Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Still wish I did!
A/N: Sooooo... *shuffles feet* I'm so so sorry that it's taken so long to get this chapter out. Real life has pretty much spat in the face of my writing productivity recently and I just haven't been able to dedicate the time to it that I've wanted. I'm going to be moving house pretty soon too, so I'm afraid things may stay a little slow. But I promise I am still working on it when I can. :)
Thank you and huge hugs as always to my beta KimmyDonn! You rock bb!
Huge tackle hugs and girly squeals to my pre-reader/other half of my brain, Weezy, who frankly I wouldn't cope without! 45 days bb!
And tackle smooshes to all my wonderful reviewers. I love each and every one of you for taking the time to tell me what you think and for being so sweet to me. You really do keep me going. :)
And now on with the show! You'll like this, it's mushy! ;)
Empty
Chapter 36
Lock the doors
We'll leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words when I
Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes when I couldn't see for
Parting my lips when I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
Thank You For Loving Me - Bon Jovi
Edward POV
"Your hair is mine, Swan." Alice swooped down on Bella, grabbing her hand and dragging her out of my arms. In her mind she had consistently been reciting the collected works of Abba, to stop me from seeing Bella's dress or any of her plans for the wedding. The onslaught of Mamma Mia and I Have A Dream had continued right through Benoit's appearance, which frankly was dedication to secrecy that even I didn't know she possessed.
"But..." Bella protested weakly, her eyes holding mine with a pleading expression as she was pulled towards the stairs.
"Sorry, baby," I said apologetically. "Not even I can stop Alice when she's in hair cut mode."
Alice stomped her feet petulantly with her hands on her hips, as her eyes flashed dangerously between Bella and I.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Bella. But either way I'm cutting that hair. The sooner you let me do it, the sooner you two can go back to being sickeningly cute again."
Bella rolled her eyes and huffed, before turning on her heel and stomping upstairs. She was followed by a triumphant Alice, who was now internally singing The Name of the Game - probably the Abba song I liked the least.
"Alice," I said, just as she reached the top of the stairs. She twirled on the spot to face me with a smug look on her face.
"Enough Abba, please. Anything else, just no more Swedish pop songs."
"Sure," she acquiesed easily, before stalking away again, now reciting British war poetry in her head. I caught the opening lines of Dulce et Decorum Est before I tuned out and meandered outside for some peace.
I pulled up short when I saw Benoit sitting on the porch steps, staring out at the forest with his face scrunched up in thought. He looked up at me when he sensed me watching him and smiled, gesturing for me to join him.
I sat beside him and turned to him, waiting for him to speak. I was aware that his English was somewhat limited and my French was fluent, so I opened the conversation, speaking in his native language.
"I haven't had the chance yet to thank you for what you did for Bella; I know that she wants to thank you too. The kindness you showed her, when she was more frightened than she's ever been, meant the world to her, to me."
He smiled at me, and I could understand how his presence had given Bella comfort. In spite of his crimson eyes, his face was soft and kind; there was no malice or cruelty there.
"Isabella did nothing to deserve what that man, Jack, did to her. I drink from humans to survive, but not to frighten and torture. Anybody could see how afraid she was. That was not acceptable to me."
I liked this man. It was frustrating to me that I couldn't see inside his mind, to make sure that he was genuine, so I had to trust my instincts. They told me that there was no lie there when he looked me in the eye and said those words.
I sat chatting with Benoit for about an hour while Bella had her hair cut. He seemed very interested in our way of life, so much so that I held out some hope that he could be convinced to give it a try. Being around Bella when she was injured and vulnerable, and not drinking from her had revealed him to have an extraordinary amount of self control. It would have been easy for him to have just killed her, but instead he had helped her. He had risked himself in order to help her.
"Edward?" Bella's soft voice carried to me from the porch where she was standing, having been released by Alice. I turned and smiled at her. The grin that she returned lit up her face, as she started towards where we were sat. Alice had taken several inches off her hair so it hung down just below her shoulders in soft ringlets, with a strand from each side pulled back and clipped behind her ear to keep it off her face, which was flushed with happiness.
She stood beside me, resting her hand on my shoulder and smiling shyly at Benoit, who had stood to greet her. They both stood, eyeing each other shyly for a long moment, the language barrier obviously playing on both their minds.
Eventually Benoit stepped forward, taking Bella's small hands between his gently and smiled at her.
