A/N: I don't own Twilight.
Special thanks to my friends Gerri (super beta) and Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without them, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).
And of course, thanks to you for reading.
Sorry that I'm a day late this week. Last week was a bit off, all week long, so I didn't get it done in time. Your reward: this chapter's almost double my normal length!
This is a three-part chapter, which I don't really like doing, but there was really no way around it. The only other option was to split this into two chapters, and I didn't really want to do that, either, so we've got a three-parter :). Enjoy!
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: OPERATION: SURPRISE WEDDING
Edward
I managed to pull Alice aside before we all sat down for dinner and whispered to her my idea. She was beyond excited, just like I suspected Alice would be. I didn't know her as well as Bella or my brother did, but I did get to see her enough during Bella's last attempt at a wedding to recognize that the girl liked to celebrate. I hoped she liked to plan celebrations as much as she liked to attend them, because my mother was right; there was no way I could pull this off on my own.
She seemed skeptical at first, until I let her in on all the details. Then she was practically squealing and jumping up and down in glee. I'd never seen anything quite like it, and I started to panic just a little. "Hey, you need to calm down. This is supposed to be a surprise for Bella, remember? If she comes in here to investigate all the noise, then I'm sunk."
"Sorry," she said in an exaggerated whisper. "But this is about the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. How are you going to manage to plan an entire wedding without the bride?"
"Well, that's the main reason I'm talking to you right now, actually. I'm going to need a lot of help, as you can imagine. And since you're her best friend, I'm going to have to rely on you pretty heavily, I think. Can you help me get out of her the kinds of things she wants? I figure that we can pretty much talk to her about everything; we just need to prevent her from getting too excited about a specific date."
"Ooh, so we get to talk wedding plans over dinner?" Her voice was nothing short of… sheer delight. I wasn't sure that 'delight' quite covered it, actually, but it was the best word I could come up with to describe Alice. I was just glad she'd calmed down enough to talk like a rational human being and not give anything away.
"Yes, I would like to try to direct the conversation that way, if possible," I told her. "At the same time, though, we've got to be careful not to tip Bella off. And remember, only three of us are in on the plan just yet. You, me, and my mom. I'm going to tell the guys tonight, but they'll be just as clueless about the surprise as Bella is, for now."
"Oh, that won't matter," Alice assured me. "They're guys. And they're not nearly as sweet and romantic as you."
"Thanks," I muttered, not entirely sure what to do with that comment. "So, er, will you help me, then?" I needed to refocus the conversation. Alice had thrown me off with her romantic comment.
"Of course I'll help you," she replied. "It will be fun."
With my two main advocates on my side now, I was feeling a bit more confident. "Great. All that needs to happen right now is to—"
"Just leave it to me," she said, cutting me off.
My mom joined Alice and me then. We'd all been in the kitchen, but I'd been talking to Alice while my mom put the final touches on Christmas dinner. "Are we ready to start Operation: Surprise Wedding?" she asked, smirking slightly at her code name for the wedding.
I couldn't help but chuckle slightly back at her; I think I even rolled my eyes at her a bit. "Operation: Surprise Wedding?"
"What? I can't have a little fun, too?" My mother actually pushed my shoulder in mock frustration.
"Of course you can," I replied. "I just didn't really expect to have a code name for my wedding, that's all."
"Well, I never expected you to need a code name for your wedding," she countered. "I've never heard of such a thing, to be perfectly honest. If you don't like my fun little phrase, though, I won't use it."
"I'm really just teasing you, Mom. I actually do kind of like the phrase."
She beamed at me. "Good. Operation: Surprise Wedding it is then, or no, wait; how about O.S.W.? That sounds even better." She laughed. "Never mind, now go gather the rest of our family for dinner; we've got some details to get out of your lovely fiancée."
I smiled at that, my mother calling Bella my fiancée. I loved the sound of it. I'd called Bella that myself not very long ago, but hearing it come from my mom's mouth was somehow even sweeter to me. Five minutes later, we were all seated around the huge dining room table in my parents' formal dining room. When everyone's plates had been filled and conversation was still fairly slow, I shot a pointed glance toward Alice, and another toward my mom. I wasn't sure whether or not I should be the one to start the conversation. I kind of suspected that I probably shouldn't; I wanted her to know that I was anxious to claim her as mine but at the same time, I didn't want to make it obvious just how quickly I planned for things to happen. Fortunately, Alice got the hint and took the lead.
"So, Bella, when are we going wedding dress shopping?"
"What? Alice, I know you love shopping, and that's frankly why you chose the job that you did, but honestly, I can't buy a dress before you leave. We haven't even set a date yet. I mean, we just got engaged an hour ago for crying out loud. Besides, at the rate I'm going, I'd just need to replace it before the wedding anyway. There's no sense in spending the money on it until we're a little closer to the time, to make sure I have one that still fits."
"That won't matter, Bella," Alice argued. "You can just get it altered if you need to. Besides, if we don't get it this week, I don't know when I'll have the opportunity to get back here."
"I can see your point, I guess," Bella said, although she still didn't look like she was thrilled with the idea. It was important that she purchase the dress herself, and the sooner the better. Not only for sizing reasons, but a wedding dress was a very personal thing for a woman, I would imagine. I may be only a guy, but I did know that. There was no way I could choose a dress for her.
"I think it's a great idea," I put in, swallowing a bite of roll, trying to maintain my nonchalance.
