No infringement intended. SM owns and I've just been playing around a bit.
So, this is it. It's a little bittersweet. I'm glad we've made it this far and I'm incredibly grateful to all of you who came along for the ride but I also love these two so much and it will be sad to let them go.
Chapter 35
In less than half an hour, Rose had managed to come up with the perfect plan to give Edward and I the quiet simple wedding of our dreams with no one else being any the wiser. Once he'd come home and we relayed the plan to him, Edward jumped right on board and we set our plan into motion.
We ended up including three other people in on our little plot because we required their help. The first was Emmett, only because I trusted him and I couldn't expect Rose to keep this secret from her husband. He stopped by after his workout and joined our little planning meeting that day. The atmosphere between him and Edward was a bit tense at first. Though Emmett had always believed that Edward had genuine feelings for me and even supported our relationship when Edward arrived back in my life, he hadn't forgotten that Edward had been the reason that he and Rose had found me naked and sobbing on the floor of that hotel room so many years ago.
When I introduced the two, Emmett held Edward's hand tightly, squeezing a bit more than was necessary as he grilled Edward on his intentions. Only when Edward answered the questions to Emmett's satisfaction did Emmett finally release his hand and relax into a chair. "Alright then, what's the plan?"
The second person was Alice, though Edward warned that she was in the midst of wedding planning herself and might go a bit crazy. The fact remained that I needed a dress and Alice had studied fashion design, so I bit the bullet and called her for help. She was thrilled and agreed to keep our secret while also helping me find the dress of my dreams. We spent several nights on the phone discussing it and while I thought she was just seeking information to help in her search, I found that she'd taken all our discussions and designed the dress herself. She arrived only a week later with the dress in a garment bag to conduct a fitting. I nearly cried when I tried on the dress. It was simple yet elegant and absolutely perfect. Alice marked and pinned the fabric and promised that the dress would be ready in time while I tried to keep my composure.
Before she left I asked her if she felt as though our engagement and wedding might overshadow her own. She scoffed and shook her head, telling me that our wedding should have happened years ago and she was more than happy to help set things right.
"Besides," she added, "you two will be an old married couple by the time my wedding comes along. I'll have plenty of time in the spotlight, don't you worry."
The last person we included was Emily. I pulled her aside the next time she was scheduled and asked her to take on the task of my wedding cake herself. I could have done it myself but I had plenty to do already without assembling a cake on the morning of my wedding. As an intern, she was unpaid but I insisted on paying her personally for her time and also for keeping her mouth shut. We listed the cake under a fake name in the books so we didn't arouse any suspicion from the rest of my employees about what she was working on. They'd find out soon enough.
Once we had our accomplices settled and the plan was in motion, I called my mother and finally confessed that I was engaged. I held nothing back, recounting every detail of Edward's proposal before informing her that I'd booked her and Phil tickets to fly out for our engagement party.
Just after my phone call to my mother, Edward and I drove over to his parents' home and told them of our engagement. Esme nearly broke down when she saw the ring on my finger and held me tightly, telling me over and over that she'd always known I was the right girl for her son.
"I just knew he'd never find anyone like you," she cried. "I knew even when you were just kids and I told him over and over again that he needed to find you and win you back."
Esme tried to jump right into wedding planning but Edward told her we weren't going to plan much until after the engagement party and she reluctantly agreed to shelve all wedding talk until after the party. I told Edward later that evening that I felt horrible for deceiving her and that I felt like I was denying her the chance to be involved in our wedding but he assured me that she was getting her wedding planning fill with Alice and that she'd be delighted by our surprise.
So, with the pieces in place, we sent out the invitations for our 'engagement' party to the handful of friends and family we felt were important while Rose took care of the rest of the details for us.
On November eighteenth two thousand and twelve, only three weeks after he popped the question, Edward and I were married in a beautiful and intimate ceremony in Rose and Emmett's living room.
Everyone but our handful of co-conspirators believed they were attending an engagement party right up until the moment Rose and Emmett led them to the flower covered room and announced that it wasn't an engagement party but the actual wedding that they were attending.