"Isabella," his heavily accented voice whispered softly. "I am glad to see you again, safe." I could see him grasping for the words he needed as he spoke, the language not coming naturally to him. Bella looked from her hands in his, up to his face and I could see the tears playing at her eyes.
"Th-thank you," she returned, and it was evident from his expression that the deeper meaning to her words had not been lost on him. He nodded, patting her hands then pulling back, the language barrier effectively overcome in only a few words.
I sat back down on the step and watched Benoit saunter away, before I pulled Bella into my lap, wrapping my arms around her and planting a soft kiss on her temple.
"You look beautiful, love," I crooned in her ear, earning myself a heart-warming smile. She sighed and snuggled into my chest, her hands gripping my shirt tightly as though somebody was trying to drag her away. I fingered her curls lightly, savouring the sound of her staccato heartbeat and the warmth of her breath on my skin. If it were even possible, she shifted so that she was even closer to me, as though she was trying to climb inside my skin.
Sighing she traced her fingers along the red, threaded pattern in my shirt.
"Alice says I have to say goodbye until the wedding tomorrow. I'm not allowed to stay with you tonight." She was pouting adorably, but there was something in her eyes I didn't like. Fear.
I pulled her tighter into my arms, cradling her head against my chest and felt her shudder slightly against me. Slipping a finger under her chin, I pulled her head up so that she was looking at me.
"Bella, sweetheart, are you ok with that? Alice means well, but if you're not comfortable with that you need to say." Images of Bella sleeping assaulted my mind. All the nights she had lain in my arms, thrashing around and whimpering as her demons tortured her while she slept. The thought of leaving her to face that alone tonight horrified me. Her eyes flickered down to her knees and I could feel her shaking in my arms, but she didn't say a word.
"Bella?" I coaxed, softly running my fingers into her hair and tilting her face up to meet mine again. Her eyes stayed angled downwards for a moment, before they finally met mine hesitantly. She blinked a few times but didn't say anything.
"Will you be okay alone tonight?" I pushed, holding her head up so she couldn't hide her face from me again. She nodded hesitantly, then turned it into a shake of the head when she saw the skepticism in my eyes.
"It's stupid, but I feel safer when I'm not alone," she whispered, almost inaudibly as her chin fought against my finger, trying to hide from me again.
"It's not stupid, Bella. What do you think to Esme staying in your bedroom with you tonight?" The corners of her lips turned up in a small smile, and her eyes started to shine with hope again.
"You don't think she'll mind?" I chuckled.
"Turn around, Bella," I twisted around with her still on my lap so that she could see Esme standing in the window, beaming and nodding enthusiastically.
Bella POV
I sat on the bed with my back resting comfortably against the headboard, holding a pillow to my chest and fingering the silky material. Esme sat quietly on the sofa across from the bed, watching me with an affectionate smile playing at her lips. I smiled back shyly, unsure about sleeping in the room with her. There was no question of my trusting her. I was just aware that I often talked in my sleep, spilling my deepest, darkest thoughts, fears and secrets to anybody who was listening.
I didn't have secrets from Edward, so I wasn't afraid of what would come out as I slept in his arms. But I wasn't sure how much Esme knew, or indeed how much she wanted to know.
I looked at the bed I was sitting on; the deep burgundy sheets stretched out too far. The bed looked too big all of a sudden. Too big for just me.
"Is everything alright, Bella dear?" Esme asked, her tone sweet and loving, the way that it always was. I nodded sadly at her, unconvincing in the extreme.
"May I?" she questioned, gesturing to the spot beside me on the bed and the empty gaping hole where Edward ought to be. I nodded again, smiling a little more convincingly this time and shuffling along a little so that she could sit beside me.
Her hand landed on mine, lifting it from the pillow and taking it from me. She placed it on her legs and gestured for me to lay down. I manouvered myself into position, so that I was lying across the bed, with my head on the pillow and her fingers trailing through my hair.
"I'm getting married tomorrow," I stated quietly, staring up into her butterscotch eyes which seemed to melt with happiness.
"You are," she smiled. "You've been a part of this family for a long time, but I must confess that I cannot wait for you to be officially another of my children. I couldn't ask for a better addition to this family. I'm so happy he found you, Bella dear."
"I'm happy too, this family means everything to me." I yawned, tiredness overcoming me as her soft ministrations on my hair soothed me into relaxation. "Thank you for welcoming me into your lives. I love all of you so much."
