Thank you to all my reviewers for the last chapter. It's your words that keep me going! There were some concerns expressed about finishing the story. It's my intention to finish this; in fact, we are very near the end now. It will be hard to say goodbye to Blue Edward, but the story's gone where it was supposed to go. It makes the goodbye no less heartbreaking.
As always, a huge thank you to my beta and muse, Mr. Bigg. Thank you for inspiring me and keeping me on track.
All characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No disrespect or copyright infringement is intended.
Surprise
I held her in my arms as the ferry made its way across the bay. Spending the day traveling together, sharing viewpoints and experiences, I'd kept myself grounded and controlled by remembering the contents of my pockets. Standing at the bow, watching the passing scenery, my breath began to come in shallow gasps. I released her from the circle of my embrace and turned to face her as she looked across the water, my back to the railing of the boat.
"Tell me what you're thinking, love," I asked, counting the items in my pockets. Right pocket, check; vest pocket, check. Everything was just as it should be – check, check, check.
She stood in the foggy drizzle, her damp hair waving gently around her face. "I was just dreaming about the day when I get to sleep in your arms," she said, breaking her gaze away from the scenery and looking into my eyes. "I guess that'll be tonight, won't it?"
"Yes, it will, Bella. But you've slept in my arms before," I whispered, running my index finger up the length of her arms. A small trail of gooseflesh prickled in the wake of my touch.
"I know, but this," she broke her gaze away, back to the passing coastline, "this will be different."
I couldn't deny that. She'd always been so intuitive, even if it was unconsciously so. I wanted to wrap her in my arms, shelter her from the damp, crush her to my chest. Instead, I chanted internally, Bella is tender, Bella is tender, and watched her intently.
We headed to the car as the ferry motored into the harbor. Pulling on our seat belts, we waited for the line of cars to exit, both of us anxious and ready for the coming night. The fog and drizzle faded away as we drove, leaving a magnificent cloudscape, painted majestically in the setting sun.
"Geez, it's so pretty," Bella said, leaning forward to peer out the windshield.
Her face held the wonder of the skies, and the golden-pink of the sunset bathed her in iridescent light. I couldn't take my eyes off her. "Yes, it is," I whispered.
By the time we pulled into the hotel, the sun was almost completely gone, the night encroaching on the day. I felt an odd stirring in my breast, as if the dusk represented the two of us: a light so bright meeting the darkest pitch, finding beauty and love in the muddled sky, neither night nor day. "Twilight," I said aloud, my voice hushed and reverent.
The sign for the Beach Hideaway Bed and Breakfast creaked quietly in the night breeze as I parked the car and sped to Bella's door. She bit her lip, taking my hand to lift her tiny frame from the seat. "Edward, it's beautiful," she whispered as she stood, looking out over the water with the same reverent regard for the dying day.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes," she said, turning to me. "It's our beach hideaway, and that is our ocean. Thank you." The pale pink blush returned to her cheeks, undoing my willpower.
I stepped back, holding her hand aloft. "Shall we check in?"
I continued to hold her hand, placing my arm around her waist. Her face was serene, convicted and determined, but I could feel her trembling and hear the wild tattoo of her heartbeat. I held her, steadying her step as we walked into the lobby.
"Hello!" A jovial woman with round, retro glasses greeted us from behind the counter. "You must be the Cullens, er, or should I say Bella and Edward?" Her smile was warm and infectious. Bella took in a deep breath, releasing her tension as she exhaled.
"I'm Edward Cullen," I said, approaching the counter. "This is Bella."
"It's so wonderful to meet you both," she gushed, reaching forward to take Bella's hand. "Oh dear, you're still damp. Let's get you to your room, where it's nice and warm." She came around the counter, putting her arm around Bella and leading her through the lobby. I walked on Bella's other side, oddly displaced and nervous. "I'm Marge, I own this place.
