Title: Living Life
Summary: When Edward fell for Bella he knew his life would change forever, watch as he navigates this life with just love and a plan.
Rating: M because we all love our OCD lovin'
Pairing: It's always going to be an E/B story
Disclaimer: No, I still don't own these characters. Although I wish I did.
Chapter 26 – Edward
Parents
Bella and I sat and waited for our parents to arrive over. We had gotten home from Paris two days before and we decided we would tell them about our plans to get married earlier than planned tonight. Bella had already sprang into action by herself getting prices for flowers and a caterer, plus she had found a design for a bridesmaid dress that she loved in the colours we both liked.
Plus Bella and I had told everyone in the wedding party about our plans from Paris. Angela and Jasper were great, they had gone and started planning things like bachelor and bachelorette parties in the next couple of weeks, while Angela and Alice tackled making all the necessary appointments brides 'just had to have' and getting all the kids getting dressed for the ceremony. We were meeting up with them tomorrow to see everything they had gotten together and Bella was going to go wedding dress shopping sometime next week. I just know it was going to be hard to break this to our parents.
Mine especially.
What with Emmett secretly eloping last year and the fact that Alice had literally had a three week engagement I knew my parents would want to make a big to do about my wedding. Bella had already told me that my Mom had previously come to her with a list of three hundred people who definitely had to be invited.
That was something Bella and I really didn't want. We just wanted a small wedding up at the cabin; I didn't want to invite hundreds of people. I don't think I could name a hundred people that I particularly liked if I was being honest. Plus I don't think I would be able to speak in front of that many people.
Bella and I had invited my parents and her Dad and step mom over to the house. We had called Renee early who was excited for us. We knew we couldn't expect her to pay to come out here twice in two weeks, and Bella wanted her mother to be there for the wedding dress shopping. But Renee was the more fun parent. Bella was afraid that Charlie was going to tell her that she was being reckless and she really cared about what her Dad thought.
Everything was ready in the kitchen and we were just waiting for them to arrive.
"This is not going to be good." She said as a car pulled up outside. I looked out and saw it was actually both of our parents pulling up at the exact same time.
"Well that's convenient." I said and she rolled her eyes at me. "Come here." I said wrapping my arms around her. "It's going to be fine." I told her and she shook her head. "I love you."
"I love you too." She said kissing me when there was a knock on the door. "You get that; I'll lift the food out." She said and I nodded.
I walked towards the door and opened it.
"Hey" I said smiling at the two older couples in the door.
"There's my Baby Boy, back from his travels." Mom said hugging me. "I missed you" She said and I nodded.
"Miss you too Mom." I said before stepping back and hugging my Dad before turning to Charlie and Sue. "How was the drive up?" I asked as I hugged Sue. She was really nice, Bella had told me she had always been afraid that if Dad remarried she would get an evil stepmother type but Sue was great.
"Good, much easier without all the snow." Charlie said shaking my hand. "How was Paris?" he asked.
"Amazing" Bella called from the kitchen and he smiled. "Dinner's ready" She added.
"Come on into the dining room." I said leading everyone in there. Bella and I lifted everyone's plates in along with some bread and drinks for everyone.
"So Bella tell me every tiny detail." Mom said "What do you think of Paris?" she asked.
"It is the most amazing place I've ever been." Bella said "Like I was saying it to Edward you think Hollywood glamorizes all these places and then you there and you're like no it's actually like that." She said and Mom nodded.
"Did you take her to the Louvre?" Dad asked.
"I made him take me to the Louvre" Bella said and everyone laughed. "No literally he asked me did I want a day off from all the walking and just chill out in the spa or whatever and I was like 'NO! We still haven't gone to the Louvre' I was such a tourist." She explained and everyone around the table laughed. "But yeah it was amazing." She said smiling at me.
"It's also the last time I'll ever suggest she have a spa day, apparently she can and I quote 'do that shit at home', isn't that what you said Love?" I asked her and she rolled her eyes.
"Oh you think you're so funny" She said and I kissed her forehead.
We all fell into discussion about that, Bella and I had decided we wouldn't just launch into the whole wedding thing until someone brought it up. That way we might actually get to enjoy the evening with our parents.
