Chapter 25 – Real
Edward and I were practically engaged from the moment I arrived at his house. We had already discussed our wedding plans, but having him actually formally ask me, seemed to make it feel that much more real. Edward and I were going to be married, and our lives were rolling along full steam ahead. I couldn't possibly be any happier.
Alice must have known Edward's plan to propose that night, because the following morning she bounced right over to where I was sitting at the kitchen bar, and she squealed while looking at the rings on both my hands.
"Oh, I knew you would want the vintage heirloom," she said excitedly. "And they both fit! When Edward showed me his granny's ring, I just knew it would be perfect for you. It was already your size too. No need to adjust it at all. It's fate Bella. He never gave it to the weathergirl with big hands, because he didn't love her, and it wouldn't have fit her anyway. It was meant to be yours!"
I laughed once. "Well, I'm glad you advised him to give it to me. I do truly love it," I told her as I twisted my wrist back and forth looking at the beautiful ring.
"Of course you do, because it's perfect for you. Oh, I hope Doctor Dimples has a vintage family heirloom to give to me someday."
"Alice, you haven't even met him yet," I chided her.
"Yeah, but I'm going to marry him. I just know it. I have a sixth sense, remember?"
I could do nothing but laugh at her.
"Speaking of sexy men, where is yours? He sure made you holler last night. I was so freaking jealous."
"I did not holler," I readily denied.
"I know. Why not? I sure would be."
I huffed at her. "Alice…"
"Oh, B, I'm just teasing you. I'll stop now."
"Thank you. And to answer your question, Edward is out for a run with Jake," I told her.
"He's a runner too? Gosh, could he get anymore perfect?"
I smiled. "I know, he is perfect. I'm going to need to get my lazy ass out there running with them too. I'm just glad I could use you as an excuse to stay today."
"You're pregnant. Use that as an excuse. Let yourself get nice and plump, and worry about losing the baby weight later. With how perfect McDreamy is, he would probably love you even more if you were big. He seems like the 'there's just more of you to love' type of guys."
"I don't think he would prefer me bigger, but he wouldn't mind either. He just likes to run because he says it reduces the stress of his job. He's been running just about every morning since he started medical school… except while we were in the cabin. It was too cold up there, and I didn't want him to take the risk of getting lost and forcing us to be separated," I said, remembering the time in the cabin when he actually thought about going for a run and I practically begged him not to.
"Well, it's good he found something to help him with stress. I'm sure being a doctor would be stressful enough to drive anyone to their breaking point without some kind of release. I'll remember that when I'm with Dimples."
I laughed at her again. "Being a doctor is definitely stressful…but not as stressful as meeting your future in-laws. Alice, I could hardly sleep last night. I love my ring so much, but then I remembered what Kate had said at that restaurant when we saw her."
"What did she say?" Alice questioned.
"She must have told me three times how much she loved his parents. How they were like second parents to her."
"Okay? That's good, right?"
"Edward said he stayed with Kate so long because of his parents. Clearly they adored her."
Alice reluctantly nodded. "They did seem like they adored her."
"What?" asked confused by her comment.
"I met them after your plane crashed. I came out here with Garrett, and we met Kate, and Edward's parents. They did seem pretty close to Kate. The three of them kept hugging and crying together, and even holding hands a lot. Those first few days when we were all gathered in the rescue center hoping to hear any news about you guys, they hardly left each other's side."
"Great. Now, here I am, taking her place, and wearing Mrs. Cullen's grandmother's ring when she wanted Kate to have it. They are going to hate me."
"Oh Bella, you can't let yourself freak out about this," Alice stated with a sigh. "Edward picked you. If they don't want to stand by their son's choice, then they can go fuck themselves."
"I don't want to create a wedge between Edward and his parents, and I don't want them to go fuck themselves. I don't have parents left, so they will be my baby's only grandparents. I want them to like me."
"I get what you're saying, but you can't force anyone to like you, Bella. If they don't, then that's their problem. Besides, they live in a completely different state. Edward didn't have a problem moving away from them, so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."
I knew Alice was right, but knowing it and actually believing it were two different things. Regardless of knowing it wouldn't change my relationship with Edward either way, I still couldn't help anxiously hoping they would like and accept me.
"Hey, why didn't Foxy go with the boys on the run?" Alice asked as the dark Labrador quietly snuck into the kitchen to get her breakfast.
"Edward said she usually stays home. He wasn't sure why. It's just about the only time she's not by Jake's side."
