Author's note; Finally, I have the next chapter for you. FF has been a little unco-operative this weekend, which delayed it even more. Anyway, that aside, I can now breath easy that it is done! Just to let you know - there is a LEMON in this chapter. Enjoy.
Disclaimer; I do not own Twilight but I thought of this story.
Cook Wanted
The Weekend Continued
The rest of our weekend at the Forks house was spent relaxing, as much as possible. Saturday evening Edward played the piano for me. He had finished composing his piece of music for me and played the whole piece. It was beautiful. He hummed it to me that night, as I was falling asleep.
The weather held out for us long enough on the Sunday, so we packed a picnic and made our way up to Edward's favourite place. Our meadow. It would probably be one of the last times this summer that we could make the most of spending time there. We went over some of our wedding arrangements, deciding that we would like to get married in a church. As soon as we got back to Seattle and booked one, then an announcement could go into the newspaper. We both agreed that we would let both sets of parents take on as much responsibility as they wanted, as long as we knew exactly what was being arranged and organised. We both knew how much our mother's would want to be involved. It was a no-brainer.
We travelled back to Seattle Sunday evening, picking up something to eat when we were nearly home.
The family were delighted that we had set the date for our wedding and I made sure that I rang my mom and dad to tell them the good news. Dad sounded very proud and I could tell that mom struggled to hold back the tears.
I sat down with Alice and Esme and began discussing our wedding plans. Top of the list was booking the church. Alice wrote down three possible choices with the telephone numbers. I said that I would ring all three of them the next morning to see which church would be available.
"I suppose you want to keep everything as simple as possible, don't you Bella?" Alice asked, with a far away look on her face.
I smiled at her. She knew me so well. "Yes, Alice. As simple as humanly possible for this family. And that includes the dress." Alice seemed to refocus back to the room and gave a small smile.
"The dress is already more than an idea, Bella. We don't have to worry about that just yet." She moved away from the dinning table, where we were sitting and wandered over to the kitchen. She stood at the kitchen doorway having poured herself a glass of milk.
"All you need to do is decide on the colour scheme for the day, pick out wedding invitations and the wedding bands with Edward. We'll keep you updated, won't we mom?"
Esme nodded, reaching accross the table to give my hand a reassuring squeeze.
"I think we've done enough for this evening, girls. Time to get to bed." She stood from the table and looked over to the living room. "Seems that the men decided to go to bed a while ago. I'll see you both in the morning. Sleep well, you two."
"Goodnight mom." Alice said, taking her empty glass back into the kitchen.
"Goodnight Esme. Thank you." I said, rising from the chair and moving over to where she stood. I gave her a hug. She looked at me intently.
"What on earth are you thanking me for, Bella? I should be thanking you, sweetheart. You've made Edward so happy. Only you could have put the smile back on his face. Goodness knows how hard this family tried. We're so glad that you came to this family. Now, I'm going to bed before I get completely mushy." She kissed my cheek and made her way upstairs. "See you in the morning!" She called, not looking back.
I looked over to Alice. She looked really tired. "Come on you. Let me give you a hand up the stairs. It must be really tiring for you carrying all that extra weight around."
"I must admit. Now they're getting so active in here," She began as she rested her hands on her fairly round stomach. "I find it hard to get around. Goodness knows what size I'm going to get too at the end of it all! But at least I'll have plenty of time to get back into shape before the wedding. I don't think I would have enjoyed floating up the aisle behind you looking like some barrage balloon!" She chuckled, as I took her arm and made our way up the stairs. I walked her to her room.
"Thanks for that, Bella. See you in the morning." She said, opening her door and shutting it quietly, behind her.
By the time I got changed and slipped into bed, Edward was already asleep. He looked so peaceful. I snuggled into his side gently. His arm instinctively wrapped around me and I soon fell into a deep sleep.
The following Saturday.......
I had decided, with Rose and Emmett returning from their honeymoon, sometime in the afternoon, I would organise a meat and cheese fondue for the evening meal. I made plenty of side dishes as I knew that Emmett would not be patient, waiting for the meat to cook. I prepared a tomato and Feta cheese salad and a green salad with peppers and sweetcorn. During the day, I had made some freshly baked rolls and a potato salad with homemade French Dressing. I made sure that I prepared plenty of potatoes in their skins and that we had plenty of sauces to use as dips. For dessert I made a pineapple upside down cake and whipped up plenty of fresh cream.
Charlie was assigned to collect them from the airport. Everything was ready for their arrival. We all gathered at the end of the hallway ready to greet them, once Charlie had called to say that he was only ten minutes away from the house. We were ready with handfuls of confetti, to throw over them as they walked in.
