Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 26: Full Circle
Edward
I walked out of our room, still groggy from sleep, and Bella was already up and moving. She was showered and in her scrubs.
"Morning, baby," she said, walking over and giving me a quick kiss.
How was she so perky already?
"You off to work?" I asked, scratching my head.
"Yeah, Emily Thompson just had her baby on Tuesday, so I told her I'd stop by for a newborn checkup on my way in."
"Tell her I said congratulations," I mumbled as I poured myself a cup of coffee.
The whirlwind that was Bella in the morning disappeared after a few minutes and the house fell silent. I leaned against the counter and unfolded the paper to read it. It was June, which meant it was overcast in the morning. I welcomed the reprieve from the afternoon heat.
Bella had moved in shortly after my trip to Washington. Although I felt guilty about her giving up both her home and her job, she assured me it was what she wanted. If the past few months were any indication, I'd say she was right where she needed to be.
After the sale of her house, we had a long talk about where we wanted to live. Although Bella was willing to move to Washington if I wanted, I knew this was her home. For someone from Southern California, a move to the rainiest place in the country would be a severe adjustment. So, we decided to stay. As much as I wanted to be near my brother, I really liked it here. Plus, we had Emmett and Rosalie nearby, so we were among friends.
Bella originally wanted to start her own practice, but after researching it, decided to buy into an already established one. It couldn't have been further from the sterile environment she had been working in previously. The primary doctor was retiring, and she took his place. There were two other doctors in the practice, both of whom got along with Bella very well. Most of all, the practice was personal. Bella knew her patients, and they felt comfortable with her. When dealing with children, and their worried parents, a personal touch was extremely important.
If I liked my house before Bella moved in, I loved it afterward. She brought a woman's touch and warmth it didn't have before. I felt at ease here.
Not long after Bella came to Washington, a tabloid came out with pictures of Alec kissing Bella. Bella was pissed off that they had invaded her privacy. Naturally, the story was spun to be a much bigger deal than it was. She was understandably hurt but took it in stride, and I was proud of the way she handled it.
I, on the other hand, was jealous as hell, and the irony of me being jealous over pictures of Bella in the tabloids was not lost on me. I finally felt like I understood how she must have felt back when we first got back from Guatemala. She had told me what happened with Alec while we were still in Washington, and I believed her. She was much more concerned with how I took it than anything else. I appreciated her concern – it was not easy thinking about another man kissing her – but I trusted her. She'd been honest about what happened, so it wasn't a huge deal. Alec, however, was worthy of my hatred, and he had better hope I never run across him. I also hoped he knew that preying on vulnerable women under the guise of friendship was pathetic.
My writing had been going really well. I was writing the story about Guatemala, which brought back incredible memories. I hadn't told her yet, but I had booked Bella and me a trip to go back. I told myself it was for research, but I knew that was only partially true. I missed it there and cherished my memories of our time there. It had permanently changed me in a way I could never explain. I was whole now. Better.
After I read the paper, I showered and got dressed. The later it got in the morning, the more nervous I became.
I pulled open my sock drawer, behind the executive length dark socks I never needed in California, and reached in the back to find the small velvet box that had been hidden there. I'd purchased the diamond solitaire months ago. Looking back, I could see that we weren't in a place back then to get engaged. I'd wanted to hold on to Bella so badly I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought it would make us stronger.
Now I realized it wasn't the engagement ring or an impending wedding that would bring us closer. Bella needed closure, acceptance. She had to deal with a past that haunted her. There was nothing I could have done to speed up her process of healing. She had to let go of her former life all by herself.
I could completely relate to that. Being in Guatemala, in such extreme conditions among such genuine and amazing people, put life into perspective. Both Bella and I had spent our lives working toward success as we knew it to be defined – wealth, a sense of accomplishment, material possessions, respect of our peers. But, I'd much rather have the respect of Carlisle, or Marisol, or any one of the people we helped in Guatemala, than almost anyone I knew before I joined the relief effort. I couldn't explain it. The people there lived life as if each day could be their last, because it could. Tragedy and disaster were a part of their lives. Yet amid all that was an undeniable spirit of vitality, appreciation. They appreciated every gift life brought them. I wanted to emulate that.
As I'd seen in the days of the horrible mudslides, life was fragile, precious. How could Bella and I have come back from that unchanged? How had we honestly expected to step back into our lives as if nothing was different?
