A/N: Hiya! So this is the last official chapter of The Resolution and I just want to say that I love every single one of you who has left a review, favorited or alerted this story. You guys make me wanna jam out with my clam out!
Huge fist bumps to my girls MaggieMay14, Risbee, Flightlessbird11, Beegurl13, TwiOthGirly and TillyWhitlock for keeping me sane and reassuring me that I was not a complete nut bar.
I don't own Twilight; I am however, cheering on my beloved Montreal Canadiens as they fight against Pittsburgh in the playoffs. Go Habs!
EPOV
I really felt like everything was building to this moment, yet I was wholly unprepared when it actually happened. Graduation Day.
In late March I finally got my acceptance letter into the medical school at the University of Washington and my parents and Bella were both over the moon with excitement when I called them to tell them the good news. I even managed to get a bursary that I hadn't been expecting, and it helped pay for my first year's tuition. Of course my parents offered to pay for some expenses, and were actually surprised that they wouldn't be as much as they expected, because I told them I was moving in with Bella.
To say my mother was happy about the turn of events was an understatement. In fact, she was so enthusiastic about the entire thing, she put me and Bella on a two hour conference call with her to discuss specifics like when I was moving in, if she was going to my graduation and most importantly… if there was anything in particular we wanted to share with her. No doubt, she was insinuating that because we were moving in together that that an engagement had taken place, but she was mistaken. When Bella had to get off the phone to make it in time for a late shift at the hospital, my mother began interrogating me.
"So, you're going to be living in sin with Bella?" she said with a small snicker. I knew she didn't really see it as living in sin, but I'm sure she would have preferred things were a little different.
"Yes, and I am going to love every second of it," I said sarcastically as I heard her groan in the background. "Listen… I haven't proposed because I don't think we are in that place yet. It will happen eventually, alright?"
"Define eventually?"
"Maybe before the end of the year. I'm not really sure mom and don't hold me to that date either. With medical school coming up, I'm not exactly rolling in money to buy her a ring." I suddenly heard a gasp on the other end of the phone and then loud footsteps climbing the stairs. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. I just had a bloody brilliant idea though." Oh god. This could not go well. "Don't roll your eyes at me Edward. I just remembered that I had your great-grandmothers engagement ring here. It's got a beautiful diamond in it and it's very dainty," she added as I could hear the enthusiasm in her voice.
"Who the hell says dainty anymore first of all. Secondly, just hold onto it okay. I really meant it when I said we weren't ready."
"When I saw Bella a few weeks ago, she said everything was going well between you guys. What's wrong?" my mother asked, the former excitement now gone and replaced with concern. I wasn't exactly sure if I should tell my mother or not that it was clear Bella was having difficulty trusting me. Not that I blamed Bella, not in the least actually, I blamed myself completely. However, my mother wouldn't exactly see it that way. She thinks I've more than made up for my past mistakes, but would she understand?
"Listen okay… there's nothing wrong between Bella and I. Except for the fact that we are a few thousand miles apart, we are doing pretty good."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Bella is just having issues in trusting me and I'm doing everything I can to make everything alright between us. I don't blame her for worrying because my past is sketchy at best, but she is just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Those were her words, not mine."
"Oh Edward, don't you realize that by proposing, you will alleviate all those fears she has about your commitment to her?" she said as I ran my fingers through my hair and then let out a silent scream. I knew she wouldn't listen to me about this and I regretted telling her. "I understand this is your life and all that, but I'm just looking out for both of you."
"Thanks mom, but really… it's not the time right now."
Our call ended shortly after that and I was actually shocked she never mentioned it in any further calls we had. Of course, all my hopes of her forgetting were dashed the moment she showed up at my house the day before graduation with my Dad and Bella. They had all travelled together from Seattle and though my parents were staying at a hotel near campus, Bella was staying with me. Shortly after we said our hellos, Esme cornered me in the kitchen.
"I brought the ring for you to look at. Just consider it," she shoved the ring box in my hand and then walked away like nothing ever happened.