The front door opened and romantically Emmett had scooped Rose up into his arms and carried her over the threshold. He had an enormous grin on his face. We dispensed with the confetti over their heads as they walked through to the living room. We cheered and clapped as Carlisle opened a bottle of champagne and began to fill the glasses and hand them out. Once everyone had a glass, Carlisle proposed the toast.
"To Emmett and Rose. We wish you both a long and happy life together and we promise not to talk about grandchildren...just yet." He grinned, raising his glass. We laughed at the last comment, raising our glasses.
"Thanks for that, dad. Just give us a little time together before we add to this family. I think Rose here, has an important project that she needs to finish first." He winked over at Edward. The exchange between the brothers, was not something that I could begin to fathom. Boys will be boys I guess.
While Rose and Emmett talked about Anguilla and how beautiful the place was, I set the table up. Once I had finished, all that was needed was for everyone to sit down. Esme checked the table and seeing that it was ready, gently ushered the family to sit down.
The fondue idea went down very well. It allowed us plenty of time to talk, accompanied by lots of laughter.
Esme was the first to tell Rose and Emmett that our wedding day had been decided on. "At last, you two!" Rose exclaimed. "I suppose Esme had a hand in that?" She said, looking over to Esme. Esme's face blushed slighty.
"Well, if I hadn't, goodness knows when they would have set the date. We all know that Seattle cannot be kept waiting with important social dates, such as a wedding."
Esme smiled at the two of us, knowing full well that she was right.
When Esme told Rose the date of the wedding, she looked over at the two of us, with raised eyebrows. "My goodness! D'you think you're going to get everything organised in that time? It took us eighteen months!"
"Of course we'll get everything organised in time. Goodness knows we've had plenty of practice, what with Alice's wedding and yours. We've already made a start." Esme said, smiling at Rose, triumphantly.
"Bella has managed to book a church." Alice beamed. "Seattle First Baptist is available. It has beautiful stained glass windows. If we're lucky and the sun is shining, we will have some lovely colours inside the church, during the ceremony." Only Alice would think of that. With Alice, even the smallest details of the wedding day were not ignored.
"Well, don't forget, Bella. If you need an extra pair of hands, I'm available." Rose offered. I smiled at her and mouthed a 'thank you' across the table.
"What about your mom, Bella? I hope she's not going to feel too much out of the loop, with her being so far away." Rose added, thoughtfully.
"No, not at all. Mom's going to get regular e-mails from us to keep her up to speed and she'll be able to do some research for us on the internet. That will save us some time, as we're all at work and very soon Alice is going to be busy with the twins." I answered.
Alice shot me an incredulous look. "Do you really think that having twins is going to stop me being involved in your wedding, Bella? There is no way that I'm going to sit back and be told what's going on. I will be in your face just as much as usual. Trust me." She said, looking over to me and then to Edward.
Edward looked at her with narrowed eyes. "You don't change do you sis? Once you get the bit between your teeth there's no stopping you. Believe her, Bella. The twins will not slow her down." He smiled at me. I smiled at his comment and nodded at Alice. There was no way I would argue with her when she was this determined.
I rounded the dinner off with a fresh pot of coffee.
The evening finally came to an end. Edward helped me to clear the table and load the dishwasher, as I quickly swept up the mess we had made in the hallway. Between the two of us we had the place tidy in no time.
We all wished each other a good night. It felt good that the whole family were together again. I had noticed Edward listening intently, while Emmett talked about Anguilla and how much he had enjoyed himself. It made we wonder where Edward would decide that we would have our honeymoon.
My Birthday...
That dreaded day had arrived. Fortunately the family, by this time, were used to me not liking too much fuss being made when It involved me. The morning certainly began very well, with Edward bringing me breakfsast in bed. It meant that I didn't have to face anyone straight away and by the time I got up, it seemed that everyone was out doing something.
We had a light snack for lunch, in the kitchen. The house seemed almost too quite.
"We have to make a stop before we go out to dinner tonight, Bella." Edward informed me, as we were getting ready. We were due to meet up at Esme's favourite restaurant to celebrate the day. I had relented to this arrangement, as I felt that this was just the Cullen family's way of celebrating anything that they deemed important on the calendar.
"Where?" I asked suspiciously, watching him get dressed after his shower.
He looked at me and smiled, a little too confidently for my liking.
"Just something I need to pick up, Bella. Don't panic, it'll only mean a slight detour and it won't take ten minutes to collect. I promise." He put his hand over his heart, to reassure me. I wasn't too sure about the grin, that accompanied the innocent look though.