"You do?" Bella asked, still looking unsure.
"Yeah. I mean, Alice is right. You should do it while you've got so much support here. Your mom, my mom, Alice, Kim… I'm sure they'd all love to help you pick out the perfect dress."
My mom and Alice nodded their affirmation quickly, of course, since they were already in on the secret. Renee agreed almost immediately, too, since she was Bella's mom, after all. Kim looked a little shocked at my suggestion that she'd help. She looked at me, realizing that there was something she didn't know. I implored her with my eyes, silently promising to explain things to her soon. I was grateful in that moment that I'd known her and Jared as long as I'd known Bella, and that she was able to read the pleading in my expression. "Yeah, Bella, you know I've grown to love you in the past five months since you've moved here. I'd be honored to help you choose a wedding dress."
"Oh. Well, if everyone's so insistent, then I guess so. I mean, Alice is right, they make those dresses so that they can be altered fairly easily, right? I mean, at the rate the baby's growing, if I bought a dress tomorrow, it'd probably be too small before two weeks have passed. You're sure, Alice? About the alterations?" I breathed a silent sigh of relief as Bella agreed to the one part of the plan I wouldn't be able to help with.
"Yes, Bella, I promise that any good dress shop would be able to make any adjustments you might need." She had a mischievous gleam in her eye that I hoped Bella wouldn't notice.
She didn't seem to; she just dropped her gaze to her plate and pushed her mashed potatoes around with her fork. "Alright. When should we go?"
"The sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned," Alice replied.
Bella frowned, still not looking quite enthusiastic about the idea. I didn't want her to resent going dress shopping; I had to fix this, and fast. "Do you not want to go shopping right away?" I asked her gently.
"No, it's not that. I do want to go get my dress. I just worry… I mean, it's not that I don't trust you," she looked up at Alice, "but what if it ends up needing more than a little alteration? What if the whole thing has to be let out at the tummy?"
Alice spoke up, recognizing what I was trying to do and also my failure in doing so. "Don't worry, Bella. I'll tell you what. We'll go dress shopping tomorrow, and not only will we find the perfect dress for you, but I'll make sure we find you a seamstress you trust, too. Would that make you feel better about it?"
Bella's eyes lit up, and I knew I was in the clear. Alice had just earned her weight in gold as far as I was concerned. "Thank you, Alice."
"What about your color theme, Bella?" my mom spoke up, now that the first fire was put out.
"Well, I suppose it kind of depends on the room, the venue we choose," Bella began thoughtfully. Not for the first time in the past hour, my heart sank. She was really not going to make this easy for me. I frowned; what did that even mean, it depended on the room? Surely you could decorate any room just the way you wanted. "But I've always kind of liked the look of mostly darker purple with lavender highlights." I shoved a bite of broccoli into my mouth to hide my look of concern turned to joy in a matter of seconds when she answered the color question without any cajoling needed after all. My face almost gave me away as I tried to hide the grin that threatened to take over my face. I was feeling almost smug about being right about her favorite color. Plus, Bella was starting to look kind of excited. I hoped that that meant things would start flowing more naturally now. I'd love to hear some of Bella's ideas without everyone asking specific questions all night. I worried that she'd get suspicious if the questions continued. As if she could read my mind, Bella continued. "And you know what else I'd really love to have? Calla lilies. What do you think, Edward?" She turned toward me.
"Do the lilies come in purple?" I asked. "I've only ever seen them in white."
"I'm not sure," Bella mused. "Well, regardless, they don't bloom until the spring, so it's a bit of a moot point until we get closer to the actual day. Speaking of, when do you want to get married?"
"Before the baby," I told her, being both truthful and a bit coy at the same time. I just hoped she wouldn't be too upset when all was said and done about my having chosen the day without her input.
"Yeah, I agree, before the baby," she replied. "Do you have any specific day in mind though? I can't decide if I want something romantic like Valentine's Day, or if that's just cheesy and cliché. Our choice of flowers are more likely to be available if we wait until early March, but then what if he's born early? Where would that leave us?" Before she could worry too much about the specific day, I answered her in a way that I hoped wouldn't sound like I was just putting her off and at the same time might buy me some time before having to answer her.
"Listen, love, why don't we wait until after this hectic holiday week is over and then we can sit down after the start of the New Year and weigh all the options and choose the right date for us? For now, though, let's just enjoy figuring out all the details. Sound reasonable?"
She smiled at me. "Yeah. That sounds lovely, Edward, very non-stressful which is just what the Doctor ordered, Doc. Thank-you my fiancé."
"Your most welcome my fiancée." I couldn't help but smile back at her feeling quite relieved... at least for the moment.
By the time we'd all finished eating, my mom had recruited Kim and Renee to help with the cleanup—I assumed so that she could let them in on the secret—and Alice agreed to sit with Bella in the living room. I'd recruited the rest of the men to join me for a game of pool in the game room in my parents' basement. I hadn't been down there in a couple of years—too busy with my residency and whatnot—so I was a little afraid of actually playing the game, but I reminded myself that that was a ruse, anyway.
With the door at the top of the stairs firmly shut, I descended the stairs and faced my father, brother, and future father-in-law. "I didn't actually invite you guys here to shoot pool," I confessed.
"What?" Jasper complained. "It's been forever since we've played, and now, the first time in two years we're all here and ready and willing to play, and you say you don't want to?"
