A/N: Twilight is Meyer's. No copyright infringement intended.
Thanks for reading, and for reviewing.
Early April in Forks. Lizzie is 2 years, 4 months; Masen is 3 months.
BPOV
Rosalie was eating again.
I grinned to myself. Alice had wasted her warning about pregnancy on the wrong bridesmaid. Only one day after Alice had given me a firm order not to get pregnant before her wedding, Rosalie had announced that she and Emmett were expecting their second child. Alice had spent the next two weeks fussing over last-minute dress fittings and worrying about Rosalie's ability to not throw up during the ceremony. But Rose had made it through the ceremony just fine, and she was only slightly showing under the gown she'd had altered yesterday afternoon. I thought she looked cute.
Apparently Emmett thought so, too.
He was standing behind her at their table, holding their son Evan. As Evan squirmed in his arms, Emmett shot a glance down at his wife. And down… and down.
He had been trying to look down her dress all day.
Edward had been doing the same thing to me, I mused. But my husband had been much more subtle about it. I'd caught his eyes roaming on multiple occasions, but he had quickly shaken himself and snapped his gaze up to my face every time, offering me an amused grin each time he'd found me watching him. I'd just smiled back. After all, I was pretty distracted by the sight of him in his tux.
And I blamed Alice, not Edward, for his wandering eyes. She had designed the bridesmaids' gowns to be low-cut and… well, sexy. It wasn't Edward's fault that he noticed what was being emphasized.
I'd wondered for weeks what his reaction would be to the dress I was being forced to wear. When he'd seen me walk out in it this afternoon with my hair tied up in one of Alice's fancy twists, his eyes had gone round and his mouth had fallen open in an almost comical way. And I'd known right then that I would catch him ogling me for the rest of the day.
But I didn't mind. Because unlike Emmett, Edward was respectful about it. He tried to limit his gawking to fast indulgences when no one was really looking.
He knew that he'd have plenty of time to ogle later.
I smiled. Esme, Ness, and Sue had decided that Edward and I deserved a little "alone time" while we were surrounded by an abundance of willing babysitters. Ness and Jacob were taking care of Lizzie now to let us tend to our matron of honor and best man duties and to give us a head start on our private weekend. Sue and Charlie would take Lizzie tonight and keep her the next few days, and Esme and Carlisle would watch Masen.
I'd argued the arrangement at first, not wanting to impose, but Ness had put it simply: "Rose and Em have us, their parents, and even Esme and Carlisle to help with Evan. They have free weekends all the time. But you don't. Let us give you one long weekend while you're here."
Esme and Sue had agreed, and Edward had looked at me with those vibrant green eyes and that criminally lopsided smile of his. I'd been outnumbered, coerced into spending the next three days and four nights alone with my husband.
And I was totally okay with that. Especially right now, because as much as we adored our children, after traveling cross-country with a two-year-old and a three-month-old, we needed time to recover. So my old Chevy truck was parked outside, waiting to make a very familiar trip.
We were going on a second honeymoon.
As soon as the reception ended, we were driving to the bed and breakfast in Seattle where we'd spent our wedding night. The idea made my heart skip. I couldn't wait for the reception to be over.
I had to admit that I was enjoying the party, though. Alice had chosen to hold the reception in an historic house on the outskirts of Forks. It was a huge old place, with tables set up throughout the downstairs, a buffet in one of the side rooms, and a large ballroom for dancing. And despite my reluctance, Edward had convinced me to dance with him, and I found myself still swaying comfortably in his arms.
We'd been dancing for a while now. Slowly, and rather lazily, even when the music didn't match our tempo. Everyone else kind of ignored us; they seemed to agree with Alice's assessment that we were sickeningly sweet, so they left us alone in our bubble. But the current song was a slow one, so we fit in with the rest of the couples on the floor at the moment.
As we turned, I let my eyes wander over the dancers and back to Emmett and Rosalie. A second after I located them, Rosalie gave her husband a strong slap across his shoulder. I tried not to laugh at her expression. She finally must have caught him staring in that entirely too blatant way.
I tilted my head back to look up at Edward. He recognized the look and immediately leaned down to rest his forehead on my shoulder. We continued to sway as I turned my head to whisper in his ear, "Rose just noticed why Emmett's been standing there so long."
Edward shivered as my breath tickled his ear, then he chuckled against me. He didn't reply, and though he knew that I had nothing more to say, he didn't lift his head from my shoulder. I smiled and played absently with the hair at the nape of his neck. He trembled again, and my lips curved a little higher.