"We love you too, more than you know." Her voice was soft as she bent down and placed a motherly kiss on my forehead. "Sleep now, sweetheart. Big day tomorrow." And then she began to sing, so quietly I could just barely hear it, but the gentle song lulled me into a deep, peaceful sleep, free of nightmares.
Edward POV
I was on edge all night. Knowing that she was sleeping in another room and I couldn't go to her was making me antsy, and more than once I had to talk myself out of going to check on her. I trusted that Esme would take care of her and I could hear her thoughts as she watched over her, stroking her hair and singing to her through the night. I was glad that at least Bella would still have mother and father figures in her life when she had to say goodbye to her parents. She already had such a strong bond with both Esme and Carlisle, and they had seen her as one of their own for a long time.
I was standing now, at the front of the room that Alice had transformed beyond all recognition during the night. Carlisle was by my side, his hand on my arm calming the nerves I seemed to feel any time I was away from Bella for any period of time.
I cast my eyes around the room, taking in Alice's handiwork in order to steady myself. The walls were all draped with soft, white fabric, and stands holding arrangements of daisies, in stunning colours, all around the room. My suit was a standard black, with a white shirt and blue waistcoat and tie. Carlisle standing beside me as my best man, was wearing the same, and we had matching blue gerber daisies in our button holes.
My Steinway had been pulled into the corner of the room, and Jasper sat behind it, playing soft classical music as our few guests arrived and took their seats.
Bella's mom, Renee, sat at the front, her hand clasped tightly in the larger palm of Bella's step-father, Phil. Intruding on his thoughts, I could tell that he seemed to be a decent guy, and I was glad that Renee would have him to lean on once Bella disappeared from her life. I very much hoped that Charlie could find that support in Billy Black and his other friends from the reservation and at the station.
In rows behind them sat were a large group of Quileutes, including Jacob and his father, and Leah and Seth Clearwater who had visited the previous day. They were all neatly pressed into smart suits, an unusual sight, almost comical really. It was clear that some of them were less comfortable being here than others. Seth sat nonchalantly chatting to Emmett, who had squatted down next to his chair. From what I caught of their conversation they seemed to be talking about all the ways they intended to hurt Jack when the opportunity arose. It made me smile to think that there were so many people out there who wanted to help rid Bella of her monster forever.
Bella. One night apart from her and I was craving her presence like an addict forced to go cold turkey. I could hear her heart beating and the quiet whispered conversations she was having with Alice and Rosalie upstairs, but they were all keeping pretty quiet, knowing that I could hear every word. I smiled proudly when I heard my girl winning an argument with Alice about heel size; not many people won fashion arguments with her.
And then they were coming downstairs. I would swear that my heart began to beat in my chest as I heard Charlie whisper to her that she looked beautiful and she appeared around the doorway. The rest of the room fell away, as I took her in. The strains of Bon Jovi's Thank You For Loving Me rang out on the piano as the earth jumped on its axis. She looked so beautiful that I couldn't have formed words to describe her. She was resplendent in a stunning white dress, with a soft pattern embroidered into it, sparkling as she moved and caught the light. Her hair was hanging loose down her back in soft curls, with the front strands caught up in a clip with daisies twisted all along, matching the bouquet of brightly coloured gerber daisies, which was clutched in her hand where I would be placing my ring so soon.
She was staring intently at her feet, maybe in the hope of keeping her footing. Then slowly her face lifted and her beautiful brown eyes met mine, alight and shining with happiness. Then, as she moved slowly towards me, she trusted my gaze to keep her upright as our eyes remained trained on one another. The moment our hands were entwined nothing was important any more. All that Bella had been through, all she endured, fell away into the past and all that mattered was the future. Our future. Together.
We pledged our lives to one another, saying old, familiar words as Emmett utilised his online ordination to conduct the ceremony. My hand shook as I placed the ring on her finger and a single tear weaved it's way down her cheek when Emmett pronounced us man and wife and gave me permission to kiss my bride.
Cupping her cheek gently with my hand, I gazed into her eyes and moved my face to hers. Our noses touched and our heads tilted as I pressed my lips to her's, feeling her love and passion as her body moved into mine. Our lips were locked, dancing a perfect dance together for a long moment, before her father good-humouredly coughed, reminding us of where we were.
As we pulled apart, she smiled up at me, an intense love burning in her eyes.
