It's A Promise Chapter 20, a twilight fanfic

I swear to God. I made a point to upload it on Thursday. I thought I fulfilled that goal. I get on several days to realize my stupid internet connection died mid-post, so the upload did not complete... Pretend it's Thursday.

I stood idly in front of the bathroom mirror.

And I could hardly recognize the beauty that stared back at me – hair curled down to a little above my waist, framing my pale face like a mahogany picture frame; prominent hazel eyes amplified by eyeliner that Lilli had applied; face a porcelain white, faults magically erased and flushed cheeks lessened to subtle blush.

And the dress. Oh, the dress.

Too extravagant and ostentatious compared to something that I normally would've chosen, but Mason had gone down to Seattle with Lilli to pick it out and, to say the least, they had done an admirable job. And, sure enough, when I asked, Mason, a magnificent learner, informed me that the price tag had been thrown away the moment the cashier returned him his credit card. Go figure.

But, still, it was lovely. It was slimming around the waist, billowing down to the floor making me feel like a giant umbrella. The sleeves were a creamy white lace stitched in a flowing pattern down my forearm, past my elbows, over my palm and curled about my long fingers. And the train that waited in my bedroom was honestly terrifying for me to even think about – let alone imagine that I would have to walk in a straight line with it in just a few hours time.

Altogether, I guess I could've been beautiful.

If not for the ugly black brace that hugged my arm tightly, a dreadful contrast to my white gown. And, not only that. Along the back of my head was yet another reminder of my tiring stupidity: a foot of black thread patched together the back of my head. Mason continually reminded me that no one would be able to see the stitches, especially since my hair was so dark. But it bothered me nonetheless, only because I knew it was there.

Just thinking about it made me reach back and pat the back of my head. Mason had originally intended to take me to the ER, but, noting how tired I was, he waited until morning to pull out his medical paraphernalia and sew me together. Normally, I would've been bawling. Pain was something I couldn't bear quietly a lot of the time. But for him, I didn't protest – I figured that after all that I'd done to him, struggling would just add to Mason's anxiety.

Ever since that night, I had apologized to him endlessly. Every other sentence was an apology. Yet, much to my dismay, he absolutely refused to forgive me. He always shook his head, or rolled his eyes, or said 'You don't have to be sorry for anything.'

He was wrong, of course. To cause him pain was to cause me pain, and no matter how many times he said apologizing was unnecessary, I said it again. I refused to let him blow this off – I would keep apologizing until he forgave me. And even then, I doubted I would stop begging his forgiveness.

I could apologize to Mason all I wanted. But Nathaniel was another story entirely. I knew that he deserved an apology as much as Mason did – but it was as if he'd disappeared. I never meant to hurt him, but pain was a universal effect of mine, one that I could not help. I had considered going to Nathaniel more than once, but it was always my conscience that stopped me. It was only logical to think that he would never want to see me ever again – as much as it killed me.

But, today, I would not show it.

Today was my day. I refused to walk down that aisle and search for any pair of eyes other than those of the one I loved. I refused to search the pews for a face that half of my heart knew would not be there. I refused to depress myself by considering what Nathaniel could be doing right now – he wasn't worth my thoughts today.

"Scarlett," Lilli's voice called from the hallway. "How does it look?"

I left the bathroom and went to my bedroom. Lilli was sitting on my bed, not yet dressed in her bride's maid gown. Her eyes lit up as I entered.

She stood. "Wow, you look great!"

I looked down at the dress and then back up at her.

"I still can't believe it. You're getting married," She thought aloud, coming over and fiddling with the neckline. I could tell she was still getting used to the fact. "And to Mason. I want to say I saw this coming, but I didn't."

I shrugged. "I look like a supermodel."

She nodded, agreeing.

Then I added, "A devastated, pitiful supermodel."

"Stop it," She shook her head, walking back to the bed. "You look amazing."

I considered protesting, but decided against it. I turned my head and looked down my backside, and then shaking my head, I whispered, "I can't believe it either."

Lilli continued to apply some more makeup – when she reached for the blush, I laughed flatly, "Like I don't blush enough" – and she played with my hair a bit more as well. After about an hour, three-thirty was approaching and we would have to leave soon.

I was pulling on my heels when the door creaked open.

"Coop's here. We're gonna head over there," Mason was about to open the door all the way, but Lilli stepped in front of it.

"Nope, you're not allowed in," Lilli blocked the door.

Mason exhaled, "It's my bride. I should be able to see her."

"Don't you know the rules?" Lilli chided. "The groom is not allowed to see the bride until the event."

"That's a stupid rule," I heard Mason mutter, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Get out," Lilli reprimanded, slamming the door shut.

I heard his voice from outside the door. "Then I guess I'll just see you there."

Like a lovesick puppy, I listened carefully, counting Mason's footsteps as he made his way down the steps. I turned to Lilli then, pouting, "I would have liked to see him."

"Oh, get over it," She waved her hand. "You'll see him in an hour or so. You will probably be able to live until then."

"Maybe," I muttered.

After a little while longer, we left the house, piling into Anthony's car and heading to the other side of town. All the while, I kept my eyes glued to Lilli and Anthony's intertwined hands – a pang of remorse hit me, for some unknown reason, but it faded as we pulled up to the Cullen house.

Several cars were already parked out front, lining the road since there was no parking lot. Lilli helped me out of the car, picking up my white tail so that it wouldn't brush the ground. We walked inside the bed-and-breakfast, several familiar faces greeting us on the way in. My parents were there, so were a multitude of my old friends. They bombarded us immediately.

