A/N: Beta'd by MariahajilE and pre-read by Layathomemom

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"Hey…" Edward began, his tone laced with panic as my eyes filled with tears. "What's wrong?"

But nothing was wrong at all. Everything was right. Because I'd somehow never realized how long I'd carried Jacob with me, dragging him along like a ball and chain. Dr. Hunt could diagnose me and my trauma all she wanted, but until then, looking at the joy on my husband's face, I hadn't realized just how strong the ties were that I still had to Jacob and how forcefully they'd still held me down.

I cried.

I cried with regret, because for too long, I'd let Jacob Black hold me back from loving my husband in ways my body wanted to. My heart had been too afraid.

Tied down.

I cried, because I'd just set myself free.

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"Nothing," I answered simply, shaking my head as I tightened the blanket around myself.

"Why are you crying, baby?" he asked, clearly troubled at the thought.

"I just…" I sniffled, trying to hold back a second tear after failing to contain the first. "I'm…"

I had no words to express what I was feeling, so I didn't say anything else. He spun around to quickly rinse his mouth and put his toothbrush away, and I went to him, wrapping my arms around his waist with the blanket still clutched in my fists, and placed a gentle kiss on his back.

I looked up at him as he turned around in my arms, tightening my hold on him as he took my face in his hands, and we stood pressed against each other, stomach to stomach and chest to chest. He was semi-hard against me, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"What's going on?" he asked. The shimmering pools of green in his gaze reflected nothing but love and concern.

Despite my efforts to stop them, tears darted down my cheeks. They were little pellets of grief for the young teenager in me who had no idea how deep the wounds were that Jacob Black had inflicted on her.

"I'm just… emotional. You know?" I answered through sighs and sniffles.

"That's understandable." He dipped his head down to kiss away a tear on one cheek while his thumb swept away the wetness on the other. "Just as long as these aren't sad tears."

I breathed in deeply, calming as his scent filled my lungs.

"They're not."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He pulled back to look into my eyes as his hands caressed the sides of my neck. "What you're feeling?"

My tears had already subsided by then, and I felt more relaxed than I could remember feeling in a very long time.

"There's nothing to talk about, really. I just…" A brief kiss on my lips momentarily silenced me. "I guess the best way to put it is that it felt really good, and not just physically."

He nodded and placed a feather-light kiss on the corner of my mouth.

"For me, too."

"And then, you know… I just…" I sighed deeply, and he pulled back to look at me expectantly. "I can't believe I've been missing out on that all this time."

His smile was breathtaking; a brilliant beam that shattered the heaviness of the moment before it.

"Oh, angel," he muttered just before his lips caressed mine in the sweetest of kisses. "You have no idea how anxiously I've waited to share that with you."

I did. He'd stopped pushing me on the issue, but I hadn't forgotten or overlooked the hurt in his eyes every time I'd shied away from his advances. I knew how much it meant to him, and that made it mean more to me.

"I'm sorry I'm being a crybaby."

Hands in my hair soothed me.

"Don't apologize. I'm enjoying the opportunity to tell myself I made you come so hard you cried."

Even as I laughed, fresh tears welled in my eyes. I appreciated his efforts to lighten the moment, but I was feeling so many things at once that it was hard to keep hold of one emotion for very long.

Love pumped through my heart.

Grief clawed at the back of my throat.

Relief burned my lungs with every breath.

"Bella…"

"I'm sorry," I bit out through whimpers. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

The look on his face was helpless, and I felt bad for him to have to deal with me.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, his gaze searching my eyes desperately. "I'm sorry. It's probably completely inappropriate to make jokes at a time like this, but I'm stuck between whether I should be encouraging you to cry and get it out, or trying to make you laugh to stop your tears."

"No, you're fine," I muttered, sniffling as I composed myself for a second time. "I'm just…"

"You're just what?" he encouraged.

The truth was I was a little bit of everything at once. Part of me wanted to be left alone to gather my bearings and absorb everything I was feeling; the rest of me wanted to cling to Edward and never let go.

I wanted space, and at the same time, I wanted him to smother me in love and reassurances.

"I'm just… needy." My stomach chose that exact moment to growl loudly. "And really hungry, apparently."

"I'll make you something," he offered quickly.

