Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I am just using the names that she created for her wonderful story.

X-NessieCullen-X, as always, has preread and beta'd this little project of mine. She's fantabulous and keeps me sane :)

Chapter 37

Family Bonds

"Lanie, I really like this one!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands as she bounced on her toes. Alana was standing behind her in a pretty red dress with black and gold sequins covering it. The bottom of the dress was cut so that the front was up higher and the back dipped down into what looked like a short train. It wasn't so short in the front that Edward would have a problem with it and it didn't show the cleavage that the last dress did.

"It's really pretty on you," Bella agreed, snapping a picture of it with her phone. Lanie spun around in the big mirror on the wall in the dressing room and smiled.

"Do you think...that Embry will like it?" she asked, looking down at her flip flops underneath the dress.

Bella crossed her arms as a smirk crossed her face and Alice gave a sly smile before saying, "I thought he was just a friend."

"He...he is," Lanie stuttered. "I'm just going to go change."

"Wait," Bella laughed, pulling her back towards the mirror. Meeting Lanie's eyes in the mirror, she stood behind her and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Is this it? You just say the word and we'll go check out somewhere else if you don't want it. I don't want you to wear a dress you don't like."

"I love this one but the price is ridiculous."

"Well, Bells and I are splitting the cost so the price doesn't matter," Alice spoke up, coming up behind Lanie's other shoulder.

"You guys don't have to."

"We want to," Alice shrugged. "So, tell me about Embry. Is he cute? How old is he?"

"Alice..." Bella began, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear all of this.

"He's really cute and really sweet and he's a year older than me. He's a sophomore."

Bella couldn't help but smile at that. "Edward isn't going to let you go if he thinks you two are more than just friends."

"That's not fair!" Alice exclaimed. "She's not a nun. He needs to let her live a little."

"He'll let her go," Bella sighed and then hinted. "It's just that he'll be uneasy about it...if we tell him that you like this guy."

"If?" Lanie asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I won't say anything if you don't," Bella conspired, "but you are going to tell me if you two become more than just friends and we're going to have a long talk. Got it?"

Alice just smirked, knowing exactly what talk Bella was going to have with the teenager. Bella didn't plan to spill everything to Lanie but she did need to know the girl had a grasp of what the consequences could be of giving into hormones. Bella hated that even thinking about babies made her chest tighten a little.

"Deal," Lanie smiled in appreciation at the lady she looked at as a parental figure as well. "Speaking of, when are you and Eddie going to get married and have a baby?"

Bella laughed out loud, her face turning red. "What do you know about having babies?"

Lanie just gave her a knowing smile and Bella blushed even deeper. "Alright, you two, let's go pay for this dress before Edward starts calling Bella's phone and demanding for us to bring his sister home. I think this is definitely the one and, Lanie, I'd love to meet Embry."

Bella just led Lanie back to the dressing room to unzip the back of her dress, leaving Alice looking after them with a smile on her face. "I won't lie to him for you but I do want you to be honest with me and I promise that in return, I'll keep what you tell me between us. Unless, that is, you tell me something that could hurt you. Just know that you can come to me, okay? I know you're going to come up against things that you don't want to discuss with your big brother. Know that you can come to me."

"Thanks, Bells. I know you two have your fights and stuff but I really want him to marry you. You kind of...make life better for both of us."

Edward stepped into Lanie's room on Friday night and smiled. Her hair had been done by Rosalie, her make up by Alice, and Bella had helped her get dressed. It scared the hell out of him that she looked so grown up. Edward wanted to talk to his sister one more time before she headed out for her first big dance. Now, though, he realized he wasn't sure what to say.

"Hey, Eddie. Embry's mom and dad should be here soon to take us to the school."

"You look awesome, Lanie Mae."

"Thanks. Are you okay?" she asked with a smirk, knowing that he was stressed by the situation.

