A WEDDING (PART TWO)
"I can't believe we're getting married again," Jake chuckled, pulling me closer to him.
"It's not really a wedding, Jake. It's a vow renewal," I corrected him.
"Try saying that to Alice."
"Not a chance," I leaned in to kiss him. "Even if this is your fault."
"How is this my fault?" He yelled, breaking apart again. I groaned.
"If you didn't plan that surprise wedding while she wasn't gone, we wouldn't have to go through this again!" I exclaimed.
"Well, if it's so much trouble for you to publicly profess your love to me, then maybe we should just cancel the whole thing!" Jake yelled back, getting sensitive. I rolled my eyes and kissed him again.
"Stop that, you know I love you," I told him.
"Forever?"
"And always."
"I don't see what was wrong with my first dress," I complained. "It was perfect."
"It was perfect for a beach wedding, this is different," Alice insisted, tying up the corset.
"You're lucky I'm not a human or you would have killed me with this thing by now," I choked. "Does it really need to be this tight?"
"Be lucky you live during a time when you don't have to wear these every day," Alice noted, tying off the corset rather roughly.
"I really wanted you there, Alice," I explained to her. "It was a surprise. You were gone and we all thought we were going to die. Technically, I did."
"It's not your fault, Dani," Alice sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. I just wish I could have been there to see it the first time."
"I know," I smiled softly. "But you saved our lives," I encouraged her. "And you get to see me today. It's going to be nearly the same thing."
"You look beautiful," she smiled. "Absolutely stunning."
"Of course," I chuckled. "I'm a Cullen."
"You continue to amaze me every day of this long life," Dad admired when he saw me walk out of my bedroom. "You look stunning, my dear."
"You don't look too shabby yourself, Pops," I teased. I was definitely a lot more relaxed this time around.
"My princess," Mom added, wrapping me in her arms. "Alice sure did a number on you."
"Yeah, I don't think I'm capable of actually breathing right now," I chuckled. "Is Jake still downstairs or did he make a run for it?"
"Oh, he's not going anywhere," Mom assured me, adjusting something on my dress. "You've got him wrapped around your finger, even after twenty years."
"The fool," I smiled weakly. What I did to deserve a man like Jacob Black, I would never know.
"You imprinted," I started. "On me."
"I didn't believe it at first. I couldn't believe it. How could the universe be so cruel to give me the one girl on this earth that I couldn't get close enough to? The one girl who had a stronger tie to my enemies than anyone else? Then, we didn't talk, and I saw you at the store, and I knew. I saw you with your friends and how you weren't afraid of me. Despite knowing at that point how dangerous I could be, despite the stories your family must have told you, you still didn't care. I didn't even realize that during the time we were apart I had forgotten how to breathe, then seeing you again was like a breath of fresh air," Jacob explained.
"You're such a sap!" I laughed. Jacob loved me. Jacob more than loved me. He had one hundred percent trust in me. Me, the vampire girl.
"You think this is funny," Jacob said, astonished. "You would think this is funny. I just poured my heart to you and you're laughing."
"Jacob, my family is going to destroy you when they find out," I told him.
"They probably will," he said. "All I care about is what you're thinking right now."
I was laughing, but my hysteria was hiding the true fear I felt inside that Jacob loved me. The true fear I had inside for what Jacob was asking of me.
"I'm thinking that my last boyfriend was a dick and a half," I told him, honestly. "I'm thinking that the last person I loved threw it right back in my face and ran it over backwards because the way I loved him wasn't good enough. I'm thinking that my sister can't see me anymore because my future is intertwined with yours so tight that there are no loopholes, so someday, I'm going to love you as much as you love me, and that's terrifying. It's terrifying because there is no way our two families can work together, and you can never come over to my house for dinner and do all the normal stuff I'm used to doing. It's terrifying because I don't know if I want to be in a relationship right now after everything the past year has thrown at me."
"Danielle, relax," Jacob said, pulling me into a hug. I let him. His touch felt good to me. He started rubbing my back. It felt better than anything I had ever felt before.
"Remember what I said?" Jacob asked me after a moment, finally pulling away. "I will be whatever you need me to be. For right now, I'm fine being in the friend zone. Someday, I hope we can be more than that, but only when you're ready. Whatever way you decide to love me, that's going to be the right way for us. This imprinting thing may be supernatural and weird and yeah, we're not going to be able to do the things normal human couples get to do, but when have our lives been normal? You grew up with a family of vampires, and I turn into a werewolf every night," Jacob laughed. I laughed a little bit too, surprisingly.