Part of me wanted to decline his offer, and ask him to just hold me and never let me go. A more rational part of me wanted to take the opportunity to get myself cleaned up, dressed, and more put together emotionally.

"Okay."

"Let me go see what we have."

I nodded, chewing at my bottom lip.

"Thanks."

With a kiss on my cheek and a second on my forehead, he left me, slipping out of the bathroom with a quiet grace and leaving every nerve ending in my body missing him.

But I needed a moment to breathe, a moment of fresh air to clear my mind from the intoxication of breathing him in for too long.

After cleaning myself up and dressing in some fresh panties and one of Edward's tees, I felt much more put together physically. And as I stood in the mirror, brushing out my tangled and still-damp hair, my mind started to catch up.

While my tears had started for Jacob, I quickly realized that wasn't what had me so emotional. I'd let that go.

I was shaken by the depth of my love.

It wasn't the first time I'd felt that way. Every time, just when I felt like I'd realized the weight of what Edward meant to me, I fell a little further into him.

Falling, falling, falling.

It never stopped.

The burn I felt for him only grew more and more intense. The more it grew, the harder it was to contain the heat of the fire in the shell of my body. He would be the end of me, and I would revel in every moment of it.

Death by a love so deep that the human body couldn't contain it.

I smiled at the thought as I padded into the bedroom. What a beautiful way to go.

My body buzzing with warmth and tingles, I went to the bed to strip off the sheets, anxious to get them washed and dried. As I pulled off the last corner when Edward's footsteps came down the hall, and he appeared just a moment later, leaning against the doorjamb in a pair of black boxer briefs.

"Turkey or ham, B–"

He stopped when he noticed what I was doing, and a grin slowly crept its way onto his lips. He didn't have to say anything, and he didn't. His smirk and the teasing twinkle in his eyes said it all for him.

Cleaning up your mess, baby?

"Don't look at me like that," I snapped, fighting a smile of my own as I climbed off the bed, wadding up the sheets in my arms.

"Like what?" he taunted.

"Like you've never seen a fucking wet spot before!"

Of course he was a no stranger to the proverbial after-sex wet spot. Hell, I'd even made him sleep in it.

But this was not that.

"Well, I've never se–"

"Turkey!" I yelled, cutting him off. "I'll have turkey on whatever you're making. Thank you!"

He laughed, tossing his head back against the door with his brightest teeth-baring, eye-sparkling grin. He was beautiful. I would deal with a thousand fucking wet spots to see that look on his face.

But I wouldn't let him know that.

"Oh, yeah. It's just so funny!" I failed at trying not to laugh as I tightened the wad of sheets in my hand, lifting them up high above my head as I poised myself to throw them at him.

"Hey!" he yelled just a second before I catapulted them out of my grasp and toward his head, which he ducked and avoided just in time. "Don't throw your sex-stained sheets at me!"

"Stop making fun of me!"

"You little–"

I laughed as he picked up the sheets and took two steps back as he rounded on me, barreling toward me with a silly grin on his breathtaking face.

"What are you doing?" I screeched, lunging across the bed in an effort to keep my distance from him.

He caught me by my foot, and I face-planted on the bed, my scream muffled in the mattress. He climbed up onto the bed, practically on top of me, and forcefully turned me over. Screaming again, I sucked in a rush of air, short of breath from the fit of giggles I was in.

My eyes widened as he held the wad of sheets above me, poised to shove them in my face. He obviously wasn't trying that hard, because I was able to strong-arm him and keep him at bay.

"Stop!" I yelled, my lungs burning as I tried to catch my breath. "I'll never throw my wet sheets at you again. I promise!"

"Say please…"

He was laughing that deep laugh that made the vein in his forehead pop out, that rare laugh that made me swoon.

"Please!"

"Say, 'Edward, I promise to be a good girl and not throw things at you.'"

I rolled my eyes, but really, I loved every moment of this playfulness from my husband.

"Edward, I promise to be a good girl and not throw things at you," I repeated in a rush.

"Now say, 'Edward, I promise to not be embarrassed when you make me come so hard that I can't see straight and I soak the sheets.'"

"I never said I couldn't see straight," I retorted.

"Say it," he warned, pushing the sheets closer to my face.

"Okay! Okay! I promise!"

"Promise what?"