"Mason Ryder?" Karolina came up to me and wrapped me in a hug. San Diego had made her incredibly tan. "Are you serious? I laughed my head off when I got the invitation in the mail."

"Oh, so did I," My other grade school friend, Katherine Parker, approached. I hadn't seen her since high school. "And when I saw you were having it at the 'Cullen' house? God, Mason must be a pushover."

"Glad you guys could make it," I greeted them in return, my voice sarcastic.

Lilli went on to say something, and I would've been paying attention, but something large and white caught my eye outside the window.

I was at the window in a flash, staring out the paned glass agape, groaning in disgust. In contrast to the green backdrop that the Hoh Forest presented, everything was white. The pews were off-white with black cushions, the carpet distinguishing the center aisle was white, the podium was white, and a large pergola lined with white roses hovered above where I would be saying 'I do' in just a matter of hours.

It was officially now that I regretted letting him go the extra mile.

Lilli pulled me away from the window then, dragging me towards the back door of the bed-and-breakfast. The fact that she didn't react to the extravagant setup made me assume that she had been involved in the madness.

We waited in the mudroom for a long time, for some reason I didn't know. But the extra time to think was welcomed. My thoughts were simple: today'stheday. I would never have to be alone again – Mason would be by my side for the rest of my petty existence … and, if I was with him, maybe my existence wouldn't be quite so petty anymore.

Finally, the owner of the inn came into the mudroom, and smiled, "The groom is here."

Those words were permanently etched into my brain forever, despite their intended insignificance. I took their meaning in a much broader sense, pretending that she had something like 'The groom is here to save you from yourself' or rather 'The groom is here to fix everything' or maybe 'The groom is here and will never leave.'

A flimsy wind. A palpable green. And plenty of white.

These are the things I feel and see as I stand at the top of the aisle, staring down at the expectant faces as if they were invisible. I could see no one – I was alone in the backyard of the Cullen house. With the marvelous exception of my groom standing at the far end of the white carpet, that is.

His blue eyes seemed to stand out against the pallid gray sky behind him. He was dressed elegantly, as I knew he would be. He wore a sleek black suit with a slim black tie. The one that was always modern was now classic – and too spectacular to be mine. I approached him carefully, training to maintain a steady pace that wouldn't look to conspicuous; if I'd had my way, I would've ran down the aisle to him.

As I neared the halfway mark, some of the faces in the pews began to flicker back – and I could see the faces of the Quileute's. In spite of my vow to not look for him, I couldn't help it. My eyes fell on each of their faces, landing on some of his closest friends that had become my own.

But never on him.

My eyes landed on Robyn, and she shook her head, her smile curving into a frown. He was not here, he had not come – and I couldn't stand the anger that was boiling up inside of me. But I pushed the sensation aside. To compose myself, I brought my eyes back to my groom, and his smile made everything better.

And, looking into those eyes, I knew. He was all I'd ever need.

I finally reached the end of the carpet, only inches from him now. I stepped closer, still forgetting the rest of the congregation. I stood up on my toes, wanting to kiss him. He discreetly extended his hand out, pushing me by the waist at least three inches away.

"Patience," he muttered, suppressing a laugh.

I watched him as the wedding began, not processing a single word the pastor said. He glimpsed at me often, but had to look away consistently to hide his smile. I didn't have the courage to look away then. I was so hypnotized, the priest startled me when he cleared his throat; it took me a couple moments to realize that I had missed my cue to repeat after him.

Mason recited his vows with the utmost care, each word seeming to be in perfect rhythm with my heartbeat. These words would last the rest of my life, I knew. And I can't even begin to put into words how much I hoped that it would turn out to be the longest lifetime, on record – the more time I was blessed with spending with him, the better.

Finally, he turned to face me, slipping a new, even bigger ring to replace the one that had been there before. After I shakily did the same, the pastor continued on. I jumpily awaited the lines that I knew were about to come. Mason reached out and grasped my hand, hiding our intertwined fingers behind my bulbous dress. The action had been intended to calm me down, I knew. But it only made it worse.

At last. "You may now kiss the bride."

I stood up on the tips of toes again, our lips connecting – this was the first kiss of the rest of our lives, and I could hardly contain the emotions that were spurting through my veins. This was the day that I would remember as our day.

Not anyone else's.

This was our day.

The reception was expensive, which I should have expected.

Mason had rented a massive tent that was hidden on the other side of the Cullen house's lot, behind a bend of trees. I assumed he hid the tent there on purpose, because if he had put it in plain view of the entrance, they might've had to drag me in kicking and screaming.

A large faux wood dancefloor clicked together like puzzle pieces to form level ground on the grassy earth floor. Few people were dancing; most were standing around and catching up with people they hadn't seen in awhile. Mason stayed by my side the entire time, which I appreciated – I refused to be left alone in this sea of faces, most of which I would have to have an aneurism just to remember their names.

"Thanks for coming," Mason shook hands with an elderly gray-haired man whom I didn't know. He was just a part in the never-ending line that had snaked around under the tent just to say hello to the bride and groom.

I smiled politely, pretending I knew him.

When he was out of earshot, Mason whispered, "Dr. Harold Fairland. I used to work for him a while back. He's maddening."

Another elderly couple moved forward, congratulating us.

