AN: Hello, my loves.

Thanks to Shaina for being my super beta and for Kathie and Krista for pre-reading. Kathie says this needs a tissue warning, but it will be a good cry.

Chapter 36

Dancing in the Rain

EPOV

The past week had been filled with nothing but family. There had been a lot of tears and so much laughter, and although I wasn't surprised, it was amazing to watch just how easily my parents had accepted Bella, Lily, and even Charlie as the newest members of the family.

Oh, and Jasper. We couldn't forget Jasper.

On their second night in Forks, my parents had barricaded themselves in Lily's room and told Alice the details surrounding her adoption. Jasper had been right by her side, and I could tell that my parents were impressed by his complete devotion. There were a lot of tears, and my sister had been especially emotional when she realized that my desire to keep the secret was what compelled me to marry Jane. I promised her I'd do it all again – even the kidnapping and amnesia – because those chain of events had brought me here, and I'd never been happier or more content with my life.

My contentment grew each day, especially when I watched my mother with Bella and Lily. She adored them instantly, just as I knew she would. They baked cookies and mom showed Lily her technique for decorating the cookies with frosting. It was probably the biggest mess that Bella had ever allowed in her kitchen, but the smile on their faces was undeniably worth it.

There would be more smiles today. Emmett and Rosalie were coming to visit. For the first time in years, my entire family would be together, a fact that made my mother ecstatically happy.

For now, the house was actually quiet for the first time in days. Alice and Jasper had gone shopping, my parents were doing some sightseeing with Charlie as their guide, and Bella was working a short shift at the hospital. It was just me and my girl, snuggled up on the couch and watching iCarly. I had learned very quickly that between Miranda Cosgrove and Hannah Montana, iCarly was truly the lesser of two evils. Luckily, Lily agreed with me.

"I love Freddie," Lily sighed dreamily just as the show went to commercial.

I frowned. Wasn't six years old too young to love a boy? What happened to boys being gross and having cooties?

I didn't like this at all.

But then she did the most amazing thing. She simply climbed into my lap and placed her tiny hands against my face.

"Don't worry," Lily smiled at me. "I love you most of all."

"I love you, too, baby girl," I whispered emotionally. It never failed to amaze me how this little girl and her mother had completely stolen my heart.

"Can I ask you a question?" Lily asked softly.

"Of course."

"Mommy said that her name will be different," she said quietly. "What will my name be?"

Bella and I had talked about my adopting Lily. We'd even gone so far as to ask Jasper to begin the paperwork, but we'd yet to discuss this with Lily. I never dreamed she'd be curious about this, but I should have known better. She was so smart and naturally she'd be wondering.

"Your mom and I need to talk to you about that," I explained gently. "We'll do that soon, okay?"

"Okay," Lily smiled happily before snuggling back into my arms, her attention diverted because Freddie was back on the screen. I frowned and glared at the boy on the television.

I still didn't like it.

I had warned Lily that Emmett was big and loud, but that didn't stop her eyes from widening and her arms wrapping around my neck like a vice when he burst through the door.

"The party can now officially begin!" Emmett shouted happily as he dropped his suitcase onto the floor. Behind him was a very exhausted and very pregnant Rosalie.

Pregnant? Some of my memories were still spotty but I was sure I'd remember that.

"Hey guys," I grinned at them as I rose to my feet. Lily refused to let go of me and buried her face against my neck. "It's alright, baby girl. Remember what I said? Emmett's just a big, loud teddy bear."

"This must be Lily," Rosalie softly said to the little girl in my arms.

"You're pretty," Lily whispered.

"Thank you. So are you," Rosalie smiled warmly.

"It's good to see you, Rosalie," I leaned closer to kiss her cheek. "Did I forget that I was going to be an uncle?"

Emmett chuckled and I gave him a one-armed hug. "Nah, we just kept it quiet the first few months. It's good to see you, man."

I offered them a seat on the couch, and Rosalie sighed gratefully as she collapsed against the cushions. "We wanted to wait until the second trimester before we told anyone."

"You look like you're ready to pop any day now," I blurted out. I instantly winced when I realized that probably wasn't the nicest thing to say to a pregnant woman.

"Thanks a lot, jerk," Rosalie smirked.

"We're having twins!" Emmett cackled as Rose groaned. "We have four more months and trust me when I say that my house will continue to be hell until they arrive."