"I promise to not be embarrassed when you make me come so hard that I can't see straight and I soak the sheets."

"Good. Now say, 'Edward, you're big cock and incredible–'"

"Oh, fuck off!" I groaned through more giggles.

With a throaty chuckle, he tossed the sheets off the side of the bed and leaned over me, his lips descending upon mine.

"I love the shit out of you," he mumbled as he kissed me.

Forgetting the sheets completely, I wrapped myself around Edward, clinging to him as he picked me up from the bed and carried me from the bedroom, down the hall, through the living room, and into the kitchen. I kissed all over his face the whole way, relishing in his soft laughter and sweet attempts to capture my lips with his own.

Silly, goofy, don't-care-about-anything in love.

I sat on the kitchen counter eating grapes while I watched him make us sandwiches. He stood between my legs while we ate them, sharing bites and kissing mayonnaise off the corners of our mouths.

I ignored the feeling that everything was too good and too perfect to last.

After our sandwiches, we settled in the living room, finding an old James Bond movie on TV and cuddling up together on the recliner.

With his fingers in my hair and my ear over his beating heart, I fell fast asleep before the first explosion.

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I grumbled, barely conscious enough to faintly register my body being jostled.

"Shh," Edward soothed. "Sleep. I'm just moving you to the couch."

I felt myself being lowered onto what I assumed was the couch, but I hesitated to let go of him.

"Where're you going?" I mumbled, squeezing my eyes together as I held onto the faint remnants of sleep.

"I'll be back. Sleep, angel."

A kiss to my head, a blanket sliding across my skin, and he was gone.

I didn't fight the urge to sink back into my dream of linen and lips.

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Lightening.

Laughter.

Thunder.

Kisses.

Crashing waves.

Colliding bodies.

Beating hearts.

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When I woke up again, it was to gentle kisses on my face and hands caressing my hip and side.

"Wake up, sleepy girl," Edward's sultry voice cooed to me as he kissed across my jaw. "You're gonna sleep our whole anniversary away."

I blinked my eyes open slowly, disoriented for a moment as I was pulled from my peculiar dream. Rolling onto my back, I sighed deeply as Edward's hand rubbed over my hips and thighs, awakening my body to follow my mind.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked, rubbing at my eyes.

"Awhile." His fingers skimmed the top of my panty line, making me clench my thighs. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Oh, no…" I groaned, lifting my arms above my head as I stretched. "I wasn't talking in my sleep again, was I?"

"Not really. Just noises mostly." I turned my head toward his sweet smile. "But you had this thoughtful look on your face. It made me curious."

"It was a strange dream."

"Tell me about it."

"Well," I began, stroking his arm with my fingertips as I replayed the events of the dream in my head. "We were on the beach, messing around in the water."

"You mean messing around messing around?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me suggestively.

"Hush," I laughed. "We were messing around in the water, and there was this storm."

"Storm?"

"Yeah. It was, like, a crazy storm. All kinds of lightning and thunder and these crazy crashing waves. It was sort of off in the distance, but we didn't care. I mean, I think we noticed it, but it was like it was no big deal. We weren't worried about going inside or anything."

"Weird."

"Yeah, it was."

"Well, I'm waking you to find out the gender of the baby."

"What?"

"Emmett's baby," he answered, explaining away my confusion. "I guess he and Kate changed their minds about finding out the sex."

"Oh, really?"

I remembered their indecisiveness on the issue, but they'd seemed to be leaning toward not knowing, so I was surprised by this news.

"Yes. They sent an email. They want to do a video conference with us to tell us."

I grinned as I sat up, pushing the blanket away.

"How exciting! We're either gonna have a niece or a nephew!"

"Well, yes, I would assume it will be one of the two."

"Smartass," I laughed, shoving at his shoulder. "Go get the computer ready. I just need to use the bathroom."

After using the restroom, I changed into a simple, beachy dress of white cotton, wanting to look a little bit more presentable for a video call.

I found Edward in the kitchen, sitting at the table and already connected to the parents-to-be back home.

"Bella was shocked," Edward said to the monitor as I rounded the corner into the room. "I don't think she was expecting that at all."

"I wasn't expecting what?"

"That I'd bought the island."

"I definitely wasn't expecting that," I answered with a grin. "Surprise of a lifetime."