So there I sat on June 13th, dressed in my hideous blue polyester gown sitting out on the Green with the rest of the graduating students. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw Bella standing up, back and to the left of me, with my mother who was taking a few photos of the grounds and campus. She looked beautiful in a simple white dress with a big blue bow around her waist and her hair pulled up into a sleek ponytail. It was at that moment that I wondered why the hell I was hesitating in proposing to her. Was my mother right and would all Bella's fears melt away if I asked her?
I looked at her and she waved at me before the Dean started the commencement ceremony, making it impossible for me to wave back. I turned back towards the front and pretended to listen to all the speakers, but instead my thoughts were all on my future with Bella. What the hell was best for us?
"Oh my god, that was awesome," shouted Bella as she wrapped herself around me once the entire ceremony was over. I was relieved and honestly, the ceremony was a bit tedious, so I couldn't figure out how she thought it was awesome.
"It was alright," I replied simply as I hugged her against my side and kissed her cheek tenderly. "By the way, you look beautiful today," I added as my mother and father stepped forward and offered me congratulatory hugs.
"I never thought, especially after last summer, that the day would come that you would graduate from Dartmouth," stated my dad with a wide smile on his face. I couldn't recall a moment he ever looked prouder of me, if I was being honest.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I replied sarcastically.
"What? It has nothing to do with your ability; I just figured things would be drastically different when you and Bella reunited. I'm happy about both things though, although I'm looking forward to having you back in Seattle."
"Yeah, me too," said Bella as she rested her head on my shoulder and I kissed the top of her head. "Speaking of which, what time are we leaving in the morning?"
When I finally found out that I was accepted into UW's medical program, I sat down with James and we had a long discussion about what was going to happen when the year was over. James, because he had changed his major, still needed a few more classes and wouldn't be graduating until the following year. Victoria was continuing on with medical school at Dartmouth, so they wanted to keep the rental. Of course, I was all on board with this. They also went through the apartment and of the things I wanted to get rid of before I moved to Seattle, and bought 75% of the things I didn't want. I ended up giving the rest to the local Goodwill.
Bella was going to be driving across the country with me, most of my stuff shoved into the back of my car, or being shipped via UPS to her… our apartment. I was looking forward to several days in a car with her, and hoped we wouldn't get on each other's nerves being in such close confines, and thought that perhaps we would be able to talk through all our concerns. After all, I had that ring burning a hole in my pocket.
"I was thinking we would get an early start, like maybe around seven or so."
"Sounds perfect," Bella said genuinely as James and Victoria came over with her family, and we all exchanged casual pleasantries. I introduced my family and Bella to a few of my classmates, but for the most part, after a few photos on the Green, we left fairly early, avoiding some of the traffic. We went out to dinner that night, just the four of us, and it was very relaxed.
The next morning, Bella and I packed up the last few items from the house and put them in a car and I was excited to leave my life in Hanover, N.H. behind me. It seemed so weird to me that just four years ago I couldn't wait to get to Dartmouth, and now, with my diploma in hand; I really couldn't wait to leave.
Settling into our apartment had been an easier transition than I had expected. We worked well together, trading off chores and always seeming to be on the same page. Bella loved doing the laundry, so that was her chore, whereas I got the joy of vacuuming the bedroom and dusting. We shared cooking duty, with me doing most of the cooking on the weeknights because Bella was in work, and her doing a lot of it on the weekend. We hammered out all of our decisions regarding living together as we drove from Hanover.
Bella and I arrived in Seattle just after five on the Thursday evening, after stopping each night to rest. We weren't in a massive rush, since Bella had taken the week off of work, but I think both of us were anxious to get home and begin the newest phase of our life together.
The first night we spent in Niagara Falls, NY and did some sightseeing and rode the Maid of the Mist at the bottom of the falls, before settling in for the night and getting some good rest. Our second night we spent in Chicago, and the only thing we really saw there was the inside of our hotel room, as we were both exhausted and ended up sleeping in late that morning. Tuesday was our longest day of driving, as we decided to try and make up some time and ended up going straight to Bismarck, North Dakota.