Once they walked away, Mason leaned down and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Bartley. I used to mow their lawn."

The second to last person in line approached, "Congratulations!"

Mason and I both smiled enthusiastically, trying to copy the person who approached us by feigning overexcitement.

When the person left, Mason murmured, "I don't even know who that is."

I rolled my eyes, "I think that if there is someone here you don't know, you invited too many people."

"Oh, just humor me a little while longer," He chuckled, pulling me closer to him by the waist. "In a couple more hours we'll be able to go home and …" He wasn't able to continue.

"Scarlett!" An eager voice interrupted him.

Robyn dashed up to me, Adam lumbering behind her with his hands in his pockets and amusement on his face. She wrapped me in a tight hug, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Oh, the wedding was just gorgeous," She bubbled after she pulled away. "And you look beautiful!"

I smiled widely as Adam went up to Mason and they shook hands.

They began to talk quietly, and I picked out random words: "ridiculous", "so many zeros", "it's not even the size I ordered", and "you're going to bankrupt with a wife like that." It took me a couple seconds to realize they were talking about the gigantic tent. I shook my head – Mason didn't have to go overboard, but I knew he just couldn't help it; it was a disease to him.

I turned back to Robyn, my smile fading slightly.

She knew the question before I asked it, "He's not coming. He told me he had a late night at the station."

I laughed flatly, "Liar. He just didn't want to come."

"And I know that," She nodded, exhaling and lowering her voice. "But I should tell you something. He's been locked inside his house ever since that day he found you in the woods. Blinds down, windows locked, everything. Adam and Dylan went to check on him twice and he didn't even let them in. Today was the first day he actually left his house."

Her words almost paralyzed me. I hated knowing that I was the one who broke his heart. But before I could blame myself to the extreme, she occupied my brain with more words.

"But all the other guys were more than eager to come," She giggled, gesturing towards the snack table at the far end of the tent. "I think I haven't seen them in suits for at least five years."

I watched as they keenly consumed the party platters. Zach began to make a game of it and jokingly tossed some deviled eggs in Shane's face.

"I swear they're like a bunch of twelve-year-olds disguised as adults," She mocked. "You'd think I'd be embarrassed to be with such a motley crew."

I laughed, watching as Tommy nearly clipped the back of a guest's head. Fortunately, I had been one of the few people that had noticed. Looking back at Robyn, I smiled, "Why are you slumming it, then?"

She shrugged, "They're family."

I nodded.

And then she added with a sigh, "And you know that saying. You can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. Looks like I'm stuck with them."

After informal goodbyes, Adam and Robyn slipped away towards the other Quileutes. I watched them longingly, remembering all those three weeks in almost perfect clarity. And at that moment, I had the urge to back to those weeks …

"Well, you never told me what you thought of my decorating skills," Mason pulled my attention to him as he tightened his grasp around me. "In my opinion, I was spot on, don't you think?"

My lips tautened into a pursed line. "How much was it?"

His eyes fell. It was painstakingly apparent that he hadn't wanted that question to come up. He looked away, mumbling a number that I could understand.

"How much was it?" I repeated, my lips curving into a smile.

His eyes returned to me and then shot away. He loosened his grip, "Mom!"

I turned to see his mother approaching us.

He was lucky. But I was determined to get an answer out of him later.

"Oh, that was just beautiful," She hugged me first, her blonde curls falling in front of my face. And then she moved on to her son, continuing after she pulled away, "I always had a feeling that you would come back, Scarlett. You already won my approval ten years ago."

I looked up at Mason. He was beaming.

"Thank you," I smiled, my eyes remaining on him. "I think we all knew he would come crawling back to me."

He rolled his eyes, "Crawling? If I recall, I walked back to you and you were the one begging on your hands and knees."

I elbowed him in the stomach.

"Well, you both have to come over to Maryland to visit," She offered. "We would love to have you. Besides, I assumed if you're a couple, you go places together. Right, Mason?" She tapped her son on the shoulder.

He looked down at his mother embarrassedly. "I think Dad is calling you."

She bought it. "He's probably cleaning that icing off his suit. Did you see that young boy throw a crème puff at him?"

I turned away, trying to hide my laugh.

"Bye, Mom," I could hear Mason trying to suppress a laugh too.

When she walked away, I looked up at Mason, raising an eyebrow, "What was she talking about? She sounded mad."

"She's not very happy with me," He replied. "She's curious as to why I didn't bring you with me to Philadelphia. She thinks I should have brought you with me no matter how grim the occasion was."

"Well, that sure would've saved us some heartbreak," I sighed, gripping his hand tighter. "Why didn't you think of that sooner?"

"Maybe leaving you behind was a little thoughtless," He agreed. "Besides, if I had taken you with me, a certain relationship with a certain Quileute could have been skipped."

I was about to speak, but – lucky for Mason – someone interrupted us again.

"Look who it is!" A voice exclaimed boisterously. "Congratulations to the happy couple!"

It was Mason's youngest brother, Cole. The two looked incredibly similar – same features, same angles. If there was any strong difference between them, it might've been that Cole's hair was much blonder. Personality wise, though, the two couldn't be more in contrast. Cole was loud and fun-loving while Mason was much softer. However, there wasn't much more I could say; I hadn't seen Cole since I had babysat him in junior year.

He draped his arm over my shoulder, "Really, Mason? Hooking up with my babysitter? I obviously expected better than that from you."

I rolled my eyes, "Good to see you, too."