"Bells!" Emmett's voice rang from the laptop speakers before I was even in view of the monitor. "Where are you?"

"I'm here, I'm here."

Edward pushed back in his chair, opening his arms to me. I sat sideways on his lap, mindful to give him enough room to see.

"Hey, Bella!" Kate squealed excitedly, waving at me.

"Hey, guys!"

I took in the image on the screen with a big, silly smile. Emmett and Kate were perched on their couch, Kate glowing and Emmett beaming with his massive hand placed on her rounded belly.

"Congratulations on your freaking island, Bella!" Kate said through giggles. "How many people get to say that?"

"Thank you." I took Edward's hand in mine, squeezing gently. "Kate, you look amazing! I think your Belly's gotten bigger since last week!"

"Ugh, don't remind me!" she groaned dramatically.

"I hear you have some news for us…" I hedged.

"We do!" she responded. "We weren't going to find out, but, well… We couldn't resist!"

"Well, spit it out!" I insisted.

"Ready, hun?" she asked Emmett, and for a quiet moment, they just beamed at each other.

"The suspense is killing me!" I chided.

"Okay, okay," Emmett answered, not taking his eyes off of the mother of his child. "We're having…"

My fingers and toes tensed in anticipation. I was more excited to find out if we were going to have a niece or nephew than I ever thought I'd be.

"A boy!" they both cheered at the same time.

I shrieked with happiness, clapping my hands together.

A boy.

A boy was so perfect for them.

"Congratulations," Edward said smoothly from behind me, calm and collected as ever while I freaked out.

"A boy!" I leaned back against Edward as his arms encircled my waist. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Future NFL player in the making right here," Emmett declared, patting Kate's belly.

We chatted for a little longer, talking about nursery decorations and possible name choices. When we hung up, I made Emmett promise to take care of Kate and my growing nephew. Edward told them we were going to have a glass of champagne in their honor, and Kate ordered us to take tons of pictures to share with them.

We disconnected with lots of I love yous and well-wishes, and I had the fleeting thought that maybe we should have included Alice in the conference call.

"I'm so happy for them," I said to Edward, my head on his shoulder as I hugged him.

"I am, too. I'm glad they've been able to embrace such unexpected circumstances."

"I bet your mom's even more over the moon now that she knows it's a boy."

He patted my leg before shifting me gently off his lap, and I slid into the seat as he vacated it.

"Oh, I'm sure," he responded as I watched him open the refrigerator. "Kate's pregnancy was certainly unexpected for all of us, but it sure worked out well for me and you."

I leaned against the table, resting my head against my palm as I watched him pull out a bottle Don Perignon.

"How's that?"

"My mother's getting the grandchildren she wants so badly."

I remembered my conversation with Esme so many months ago, how taken back she'd been when I told her Edward and I didn't plan to have children.

I remembered the picture she'd shown me of Edward as a little boy, and just as it did then, my heartbeat quickened when I imagined a little boy with the same bronze hair and my eyes.

"You mean she won't hound us for grandkids since she's getting one from them."

"Exactly." His tone was flippant as he pulled down two champagne glasses. "Better them than us."

"You talk about pregnancy like it's a disease."

He shot me a confused look, like that's exactly how he felt and was surprised at my statement.

"Well, I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm happy they're embracing the situation and seem to be so happy." I watched him carefully as he filled the two glasses before him with bubbly goodness. "But I'm not ignorant to what they're in for, and I don't envy them."

I swallowed.

"Right."

The conversation was making me uncomfortable, and the fact I had no idea why only made the feeling stronger.

"Just imagine all the middle-of-the-night feedings and dirty diapers in store for them."

"Yeah, but I'm sure there are good things that outweigh all that stuff. A baby isn't a curse, Edward."

He turned to face me slowly, his eyes narrowing just slightly, as if to ask what I was getting at.

"That's not the way you felt two years ago."

Two years ago, I wasn't irrevocably in love with your soul.

A glimmer of fear reflected from behind his emerald irises, and it made me queasy.

I backpedaled.

"I'm just saying that even though kids may not be for us, it's not like that for everyone. I think they'll enjoy being parents."

"That's my whole point. I'm very happy for them, and I'm thrilled that they're so excited. That is why I said better them than us. They're giving my mom what she wants and seemingly now what they want, as well."