We actually managed to get to the end of dinner and into dessert before Mom said the key phrase.
"So Bella I was talking to a friend of mine about the music, she's a violinist and she says she's got April 26th wide open next year." Mom said and Bella looked at me for to say something.
"Actually Mom Bella and I actually wanted to talk to you all about the wedding tonight, it's actually why we invited you all here tonight." I said and my mother paled so fast I looked like someone turned on a vacuum and sucked all the colour out of her face.
"You didn't" She whispered and Bella looked to me again.
"Didn't what?" Charlie asked.
"Edward!" Mom said "How could you do this? I can't believe you. You're supposed to be the sensible one and now you just up and get married!" She said and I realised what she thought we were saying.
"You did what?" Charlie asked Bella, his face getting red. "Bella, how could you?" he asked.
"Dad..." Bella began when my Dad cut across her.
"You saw what we went through last year when your Brother eloped last year Edward, you too Bella. How could you do this to us again?" Dad asked while my Mom looked furious.
"This is ridiculous; I thought you had a plan." Charlie asked the two of us.
"Hey" Bella said in protest.
"What?" Charlie asked.
"I'm trying to explain myself and you won't even..."
"No Bella, you don't get a say right now..." Charlie began.
I can't believe we were fighting over something that never even happened. But I wasn't going to have Charlie speak to Bella like she was a child in our home.
"Don't talk to her like that." I fought back.
"Don't tell me how to talk to my daughter you little cradle robber." Charlie spat.
"Cradle robber?" Bella asked "He's two years older than me not twenty." She said.
"Well he just took my little girl and up and married her. I take back my blessing!" He said and I threw my head back this was ridiculous.
"Yeah Charlie and we all know that if anyone suggested them getting married on the fly it was your precious little girl." My Mom said and Bella began to bang her head on the table.
"Can you all stop?" Sue said and everyone shut up as I caught Bella's forehead and got her to stop. She sighed as they all looked at Sue. "Maybe they have a reason?" Sue asked. "We should let them explain themselves. As a mother who has had a daughter arrive home at twenty one pregnant and unsure who the father is, let me tell you there's a lot worse than this." She said.
"Thank you Sue." Bella said to her stepmother. "Take it away Babe." She said patting my shoulders.
"Why do I have to do it?" I asked her.
"Your idea that got us in this mess." She reminded me and I sighed.
"Fine" I said "Now I would like to start off with saying Bella and I have not run off and gotten married. We did talk about doing it before we both decided it wouldn't be fair to our loving parents." I said glaring at my parents, while emphasising the word loving to get the point across.
"Oh thank God" Mom said sitting back down. "Then what's going on?" she asked.
"We've decided we want to get married this summer instead." Bella said squeezing my hand in hers.
"Why?" My Dad asked looking confused "I thought you both decided you wanted to be engaged for a year, why the sudden rush?" he asked.
"Yeah is there a dead line or something we're not aware of?" Charlie asked and Bella glared at her father, we both knew what he was talking about.
"I'm not pregnant." Bella said "And seriously will everybody stop assuming I'm pregnant. You know what? I'm going to start wearing really tight clothing and drinking all the time! Because I can't so much as wear a baggy shirt and ask someone to meet for coffee without them thinking 'oh Bella's pregnant' I mean seriously!" She ranted and I soothingly rubbed her back.
"Love calm down" I told her and she shook her head. "Why don't you tell them what the rest of the plan?" I asked her knowing once she actually got talking about it she would get all smiley again, she always did whenever we talked about this stuff. She was so excited for the next part of her life, ah heck who was I kidding? We both were.
"So what's the rest of the plan?" Sue asked Bella curiously she really was acting at a way for Bella and I to say our piece tonight which I was grateful for.
"We're getting married this summer and we're going to try for a baby." Bella said squeezing my hand. Bella was baby crazy, everyone knew about it and I couldn't wait for her to get pregnant. I had always said Bella made the decision about when we started having children but having talked about it so much I couldn't wait to begin that journey with her.