He always knew when I wanted to whisper something to him. He always reacted instantly, bending down to give me access to his ear. And he almost always remained leaning over me for a minute or two after I told him what I wanted. He liked the feeling of being wrapped around me even as we stood in the middle of a crowded room.
I liked that feeling, too.
He finally lifted his head a moment later to smile down at me. I smiled back, sliding my fingers up through his hair. My eyes drifted around the room. Emmett quickly recaptured my attention. I watched him for a second, then I turned my eyes back to Edward's.
And he dropped his forehead to my shoulder again, leveling his ear with my mouth as he gave my words his undivided attention.
"Emmett's handing out Silly String," I murmured. "If he gets that in Alice's hair, he won't live to see the new baby."
"I'll make sure he misses."
"Thank you."
Edward's response was a low hum. After a moment, he turned his head to press a soft kiss to the curve where my neck met my shoulder. His lips lingered there, and I closed my eyes, angling my head to rest my cheek against his hair. At last he straightened again.
And smiled brightly at Alice.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Can you stop being disgusting for five minutes and let her go? I'd like to cut in here."
Edward ignored her taunt and gave me a gentle squeeze before he released me and stepped back. "For five minutes," he agreed civilly.
Alice just shook her head. "Thanks," she said sarcastically. Then she turned her back on him and grabbed my hands. As a fast song replaced the slow one, she pulled me in to dance with her. I made a face and divided my attention between her and my efforts to keep from twisting an ankle or breaking any bones.
"Stop acting like I'm killing you," she demanded.
I shot her a Look. "You're trying."
Alice rolled her eyes again. "Your daughter is giving away all her flowers," she commented, ignoring my complaint. She nodded to her left, and I followed her gaze.
Lizzie was sitting at a table with Ness and Jacob. She was in Jake's lap, her little white woven basket from her flower girl duties in her own lap. Her dress was the same shade of purple as mine, with a subtle pattern of violet flowers embroidered along the hem. She was picking at one of the embroidered flowers when I noticed her, then she turned her attention back to her basket and reached in to pull out one of the white flowers. She carefully handed it to Ness, who took it with a smile. Then she pulled out another flower and carefully handed it to Jake.
Each of them already had a small pile of blooms on the table. It seemed that Lizzie was dividing her stash evenly between them.
I smiled as I turned back to Alice. Lizzie had taken her flower girl duties a little too seriously and had dumped all her flowers at the end of the aisle to be sure she "finished" her job. After the ceremony, Edward and I had refilled her basket. She was very proud of it. But right now it seemed that she was trying to empty it again.
"She likes to share," I remarked, still smiling.
"I see." Alice reached up to pull a little white bloom out of my hair.
I gave her a rueful grin. She and Rose had worked for a while to get my hair just so. But Lizzie had found their styling to be bland, so she had decided to decorate the twist with her flowers while Edward and I had eaten dinner. Her intense focus and her brilliant smile when she'd told me, "Pretty, Momma! You're so pretty!" had made my day.
And it had reminded me of someone. Someone who was very seriously smoothing down the section of my hair from which she'd removed the flower, as though the world would end if even a lock of my hair were out of place.
"She wanted to be like her Aunt Alice," I said with a smirk.
Alice just raised a brow. "Everyone does," she informed me matter-of-factly. Her eyes lifted to my hair again. "It actually looks kind of cute. Artsy. Wonder where she gets that from."
I grinned. "No idea." I reached up to smooth a lock of Alice's own hair. "You are really beautiful, Alice."
Alice did a fast spin to show off her look. Her short black hair was meticulously styled, her makeup pristine, and the dress she'd created for herself made me nervous just looking at it. While my wedding gown had been a classic and modestly flattering design, Alice's was… flattering. It was sleeveless and cut in a way that emphasized the same assets the bridesmaids' dresses emphasized. And it fit her tiny pixie frame in exactly the right way. It was perfect for her.
"I know," she said bluntly when she grabbed one of my hands again. "I also know Emmett has Silly String."
I stepped into my matron of honor role, working to take care of the bride. "Edward's already on it."
"Thanks."
"No problem." I grinned. "I figured Charlie wouldn't want to arrest you for homicide before you even got to leave for your honeymoon."
Alice snickered. "I don't know if he'd even notice if I did kill Emmett right now. He's totally enthralled with that baby of yours."
"Yeah, he is," I agreed. My dad had been sitting at one of the tables with Sue beside him and Masen in his arms for the past half hour. It was incredibly cute.
"So," Alice began abruptly, getting down to business. "Supposedly they're replacing one of the designers who backed out, so it may be back on again. The announcement should come out by tomorrow morning."