"I just...can't believe you're in high school and everything. Time freaking flies." Neither sibling said anything for a long stretch before he spoke again. "Well, you know to call me if you need anything tonight. I can drive out and get you."

"I'll be fine. Sarah's going to meet us before we even go in. Her date's parents are chaperoning."

"Did they need chaperones?" he asked, wondering if he'd missed the note home.

"No. She's on the PTA. You know, you don't have to do that kind of stuff. Mom and dad never would have."

He sat down on the bed and looked up at her. "That's not a good enough reason."

"Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you're the one that took care of me, even before they died. Next year, I'll be as old as you were when I was born."

Edward didn't know how to respond, wondering how she could possibly know about the late nights he'd spent getting up with a newborn when he was still basically a kid himself. "I don't regret any of it," he finally said.

"I also figure that without you, things would have been really bad for me. So, thanks. Oh, and Bella's pretty awesome, too. She's like the perfect girlfriend for you."

Edward smiled up at his sister, knowing that their bond was one that not many people would ever experience. "I think she's pretty perfect, too. I love her very, very much, Lanie."

"I know. I told her when we went to get my dress that I hope you two get married. I kind of love her, too."

"Lanie!" Bella called from the hallway, "they're here!"

Standing up, Edward tucked a stray piece of hair behind his sister's ear and kissed her forehead, "Can't wait to meet him."

"Be nice!" she laughed as the two walked down the hall towards the front door.

To his relief, none of their new visitors made any comments or even descending looks concerning their meager home. "Edward," Lanie began, "this is Embry's mom and dad. Guys, this is my brother, Edward."

"It's wonderful to meet you," Embry's mom smiled, reaching out to shake his hand. "We've heard such wonderful things about you."

"Lanie seems like a very sweet girl," the dad said with a handshake as well.

"Oh!" Lanie added, pulling Bella towards them. "This is Bella. She's Edward's girlfriend..."

"Remember Miss Swan, mom?" Embry asked.

"Of course, we heard impressive things about your teaching, Bella."

"Well, we better be going. The dance starts in like twenty minutes," Lanie prompted.

Edward nodded and held his hand out to Embry, "It was nice meeting you, bud. Keep an eye on her for me, okay?"

"Wait! I want a couple pictures," Bella jumped in, pulling out her phone.

After getting a picture of Lanie and Embry before snapping a few of Lanie and Edward, Embry's mom took a photo of Lanie, Edward, and Bella together. When the door was closed behind the group, Bella kissed Edward's cheek. "You handled that well."

"He seems like a good kid with a good family. She could have picked worse."

"Come on. I have something that I want to show you," Edward smiled and kissed her on the lips. "Go grab your coat, I just have something to grab and we'll get going."

He opened the car door for her and then stalked over to get behind the wheel. Bella couldn't take her eyes off of him and despite his sexual, calm demeanor, she could tell that something was a little...off. The grip he had on the steering wheel confirmed that. To her surprise they drove out of the city and continued down a strip of highway for about fifteen minutes. A few people were out decorating their houses as they passed through a more residential area before eventually turning into what looked to be a nursing home.

Confused, Bella went to ask him who they were going to visit when he continued past the brick building and up a long drive. The house, or mansion for lack of a better word, was set back into a small hillside and lit with lamp posts and dangling lights that reminded her of the white lights her mother put on their house at Christmas.

"What are we..." Edward stopped the car immediately in front of the building and popped his door open. In seconds, he was pulling hers open as well and offering her a hand to help her up. "What is this place? It's beautiful. Who lives here?"

Edward just smiled down at her before taking her hand again and leading her towards the front doors. "No one lives here. Not anymore, at least."

"Are we allowed to just go in?"

Edward didn't answer but he did open the door and step inside, waiting for her to follow. She was slightly shocked and a little confused so she was glad he didn't pull her along by the hand he was holding. She just wanted a second to take the place in. The front entrance led back towards a staircase that came down both sides of the hallway. As they stepped through the entrance way, they passed the bottom of the stairs where a red ribbon roped off both staircases.

