Yes, it's an early update of SN!!! I'm trying to purge the story out of my system so I can focus on BTSATM and MWCBM and I'll be going out of town over the weekend for my anniversary (7 years baby!) and will be going to the Colts/Patriots game--go Colts!--so I wanted to get this out before I left so that I can work on my collab for the Christmas countdown over the weekend...it's due in two days, yikes! Anyways, just had to get that out there...lol
Thanks for the reviews!!!
I'm really excited to almost be to the epilogue, since it's pretty much taken over my brain in recent days, but I'm going to be so sad to click that complete box when I do. Anyways, enjoy the chappie...I've posted links to all the wedding details on my profile, cause I know how some of you love to see it yourselves ;)
Oh, and I'm getting a wee bit frustrated with the doc manager. I'm trying to keep everything in the same format for this story, but it keeps throwing lines in between sections instead of the astricks. Weird...
*~*
Chapter 37
Edward
Our son.
After a month, it still seemed so fucking surreal that the little boy I was currently playing Duplos with was my son. Aiden was blossoming before our eyes. He was smart--exceptionably smart--and so funny. He would pick up on things and say them at the oddest times, almost purposefully. Like he knew exactly what our reaction would be when he said it--and I imagined he probably did.
Aiden took to Eli right away. After Eli would leave in the mornings for school, his sleepy-eyed brother would search the house for him and then pout when he realized he was at school. The two weekends Eli had spent at Jacob's was even worse for Aiden. He cried at the door for almost an hour the first time Eli left with his dad and Bella and I had tried everything we could think of to calm him down and explained why Eli had to leave, but unfortunately, he didn't understand. We finally took him over to my parents house to play for a few hours so that he had something to take his mind off the fact that he missed his new brother while he was away.
Bella and I had opted not to put Aiden in preschool yet, even though he was old enough to begin in the three and four-year-old classes. We wanted to give him that extra year to adjust to life not only outside of the home, but as a Cullen before we added the pressure of school and unfamiliar teachers and children.
Jacob hadn't mentioned anything about moving, and I was reluctant to say anything to Bella in case the moron had changed his mind. The only other person who knew of Jacob's visit to the hospital so many weeks ago was Alice, and that was only because I needed someone to talk to about it while Bella was recuperating in the hospital. When the dust settled at our feet and I could finally focus on something other than Jane, I realized how extremely angry I was that Jacob could even think of leaving Eli. I suppose the day he came to talk to me, it hadn't really hit me. But when it did, it hit fucking hard and I had to talk to someone so that I didn't lose my mind.
I wished that person was Bella, but I didn't feel it was my place to say the first word. And with everything going on--the two of us being on the mend and Aiden--no time actually seemed like the right time to say, 'Hey, Jacob's moving back to Forks. We get Eli full-time now'. Which was probably going to be a huge mistake on my part.
The doorbell rang, abruptly pulling me away from my thoughts. I stood up and surveyed the destruction of our living room while Bella answered the door.
Jacob came waltzing into the house and looked around. "Wow."
"Yeah. Between Eli's birthday presents and Christmas, it's a mess," Bella said with a grin.
"That's what happens when you go into labor on Christmas Eve, baby," I teased.
She pouted. "He was late. If he'd been on time, I wouldn't have this problem every year." She looked at him, the pout never leaving her face. "I can't believe he's six already."
The entire living room was scattered with empty boxes, bows, wrapping paper, and gift bags. There were toys littering the floor where the boys had dropped them, leaving them where they landed, and started playing with something else. It was evidence of the best Christmas I've ever had.
"Can I talk to both of you for a sec?" Jacob asked nervously.
Here it is.
Bella looked at me in confusion, and I nodded encouragingly in response. "All right. Want to go to the kitchen?"
"Sure."
We all went into the kitchen for what I assumed would be the big announcement of Jacob's departure. Bella and I sat across from him, and I draped my arm around her and held her close. She gave me a funny look, clearly wondering why I was already comforting her, but I ignored it. She'd know soon enough.