"You look beautiful, Mrs Cullen," I whispered, planting a kiss on her nose and revelling in the way her eyes lit up. Then I took her hand and turned to face the small group of guests, who all simultaneously reached for their cameras. Bella smiled radiantly, her hand clutching mine with all her strength as we made our way outside into the area Alice had set up. It was surrounded with more daisies and a canopy covering the area, which was strung all over with fairy lights so that it sparkled brightly. The lights reflected in Bella's wide eyes as she gaped at the area, a large smile lighting up her face as she snuggled into my side.
"Are you ready to dance, Mrs Cullen?" I muttered into her hair, enjoying the happiness that seemed to radiate out of her.
"Say it again," she whispered, turning her wide eyed gaze on me.
"Do you want to dance?" I replied, slightly confused.
"Not that part, silly. Naturally I have no interest in dancing, but Alice said if I wore the lower heeled shoes that I had to. I meant the other part."
I was confused for a moment, not understanding what she was talking about, before it hit me.
"Mrs. Cullen," I laughed out, lifting her into my arms and swinging her around happily. Her light-hearted giggles warmed me to the core. I planted her back on her feet, before pulling her tightly against me, my arms around her waist as she beamed up at me with hope and love lighting up her face.
"I love you, Bella." I smiled down at her, basking in every ounce of her happiness as she wrapped her arms around my waist and lifted her feet on top of mine.
"Remember prom?" she smirked at me, reminding me of dancing with her before this all began.
"I remember everything," I crooned, bending down so my lips were against her ear. I felt her shiver in my arms, a look of wonder on her face.
I hoisted her up more comfortably onto my feet and began to dance to the soft music that was playing in the background. The gentle beat of her heart and her head resting on my chest sent waves of desire coursing through me. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to take all of her, everything she was, but I knew that she very probably wasn't ready for that. Might never be.
Time seemed to disappear as people moved around us. We remained in our little bubble, just us. Bella and me, dancing, lost in the moment with nothing but now to worry about.
"Look, Edward," her soft voice broke the magical spell I had been under. I followed her gaze across the floor to where Jacob and Leah were dancing together. Leah looked slightly uncomfortable and Jacob like the cat who got the cream. Her thoughts, however, betrayed her. Although she was still not overjoyed about the idea of being an imprint, she was warming up to Jacob in a natural way. His easy nature and likeability made it hard for her to remain hostile towards him.
I could sense Bella's pleasure at Jacob's obvious joy at having the girl he loved in his arms. The fact that she cared so much for her friend only made me love her more, if that were even possible.
"I reckon those two will be just fine eventually, love," I said to her, feeling her attention shift back to me.
"You think so?"
"Leah will come around. She's already starting to."
"I'm glad," she started, sighing and burrowing her face into my chest. "I want everybody to be as happy as me."
My heart melted at her words; keeping her happy was the single most important goal I had set for the rest of time.
"Hey, dude, stop hogging the bride." Emmett's jovial form loomed beside us as he started to pull at my fingers, disentangling me from Bella. "Brother bear wants a turn." She laughed happily as I passed her over to him, her feet sitting on top of his now.
She danced with everybody during the evening, including her father and mine. I danced with Bella's mother, who told me in no uncertain terms that if I ever hurt her baby girl she would hunt me down and make me sorry I ever laid eyes on her. I laughed and reassured her that if I ever hurt her that she wouldn't need to hurt me because my family would do it for her. She sighed and seemed appeased that her daughter would be taken care of.
I enjoyed the festivities, especially seeing my Bella so happy and content with all the people she loved and cared for. But as time wore on, I couldn't help longing for it to be over so that I could be alone with Bella. The family were making themselves scarce tonight. They would be close enough to the house that if anything were to happen, if Victoria were to suddenly decide to show up, they could be back in moments. But they would be far enough away to give us a night's privacy as a newly married couple.
As people began to leave, I left Bella alone with her parents to say her goodbyes. I knew that wouldn't be easy for her, though her parents had at least made their peace with losing her, and they trusted my family and I to keep her safe.
As she took her time with them, I wandered inside the house, making for the piano where I sat playing random tunes and waited for her. I heard her approach and smiled as she came and sat beside me, resting her head on my shoulder and watching my fingers dance over the keys.
I felt her sigh and relax against me as I began to play her lullaby, the song I wrote for her all those years ago. It struck me that we had come full circle. We had been so young, innocent and carefree when we first sat at this piano together, and yet here we were again. So much water under the bridge that we were almost unrecognisable from the children we were, and yet here we sat, together at my piano as a married couple.