"What about the business?" Charlie asked her. "I thought you wanted to work on that first." He added to his question. "Or has that all changed?"
"Well we don't know how long to it's going to take for me to actually get pregnant Dad and Edward and I really want kids. We feel like we've been talking about it forever and we really want to start that process." Bella said.
"Process? Isn't it simple?" Charlie asked and Sue rolled her eyes. Bella had talked to her doctor and she was healthy and should be able to conceive a baby but she was still sceptical. She knew too many couples who were perfectly healthy but still couldn't conceive. The way we saw it if we started soon it would give her body time to adjust to the idea that she actually wanted to be pregnant now and in case something went wrong it wouldn't be too late when we found out.
"I can't believe you're asking that question." Bella said chuckling; her Dad was never one to talk about this kind of stuff. "Do you actually want to talk about all this?" she asked him.
"No not really, but shouldn't I be asking these questions?" Charlie asked her shrugging his shoulders.
"No" Bella and I said at the exact same time. I really wasn't comfortable talking about baby making with Bella's father when it wasn't necessary.
"So what you're just getting married so you can get pregnant?" Mom asked Bella. "Why don't you just have a baby and then get married. There's nothing wrong with that. Don't get me wrong Bella I can't wait for you to be my daughter in law I just don't want you to rush this. Getting married, and having a baby are all a big deal. Why not tackle one thing at time?" she asked.
"Actually we're getting married this fast because I don't want to wait another year to call her my wife. Plus Bella wants to be married before we have a baby. I told her months ago we could start trying, but she wants to be married first and so do I." I stated causing my mother to look up "It was my idea Mom." I told her, causing a look of shock to appear across hers and Dad's face. They were use to Alice and Emmett being the spontaneous ones, not me. "I want to get married as soon as possible and get this one pregnant as soon as possible." I said teasing Bella who kissed my cheek.
"But why?" Dad asked me "Edward you're always so level headed, just explain to us why you want to do this?"
"I'm nearly twenty nine years old, why do I have to justify this to you?" I asked before looking at Bella who looked very confused. We were both expecting a completely different response to this. Normally our parents were pushing us to move faster, and now they were talking to us like we were teenagers. We knew they would ask questions but we thought they would be happy about this.
"Because your mother and I have seen your brother and sister get married in a rush and regret moving so fast. So we want answers. Guys you two haven't even been together two years and I think you're getting tunnel vision." Dad said and Bella looked ready to cry.
"Weren't you and Mom pushing me to go out and get married for the past five years? You didn't even care if it was what I wanted, but now that it is what I want you're questioning it?" I asked him getting angry now. "And so what if we haven't been together two years?" I asked. "I love her; she loves me and we want to get married as soon as possible. Plus I think the length of Bella's and mine relationship before we get married will be twice as long as Alice's and four times longer than Emmett's. Plus Bella and I have been exclusive from day one. We told each other we would get married and have kids within two months of knowing each other." I rambled feeling flustered.
Jeesh it was hot in here, I could feel myself getting sweaty. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go, this was good thing. Why were they having trouble seeing that?
I felt Bella's fingers on the back of my neck trying to calm me down; it was working to some degree.
"We thought you would be happy we told you, and not just run off to Vegas." Bella said sounding really confused.
"We just want you to think about this." Charlie said
"Oh yeah because I usually do things on the fly." I muttered seriously annoyed now. I began pulling at my hand, scratching the skin there.
"Babe" Bella murmured reaching for my hand. She took hold of it and instead of scratching rubbed soothing circles into the back of my hand.
"Edward look at me" Dad said sitting across from me "Look straight at me right now." He said and I squeezed the side of my chair with my free hand.
"Don't talk to me like I'm a child." I stated.
"Fine but we're all just trying to make sense of this. Now I know it's easy to get swept up in all the romance of the whole idea. The two of you obviously have wedding on the brain as you're recently engaged and in Paris, it's easy to get caught up but have you really thought about this?" he asked.
"Yes" I told him. "I was thinking this way before we left for Paris and after just spending a couple of days together in down time I realised that Bella wasn't too keen on waiting a whole year either." I said and she nodded. "Seriously I thought you'd be happy for me." I said to both my parents.