Bella and I both realized that sixteen hours of driving was a bit much, so we cut the rest of the trip in half and ended up stopping in Butte, Montana for the night and staying in the grossest hotel I'd ever stayed in, before we woke up early and finished our trip. The moment we walked in the door, we both threw ourselves onto the couch and napped for two hours before deciding to empty the car and order food for dinner.
When I finally walked into our bedroom that night, I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face when I noticed a second dresser in the bedroom, which matched Bella's perfectly. "Well, you didn't think I was going to share my dresser with you, did you?" she said with a grin as she tossed all of her laundry into a bucket just inside her closet. "Ok… my only rules for laundry: the basket on the left is whites, the one in the center is colors and the right is darks. Any questions?"
"Is there going to be a test afterwards?" I asked sarcastically as she narrowed her eyes at me. "I'll take that as a no. I'm pretty sure I can handle your rules." I moved closer to her and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her neck softly.
"Second rule. Don't mock my rules about laundry."
"Consider it done. You know… we have like twenty minutes before dinner gets here and I don't really need to unpack today," I said as my hand moved down her arm suggestively.
"Whatever do you have in mind, Cullen?" she asked with a grin. I turned her around and dropped to my knees, tugging the soft fabric of her yoga pants down to pool on the floor. Just as my hand reached up to cup her panty covered pussy, there was a loud knock on the door. "Saved by the bell."
"Ugh, that just isn't right," I stated in frustration as Bella yanked her pants back up and strolled towards the front door, clutching her wallet in her hand. However, instead of finding the local delivery man on the other side of the door, there stood Alice and Jasper, holding the bags with our dinner. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"
"So much for trying to welcome Edward back home," laughed Alice as she ignored my frustration and went into the kitchen with Bella following behind her.
"It's not that we don't appreciate you visiting, a call would have been nice though," I added as I looked at Bella and she shrugged her shoulders while offering me a remorseful glance. I knew she wasn't overly pleased that we had been interrupted, but I vowed that we would pick up where we had left off. Traveling across country wasn't exactly conducive to one's sex life, so Bella and I hadn't done it at any of our stops. To say I was a little desperate for her would be an understatement.
To make matters worse, Alice and Jasper ended up staying till almost ten that night, discussing wedding details, seating arrangements, photography and dozens of other things I didn't find important. The only positive to the evening was that Jasper and I were able to sit back with some beers and enjoy the baseball game while the girls talked.
"What do you mean you don't want a big wedding?" asked Alice incredulously as my head perked up slightly from the couch and looked back towards the dining room where the girls were talking.
"It's not my style Alice. I have told you this over and over again. Just something little, maybe in my dad's backyard or at that small white clapboard church back in Forks."
"Isn't that the Christian Science church?" asked Jasper as I punched him gently in the shoulder.
"Actually, I think it no longer operates as a church but the town is trying to have it declared as a historical site cause it's so old," Bella replied as Jasper looked over at me with a small grin.
"Have you guys talked about getting married?" he asked me simply as I took a long pull of my beer and looked back at the TV where a commercial for Wendy's was pretending to hold my attention.
"Nope. This is the most I've heard about what she wants in a wedding," I admitted awkwardly.
"But you've been thinking about it right? I can tell by the way your vein is bulging on your forehead," he said quietly as I looked back at him and coughed slightly. "Do you have a ring?"
"Do you have some sort of special powers or something? How the fuck would you know that?"
"Call it a talent. I can just tell. I think it's because I've been hanging out with wedding crazy Alice for the past year," he said with a laugh as I simply nodded my head in response. "Well good for you man. When are you going to ask her? Do you think she will say yes? Are you worried?"
"Dude, stop alright?" I asked him as the game started back up again and I tried to look like we weren't talking at all. "Here's what I will say about the matter… I have a ring, it was my maternal great-grandmothers and my mother gave it to me last weekend. No, I don't know when or how I will ask her. I haven't managed to build up the courage because, to be honest, I'm not sure she would say yes right now. I'm going to wait. After all, today is the first night we will be living together on a permanent basis. Let's get over this hump first, alright?"