"I'm just playing with you," He chuckled wrapping me in a short hug. "God, it seems like forever since I saw you last. I think I was eleven when you guys graduated high school. Ever since then it was like you disappeared."

"I went to college in Utah," I told him.

"Utah?" His eyes widened. "Sounds to me like you were eager to get away from the east coast …?"

"Oh, you have no idea," I sighed, looking up at Mason.

He seemed a little uncomfortable, his lips in a soft flat line. His hands were partially extended towards me, trying to pull me out of Cole's grasp.

"So, lemme guess," Cole looked over at his brother, never removing his arm from around my shoulder. "You buttered her up with a bunch of gifts, hired some musicians, and proposed to her while she was awestruck. Am I right?"

My eyes widened as I looked up at Mason.

"Actually, I was the musician this time," He replied, a tint of annoyance in his voice. "I know Scarlett was a pianist while we were dating so I figured she must be a sucker for one."

My mouth fell agape as they continued talking like I wasn't even there.

"Hmm," Cole nodded. "It sounds like the music thing really works. If the right girl ever comes along, I should really give it a try."

"W-what?" I looked up at Mason.

His eyes met mine – he feigned adorable confusion.

"I'll leave you to do the explaining," Cole pointed to his brother and began to walk away. "Great party, by the way."

I put my hands on my hips, staring up at Mason.

He shrugged, "It's not as big a deal as you think. I hired some violinists when I proposed to Madison." He paused to laugh under his breath before continuing, "She couldn't have said yes faster."

I nodded, reaching out for his hand, "Oh, okay."

His smile faded and grew more solicitous. "Are you alright?"

"Well, I just think …" I paused to find the right words to say. "If you started that marriage the same way you started ours, doesn't that kind of foreshadow that we will end the same way?"

His eyebrows furrowed, but then his smile returned.

Pulling me closer, he kissed the top of my forehead. "Oh, love. You really expect me to be thatpredictable?"

"I guess I should give you a little more credit than that," I shrugged. "I expect you to be a little more creative if you ever decide to leave me, though, I'll give you that. It'll take more than late nights and cigarettes stuffed into the furniture."

He shook his head, his smile bringing me comfort. The smile faded a bit as he began to speak, though. "I feel incredibly guilty."

"Well, that's not what a newlywed bride wants to hear," I picked up the hand that wasn't locked around my waist and began to play with his fingers. "Regretting your vows already?"

"No, I have no doubts in my mind about that," He denied quickly.

"Then what are you guilty about?" I wondered curiously.

He exhaled, his smile fading slightly. His tone implied that it should be clear what the problem was, "You're in a brace and have stitches along the back of your head … all because of me."

"You didn't cause any of this," I refused to let him blame this whole ordeal on himself. "I was the one that aimlessly walked into the woods even though I knew the wolf would be there. If anything, I'm the idiot."

"But I let you walk right out the door," He objected. "And you wouldn't have left if it weren't for me."

"Fine," I sighed, pressing myself back into his grasp that had loosened with the newfound gravity of the conversation. "If you want it to be your fault, then I will gladly blame you. But I hope you realize that this won't go unpunished."

At first, he looked at me questioningly, but then he shrugged, "It's only fair."

"Hmm," I decided to play with him. "I should give you the worst possible sentence for putting my life in danger. So, it looks like the death penalty will be your only option."

He let go of me and clutched his hands together, playfully begging, "No, please, ma'am. I have a family, a gorgeous wife I must take care of." He laughed.

"Fine, I'll go easy on you," I paused dramatically. "You are to serve me for the rest of your life."

He extended his wrists towards me. "I'm your slave."

I smiled widely as he pulled me close, kissing me softly.

"Scarlett!" someone called me.

I turned to see Taylor walking towards me, a tall lanky boy with long dark hair walking behind her. She wrapped me in a hug as she came up and I didn't really want to let go. It had been so long since I had seen her last. Since I had ditched her and Ashley in New York for London.

"Forks? Really?" She sighed when she pulled away. "Well, if you had asked me a couple years ago if any of my friends would get married here, I probably would have said you."

The boy shook hands with Mason. Now that he was closer, I examined him more carefully. He wasn't a boy at all – he was probably my age, if not a year or two older. I was sure that I had seen him before, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"And, I must admit, it was a very Twilight-esque wedding," She reached up and ran her hand through Mason's gelled hair. I remembered then that they had been best friends in grade school – and although I had been best friends with her too, Mason and my paths had never intersected until high school. "Are you aware of the fact that she has made you too much like Edward Cullen for me to handle?"

Mason laughed, "Yes, I've noticed."

I looked up at him as he pulled me closer.

"But I'm surprisingly okay with it," He kissed my temple sweetly.

"At least you're not living here, right?" The familiar stranger spoke, his voice giving me no hints as to who he was. "Because if you by chance did end up living here, I just might have to kill you, Mason."

"Hate to break it to you," Mason laughed, glancing out at the road and nodding in the general direction of the house. "But I've been living up the road with her for almost four months now."

Four months? Where had the time gone?

"Alright," The stranger spoke again. "Looks like I have to kill you."

Taylor punched him in the gut. "Be nice, Steve. It's their wedding."

It was then that I placed him. Steve had hung out with Mason in grade school, but in high school they had drifted apart due to lack of similar classes. I had forgotten about him entirely, considering we had never exchanged more than a couple words with each other since I had met him in kindergarten. I didn't know Mason had invited him.