"Yeah."

He handed me one of the glasses of champagne, and the back of his fingers brushed against my cheek.

"What?"

"Nothing."

What I didn't say was what sounded so terrible to him didn't sound so terrible to me.

What I didn't say was that a little piece of me wasn't so scary anymore when I thought of it combined with a little piece of him.

What I didn't say was that I sort of, kind of, maybe could see it someday.

"Well, then." He lifted his glass to me, and I took a deep breath. "Cheers to our nephew."

I raised my glass to his, and then I drained the whole thing at once.

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I was surprised when Edward said he had a special night planned for our anniversary. When I asked if we were leaving the island, he said no, so I had no idea what he could have up his sleeve.

Saying he had a couple of business calls to make to check up on things, he apologized and suggested I go relax for a while on the beach with my champagne. I rolled my eyes at his apologies. Edward was such a busy man; it was a blessing he was able to get away for so long at all. An hour here and there for emails and phone calls was inconsequential to me.

I took a walk on the beach, smoking a much-needed cigarette after my surprising reaction to the baby conversation in the kitchen.

I couldn't figure out where my feelings had come from or, furthermore, why I was so bothered by them. Truthfully, I couldn't even completely identify my feelings. I definitely wasn't surprised by Edward's stance on children. We'd discussed it before we were even married. So why did his aversion to the idea now make me want to grind my teeth?

Because you're changing.

But while that voice spoke from my heart, an even louder one spoke from my head.

You really think you could be a mother? You can barely sustain a functional relationship.

I kicked a mound of sand, huffing out a frustrated breath.

You think Edward would ever want to have a baby with you? He already has his hands full with you as it is.

I pulled deep from my cigarette.

How about you worry about trying to be a not-shitty wife for once and leave the parenting to the real grown-ups?

I laughed out loud at myself. I mean, really. A week ago, I'd been banished from my own bedroom and my husband wouldn't even talk to me. I had bigger things to worry about than Edward's negative feelings about babies we'd already established we never wanted.

You're nowhere near ready to be responsible for another life.

My heart answered with a whisper.

Not now, but someday.

"What's funny?"

I jumped, whirling around to face Edward as he walked down the slope of the beach toward me.

"Nothing," I answered too quickly. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

"About?"

He stopped in front of me, pushing my hair from my face.

"Nothing."

His jaw tensed. He wasn't buying it.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

We stared at each other for a long moment until he finally sighed and reached for my hand, seemingly deciding not to push the issue.

"Come inside with me. Our guest is here."

"Guest?" I asked, recoiling in surprise.

"For our anniversary."

"You're surprising me with a person?"

An amused smirk touched at his contemplative expression.

"Sort of."

I shook my head as I let him lead me back up to the house.

"You and your surprises…"

"Well, I figured we had to enjoy a special dinner for our anniversary." He led me through the French doors and into the bedroom where the air conditioning raised goosebumps on my skin. "And since I'm too inept in the kitchen to prepare you a worthy meal myself, that left me with two options."

"What's that?" I asked, indulging him as he led me down the hall and out into the living room.

"I considered taking you to the main island. There's a renowned restaurant not far from the port that's said to be the home of the best chef in Belize."

"But?" I smiled as we made our way to the front door of the modest home.

"But this, here, is us. It seemed only fitting that we spend every moment of our anniversary on our own island, the most intimate place to us."

My smile widened. I couldn't agree any more myself.

"So what was your solution, Mr. Cullen?"

"Well, Mrs. Cullen." He reached for the door handle with his free hand, the other still holding mine tightly. "If I don't want to take you away from our private piece of paradise…" With a heart-stopping smile, he pulled the door open and stepped aside. "I decided I would just have to bring the best chef in Belize to you."

I stepped into the doorway to see two men coming up the path that led from the dock, hauling what appeared to be two very large coolers behind them.

"You brought a chef here to cook for us?" I asked, looking over at my husband with a goofy grin.

"The best."

I shook my head as I turned to him, running my hands over his chest.

"You don't skimp on anything, do you?"

"Not my style, baby," he muttered as he leaned in for a quick kiss.

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James Stanley lived up to his reputation as the best chef in Belize. Granted, I didn't have any experience tasting the work of any others, but I couldn't imagine it got any more impressive.

