formed friendship with Emmett and Rosalie, and Edward and I had both loved that when we came home at the end of our long days, it was to each other and not roommates. It was at the end of our Junior year that we faced one of our biggest challenges as a couple. We had been under a ton of stress that semester, Edward had, had a lot of labs and intense science classes and I had been under a lot of pressure in my English classes, having decided to major in the subject. It wasn't until Edward and I both finally sat back and relaxed when the school year was over, that I had realized that I had missed a period. I immediately panicked and was a tearful mess. Edward hadn't known how to console me, and I hadn't known what to say to him either. After all, this wouldn't affect only my future. Edward had put on a brave face and had gone out and bought five different pregnancy tests. He sat with me the whole time as we waited those agonizing minutes for the tests to be ready, and he held me even tighter when I was sobbing in his lap, not even sure if I was crying because the tests had all come out negative, or because they weren't positive. Never once did Edward let me go, whispering exactly what I needed to hear in my ear, and reassuring me that he loved me.
I sighed as Emma kneaded my lower back. Edward had done so much for me over the years, and I was so in love with him. I just hoped I had done enough for him. It was true that I didn't have a lot of money, and volleyball certainly made it difficult for me to have a job on the side, but I had tried to make sure that I did little things for Edward when I could. I made sure the apartment was clean (not that Edward made that a hard task), and I tried to have his favorite foods in the kitchen, and always made sure there was something for dinner for him, even if I was on a road trip. He claimed that I did more than enough for him, but right now, as I lay here in the most luxurious of surroundings, I felt like I didn't do enough. I immediately thought of the little pink bag that was stuffed away in my suitcase.
"Hey, Emma?" I asked. Her hands stilled on my shoulders.
"Yes, Ms. Swan?"
"How…um…how longer would a…um…Brazilian wax take?" I whispered the last words like I was doing something illegal.
Emma laughed before she spoke.
"Something for your young Mr. Cullen?"
I felt my face heat and I turned and buried my face into the table below me, nodding. Emma chuckled and continued working on my shoulders.
"Well, Ms. Swan, I think we can help you out."
"B, are you almost…um…almost ready to go?" I heard Edward call from the living room.
I chuckled and put the finishing touches on my lips. Edward was, much to my minimal protest, taking me out to a fancy dinner. My protest was minimal because of the purchases I made in San Francisco and the torture I suffered this afternoon. My purchases were safely tucked away under the navy blue wrap dress I was wearing, and I hoped Edward would like them. I reached down for my jewelry and panic set in. My promise ring was missing.
"Edward!" I nearly shrieked. I had taken it off for my spa day, but I had it when Edward and I had enjoyed some mimosas with breakfast on the patio.
"What? What is it?" Edward shouted, coming running into the bathroom. He froze in the doorway.
"Holy crap…" He said, his voice trailing off, and his eyes raking up my body slowly. If I wasn't missing my most precious material object, I would've been blushing.
"Edward," I nearly snapped. "I can't find my ring!"
The last part was a mixture of snappy and whiny. Edward blinked rapidly, drawing his eyes away from my chest (that push up bra must have been working) and looked me in the eyes.
"You had it this morning right? Weren't you playing with it on the patio?" Edward said calmly, though there was something funny going on with his voice.
I frowned. "Are you okay? Your voice sounds funny. You're not getting sick are you?"
"No!" Edward said quickly. "I'm fine."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not drunk are you? We both know how you get when you've had too much to drink."
"I promise I'm fine," Edward said, stepping forward and taking my hands in his. It almost felt like they were shaking as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"Why don't you go look for your ring outside? I'll call down to the front desk and have them hold our car for a few minutes."
"Okay," I said, feeling my own heart rate coming down. I prayed my ring was outside, but if Edward was calm about it possibly missing, then I needed to be too.
I pulled back and took a moment to look at him. Over the years Edward kept working out, his reasoning being that he couldn't very well be an unhealthy doctor, and he really grew into his once lanky 6'1" frame. His suit looked black at first glance, but when I looked closer I saw that it was a very dark navy blue, with a matching tie and white collared shirt. His shoulders looked nice and broad and I sort of had a thing for his shoulders and back. I loved the way his muscles felt as they coiled and rippled underneath my fingertips when he would-
"Bella?"
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked quickly, snapping out of my little daydream. We were definitely going to have to act that one out tonight…and I was pretty sure we would once Edward saw what was underneath this dress. Being caught daydreaming still made my cheeks flush in embarrassment.