I interrupted Mason and Steve's newly developed conversation about the rain – and ignored the sudden urge in the bottom of my stomach to punch the both of them for criticizing the weather. What was it with guys and overcast skies? I may never know.

"Steve," I exhaled. "I didn't recognize you."

"That might explain why you were staring at me all confused when I walked up," He chuckled, his hair flapping against his forehead in the passing breeze.

"Sorry, I hope you don't mind that I invited him," Taylor took my hand. "You are lucky it's just him. I was tempted to invite our whole eighth grade class. This would have been the perfect occasion for a little class reunion."

Mason tensed, "If you recall, I had about three ex-girlfriends in that class."

She punched him in the arm. "Oh, grow up. How old are we all now? Twenty-eight? I think you would be able to live with saying hello to a girl you dated fifteen years ago at the time where you were still getting over cooties. Seriously."

He leaned out and wrapped Taylor in a short hug. "God, I miss your frequent anger with me. In a lot of the ways, you're worse than my mom."

"Oh, face it," She sighed. "I practically am your mom, considering I'm always far more mature than you are."

Mason and Steve both rolled their eyes.

She ignored them and wrapped her arm around me, "We have a lot to deal with, Scarlett. Guys are so difficult. At least I'm not married to Steve. The last thing I would want to be is stuck with thatfor the rest of my life."

I laughed as Steve began to walk away backwards. "Well, as much as I love being insulted by you, Taylor, I think I'm going to get a drink and find someone nicer to talk to," He teased, the sarcasm practically visible in his words.

We all smiled, watching as he nearly tripped as he turned to face forward.

"Alright, now I'm even sorrier," Taylor said jokingly, looking over at us. "I shouldn't have invited him and embarrassed you guys at your wedding."

"It's no problem," Mason shook his head. "I'm actually kind of glad you did. I haven't seen him in a long time, and we kind of left each other from high school on a sour note. I'm happy to see he's not mad at me still."

Her eyes widened, "That was a very heartfelt statement. Normally, I only hear a limit of about ten words per sentence from you."

"I'm married to a romance novelist," He brought me even closer to him. "What did you expect?"

"Oh, that's right," She nodded. "How are the stories coming, by the way?"

"Ugh, they're not," I sighed.

"And I'm not sure why," Mason exhaled. "I bought you a new computer and everything for that very purpose."

I grudgingly looked up at him and then back at Taylor. "I guess it's just a lack of things to write about. I mean, sometimes I wish the words would type themselves. It would make my job a whole lot easier."

"Well, if you ask me, there is plenty to write about," Mason shrugged. "I felt like the other night was a scene straight out of a movie."

I knew what he was referring to, but part of me didn't want to resurrect the burning memories that I had been trying so desperately to push away. But, somehow, my subconscious let the remembrance flicker – the image of the wolves' fury, my bloody arm, and two pairs of heartbroken eyes staring back at me expectantly.

And with those memories now flashing in front of my eyes, I knew which memories were to follow. I could see Nathaniel's smile, I could hear his booming laugh, but all the while I could not see his heartwarming face. It was those cherished three weeks with him that I thought of now. With these recollections came my unyielding resentment towards him. If he was truly my friend, he would have been here to support me, whether he was in love with me or not.

I lifted my head, staring out at the tree line.

Part of me wished he would emerge from the blackness, wanting to apologize for being late. But the other part of me knew that was too farfetched to believe. He was not coming, and I could not change that.

"Hey!" Lilli approached us then, snapping me out of my reverie. She glimpsed over at Mason carelessly, "Ryder."

"Samuel," He greeted in the same curt manner.

She hugged me excitedly, "You looked beautiful up there. Oh, and don't think I didn't notice when you forgot to say your vows."

"She was just too mesmerized by me," Mason teased.

"Actually, I was going to blame it on reluctance or sudden idiocy," Lilli sighed, glancing up at Mason bitterly for a moment.

His playful animosity against her vanished for a moment and he grew serious. "Why would she be reluctant?"

"She's just nervous," Taylor clasped my hand. "All those eyes on her."

Mason kept his eyes on me charily as Lilli continued, "You're probably right. Hey, I meant to ask you earlier but I would've had to wait in line. Which one of the Quileutes is Nathaniel? At first I thought it was the really tall, smiley one, but then I saw he was kissing some other Native American girl so I figured it wasn't him …" She went on, but I was too distracted to listen much further.

My eyes met Mason's, his face tense at the mere mention of Nathaniel's name.

I pulled my eyes away from my pained groom.

Would it be like this forever? Would Nathaniel Redborn become a cursed name in our house for the rest of eternity? I felt culpable – and unsuccessful. It had been my goal to bring my husband and my best friend together, but I couldn't have failed more than I did. I lost a friend and I aggrieved my husband … I aggrieved myself into upsetting the two people I had come to care about more than anything in these past few months.

That knowledge – the fact that I had hurt those that I loved – killed me inside.

"I'll be back," Mason let go of me, the surface of my skin where his hands had rightfully been stinging as he pulled away.

He was halfway across the dancefloor before I could protest.

"Was that my fault?" Lilli pulled my eyes back to her. "I should have kept my mouth shut. I know that Nathaniel is a tough subject for you guys."

Again, the mention of his name was another needle to my soul.

"No," I sighed. "Mason and I are still … recovering." I made it sound like Nathaniel was a disease. "But I thought he would be here, and he's not."