"So, I guess you know why I wanted to talk to you," Jacob started uncomfortably.
"I do," I answered. "Bella doesn't. "
"What?" She pulled away from me with a fearful expression. "What don't I know?"
"I'm moving back to Forks," Jacob said stoically.
"You're what?" she screeched. "Why?" She held up her hands when Jacob started to speak. "Wait. You knew about this?" she asked me incredulously.
I nodded. "He came to the hospital to talk to me about it the morning Jane took you." I could see the anger burning behind her eyes. "I didn't feel it was my place to talk to you about it, and even if I did, I wasn't sure if he was going or not. It's been six weeks and he's never said anything to you. What was the point of pissing you off if he wasn't going to do anything about it? And let's face it, we've both been extremely pleased with the little happy bubble we've been living in the last month. I wasn't about to burst it."
She nodded curtly. "I get it. But I'm not happy about it."
"I didn't think you would be," I chuckled.
She slapped my playfully on the stomach. "Don't laugh. You're in the doghouse." She turned to Jacob. "And as for you, why? How could you leave your son?"
"Bella, I know that you'll tell me that any reason I give you isn't good enough, but this isn't my home. This is your home, Eli's home. But it's not mine. Not only that, but that weekend we spent in Seattle, I found someone. I found someone that looks at me the way you look at Cullen," he said passionately.
"You're dating someone? Who?" she asked disbelievingly.
He laughed to himself. "Leah Clearwater."
"Leah Clearwater?" Her entire face registered the shock she felt before it quickly morphed to fury. "You're leaving Eli for that bitch?"
"Bella," he warned. "She's not a bitch." She stared evenly at him. "Not anymore, anyway. And I'm not leaving Eli. I'll still see him on holidays and during his breaks from school."
"The hell you will," she said heatedly. "There's no way you're walking out on him and then expecting Edward and I to give up any kind of family time with him so that you can see him during his Christmas breaks or summer vacations. You're not taking that time away from us. How are we ever supposed to go on family vacations or take him to see Charlie if you're hogging each break he gets?" I could see the rage simmering in her blood, so I gently rested my hands on her shoulders, urging her to calm down. "You selfish asshole. I-" She cut herself off.
We sat in silence for a few minutes while Bella processed what this meant for Eli. I kept my arm around her shoulders, and took her other hand in mine, rubbing small circles on her palm with my thumb.
She watched my motions and eventually laid her head against my chest as she sighed in resignation. "When are you leaving? Will you at least be here for his school's winter play next month?"
"Yeah. I plan on moving right after. I didn't want to miss it," he said quietly.
Bella snorted. "Right," she said sarcastically.
"Bella, I'm sorry. But I hope we can work something out. I want to be able to have a life but still be involved with Eli as much as I can," he said earnestly.
"How can you be involved with him when you're two thousand miles away?" She tensed up in my arms slightly as her line of thinking changed. "You of all people know what it's like to live without a parent. We both know what it's like to grow up wishing they were still around."
"It's not the same," he argued.
"No, it's worse. Because our mothers didn't choose to leave us behind. He's going to hate you for this," she whispered.
I could feel her silent sobs shake her body against me. "Sweetheart? Are you okay?" I breathed in her ear.
She suddenly pulled away from me and stood up. "Yeah. I'm going to tell Eli to have a good time with Jacob today and then I'm going to lay down. Can you get his stuff ready?"
"Sure."
She left the room without another sound.
"You're making a mistake," I said to Jacob tersely.
"Maybe," he conceded. "But I have to go."
I grabbed Eli's shoes and his jacket and took them to the living room so that he could slip them on while Jacob started the truck. I gave him a quick kiss and watched as he clambered inside and shut the door.
As soon as they'd pulled out of the driveway, I went into the bedroom and found Bella curled up into a ball on her side of the bed. I crawled in next to her and took her in my arms, nuzzling my nose with hers.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
She nodded. "I guess I'm just sad that Eli's life is going to change. He didn't ask for this," she said quietly.