"No one's here, Bella, relax," Edward said as they came to a large room with tables and chairs set up. It looked like a dance hall but was small enough to make her wonder how many people could really fit in their comfortably. To her surprise, he walked right over to the back door and opened it.

Once again, they were outside and standing on a brick patio. Looking down over a little hill that had wooden steps cut into it, she saw a small amphitheater section that a small band could fit on, a gazebo, and even a small, overgrown garden. "Edward, who owns this?"

"My mother's uncle."

Bella wouldn't be more shocked by this if he said he owned it himself. "What? I don't..."

"Even alcoholics have family," Edward replied.

Immediately worried that she offended him, Bella shook her head, "That's not what I meant..."

"Relax. When we were younger my mom brought Lanie and I out here and I don't know...it was the only happy place I have of my childhood. My mom's uncle is a good man but he's been in the nursing home behind us for years. He's on a ventilator and needs constant care. This place is still his, though, and he rents it out for parties and things. Would you like a tour?"

"Absolutely," Bella gushed, a smile breaking across her face. "This place is beautiful. Did he build it?"

As the descended the stairs that lead to the second level where walking paths into the woods began, he looked back at her. "Yes. He had it commissioned for my great-aunt who was suffering with Tuberculosis. She was unable to leave her home very often and so he moved her out of the city and into this place. She died long before I was born but my mother still kept in touch with my great-uncle. I suspect it was because she wanted his money but he always treated Lanie and I kindly. He's one of the only men to ever have done so when we were growing up."

Pointing to a little bridge that lead to the area with the stage and large field, Edward told her of the birthday party he had attended for his grandmother before Lanie was even born. "They had a polka band and I can remember people dancing on the grass. The little tents were set up here but the food was served in the house. That room you walked through to come out here is what he rents out. Well, I'm assuming someone else does that for him now. I'm not sure who I spoke to when I called the other day to make sure there weren't any parties going on tonight. It has been a long time since I've been here. I'm glad to see the place still doing well and being taken care of."

To the side of the large grassy area they were standing on was the entrance to the garden. "Can we go in there?" Bella asked, nodding in it's direction.

"Sure. It looks a bit overgrown but some of the plants seem to still be in bloom. Come on."

The wooden fence around it looked like it could use a little work but Bella noticed the large sundial in the middle of the garden and the cute plaques that had a little drawing and description of what plant was planted in that particular spot. There was lavender and hosta but also bleeding hearts and what looked like grape vines. Where there was no soil, a stepping stone path created a walkway. She only tripped once on the uneven stones that had shifted over the years and Edward was quick to steady her. As they made their way around the loop to go back to the entrance, Bella noticed an angel statue with a little plaque beneath it.

"In loving memory of Elizabeth Spencer Blue. Elizabeth? Was that your mother?" Bella asked in confusion. She may have a rocky grip on his family tree but she was more than sure of his mother's first name.

"No but my mother was named after her. Elizabeth Spencer Blue was my grandmother's sister. My mom was her namesake. My family wasn't all fucked up. I truly believe that had my father not met my mother, she would have remained a good person."

"But you wouldn't be here," Bella whispered, aware of the fact that without saying anything he was leading them towards the gazebo.

As he sat down on a little bench that was built into the small gazebo, the look on his face told her that he didn't know what to say. She stood there awkwardly, not knowing if she upset him by saying that or if he was waiting for her to do or say something else. Finally, he took her hand and pulled her onto the bench beside him. Sliding closer to him, she put her head on his shoulder and cuddled into his side. His hand came to rest on her inner thigh as he held her to him. "I love you very much, Bella."

