A/N: Good Evening! Head's up…this is the second to the last full chapter. One more chapter and an epi. Hope you enjoy it. Thank you for all of your reviews and support of this story. I'm honored you've embraced it and recommended it as you have. Luv u all. And, welcome to my new readers who have been awesome with reviewing. Special kisses to you : )
SMeyer owns…I don't infringe.
Let's go to sunny Mexico…
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27. Oh! Mexico
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"Cullens?" the lady asked as we wandered down the dock. It was day three of our vacation at a swanky resort in Cabo San Lucas, and we were having the time of our lives.
"Yes, ma'am," I greeted as I extended my hand to the lovely Mexican woman. We were going on a pontoon boat for snorkeling and a tour which included lunch, drinks, and my soon-to-be wife in a bikini. Not a damn thing wrong with that.
"I'm Flora, and that's my husband, Berto. My father, Manuel, will be our captain, and we're waiting for two other couples. What can I get you to drink?" the woman asked as she helped us onto the boat and showed us where to stow our shoes.
My baby was so hung over, I was surprised she was able to get up and go on the trip that morning. I'd offered to cancel, but she was defiant as she hovered over the commode in our villa. I'd found the damn resort on Craigslist, and our villa was incredible with its own hot tub where we'd sat for too long the night before after drinking ourselves into oblivion at the pool bar earlier in the evening.
She said the margaritas were too smooth, and all we had for dinner was room service queso and chips. I'd make sure she ate something substantial because when I made myself a Pop-Tart that morning, it sent her running.
She took off her sunglasses, and the woman, Flora, started to laugh. "What devil has you so ill, Mrs. Cullen?"
"Tequila," Bella choked out.
"I've got just the thing," Flora declared, rattling off something in Spanish to her husband who laughed and went about mixing up something for Bella. I asked for a Corona, and found it was ice cold when Flora handed it to me.
Bella peeled off the grey PT Army t-shirt she had on over her bikini and handed me the sunscreen. Her shoulders were a little red from the day before we'd spent at the pool, but after we started drinking, we weren't as diligent with the sunscreen as we had been before. It was vacation, after all.
"Senora Cullen, try this," Berto told her as he handed her what I assumed was a Bloody Mary. She sniffed it and then took a sip as I liberally applied the sunscreen to her gorgeous body.
"Oh, that's good," Bella told him. He smiled.
"A different hair of the dog will fix you right up. We've got plenty of bottles of water, but two of these will have you feeling like a new woman," Berto declared with a huge grin.
Bella giggled and took the sunscreen from me when I got a little too handsy. Having unlimited access to her, even with the damn condoms, was far too tempting, and I felt like I was in my twenties again. My sperm count was down, but it wasn't down enough, so for the time being, we were still in the condom and diaphragm zone.
"So, are you here with your family?" Flora asked as we waited for the rest of our party. Buffett was singing about cheeseburgers in paradise over the stereo system, and the Sea of Cortez was off in the horizon. I couldn't think of a better place to be on a Wednesday.
"Our son and his new bride are moving today, and our daughter is watching over my husband's business, so we decided to have a little vacation by ourselves for the first time in our lives," Bella explained with a bright smile on her face which I appreciated immensely.
The father, Manuel, said something to Flora in Spanish, and she laughed. "Papi says you don't look old enough to have a son who's marrying age. He also wants to know your business. He won't speak English, but he understands it very well. He's a stubborn old man," she teased. He laughed as he walked over to the cooler and pulled out a Modelo, opening it and taking a swig.
Bella explained to Flora about JC and Alice, and I told Berto, "I have a garage in Washington. I'm a mechanic. I was in the Army for twenty years, and I recently retired. My daughter and I started a business together."
The father, Manuel, started laughing and said, "Good luck," as he pointed to Flora. I nodded because she was as much a force as my Posy. I was pretty sure their business relationship was much the way I thought mine would be with Rose…great with a lot of arguing.
She was greeting two young couples who came on board, and her husband was scrambling to fill drink orders. I heard the slurp next to me and saw Bella had finished her drink. "You want another?" I asked.
"I do. My head doesn't hurt anymore. Hey, we're in international waters, right?" she asked.
"Hi! We're Kristen and Jay and that's Leo and Gina. We're all on our honeymoon, and we're staying at the Rosé. It's nice to meet you," the girl enthused as she extended her hand.
"I'm Bella and this is Edward. We're at the La Bonita, which I think is a sister resort. Congratulations on your weddings," Bella offered.
They all gushed a little too much for my appetite, but they were just starting out. "Thank you. How long have you been married?" the girl, Gina, asked.