"Who's Nathaniel?" Taylor wondered, intrigued.

Lilli turned to her when she realized that I didn't have the voice to explain. "He is basically the Jacob Black in this Bella-Edward equation. Mason left Forks for a funeral and Scarlett made ties to this cop from La Push. Now there's tension."

"You make it sound like a page ripped out of the script for a romantic drama," I muttered quietly. "There's no tension. There's just … shattered pieces."

"Wait, Mason left you?" Taylor asked. When I nodded, she continued with an exasperated sigh, "God, have you ever made that boy watch NewMoon? Did he not see how disastrous it was when boy leaves girl? I swear guys could learn a thing or two from chick flicks."

"Well, I don't think he thought it would end up that way," Lilli shrugged. "I mean, it wasn't like he was leaving for good."

"Then again," I mumbled. "This is me we are talking about."

"True," Taylor nodded, glancing over at the Quileutes. "If anyone knows how to break their own heart, it's Scarlett."

I kept my eyes on the La Push natives. They were still by the snack table, but now they were all sitting, talking animatedly with each other without a care in the world; I knew that they could feel the gravity, though. Just by their faces, I knew they were mad at Nathaniel too.

"Well, hey, if it's a Jacob scenario," Taylor smiled as I brought my eyes back to her. "Maybe it's best he didn't come."

"I'm trying to convince myself of that," I nervously smoothed out the creases in my dress, even though there were none. I was just looking for something to busy my hands, busy my thoughts. "Hey, I need to find Mason. To apologize."

They nodded understandingly and left me, heading towards a nearby table that Anthony, Krista and Andy were sitting at.

My eyes darted about the tent, but never found Mason. A bubbling fear formed in the back of my head: what if he'd left? I was about to let time do the mending, but then I decided that I left too many things to fate. I would have to fix this myself, and I would have to fix it now.

I picked up my dress and walked towards the Cullen house. As I left the glow of the lanterns under the tent, I trusted the soft light emanating from the windows of the house to guide me. There were only a matter of some twenty steps between the tent and the house, but I knew that I would still find some way to trip.

Walking around to the entrance may have been a bad idea. Several people were leaving and stopped me for a lengthy goodbye; I forced a smile, knowing that all this wasted time was enough for Mason to get in his car and drive off. After the lingering guests left me for their cars, my eyes searched the street which was lined with various vehicles.

And, exhaling, I noticed the Volvo on the far end.

Hoping that I would find him inside, I left the front porch and made my way through the front door, a couple more guests pulling me aside to congratulate me. I anxiously rushed through the predictable conversation, wondering why everyone insisted on talking to me. I supposed the gigantic white dress was a dead giveaway.

Unfortunately, Mason was not inside either. To avoid any more time-consuming conversations, I snuck through the mudroom and out the backdoor. I stood on the back doorstep for awhile, the beam of the porch light illuminating my dress so that I glowed like a ghost.

"Hiding from someone?" I heard a voice say teasingly.

I turned, noticing a shaded figure standing just outside the porch light's ring. The person stepped forward into the light, flipping shut a cellphone that had been open in their palm. It was Coop, inventively dressed to say the least. He wore a white button-up shirt – the sleeves were rolled up despite the crisp night air – with a long red tie and pinstriped pants. His Chuck Taylors stuck out the most, though; they matched mine, only his looked newer.

I smiled, his face soothing my qualms.

"What are you doing back here in the dark?" I wondered curiously, stepping down from the doorstep and meeting him at the rim of porch light's circle. "You look pretty shady just looming around in the blackness. You'd seem suspicious."

"Oh, yes, I'm certainly a danger," He joked, leaning back on his heels. "I love crashing parties that I'm invited to."

I giggled, looking down at my feet. I had wanted to wear my Chucks too, but Lilli had forced me into wearing high heels for the occasion.

"I'm offended, by the way," He sighed after we had been silent for awhile.

"About what?" I looked up at him.

"Well, first of all, you haven't said hi yet," He feigned sadness.

"Hi," I grinned.

"Well, hello," He smiled ear-to-ear and then continued on, "And I am also disappointed in your groom. I thought for sure I would be the best man, and then on the way over here Mason tells me that he had already asked his brother, Reid. I am thoroughly insulted."

At the mention of Mason's name, I exhaled. I still had to find him.

"Is something wrong?" Coop asked considerately.

"Oh, I just have to find Mason," I shook my head, fiddling with my fingers. "A certain topic came up in our conversation and he left."

"I'm pretty sure I know what that topic is …" Coop began, but when he saw my face fall, he added, "But I'm not going to mention it."

I nodded thankfully.

"Besides, you've been married for, like, what? Two hours?" He reached out and pushed my hair behind my ear. "And you've already lost your groom? I think you should call Guinness. That's got to be a new record."

"I'm certain someone's already beat me," I muttered.

"Honey, don't ruin this night," Coop shook his head, sounding a little fed up with me. I didn't get mad at him – I would be fed up with me, too. "You can't keep waiting for Mason to conjure up the romantic moments for you. And you can't expect everything to be perfect either."

"I didn't expect everything to be perfect," I denied. "I just expected my best friend to be here."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Coop shrugged.

I glared at him.

"Okay," He put up his hands defensively. "I get it. This is no time for joking."