Edward lifted a hand and ran a finger down my cheek with barely any pressure. He gave me that half smile of his that I loved so much.
"What were you thinking about just now?" He asked softly, leaning in to look into my eyes.
"N-nothing," I stuttered.
Smooth, Bella…real smooth.
"Mmmm…if you say so…" Edward whispered, and I knew he didn't believe me for a minute.
I quickly stepped away and started to head for the patio.
"We're going to be late!" I called, looking down at the ground, "I don't want us to miss our reservations so can you call the restaurant too after you call the car? Where did you say we were going again? I forget what it's-"
My voice died in my throat and I gasped loudly when I looked up. Our suite was aptly named the Private Garden Suite because our patio was fenced in and we literally had our own private garden. There were beautiful trees and bushes with all varieties of colors of flowers, and we even had our own private Jacuzzi. All of that wasn't what had me gasping though. The trees and bushes were covered in twinkling lights and there were white candles all around on the ground in tall glass jars to keep their flames from being blown out. They made a pathway that lead to a column. I walked up the pathway slowly and cautiously, now noticing that there was something black sitting in the middle of the top of the column. I gasped even louder this time, my hands flying to my mouth. It was a black velvet ring box, and next to it, a small card with the simple word, "open", written in Edward's elegant script.
My entire hand was trembling as I reached for the small box. I paused and turned to look over my shoulder back at our room. Edward was nowhere in sight, but if this box meant what I thought it meant, then I had no doubt I would be seeing him soon. I turned back around and focused on calming my hands so I wouldn't drop the box. My heart was pounding in my chest and I swallowed heavily as I carefully lifted the lid. My breath came out in one big whoosh and my brows furrowed as I dumped the contents of the box out into my hand. I lifted up the object that had fallen out so that I could look at it closer. Sure enough, it was a piece of coal.
What the hell?
"Bella…"
I turned around slowly, and could feel confusion still written all over my face. What the hell was this? People gave you coal when you were a bad child on Christmas! I was neither a bad child, nor was it anywhere near close to Christmas!
"You know," Edward started out slowly. "You're the Rogue to my Gambit."
"What?" I blurted out, so very confused.
Edward nodded. "And the Mary Jane to my Peter Parker."
My brows felt like if they furrowed any more they'd be covering my eyes.
"The Buffy to my Angel…because really, she never belonged with Spike."
My mouth opened and then closed when nothing came out. Edward was slowly moving closer towards me.
"The Sun to my Jin, my constant and my soul mate."
I began to gnaw on my bottom lip. I wasn't sure where the hell he was going with this. First of all, he sets up all of this romantic stuff in the garden, and then he gives me a piece of coal, and now he's saying I'm his soul mate. I couldn't keep up with the man.
"And last but certainly not least, you're the Lois to my Superman."
I couldn't help but smile a little when Edward was positively beaming at me. He took the hand that was holding the box and took the box placing it back on the column behind me.
"Isabella, my beautiful, Bella…" Edward said softly. "I want to be your Superman more than anything."
And my furrowed brows came back.
"Edward…"
"Wait," He said cutting me off, "I have to say this."
I went back to nervously gnawing on my lip and looking at Edward. His green eyes were so intense and focused, but soft and loving at the same time. I was constantly baffled at how he could look at me that way. Usually looks like that were saved for the bedroom.
Focus, Bella…
"I made you a promise four years ago," Edward said, his voice still soft. "I want to add to that promise. I promise that I will always keep you safe from harm and be your safe shelter from the storm. I promise that I will be that light for you when times are hard. And more than anything, I promise I will love you beyond forever. You have done all those things for me the past four years, Bella. Sometimes I think you're more like Superman than I am, but I want to be your hero, Bella. I want to be your knight in shining armor and your man of steel, and I promise everything I said and more."
He took the piece of coal from my left hand, chuckling as he did so. My heart was beating so fast and so hard I felt like it was going to burst right out of my chest. Either that or I was going to have a heart attack, which I really hoped wasn't what was going to happen. My body was practically shaking as I absorbed the meaning behind Edward's words.
"I'll never be as physically strong as Superman, but even he can't possibly love Lois Lane as much as I love you."
Edward held the piece of coal up between us.
"I had to get a little help since I can't crush this piece of coal into a diamond, nor do I have laser heat vision to put it in a setting."