"Wait, do you think she's pregnant?" Alice asked with a theatrical gasp.
"Thankfully, no. Both dogs are fixed."
"Aww, I was hoping Dimples and I could adopt one of their puppies."
I rolled my eyes. Alice was planning a future with a man she never even met, and I wasn't sure if it was ridiculous, seriously insane, or just funny as hell.
Just then we heard the back door open, and Jake's heavy paws came thumping inside. He ran right to me, and immediately tried to jump on my lap.
"Well, hello to you too," I said while roughing his collar.
Edward walked in a minute later looking deliciously sweaty, and playfully annoyed by Jake. "Dude, we talked about this! Your chick is right there. Leave me mine."
I giggled and then gently pushed Jake off of me so I could stand to greet Edward.
"You're all sticky," I said wrapping my arms over his neck.
"Yeah, I bet I smell awesome too," he replied with a smile before leaning down to kiss my lips. "I need to go shower. I have to go to work for a bit before I pick up my parents from the airport."
"Oh, can I come?" Alice asked eagerly. "To your work, I mean. I need to meet my future husband. Maybe you can show me to the rental house after."
"Let's both get dressed and follow him there in the Hummer," I suggested. "I need to know where you're going to be staying while in town."
Surprisingly, Alice didn't take long to get ready. She even said something about how if Dimples doesn't like her in her normal state, he isn't the right guy for her. It was quite shocking.
We drove to the rental house first, and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. It was a furnished log cabin that even had a two car garage. It was small, but certainly bigger than the studio apartment she was use to back in Seattle. Edward helped her take her suitcase out of the Hummer, and then the three of us continued to the hospital.
Alice and I followed Edward to the pediatric floor, and when he went to visit whatever patient he needed to see, we held back by the nurse's station.
"Oh, Bella, I'm happy to see you again so soon," the nurse there said happily.
"Hi, Kebi," I replied. "It's good to see you again too. How are you doing today?"
"Wonderful, as always. How are you adjusting to Alaska so far?"
"I love it here," I told her honestly.
"That is wonderful news. Who is your friend?"
I was about to answer her, but that was the moment I spotted Jasper walking by, so I hesitantly stopped him.
"Doctor Whitlock, do you have a minute?" I asked him.
"Well hello, Miss Bella. It's good to see you again. What can I do for you?"
"Um…" I glanced back at Alice who was looking all doe-eyed at him, even though he had yet to notice her. I was trying to think of the best way to introduce her, but then I thought – to hell with it. "You know, I felt so bad about your plight of finding a suitable single woman, so I sent away for one." I stepped back and grabbed Alice's arm, and pulled her forward. "This is Alice. She is beautiful, and single, and ready to mingle."
A huge grin automatically spread across Jasper's face, and then he held out his hand towards her. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
Alice placed her hand in his, and blushed. "The pleasure is all mine."
Jasper had a few slow minutes, so he and Alice quickly started chitchatting. They were deep in flirtation when Edward finished and was ready to head to the airport.
"Are you ready?" I asked Alice.
"Hey, I'm off in an hour. Would you like to grab lunch?" Jasper asked her.
She smiled. "I just so happen to be free for the rest of the day," she told him, but then she quickly pulled me to the side. "Are you okay meeting the in-laws without me? I can come with you if you're uncomfortable."
"No, I'll be fine. Go have lunch with your future husband," I said facetiously.
"I love you," she said excitedly. "And they will love you too. Just wait and see."
I nodded, pretending I agreed with her. "Okay, well have fun with Dimples. You remember the way back to the rental house?"
"Yep. There are only like four main roads in this area. I should be good."
"Text me later," I insisted.
"You better text me too," she replied. I handed her the Hummer keys, and then Edward and I took off for the airport.
I was beyond nervous, especially after my conversation with Edward in the car on the way there…
"So… your parents have no idea about me, do they?" I figured as I started seeing signs for the airport along the highway. The closer we got, the more nervous I became.
"Uh… I haven't spoken to them since before you came, so… no."
"This will be fun," I grumbled, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about his great grandmother's ring on my left hand.
"Bella, everything will be fine," he said, clearly sensing my nerves.
"You're the one who said you stayed with Kate for so long partly because your parents wanted you to," I pointed out. "Now, the ink is hardly dry on your divorce, and you put your mother's grandmother's ring on someone they haven't even met."
"Not to mention the fact that they're Catholic, and we are unmarried and expecting a baby," he added.