She looked down at the shiny white keys, her fingers running over the smooth, polished surface. Her face was contemplative as her eyes shifted backwards and forwards from her fingers to my face repeatedly.
"What is it Bella?" I questioned, cupping her chin in my hand and lifting her eyes to meet mine. The look I saw there wasn't what I expected. Her eyes were hooded, cloaked in what was unmistakeably lust. There was a long drawn out silence as she gazed at me, as though she was trying to communicate with only her eyes.
I reached out to her, lifting her from the piano stool and into my lap where she snuggled against me, still keeping her eyes fixed on me.
"Edward, I need... I can't be close enough to you... I..." She trailed off, biting her bottom lip between her teeth and averting her gaze down to her fingers which were still running over the piano keys.
"What do you need, Bella?" I coaxed, running my fingers through her hair.
"You."
Bella POV
His arms tightened around me minutely as he lifted me into his arms and stood. He carried on humming the melody he had been playing on the piano as he carried me up the stairs and into my bedroom. I kept my eyes trained on his face, watching each line and curve as he smiled down at me and sang.
As we entered the bedroom, he pushed the door shut with his foot, then walked forwards and sat me on the edge of the bed, staring at me intently with a mixture of concern and excitement on his face.
He knelt down in front of me, running his fingers down my cheeks so lightly that I could barely feel them, but for the tingling sensation they left behind.
"Bella, baby, are you sure about this?" His eyes locked with mine, his gaze searching, looking for signs of hesitation on my part.
"I'm sure," I returned in a whisper. I knew what I wanted. What I needed. I needed my husband, the man that I loved more than oxygen, to make love to me. To take away the bad, the traumatic and the painful, and replace it with him. All him. I wanted to complete our connection, add the final link in the chain that would seal us as one forever.
Nodding, he rose from his kneeling position and lifted me once more from where I was sitting. He cradled me tenderly in his arms then lay me back onto the pillows, still clad in my beautiful, but rather huge wedding dress.
"You look so beautiful today, Bella," he crooned, in between planting soft kisses on my lips. "You damn near took my breath away, and that's an impressive thing."
I smiled up at him lazily, enjoying his proximity and breathing in his scent as it surrounded me. He was lying beside me on the bed now, his torso leaning over me as he continued to place loving kisses over my face and neck before he started to work his way lower, his hands weaving behind me and working the long zip of the dress down.
When he finally manoeuvred the zip all the way down, he gently lifted me off the bed, pulling the dress away and thrusting it to the floor, which I was certain Alice would make him pay for tomorrow. But in that moment, neither of us had it in us to care. Placing me back on the soft bed, now hopelessly exposed to him, left in only the lacy underwear that Alice had insisted I wear, he continued to kiss me. As he did I reached forward, undoing his buttons and pulling off his blue, silk tie, followed by his shirt.
Then he sat back on his heels between my legs and we took one another in. His chest was perfect, chiselled like a work of art. His muscles rippled and flexed as he stretched above me, his eyes raking up and down my almost naked body.
I lay, under his loving scrutiny, waiting for him to cringe, or to frown when he saw the marks - the scars and bruises that still remained. But instead of frowning, he leaned down with eyes of molten amber trained on my body, and kissed each and every mark, removing the pain the scars represented with each ministration of his lips.
He started around my neck and worked his way down, past my collarbone, paying extra attention to the bruising there before moving lower. I stiffened involuntarily when his fingers started to trace the edges of the cups of my black, lacy bra, unable to control my body's instinctive reaction to being touched so intimately. And then the fingers were gone and his gentle hands were cupping my face once more, his mouth dropping kisses on mine.
"Relax, baby. It's me; it's just me. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If you say stop, we stop." His eyes blazed with a burning intensity as he waited for me to respond. I gazed back at him, allowing myself to fall into the deep pools of his eyes, drowning there and not wanting to be rescued. I could feel my body slowly relaxing once more as he ran his hands lovingly down my sides, his touch so soft and gentle that it almost brought tears to my eyes.
I said nothing, instead I weaved my fingers through his auburn locks and pulled him back down to me, slamming my lips against his, needing to feel him against me. I felt myself bathing in his scent, letting it overcome my senses and fill me up with my need for him, taking away all the fear I felt at what we were about to do, and replacing it with desire.