The tears that I didn't know were gathering in my eyes began to spill over my cheeks and my vision was starting to get blurry. I could barely see as Edward got to one knee, bringing his other hand forward from behind his back. I hastily wiped away at my tears because there was no way that I wanted to miss seeing this. Edward held out a small velvet black box and inside it was the most gorgeous round cut diamond ring. When Edward's gaze met mine, I saw that his emerald eyes were glassy and he was trying to hold back his own tears.
"Isabella Swan, I love you with my entire being. Will you do me the honor being my wife?"
I couldn't hold back the sob that burst from my lips, nor the tears that began to roll down my cheeks as I began to nod my head like crazy.
"Yes," I croaked, my throat thick with emotion, "Oh God, yes! Yes, Edward!"
Through my tears I could tell that a brilliant smile spread across Edward's face, and he took my left hand, sliding the beautiful and stunning ring onto my finger. Edward stood and cupped my cheeks gently, his thumbs brushing away my tears. I could see his face clearly now and saw that he had his own tears running down his cheeks.
"I love you so much," Edward whispered. "You really agree to be my wife?"
My face broke out into a teary smile. "I've always been yours, Edward Cullen. Of course I want to be your wife."
Edward brought his face down to mine, pressing his lips to mine lovingly, and I felt like he was worshiping me and thanking me all in one kiss. My arms wrapped around his waist and my hands clung to the back of his suit jacket as I lost myself in his kiss. This man that I loved so much that I felt like my heart would explode had asked me to marry him. I knew that he promised me four years ago that he wanted to be with me forever, but this just made it all the more real. Edward hummed against my lips before pulling away. He brushed away a few wayward tears before placing a short and soft kiss against my lips.
"I love you," he murmured.
My hands trailed up to the back of his head and pulled him in for another kiss, my hands finding their way up into his glorious head of hair. Edward moaned against my lips, his arms wrapping around my waist to pull me closer. I could feel him hard and reacting against my stomach, and it made me throb between my thighs. Surely we didn't really have to go to dinner right? I wanted all night with only my fiancé.
"Dinner? The car?" I asked between greedy kisses. I would tie Edward down to the bed if he said we were still going to dinner.
"Nope," Edward panted against my lips, "Never had the reservations. All a part of my distraction…"
I moaned loudly as Edward's lips began to descend down my neck.
"Inside…" I panted, "Inside…"
Edward nodded and scooped me up in his arms, causing me to squeal loudly. My girly outburst caused my cheeks to heat even further than they already were. Edward chuckled and kissed me quickly, holding me in his arms and carrying me back inside our suite. I took that time to really take a look at the ring that was now on my finger. It was bigger and so much fancier that I thought, but somehow it fit perfectly. The band was made up of other small diamonds, and I really liked the simplicity of the round cut. It was absolutely perfect.
"Do you like it?" Edward asked quietly as he walked slowly back towards the bedroom.
I turned to look at him, cupping his cheek with my left hand.
"Edward, it's so perfect. I…it's just amazing."
"I'm glad," Edward said, sounding very relieved.
He placed me gently on my feet once we were in the bedroom, and we slowly took turns undressing each other and worshiping each other's bodies with our lips and hands. Dinner and any other plans for the rest of the night were thrown out the window since all either of us wanted to do was celebrate our love for each other and the ring that now sat on my finger. Edward's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw the black and blue lacey bra and panty set that I had on under my dress, and his lips and tongue certainly appreciated the power of a push up bra.
I had tossed his shirt to the floor what seemed like hours ago and my hands wandered over the muscles of his shoulders and back. Edward certainly wasn't the fighting type, but I knew he would always keep me safe just like he had all those years ago on Halloween. I could feel it in his touch and the way he sighed my name as his lips skimmed across my collarbones that Edward loved me, and that he was kind and caring and sweet. He whispered words of adoration as he kissed his way up my neck, and I knew that inside, he was still the same sweet and loving boy that I had fallen in love with.
Edward sprawled me out on the bed, and as he crawled up my now naked form, I took in the changes in him as well. Physically, Edward was certainly all man now. I never would have made him change his looks or work out, but the confidence he gained from doing those things certainly never hurt, and he just looked like a man now, no longer a gangly teenager. He nibbled at my breasts, making me cry out, knowing that I loved it when he did that. He wasn't the fumbling teenager anymore, and he knew how to touch me and how to move in all the ways that drove me wild. Every time we made love, whether it was sweet and slow, or hard and fast, he made sure that I felt how much he worshiped me with each of his movements.