I didn't have to ask what she was talking about. She'd been gushing for a while over the fashion show that was scheduled in Paris during the week she and Jasper would be honeymooning there. She had been devastated when it had been cancelled. "You have your alarm set so you can get the news the second it breaks?" I teased.
She looked at me like I was an idiot. "I'm subscribed to the blog. I'll get the update immediately."
I just grinned. "So let's say you're modeling one of your lingerie purchases for Jasper when the update arrives—"
"He'd appreciate the enthusiasm."
I snorted out a laugh. Alice was unfazed. "Oh, and by the way," she went on, "there's a new blue ensemble in your truck for you—"
"Alice," I groaned. "You didn't."
"Why not?" She gave me an innocent look. "I mean, I know you don't need it. You can't keep Edward away from you as it is. But since you're having your adult-themed weekend—"
"Alice. Jesus. You have got to quit buying lingerie for me."
"But you need to replace what Edward rips."
"Edward does not rip lingerie."
My sister-in-law giggled suddenly. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jasper standing only a foot away, his eyebrows raised. My face flooded red as I turned back to Alice. "I hate you," I muttered.
Alice grabbed me and pulled me close in an impulsive hug. "I love you, Bella," she murmured.
I blinked back sudden tears. "Love you, too, Alice."
She stepped back to survey me. "Such a sap," she teased as she watched me swipe at my eyes. She held out her hand, and Jasper took it. "Bella and I were just talking about the fashion show."
"I heard." Jasper's eyes were bright with amusement.
"Jasper," I complained, blushing.
He smiled. "Don't worry, Bella. Your secret is safe."
"Her Victoria's Secret isn't," Alice countered.
"Al-ice!"
She started to drag Jasper away. "Your husband is on his way back. Don't tell him what I gave you. Make it a surprise for tonight—"
"Leave!"
Alice grinned. "C'mon, Jazz, let's go dance."
When Alice and Jasper were gone, I closed my eyes briefly and drew in a deep breath. I could feel Edward's electricity drawing closer, and I let it soothe me before I turned to him and opened my eyes again.
He cocked his head as he came to a stop in front of me. "Alice was being Alice," he guessed.
"Yeah."
He smiled. Carefully, he reached up to tuck the flower he held into my hair with the rest of the blooms. "Lizzie gave me her last flower on her way out the door."
"She's outside again?"
"Yes." Edward trailed his fingertips down my cheek. "It stopped raining. Jake and Ness are with her." He paused, studying me. "Would you like to sit down for a while?"
I slipped my arms loosely around his waist and tugged him to me. "I think I have a few more dances left in me," I replied with a smile.
His emerald eyes brightened as his lips curved a little higher. He urged me closer and slowly began to sway.
For a moment, we were content. But gradually, something shifted. I felt… off. Like something was wrong. I frowned slightly, trying to place the feeling.
Edward noticed. His face slid into a frown in response. Before he could ask what was wrong, the sound of little feet slapping on the floor reached us. We both turned as Lizzie cried, "Momma!"
I instantly bent at the waist to catch her as she launched herself at me. Her arms locked around my neck and her legs tightened over my hips as she burrowed her face into my shoulder, muffling her tears. "What is it, baby?" I asked, alarmed. I reached up to push her curls aside, trying to see her face. "What happened?"
Edward immediately moved closer, his body rigid and protective. I shot him a quick glance and noticed Jacob approaching, his face apologetic. "She fell in the parking lot," he said as he reached us. "She was running and she just…" He motioned to indicate how she'd wiped out.
"Ah." I looked back at my daughter as Edward relaxed a little beside me; this was something we were used to. Lizzie fell a lot. Just like me. "Did you get scraped up?" I asked gently.
Lizzie nodded against my shoulder. I smiled, smoothing her hair back. "Your hands?"
Another nod.
"Knees?"
Again.
Yeah… She was just like me. I sighed quietly and kissed the top of her head. "Can you let me see?"
Lizzie finally lifted her head and let go of my neck so she could hold out her hands. I surveyed the small scrapes on the heels of her hands. They didn't look bad, so I kissed her palms lightly and leaned down to set her on her feet. She clung to me a little before she let go. When she was standing, I stayed crouched in front of her, and she immediately raised the hem of her skirt to point at her knees, both of which were bleeding just a little.
I practically could hear Alice suck in a breath when she saw the blood, and I knew exactly what she was worried about. But I was a pro at keeping my own blood off my clothes, and that skill had extended to keeping my daughter's blood off my clothes, too, so I figured my dress was safe. It may have a spot or two from where Lizzie's knees had locked at my waist, but I doubted it.