"Oh for God's sake Edward we're just trying to get you to see clearly." My Mom said. "We love that you and Bella are together. We love that you have this house and are building a life together but we don't want you to rush anything." Mom said "Sweetheart, this is your first relationship..." She began.
"My only relationship Mom." I stated. I didn't know where she was planning on going with her little speech but I was making my point clear. Maybe I was still new to this whole dating and romance thing but Bella was the only person I was every going to want and that was final.
"Yes okay, I misspoke, but Edward you don't know what to expect. This is your first time doing this and we need you to slow down and think. We don't want you two to go so fast that you look back and regret it." She
"But Esme you've been on my ass about when was he going to propose and when was I going to get pregnant since this time last year." Bella said. "And let's not forget how every time Edward saw Carlisle before Christmas he was asked 'when are you making an honest woman out of that girl' I know because Alice told me. Oh and Dad's great speeches about this being a baby-making house and how we needed to be married before any of that could happen. So in my opinion you're all just being hypocrites."
The three of them were quiet after that, Sue sat there and offered us both an encouraging smile. I don't think she was sure what to say right now. I was just happy she was the one letting us say our piece.
"Plus in all honesty it's our life, we know what we want I think we're going about this the responsible way. We're going to get married and be tied to each other the best way possible. If you're questioning my commitment or motives to your son, well that's just absurd seeing as when I met him nobody seemed to be helping him. It's not the money because Edward has tried to tell me how much he makes and I don't want to know because I honestly don't care. I'm not naming my centre The Cullen Learning Centre to sponge off the name; I'm doing it because I'm naming it after your son. Frankly except for a piece of paper telling everybody I already act like his wife and if you all don't see that you're blind." Bella stated and I began rubbing her back.
"Bella no one is questioning your motives..." Dad began.
"I'm not done." She said and he stopped. "This has never been a casual thing between the two of us. And all we want is to make official sooner rather than later. Everything we've been through we're pretty sure we can make it through anything and to be quite honest this was done as courtesy not a request. We're both adults and we're doing this our way." Bella said.
"Right I think everyone needs to calm down here." Sue said and Bella sighed. "Now I get I'm just the step mom but I agree with what they're both saying."
"We're just looking out for his well being." Mom said and Bella tensed.
She always bit her tongue about how my family was treating me when we first met, and how my parents had never gotten me help for my OCD when I was kid.
But the thing about Bella she's like a bear, if you don't poke the bear you'll be fine. If you poke it, it's more than likely going to rip your face off.
I'd rather piss off a bear, than Bella is essentially what I'm saying.
"Oh yeah because you were so looking out for it when your other son told him he would die in a puddle of cat piss and then he tried to hurt himself. Actually no he did hurt himself. Carlisle you knew how bad his OCD was and instead of getting him counselling you let Emmett, Emmett who has always ignored Edward's tendencies handle it." Bella said looking disgusted. "So don't tell me you're looking out for his well being now because where were you when he was that upset." She snapped and my mother froze because it was something her and Dad both knew was wrong. They shouldn't have let me get that bad when I was younger, and it was certainly obvious Emmett was not the person most qualified to help me.
It was harsh but she was right.
"That's not what..." My Mom began when I butted in.
"That is what happened Mom." I told her. "Dad was there the night Emmett decided to take control and he just let Emmett take over." I said. "There's always been a problem and you and Dad ignored it and just let me fall into that rut. Bella is the reason I'm not in the rut, and in all honesty she's the reason I'm still here because I was so close to just ending it before I met her." I told them and my mother gasped.
"You don't mean that." She said shaking her head.
"Yes I do, but Mom look at me. This time two years ago I wouldn't have been able to say a sentence this long! I'm finally comfortable with whom I am and that's because of Bella. We know marriage isn't going to be easy, we know having a baby while trying to start a business will be hard but we want to do this. Charlie you're the one who is always saying how much Bella and I talk about things. Do you honestly think this hasn't been talked to death since I brought it up?" I asked and he shrugged.