Jasper nodded his head in response and finally shut his mouth regarding wedding talk. Thankfully, the game ended not long after that and Jasper dragged Alice home, reminding her that they both had work the following day. After they left, Bella and I ended up falling asleep in our clothes on the top of our bed, no sex was had. Thankfully for my sex drive, it happened three times the next day and several more times that weekend.
Alice and Jasper had set their wedding date as Saturday July 31st, so the few weeks leading up to their wedding were very busy. I found myself heading over to the UW campus to get acquainted with it and meet with a few of my soon to be professors. When Bella came home each night, I tried to have dinner ready and then we would snuggle on the couch and watch a movie or call our parents before turning in for the night and making love.
It wasn't until two weeks before Alice's wedding that I noticed that Bella was looking a little tired and rundown. I figured it was just because of the stress of working a lot, having me living with her and Alice's upcoming wedding, but when I found her crying in the bathroom one night, I knew something more serious was going on.
"Bella, you need to tell me what is going on," I said as my voice was filled with worry. I couldn't help but wonder if she was about to break things off with me because I had been too clingy or she wasn't ready to live with me. After all, it had only been a month since I had moved in, but I thought things were going well.
"It's nothing Edward, really," she said as she wiped the tears from her rosy cheeks with the back of her hand and looked away from me.
"Are you going to break up with me?" I asked, unable to hold back my concerns anymore. Whenever a girl said it was 'nothing', it meant the opposite and I wasn't going to sit back and let my life fall apart around me.
"No. I love you so much Edward," she said as she grasped my face with her tear soaked hands.
"Then what's wrong?" I asked as she pulled her hands away from me and I grasped her around the waist and pulled her onto my lap.
"I'm late."
"For what?"
"What do you mean for what? For a soon to be doctor, you can be pretty dense."
"Oh," I said stupidly as my brain began moving a mile a minute, unsure of what to say to her. She was pregnant. We were having a baby. Certainly my mother would freak out now that we were living in sin and expecting a child, right? Holy shit. We were having a baby. I wondered if it would look more like me or Bella, maybe even a good amount of the two of us? This was unexpected, but it wasn't as if I didn't want this with her. We would deal with all of this together, and be stronger for it. Surely her doubts would go away when she saw how happy I was about this right? "That is fucking awesome."
Well, apparently that was the wrong thing to say because suddenly her tears starting flowing more than ever. "I'm not pregnant Edward."
BPOV
When I finally got up the nerve to visit my gynecologist that morning to figure out what the hell was going on, I was a bundle of nerves. I knew I should have told Edward sooner about my concern that I might be pregnant, but I wasn't ready. Together, Edward and I were in no place to have a child, even though I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it.
However, had I known in advance that Edward would actually have been excited about becoming a dad, I would have changed my mind. Seeing the look of disappointment on his face when I told him that I was in fact, not pregnant, was heartbreaking.
"If you were late, how are you not pregnant?"
"It was a false positive. I took a home test on Monday and it said I was pregnant. Of course, I immediately set up a test with my gynecologist who told me it wasn't the case. It was all just stress induced."
"Oh," said Edward as he nuzzled his face into my neck and let out a small sigh.
"I'm sorry I got your hopes up."
"No, you told me what I needed to know, Bella."
"I didn't know you wanted kids," I said honestly as Edward pulled back and looked at me incredulously.
"I want everything with you Bella. The rings, the white picket fence, the minivan full of kids and the finger paintings on the fridge. I want it all." He looked so serious as he spoke, that I couldn't help but find myself wondering how long he had been thinking about these things. I wanted them with him, more than I could possibly explain, but until then I don't think I grasped just how much he felt the same.
"The doctor told me that because of my medical history, it would be best to wait to try to have a child."
"Well, I'm all up for waiting since I don't think we are ready for any unexpected surprises right now, but how long did he say to wait?"
"Ten years."