"I didn't say I wouldn't play, just that that wasn't the main reason for the invite. Let me talk for five or ten minutes, and then we'll play. There's something important I need to tell you guys." I leaned back against the pool table and crossed my arms over my chest, looking from face to face.
Charlie looked skeptical; I could just imagine the thoughts running through his head. He'd been pretty quiet most of the day, save for when he gave Bella a hard time for not answering my proposal right away. I suspected he was wondering how many more bombs I could drop on him. I did feel a little bad, now that I thought about it. It had been a tough year for him and Renee as Bella's parents. They'd gone through everything with her just as much as I had. And I had to admit, it had been one heck of a rollercoaster ride so far, with no immediate prospect of slowing down. I took a deep breath and just dove in, explaining everything to them, and concluding with the fact that I knew I couldn't do it all on my own, and would be grateful for any help they'd be willing to give me.
"You really want to marry my daughter next weekend?" Charlie was the first one to speak after I'd described my plan.
"Yes, sir, I do. More than anything."
"Well, good. I'm in. What about you guys?" He looked expectantly at my dad and Jasper.
They were still looking at me like I had two heads, but upon hearing Charlie's acceptance of the plan, they seemed to recover slightly. "Yes, of course," my father replied.
"Sure, whatever, so long as we can actually shoot some pool now," Jasper replied pointedly. I chuckled at my brother's never-failing pseudo-selfishness. I knew he wanted to play the game, but I also knew he'd be willing to talk this over as long as I wanted to.
"Okay, what do you say to my best-man racking 'em up for me?" I gave Jasper my crooked smile as I extended my hand to him.
"Of course man." He smiled as he took my hand and pulled me in for a one armed hug. "Dad, how about you get us a couple of cold ones, while I set up the balls," Jasper suggested. "I think some celebrating is in order."
By the time we'd finished the game—to my surprise, Charlie won—we'd planned a tentative schedule for the four of us for the upcoming week. While Bella and the girls were going to be out shopping for a wedding dress tomorrow, the four of us were going to go to one of those small, independently-owned menswear shops in the hopes that with the more personal service they'd be able to provide, we'd actually be able to get our finery back in time.
The dads were going to work on some of the 'heavy-lifting' items—renting chairs and space heaters and getting it all set up. Jasper decided that although whatever Alice was going to be working on would undoubtedly be 'feminine,' he'd rather spend the week with her regardless of what they were doing. After getting my tux, I had several other items on my agenda; I was definitely in for the busiest week of everyone.
x-x-x
I'd hoped that the tux shop would be able to fit us in and get us outfitted in the six remaining days I'd allocated, although in my heart of hearts, I didn't expect much. When the five of us—I'd called Jared the night before, after Bella had gone to bed, asking him to be my second groomsman, and he'd happily agreed—entered the tiny store, I was even less sure about my decision to not go with one of the major chains, and I almost suggested we go to one of those instead. The proprietor walked out then, though, having heard the tinkling of the bells attached to the door, and it was too late. The old man reminded me of Aro from the jewelry store a bit. Maybe that's just me being ageist, though. I'm sure not all old men in the city look alike. "What can I help you fine gentlemen with today?" the man asked in a voice that bustled with energy, much unlike his appearance.
My father placed one hand on my back and pushed me forward. I cleared my throat and spoke. "Well, actually, we need to be fitted with tuxes, all five of us, but the thing is, we're on an extremely short timetable."
"How short?" the man asked suspiciously.
"A week?" I realized that my voice was suddenly meek and afraid sounding, and that my need had come out sounding like a question.
He looked at me as if he were making a decision based on the way I looked right now as to whether or not he'd be able to accommodate my request. "What's the occasion that you need five tuxes done within the week?" His expression had softened, and for the first time since we'd entered the room, I had a feeling that this might actually be possible.
"Well, I just proposed to my fiancée last night, and she accepted." The proprietor of the store was about to say something else, but before he could, I continued. "Her father," I gestured toward Charlie, "has to go back home to the Seattle area in ten days. So we're getting married on Friday, so he can be here to walk his daughter down the aisle."
"Oh, that's lovely," the old man said, and he smiled at us. "Well, let's see what we can do for you. I'm sure I can help you out with that." I felt like a weight lifted from my chest. He was going to try to get the job done for us. "Take a look around the shop, decide what you want, and we'll go from there."
"Thank you very much," I told him appreciatively.
"That's why I'm here," he replied pleasantly.
After about twenty or thirty minutes of browsing the suits, I found the one that would be perfect. It was a traditional white shirt with black pants and jacket, but the vest and tie were a matching shade of purple—just what Bella had said she wanted as her wedding color. Also, the tie was a traditional tie rather than a bowtie, and I really liked that, too. It was a little break from tradition, which felt right to me. With the suit chosen, the tailor got to work measuring us and making notes on a small notepad.
"I'll place the order today," he told me when he'd finished making the notations. "And I'll make sure to express to my supplier the time sensitive nature of this particular order. I'll call you tomorrow with the details; I'm good friends with the supplier of that particular label, though, so I'm sure it won't be much trouble to fulfill your order on time."
"That would be wonderful, thank you so much." I had one last thought before we left the tux shop. "Does this vest and tie combo come in another color? Something a little less pronounced, perhaps?"
"I believe it comes in gray, black, and champagne, as well as the plum," he told me.
"Can we get mine in the purple and the other four in gray?"
"Of course. I'll make the change to your order form."
"Thank you again," I told him.