"Actually, we were married for fifteen years, we got divorced for five, and we're engaged again. We're getting remarried on May 25," Bella explained, flashing her engagement ring. I was happy to see it was a lot nicer than theirs because my girl deserved to have something spectacular, and I'd finally gotten something right.
"Wow?" Jay responded. I wasn't exactly happy about that response, but Bella had laid our past out there, so she could explain it. I didn't want to explain our relationship to kids barely older than ours. I doubted they'd get it anyway.
"So, um, Bella, were you in the service?" Leo asked, pointing to my dog tags around her neck, along with my wedding ring.
She giggled as Berto handed her another drink and another Corona for me. "No, that was my husband. He's the hero in this relationship."
I laughed as I took her empty hand. "Don't buy that crap. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish half the stuff I did in my life if it wasn't for this woman. So, where are you from?" I asked, looking at the couples and changing the subject.
As we set sail, the couples explained that one was from Maryland, and the other was from Virginia. They didn't know each other prior to meeting at the pool at their hotel, but they were both actually really nice. Kristen and Jay were lawyers. Gina and Leo were teachers which hit home with Bella, so as the five of them talked, I settled on a chaise in the sun and sipped my beer, just looking out at the ocean and relaxing.
The music was great. The beer was cold. The breeze was warm, and it was truly paradise. We were speeding across the Pacific toward an island with some rock formations, and I was in heaven. I heard Bella talking to the two couples for a few more minutes, and then I felt her hand on my shoulder as she climbed over my body and lie down next to me on the large chaise.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Oh, baby, I'm better than fine. We should get married out here," she told me as she rested her head on my chest. I laughed and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, holding her close. We might have some fucked-up tan lines at the end of the day, but I'd never shy away from holding her.
"See, that's two people in love," I heard behind me from one of the women. I was happy to hear someone put voice to the way I felt at the time.
Suddenly, the engine cut, and I turned to look over my left shoulder, seeing Manuel wasn't happy at all. Berto was talking to him animatedly, and when I looked, Bella was asleep.
I turned to Leo who was sitting next to our bag. "Leo, can you toss me a towel?" I asked, pointing to the bag. He pulled out a large one and I covered her with it, gently extricating myself from beneath her.
"What's wrong?" I asked Berto.
He sighed. "I'm guessing the battery, but Papi insists he flooded the engine," Berto explained.
"Where's the hatch?" I asked. He walked over and pulled up a panel with Manuel complaining the whole time.
"Ignore him," Flora told me as she walked over. I slid down the ladder and took in the engine. I hadn't worked on many boat motors, so I went with the obvious, seeing the culprit immediately. There was corrosion on the battery connectors and it was interrupting the flow of current.
I stuck my head up and smiled. "Do you have a wire brush?" I asked, Manuel continuing to complain.
Berto hurried over to a drawer and brought out a grill brush, handing it to me. "Will this work, amigo?"
I nodded and disconnected the cables, scrubbing off the salt and corrosion. When I reconnected them, I noticed a miniscule leak in the fiberglass that allowed saltwater to get inside the hull. I climbed up and sat on the floor of the boat. "Crank it," I instructed.
Berto shoved Manuel away and cranked the motor once. It clicked, which wasn't good. "Hang on," I told him as I went back down.
I saw a few other cables which had corrosion, so I did as best I could to clean them off and reattach them. "Can I have a towel," I yelled.
One dropped on my head, and I began drying connections to see if I could get contact for the starter. "Berto, try it again," I yelled.
He did, and I saw a spark before it started. I hauled my ass up the ladder and closed the hatch. "We need to go back to the dock. There's a small crack in the fiberglass, and the leads are picking up salt water and corroding. You'll need to get someone to look at it, but I think we can get back without a problem," I told him.
"Gracias," Manuel called as he stroked the engine to test it.
Berto explained to his father-in-law we needed to go back, and the whole family apologized all over themselves. When we got back to the dock, Flora had been speaking with her father hurriedly. I didn't want them to give us our money back because it wasn't their fault, and I was prepared to argue with them.
When Berto tied us off, Flora turned to the six of us and pulled out money. "We can't take this. We're so sorry you didn't get to snorkel or have lunch, and we want you to have your money back."
Bella woke and was wide-eyed at the fact we were at the dock. "Did I sleep through lunch? Berto, your drinks are lethal, but I feel like a million bucks."
"I'm glad, Senora. So, please, take your money back," Berto implored.
"Money back? Heck no," Bella responded.
Manuel said something to Flora, and she responded to him, looking at us. It appeared the other two couples didn't want their money back either, and when Berto said, "We can ask," they all seemed to have reached a decision.