"Ten years?" Edward spluttered out in surprise.
"Well, not from today, but from when I went into remission. So really, more like six years from now. Are you okay with that?"
"Bella, do you want to be with me six years from now and have my kids?" Edward asked with a grin as I nodded my head eagerly, the tears falling quicker than I could wipe them away. "That makes two of us. Now don't move." Edward suddenly got up from the floor of the bathroom and stepped into the bedroom, like a man on a mission. When he came back in, he sat back on the floor and pulled me on his lap again, holding me tight in his grasp.
"What are you doing?"
"Proving something to you," he stated simply as I looked at him with confusion clear on my face. "You just said you wanted me years from now, and you already know that I want everything with you. Every bump in the road, every single fight over who does the dishes and every single moment of intimacy. So… will you marry me?"
I looked down and Edward was holding the most beautiful antique ring, with a gorgeous round diamond on it, between his thumb and forefinger. It literally took my breath away. I clutched my hand to my chest and just stared down at the ring. "It used to belong to my great-grandmother Platt. She gave it to my mother years ago, and my mom wants you to have it. Well, she wants you to have me too, but we're a package deal. Say yes to the ring and you get me as an added bonus."
I had no idea what to say to him, all I could think about was the fact that Edward was proposing to me on the bathroom floor of our apartment as I cried in his arms about us not being pregnant. I may have gotten my own hopes up in the process of confirming things with my doctor, envisioning Edward with a baby boy cuddled up against his chest as they both slept soundly.
"So… ?" Edward urged as I shook the thought from my head for a moment and looked down at his fingers again. I couldn't help but notice that his fingers were shaking as he waited for me to say something.
"Are you doing this because I thought we were pregnant?" I asked, anxiously. Thankfully, Edward didn't get angry at the question, instead he looked at me with a hint of sadness.
"To be honest, I've been thinking about it for a while, but never wanted to rush anything with us for fear of losing you. However, the moment you said you saw a future and wanted kids with me, I knew you were no longer worried about my past. I love you. I trust you. And I could never be with anyone other than you."
Tears started to flow from my eyes again, this time from happiness and I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Instead I began nodding my head rather violently as I felt Edward grip my fingers and slid the ring on, shocked that it fit. "For the record, this so wasn't how I pictured proposing to you."
"It's perfect Edward, really," I said as I wiped some tears from my cheeks and then held my hand in front of me, admiring the ring. "I will admit, I never expected it to happen this way either, but it was genuine and you proposed by following your heart. That means more to me than anything. Can we do one thing though?"
"What's that?"
"Can we wait to tell everyone?" I asked Edward as he quirked his eye brow at me in confusion. "Alice's wedding is two weeks away and I don't want to take away from her wedding. We'll announce it when she and Jasper get back from their honeymoon, alright?"
"As long as I know you are going to be my wife one day, I don't care who knows it and who doesn't," Edward said with a grin as he lifted me from his lap and then stood up, offering me his hand. "Now, come with me. I want to make love to the future Mrs. Edward Cullen."
I couldn't help the grin that crossed my face as those words fell from Edward's lips. I was going to be Mrs. Edward Cullen one day, sooner than later, I hoped, but it would still happen. I wrapped my hand tightly in Edward's as he helped me stand up, and then I followed him excitedly towards the bedroom. I may have even skipped slightly as I looked at our joined hands, my new engagement ring featuring prominently. It really was beautiful, and I would need to thank Esme for offering it to Edward to give to me.
When we both stepped into the bedroom, the sheer need between us was palpable. I knew this was a sweet moment and that we should be making love and taking our time, but I couldn't help myself. When Edward stopped walking, I practically jumped him, wrapping my hand around his neck and pulling him down into a furious kiss, our mouths dancing clumsily against each other deliriously. "Umm… we don't have to rush Bella."
"Do you really want to go slowly?" I asked Edward as I grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it over my head and then undid my pants and removed them quickly, leaving me standing in front of Edward in a purple lace bra and panty set. Edward's eyes kind of bugged out of his head for a moment as I noticed his eyes raking over my body.