My eyes left Coop and went back to the tent. As if he'd called my name, my eyes landed directly on Mason. He was talking to a tall, wide man in a ratted suit – it took me a couple moments for me to recognize him to be Chief Donohue. I doubted Mason had invited him. In a small place like Forks, everyone knew about big events such as this. The entire town was probably here.

"So what if Nathaniel didn't show up?" Coop followed my gaze. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you are now Mrs. Ryder, and you have to go over there to make sure that Mason knows that too."

My eyes left Mason and landed on Coop. "You are excellent at pep talks."

"I'm a doctor," He chuckled. "Not a motivational speaker."

I looked back at Mason, watching as Chief Donohue lingered away.

"I would get over there, if I were you," Coop patted my lower back and then stepped back towards the stairs. "Your husband is waiting for you."

The words made my blood boil, making me clammy.

"Are you capable of moving?" He chuckled, leaning against the railing.

"Catch me if I faint, Coop," My eyes never left Mason as he stood idly in the center of the dancefloor. "But I think I just realized that that's my husband."

He smirked, "Everyone already knew that."

I was about to speak again, but I heard a door gently click shut. And, turning, I saw that Coop had disappeared into the house. There was some ethereal feeling to Coop tonight – he seemed more like my conscience than a guest. In fact, the whole night had felt ethereal so far.

And I was not about to let it go to waste.

I left the back steps and made my way towards the tent, watching Mason's back as if I were afraid he was going to disappear. Coming up behind him, I wrapped my arms around him, standing up on my toes so that my mouth could reach his ear.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

He turned in my grasp so that he could face me, his arms taking their rightful place around my waist. I could hear his hesitant breathing against my hair as I buried my face in his chest; he didn't speak for a couple minutes, making me anxious.

His customary response: "You have nothing to be sorry for."

I pulled away to look up at his face. "Stop saying that. I have everything to be sorry for. If hadn't become friends with Nathaniel in the first place …"

"We wouldn't be nearly as sturdy," He interrupted, finishing my sentence.

My eyes were glued to his as I tried to read his expression word for word.

"As much as I oppose the guy, he made us stronger," Mason shook his head. "And if we ever see him again – which I'm sure we will – I will have to thank him for that. Remember what I said. Nathaniel and I are still at the 'going at each other's throats' stage. But you and he aren't."

My skin tingled as he reached up and cradled my head in his hands.

"You two are friends," He sighed. "And, as much as I may want to, I can't change that. You bonded when I wasn't here, and I understand that."

He paused.

"I just want you to realize that I'm okay with it," Mason stroked my cheek.

My heart fluttered. Maybe I wasn't such a complete failure. "Really?"

"Of course," He leaned forward, his lips meeting mine. My pulse hastened as he kissed me stronger, but my satisfaction wasn't long-lived; he pulled away, eyeing me carefully as he added, "But I still hate him from a competitive standpoint."

I nodded, "I know."

"Good," He smiled. "For a second there, I was getting a little too mushy. I'd like to preserve my masculinity, if you don't mind."

I smiled, leaning in to kiss him again, "You're man enough for me."

"Well, I don't know," He shrugged, his hands slipping from my face and into mine. "I married you. And I've already realized that one of the conditions of marrying a romance novelist is having a strong tolerance for chick flicks and the concept of forbidden love. What about that sounds masculine to you?"

"None of it," I answered honestly.

He laughed, "Exactly."

As I kept my eyes on him, I began to consider what Coop had said before: youcan'tkeepwaitingforMasontoconjureuptheromanticmomentsforyou. I knew he was right, and, besides, so far when it came to the score for romantic incentive, Mason was most certainly winning. I had to start pulling my weight.

"How about the acclaimed spotlight dance?" I picked up his right hand and placed it on my waist. "In spite of the lack of a spotlight and my lack of knowledge when it comes to dancing."

He smiled hesitantly. "Oh, why not."

Pulling our hands up and pressing my waist up against him, Mason was about to step forward, but he stopped. When I looked up at him keenly, he straightened his back, staring back at me uncomfortably.

"I've never been much of a dancer," He shrugged.

"And we've established that I'm not much of a dancer either," I challenged.

"And …" He paused. "I don't know. I'm just … stupid."

My eyes widened as I realized what the problem was. "You're embarrassed."

He chuckled under his breath, the sound making all the hairs on the nape of my neck stand up on end. "I'm not embarrassed. Not of being with you, at least."

"It's the fact that we're the only ones dancing," I figured. And as I thought about it more, his fear became my own. "You're right. Maybe we shouldn't …"

He grinned, "Oh, the hell with it. This is our night. We're supposed to stand out anyway." And with that, we began to dance.

Mason took the first step, and my feet instinctively followed him. We took it very slow at first, and I continually looked up at him to make sure that I was doing all of this correctly. He would just nod and then continue to look down on me with a proud smile on his face.

I began to notice several eyes turning our direction, but when I recognized that Mason didn't care, I decided not to either. He sped up only once, but then slowed to a steady tempo after a couple of minutes – our beat was completely divergent to the music sputtering quietly out of the DJ's speakers. As a matter of fact, I hadn't even noticed that there was a DJ until just now; I suppose there had just been too much on my mind.

But now my thought bank was clear and my attention was entirely on Mason.

There were no thoughts of the problems at hand, because right now there was no problem to get in the way. Maybe everyone had been right – it was a good thing that Nathaniel didn't come. I could practically visualize the awkward situation it could have presented if he had.