"No, he didn't. But he has you and he has me. He's got a new brother and he's back in school with his friends. He'll be fine. We'll make sure he's fine," I said soothingly.
"I can't believe you knew about this and didn't tell me. I thought you promised you'd tell me everything from now on."
"I'm sorry. It's not like I intended to keep it from you. I just didn't know how to say it. Or if there was even reason to say it," I said regretfully.
"Mommy? Da?" Aiden called out from the living room.
"In here, frog face!" I shouted back.
I could hear his little feet pattering on the floor as he came running into the bedroom. He climbed up onto the bed and looked down at Bella and me, grinning happily. I pulled him down and started tickling him, enjoying his breathless giggle when I found his most ticklish spot on the side of his ribs.
I stopped and let him catch his breath, beaming at him. I flipped him so that he was on the other side of me and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"Aiden? Do Da a favor. Tell Mommy not to be mad at me, okay?"
He nodded and sat up, crawling over to Bella and taking her face in his chubby hands. "Don' be mad a' Da," he commanded.
I chuckled and pulled him against my chest, kissing his auburn hair. "How can you argue with such a sweet face?" I asked Bella, who was rolling her eyes and fighting her smile. "Our son is a very wise little boy," I joked. "You should listen to him."
"Fine," she said in mock exasperation, "I'm not mad at you."
"Good," I said smugly and leaned down to kiss her softly. "But seriously, I'll make it up to you."
"How?" she asked, smiling against my lips.
"Think of something. I'll do whatever you want."
"Hmm, I like the sound of that," she said coyly.
I flashed her a crooked grin. "I figured you would."
"You sure about this, Cullen? You can always back out," James said jokingly as we all made our way downstairs to the Bellagio casino.
We'd been in Las Vegas for three days. I showed Bella and the boys the sights and even drove them to Lake Mead; Eli thought the Hoover Dam was great. Then, as soon as the boys were fast asleep, we'd leave them behind with the designated babysitter for the night, and I'd take her out. I took her dancing and to see 'Love' and we hit every casino on the strip. I couldn't give Bella a honeymoon right away, since neither of us were comfortable leaving Aiden for a long period of time yet, but I could give her a few nights of fun before I made her mine.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure. I'm marrying Bella tomorrow and there's not shit you can say to change my mind."
"All right, but maybe we should come up with some sort of signal, just in case. Like if you tug on your left ear, that means you're ready to bolt." He grinned at me.
"I am sorely tempted to break your nose right now," I mentioned offhandedly.
"Whatever," he said, waving me off.
"Where'd the girls say they were meeting us again?" Jasper interjected.
"Blackjack tables," Emmett answered.
We got into the elevator and went down four floors before they opened to reveal four incredibly gorgeous girls. They quietly stepped in and faced the elevator doors as they closed. One of them twisted around slightly and raked my body up and down appreciatively before finally settling her gaze on my face.
"Hi," she said with a sexy smile.
"Hi," I said with a polite nod.
"Better find another guy to flirt with sweetheart, this one's taken," Jasper said, nudging his head towards me.
She looked back at me and grinned devilishly. "I don't see a ring."
"There will be as of tomorrow," I said with a wink.
"So, that makes this your last night of bachelorhood, huh?" She turned around so that she was completely facing me now.
"If you want to look at it like that, yeah."
She took a step closer and put her hands on my chest. "Don't you want to go out with a bang?" I heard Emmett choke in the background.
"A bang?" I repeated, cocking my brow. "How am I supposed to do that? I'm not allowed to see the bride before the wedding." I leaned in and nipped her earlobe. "Because if we're going out with a bang, a ghrá, it's going to be an all-nighter," I whispered roughly.
Bella stepped back and slapped my chest. "Damn it, baby, you broke character," she laughed.
"I find it a little hard to imagine that you're someone else because there's no one else for me," I said seriously. "And then you come in here looking look like that," I said, eyeing her sleek black dress. "I just want to rip that sexy fucking dress off with my teeth." I captured her mouth with mine and kissed her deeply as my fingers skimmed over the incredible dress.