I think Edward saw the evening going a little bit differently, but I was intrigued with the professional chef in our home to cater to us. So instead of enjoying our first course of appetizers alone with my husband on the beach, I sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, enjoying fresh oysters and a jalapeño margarita as I chatted with James. He was American, from New York, and had decided to open his own restaurant in Belize five years earlier.

After learning he chose Belize because of the beautiful scenery and his love for seafood, I was thrilled to hear about the main course he'd be preparing for us: Belizean conch ceviche, and lobster marinated in citrus and vinegar with onions and garlic. When I told him I liked spicy food, he winked at me and said he'd throw in some habañero peppers.

While Edward took part in the conversation, he didn't seem as interested as I was. But I'd already been working on polishing up my cooking skills, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn from a renowned chef in my own kitchen. Graciously, James agreed to let me help and to teach me what he could with the time he had. So while Edward watched, I jumped right in.

But all opportunity for romance was not lost, not by a long shot. Once everything was plated, they left swiftly. As much fun as I had learning from and chatting with James and his assistant, I was grateful that I'd be enjoying the meal alone with Edward, back in our bubble of love-drunk solitude.

We ate on the beach just as the sun went down, with candlelight burning between us.

"I think that was the best meal I've had in maybe ever."

"It was delicious," Edward agreed as he put his fork down with a clink.

"I'm sorry if I ignored you for the chef, but it's not very often one has a professional in their kitchen."

A gentle smile spread across his tempting lips.

"Sweetheart, the smile on your face while you were learning from him was worth sacrificing your attention for a little while."

I pushed myself out of my chair, walking around to his side of the small table.

"Come on." I offered my hand to him. "Let's go down by the water."

Hand in hand, we walked down the beach until we were just barely out of the reach of the tide. There, we sat down next to each other before the vast expanse of ocean that served as our kingdom.

We didn't speak for a long time, but it was a comfortable silence. I rested my head on his shoulder while our fingers danced around each other in his lap. The cool, salty breeze blew through my hair, and I curled into him, nestling against his familiar warmth.

"This was a good anniversary," I commented after a while, closing my eyes with a contented sigh as the tide licked at my bare toes.

"It was."

His voice was feather-light as he turned his head just enough to place the softest of kisses on my forehead.

"I can't believe it's already been two years." The thought of how far we'd come was almost too much to wrap my mind around. "It's gone by so fast."

"In some ways." He lifted his arm to drape it over my shoulders, and I sunk further into his side. "But sometimes I feel like I've loved you forever."

I inhaled sharply, because I was never prepared when he said shit like that.

"I know what you mean."

I opened my eyes, and he was already looking down at me, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"My heart loved yours the moment you were born. It just took the rest of me a lot longer to catch on."

I smiled, reaching for the back of his head to pull him toward me for a slow, deep kiss. When we parted, his lips came to rest at my temple. He breathed in deeply, and I wondered if he was breathing me in the way I so often did him.

"Two years ago today, we stood in front of all our family and friends and told the biggest lie of our lives."

"It's not a lie anymore."

That made me think, and I sat up straight, turning to face him directly.

"Do you ever feel like we cheated ourselves out of a real wedding?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that day didn't mean anything to us. I mean, I knew that I was starting a new chapter in my life, but that day, the wedding… They didn't mean anything between us."

His eyebrows pulled together.

"I guess I never really thought about it," he answered after a beat. "I suppose men don't put as much significance on a wedding ceremony as women do."

"Yeah, I know, but you don't feel even a little bit regretful we didn't really get to fully embrace the moment?"

"Do you?"

"A little, yeah." He looked troubled at that, so I continued to explain. "It's not a big deal or anything. I just think it's a little sad we don't have that one defining moment of commitment. I know we're committed to each other now, but even though this marriage feels real at this point, we're kind of stuck in a grey area in a sense."

"How so?"

"Well, if we'd never had that contract and just allowed everything to happen naturally, would we be married at this point in our relationship?"

"If I had my way," he answered immediately.

I looked out over the water, biting at my lip as I mulled that over.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe it's just a girl thing to care about a wedding."