And the fact that Nathaniel didn't come could only be a sign. I didn't believe in omens, but if I did, I would be sure that this was one. Just like I had promised myself before, this was ourday. This was Mason and my day. Nathaniel would not interfere, because I wouldn't let him.

Perhaps Nathaniel had been smart enough to see this coming. Perhaps he had known that if he had come, then this very moment would never have existed. I would not have been in Mason's arms, dancing around the dancefloor as if we were alone. Instead, I would have been worrying about what Nathaniel was doing or what Nathaniel was thinking.

Nathaniel would not interfere with this day. I would not let him.

Mason slowed even more now, closing his eyes for a protracted moment. His eyes opened again, and there was a tint to them that made me almost want to cry. It wasn't because he was sad or angry. But it was because he was happy.

It struck me at that moment that Mason always did too much for me, sacrificed too much for me. Up until now I had been forcing myself to think that I was not taking anything from him – I tried to convince myself that we were both looking to start fresh, not wanting to look back on anything. He didn't want to look back on Madison and I didn't want to look back on the long lonely months I had endured in Lilli's absence.

But I knew now that it wasn't like that. He didn't pick up our eighth grade year book because he was bored or because he was looking to start over. It was because of me. And I could easily know that was true just by looking into his soft blue eyes right now.

I figured it was my turn to do the sacrificing. "So … sunlight," I sighed.

"What about it?" He pulled me closer, if that were even humanly possible.

"I hear California is beautiful this time of year," I said, even though I hadn't really heard anything at all. Mason's eyebrow rose, and I took that as a signal – two states down wasn't enough. "But I hear Florida is beautiful all year round. It's nearly sunny every day."

His eyebrows furrowed now, his lips curving into a soft smile.

I needed to go even further. "But you know where there's plenty of sunlight? Ecuador. I mean, they get sun all the time. That must be so pretty."

Mason's eyes softened, "I know what you're doing."

"Do you?" I smiled coyly.

"We can go wherever you want for the honeymoon," He offered willingly. "Don't worry about my standards. I can live without the sun for a little while."

I heaved a sigh. So he didn'tknow what I was doing. I continued, "And maybe, after a sunny honeymoon, we can stay there, you know? Because I think I've already lived my fair share of sunless days."

He exhaled – now he understood. "You have a life here. You don't have to give that up just for the sake of daylight."

"It's not for the sake of daylight," I shook my head. "It's for your sake. I feel like you give up too much for me, and I feel like I give nothing back to you."

"Are you kidding?" He stopped dancing completely now. "You are my life. It doesn't feel like sacrifice to me as long as you're happy. I want what you want, and if what you want is to be here then so do I."

"Well, what if I said I want what you want," I exhaled.

His eyebrows furrowed again. "Then it looks like we have a problem."

"No problem whatsoever," I denied. "If you really want what I want then you will be okay with the fact that I want what you want."

He paused. "Are you trying to use reverse psychology on me?"

"No," I smiled as our hands fell to our sides. "I'm just willing to do whatever you want to do. If you want to move, then I will go with you."

"Without a fight?" He found it hard to believe.

"You might have to strap me down to the roof of the car," I shrugged teasingly. "But, I guess, I'll go if it's for you."

"Great," He grinned. "I know just the place."

My heart fell – I didn't know he would take me up on the offer so soon. "Oh, well, where is that? Wherever it is, I'm fine with it."

"Don't worry. It's not far," He smiled, grasping my hands. "Only about three blocks away from here. I saw the perfect house – it's big with white siding and a giant tree out front. I heard someone say it's designed to look like something from this vampire movie, but I'm not really sure." He had to stop himself before he died of laughter.

His eyes lit up as he processed my expression.

I was amazed. "You really want to stay in Forks?"

"Believe me," Mason intertwined our fingers. "If you asked me a month ago, I would have been packing tonight and gone in the morning." He stopped.

"But …?" I waited for him.

"But," His eyes left me and glanced around the tent. "As much as I hate to say it, I think I have fallen in love with the mossy, damp, rainy town of Forks … despite its lack of sunlight."

I shook my head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're doing this for me."

"Oh, it's not for you," He exhaled jokingly. "It's entirely for me. I feel like I sacrifice too much for you, so this one's mine."

I smiled widely, "And I am perfectly okay with that."

I pressed my head against his chest. I could hear his muffled heartbeat and I channeled my slow breaths to match its tempo. His hands wrapped around my lower back as pulled me closer. And at that moment, I felt exhausted. All of this smiling and hoping was giving me whiplash.

Turning my head, so I could look up him, I noticed his face was very close.

"Oh, wilt thou leave me unsatisfied?" He murmured quietly, his lips barely brushing my cheek.

My breathing lost check with his heartbeat and reached a stifled phase of hyperventilation. I knew these words. I had read them over and over again, but they hadn't meant much to me until now. "What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?"

He paused, staring into my eyes lovingly.

I knew what this meant. Before, Mason had been too afraid to say this one line – the circumstances were different then and so was our relationship. And I could see in his eyes that he knew what this meant too.

Mason was silent so long I thought that he had forgotten the line. But after a couple moments, he leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper. "The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine."

I held my breath. "I gave thee mine before thou didst request it."

He grinned, his lips gently caressing my jaw and then my cheek. Before he could reach my mouth, though, he stopped, taking a deep breath. "I love you."

I pulled him in, kissing him carefully. Once I finally let him go, I whispered, "And I love you." And there was nothing more to it.