Without a word, Edward reached down and swept his arm under my knees and carried me over to bed, laying me down rather gently. His hands then ghosted down my sides slowly, taking in my curves and making me shiver at his touch. "Yes, Bella, I want to go slowly."
I let out a deep sigh and then felt his hands on my shoulders, dragging the straps of my bra down my arms, but not taking it off. I watched with rapt attention as he licked his lips and then pulled the cups of my bra down to cradle my breasts. Edward leaned forward and sucked my nipple into his mouth, sucking with abandon as his teeth nipped at the hard nub and made me groan in arousal. Fuck, he was good.
Edward switched to my other breast, giving it equal attention as I opened my legs beneath him and he nestled in between my legs, pressing against my pussy which was literally dripping in arousal. "More," I urged him as I threaded my fingers through his hair and pressed him harder against my skin as I cried out when he wrapped his entire mouth around my nipple and bit down hard. "Oh fuck."
"That sounds like something we can work on," Edward said smugly as he pulled away from my chest, but moved one hand behind my back to unclasp my bra. He pulled it off and tossed it into the closet before gazing down at me, lying on our bed. "You are so fucking beautiful."
"That's just what you say to all your fiancée's as you try to get them naked," I said with a small laugh as Edward lifted his eye brow and narrowed his eyes at me. "Or not." I let a small giggle slip out and Edward reached his hands down and began tickling my sides, making me laugh uncontrollably. When he stopped and I had a moment to catch my breath, I looked up and couldn't help the smile that crossed my face at seeing how utterly happy Edward was. I loved him with all of my heart and soul, and even though we had been through hell and back, we were both stronger for it. I could feel it in the looks we gave each other at that moment.
Edward leaned down and kissed my lips chastely before then tenderly kissing a trail down my body, his tongue tracing my nipples and my belly button, before he reached the edge of my panties. Catching me off guard, Edward took the lace edge of the garment into his mouth and began tugging my panties off with his teeth, as I lifted my hips to assist him as best as I could. When I was finally completely naked and lay out before him, Edward grinned even more at me.
"Do you think it's fair that I'm naked and you're not? Shouldn't we be going into the rest of our lives as equals?" I asked with a laugh as Edward bolted off the bed and stripped off his clothes in mere seconds.
"Better?" he asked as he crawled back between my legs and placed his hands on either side of my head, hovering directly above me. As though he was doing pushups, Edward kept leaning down and kissing me on my lips, neck, ear lobes and chest, lifting his body back up after each motion. I was groaning loudly, but not because of the intensity of his kisses, but because his hard cock was nestled right between my legs and was rubbing against my clit in the most pleasurable of ways.
"Oh god… so much better," I replied through clenched teeth as I lolled my head to the side and Edward attached his lips to the side of my neck, sucking furiously. I didn't even care that he was no doubt, leaving a hickey, because I just wanted him to mark me and love me as much as possible. I felt Edward move gently above me and when I felt his fingers dancing lightly over my clit, I knew exactly what he was doing. However, the feel of him touching me so sweetly was better than anything I'd ever experienced before. I let out a small gasp as one finger eased inside of my pussy and he began twisting it casually, before pumping it oh so slowly inside of me. It was the best form of torture, made ten times better when his thumb found my clit and began pressing firmly as he urged my orgasm forth.
I was so wrapped up in how good Edward was making me feel, I never noticed that he had moved down our bed until I felt his tongue replace his thumb, flicking and sucking wildly as he added a second and then a third finger inside me. "Oh Jesus fuck…" I shouted out as I came moments later, my back arching off of the bed as ecstasy overwhelmed me. When Edward looked up smugly from between my legs, I grabbed his face tightly in my hands and thrust myself forward to kiss him passionately, reveling in every moment and touch.
Edward hovered over me again and reached into the drawer of my nightstand for a condom, which reminded me of the baby debacle we were discussing less than half an hour ago. "Edward…" I said tentatively as he kneeled back on his heels and looked at me with worry in his eyes. "We don't… I mean… shit. Just put it away."