"I do understand what you're saying," he assured me, turning my face to look back at him. "But standing in a church in front of hundreds of people and repeating after a preacher doesn't mean shit to me." I opened my mouth to answer, but he cut me off. "It's these moments that matter to me. Me and you. It wouldn't matter if we had a ceremony because of a contract, or because we were madly in love. Ceremonies and wedding cake and recited lines in front of distant relatives I won't see for another five years don't mean anything compared to when it's just us and I'm listening to your heart… when we're talking about what's real."

"I know." I nodded, rubbing my hand up and down his thigh. "But if it had been real, I can only assume the memories would mean so much to me. Looking at the pictures would remind me of a day I was so full of love and astonishment that I really got to marry my other half." I looked down at the ridiculously expensive, glimmering ring on my left hand. "And this," I added, holding it up between us. "This ring would signify a commitment I'd made for the rest of my life."

"Here, then." He took my hand, calmly sliding the piece of jewelry off my finger.

"What are you doing?"

I watched with confusion as he repeated the same gesture to remove his own ring.

"Let's get rid of them. Let this signify the past. We'll get new ones for the future."

"I'm not saying all of this because I want you to buy me a new ring."

"I know that, but I think it's a good idea. I should have thought of it sooner. New rings for our real marriage." He looked out to the water, a gleam of resolve flashing in his eyes. "I'll throw these out into the ocean right now, right here in the very spot I knew I was born to love you."

I didn't have time to appreciate the sentiment. He clutched the rings in his fist and raised it up, poised to throw our wedding rings away for good, and my heart lurched.

"Stop!" I yelped. "No, no, no… That's… No."

"Why not?"

"Because!" I reached for his hand, prying at his clenched fist until he opened it and allowed me to snatch up my ring. "I mean, Jesus, Edward. Don't be crazy."

"It's not crazy."

"This ring still means something to me. And besides, you're missing the point."

"Tell me what I'm missing."

I huffed, trying to find the best words to express myself.

"If I'd have felt the way I feel about you now when I married you, I would've done things differently. I would've written my own vows, my own promises of the wife I want to be for you, and I would've declared it to you before I let you put that ring on my finger. That ring should've been a symbol of the vows my heart wanted to say to you."

"So say them to me now."

I gaped at him.

"What?"

"Say them to me now. Marry me now."

My throat closed up a little.

"Wh…"

Amusement, love, and mischief all resonated in his smile.

"You and me. Right here, right now. Just us. We'll make our vows right here." The corners of his mouth rose up toward the crinkled edges of his eyes. "Marry me."

All the uncertain feelings and grey areas and complicated situations? He somehow made them so simple.

"I‒ I mean… Well…" There was nothing else to be said except, "Yes."

"Give me that," he ordered, holding his hand out to me.

I brought my ring to my chest, clutching it possessively.

"Why?"

"I'm not going to do anything to it," he promised. "Just give it to me. Trust me." And because I would never not trust him again, I placed me pretty little ring in his waiting palm. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" I demanded as he darted up, dusting sand off his rear end.

"I'll be right back. Just wait here."

I didn't have to wait long. In less than two minutes, he was jogging back down the beach toward me. He plopped himself right back down in the same spot, facing me with an excited smirk on his face.

"What did you get?" I asked, noticing something in his hand. He held up a sharpie, and I shot him a confused look. "What's that for?"

"You'll see. You wanna go first, or should I?"

I don't know why I hadn't considered him saying vows back to me, but I was excited at the thought.

"You go first, since this was your idea."

"All right." He took a deep breath, leaning back on his palms. "Give me a second to think about what I want to say."

"Kay."

He looked out over the water with a contemplative look that slowly morphed into one of intense concentration. Although this whole thing had started from a lighthearted place, I was impressed with how serious he seemed to be taking it.

"So," he spoke eventually, shifting his eyes over to meet my gaze. "First of all, let me preface my vows with saying that you are my world. You are the very center of my being. Finding you has been…" He paused, shaking his head slightly as if he didn't know what to say. "It's like finding my soul after all this time." I shifted closer to him, touching his forearm. "I want to be married to you, because I don't want to spend a single moment of my life not being with you."

My heart thudded against my chest, trying to get to Edward. It was its reason for beating.

"Edward…"

"As far as vows, the first thing that comes to mind is that I promise to love you fiercely every single day, every minute and second, of the rest of my life through every emotion. I promise to love you when I'm proud of you, when I'm angry with you, when I'm disappointed in you. All of it."

