Life's A Beach
Chapter 21
A/N – Thank you to everyone who stayed with me through the long delays. This story started because I was glad to be in one of my favorite places and then took me in a completely different direction than I originally intended, but I'm happy with where it ended up. For everyone who ever dreamed a dream, no matter how big or how small, this story is for you. We won't all get to be Olympic athletes, but finding love…well, that's pretty special too.
My goal was to have this finished before the 2018 Winter Olympics were over (at least that became my goal, once I realized how long it was taking me to write it). Thank you to the reader who pointed out an error in an earlier chapter – it's been updated! Instead of making a separate epilogue, this chapter contains both the last chapter and a look into the future. Let's see what happens to our favorite couple and their friends.
Thank you, as always, to Stephenie Meyer for letting us play with her characters. Everything Twilight belongs to her and no copyright infringement is intended.
The sand was deliciously warm between Bella's bare toes and she wiggled them in sheer delight. It was fall in Hilton Head, September to be exact, and the ninety degree days of summer had given way to the delightfully perfect beach she stood on today. The sun was perfectly positioned in the late afternoon sky, and the rays reflecting off the typically gentle waves made the beach sparkle as if tiny diamonds had fallen overnight into the sand. It was relatively quiet up and down the beach, first because it was a Monday, and second because the local kids were back in school. Still, the happy squeals of the pre-school aged children playing with their parents on the beach could be heard in the distance and it just added to the contented atmosphere. Bella couldn't help but think back to another Monday, not so very long ago in the scheme of things, when she walked along this same beach. She smiled when she remembered the over-enthusiastic puppy who knocked her over into the water, turning her white tee shirt into a transparent mess. And of course that made her remember the first time she looked up into a pair of the most beautiful green eyes as he held out his hand and helped her up. Bella heard his words from that day echo in her head.
"I'm Edward Cullen…and I'll find you, Bella Swan."
And find her, he did.
She looked up into the eyes of the man standing next to her, squinting just a bit in the sunlight.
"Don't let me fall, Dad."
She smoothed the beautiful white tea length dress, checked the beaded headband that held back her hair, and tucked her hand into the crook of her father's arm.
"I won't" Charlie replied "but I'm glad you decided not to wear shoes. Wouldn't want you to land on your butt in the sand."
"Wouldn't be the first time" she said with a laugh. Bella turned her eyes to the rows of chairs forming a makeshift aisle on the beach. There, on her favorite beach, with the ocean as a backdrop, stood the man she would marry today.
Edward stood with his back to the water and grinned as he saw Bella take her first steps towards him. Normally, he found the sounds of the ocean soothing, but he was unbelievably anxious.
"Settle down, man" said Jasper, discretely elbowing his cousin. "You weren't this jumpy at the Olympics."
"Yeah, you're right" admitted Edward. "But can you blame me? Just look at her."
Jasper looked at the beautiful girl who had captured his cousin/best friend's heart. The look in Edward's eyes was mirrored in Bella's. Then he glanced over at Alice, who waited in her bridesmaid dress on the other side of the aisle. He felt his heart skip the same as it did the first time Alice walked into his bar. "Yeah" he said "I get it."
Emmett, who stood on the other side of Jasper said nothing. Rosalie had already threatened his life if he disrupted this wedding and he could feel her narrowed eyes peering at him from where she stood with Alice.
The music started, and Charlie escorted his daughter across the beach and down the aisle. When they got to the front, Charlie carefully pressed Bella's hand into Edward's, kissed her cheek, gave Edward one last glare (though his smile showed he didn't really mean it) and took his seat. The ceremony was short and sweet. They'd chosen to go with traditional vows. Though he wouldn't admit it, Edward was pretty sure he wouldn't have made it through anything he had to write himself and Bella agreed with him. Neither one was sure they would make it through the ceremony without crying. And they didn't even know their friends had bets going on which one of the two lovebirds would cry first.
"May I have the rings?" said the officiant. Edward looked down to where Aro sat patiently in the sand. Not quite a puppy anymore, he'd finally learned to sit and stay, at least most of the time, especially if there were treats involved.
"Hand 'em over, boy" Edward said quietly, taking the little basket Aro had carried down the aisle to everyone's delight and slipping him a dog biscuit in return. When Emmett called out "best ring bearer ever!" Bella, Edward, and all their guests had to laugh. Even Rosalie grinned at him, shaking her head.