I ran my hands from his hair down the strong curves of his back. His muscles curled and smoothed in a sinuous dance as he once again began to lap and kiss down my body. I kept my eyes fixed on his as his hands moved behind me to undo my bra and then eased the straps down to remove it. I threw every fibre of trust I had in him into my eyes as he looked at me questioningly, seeking my permission before he lowered himself down and closed his lips around my nipple, sending a whirlwind of sensations coursing through me that I had never experienced before.
My back arched off the bed as the ministrations of his tongue made me moan and wriggle in pleasure. Nobody had ever touched me this way before, never made me feel the things I was feeling. To me, sex had been just another cruel form of torture, used against me, to break me further and further each night. But this. This was ecstasy. Having the man I loved with all my heart, worship and caress my body was making me ache in places I had only ever ached in pain before.
"Edward," I whispered, as his mouth began to work its way south, his fingers running in soft patterns around my thighs and his tongue lapping at my stomach and around my belly button.
"Yes, baby?" He paused his progress long enough to look up at me, a lustful smile curving his lips.
"I need you," I continued, breathlessly. "Please." He smiled at me, the look in his eyes so full of love that it took my breath away, then leaned back onto his ankles again. He began to remove his belt, one handed, still running the other hand up and down the soft skin on my thigh. I reached forward with nervous, fumbling fingers and took over from him, tugging on his trousers and removing them with his assistance, taking his boxers with them.
He sprang free from the confines of his clothes, already clearly aroused and I blushed at the thought that it was my body that had made him react that way. With one hand caressing my cheek lovingly, the other moved down and played with the lace trim on my underwear, nudging it down slowly, while his piercing eyes watched me carefully for any sign of distress. But there was none to be seen. I wanted this. No. I needed this.
I lifted my hips off the bed, allowing him to remove the last barrier that separated us, before he came to rest above me once again. His body weight rested on the hands that framed my face, as he leaned in to kiss me again. His kiss was deep and passionate and not nearly long enough as he pulled back to whisper in my ear.
"Are you sure?" I closed my eyes, smiling.
"Positive."
And then his arms wound around me, holding me to his chest as I felt him between my legs, lining himself up and then pushing into me slowly, gently, filling me up and making me whole; more complete than I had ever been.
"Are you ok, love?" he asked, his lips against my temple as his arms tightened their grip around me. Realising the death grip I had on his shoulders I released him, running my fingers through his hair instead and humming against his chest as my body acclimated to his size inside me.
He kissed my hair and brought his hands up my back, leaving trails of tingling goose flesh in their wake, before they tangled in my hair, cupping the back of my head tenderly and kissing me deeply.
"I love you, Bella," he said, with conviction, before he began to withdraw. Then just as I started to whimper at the loss of him inside me, he thrust back in easily. He repeated this pattern several times, keeping his actions slow and gentle, and constantly looking at me for reassurance that he wasn't hurting me. As he started to pick up the pace somewhat and increased his thrusts my eyes rolled back in my head at the sensations he was making me feel. Love, passion and intimacy met with physical pleasure to give me the greatest feeling of ecstasy I had ever known. My head rested on his shoulder as he kept hitting a spot inside me that made my toes curl and my breath come in short, panting gasps.
"Oh God, Edward," I cried out as his finger came down and found my most sensitive spot, flicking and caressing it and sending me flying into an orbit of pleasure as he pulsed and throbbed inside me.
Both our heads rolled back as we screamed out our climax together, everything in the world lost to us in that moment except for each other and the feelings and sensations we were experiencing together for the first time.
Both of our bodies, drenched in sweat, we collapsed back onto the bed, panting and gasping for breath as we stayed in our tight embrace, not ready to be separated just yet.
I burrowed my head into his neck, holding him to me tightly, never wanting to let him go.
"Thank you, Edward," I whispered, snuggling into him just a little more, knowing that he would understand what I meant. That I was thanking him for giving me the most amazing gift in the world, for giving me himself. For taking away all that had happened, all the pain in the past, and replacing it with he and I together, forever.
My fingers played with the ends of his hair as he held me in his arms. The only sounds in the room were our soft breathing and the pattering of a light rain on the window. My head was rested on his chest, our legs still tangled together under the cosy bed covers as my eyes became heavy and I surrendered to sleep in his arms, knowing that he would keep me safe until morning when we would start our lives together as Mr. and Mrs. Cullen.
Thank you for reading!
I haven't read anything in forever I'm afraid, so I have no recommendations for you. I did read The Hunger Games books though, they're AMAZING!