I cried out when I felt his fingers and his lips begin to work in tandem, a move that was guaranteed to make me come. Edward groaned against my skin as I moaned and writhed beneath him, feeling him hard and ready against my hip. I was gasping for breath desperate to tell him that I wanted him and not his fingers, but it was too late as I felt myself shatter against him, crying out his name. Edward's lips and tongue slowly caressed my chest and neck as I came back down to earth, and soon his lips were pressing against my own as he shifted his body between my legs.
"I love you, Bella…I love you…" Edward murmured repeatedly as he slowly slid into me and made us one.
I sighed and moaned softly as his arms and hands went under my back and he anchored himself to my shoulders. My hands found their favorites places on his back as he kept his movements slow, and our lips found each other, moving with the slow rhythm of our hips. We had been together this way countless times, yet this time it felt different. I couldn't really explain it, but I felt it. My body trembled with each of Edward's touches, and our sighs were the only sounds in the room despite the fact that we both clutched at each other like we couldn't get enough. I struggled to keep my eyes open and from succumbing to the feelings around me, but as I gazed into Edward's eyes, his pupils so dilated that his eyes almost looked black, I was lost. Edward moaned my name softly and I welcomed the weight of his body against mine.
The French doors that led out from our bedroom onto the patio were open and there was a breeze that came through, cooling our heated bodies. It felt amazing and I sighed, as Edward rolled to the side and I immediately pressed myself against his side. My left hand lay on his chest and I couldn't stop looking at the ring on my finger. It was so beautiful.
"Just in case you're worried," Edward murmured, "I still have your promise ring."
"I'm glad," I replied quietly. "It will always be special to me."
I could feel the cool metal of Edward's ring on his finger as his hand trailed up and down my arm. It was such a turn on to me knowing that he wore a symbol of our love and commitment too, and someday, officially, I was going to replace the ring on his finger. Over the years, I had really come to love that ring too. Not that I wasn't secure in our relationship, but it certainly helped keep the girls away. Edward was still so awkwardly uncomfortable when it came to meeting new people, and he never knew what to do when girls hit on him. Not that I was much better, but my ring had been a little more successful at warding off men. A smile broke out across my face as I thought about my promise ring.
"I think we should hold on to your promise ring."
"Oh yeah?" I said, sitting up a little to peer down at him. "What do you want to do with it?"
Even in the faint light, I could see Edward's cheeks beginning to turn red.
"Tell me," I said, poking him playfully in the side.
"Um…" Edward stuttered out. "Well, um…I was thinking we could keep it and…and maybe give it to our daughter. If we have a daughter."
My heart seemed to skip a beat and I felt all fluttery inside. He was thinking about kids…he was thinking about our kids.
"You want a daughter?" I whispered, looking into his eyes.
Edward shrugged, giving me a small smile. "A miniature Bella would be amazing."
"But you wouldn't mind a mini Edward either?"
He shook his head. "I just want everything that you'll give me, Bella…but if we have a mini version of you, then I definitely want to give her that promise ring."
"What for?" I said, trying to keep in my chuckles. He gave me that ring as a promise to marry him one day. What on earth did he want to give it potentially to our daughter for?
"To make her promise me that she's not going to date until she's thirty, or that she won't have sex until she's married. Probably both."
"Edward!" I said pushing on his shoulder.
"Oh come on…if we have a daughter you're not going to want her dating boys and what not. I know how teenage boys think, B."
I snorted. "And I know how teenage girls think, and I would like to think that I did pretty good with dating as a teenager."
"You only dated me, Bella."
"Exactly," I said, leaning down and pressing my lips to his. "Any child of ours is going to be so smart, and loved, and kind…she or he will know when they've found the one."
Edward smiled up at me and reached up to cup my cheek.
"How did I get so lucky, Bella?" He murmured.
I leaned down and kissed him. "I'm the lucky one."
Edward shook his head.
"I never would've made it this far without you, Bella."
"And now I'll always be by your side," I whispered, reaching up and tracing my fingers down his cheek. "I'll always be with you, Edward."
"I love you, Bella."
"I love you too."
"Forever."
I glanced down at the ring that now lay on my fourth finger.
"Forever."
Well? Yes? No? I hope you enjoyed that future take. And I never say no to writing outtakes or more future takes if there's a demand for them. Just don't request future takes just yet. I still have an epilogue coming. :-D
So…please let me know what you guys though, good or bad, pretty please? I'll post the epilogue in a couple of days!