I whined as a response to his words, which just made him chuckle.
"Babe, don't worry about it. If they don't like you they can go fuck themselves," he said casually, which made me laugh.
"That is exactly what Alice said," I told him.
"Well, we're both right. I use to worry so much about what they thought and wanted, but I'm done with it all. Now I'm going to do what makes me happy, and you are what makes me happy. You are the only thing that has made me truly happy in years - actually, you're the only thing that has made me happy for as long as I can remember. I love my parents, but you are my life now, and you're the only person that I can't live without."
"I just don't want to come between you and them. They already lost one child, I just…"
"If they lose me over you, it will be their own damn fault. Listen, they aren't going to cause a big scene or anything. If they're upset, you probably won't even know. They're very reserved people."
Less than twenty minutes later, Edward's parents proved just how wrong he was about them being reserved. The moment Mrs. Cullen came into view and spotted Edward, she immediately started bawling.
"Oh. My. God," he grumbled under his breath as his mother closed in on him.
"I have missed you so much," she said through her tears. She grabbed a hold of him so tightly that I wondered how he was still breathing.
"Did you order her one too many drinks on the plane?" Edward asked his father over his mother's shoulder.
"She has had a rough time since you moved out here," Mr. Cullen told him. "I think she's developed separation anxiety since your crash."
"Wonderful," Edward grumbled.
"Oh, I just don't understand why you had to move to the place that almost killed you," Mrs. Cullen said emotionally as she pulled back to cradle Edward's face in her hands. "You could have at least moved to Anchorage so you could be close to your aunt and uncle."
"I don't like Anchorage," he told her.
"Well, perhaps if you come back to Seattle, you and Kate could…"
"Mom," he interrupted her. "As I have told you over and over when I was staying at your house, I will never reconcile with Kate. We're done for good."
"But you've been so sad, maybe if you just talk to her…"
"Anyway, so this is Bella," he said, cutting his mother off mid-sentence. "Bella, these are my parents, Esme and Carlisle."
Esme looked at me confused, however Carlisle smiled warmly. "Miss Swan. I'm so glad to finally meet you," he told me kindly. "We hoped to meet you sooner, but we just never had the opportunity. Are you here visiting Edward?"
"Um…" I looked to Edward for help, but that was when I was caught off guard by Esme embracing me.
"I just want you to know how grateful I am that you saved my son's life," she said getting emotional again. "The doctors said he would have died if it wasn't for your attempts to sew him up, and then the courageous way you sought help. I am forever indebted to you."
"Uh…" I awkwardly patted her back. "I only did what I had to do. He saved my life several times too, so I'd say we're even."
Esme pulled back but kept my hands in hers, and then smiled at me. "I'm so glad you two had each other out there. I'm sure you kept each other alive… both literally and spiritually. I can only imagine how easily it would have been for you both to just give up."
"Yeah, I can't even fathom the idea of going through any of that alone," I agreed.
Esme squeezed my hands, and seemed as if she was about to let them go, but then she must have felt a certain something on my finger, so she looked down and immediately gasped.
"So, I have some news," Edward said after noticing his mother's sudden surprise.
He didn't have time to explain, nor did he need to. Esme began bawling all over again, except this time, I was shocked to see that they were actually happy tears – at least I hoped they were happy. It was hard to be sure.
"You two are a couple?" I vaguely heard Edward's father ask him as Esme pulled me back in for another tearful embrace. She was absolutely blubbering.
I tried to hear Edward's response to his father, but it was impossible with how loud his mom was crying in my ear.
"Esme, did you hear what Edward just said?" Carlisle practically shouted at his wife.
She paused long enough to look at him.
"They're having a baby," Carlisle told her.
"What?" Esme asked in shock, and then her tears turned into screaming…and jumping. Everyone in that small airport must have turned to look at us, not that Esme seemed to care or even notice. She was overwhelmingly emotional, and as I glanced at Edward, he was clearly just as taken aback by his mother's display as I was.
"Mom, calm down," he told her after a minute.
She tried to calm herself, but her joy just turned into disbelief. "Edward Anthony Cullen, you better not be lying about any of this. I swear, if this is some big joke I'm going to get right back on that plane and go home."
"Why would I joke about that?" Edward said with a laugh. "Bella is pregnant, and we are going to get married…like soon."
"Why didn't you tell us any of this was happening?" Esme asked him with a mix of excitement and chastising. "I've been so worried about you! Here I was, thinking you were up here all alone and depressed. My goodness, you could have saved me a lot of heartache and grief."
