A/N - Well, it's so nice to be able to post the chapter when I want to post it! This weekend is working out much more smoothly than last! It's nice that the site is working, so we can get our Farmward fix. Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!
Chapter 28 - I Want You
EPOV
After a great dinner, we said our goodnights to Em and Rosie. I was tired and I had to be back out to the ranch in the morning, again. I had to ride my horse home, and then feed the horses and put them back in the stable for the night. I pulled Bella aside to tell her that I would be back in the house in about an hour.
"Do you want me to help you?" she asked. "I mean you've been working all day."
"Bella. Your friend is here. You girls catch up. Have fun. I'll be in soon," I told her, trying to reassure her. Spending time with my beautiful horses was always something that I enjoyed. It didn't feel like work to me.
I leaned in and gave her a good, hard kiss, making her smile when I pulled back. "I love you," she whispered.
I smiled back at her, tracing her bottom lip with my thumb. "I love you," I told her back. "I'll see you at home."
Bella went to her car, and Jessica got in hers, and I watched them pull out and drive back towards the highway. I walked over to the corral, and petted Nutmeg's nose. I smiled as I looked at my horse. My life was as close to perfect as it could be. I was honestly happy, and I felt truly blessed. I had more than I had ever dreamed of, right now. I mounted the horse and rode back home, with Seth on my heels.
BPOV
I pulled up to the house and Jess pulled in beside me. I went to her trunk with her and helped her carry in her things. She had her backpack, a suitcase and her laptop bag. We put her laptop and backpack in Edward's office, and then went up to the guest room. I went back to my room to change, and slipped on some yoga pants.
I walked back to the guest room, and Jess, in a tank top and sweat shorts was sitting on the bed. I crawled on the bed with her and we laid down beside each other. I took her hand and squeezed it.
"You think we can pull this wedding off?" I asked her.
"Oh, definitely, Bella," She said, rolling over on her side to look at me. "Just talk to Edward, tonight. Once you get the big things decided, like the date and venue, all the details will be fun to put together."
"I'm so happy you're here," I confessed. "I really miss you."
"I miss you, too, Bella," she said. "But with all the free time I've had since you've been gone, I've been hitting the gym."
"And you look great," I told her. "Your legs are so toned. Looking hot, Jess."
She laughed and smiled at me. "So, on Monday night, I went back to the gym and Mike was there, again. He asked me out." Her eyes were sparking and she looked so excited.
"Aw, that's awesome Jess," I said, pulling her into a tight hug. "So, did you go out, yet?"
"Um, yeah. He picked me up last night. We went to his place and he made some kind of healthy chicken wraps and salad," she laughed. "He's a real health nut."
"Well, that's okay. Did you have a nice time?" I asked her. Jess was a great person, and so deserved to be happy.
She laughed. "If you want to call making out on his couch a nice time, then, yes. It was amazing," she said, winking at me.
"Jessica Stanley," I mock scolded her. I really wasn't one to talk.
"Well, you wouldn't blame me if you saw his body, Bella. I swear," she laughed, again.
Jess and I laid in bed, for the next hour, talking about our guys. It was fun and I missed it. I was glad she was out here with me for the next couple of days. She had asked if it would be okay if she stayed until Saturday. Apparently, she was going to the movies with Mike on Saturday night. I was thrilled I would get three days with her.
EPOV
When I came back in the house, after getting the horses fed, I put some food and water down for Seth, before going upstairs for a shower. As much as Bella seemed to like me when I was sweaty and dirty, I much preferred to be clean.
I didn't hear the girls when I came upstairs, so I peaked in our room to see if Bella was in there, but she wasn't. I looked across the hall and smiled when I saw both girls fast asleep on the bed in the guestroom. The light was still on, so they must have fallen asleep while they were talking.
I turned off their light and went to have a shower. I was so happy that Bella had such a great friend to support her. While I was out in the barn, I had been thinking about talking to our parents about the engagement. My parents probably wouldn't care. I wondered if they would be on vacation for the wedding, anyway. It was Bella's parents I was worried about.