"He's right Charlie." Sue said. "The three of you know they're right." She added. "The way I see it they're adults and they're going to do this whatever way they see fit. I would hate for you all to miss out on this just because it's not how you envisioned it." She said while squeezing Charlie's shoulder.
"Thanks Sue" Bella said smiling at her stepmother. "Look this is going to happen and we want you all there, believe me we do. I think this has turned into a bit of a mudslinging thing and we've all said things we shouldn't have. I think it's best if we put this behind us and the four of you help us." Bella said.
"You're right" Charlie said getting up and wrapping his arms around his daughter. "It's just hard to see you growing up Bells."
"Unfortunately it's gonna happen Dad" She said standing up and hugging him properly.
"Mom?" I asked my mother and she looked down at her hands. "Are you going to say anything?" I asked her.
It was then the flood gates opened.
"Bella I'm so sorry." My Mom said and the tears started flowing.
"Oh Esme, I'm sorry." Bella said as she stepped away from my Dad and hugged my Mom her own tears spilling out as she did.
Their mood swings could honestly give me whiplash.
"Oh for the Love of God Esme" Dad said my Mom was always a crier.
"Shut up Carlisle." Mom said as her and Bella embraced "I just didn't want you guys rushing into this" Mom said to Bella who nodded.
"I know but this is how we want to do it and I didn't want you to be mad at me, you're were so good to me last year I was fighting with my Mom and..." Bella said before the tears starting gushing again.
"Are you sure she's not pregnant?" Charlie murmured to me looking at the emotion between the two women and then Sue started tearing up. "Oh not you too woman!" Apparently the Chief didn't handle emotion too well. The three women cried in a group hug and the men just sat there dazed.
Eventually they stopped and calmed down enough.
"Okay so we really have to get to work now huh?" Mom asked Bella who nodded. "Do Alice and Angela know about the new timeline?"
"Yeah Alice has me booked in to try on wedding dresses next, my Mom's flying in. You'll both come right?" she asked and Mom and Sue nodded.
"Now we have a lot to get done, oh!" Mom gasped.
"What?" Bella asked.
"Carlisle do you think Fr. Patrick will let them start the pre wedding course this week? It's the only way they'll get it done before the end of summer."
"Excuse me?" Charlie asked leaning forward and I was trying to figure out what my Mom meant by pre wedding course as Bella sat back down beside me.
"Well our family Priest won't marry them unless they do the pre-marriage programme." My Dad explained and Mom nodded.
"I just presumed Pastor Weber would be doing the ceremony for you guys. Is he not available or something?" Charlie said and Bella looked at me panicked.
"Uh oh" I murmured.
"Pastor?" Mom asked and my Dad looked very confused.
"Yes" Charlie said. "He's the one who married Sue and I." He explained.
"Um..." Bella tried to but in while I looked for a hole to climbed into.
"Surely you mean Priest right?" Mom asked. Mom and Dad hadn't made it to Charlie's wedding ceremony, just the reception so they didn't know what kind of service he had had.
"No" Sue said. "Wait are you Catholic?" Sue asked and Charlie laughed.
"Yes" My Dad said and Charlie's laughter quickly subsided.
"What?" Charlie asked. "Did you know about this?" he asked Bella.
"Not until after he proposed. Daddy it was entrapment." Bella said and I glared at her. "I'm not getting blamed for this one."
"Wait you're Protestant?" Mom asked Bella.
"Technically we're..." I began when we were interrupted.
"How did you not he was Catholic?" Charlie asked Bella.
"Well it never came up." Bella said with a shrug.
"Are you serious?" Charlie asked her.
"Since when are we that religious?" Bella asked. "Plus he's circumcised; I thought Catholics didn't do that." She said before gasping realising she had said that out loud.
"I'm seriously going to muzzle you." I told her and she nodded.
"Please do" She said.
"Well I don't know what we're going to do about the service now." Dad said.
"Well we were just going to get a justice of the peace to be quite honest seeing as Bella and I are well..." I began when Bella butted in.
"Lacked" She stated and I gave her a confused look. It was then it dawned on me, Bella's father didn't know she was agnostic which was fair enough. I had never come out and said that I was an atheist to my parents. It was on my facebook page though.