"I think you're really going to love your room," she said, releasing Bella and walking ahead a few strides. "We reserved you the Sunset Room, and everything is set up to the specifications your sister gave me." Her smile broadened impossibly. "Beautiful, I must say. Such great taste." She opened the door, nudging Bella to enter, and turning to wink at me. "Why don't you two go in, relax and explore a little, and we'll be right up with your bags."
A tiny squeal squeezed out of her generous body as she pulled the door closed. Bella stood just inside the door, her back to me, hesitating. Something was wrong.
"What is it, Bella? Are you okay?"
Bella spun around, her mouth falling quietly and softly open. A tear ran gently down the delicate planes of her face. "Edward, it's so… I don't know… I, i just can't believe it…" She rushed to me, her arms snaking around my waist as she pulled herself into my chest. Her damp hair smelled so strongly of her essence, I inhaled deeply, letting the fragrance burn me as it filled my senses.
Every surface in the room was covered in red velvet roses, their perfume thick and luxurious. The room hummed in a soft, golden glow, illuminated by low-lit mica lamps and candles. Alice must have ordered every red-tipped white rose in the Pacific Northwest setting the entire room abloom. On the table in front of the fire, two small bunches of flowers rested in waiting.
"Bella," I murmured, laying a soft kiss on her crown, "Why don't you take off your jacket and freshen up for dinner while we wait for our luggage? I hope you don't mind, I've taken the liberty of ordering dinner out tonight."
"A human moment sounds good," she said, pushing away from me. She stretched her arm, pointing towards a dark corner. "Think the bathroom's over there?"
"Yes, I believe it is," I said, chuckling lightly to myself.
"Do you mind me asking, what's for – " her words broke off as she crossed the threshold of the bath. "Oh my gosh! There's a huge…," her heads popped back around the corner of the door. "Did you know there's a gigantic tub in here?"
I laughed softly. "Why yes, Bella, I did. And I have plans for that tub, plans that have nothing to do with cleanliness."
Her face split into a huge smile. "I like the sound of that. I'll be out in a jiffy." She pulled her head back into the bath, closing the door behind her.
I smiled as I tore off my jacket and pulled the envelope from my vest pocket. My white shirt was still somewhat pristine, as close as it was going to get. I looked in the mirror at myself, checking my shirt, straightening the collar, then ran my fingers through my hair, combing it into a closer resemblance of civility. I looked happy. I felt happy. It was hard to believe where I stood. Unconsciously, I patted my right pocket. Check.
I threw the pillows from the couch to the floor in front of the fire. The hotel had certainly come through; a bottle of sparkling grape juice sat chilling in a bucket, two champagne flutes ready in anticipation.
The sounds from the bathroom began to settle. I was at the door as it opened, desperate again for Bella's touch. I chuckled to myself; she'd been gone less than three minutes and I was a nervous wreck.
"Oh!" Bella exclaimed in surprise, toppling sideways as I caught her. I steadied her as she stood, helping her find her balance. "You'd think I'd be used to that by now."
"Take as long as you'd like getting used to it, Bella," I said, refusing to let her go. Her face was angelic, freshly washed and shining. The perfume of the soap could not hide the scent of freesia and lavender that was so beautifully and uniquely her. I bent over her inhaling, pulling her closer to me.
"Do we really have to go to dinner?" She was clinging to me, and I suspected she was using all her strength to hold me closely.
"You have to eat, love," I breathed into her hair. "But there is a little something I'd like to show you first, if you don't mind." She pulled back to consider my request, her eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "Come. Sit by the fire."
We moved, arm in arm, truly lovers in our embrace. I felt the cold dead thing in me stir; her warmth bringing me to life. I set her gently on the couch, willing myself strong enough to face her. My stomach lurched as I released her hand and moved before her.
"Bella," I began, standing over her. I was breathless and unsure of myself, repeating right pocket right pocket right pocket over and over again in my head. She peered up to my face beneath the thick brush of her lashes, her face at once curious and trusting. It was that trust, that confidence in me – however ill advised or misplaced – her faith in me steeled my nerves. I inhaled deeply and raggedly. "In all my time, I have known no poetry, no song, no words that could stir whatever scrap of soul was left in me."