"It was my fault," I spoke up. "He didn't know about the baby until a couple days ago when I showed up on his doorstep."
"How far along are you?" she asked curiously.
"Uh… three and a half months."
"Oh… so you two…"
"This is a cabin fever baby," Edward joked, while I punched him in the shoulder.
"So when you said your marriage to Kate was over, you weren't kidding," Carlisle said with a laugh.
"Our marriage was over long before that, dad," Edward told him, and then he turned to his mom. "I tried telling you, you just wouldn't listen."
Esme bit her bottom lip, and then nodded. "I'm sorry, honey," she said guiltily. "I didn't realize. I only ever wanted you to be happy," she said with more tears while reaching up to embrace him again.
"I am happy…now," he murmured.
"Then I couldn't be happier," she sang excitedly. "We're going to be grandparents, darling!" she said to her husband.
"Finally!" he said, matching her excitement.
"Finally?" Edward scoffed.
"I've been begging you to have kids for years," she said to him.
"I never wanted kids before," Edward argued.
"Well, I don't blame you for that. Kate wouldn't have made the best mother," she mumbled, almost incoherently.
Edward rolled his eyes, but instead of questioning her about it, he just seemed to let it go as he led us to where he parked the SUV.
Mr. and Mrs. Cullen climbed into the back seats, despite me offering to let one of them ride up front, and then we headed back home.
Edward held my hand as he drove, and when he unconsciously lifted our conjoined hands to kiss my knuckles, I heard a quiet "Aw," from Esme. It was safe to say she was happy about our relationship, which was such a huge relief for me.
Once we arrived back at the house, Edward gave his parents a quick tour, while I text Alice to make sure she was okay.
A – This is it, Bella. I found my husband. I just know it.
I laughed.
B – So you moving here permanently then?
A – Do you think Edward will let me stay at this rental house until I'm ready to move in with Dimples?
B – I don't see why not. Alice, you don't actually call him Dimples, do you?
A – He likes it ;)
I giggled again.
"This house is something else," Esme said as she walked into the living room where I was sitting.
"Yeah, it's a little overwhelming at first," I agreed. "I was sharing a tiny studio apartment in Seattle with my best friend before I came here. I think I could fit the entire apartment in this living room."
"But, it's beautiful."
"It is very beautiful," I agreed.
"Edward is showing Carlisle the backyard," she then told me. "I'm not much of an outdoor person. Especially in a place frequented by bears."
"Yeah, I have a little PTSD when it comes to bears, but they're fun to watch from the security of inside the kitchen."
"So, what does your family think of you moving way out here?" she questioned as she came to sit beside me. Then she smiled. "I'm just wondering if I have any allies in trying to convince you to move back to Seattle before the baby is born."
"Oh," I laughed. "Um, actually I don't really have any family. Both my parents passed, and they were both only children, and I don't have any siblings, so," I shrugged. "But Edward and I really love it out here… I mean, we may change our minds after the baby comes, but I don't think so."
Esme sighed. "Then I guess Carlisle and I will have to move out here too."
"What?" I asked, unsure if I even heard her right.
"Well, what's keeping us in Seattle anyway?" she questioned. "Edward is our only child, and I want to be close to my grandbabies… But, I promise you, I will not be one of those horrible smothering mother in-laws from hell. Speaking of which, I believe I owe you an apology."
"An apology?" I asked confused.
She nodded. "For the things I was saying at the airport before I even realized you were there."
I shook my head with bafflement. I had no idea what she was talking about.
"One of the first things I did when I saw Edward was try to convince him to work things out with Kate. I just want you to know, I'm very sorry about that. I think my insistence that their split was only temporary was one of the reasons Edward moved so far away. I honestly thought he was like a soldier coming back from war. I believed he was suffering from some PTSD and he was a bit shell shocked, and that was the only reason they were apart. I didn't realize they had issues before. He tried to tell me, but again, I thought they would get over whatever fight they had. I can see now it was more than just a fight. He never…"
"What?" I prompted softly when she let her words trail off.
She took a deep breath. "He never looked at Kate the way I've already seen him looking at you. Even in the couple hours it's been since I've met you, I don't have a doubt that you two were meant to be together. I've already apologized to him while he was showing us around the house, but I wanted to apologize to you too. Because what you have is beautiful, and if I would have had it my way, this wouldn't have happened. So I'm sorry."