And as for Lizzie's dress… I looked it over to survey the damage. It was only a little dirty from where she had fallen, which made me wonder what she'd been doing with the skirt that had kept it from getting ripped when she'd skinned her knees. She'd probably had it twisted up at her waist again like she'd been doing all afternoon. She liked playing with the long skirt.
But whatever she'd been doing, the dress was intact. It seemed as though she had inherited not only my clumsiness, but my ability to hide the results of it, as well.
I carefully wiped away the remnants of her tears. "You're okay, sweetie. We just need to get you cleaned up."
"We'll take her." Ness had appeared at Jake's side while I'd been checking Lizzie over. She smiled down at me, then she glanced pointedly at Edward. She was taking my time off seriously, I thought with a grin.
Her attention shifted to Lizzie as she held out a hand. "C'mon, Knievel."
Lizzie glanced at Ness's hand. Her eyes moved back to me. I smiled and dabbed away one last tear on her cheek. "You can go with Aunt Ness."
When Lizzie shot another dubious look at Ness's face, Ness gazed seriously back at her. "I have Band-Aids with butterflies on them."
"Buffer-lies?" Lizzie repeated.
I grinned as my daughter's eyes lit up. She slid her hand into Ness's, and I stood as the two started to walk away with Jake trailing behind. "And flowers," Ness added.
"I want a buffer-ly."
After they had disappeared, I turned back to Edward to find him staring at me. "What?" I demanded. I glanced down, thinking that maybe I had gotten blood on my dress after all. But when I looked up at his face again, I recognized the expression.
Awe.
He gazed at me for a moment before he said, "You knew."
"What?"
"Before she even came into the house… You knew. You knew she was hurt."
I considered that, how it explained the strange feeling I'd had before our daughter had run up to me. "Yeah… I guess." I shrugged. When he kept staring, I frowned. "Is that bad?"
He shook his head. His hand lifted and gently molded to my cheek. "No. Love… You're incredible."
I shook my head back at him, dismissing that. "I'm just a mom," I corrected.
"You're so much more than that."
A little shiver ran through me with his low voice. His eyes were dark as he bent his head to kiss me. I fisted a hand in his jacket to pull him closer, then I slowly eased back. "I think Alice and Jasper are leaving soon," I murmured. "One more dance?"
In answer, Edward looped his arms around me and set up a lazy rhythm. I nestled against him and closed my eyes.
A minute later, the sound of rushing feet broke us apart again. We glanced down as Lizzie ran up to us, breathless and all smiles. "Look! Daddy, look at my buffer-lies!"
Edward scooped her up and examined the hands she held out to show off her Band-Aids. "They're very pretty, baby," he told her.
"I like this one," she said seriously, pointing to the one on the heel of her left hand. "It's red."
"That's right, it's red."
Lizzie suddenly turned her attention to me. "Truck, Momma! Truck!" she exclaimed, twisting in Edward's arms to throw her hand excitedly toward the door of the house.
I smiled. The color red had reminded her of my truck. I'd taken her for one ride in it, and she had fallen in love with the ancient, rumbling vehicle. "Yes, sweetheart, the truck is outside," I said. "I'll take you for another ride in it soon, I promise."
Lizzie wiggled, so Edward leaned over to set her on her feet. She raced away to meet Ness, who was standing near the front door, waiting for her. Ness grinned at us before she trailed our daughter back outside.
When they were gone, I turned my attention back to Edward. "Well…," I began thoughtfully. "Looks like the truck may stay in the family."
Edward seemed almost as pleased by that idea as I was. I knew that he worried about the truck being old and potentially unreliable, but it was a part of me, of my history with him. And we both liked having it around.
"We can take her to the festival in it next weekend," Edward suggested.
I smiled widely. We planned to take our children to the Renaissance Festival where we had officially first met, to experience the fair with our family and to visit with some of my friends who still worked there. "She'd love that," I agreed. "Maybe we can make it a tradition. Come back this time every year. Take a trip to the fair and a drive in the truck."
"I'd like that." Edward nodded toward something behind me. "I think our parents would, too."
I followed his gaze to find Charlie still sitting at the table with Sue. He was focused on Masen, who was energetically draining the bottle his grandpa was holding for him. My lips curved at the sight, and my smile grew when I noticed Carlisle and Esme standing a few feet to my father's right. Lizzie already had come back inside, and she was in Carlisle's arms, her face animated and enthusiastic as she told him a story. He and Esme listened with rapt attention and fond expressions.
"Yeah," I said softly. "I think they would."