I was glad I had waited to propose. We needed to find ourselves. We needed to rediscover what we wanted out of life and how each other fit into those plans. We were in a much better place now – happier and solid.
Bella was not the type to want a lavish proposal. I knew skywriting or a proposal on a Jumbotron at a baseball game wouldn't work. I wanted it to be us.
Bella walked in the door at 5:30, which was normal now. I loved that she didn't have such crazy hours anymore, and she made it a point never to miss dinner. I was becoming quite the cook, and we enjoyed that time to decompress. It was a routine I cherished.
After dinner, I suggested we go outside and have a bonfire on the beach. It was a full moon, so everything glowed. We grabbed our chairs and lugged some firewood down to the fire pit and lit it up. Bella even ran back to the house to get stuff for s'mores. It was casual, but perfect.
The wood crackled, and we both were mesmerized by the fire.
"Bella, I have something for you," I said nervously.
She looked up and her face lit up, causing my smile to instantly match hers. I couldn't look at her like that and not smile. She made me infinitely happy.
I reached in my jacket pocket and pulled out the billfold and handed it to her.
She looked confused as she used the light of the fire to read what was inside.
"Plane tickets?" she asked, looking at me as though I was crazy. "Where are we going?"
"Just look," I said, nodding my head to urge her to continue.
Her radiant smile was back as realization set in, and she leapt from her chair and hugged me.
"I'm so excited! When are we going?" The enthusiasm in her voice was like a child on Christmas Eve.
"Next month. It'll be the one year anniversary of when I got there."
She sat back in her chair. "One year. Is that all? God, it seems like so much longer."
"I know. A lot has changed. It's funny. I remember meeting you. Carlisle was introducing me to the staff and showing me around the camp. I was captivated by you."
"Heidi thought you liked her. She was ready to pounce on you when we went camping."
"Heidi thought that?" I asked, stunned. I'd never had any interest in anyone other than Bella.
"Oh yeah. I may or may not have been a little jealous." She smirked at me, and I laughed, pulling her chair closer to mine.
"I only wanted you," I confessed, kissing her softly.
"I'm so excited we're going back. I can't wait to see all our favorite places again."
I reached down and took a sip of my wine. The moisture in my mouth seemed to have disappeared as my nerves assaulted me. Setting the plastic cup down in the sand, I reached into my pocket once again and gripped the velvet box tightly.
I pulled it out and held it in my hand. It was pretty dark, despite the glow of the moon, so Bella didn't really notice what I was holding.
"I'm glad you like my surprise. I've been thinking about Guatemala…and I just…I wanted to go back." Bella looked at me, noticing my nervous stammering but not understanding the reason behind it.
I continued, "I…uh…I thought we could get married there." I exhaled loudly
There, I said it. I slowly handed her the ring box.
She gasped and put one hand over her mouth while the other one reached out for the box. "Edward!"
I rubbed my hands together nervously. This was fucking nerve-wracking.
After a few breaths, she turned her eyes down to the box and slowly pulled the lid open, gasping once again when she saw the ring.
It was a simple ring, yet classic. A single diamond in the middle sparkled brilliantly. Set into the platinum band were tiny diamonds that went all the way around.
"I…I'm…oh my God…" Now it was Bella's turn to stammer.
"Will you marry me, Bella?"
She leaned over and kissed me sweetly, and I could feel the tears on her cheeks.
"Yes. A million times yes."
There were a few times since I'd known Bella when I thought my emotions might get the best of me; when we'd first kissed, when we'd first made love, when she told me she loved me, and now.
I didn't know I could feel this happy, this complete. I wanted to pull her inside of me and hold her there. She was a part of me now, and I knew that would never change.
"I love you so much. I promise, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy." I didn't take marriage lightly. Especially being famous and seeing so many marriages built on material and shallow things. I wanted more. I wanted what my parents had and what I knew was a rarity these days.
And I knew I could have it with Bella.
She looked at me and put her hand on the side of my face. "I never thought I could feel like this. For so long, I didn't think I deserved this kind of happiness. But I'll take it, and I promise I'll never look back."
A/N: Yay, they're going back to Guatemala! We only have the epilogue left now. *sniff*
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The epilogue will be up next week. Shoot me a review for a teaser!