That's as good as saying it these days.
"But what are the children going to be?" Mom asked me.
"Um..." Bella said.
"Oh come on Bella." I said and she sighed. "Will I tell them?" I asked her.
"Fine" She said.
"We're atheists for want of a better term. Science rules!" I stated.
"Science rules? What are you seven?" Bella asked me.
"It seemed appropriate." I said with a shrug.
"Atheists?" Dad asked looking shocked.
"Yeah" I said and Bella squeezed my hand.
"So you're planning on bringing my grandchildren up without a faith?" Charlie asked and Bella sighed.
"Dad it's not we're going to let our kids run around with no moral, we will teach them that... we just won't use religion as the medium for that." Bella explained and my mother crossed her arms over her chest.
"Mom don't start Bella and I didn't realise this would be an issue until Emmett brought it up recently and since then we've talked about it and this was we decided together." I explained and Bella nodded.
"You're right" Mom said "Your father and I chose to raise you Catholic, you didn't pick that and Charlie you probably chose to raise Bella Protestant so she didn't pick that. Maybe one day your kids will grow up and be Catholics."
"Or Protestant" Charlie interjected.
"For all I care they can be Pastafarians." I said and Bella slapped her forehead. "What?"
"Don't..." She said when Charlie interrupted.
"Pasta what?" Charlie asked me.
"Nothing inside joke" I said and Bella rolled her eyes.
After another hour of questions like this the four of them finally left leaving Bella and I emotionally exhausted.
"Are you should up still want to do this?" I asked her teasingly and she glared at me.
"Don't even joke." She said and I laughed pulling her close to me.
"Is it bedtime?" I asked and she nodded. "So I was thinking tomorrow we could go wedding ring shopping" I told her and she smiled.
"That sounds fun. What kind of ring do you want?" she asked me.
"I don't know. I've never worn any type of ring in my life. What do you think?" I asked her.
"Well I want yours to match mine, but I also want mine to match my engagement ring." She said looking at her ring. I smiled and took her hand into mine and kissed it.
"I love seeing you wear it" I told her.
"And I love wearing it" She said. "I know some women just wear their wedding bands but I want to wear both, this is way too pretty to hide away in a jewellery box."
"So you want us to get white gold rings?" I asked her.
"Or platinum" She said with a shrug before picking up my left hand. "Hmmm maybe a wide band? You've got long finger babe." She said playing with my fingers.
"Maybe, I don't want something flashy." I told her.
"Neither do I. I don't think flashy would suit you." She said. "Oh and I'm buying your wedding band." She said.
"No way" I told her. I didn't want her spending her money on me. She had her savings for the centre but not much else because she wasn't working. I knew when she said she was buying my ring she meant she would be dipping into her savings and not the account I had given her access to. That just didn't sit with me.
"Yes way" She said facing me. "It's only fair." She said.
"How is that fair?"
"You got to buy my promise ring, my engagement ring and my wedding ring." She said.
"Yeah and?" I asked her.
"Well I want to buy the ring that symbolises my commitment to you. Instead of you buying the ring that symbolises my commitment to you. That makes no sense Babe." She said and I sighed.
"I don't want you taking money away from the centre" I told her and she smiled.
"Baby there's nothing more I'd want to spend this money. Please let me do this?" she asked and I shook my head. "Please?" she repeated kissing my neck.
"Stop trying to distract me." I told her.
"Oh come on..." She said before she unleashed the pout.
"Okay" I said leaning and kissing her.
"Thank you so much" She said wrapping her arms around me. "You know what I'm looking forward to?" she asked.
"What?" I asked her.
"Seeing you wear it" She said kissing me again. "It's basically 'back of bitches he's mine'" She said and I chuckled.
"Like you ever have to worry about that kind of thing" I told her. "You're it for me." I told her and she smiled.
"I know but it's nice to ward of others" She said.
"You're crazy"
"Crazy about you"
This chapter reminds me of the episode of the Gilmore Girls 'Friday Night's Alright for Fighting' where they all fight continuously. Just a bit of trivia for you.
So yeah, parents... such fun!
Review please.
Love The Irish Cullen.