"Ew, come on, guys. I'm standing right here!" Alice had her hands on her hips and was glaring at us.
"Get over it, Al. Bella and I," I paused dramatically, "we have sex. Lots of sex. Steamy, sweaty, dirty, sometimes kinky and voyeuristic-"
She launched herself towards me and put her hand over my mouth. "Stop it, Edward. I'm not listening to anything else."
"If you insist," I mumbled against the palm of her hand.
She slowly released my mouth and waited for me to say something else. Satisfied that I wasn't going to say any more she moved back over to where Jasper was standing.
"I didn't know you were such a prude, little sis," Emmett said with a grin.
"I'm not! I just don't like to hear about my brothers' weird sexual preferences. Because I know you two, you're not the type to go for plain old, boring missionary sex every night."
"No, but it does have its advantages," Emmett said thoughtfully.
The doors opened and we all exited the elevator, heading straight for the blackjack tables.
I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist. "How are the boys?" I asked over the clinking of the slot machines.
"They're fast asleep."
"Who's watching them?" I maneuvered us around a group of drunk college kids.
"All three of them," she answered, referring to my parents and Charlie.
"Why?"
She shrugged. "I don't think any of them wanted to relinquish babysitting duty tonight, so they all are doing it."
I chuckled. "They act like they're going to disappear."
"I know, it's kind of cute. Especially for Charlie," she laughed.
We played a few rounds of blackjack, then followed James over to the craps tables, where he sidled up next to some blond and flirted with her the entire time. After a few rounds, he whispered something in her ear and they walked off together to cash in their chips and I assumed to then spend the night together.
"I can't believe he's going to fuck that girl," Jasper said, shaking his head.
"Why? It's typical James behavior," I replied.
"Because." He grabbed my shoulders with his hands and shook me slightly. "Did you see the ass on that girl? It was like she brought the funhouse mirror with her, dude!"
I burst out laughing because, unfortunately, he was right. "Fuck, Jazz. If I were James, I'd be afraid that if I slapped it, it'd cause some sort of nuclear explosion."
"No, no, more like an implosion, sucking us in like a fucking vortex," he snickered.
We were laughing almost hysterically, holding on to each other so we didn't fall over.
Bella's mouth fell open. "She wasn't that big!"
"Baby, did you not see how much bigger her ass was compared to the rest of her body?" I asked, wiping the tears from my eyes. "It was insane!"
She grabbed both of our drinks from our hands and plopped them on the table next to us. "You're both cut off." She looked at her watch. "And it's late. I'm going to bed."
"I'm coming with you," I said, waving goodbye to Jazz.
"You're not allowed to see me tomorrow," she reminded me.
"I know," I sighed. "But I'm not staying down here without you."
She grabbed my face and kissed my cheek. "That's sweet."
"Why, thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I said, pressing the button for the elevator.
"I'm not yet."
"No, but as of midnight tomorrow night, you will be." We stepped inside the elevator and I took her in my arms, brushing the hair away from her face while she reached over and pressed the appropriate buttons. "I can't wait."
"Neither can I."
Bella
"Wake up!" Alice yelled, shaking me gently.
I groaned. "Go back to your pot of gold," I mumbled sleepily.
I heard Rosalie's laughter echo throughout the room. "That's not funny! Come on! We have to be at the spa in thirty minutes!" Alice screeched.
"Okay, fine. I'm up, I'm up," I muttered, throwing the covers back and sitting up. I looked around the room, squinting with the bright light. "Where's Angela?"
"Playing with your son," Rosalie said sweetly. "She's in love with him."
"Ah, Aiden is a cutie, that's for sure." I got up and stretched. "Why are we going to the spa at nine am when I'm not getting married until midnight?"
"Because, we still will have to eat, get dressed, and drive to the wedding location," Alice said in a tone like it was obvious. "Plus, there's pictures."
"I thought you said it was just outside the city."
"Um, I may have fibbed just a little." She fidgeted with her hands nervously.