His tone was absolutely serious and it was almost like he was trying to figure out what he really want to say. The look on his face reminded her of determination as he stared up at the beautiful mansion and scrunched his face up in concentration.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Bella asked softly, taking his hand that wasn't on her leg and entwining their fingers. This seemed to pull him back to reality and he gave her a small, sad smile. "Is this about Dr. Reiner? Are you okay?"

He laughed harshly and shook his head, "I'll be okay. He seems like an okay guy."

"Did you talk about what happened to your parents?"

"No. Not this time. We talked a lot about Lanie and my status as her guardian. I went to him admitting that there was a problem and he said the typical cliche, ya know, that was half the battle. I mentioned AA and he said that it was up to me but he didn't think it was absolutely necessary. In other words, he wasn't really trying to push me into it but he thinks it would be a good idea. God, I'm so fucked up that I don't even know if I'm addicted to the shit or not..."

"Edward..."

"There's something else I want to talk about. If you still want to talk about Reiner later, I'll even tell you his shoe size but I just want you to know that I'm trying to fight this."

"I know you are."

"There's something that I want to say, though...or I guess ask... I'm sorry. I'm not good at this kind of stuff."

"What is it?"

"I know I don't have the right to ask you this right now...maybe I never did...and after last weekend especially..." His flustered sentence trailed off and he shook his head as if to clear it. Squeezing his hand harder, she brought her head to rest on his shoulder again. To her surprise, he took his hand from hers and brought it to her face, lifting her head back off of his shoulder so that he could look her in the eyes. A silent moment passed before he used his newly free hand to reach into his jacket pocket. It stayed there as he drew breath into his lungs again.

"Bella, I've been thinking about this for a long time now and I hate the fact that it took what happened last weekend to convince me that, even though this isn't a good thing for you, I can't seem to walk away and do right by you."

He was breaking up with her. She could feel her heart splintering and her chest was constricting. "I love you," she blurted, panic suddenly flooding her veins. She could only think of how she'd chosen to stick by him despite everything they'd been through and would be going through.

"I know. Bella, you're everything to me. I love Lanie but I couldn't survive without you. I want to let you go and be okay with you being happy with someone else but I can't. I know I have no right to ask you this in my current state and you don't have to completely agree to anything until we're sure I'm sober and... God, I'm fucking this up so badly..."

Bella was so confused that she took to biting her lip and desperately searching his face for clues as to what was happening. "I don't..."

"I knew from the moment I met you that you were absolutely the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen but you're so much more than that. You give everything of yourself to those around you and I don't know if you realized it or not...but you've saved my life, Bella. Those girls and the life that Tanya was trying to pull me into...you made me want to be a better person. Every girl I've ever been with put together wouldn't hold a candle to you. When I'm with you, I feel satisfied...and safe.

"I hope that someday you'll forgive me for what I've put you through over the past couple of years but I just want you to know that I'm working on myself. I want to give you everything. I want to give you a safe, happy home. I want to give you a baby but I'm not sure about being a dad yet and...that's something else I'm working on."

He was all over the place and she was just about to ask him what he needed to ask her when he removed his hand from his pocket and her breath rushed out of her. She couldn't have spoken if she wanted to-and she did want to. She so badly wanted to ask him if he was getting at what she thought he was getting at. Her brain was cloudy and she now felt flustered as well. Her hands were shaking.

"Bella, I swear to you, I'm going to kick whatever the hell has been going on with me but you don't have to make a decision right now. I won't marry you until I know I can give you the family you want but I promise you that I will. I will give you that family and I will marry you and I..."

Unable to think, Bella had to feel him and know that this was real. She had to be dreaming. After two years of struggling to accept that they would never have a child and possibly never marry, her brain couldn't even process what he was now telling her. Launching herself into his chest, she began to cry and clung to his shirt. With the diamond ring still pinched between his thumb and pointer finger, he rubbed her back and kissed her hair.

"Is this a no?" he asked, his voice breaking but he sounded like he was trying to find humor in what he was convinced was a rejection.