We left the menswear shop, and because it was Sunday, there was really not much more I could do before the next day. I didn't think Bella would be done shopping yet—so we all went back to my parents' place. The other four went down to the game room to play another round of billiards—Jasper wanted a rematch from Charlie—and I got to work on a workable guest list. My side was easy; I included everyone I'd already talked about with my mom the previous day, and added my father's close friend (and my namesake) Edward Masen and his wife Elizabeth. Growing up, they'd been like family; Jazz and I even called them 'uncle' and 'aunt.' It had been a long time since I'd seen them—too long, really—and I knew that I wanted to have them there on mine and Bella's special day. Of course, there were also my parents, Jazz, Jared and Kim, Dr. and Mrs. Snow, and Reverend and Mrs. McAlistair. That was eleven. On Bella's side, there were those who were already here, Charlie and Renee, Alice, and her boss, Jacob and his wife. That was five more, total of sixteen, plus the two of us. Eighteen. My parents' house was huge, and there was plenty of room for a few additional guests; even to fit at the dining-room table if it was fully extended. I racked my brain, trying to think whether Bella had ever mentioned any other friends. I was sure she had other friends, of course, but I just couldn't remember any of them off the top of my head. I didn't want to risk missing anyone who had even the remotest possibility of making it here, though. I pulled out my cell phone and sent a quick text message to Alice.
Are there any friends of Bella's that I should make sure to invite?
I clicked my pen impatiently while I waited for a return message. Finally my phone buzzed with an incoming text.
How close are we to Milwaukee?
That was a weird question, and not at all the answer I expected. I figured Alice must have a good reason for asking, though, and responded back, Less than 2 hrs.
The return reply came quicker this time. Good. In that case, Angela and Ben Cheney. Their phone number and address were included in the message. While I was scribbling down the information from my screen, the phone buzzed again. What about that doorman from your old apartment? The one that you had watch over Bella? She always seemed fond of him. Not the creepy one. She was referring to Felix; that was an interesting idea. I hadn't thought much about him since Halloween, but he'd been a really good friend to Bella and me through the whole James issue. Maybe he would be an appropriate person to invite. Assuming he brought a date, my list was now up to twenty-two. Maybe one more couple to invite, to make an even two dozen. Or maybe that didn't matter. It sounded like a better number to me, though, so I considered for a moment. I would've invited the Denalis, if all five of them hadn't been so horrible the last time I'd seen them. I almost considered putting them on the list anyway, just to prove a point to Tanya that I was finally off the market for good. That just seemed petty, though, so I banished the thought. It would be better to simply avoid them as much as possible, I thought. A clean break. It wasn't like Tanya was calling me every day or anything, anyway. She seemed to have gotten the message after Halloween. I couldn't come up with anyone after ten minutes of sitting there, thinking, so I'd resigned myself to an 'off' number when the phone buzzed yet again. It was another text from Alice. I don't know what the possibility is, but Renee's parents live in Phoenix; any chance of getting them up here? Alice was brilliant. That would be perfect. I sent off a quick reply, requesting their phone number, and as soon as I had it, I got to work making the three phone calls.
I knew that it might be hard getting all these people here on such short notice, but I had to try. I dialed the number Alice had given me for Angela and Ben Cheney first. After three rings, a pleasant woman's voice picked up. "Hello?"
"Er, hi, Angela?"
"Yes. Who's this?" She sounded suspicious, and I couldn't blame her.
"Well, you don't know me, but my name is Edward Cullen; I'm engaged to Bella Swan."
"Oh! Bella! I haven't heard from her in months. How is she?"
I relaxed when Angela opened up at the mention of Bella. "Um, she's good, actually. She moved away from Seattle a few months ago, and we're living in the greater Chicago area."
"Wow. I had no idea. I wish we'd kept in better contact. If we're all living so close now, we should definitely get together more often. Especially if she's engaged! That's so great. Congratulations."
"Er, thanks. Listen, the reason I'm calling is because we're getting married on Friday, and well, it's kind of a surprise for Bella. I'm planning it all out so as not to cause any additional stress to her. That's why it's so sudden, really. Anyway, when I asked her friend Alice for the names of people I should invite, she gave me yours."
"Oh my goodness! Bella's getting married this weekend?"
"Yeah."
"Of course we'll be there."
I gave her my parents' address and the time my mom and I had decided would be best, and received another promise of her attendance before we hung up. I ended the call rather liking Angela. The only thing I debated mentioning versus not mentioning was Harrison; in the end, I decided Bella would want to have something to tell her friend, so I didn't mention the baby.
The next call was to Felix, and he seemed surprised, although pleasantly so, that I thought enough of him to invite him to mine and Bella's wedding; he also graciously accepted the invitation for two. I reminded him of how much Bella and I appreciated all his help, that he'd been a trusted ally and somewhat of a protector to us—especially Bella—when we'd lived in the apartment, and assured him that we really did want him to share our special day.
My final call of the afternoon was the most awkward. I'd never met Bella's grandparents, and I honestly should have left this call to Renee, but it came back to that trait that my mother had identified the previous night: I hated asking for help. Once I made it through the introduction of myself to Renee's father, the conversation actually went much smoother than I could have hoped for. He already knew a lot about our situation, thanks to Renee, but regretfully, they couldn't make the trip on such short notice. Funds weren't the problem, he assured me, it was simply a matter of timing. He sent his well wishes to Bella and promised that they'd send gifts before long. It was then my turn to assure him that that wasn't necessary, but he insisted, and we ended up concluding the phone call on friendly terms. I decided that I'd like to meet him sometime; perhaps after the baby was born, we could take a trip to Phoenix sometime. I reminded myself that I had too much still to do this week to try to plan a trip to Phoenix right now, though.