I knew that girls wanted their dads to walk them down the aisle. But, Bella's parents hadn't been supportive of our relationship from the beginning and I worried about how they would react to the news. I didn't care about them, I cared about how much of a beating Bella's poor heart could take.
I scrubbed my body, washing the sweat and dirt of the day down the drain. I heard the door open. "Edward?" I heard Bella's sweet voice call out to me.
"Yeah, sunshine? Did I wake you up?" I asked, peaking out of the shower curtain. I smiled when I saw her stripping off her clothes.
She turned and smiled at me. "No, cowboy," she said, sliding the curtain opened and joining me in the shower. She wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed my tattoo. "How are the horses?" she asked. I smiled, loving that she cared about our animals.
"They're good. They miss their mommy. We'll have to take Jessica for a ride before she goes back home," I suggested. "How long is she staying?"
"That's a great idea, Edward," She said, smiling at me. "She's staying until Saturday. She's got a date that night."
"Yeah? With the gym guy?" I asked, happy for Jessica.
Bella laughed. "Yes. The gym guy."
"Okay, I'll try to come in a little early tomorrow. We can skip dinner, go for a ride, then I'll go get us something from the diner," I suggested. "Sound good?"
"It sounds perfect," she said, smiling up at my face. "Turn around. I'll scrub your back." I laughed, but did as I was told. Her hands felt so good on my body. After I was squeaky clean, according to my adorable fiancé, we dried each other off and Bella retaped my fingers. I was so damn lucky to have her.
We walked back to our room in our towels, in case Jess woke up, and then dropped them and climbed into bed. "I love you," Bella said, tightly wrapped in my arms, and tucked against my chest.
"I love you, too, sunshine," I told her, leaning in to kiss her lips. I cleared my throat and let out a deep breath. I wanted to talk to her about our parents, but I was nervous to bring it up.
"What's on your mind, Edward?" she asked, sweetly, tracing her fingers up and down on my chest.
"I just, uh, I was thinking about our parents. I mean, we need tell them. Soon," I said, holding my breath. I didn't want to upset Bella, but this was one of the major issues that seemed to plague our relationship. I did not want this hanging over us all the time. I didn't want Bella to be sad. Ever.
"I know," she whispered. "I'm scared." I could feel her heartbeat pounding against my chest. I held her impossibly tighter and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
"Can you talk to me about it?" I asked her. I didn't want her to feel alone. "What are you scared of?"
"I'm scared that your parents won't like me. I'm scared that they'll think I'm marrying you for the farm. That they won't support us," she said, letting out a deep breath. "And I'm scared my mom won't be with me when I try on wedding dresses and my daddy won't give me away."
She started to cry a little and it broke my heart. I wished I could fix this for her. "Bella, don't cry. I can't promise you that everything will work out, but we can try. Why don't we invite them out here for dinner. You're parents and mine. And we can have Em and Rosie here, too, for support."
"I love that idea," she said, scooting her body up so she could kiss me. "I'm sorry for getting upset," she sniffled.
"Bella, never apologize for that. I'm scared, too," I told her.
"Of what?" she asked, running her fingers through my damp hair.
"That my parents won't show up, and that yours won't support you," I told her honestly. "I want our wedding day to be the happiest day of your life, and I don't want anything to get in the way of that."
She brought her hand down from my hair to my chest and placed it over my heart. "Okay. I think you're right. We can only do what we can. We'll invite them out here for dinner, maybe Saturday night, and tell them our news. If they're happy, and want to be there for us, then that's great, but if it doesn't work out, we're still going to do it," Bella said, seemingly happy with our game plan. "I love you and I want to marry you, so much. It doesn't matter if it's just you and me and the minister. I want this. I want you."
I smiled at her, before leaning in to kiss her. "I want you, too," I whispered, moving my hands down her body and making her laugh.