"I guess we're just going to have to be okay with being Romeo and Juliet for a little while," I said softly into his chest. He nodded.
"We'll just have a happy ending," he promised.
"I could really use one of those," I smiled.
"Earth to Dani!" Alice yelled, pulling me back into the real world.
"Sorry, what?" I asked her.
"Are you ready to do this?" She repeated herself, clearly annoyed.
"Of course," I smiled, reminiscing. Alice just rolled her eyes and raced back down the stairs. Dad took my arm and once we heard the music we began our descent.
"What were you thinking about?" Dad asked as we walked down. There weren't a lot of people here.
"What do you mean?" I questioned him, smirking. He let it go, but I continued to live in my La La Land.
"Danielle," Jake smiled, massaging my hands in his. "Twenty years ago, I pledged my love and commitment to you, but it seems like only yesterday. I promised to make a shelter of my arms and a hearth of my heart. I promised to be by your side every day and be whatever you needed to be. You have been by my side as we faced more challenges than any vows could predict. In the presence of our family and friends, I renew my vows to you, pledging my eternal love for you, and eagerly awaiting what the rest of our eternal life has to offer."
"Jacob," I smiled, playing with fingers. "Twenty years ago, you ambushed me into a wedding," I joked and the congregation laughed. "I shouldn't have been surprised, because ever since I met you I have been on my toes waiting for the next surprise. You are selfless, kind, and unconditionally loving. On the day we became husband and wife, I vowed to give you one hundred and ten percent of who I am and to be by your side no matter what. In this wide open universe of crazy people, you are the one I fell in love with, and you are the one who agreed to be my husband. Our life has been the best and I vow to make each and every day I spend with you better than the last."
"Jacob and Danielle," Emmett, who once again was presiding our ceremony, began. "On your wedding day, you exchanged rings as a symbol of the never-ending cycle that symbolizes the eternal quality of unending strength and love. May you always wear your rings as a reminder of your wedding vows to each other and your commitment to continue to live in unity, love, and happiness. To remind you of that commitment made on your wedding day, you will now renew your pledge. Jacob, please place your gift of a ring on Danielle's hand with the words, 'With this ring, I renew my pledge of love and commitment.'"
"With this ring," Jake spoke, placing my ring back on my finger. I felt whole again. "I renew my pledge of love and commitment."
"Danielle, please place your gift of a ring on Jacob's hand with the words, 'With this ring, I renew my pledge of love and commitment.'"
"With this ring," I smiled, looking up at Jake while I placed the ring back on his finger. "I renew my pledge of love and commitment."
"Jacob and Danielle, today you have renewed the promises and vows you made to each other on your wedding day. You have symbolized the renewal of the marriage union by the joining of hands, the taking of vows, and by exchanging of rings.
"It is with pleasure that I conclude the ceremony of renewing the vows of marriage that joined you and forever binds you as husband and wife. Please celebrate this renewal of vows with a sign of affection…" Emmett trailed, reading the closing pronouncement. "You know what, you all might as well just start the reception because these guys are going to be a while," he added on at the end. I rolled my eyes and punched him in the arm.
"Pucker up wolf boy," I teased, leaning in.
"Suck it, Ryan," I heard Jake murmur before meeting my lips. He pulled me closer and lifted me up into his arms. Emmett was right, this was going to last a while.
"Can you believe it?" I whispered. Most people had spread out and finished with their day. Jake and I were still laying outside, just watching the stars in the sky, getting some peace and quiet.
"That you decided to marry me again? Hell yeah," Jake laughed. I smacked him.
"No," I hissed. "I would marry you every day if I could," I told him. "I'm talking about how we were so sure there wasn't going to be a happy ending."
"What do you mean?" Jake turned to face me, playing with my dress that I still hadn't taken off.
"We were Romeo and Juliet," I explained. "This was never supposed to work."
"I promised you a happy ending," Jacob remembered, nodding. "You deserve a happy ending, Danielle."
"I guess I just never believed it would actually happen," I sighed. "There was the family thing, and then the Newborns thing, and then the Volturi thing, and then I thought for sure you were a goner when I turned…there was just so much stacked against us."
"I meant what I said, Dani," Jake nuzzled my neck. "Forever and always, no matter what baby."
"I don't ever want to live a day without you, Jacob," I kissed him.
"You will never have to," he promised, starting to pull off some of my layers suggestively. "We've got our happy ending, vampire girl."
"It's not over yet, wolf boy," I said as I ripped off the corset. A happy ending was exactly what we were going to have.