With my dad gone, it seemed only appropriate for my daughter to walk me down the aisle and to give me away to the man who'd declared us a package deal. Alice, Charlie and I had gone shopping just days before and found her a sweet white dress to wear for this occasion and we provided her with a miniature bouquet of her own to carry as well. Together in our white dresses, Charlie and I walked down the aisle, hand in hand, towards the man who promised to be mine for the rest of his life
Edward had managed a few surprises of his own as we recited our vows to each other. "Isabella Marie Swan, I promise to hold you in my arms every night and make sure you know that you are cherished every morning. I promise to discuss my feelings with you and to make you a part of every decision I make from now on, no matter how terrified of your answer I might be. Most of all, I promise to love you every minute of every day for the rest of my life. This I swear."
My eyes filled with tears and I took a deep breath readying myself to recite my own vows when we turned his attention from me to the tiny girl at my side.
"Charlotte Rachel Black, I promise to always be on your side, to offer advice when asked, protection when needed, and to listen objectively when all you need is a friend. I promise to always love and respect your mother and to love you as if you were my own. This I swear."
I was completely overcome with emotion when the officiate turned to me, and with tears streaming down my face, I all but whispered my own vows.
"Edward Anthony Cullen, You have held my heart from the moment we met and I promise to be yours from this moment until the day I die. I promise to love you with every fiber of my being and to never take for granted the love we share. To cling to you when the road grows rough and to trust you when the nights are darkest. I will love you every second of every day until my heart stops beating. This I swear."
I barely heard the rest of the ceremony. Tears streamed down my face as I stared into Edward's deep green eyes. The rest of the room was a blur and it was only him and me there in that moment, clinging to each other's hands as the judge spoke of love and commitment. When he finally announced us as husband and wife and invited Edward to kiss his bride I couldn't be more relieved. Edward pulled me into his arms and I hungrily pressed my lips to his. It had taken us a decade of hurt and confusion but we had made it. We'd come through the other side as husband and wife and nothing would tear us apart now. He was mine and I was his, for now until eternity.
When we rejoined our family after the ceremony, I was quite worried that we'd made a huge mistake as my mom appeared to be on the brink of tears. I approached her nervously, feeling like a child who was about to be punished for something.
Instead, she pulled me into her arms and held me tightly, telling me over and over again how happy she was for me. When she finally released me to pull Edward into a hug, Esme took her place, sobbing as told me how thrilled she was to gain another daughter.
Surprisingly, neither mother seemed even the slightest bit upset at being left out of the wedding planning. In fact, my mother confessed that she thought it was a brilliant idea to save ourselves all the hassle and headache of wedding planning. Everyone was impressed that we were able to keep the secret as long as we did, especially when they learned that Charlie had been in on it from the beginning. She reveled in the attention she received from everyone in attendance and the praise they heaped on her for being able to keep her mouth shut. I noticed that she'd become especially fond of Alice. The two of them sat together all night giggling and whispering like old friends despite their sixteen year age gap.
I spent the entire evening in the arms of my new husband. During the casual buffet style dinner that Rosalie and Emmett had catered for us, Edward pulled me into his lap and we fed each other, too absorbed in our own happiness to notice the handful of friends and family members watching us with smiles on their faces.
I didn't let him go until the end of the night as we said our goodbyes. I thanked Ben, Angela, Chelsea and Emily for coming and all four of them told me to take all the time I needed with my new husband, assuring me the bakery would be fine until I was ready to come back. Carlisle kissed my cheek and Esme held me close as they both thanked me for bringing the light back to their son's eyes. I hugged my mom and Phil and gathered Charlie into my arms for a huge hug and kiss, making her promise to be good for her grandma. Edward knelt in front of Charlie to say his good-byes and she surprised him by throwing her little arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back as the entire room let out a collective 'aw' and I very nearly melted at the sight.
After that, there was only one more good-bye standing between me and spending the rest of the night making love to my husband. I just couldn't say that enough. My husband. I loved the way it sounded.
"Rose, Emmett, thank you so much for everything. This was so much more than I anticipated. I love you guys," I said, pulling both of them into my arms.
"Hells Bells, it's the least we could do. I'm just glad I had a bye week so I could be here for this shindig. You know I hate to miss a good party, specially when it's in my house."
"Me too, Em," I said with a laugh. "It wouldn't have been the same without you."
"Damn straight," he agreed before turning his attention from me to shake Edward's hand.
I turned to my best friend and nearly fell apart. "Ro, I can't believe you did all this for us." When she offered to hold the 'party' slash wedding at her home I hadn't expected her to create the most magical evening of my life. She'd arranged the decorations, seating arrangement, and catering entirely on her own but it had all been perfect, showing just how well she knew me, possibly even better than I knew myself.