I looked at my watch and I had about another half hour to an hour before we really should be getting back home because Bella, Alice and her mom would probably be back by then. So I decided to look into where we could stay on our wedding night and get that booked. I also figured I had enough time to narrow down where I could take Bella for our honeymoon by checking into what the various web-based travel agents had still available, however I really couldn't make a final decision on that until after I talked to Bella's and my bosses to make certain we could both extend our time off for another week. God, I hope they are feeling generous. I couldn't concern myself about that now, though; it would be a waste of time and I had so little of that as it is.
Let's see now, somewhere warm, tropical… that was always a popular choice for a honeymoon. Maybe…Bermuda… my parents went there two years ago for their anniversary and said they loved it. It did look really exotic. I wonder… maybe, but where else? The Bahamas, nice beaches, casinos, golf courses, but Bella didn't golf—or gamble—and besides, we would be too busy for that… hopefully. Hawaii's really beautiful, the flowers, the surf, beaches—a tropical paradise with charming customs as well as all the conveniences of being in the U.S. I loved it when Mom and Dad took Jasper and me there before Jazz deported the first time. Man, that was a long time ago. I bet Bella would love it there, but it is so far away and hot—even in January—and she's pregnant; maybe we should go there after Harrison was born, when he is a few years old and we could stay for two weeks then and really enjoy it. There are so many choices, too many; wait, what is this? Maybe… oh I like it, I think Bella would really love it there. I've always wanted to go here, in fact this sounds perfect… I can't wait to explore here with Bella. I wonder if I should just book it… no don't get a head of yourself Cullen… close the link… you'll know tomorrow if you both can get the time off and you can book the trip then.
Most of these destinations had availability beginning on Sunday so for now all I could do was book a nice place for our wedding night—New Year's Eve and for New Year's, too, so we could start our honeymoon on Friday in style and leave from the hotel on Sunday for our destination, still unknown. I knew exactly which local hotel I wanted to take Bella to, too; it was the newest and most impressive looking hotel in downtown Chicago and had the best location—right in the middle of the high-end shopping and theater district, with the best restaurants and historical sites along the river and the rooms are supposed to be really luxurious and spacious with wall to wall, ceiling to floor windows overlooking the view of the city. Okay found the web page, which says to input reservation date—check. Availability—check. Name and credit card information—check. One 'Grand, Deluxe, River View Room for two nights, with a king size bed, a Jacuzzi bath, a sitting area with a sofa, a comfy chair and a 42" flat-screen, and I checked off the late-checkout option, at The Trump International Hotel and Tower—booked. Oh, Bella, I can hardly wait to take you there.
x-x-x
Bella
I was still a little nervous about going to the wedding dress place; I'd said I was okay with it mostly to appease Alice, but within ten minutes of walking into the bridal shop, I was super excited. They had an entire section of 'maternity wedding dresses,' and it turned out that Alice was right. These gowns were designed to be altered for growing bellies. I found the one I wanted fairly quickly, but that wasn't good enough for Alice. "You can't just buy the first dress you try on, Bella," she told me. I disagreed, but tried on a dozen others after that first one, just to mollify Alice's need to know I didn't overlook the one I would like the best. When all was said and done, I picked the first one, anyway. I was glad Alice didn't give me too hard a time about that.
The dress was simply perfect. It could not have fit me better – like it was tailor-made—at least for now—and was incredibly comfortable and so soft and feminine and I hated to admit it, but I just felt like I was really pretty in it, for the first time in a really long time. I couldn't wait for Edward to see me wearing it. I just knew he would love it. My eyes filled with tears at that thought… I just couldn't help it. The thought of Edward seeing me wearing my wedding dress and walking down the aisle to him waiting for me made me feel like I must be dreaming… I wanted that, I wanted to give myself to Edward so bad. My dress was made entirely of ivory satin-silk and was strapless, with a flat neckline, a fitted bodice and slightly flowing skirt, satin covered button-up closure all the way down the back, with a lavender sash between my chest and baby bump, and the skirt stopped just off the floor—that assured that I wouldn't trip over it as I walked down the aisle when the time came.
I picked a very pretty, yet delicate, pearl and rhinestone tiara-headband with floral details which I thought looked really elegant but not too princess-like or overdone. I never wanted to wear my hair up on my wedding day, so I thought a pretty yet simple head piece would be more appropriate than a veil and would probably stay in place better too. Alice suggested I purchase a pair of matching shoes, ivory, satin-covered, low-healed Mary Jane pumps; as my dress stopped at my shoes I agreed with her suggestion without argument.
"Bella, what colors did you say you wanted for your wedding?" Esme asked after my dress was safely set aside with the saleswoman. "Purple, right?"
"Yeah, I love purple and all the various shades of it."
"I saw this little sweater/jacket and thought it would be perfect to cover up with, providing you with enough warmth for a little while without covering up too much of your dress. You know, Bella, no matter when you and Edward decide to have your wedding, before the baby is due in March it is still going to be chilly, dear, so what do you think? It has little purple flowers and pink and white ones too embroidered along with seed-pearls and sequins hand-sewn all along each of the edges. Do you like it?" She held it out to me to try on. It was beautiful beige cashmere and mohair on the outside, with an ivory satin lining and all this stunning hand beaded detail and little tea-roses on the cuffs and running across the bottom, up the front and around the neckline with a single button closure at the top.