Love.

I nodded, offering him an appreciative smile at the consideration of his words.

"I'll say one next," I offered, wanting to say something to return the sentiment of his vow.

"Okay."

I took a moment to consider exactly what I wanted to say, deciding to start with the ways in which I felt I'd been lacking. I wanted my promises of the future to testify to the mistakes I'd made thus far in our relationship and what I'd learned from them.

"I…" As soon as I started to speak, I found myself getting emotional. "I promise to love you before myself," I vowed, blinking away the tingling in my eyes of possible tears. "I promise to think of you always in every decision I make." I thought of the massive fight we'd just had and everything I'd learned from it. "I promise not to do things or make big decisions on my own, but as a team… with you."

Selflessness.

"Come here," he muttered, beckoning me closer with a jerk of his head.

I leaned over him, and he titled his head up toward me for me to place a kiss on his lips.

"I promise to provide for you," he stated as we parted, and I sat back on my feet, unconcerned with the wet sand now all over my dress. "In any and every aspect imaginable. Anything you need or want for, I will find a way to provide for you. Not only financially, but physically and emotionally."

Stability.

His eyes followed my hand as I placed it on his thigh.

"I promise to be your comfort." My heart warmed with the thought of what this was all representing: our future. "I promise to comfort you in times of need or weakness, and to be your backbone. I'll be by your side to stand next to you in hard times and in your bed to comfort you when they get you down."

Support.

His crooked smirk made me grin stupidly, and before I knew it, we were kissing again and I was giggling against his lips.

"If we're gonna talk about the bed," he mumbled against my giggling mouth. "Then I promise to be your partner there just the same as in every other aspect and to keep you satisfied."

Affection.

I grinned around another kiss.

"Me, too," I agreed. "I promise to take full ownership of all your orgasms." He laughed heartily as I sat back again. "But actually," I continued as our laughter faded. "On a more serious note, now that we've reached such a milestone in our sexual relationship, I vow myself to you completely. I trust you entirely with my both my heart and my body, and I'll never again let fear hold me back from giving you either one."

Trust.

"I promise to listen to you, to every fear and every need. And in turn, I promise to share with you my own."

Communication.

"I may have missed the mark a couple of times before," I hedged regretfully. "But I promise, going forward, to never lie to you, even if the truth isn't easy."

Honesty.

"I promise to never be complacent. I'll strive every day to be a better husband than I was the day before."

"And every day, I'll strive to be a better wife."

Commitment.

"You ready to seal the deal then?"

"How are we gonna do that?"

"With this," he answered with a bright smile, sitting up and holding up the sharpie again.

"I'm not following."

"Give me your hand."

Confused, I held my left hand out to him as he uncapped the marker. When he pulled up on my ring finger and went for it, I caught on.

"Are you really going to draw a ring on me?" I laughed.

"Sure am, and you better be sure about those vows you just said, because when I do, I'm binding you to me for life."

He shot me a pointed look, and I shook my head at his silliness.

"I've never been surer about anything in my life than I am about you."

"All right, then."

With a decisive nod and a look of concentration, he put the sharpie against my finger and slowly traced a ring around it where my expensive wedding ring had just been.

"Do I get to draw one on you?" I asked, watching him with an amused smirk.

"But of course." I sighed contentedly. The only thing that came close to romantic Edward was playful, lighthearted Edward. "Here," he said, offering me the marker once he'd finished with my drawn-on ring.

He held his left hand out, and I pulled it to me, bending his finger back slightly to get the right angle.

"All right. Here we go," I warned as I put the marker against his skin. "Bound for life, baby."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Slowly, I circled his finger with the same marker he'd used to mark mine.

Had I known that the next day we'd travel to the mainland and have the sharpie rings tattooed over, I might've been a little more careful to draw a steady line.

But at the same time, our new rings covered them just fine. The tattoos were just for us.

"And now it's done," Edward declared as he took the sharpie back from me and replaced the cap.

"Yup. You're stuck with me for life."

"Can I kiss my bride now?"

"You better."

He lunged at me like a predator, tackling me until I fell backwards, crashing right into the mushy sand. I pulled him down to me with his shirt fisted in my grip, and as his lips met mine, he muttered one last vow.

"Till death do us part."