"Put what away?" he asked with his signature lopsided grin as he looked down towards where his erect cock was between our bodies. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to go away. Well, not yet anyways."
"I meant the condom. I've got the shot and we're engaged now," I said simply as he looked at me with wide eyes. Since Edward had moved back we hadn't used one, but now that we've gone through a false pregnancy, I couldn't help but think he was being overly cautious. However, at that moment, I knew I wanted to be closer to Edward, in every sense of the word.
"Bella… Are you sure, I mean you just had a pregnancy scare, so I want to be careful," Edward said stoically as I fought back the sheer mortification I felt at that moment.
"Dr. Nelson said that the false positive was just due to stress, not whether or not the shot was effective," I replied simply as Edward leaned down and kissed my cheek reverently, before wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me up with him, till I was straddling his legs.
"I love you."
"I know. I love you too."
"I'd do anything for you. You know that right?" he asked as his hips shifted slightly and I felt his cock graze my sensitive clit, making my head rest on his shoulder. I nodded my head slowly in response, my hair falling over my face to hide the tears that were breaking through, as I felt Edward lift my hips slightly before guiding his cock inside me and holding me tighter.
A string of expletives fell from my lips as Edward and I remained glued to our spots for a moment. "You are so fucking perfect," he said, as he moved some of the hair from near my ear and leaned forward to suck the lobe into his mouth. "So fucking warm, tight…" I lifted my hips slowly and began riding him, our chests pressed together as close as we could make them. "And so fucking beautiful."
For the next few minutes, we moved together in perfect harmony, repeating our declarations of love and devotion over and over again as we made love. Every touch from Edward was like he was memorizing my body, gentle and reverent, yet loving. It was erotic, tender and as Edward kept muttering over and over again, perfect. Edward was kissing my neck and thrusting hard inside of me when I came for the second time, clenching my entire body around him, as my fingers tugged on his hair. I arched my back away from Edward and felt him pump inside me a few more times before finally finding his own release and panting breathlessly.
We collapsed on top of the bed, struggling to find out breaths, when I felt his hand snake across my bare stomach as he pulled me against him and buried his face into my neck. "One day… we'll be married and have a baby or five, Bella."
"Five. Hold your horses there. We may need to talk about that."
"Four?" he asked with a laugh as I felt his tongue against my skin, tasting me.
"Let's start small… two. We can reconsider after that."
"Whatever you want Mrs. Cullen," Edward said as I closed my eyes and for a brief moment, saw a vision of myself in a white gown, clutching a small bouquet of flowers as our friends and family stood around us.
"All I want is you."
Two weeks later found us in Port Angeles, in the sweltering heat, as Alice and Jasper prepared to finally get married. Edward and I spent time while driving to the ceremony reflecting on how far everyone had come, especially Jasper who was now a respected fire fighter in Seattle and no longer quoted Talladega Nights every five seconds.
At the bachelorette and bachelor parties, we found out that Emmett and Rosalie were staying in Los Angeles now that they had both graduated, because Emmett had gotten a decent job working as a physical therapist at a local gym. When he had first gone to California with Rosalie to attend USC, he had no idea what the hell he wanted to do with his life, but ended up deciding on Kinesiology. Rosalie had gotten her degree in Business and was starting work a few days after the wedding in the Alumni Department at USC, so things were going really well with them.
Edward and I found it difficult not to tell our families about our engagement, particularly his mother, but when Esme noticed the ring dangling from a chain around my neck, she lit up like a Christmas tree. Thankfully, we were at their house for dinner and no one else was around at the time.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Esme gushed as she ran around the dinner table to pull Edward and I into a huge hug. "When did he ask you? Was it romantic? Spare no details."
Edward looked down at his dinner plate, apparently finding the pork chops very interesting as Esme sat back down in her seat and waited expectantly. "Umm… he asked about two weeks ago after I found out we weren't pregnant." The entire table grew silent and Carlisle let out a small groan as Esme looked like her jaw had hit the floor. "It really isn't as bad as it seems. Edward was really sweet and romantic. You would have been proud of him Esme. We both knew in that instant that we wanted a future together and couldn't see our lives without the other, so he asked me."