Edward's eyes were shining when he pulled me back into his arms. After another long, slow dance, I noticed Alice giving me a tiny nod. I reluctantly straightened and nodded back. "Alice and Jasper are getting ready to leave."
"I'll meet you outside." Edward kissed my forehead and moved to catch up with Jasper. I made my way to Alice and helped her gather everything she needed to take with her.
Outside, I joined Ness and Rose on one side of the walkway. The guys took their places on the opposite side. I shot Edward a quick look, and he just smiled back. He was ready to block Emmett.
And block he did. When Alice and Jasper made their way through the line of family and friends and the bubbles we were given to send them off, Jake shot Jasper with his can of Silly String. He carefully avoided Alice. But when Emmett took aim, Edward darted in front of him and got blasted with the entire shot. Point blank.
Beside me, Ness grinned as Rose muttered something obscene under her breath about her husband's immaturity. Emmett growled at Edward for getting in the way and wandered off to sulk. And Alice gave me a grateful, knowing look as she and Jasper reached her fancy little sports car and they quickly began to remove the little bit of Jake's string that had found its mark.
I made my way to my husband and set to work helping him pick the impressive amount of string from his clothes and his hair. We paused long enough to wave and call a good-bye to Jasper and Alice when they pulled away, then we returned to our task.
"This reminds me of our own wedding," Edward commented as we worked.
"Only I don't have any of this in my hair," I returned, holding up the wad of string I already had removed from his clothing.
"No." He reached up to free one of the blooms from my twist. "Only flowers."
I smiled and gently peeled a particularly sticky patch of string from the side of his neck. When I had it free, I let my fingers linger over the skin there. I could feel his pulse pick up a little under my touch. My smile curved higher as I worked my hand up and into his hair. I selected a lock and gave it a light tug. "I'll get the rest of it in Seattle."
Edward's eyes darkened. He grabbed my hand and dragged me into the house. We said a fast good-bye to our parents, Ness, and Jake, then we said a much longer good-bye to Lizzie and Masen. Lizzie clung to my neck the entire time we were working our way back outside. At the door, I paused to give her one last kiss on the cheek.
"Be good for Grandpa," I requested. "Daddy and I will be back in a few days."
"Granpa?" she asked, frowning a little.
"Yes, sweetheart, you're staying with Grandpa."
She looked back at Charlie, who smiled at her. She considered him for a second. "Okay," she said agreeably. Then she leaned forward to kiss me sloppily. "Bye, Momma."
"I love you, Lizzie," I told her.
"I love you," she returned brightly as I set her on her feet. Without another word, she took off running, still too energetic to stay in one place for long.
I glanced at Edward to see his affectionate grin. "Well," I began, simultaneously amused and thrown off, "I don't know how I feel about that."
Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry, kid. She'll be looking for you the second you leave."
At my expression, he immediately realized that that wasn't the right thing to say. He knew that I was anxious about leaving her. I'd never been farther than ten minutes away from her, and never for more than a day. I'd only been away from Masen once, when I'd left him with Edward while Lizzie and I had visited Alice in New York last weekend – and leaving my son with his own father had made me nervous enough. This was the first time our kids would be in a different city from both of us for four nights. It was a big deal for me. And my dad knew it.
"But she'll be fine," he hurried to assure me. He looked like he was kicking himself soundly for what he'd said.
"I know she will." I smiled slightly. "She'll be with you."
My father's face lit up. I stepped forward to hug him. "Thanks, Dad."
He gave me a quick squeeze. "Go on," he encouraged. "Your husband is waiting."
"Okay." I pulled back to give everyone a fast wave. "See you Wednesday."
"Have fun," Jake called mischievously.
I rolled my eyes as I let Edward take my hand and lead me outside. He held open the door of the truck and smiled down at me when I stopped to look up at him. "We're really doing this," I said, trying to make the "alone time" getaway seem real in my head.
His smile widened. "Seems like it."
"I love you," I told him impulsively.
His eyes turned a soft, vibrant green. "And I love you," he returned simply.
I lifted up on my toes to kiss him quickly, then I slid into the truck. By the time he got in behind the wheel, I was on his side of the cab, waiting for him. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot before he slid his arm around me and tucked me carefully into his side, settling in for the long drive.
I nestled against him, listening to the steady beat of his heart under the roar of my truck's engine. My mind drifted to my bag, and I wondered absently where Alice had hidden the promised blue ensemble. Wherever it was, I would stuff it in the bottom of my bag when I found it. I knew that I definitely wouldn't wear it this weekend. Or any weekend. Because she had been right when she'd said that I didn't need it. Lingerie, dresses, jeans, sweatpants… It didn't matter.
All Edward and I needed was each other.