She was back to crying, and back to hugging me. Esme's emotions were so big, but at the same time, how could I really blame her? She lost her daughter at a young age, and had to live through the belief that her son was forever lost as well. It would have been torture for anyone.
"Esme, you don't owe me an apology at all. You didn't know about our relationship. We didn't even do what we should have when it came to our relationship. I wasted over three months stupidly thinking he didn't love me, when I should have been out here right away. And it's understandable that you wanted Edward back with Kate. They were together for a long time, and you were close to her, so…"
Esme made a strange expression, so I paused.
"Truth be told," she said hesitantly. "I never really liked Kate on a personal level."
I raised my brows. "You didn't? My friend said you seemed close when she saw you after our plane crash."
"My mother in-law, god rest her soul, was quite possibly the most horrid woman to walk this planet," she said with a slight laugh. "I always swore I wouldn't be like that. I never wanted to insert myself into Edward and Kate's business. I never had any qualms with her. I did my best to be the mother in-law I would have wanted, but… I suppose having my attention directed at her instead of my son, I missed some things. I smothered Edward as a child, and left him to the wolves as an adult, until the time he actually wanted me to leave him alone, and I just couldn't. I haven't been the best mother. I can see that now, and it breaks my heart. Honey, I just want you to know, I will not ever be offended if you ask me to back off for whatever reason, and I'm going to do a better job at listening to Edward too. I promised him that, and now I'm promising you."
"Well, I appreciate that. To be honest, I'm just glad my kids will have loving grandparents," I told her, suddenly getting emotional myself. "And with my parents gone, I'm sure I'll be calling you all the time for advice on baby stuff."
"Oh, I would love that. Anything you need - anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. I would love to help with everything and anything, but I'm going to wait for you to ask, because I refuse to assert myself where I'm not wanted."
"I will definitely let you know," I assured her.
"And I want you to know… if Bree couldn't," Esme paused in an attempt to regain her composure. "If Bree couldn't have my grandmother's ring, I am so incredibly glad that Edward could give it to the love of his life."
"I am so honored to wear it," I told her sincerely.
"Oh, I'm just so grateful for you," she said while pulling me into another hug. "I can already see how much Edward loves you. Thank you for loving him back."
"Well, he makes it easy to love him," I told her as she continued to hold me tightly.
"Ah, they're bonding," I heard Carlisle say as he and Edward entered the room.
"Is she scaring you?" Edward asked me, playfully serious.
"Oh, you stop that!" Esme chided him while finally letting me go.
The four of us, well, six including the dogs, enjoyed the rest of the day together. His parents were sweet, and made me feel genuinely welcomed into their family.
The following day, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen proved just how serious they were about moving to Alaska to be closer to us. They called their lawyer back in Seattle, and told him to put their house on the market. Then Edward and Carlisle spent the afternoon scoping out property nearby for sale, while Esme and I picked up Alice and went wedding shopping, which morphed into baby shopping, which then swung back around to wedding shopping again. Esme and Alice had already met previously after the crash, but I was so happy to see how well they got along. Everything truly felt perfect.
When we were finished shopping for the day, Alice went to spend the evening with Jasper, Esme went to view the houses Carlisle had found, so Edward and I had some much needed time alone.
"So, not finding much for a wedding venue?" he questioned lazily after we took advantage of the empty house to make love.
I rolled over and kissed his chest. "There are so many beautiful places around here. Just none available in our time frame," I told him.
"Get dressed, I want to show you something," he suggested.
I whined, not wanting to get out of bed, but his parents would be back anytime so I suppose it was for the best anyway.
When we were back to looking presentable, Edward led me out back, and pointed towards the yard. "Right there."
"What?" I asked confused.
"We can get married right there. With the big snowy peak for the backdrop. There is plenty of room, and the outdoor mountain-scape fits us."
I smiled widely as the entire thing suddenly became clear in my mind. He was absolutely right, it was perfect.
"You're not saying anything," Edward said after a minute. "We could also do the whole church wedding thing, and then do the reception here…"
"Shh!" I hushed him. "I'm picturing it."
He laughed. "Yes, dear."
"I think having it here would be better than perfect. Better than anything I ever imagined even."
He nodded. "I think it could be really cool."
So we made the decision, and just like with him formally proposing, having the location of our wedding set made it that much more real. Alice and Esme both loved the idea as well, so the next step was sending out the invites. But the truth was, if no one showed up to witness us get married, I would be perfectly okay with it. All that mattered was us, and nothing was going to stop us from getting our happily ever after.