I glanced at Lily, expecting her to go on a search for the Swear Jar. Apparently five dollars wasn't enough motivation for her to let go of me.

"Em, you've got to calm down a little. You're scaring the child," Rosalie said quietly.

My brother looked surprised. "Am I?"

"We just have a pretty chill house," I grinned at him. "She's not used to your loud mouth."

For the remainder of the afternoon, Emmett tried his best to control his enthusiasm, and it wasn't long before Em and Lily were rolling around on the living room floor and the very best of friends.

"This is good practice for him," Rosalie smirked as we watched them wrestle.

"He'll be a good dad, Rose."

"Hmm." She turned toward me and smiled. "So are you, Edward. It's obvious how much you adore her."

"I do."

"So tell me about Bella," Rosalie encouraged me. "I got Emmett's version, which consisted of she's a hot nurse who can cook."

I laughed.

"Well, she is a hot nurse who can cook, but she's…she's so much more than that, Rose. She's gentle and kind and the most incredible mother. She was my friend when I had no one else."

Rosalie smiled softly. "Do you remember our wedding day?"

"Vaguely…" I frowned.

"You told Emmett that you hoped that one day you'd find a girl who could make you as happy as I made him."

I did remember that. I also remembered thinking that it would never happen for me. I just didn't believe it was possible. I'd only seen a love like that twice in my lifetime. First with my parents, and then with Em and Rose.

At that moment, Bella walked through the front door. She stopped abruptly when she saw the scene on the living room floor. She looked from them, and then to me, and her smile was beautiful.

"I can't believe I found her," I whispered.

"What are you thinking?" Bella asked softly.

The house was finally quiet. After a long evening of talking and eating and laughing, everyone had finally scattered for the night. We were now lying in bed and her head was nuzzling my chest.

"Just thinking how nice it is to have everyone here," I said as I ran my fingers through her hair. "I didn't realize how much I'd missed my family."

"I was thinking about family, too," Bella murmured gently. "We literally have everyone that we love right here. Who knows when that might happen again."

"That's true, especially with Em and Rose having the babies."

"Yeah," she nodded. "So I was thinking…I mean, since we have everyone here already…"

She was actually nervous? I'd never seen her nervous.

"Hey," I whispered, tilting her face toward mine. "What is it, baby?"

She took a deep breath and looked up at me with those big brown eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

I laughed lightly and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm pretty sure I've already proposed, baby."

"No, I mean right now," Bella said softly as she climbed up my body and gently stroked my cheek. "With all of our family surrounding us, will you marry me right now?"

My eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded.

"But don't you want a big wedding? I mean, most girls want the enormous, poofy dress and lots of bridesmaids and hundreds of guests…the kind of thing that takes months to plan."

Bella crunched her nose in disgust. "Do you seriously think that's what I want?"

"Not at all," I chuckled. "Just making sure. I want you to have the kind of wedding you've always dreamed of."

"I didn't really dream of one," Bella admitted with a sigh. "Not about the details, anyway. I just wanted to walk down the aisle and pledge my life to the man I loved and who loved me."

"But that's so simple."

"I like simple," Bella whispered. "Life is complicated enough. Why should the happiest day of your life be one of the most stressful? I've never understood that. Why worry and stress and make a spectacle out of something that should be intimate and special? Having a big expensive wedding certainly doesn't mean your marriage will last any longer. My parents got married in front of a Justice of the Peace and they were together until the day she died. That's all I've ever wanted, and I never thought I'd find it, but now that I have, I just want…"

"You want our life together to begin?" I asked softly, and she nodded as a single tear flowed down her cheek. I gently wiped it away. "Me too, baby, and as soon as possible. Tomorrow if you want."

Her face brightened.

"But what about you?" She asked quietly. "Do you want a big wedding?"

"I want you to be my wife," I replied simply. "If you wanted to elope, we'd elope. If you wanted a big church wedding with a thousand guests, then that's what we'd have. All that matters to me is that you'll be Mrs. Edward Cullen at the end of the day."

She squealed excitedly and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I don't want to elope. I want us surrounded by our family and a few friends and just make it official so you can adopt Lily and so that I can look like Rose."

"Ah, the truth comes out!" I laughed as I rolled us over. I nuzzled her nose with mine as I hovered above her. "You just want my babies."