"I love it, Esme. And you know, I would be able to wear it again after our wedding too. I'll take it."
"Oh Bella, I love it too," Alice gushed.
"Do you want to look at bridesmaids' dresses while we're here?" Esme prodded.
"Oh! Yeah, that sounds good. I can't believe I hadn't even thought of that yet. I'm sorry I really should have… it's just that now that I am engaged to Edward, everything seems to be happening so fast." Everyone laughed at my comment, I'm not sure why. I looked over at Alice, my maid of honor last time, and Kim who has become an invaluable friend to me already, and I didn't need to look any further. "You guys will be my bridesmaids, right? You're my closest friends, and I wouldn't want anyone else standing up there with me. Please say you'll do it?"
Their smiles brightened the room. "Of course I'll be in your wedding," Alice gushed.
At the same time, Kim said, "I'm so flattered you'd ask me, Bella. Thank you; I'd be honored to support you and Edward in that way."
"Great," I said, beaming at them.
"Purple and lavender?" the saleswoman asked, having been standing quietly nearby the entire time we were talking.
"Yeah, that would be great," I told her.
"I think I know just the thing," she replied.
"Oh, good. Because I'm not sure I can handle Alice searching for her own bridesmaid dress," I laughed. "I'm actually a little tired; can you take the two of them with you," I gestured to Alice and Kim, "and come back to me for a decision?"
"Of course. You sit and rest, and we'll be back soon." She looked almost as excited as the rest of us; I hoped it was more than just her commission that had her looking that way. I pushed my cynicism away, not wanting to be that way. She was a perfectly nice woman, and I had no reason to suspect her of that; I was just tired, I reasoned.
I sat down on the plush, white sofa and leaned my head back against the cushions and closed my eyes. "May I sit with you?"
When my mother's voice broke through my quiet place, I allowed my eyes to flutter open and I smiled up at her. "Of course you can, Mom."
Once she was sitting next to me, we started talking. "So, this is all kind of sudden, sweetie; you just got engaged yesterday, and today you're buying a dress. How are you feeling about that?"
"Honestly? I was a little worried at first, but now I'm just excited. I'm so sure about Edward, Mom. I know things between us have gone even faster than they did the first time for me, but it just feels so much more… right this time, you know?"
"I do know. When it happens, it happens, and there's no doubt."
"Was it like that for you and dad?"
"Yeah, it really was. I think I knew your father was the one on our first date and I do believe if you were to ask him, he would say the same thing. But as much as I love your father, Bella, I didn't sit down over here to talk about me, or him. I want you to know one thing for certain. I will be here for your wedding; so will your dad. He wouldn't miss getting to walk you down the aisle for anything in the world. Remember that, okay?"
"Really?" Tears were forming in my eyes. The thought of my father showing any kind of passion for anything was…heartwarming.
"Really," she assured me. "Now, about this wedding of yours… I'm not going to talk to you about a date, because I know that's something you need to work out with Edward, but what about some of the other details? Have you thought about the venue? Or whether you want to write your own vows versus using the traditional ones?"
"Venue? Honestly, I really just want a small intimate gathering of our friends and family so the place doesn't have to be big… well not too big. I'm really hoping that Esme and Carlisle will let us use their gazebo in the backyard. Have you seen it?"
"I have; it's lovely."
"Can you imagine it all gussied up for a wedding? White twinkle lights, and tulle draped in the trees and in the gazebo with silk flowers… Oh, it would be so beautiful." I nearly swooned at the thought.
"It would be gorgeous, that's for sure."
"If we get married before the baby's born, though, I just don't see that happening," I said, a little sadly. "It'll be much too cold until at least April or May for an outdoor wedding."
"Well, Bella, I don't know about that… if the reception is held indoors and we put up warming lamps in and around the gazebo, you never know; it might be possible. Let's think on that some more later."
"Okay." Warming lamps, I hadn't thought of that; I wonder if that would warm things up enough?
"What about your vows?" I noticed that my mother seemed to come up with a solution to my problem with my first choice of venue rather quickly, like she had already been thinking about it. Had she pictured me getting married in the gazebo too? Nah! I decided to just let it go. Jeez! I must really be tired; I'm just jumping to crazy assumptions now.
"Sorry, I was thinking about what you were saying before. So, vows… I think traditional is going to be the way to go for me, Mom. I worry that if I had to write my own, I'd either not know what to say that would convey everything Edward means to me, or when the time came, I'd get up there and forget them. I want to commit to him, but I also don't want to make a fool out of myself. Is that horrible?"
"Not at all, sweetie. There's nothing wrong with traditional vows; those are the ones your father and I made to each other, and we're perfectly happy with how our wedding turned out and certainly our life together since then. The words themselves are less important than the sentiment behind them. So long as you sincerely mean whatever vows you pledge to one another, then that's what matters most."
I considered her words, and found comfort in them. I hoped Edward would be okay with traditional vows. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome, baby."
Alice, Kim, and the saleswoman came back over then, and my two best friends looked fabulous. They were in matching lavender strapless gowns, made out of taffeta, with a flat neckline, an A-line bodice all the way to the hip - the saleswoman called it a modified mermaid cut, and the skirt was topped off with a deep purple sash and slightly fuller, floor length, with a high slit up the back and a zip closure also in the back.