I stared at her. "How little?"
"You're actually getting married in California?"
I laughed once. "You've got to be joking."
"It's only two hours away. We can leave here at eight and get there in plenty of time. It's perfect, Bella. Trust me. You'll love it!" She grinned at me.
"Well, let's go. I apparently have eleven hours worth of God-only-knows-what planned for me. Might as well get to it," I said, grabbing my toiletry bag and heading for the shower. "Can I let my hair air dry?"
"Yep. That would be perfect, Bella." Rosalie's voice was right at my ear.
I whirled around and jumped back, surprised that she was standing right behind me. "Jesus, Rose. You scared the hell out of me."
"Don't shave."
I blinked. "What?"
"Don't shave," she repeated firmly. "Just trust me."
"Aw, Rosalie, if you've set me up for some stranger to torture me all day, I'm going to be pissed!" I turned on the shower and roughly slammed the heavy glass door.
"Edward will love it, I promise." She fluttered her eyelashes. "Just get your shower and get dressed so we can go. I'd rather Alice not go all Leprechaun on our asses today." She mimed some sort of scary ghost. Or maybe it was a zombie.
I sighed. She used the Edward card. "Fine. You owe me."
"You might change your mind about that that once he sees it." She winked and walked away.
I took my shower, kissed the boys, and headed down the spa with Alice, Rosalie, Angela, and Esme. Every inch of me was scrubbed, sloughed, massaged, and manicured. When I could, I munched on fruit and the hors d'oeuvres that would occasionally pass me by while sipping on champagne, although, I had to watch my alcohol intake so that I wasn't inebriated for my own wedding. And as promised, I left the spa completely hair free and still smarting.
It wasn't an experience I ever wanted to repeat. It ranked right up there with labor pains.
We went back to the suite and had room service bring us dinner before Alice started getting my other two bridesmaids and herself ready, tying Angela's and Rosalie's hair in loose knots at the nape of their neck and then of course, touching up her usual spiky-do. I didn't know if Alice's hair did anything else...maybe it was like Edward's?
Once she was finished, Alice worked on my hair, curling it in large sections to create loose waves, and then pinned it carefully so that it cascaded down my right shoulder and draped over my breast. She then placed a crystal flower just above my ear. Once satisfied with my hair, she started working on my makeup, keeping it light and romantic. She added just a hint of blush to my cheeks, because she knew I'd be blushing like crazy throughout the ceremony anyway, and then applied a shimmering white shadow to my brow bones. She lined my eyes with black liner before applying mascara to my eyelashes and a deep, ruby red gloss to my lips.
It was very old Hollywood glamour. I loved it.
Alice brought in some sort of box from the living room, and I was thrilled to see it held our bouquets. I gently pulled mine out to admire the white anemone flowers with the navy blue centers. As I slowly put it back, I looked out the window and saw the sun beginning to set over the mountains.
It wouldn't be long now.
The nerves started fluttering in my stomach and caused my blood to leap in my veins. I had to focus on keeping my breathing steady so that I didn't hyperventilate.
"Bella, sweetie? What just happened?" Angela came over, holding her midnight blue gown in her hands.
I swallowed thickly. "I'm nervous, all of the sudden."
"Cold feet?"
"No, not exactly." What was it I was feeling? "I think I'm afraid I might fall and split my dress so that everyone can see my ass." My giggle had a hysterical note to it. "Or that Edward will change his mind and leave me at the altar?"
Angela shook her head and looked at me sternly. "Never. I've never seen anyone look at anyone else the way he looks at you. I don't know him very well--and I expect that to change in the future even if we live so far away from each other now," I laughed, "but his entire world revolves around you and those boys. He's not going anywhere."
I took a deep breath and felt somewhat calmer. "Thanks, Ang. You always know what to say."
She smiled at me. "I can't believe you're getting married before me!"
I pulled her into a hug. "Well, if you didn't have to plan everything so far in advance, you'd be married already! It's not my fault you set your wedding date eighteen months after you and Ben were engaged."