After everyone settled down, Edward followed the officiant's instructions and slid the ring on Bella's finger. "With this ring" he said confidently "I thee wed."
Bella repeated the action, though her hand was shaking a bit. For a moment, she worried she would drop the ring and lose it in the sand. She tightened her grip, and pushed the ring onto his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may…" The officiant realized that Edward had jumped ahead and was already kissing his bride. "Well, carry on" he chuckled.
Bella would forever remember this moment, the press of Edward's lips against hers. She could hear the sounds of the waves, feel the warm sun on her face, but everything else dropped away. It was just the two of them, together, just where they wanted to be. Life, she thought, was pretty amazing.
Eight years later
"Don't let me fall, Dad."
"I won't. You've got this." Edward followed closely behind as four year old Teddy Cullen skated his first full lap around a speed skating track. The bronze haired boy had been skating for over a year, since the first time they put tiny skates on his feet, but this was the first time he was making his way all around the track without help. "Don't look down" Edward said encouragingly. "Look at where you want to go."
When the exhausted but jubilant little boy finished his lap, all of Edward's students burst into applause. In the years since the Olympics, he'd built up a small but talented following as a coach and trainer. For the first two years, he and Coach Banner had worked side by side. Coach was the best kind of mentor, helping Edward learn the differences between skating yourself and coaching others. Then Coach announced that he was retiring, and turned everything over to Edward.
In those early years, Edward managed to complete law school, specializing in sports law, to fulfill the promise he made to his father and passed the bar exam. But they both realized that this is where Edward was meant to be. While Edward occasionally provided Carlisle's firm with advice on sports cases, his heart was on the track mentoring kids. Carlisle and Esme doted on their grandson and looked forward to his first races this fall.
Bella sat in her usual spot along the track, cheering and clapping along with everyone else. Her job as a freelance editor meant she could spend endless hours at the arena, often serving as a mother hen to the skaters Edward was training. Her heart nearly burst with pride as she watched her husband and son skating together, their matching bronze hair messy as always and their green eyes sparkling. She rubbed a hand over her small bump and whispered "Maybe you could look just a little bit like me, munchkin. What do you think?"
She set down her laptop, after saving the changes on the manuscript she was editing and made her way down the steps and along the track. Though he tried with some very creative bribes, Edward never did persuade her to learn how to skate. Bella always insisted that she could fall just as easily on solid ground, and didn't need any help from the ice.
Teddy shuffled his way over to his momma with a huge grin on his face and threw his arms around her in a big hug. "Did you see me momma? I made it all the way around."
"You were amazing, sweetie." Bella kissed her son and ruffled his hair. Then, just because she could, she stood on her toes and kissed her husband. Hard. The whistles from the skaters let her know she was pushing the limits. Edward clearly didn't mind and just shushed their audience.
"Everything packed?" asked Edward.
"Yup" she replied. "We're ready to go."
"Including the bikini?"
She looked down at her belly and back up at him. "Really?"
"Hey, some things never change" he said, with an unapologetic grin.
"Are we going to see Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper?" asked Teddy.
"We are. Tomorrow at this time you'll be running on the beach with your cousins."
"And Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rose?"
"Yup, as long as you remember not to do everything Uncle Emmett tells you to do. You check with us first." Bella snickered. Emmett was still an overgrown kid.
"And Aro?"
"And Aro." The dog was older now and lived in Hilton Head with Jasper and Alice, where he could lay in the warm sun every day. He adored Teddy and took great delight in knocking him over, with a much gentler push than he'd used on Bella.
Bella pointed to the bench. "Go take your skates off while Daddy closes up."
Edward said goodbye to his students, having already given them assignments for the two weeks he'd be away. He helped Teddy with his skates and then took off his own. Slinging his bag over one shoulder, he wrapped an arm around Bella and held out his other hand to their son.
"What are you thinking?" asked Bella.
"I'm thinking that one walk on the beach changed our whole lives, and I can't imagine it being any better. Life, for us, started with the beach."
"I can't argue with that" she grinned. "But tomorrow I expect you to kiss me on the beach and tell me again."
"I will, love. I will. Every day of every year for the rest of forever."
They headed out the door and made their way home.