They both looked absolutely stunning, and I quickly approved the dresses; my face must have been really giving away my exhaustion by this point, because Esme and my mom both insisted that we take me home as soon as we'd paid for all our purchases. We had planned to go out for lunch after our shopping excursion and possibly to go to a few more stores after lunch to look for the gowns for the mothers of the bride and groom, but luckily they took pity on me and mom and Esme decided to go shopping again later in the week for their dresses and Alice offered to make us a salad and sandwiches with what I had in the fridge at home while I took a nap. I told them if they kept spoiling me like this, I might not let any of them go home, because I could definitely get used to it.
x-x-x
Monday morning, I was awoken when the smell of fresh coffee invaded my nostrils. I was instantly reminded of the Christmas commercial from my childhood. The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup. I giggled at the memory, and kind of expected Edward to roll over and ask me what was so funny. When he didn't, I turned instead toward his side of the bed and found it empty. I clambered out of the bed and into our private bathroom, where I splashed cold water on my face to help me fully wake up, then scurried back to the bedroom and dressed quickly.
My mom and Alice were sitting in the living room, chatting away. I noticed immediately that the guys were all conspicuously absent. "Morning, sweetie," my mom said when I entered the room.
"Morning. Where's Edward?"
"He didn't really give us that many specifics. Just said he had a few things he needed to get done today, and that he'd prefer it if you just relaxed today. No stress. And that he'd be back in a few hours," she replied. She had a bit of a mischievous gleam in her eyes, and I suspected that there was something I wasn't being told. I wanted to ask, but I knew that if that was the case, I probably wouldn't get any information out of anyone anyway, so I left it alone.
Instead, I just decided to go along with everyone. "Okay," I told my mom, sitting down next to her on the antique sofa.
x-x-x
Edward
By the end of the week, I was pretty sure we had everything ready. The honeymoon was planned thanks to the good people at . I'd checked with Dr. Snow, and Bella was still safe to travel the week following the wedding, so the trip was booked. I just hoped she'd like it. During that same visit to his office, I'd managed to secure a last-minute week of time off for myself, and invited him and Mrs. Snow to the wedding, which he had humbly accepted. I'd visited Bella's boss, Jacob, and invited him and his wife, Leah, as well; he'd also been extremely flattered and accepted the invitation and graciously gave Bella the extra week off from work. I'd spent hours with my mom choosing a menu, a cake, and the flowers. Oh, the flowers. If I never saw another calla lily after Friday night, I'd be okay with that.
I'd visited the jewelry store where I had purchased Bella's engagement ring, for our matching platinum wedding bands, and decided on buying earrings as well, since they matched Bella's engagement ring perfectly—with the diamond and sapphire circles—only they were a little smaller and had stud backs. I wanted to give Bella some kind of a gift in honor of our wedding and when I saw them I knew they would be the perfect present to represent the occasion. They cost a little more than I was planning on spending, but I decided, what the hell, I'm only getting married once and Bella was certainly worth it.
I secured the chair rentals and my Dad ended up purchasing the heating lamps for his patio and gazebo instead of renting them; he said he had wanted to buy some for a long time anyway, and Alice and Renee, on top of keeping Bella occupied, had somehow managed to secure all of the decorations for outside including the twinkle lights, yards and yards and yards of this white silky, gauzy material and white, pink and lavender silk flowers and hid them at my parents' house until it was safe to decorate, along with the bridesmaid's dresses, my mom and Renee's dresses and Bella's wedding dress; Alice had insisted that I not see it until the ceremony started.
They were going to get more of that white material to drape around the foyer, and living and dining rooms as well as a purple carpet for a runway to lay outside, extending out from the back door to the gazebo, but my mom told them she could borrow a runner from the company she uses for her interior design work to save a little money. My mom also decided to forgo most of the draped fabric for inside the house except for the railing surrounding the circular staircase in their foyer which leads up to the bedrooms, and instead she went with candles as decorations, lots and lots of them in addition to the flowers everywhere.
Charlie had commandeered my laptop for a few hours and secured a local photographer and his partner—a husband and wife team—who would be making a DVD of our wedding and reception. When I'd told Charlie that I'd pay for it, he declined, insisting that he wanted to provide something for the wedding, so I didn't argue with him.
When I mentioned in passing to Alice about needing something to keep Bella occupied on Friday until it was time to get dressed for the wedding, she suggested a spa day for the five women. "It's a double whammy," she'd said. "It'll keep Bella busy while you get the house ready, and she'll be looking radiant by Friday night; so will the rest of us, and then all us girls will have to do is get dressed. Oh and Edward, might I suggest we book the following treatments at the spa: a manicure, pedicure, hair, make-up and if you want, a massage would be wonderful, at least for Bella. She'd love it." It was a great suggestion, so I spoke with my mom about which place was a good one and I booked the spa the same day Alice had made the suggestion, and presented the gift certificate to Bella that night.
She'd eyed me suspiciously after she opened it, but I'd spoken quickly, insisting that I wanted to do that for her and her friends. "You know, before your mom and Alice go home. You guys should have a really special experience before they leave." She couldn't argue with that, and keeping the secret in about what else was going on that day after that, had been the most difficult part of the week.