"B, Emmett might be the love of my life but you are my soulmate, my other half. I'd do anything for you. Throwing a party? This is nothing. I love you."
I dissolved into a puddle of tears after that and clung to my best friend both of us sobbing against each other until our men had to physically pull us apart. Edward lifted me into his arms and carried me to his car.
"You look exhausted, my love," he remarked, taking my hand as he navigated the car out of Rose and Emmett's driveway while the most important people in our life looked on.
"I am," I sighed, letting my head fall back against the cool leather of the seat.
"I hope you're not too tired Mrs. Cullen."
I smiled brightly at the sound of my new last name. "For you, Mr. Cullen, I am never too tired."
"Good, because the last thing I want to do tonight is sleep."
He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it softly as my entire body flushed with warmth. We drove for several minutes in sexually charged silence before I realized we were not heading towards home like I'd expected but instead were driving further downtown. Edward refused to tell me where we headed until we pulled to a stop in front of the Fairmont Olympic hotel.
"What's this?" I asked.
"You didn't think I was just going to take you home did you? Not on our wedding night," he said with a devious smirk. "Besides, I told your mom that she and Phil could stay at our place. I thought it would be easier for Charlie to be somewhere familiar."
I launched myself across the seat and kissed him furiously until the valet just outside the window cleared his throat, politely reminding us of his presence. I blushed brightly and returned to my own seat as Edward exited the car and came around to open my door for me. I'd just stepped from the car when he once again lifted me into his arms and carried me into the hotel.
"Edward, we don't' have any other clothes," I whispered. "I didn't pack a bag or anything." Then as I noticed that we'd completely bypasses the front desk I added, "Don't we need to check in?"
"Already taken care of, my love," he murmured as we entered the elevator. "Alice and Rose took the liberty of packing you a bag and it's been here since I checked in this morning. All that's left is for us to relax and enjoy ourselves."
I don't know how he managed to find our room with my lips attached to his but he did and soon we were finally alone in the most beautiful hotel suite I'd ever seen. Not that it mattered. I wouldn't have noticed if our room was covered in garbage since I only had eyes for Edward.
Once inside, he set me back on my feet and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close as he stared into my eyes.
"I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my entire life, Bella. I don't know why you decided to give me another chance and I know I don't deserve you but I plan to spend my life trying to become worthy of you."
"Just love me," I moaned. "All I ever wanted was your love."
"You have it," he breathed, his hand trailing to the zipper of my gown, pulling it slowly down my back. "I will love you always."
He nudged the lace of the sleeves from my shoulders and the dress fell to the floor. "I've only ever loved you. I will only ever love you."
He brought his lips to mine and lifted me from my feet carrying me to the bed, his lips never leaving mine.
As I fell back onto the bed, Edward let his lips and hands roam all over my body, deftly removing my white lace bra and panties and bringing me to climax at least twice before even removing shirt. When I was more than thoroughly satisfied, I rolled him onto his back and worked to rid him of his clothing before happily returning the favor.
It was only several hours later, well into the early morning hours as we lay panting, sweaty and intertwined that we noticed the champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries that the hotel staff had left for us.
"Well, my beautiful wife, I know we have had a somewhat spotty track record when it comes to alcohol and sex, but I think it's time to change that. What do you say?"
"I think a little toast couldn't hurt."
He smiled and opened the champagne, filling the two glass flutes before handing me one. "Ok, what are we toasting to?"
"To finding love again," I said, holding my glass out. He repeated my words, clinked his glass to mine and we both took a long sip.
"To forgiveness and learning from past mistakes," he added. I tapped my glass to his and we drank again.
"To never letting anything keep us from each other ever again." Clink. Drink.
"To spending every moment of every day in love."
"Hopelessly in love," I amended.
We spent the next hour snuggled on the huge bed sipping champagne and feeding each other strawberries before eventually setting all that aside and once again coming together. It wasn't until the pink light of the sun rising filtered in through the windows that we succumbed to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms, finally husband and wife.
Hopelessly in love and determined to never lose each other again.
There is still a little epi that I'll post tomorrow but that's about it, folks. *Sad Face*
Now, someone mentioned that they'd like to see an EPOV and it wasn't something that I originally planned on but they idea was planted and I've been thinking about it lately. Let me know which scenes/chapters you most want to see from Edward's perspective and I might be persuaded to add a couple outtakes.
Also, I have a few other stories that I've been working with and hope to start posting soon. So, keep an eye open for something new from me in the next few weeks.