"Edward," she started, and I held up my hand, begging her patience.
"Please, I need to say this." She closed her mouth and waited.
"Bella, before you, I was soulless, heartless, and dead inside. I could not ask myself how long I must wait; the passing of empty day after empty night, filled with constant want," I shook my head and swallowed the lump growing in my throat. "Through ages I walked alone, without love. Then, you, you came and life began anew. Since you, my existence has become a life. I am reborn, renewed. Bella, I have hope now, because of you."
I bent to one knee. "Isabella Marie Swan," I fumbled in my pocket. "I promise to love you every single day of forever. Fill me with your love. Allow me to hope again. Be my wife, and let me prove my love for you as long as the stars burn in the sky."
I reached forward, taking her hand, afraid to meet her gaze. I placed the ring, the very symbol of my control, in her warm and pink human hand. Though she had accepted before, this act, this ritual made the situation so much more real, I could find no courage within to look into her eyes.
The moment hung in the air, pregnant with possibilities. For what seemed like the millionth time, I wished I could hear her thoughts. Time stretched on infinitely, my serenity and confidence evaporating. Then, suddenly, my sweet girl surprised me as she so often did; she turned her hand over in mine, her ring finger extended.
My eyes snapped to her face. Smiling sweetly and beauteously, she said, "Yes."
The ring slid like magic up her finger, granting me every wish, every prayer, every dream at once. I lifted her from the couch to my arms. "Bella," was all I could manage to say as I kissed her hair and her face, swinging her round and round.
"This is so lovely, Edward. Where did you find it?" She had been unable to tear her eyes away from the ring throughout her dinner, and had nearly stumbled watching her fingers in the moonlight as we returned to our suite.
"It was my mother's," I replied with reverence. "My birth mother's. She would have loved you."
I sat at her feet, my arms wrapped around her legs, watching her as she stared at the ring, turning it this way and that. She leaned down to kiss me. I lifted my mouth to hers. The kiss was delicious, like dripping honey into my mouth. She sighed deep in her throat, and the sound brought me a shiver.
Suddenly, a loud rap sounded three times at the door, making Bella jump in surprise. "Stay here," I said, unwillingly extricating myself from her legs, but knowing this was the moment I had anticipated all day.
I opened the door to the three waiting humans, the first of which was Marge. "Are you ready?" she whispered conspiratorially, as she thumped a book in her hand.
"Yes," I said, my nerves taking hold and turning my voice into the breaking croak of a seventeen year old. "Please, come in."
As we rounded the corner, Bella sat up on the couch, surprise and confusion etched into her expression. She looked from me to Marge, and back to me as I picked up the flowers from the table.
I knelt before her and laid the small, bundled roses next to her. "Bella," I said softly, "You've said yes, and I want our lives to begin tonight." I placed the intertwined red and white rose boutonniere in her hand. "Will you help me with my flowers?"
Her mouth dropped open as she searched my eyes, her lips working to find sound. Slowly, she fastened the flowers to my shirt and found her voice. "Tonight? Here?"
"Yes, love. Marry me tonight. Here," I whispered. My entire emotional well being hung in her hands, dependent on her decision. "Just us, with no family, friends, or fuss."
"But," she hedged, and my heart dropped. I pulled back; her hands floated in the now empty air.
"If I've made a mistake, I'll let Marge go," I turned to Marge, waving her away. She turned to the two witnesses, her arms outstretched to gather them away.
"No!" Bella nearly shouted, surprise once again coloring her face. "No, don't go, please." Marge and company turned back to face the room with expressions of concern.
"Edward," she whispered, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Yes. Yes, it's perfect. I am yours now, and forever. Yes."
And for the second time that night, I could have sworn my icy heart beat with a never ending song of love for Bella.
I hope you liked the surprise as much as Edward did.