"Well, June will be here before we know it. And you'll get to return the favor and be my maid of honor."
I internally cringed. "Don't remind me," I muttered, causing her to laugh.
I helped them all into the floor length gowns Alice had made and beamed when I saw how flawless their pale skin looked against the deep blue and how elegant they looked. The dresses had a plunging v-neck and fitted ruching of the fabric around their waist and hips before it flared out at their mid-thighs. Alice had customized it to each of their heights; it was better than I could have ever imagined.
I slipped on my white dress and ran my hands over the intricately beaded Chantilly lace while Alice zipped the dress up at my side. I went over to the full length mirror right outside the bathroom and nearly cried. The silhouette of my gown matched my bridesmaids, fitting perfectly through the bodice and hips until it came to my mid-thigh and flared out in a trumpet shape. The sweetheart neckline draped perfectly over my breasts and the capped sleeves fit my shoulders, not slipping once.
"It's incredible," I breathed in awe.
"You really like it?" Alice asked with a hopeful expression and wide eyes.
"I love it. It's perfect. Thank you. You're a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world, Alice Whitlock," I said softly.
"He's going to lose the power of speech when he lays eyes on you," she said with a wicked grin.
"That's what we were going for." I gave her a sly smile in response.
Rosalie tucked the camera she'd been using to take pictures all afternoon into her bag and slipped on her shoes--while we did the same--and we all started downstairs to get into the one of the limos Alice had rented for the evening. We all managed to climb in without destroying our dresses or ruining our hair and headed towards the spot in the Mojave Desert Alice had found for the wedding.
Rosalie checked her phone and smiled. "Emmett says Edward's freaking out. He's ready for midnight."
"So am I," I replied with an edge of longing in my voice. I hadn't seen Edward since last night and without all the rush and business of getting ready, I was noticing how empty I was without him, how much I missed him and our boys already.
We stopped and met the photographer on the side of the road just before we left the valley and he took some shots of us with the sunset painting the sky in vivid hues of pink and orange. I turned to face the mountain that stood behind us and saw that it had darkened so that the sky looked like it had been lit on fire by an invisible source. I couldn't wait to see what the pictures would look like.
The drive to the Mojave Desert seemed to take forever. Alice ran through everything with us, and she triple checked her file folder to make sure we had the necessary paperwork for the minister to sign after the ceremony. Watching her take on the role as wedding planner was a welcome distraction for my frazzled nerves.
The photographer took even more shots of us while we waited for Charlie, Carlisle and Esme to arrive with Eli and Aiden. They finally pulled up and jumped out of the car, racing over to me in their adorable little black tuxes. After being gushed over by Edward's parents and my father, I took my place behind the accordion wall that had been set up and did the only thing left for me to do.
Wait.
I heard the crunch of the tires over the gravel before I felt his presence. Like a current running through me, the electricity grew stronger and stronger with each passing moment he was near.
"Hey." His voice was liquid satin from the other side of the wall.
"Hey," I said back, my voice breaking with the tears that threatened to consume me again.
"Put your ring on your right hand, like a promise ring."
I realized I still had the Claddagh on. "What?"
"Please. Don't ask questions, baby. Just do it," he chuckled.
I followed his instructions and switched the ring from my left ring finger to my right. "Okay."
"Okay." He was silent for a moment. "I've missed you today."
"I've missed you, too." I bit down on my trembling lip so that I didn't cry.
"Think I can sneak a peek really quick?" he asked mischievously.
"No!" I giggled. "Go take your place so I can see you."
"All right," he chuckled. "I'll see you in a few minutes." I thought he'd left, so I was surprised to hear his gentle voice again. "Bella? I love you."
I took in a quick, sharp breath. "I love you."
Before I knew it, Charlie came behind the wall with my white bouquet and smiled. "Ready, Bells?"
I took the bouquet, studying the lilies of the valley and smelling the sweet fragrance of the white sweet peas. "I am."
Everyone came behind the wall and took their positions. James held out his arm for Rosalie and turned in my direction, letting out a low whistle of approval through his teeth.