"Edward," she giggled, as I touched her body. "I meant I want you, forever."
I took a second to take in her beautiful laugh and her breathtaking smile. This was how things should be. "Well, I want you forever, too, but I also want you now," I told her, straddling her legs. "Can I have you?" I asked leaning down to kiss her sweet lips.
"Always," she whispered, against my lips, before wrapping her arms around my back and pulling me down on top of her body. That was a perfect answer.
BPOV
Edward made love to me, slow and gentle. He showed me how much he loved me with every touch and caress. He kissed my face and neck and shoulders. Edward was worshipping me.
We would have to deal with a lot in our lives, I was sure, but we would be together. That was what mattered. Edward loved me, and I loved him. That was all we needed.
Edward eventually rolled off of me and pulled me close to his chest, kissing my throat, and shoulder.
"I love you, Bella," he whispered. "You are so beautiful." His hand was still moving up and down on my side.
"Mm, Edward," I sighed. "You make me feel so good." I tossed my leg over his hip, hoping to get closer to him.
"I'm glad to hear that," he chuckled, before kissing my lips. "Get some sleep, Bella," he whispered.
"No," I whined. "Rosie gave me a whole list of questions to ask you for the wedding." I told him, even though my eyes were already closed. He chuckled and pressed another kiss to my lips.
"Bella, don't fight it," he whispered. "Sleep, my gorgeous girl and we'll talk in the morning."
"But, the barn," I slurred. I vaguely remember hearing Edward chuckling quietly. I smiled because I loved the sound, and fell asleep almost immediately.
I awoke to Edward moving. I instinctively tightened my arms around him, not wanting him to leave. I heard his laughter, again. "Baby, I have to get up and feed the horses. Go back to sleep," he whispered.
"No, Edward," I said, opening my eyes as I felt him slip out of my grip. "I need to talk to you."
"I'll be right back," he said. I watched him walk around the room, naked, and smiled. He was just too insanely perfect.
"I'm going with you," I said, stubbornly.
I kicked the covers off of my body, and instantly shivered. It was the very end of September and fall was coming fast. There was a definite chill in the air this morning.
"Bella," he laughed. "Stop being stubborn."
"Sorry," I giggled, a lot more awake now. "I'm stubborn and you're just going to have to live with it." I held up my engagement ring and smiled.
"No complaints, here," he said, doing up his jeans. I pulled on some white cotton panties and a pair of jeans, before grabbing a sweatshirt, with the university logo on the front, and pulling it on. Edward pulled on a quilted plaid work shirt and I walked over to him and buttoned it up.
I kissed his lips and he took my hand. We quietly headed downstairs, so we didn't wake Jess. Seth gave us kisses, before we went outside. It was still dark out here and so quiet. The air was crisp and moist, but so fresh.
"Okay, Bella. What's the whole list of questions you've got for me," Edward asked, as we walked to the stable, hand in hand.
I laughed. "Okay, the first and most important thing, is the wedding date," I told him.
"Well, I'd marry you right now, if I could, so whenever you want it is fine with me," he said.
"I feel the same way," I said smiling. "But, I have something else to talk about with you, first."
"What's that?" he said, looking concerned.
"Dr. Hale emailed me yesterday morning. The history conference is from November 23- 25th," I told him.
"That's fine," he said. "It will be snowy and cold out here, then, so I wouldn't mind a little getaway with my gorgeous girl."
"I was wondering about the horses, though. I mean Emmett goes hunting in November. Do you think we should even go?" I wanted to talk to Edward about what was bothering me.
He leaned me up against the side of the stable, and kissed my lips. "Yes, I think we should go," he said. "This is important to you, Bella. My neighbour, Tyler, is a pretty great guy, so if Em can't feed the horses, I can trust Tyler with them, okay? Baby, don't worry about the farm. You let me do that."
I brought my hands to his face and pulled him to me for a hard kiss. He was so supportive and loving. I really wasn't sure why I worried so much. "Thank you," I whispered.