I woke Bella up on Friday morning so she could get ready and join her mother and Alice who were drinking coffee and waiting for her in my kitchen, so that the three of them could head out to a little bake shop on the way to the spa for bagels with cream cheese and more coffee. Kim was supposed to pick up my mom and they were going to meet up with Bella and party at the bakery before heading over to the spa. As soon as the three of them had left our house, I hurriedly whipped off my pajama pants, took a quick shower and slipped into my jeans and pulled a dark gray t-shirt over my bare chest. Jasper and Charlie took a little longer to get ready because they had to take turns in the upstairs shower. We had a quick breakfast of fried eggs, toast, juice and coffee which we scarfed down and I hurriedly washed up the fry pan and shoved the dishes in the dishwasher; by ten, we were ready to go.
We made it to my parents' house by about a quarter to eleven, and wedding preparations were already underway. It was rather overwhelming, honestly. My father had done a phenomenal job getting everyone started on their jobs in my absence, and I didn't have too much to do now. I mostly was just an overseer for the day. The wedding was scheduled for six-thirty, I'd asked the guests to arrive by six—but no earlier—in order to maintain the surprise for Bella. I'd told Bella and her mom to arrive at five or five-thirty for a New Year's Eve party—for just the family and Kim and Jared. She knew that I was planning on being here to help set up for the party and that her dad and Jasper were coming with me, but as far as I knew, she had no idea that the party was actually our wedding.
At four-thirty, I headed to my childhood bedroom, where my tux was waiting, and sat on the bed I'd slept on for most of my eighteen years in this house. I hadn't spent much time in here in the past ten years, but my parents still kept it for me looking exactly the way I had left it. My mother was afraid of removing anything and then having me—or Jasper in the case of his room—need to come back home. I removed my sneakers and socks, and gazed around the room. The music motif was still very prevalent in the room; in high school, I'd been very into piano and guitar, but once I hit college and especially medical school, I hadn't had time to play. I made a silent vow to start that again once Harry was born. I could teach him both of those instruments when he was older. One thought hit me as I sat there, with bare feet in my old bedroom. I hurried over to my desk and found a yellow legal pad—not the most romantic paper in the world, but it'd do—and a ball point pen. I scribbled out a letter to my Bella, something I wanted her to have on our wedding day, and folded it in half before scrawling her name on the outside and walking down the hall to my parents' bedroom, where it was decided that she, Alice, and Kim would be getting ready. I tented the letter on top of my mom's vanity and went back to my room.
I checked my watch and saw that it was four-forty. I had to hurry; I wanted to be ready—in my tux—by the time Renee and Bella arrived here. After the trip to the spa was complete, Alice and my Mom and Kim had come back to my parent's to help with any last minute wedding preparations and to get dressed in their wedding attire, while Renee and Bella went back to our home so they could have a snack and Bella could have a nap. Then they were to get ready for the 'New Year's Party' and come back to my parents' house in time for Kim and Alice to help Bella get dressed for our wedding and Renee would have a chance to get herself ready as well.
I had a plan for greeting her, and I wanted to be the one to tell her that we were getting married tonight. If I wasn't ready to greet her at the door when she arrived, I had a plan B; I arranged that Bella's mom would get to give her my news when she took her upstairs to get herself dressed and would meet up with Alice and Kim who would help Bella get into her wedding dress. I didn't want that, though, so I changed quickly, and was in my spot before the Bella and Renee arrived.
I heard the car approach first, and at exactly five-twenty-five, the front door opened—Bella had gotten over her aversion of just walking into this place, after my parents had assured her that she was family, too. Then Bella and Renee bustled into the foyer laughing and talking, with Bella in the lead. When she saw me standing there, she gasped.
"What are you doing? Why are you wearing a tuxedo for a New Year's Eve house party? Isn't that a little fancy?"
"This is more than just a New Year's Eve party, Bella." I descended the final two stairs and took both of her hands in mine. "This is our wedding."
The look on her face was enough to convince me that I'd done the right thing. "Really?" Her eyes glistened with tears.
"Really. I've taken care of all the details that we both wanted, with the help of a few of our friends and family," I grinned at her mom who had tears in her eyes and the women standing behind me as my mom, Alice and Kim had descended the stairs. I then heard first my dad, and then Charlie, followed closely by Jasper and Jared come through the dining room into the foyer as well. It was clear that each of them wanted to be a part of Bella's surprise and to see her now smiling face... almost as much as I did. "All you have to do is let Alice and Kim help you go get your dress on and meet me at the altar in about an hour."
"Oh, my god. The altar; what altar? I can't believe this."
"Don't worry Bells, that's what I'm here for, I'll show you the way," Charlie said with a big smile on his face.
I leaned forward and kissed her chastely on the mouth. "I love you, baby."
"I love you, too," she said, her voice breaking. "This is… this is… I'm beyond words. I really don't know what to say." She turned to look at her mom first, then her dad and my parents, then my brother who had walked over to stand by Alice and Kim and Jared.
"You were all in on this?"
They just smiled at her. Then Alice, being Alice, started bouncing up and down. "Come on, Bella, we're down to fifty-eight minutes now. I mean, you're hair and make-up's done, thanks to the spa, but we still have a lot of work to do getting you ready. Let's go." She grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her up the stairs past me, while everyone else just laughed quietly at Alice's exuberance.
"I'll meet you at the altar, love," I called up after her. I almost shed a tear myself when I pictured Bella's face in my mind again, and even more so when the thought hit me; the very next time I will see her, it will be to become husband and wife.