"No. No!" Her head shot up off of his chest and she pulled herself into his lap, kissing his lips and completely caught up in the moment.

"It's a yes?"

She nodded quickly and pulled back away from him. "Edward, this is all I've wanted. I promise, I can accept you not wanting children. I just want you. I want to start a new life with you and if you decide later that we can create new life...than we will. Until then, I want us to be married. I want to be with you forever. Can't you see? That's all I wanted for the past year now!"

Grabbing her hand, he brought it up to slide the ring on her finger. "Does it fit?"

"Yes. Oh, Edward, it's perfect!"

He just chuckled shyly and met her gaze. "I've had it for awhile. I just...mentally wasn't ready yet. I was such a fool, angel. I can't believe I ever thought that my life would be okay without you. I hate that you were hurt because of me. I promise to spend my life making everything up to you."

"When can we marry? Edward, I don't want to wait..."

"Calm down. Don't you want to make sure this is what you really want after what happened last weekend? I can't promise you that I want a baby right now..."

"No. I've waited long enough. A baby isn't a deal breaker. I know that if something happened and I unexpectedly became pregnant that you'd take care of me and our baby. I'm fine to wait it out with you. I'm fine to just hope that someday you'll be okay with it. Right now, I just want to marry you and become Mrs. Edward Cullen. I'm...so fucking excited!"

Edward just laughed and kissed her again. "This is why you've been so sad lately?"

"Yeah," she said shyly. "I felt like we were stuck. If you didn't ask me to marry you, or to even move in with you, I knew we'd drift apart. We were already drifting. We're getting married. Holy shit, you asked me to marry you. I'm going to be Mrs. Cullen."

"Breathe, angel," he smiled against her lips before kissing them to silence her. "It's getting cold now that the sun's completely down. Are you ready to head home?"

She nodded before looking up towards the big house. "How many people do you think we could fit here?"

"I'm not sure. Inside I'd say only about fifty but we could fit a lot more if we're outside."

"Let's have the reception here! It's so beautiful and perfect."

"You barely saw the inside. Come on, we'll go check it out."

The inside was beautiful with hard wood floors, a large kitchen, and even glass enclosed book cases lining the ballroom. Bella was sold. "Well, if you don't want to wait, when do you want to marry me?"

"Today. Tomorrow. Soon."

"Let's give it at least a few months," Edward smiled. "I'm not kidding, Bella. I need to know that I have control over my drinking."

"I'm sorry," Bella said softly, stepping closer to him. "I know this is a lot for you. I never expected this and especially not tonight. I'll wait for as long as you need me to."

"I wish we could marry on Halloween but I know that's too soon and even though I do want to wait a little, I don't want to wait a whole year."

Bella let out a small sigh. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Let's make our own holiday. Is May enough time? We should be clear of bad weather by then."

"Absolutely."

"I want to keep things small, anyway. A simple white dress and a few family and friends. That's all."

"Your mom isn't going to let it be just something simple," Edward reminded her.

"Good. We'll use that to negotiate with my parents."

"Negotiate what?"

Biting down on her lip, she looked up at him. "Can we...I mean, it's not like we're particularly religious... Would you consider us moving in together before the wedding?"

He smiled down at her and kissed her lips. "Definitely."

"Well, then, we'll tell my mom that we wanted to have the wedding sooner but we don't have time to plan it if we do it that way. She'll help me smooth things over with my dad. He'll just be worried about us getting pregnant before the wedding. I swear he thinks that the second two people live together, a baby pops out."

"Well, I can assure you that I'm not ready yet."

"Honestly? Neither am I. I can be patient. When you're ready, then we'll conceive. I know, though, that you'll eventually warm up to the idea. You're a good man, Edward. You're going to make an amazing father."

I would have updated last night but when I went to reread over it (I wrote this months ago), I decided that I wasn't happy with the finished piece. It was a pretty tough rewrite but here it is! Please let me know what you think! Letzy xx