"Cullen is going to fucking flip when he sees you. You look gorgeous," he said with a grin.
"Thanks." I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks already.
The music began--the slow, beautiful sound of the piano played in the background. Edward had recorded the songs for the wedding while playing them on Esme's piano. Knowing that it was his graceful fingers that flew over the keys made the music even more special, more emotional.
James and Rosalie left my sight as they walked to take their places near Edward. When it was Alice and Jasper's turn, Alice blew me a kiss and Jasper threw me a wink, just before they began their ascent up the aisle.
Emmett placed a quick kiss on the top of my hair and took Angela's arm. "Knock 'em dead, Belly Bean."
And then there was no one left but me and my father; no one else was standing between me and the man I was about to promise my life to.
Charlie silently offered me his arm and I immediately grasped onto it while clutching my bouquet in the other hand. We walked and made the turn so that I was facing our family. Eli and Aiden jumped and squealed at the sight of me, making me giggle, and Carlisle had to calm them down while struggling not to laugh at them himself.
I tried to take everything in at once; the soft flicker of white candles standing tall on silver pillars, the white aisle runner that was keeping my dress from touching the sand, the beautiful arbor, heavy with the white wisteria that hung over our heads, filtering the moonlight into soft, silver rays, the crystal clear sky, shining with millions of stars, and the backdrop of the mountains and dunes that surrounded us. I saw it all, but was too wrapped up in Edward's appearance to fully appreciate it.
His coppery hair was standing in a forest of tufts on top of his head, and I knew he'd been raking his hands through it nervously while he waited for me. His black tuxedo fit him perfectly, skimming the line of his broad shoulders and made his pale skin almost glow in the moonlight. His face was lit up by his exultant smile, echoing my own. But his eyes--they were pools of green emotion, communicating his deep love and devotion to me; the absolute adoration in them was literally breathtaking. It hitched in my throat and I nearly sobbed aloud with the surge of emotion that came over me. It was all I could do not to break away from Charlie and leap into his arms so that I could feel his lips against mine.
And then finally--finally--I was home. My hand was placed into his and all was right with the world. He took his free hand and traced the line of my jaw with his fingers.
"There," he cleared his throat, trying to control his emotions, "there are no words to describe how utterly stunning you are tonight or how happy I am to be able to make you my wife. I am so fortunate to have found you, a ghrá."
Bingo. "Thank you, I feel exactly the same way," I said, feeling my face flame up. "Let's go get married now so I can spend the rest of my life referring to you as my husband."
"You don't have to ask me twice." He grinned crookedly.
We said our vows, wiping each others tears from our cheeks, smiling at the evidence of our love for one another as we did. Before I knew it, we were exchanging rings, only they weren't what I'd expected. Instead of Edward placing the Claddagh back on my finger and me giving him the solid, titanium band he'd picked out, they were matching two-toned bands with a continuous Celtic design surrounding a row of diamonds that wrapped around the entire band.
He placed the ring on my finger and I felt the jolt of power that came from it shoot up my arm and settle in my heart, becoming a gentle shimmer that seemed to linger there.
I repeated the action and then grinned at him while I waited for those magical words to be spoken.
"By the power vested in my by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Edward, you may kiss your bride."
Our entire family erupted in applause and cheers around us as soon as our lips met. He kissed me with such tenderness, I went pliant in his arms and sighed.
Eli and Aiden came running over to us, breaking our kiss. "Momma! Momma!" Eli shouted excitedly. "Are we married now?"
I bent down and cupped his face in my hand. "Yes, baby. We're married now."
*~*
OK-there's wedding night sexin' for all your horny folk out there in the next chapter ;)
And the comment about the funhouse mirror? Yeah, Matt (Marine hottie friend Navyward is loosely based on) said that to me a few nights ago while we were out. Only, he said something about smacking the chick's ass and new galaxies forming or something, but I was a little too inebriated to remember it exactly. The hubby seriously did what Bella did and cut us off, LOL.
Fun times :)