"Okay, so we have an option we'd like you to consider. We live ten miles from here, but we'd like to invite you to our home for a fiesta. Mamma Rosita, she's an excellent cook, and well, Manuel called her and she'd like to have all of you at the house. I must warn you, the whole family will be there, but the food and drinks flow, and it's a good time," Berto told us.
I looked at Bella, and she smiled. "We'd love to come. Can we go back to the hotel and change, and then cab over?"
The three laughed. "Of course. Here's the address," Flora scrawled on a piece of paper in Spanish.
"Give it to your cab driver, and we'll get you back to your hotel. Thank you, Edward, for fixing the boat. We're going to have to haul her out of the water, but at least you were there to help us. We'll see you at six?" Flora asked. All six of us agreed, and we carried our things off the boat. We shared a cab back to the Blanco, which was another sister hotel of the resort where we were staying.
We caught a shuttle back to our villa, and after we showered and dressed, I looked at my Bella. "Why did you ask if we were on international waters today?"
"I guess in my hung over condition, I wanted us to get married down here. I mean, it's so different than what we're…it was stupid, I know. It wouldn't even be legal," she explained.
We grabbed a cab and I handed him the paper Flora had given me. He nodded, and we took off without any more talk.
"I'm sorry it didn't go well today, but Flora promised a hell of a party," I told Bella as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders as the van driver sped through the streets of Cabo. We'd stopped at the wine shop on the grounds of the resort and bought a bottle of wine as our meager offering for their hospitality.
When he pulled down a dirt driveway, we were surprised to see a really large house and a lot of people milling about. I paid the cab driver as Bella and I stepped out, and we were greeted by a gorgeous young girl.
"Senor and Senora Cullen?" the girl asked.
"Yes…um, Si," Bella responded.
"¿Habla usted español," the girl asked.
"Uh, we don't speak Spanish," I answered, not exactly sure what she'd asked, but I thought it was the right answer. She giggled.
"No probs. I'm Christina. My mommy told me you were coming, and I'm glad to meet you. Please come inside," she told us in perfect English.
"How old are you, Christina?" I asked. She was a beautiful girl, and I was guessing her at about thirteen or fourteen.
"My Quinceañera is in July. I'll be fifteen," she told us with a smile.
We were led inside the house and out to a large terrace where the family was apparently drinking and having fun. We were introduced as "nuevos amigos" and we were definitely treated as such. The other two couples showed up, and it was a party like I'd never seen.
There was an impromptu band playing and I pulled my Bella from the table to dance, which I knew she hated, but we were doing things we'd never done before, and she obliged. It was incredible for me, and after a few glasses of some special punch, I turned to Manuel who was sitting at the head of the table.
His son, Carlos, was sitting next to me. "Where are we with regard to the Sea of Cortez?" I asked, trying not to slur.
He laughed. "About a mile that way," he pointed.
"Do you have a boat?" I asked.
"We have a speed boat at the dock. Why?" he asked.
"My Bella wants to get married down here, and even though it won't be legal, I try to give her anything she desires. When I was in the Army, she held our family together, and I owe her a lot. Do you think we could get your father to take us out into international waters and perform a wedding ceremony?" I asked.
He began shouting in Spanish, and the whole lot of them began scrambling. Bella leaned forward and looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. "What did you say?"
"I, uh, I just mentioned you wanted to get married down here, and I have no idea what they're doing. I was half-assed joking."
People began scurrying, and suddenly, Rosita grabbed Bella and took her away. Flora followed behind them, and Christina walked up to me with a smile. "Sweetheart, what's going on?" I asked.
She giggled. "You said the magic words, Senor Edward. My family loves a wedding, and actually, Uncle Miguel is a magistrado, uh, magistrate, so he can actually make it official if you'd like. There's no reason to go out into the ocean. I mean, unless you want. That aunties are preparing for a wedding, so if you were kidding, you need to let me know so I can slow them down," she told me.
Before I could respond, Berto had me by the arm. "I have the wedding shirt I wore when I married my Flora, and I'll loan it to you. The women are…well, they love a wedding. Uncle Miguel, well, he loves to perform a wedding."
I changed into the shirt he offered me after he pulled off the cleaners' bag, leading me to believe it meant something special to him. I buttoned it and looked into the mirror at the white shirt with brightly colored, embroidered images I didn't really understand.
"What do these things mean?" I asked.
"We come from Mayan descent, Yucatán, and they mean something to our people. You're Irish, right?" Berto asked.
I laughed as I scraped my fingers through the mop. "What tipped you off?"
He laughed. "Just a hunch. I actually went to college at UCLA. I'm a family therapist, but I do this thing with my family because I'm gathering information for a research grant I'm applying for at Johns-Hopkins. You love Bella, and you two didn't nurture it, Si?"