"Well, I guess I shouldn't get mad about the proposal. After all, the most important thing is that you guys are getting married. Have you set a date?" Edward and I glanced at each other for a moment before he spoke up.
"We're not telling anyone until Alice & Jasper's wedding is over on Saturday. We're not in any real rush to get married right now; being engaged is the best thing for us. With Bella's schedule at the hospital and me about to start medical school in a few weeks, we decided we would make plans down the road."
"How far down the road?" Carlisle asked curiously. "Did you see a doctor about the pregnancy thing Bella?" Edward and I explained to him that the test had been a false positive, most likely caused by stress and he seemed to relax somewhat. We also reassured them that although babies were something we wanted eventually, we were both too young and focused on our future to consider them. "I'm glad to hear you are being smart about the entire situation."
"Don't worry Dad. We're not rushing into anything, but it's nice to know she loves me just as much as I love her," Edward said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed me sweetly. We spent that night at Edward's parents' house, cuddled up together in his old bedroom, both of us laughing over the major changes in our lives in the past few years.
The night before the wedding, I spent with Alice at her parents' house, helping her relax and de-stress. The bachelor and bachelorette parties had been held in Seattle the weekend before, so the Friday night was simply a night to chill and watch chick flicks. Forks was going through some odd heat wave and Alice was freaking out about whether the flowers would wilt, if her hair would fall and most importantly, what she would do if it rained.
Of course, in perfect Alice Brandon style, now Alice Whitlock, the entire day went off without a hitch. Alice was beautiful in a knee length white dress, with a lace overlay, that fit her like a glove. Rosalie and I, although tired from reassuring Alice the night before, both thought the ceremony was beautiful and Rose even confessed to me while we were having photos done that she thought Emmett was going to propose before the end of the summer. I was thrilled for her, but never once spilled my secret about Edward and me. It just wasn't the right time. It was Alice and Jasper's day.
By the time the reception was starting to fade, Edward and I were both dead on our feet. We spent that night at my father and Sue's house back in Forks and the next morning, we shared with them our good news. Sue and Charlie were finally getting married in November, in time for Thanksgiving. They were having a small ceremony down on La Push beach, weather pending as Sue kept reminding me, and then a small dinner back at the house. It was exactly what they wanted, and I couldn't have been happier for them.
When Edward and I finally got back to Seattle, our lives fell into a very comfortable routine. Esme made us go to a photographer in the city to have an engagement photo taken, though we made her wait a month before she could announce the engagement formally. When Alice and Jasper came home from their Honeymoon in Hawaii, we broke the news to them, with Alice squealing loudly in excitement as Jasper gave Edward a hearty handshake and one of those cheesy half hug things that guys do.
"So… when's the date?" Alice asked eagerly. Apparently she had so much fun planning her own wedding, that she couldn't wait to help plan another one.
"There is no date yet. It's only been three weeks since we got engaged, so give us a little time to enjoy it," I said with a smile as Alice hugged me again and whispered into my ear.
"I told you five years ago that he wanted you and you didn't believe me."
"I believe you now Alice. I swear."
A month later, Esme sent us a small envelope in the mail. Edward and I opened it together with trepidation, because Esme hadn't sent us any actual mail since I had moved into the apartment over a year ago.
Inside was a small scrap of paper that was cut from the Forks newspaper, with a small photo from the pictures Esme made Edward and I have done.
Dr. and Mrs. Carlisle Cullen are thrilled to announce the engagement of their son,
Edward Anthony Cullen to Isabella Marie Swan,
daughter of Police Chief Charlie Swan and Sue Clearwater.
No wedding date has been set.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.
A/N: Yup. That's it. The epilogue is in progress and I am hoping to update it within the next week or two. Keep an eye on my blog for teasers and hints about new stories. Yes, there will be new stories, after I finish Sundrenched World.