"Of course," he said. "Thank you for talking to me about it." He said. "So do you want to get married before, or after North Carolina?"
I smiled. Every time he talked about the wedding, I got a little giddy. "I was thinking December," I told him. "Rosie would kill me if we had it in October. That wouldn't be enough planning time. And I know Em is busy is November, and he's the best man, plus, I have to perfect my presentation. And, leading up to Christmas, everyone is happy and festive."
Edward chuckled, taking my hand and leading me into the stable. "I like that you've thought of everything."
"So, I was thinking December 5th." I told him. "Then we can be home from our honeymoon in time for our very first Christmas together."
"I love it," he said, kissing my lips. "In just over two months, you'll be my wife."
"So, we have a wedding date?" I asked, sliding my hands into the back pockets of his jeans.
"We have a wedding date," he said, kissing me, again. What made me the most excited was the smile on his face. He looked incredibly happy and that just made me happier. We got horses out of the stable and walked them to the pasture. As we worked, Edward asked about where we were having the wedding.
"Well, Rosie was suggesting a barn not too far from here for the reception," I told him, as he was shovelling hay. "Because I was thinking of a country theme for the wedding."
"Oh, yeah. I know the place. That would be nice," he said, walking over to me. He took my hand and sat down on the ground with his back against the fence, watching the horses. I plopped down beside him, and leaned my head on his shoulder.
"Can I talk to you about something?" I asked, placing my hand lightly on his leg, my fingers playing lightly with a loose string on a tear in his jeans.
"Of course," he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "What's on your mind?"
"I wanted to get married in a church," I told him. "But, Rosie said that you turn down their invitations to go with them on Sundays. If it really bothers you, we can just have the ceremony in the barn, too."
"No, Bella. I would love to get married in the church," he said, smiling at me. "I've actually been meaning to talk to you about that for the last few weeks. I was brought up in that church. I was baptized there and went every Sunday. But, as I got older, seeing all the happy families, I don't know, it just made me feel more alone." He shook his head at himself. "And I know that's stupid, because the church is a community, but it's how I felt, so I stopped going."
"I'm sorry," I said. I hated the idea that Edward ever felt so alone. He was such an amazing, loving man. It made me sad to think that he felt that he didn't belong in his own community.
Edward put his hand on the back of my neck, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "Don't be sorry. I'm okay, Bella," he said, kissing me, again. "So, do you maybe want to go this Sunday?"
"I would love that, Edward," I said, rubbing my fingers over his rough stubble covered cheek.
"Then maybe after church, we can go check out the barn?" he suggested.
"I'm so excited," I giggled, putting both hands on cheeks. "I love you so much, Edward."
EPOV
I was glad that Bella had talked to me this morning. She told me her concerns about leaving for the conference. She was worried about the horses and the farm, before she was worried about herself. I was so lucky to have such an amazing woman in my life.
I was glad that Bella wanted to get married in the church, as well. I had honestly missed going, each week, but what I told Bella was the truth. I felt so alone, amongst the families there. But, now I would have Bella on my arm. She was with me; she wanted me; she was going to marry me.
I was really looking forward to Sunday morning. We could go with Em and Rosie. I know Rosie would be excited about it. She tried to hide it, but I had always been able to hear the disappointment in her voice. I knew she was just worried about me. She always tried to take care of me and include me. But, I had began to isolate myself over the last year, since my parents left.
Bella had saved me from my self imposed prison. She didn't just join me in my world, she was getting me out of my shell. She was helping me to enjoy life, again. We were going to the library in the city; I was going to start going to church, again; heck, we were going on a trip to North Carolina in a couple of months. With Bella, I found myself looking forward to the future. I wasn't just existing out here. We were making plans and future together.
And, when she kissed me and told me that she loved me, it just made everything better. Bella was my whole world and I loved her more than life itself. I was thrilled beyond words that we had set a date for our wedding. It seemed that everything was working out for us. Now, we just had to tell our parents.