"Yeah. We…well, I messed it up, but we're working on it," I told him.
"I see resolve in your eyes. Okay, Eduardo, let's get you married," he told me as he led me out of the house onto the back terrace where they'd actually gathered flowers and candles.
I walked out with Berto on my trail, and we stood at the end of the patio. When my Bella came out, I wanted to fall on my knees. She looked so beautiful in a white cotton peasant style dress with images embroidered on it to match those on my shirt. "That's my Flora's wedding dress," he whispered into my ear.
I could only nod. Bella looked beautiful. Manuel led her to me, and when he handed her hand to me, I took it and kissed it.
The ceremony was in Spanish, but Flora was with Bella and Berto was with me so we gave the appropriate answers in the beginning. Then, the judge spoke in English.
"So, do you have special words you'd like to say to each other? We won't translate because there are things that are special between a husband and wife," the judge said.
"Which of us should go first?" I asked.
"Why don't you go first, Eduardo."
I turned to my Bella and smiled. "I know we'll do this again in May, but I feel like I can say anything to you without our family to judge us, so I have a few things to say.
"I love you. I have loved you for twenty-two years, and as much as I've made a mess of it, it's never stopped. You are my comfort. You are my strength. You are my home base, and you, my love, are my joy. Without you, nothing seems important, and I know I could live without you, because I did for several years, but Bella Marie, I don't want to. I don't want to live without you."
I pulled my dog tags from her neck and unclasped it, pulling off my wedding ring and handing it to her. I wanted her to put it on my finger, and I never planned to take it off again…well, except when I had to in May.
I couldn't stop the tears from my eyes because I was a weeping sap, but she looked so beautiful, and well, hell, we loved each other.
"Edward Anthony, there hasn't been one single day in my life since I met you I haven't loved you. I'm just happy you finally got back on board.
"With this ring, I thee wed for the rest of my days on this earth," she stated solidly. She placed my wedding ring on my finger, and I broke down, pulling her into my arms.
"Yo os declaro marido y mujer."
I pulled away and looked at Berto. "He just pronounced you husband and wife."
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her like I'd never kissed her before in my life. There was music and clapping, and I had to say, it was much lighter hearted than our first wedding. Who knew I'd marry the same woman three times?
##
"Jasper Carlisle Cullen," Principal Willard called as JC stood in the line to get his diploma. He walked up, cocky as always with his mortar board cocked on his head. We stood and clapped, and when he should have exited the stage, he stood to the side as the vice principal told him to leave. He shook his head and waited.
"Mary Alice Brandon-Cullen," the principal announced as Alice walked across the stage to accept her diploma. She had graduated at Christmas, but Jasper wanted her to walk in the official ceremony, and Mark and I went to the school to make sure it was a possibility.
After we finished at the school, we went to the garage and had a few beers with Riley and a couple of the other guys who worked there. Bella picked us up that evening and took us to the Brandons' house where we all had pizza. I was grateful we got along just as my parents got along with Bella's. It made things a lot easier.
"He's just the sweetest boy," my mother gushed in my ear.
"He takes after his old man," I reminded as JC helped Alice off the stage after he kissed her. I cheered the whole time, as did Bella, the rest of our family, and the Brandons.
When we got home from Mexico, we were quizzed about why I was wearing my old wedding ring, and when I told the parents we'd gotten married in Mexico, they got pissed, but it wasn't anything I wasn't used to. That ring wasn't leaving my finger until the day before Bella and I got married in Washington. They weren't happy, but I didn't' give a shit. It was what she wanted, and we had a lot of pictures to prove how happy we were. I'd never regret it.
"You wish," Mom complained.
"Hey, where do you think he got his moves from? I got the woman to marry me twice, and we're going to get married a third time here for the good state of Washington. JC knows things aren't going to be easy, but he's probably going to be better at it than me," I responded as we cheered for Alice.
Mom looked at me and smiled. "I think you've got a better handle on things than you give yourself credit, son. I love you, and I'm always just a phone call away. You and Bella are going to be empty nesters now, and well, I know a bit about it. You can call me and I have a lot of advice," she told me.
I was sure she did, but this new path with my wife…it was one I wanted to embark upon without guidance. It was time for me to step up, and I was determined to do it without my mother's guidance. It was beyond time.
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E/N: First, I apologize if my Spanish isn't up to snuff. I consulted Google translate, so if something's off, I'm quite sorry.
Tomorrow night, the official wedding, and before anyone asks, yes, they could have simply recorded their marriage in Mexico with the State, but I wanted it to be just for them. We'll have the official ceremony and a lot of other things.
Thank you for reading.
Till tomorrow night…xoxo