"I want it all," Bella said softly. "I want every last bit of happiness, and I want it as soon as humanly possible."

"Then that's exactly what you'll get," I murmured.

"THREE DAYS?"

We were sitting around the kitchen table as Charlie explained the finer points of Washington wedding laws to his daughter. News of a three day waiting period wasn't going over so well. My girl was impatient, and if it was possible, I fell just a little more in love with her because of that fact.

"Bella, it's just three days," Alice tried to console her. "It'll take you that long to find a dress."

"And you'll need to find a minister," Charlie reminded us.

"Not to mention a place to have it," Mom chimed in.

"What about you guys?" Bella looked at Rosalie. "Your flight leaves tomorrow."

"Bella, we are more than happy to change our flight. We wouldn't miss this for anything," Rosalie assured her.

With that settled, Alice insisted that the girls drive to Port Angeles to shop for dresses, leaving us guys behind for the rest of the afternoon. So we did what any group of guys would do. We ordered pizza and kicked each other's asses on the Wii.

"I feel kind of guilty," I admitted. "Shouldn't I be doing something productive?"

"You're doing what every groom does," Emmett promised me. "You're just waiting for instructions, man. Get used to it. You'll be waiting for instructions for the rest of your life."

My father and Jasper laughed, but I noticed that Charlie was quieter than usual. Before long, he excused himself to take a call and I watched as he settled himself outside on the porch swing. I waited until Jasper effectively kicked my ass at Mario Kart before following him outside.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded as I sat down next to him.

"Charlie, I hope you're not pissed. I know that I should have asked for your blessing."

He chuckled softly.

"Son, you didn't need to ask my permission. You love my girls, and they love you. That's all I need."

"You just seem quiet," I said. "I was afraid that you were upset. I know it's all moving fast, but it's what she wants."

He sighed and stared off into space.

"Son, you shouldn't waste a minute of time. You can't predict the future. You never know when something might happen and rip it all away. People get sick. People die."

And that's when I understood.

All this wedding talk was making him miss his wife.

"Would she have liked me?" I wondered aloud.

Charlie smiled softly.

"Yeah, she would have. She would have liked you a lot," Charlie replied. "Bella is so much like her mother. She's strong and beautiful and passionate about everything. Sometimes it hurts to look at her, which sounds terrible, I know. But sometimes, I'll watch her with Lily, and I'll remember…and it's hard."

He swallowed convulsively, and I had to look away. I couldn't imagine it. It hurt just to think it. If anything ever happened to Bella, I knew I'd never survive it. The fact that this man had continued to function after the death of his wife astounded me.

"Don't waste a minute of your life together," Charlie said. "If she wants a honeymoon in Hawaii, then you book that flight. If she wants six kids, then you have them. If she wants to get married in three days, then you put on a suit and you say I do." He looked toward the cloudy sky and whispered wistfully, "If she wants to dance in the rain, then you dance in the rain."

Hours later, I was still sitting on the porch and thinking about what he said when the girls made it back home. Lily jumped into my lap and covered my eyes as the girls tried to avoid the rain and rushed the dress into the house. Bella returned moments later, smiling from ear to ear.

"I take it the trip was a success," I grinned as she climbed into my lap. She kissed me softly before smiling at me.

"It's simple, just like I wanted," Bella sighed happily. "It's so pretty."

"I can't wait to see you in it."

The rain began to fall a little harder.

"Can we go out into the yard?" I asked.

She looked confused.

"The yard?"

"I want to try something."

Puzzled but willing, we climbed out of the swing and I took her by the hand, leading her down the steps and out into the grass. Without a word, I pulled her into my arms and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Dance with me."

A slow smile crept across her face. She placed her arms around my neck as we began to sway. The rain was glistening in her hair, and we'd probably both catch colds, but she was looking up at me with so much love that I knew any amount of coughing and sneezing would be worth it.

"My mom loved to dance in the rain," Bella said softly.

I pressed my forehead against hers and held her a little tighter.

"I know she did," I whispered.

I tried to write some this week, but it just didn't happen. So, I think it's better to give you an update schedule instead of you wondering if I've dropped off the face of the planet. So here you go. Weekly updates from now on. The bright side is you'll get longer updates. :)

See you next week!