"Okay, if you say so." I mumbled, as I put my hair up in a messy bun and put on one last layer of lipstick. Alice had insisted that I wear a new creation of hers, that I must admit, looked wonderful. The colour was perfect for me. A midnight blue, wrapover dress, that finished just below the knee, which meant, of course, that I had to wear a pair of high heels. I was actually getting quite used to them now and really didn't mind wearing them. Of course I'm not's going to tell Alice little snippet of information. If I do, I think I mightn't see a sensible pair of shoes in my wardrobe ever again!
Once ready, Edward gave me an approving look. Those looks always made me feel that maybe we should just stay at home and celebrate privately. But that day would come soon enough when we were married. There would not the same expectations made on us then. I hoped.
Edward opened the passenger door of his Volvo for me. Once he had settled himself, he brought the car to life and we headed off. I was still none the wiser as to where we were going.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up outside Emmett car dealership. "You wait here, my love. I won't be long." I frowned at him, suspiciously, as I watched him disappear into the repair shop next door. Why on earth would he be going in there? Surely, there wouldn't be anyone in there at this time of the day.
Just a few minutes later, Edward was at my side of the car, opening the door."Bella. This is taking a little longer than I thought. I don't want you sitting in the car on your own. Come in with me, while I'm waiting."
I huffed to myself. We're going to be late for the restaurant, at this rate!
He took my hand, locked the car and lead me into the repair shop. There was only one dim light on in the entry way. "What are you up to, Edward?" I whispered. I felt as though we shouldn't have been there. I almost got the feeling that we were intruders.
"I'm not up to anything, my love. Just come over here and wait. I just have to go in there. I won't be far" This was all becoming weirder by the second. I watched as he walked into the main repair shop and the light was suddenly turned on. I blinked a couple of times to focus my eyes on the room. I gasped as I saw the whole family gathered. They began to sing Happy Birthday, beckoning me to walk towards them. At first I was hesitant. Of course this was a set up. But what kind? Surely, someone was going to die for this!
I slowly walked toward the group as they finished singing and they then took turns in giving me a hug and kisses.
"We know you don't like being made a fuss of, Bella but it's your birthday and we could not let it go by, without some sort of gift." Rose began. I looked at them all, trying to work out who looked more guilty than the rest.
"What have you done?" I asked, in little more than a whisper.
"We pooled our resources together, Bella." Carlisle said, as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and began to walk me over to one corner of the large repair shop.
I glanced over my shoulder and sure enough the rest of the family were following, all of them with grins on their faces.
"What is the thing that you love dearly? Almost, as much as Edward." Carlisle asked, resting his hand on Edward's shoulder.
"Umm, well. I have missed my truck but that's been out of action for some time now and has been kept in my friend's garage." I answered. What have they done?!
"Do you remember what the truck looked like?" He continued.
"Well, yes of course I do." I answered. I've been driving the thing since I legally could.
"Okay then, Bella, dear. Edward would you do the honours please." Carlisle gestured toward a large covered shaped that we had just reached.
Edward stepped forward as Carlisle stopped the two of us some four feet away. Slowly Edward pulled on the large cover. All I could see was the beginnings of a black vehicle. As more and more of it was revealed, I could tell by the shape that it was a truck similar to mine. I frowned, mystified. But this was a beautiful beast, shiny and new. The wheels were enormous with gleaming alloys. The front end was now completely uncovered and Edward stood there with a huge smile on his face.
"Oh, my goodness! You bought me a new truck?! I can't believe this!" I covered my face with my hands out of embarrassement. This was simply too much!
"No Bella. We didn't buy you a new one." Emmett boomed. I walked over to it as I slowly began to piece together their words.
I touched it gingerly. It was too good to be true. This was my truck. "I can't believe that you've done this. This is simply amazing!"
"I take it then, that you're pleased?" Alice asked, walking over to me, looking into my face.
"How could I not be? This is just incredible. How did you know where she was being kept? I don't think I told any of you!"
"That wasn't a problem, Bella." Esme chimed. "I spoke to your mom and she gave me the address where it was being stored. We didn't have to convince your friend too much, as to who we were. He was actually quite pleased that we were taking it away. He need the room in his garage, for his new car."
"So, we had it taken down to the Forks work shop. Jake has been working on it solidly. It proved to me what a good mechanic he was. He installed the new engine and few other things and then we had it finished off, back in Seattle. She looks beautiful doesn't she?" Rose added.
"She really does." I said wistfully, running my hand along the length of her.
Edward held out a set of keys for me. "Here, why don't you start her up? I think you'll notice a marked difference, when you do."
I immediately walked over to him and kissed his cheek, unlocked the door on the drivers side and put the key into the ignition. It felt like it was my first time behind the wheel, all over again. The seats were finished in black leather with gold trim. The dashboard was now a piece of richly polished mahogany. All the dials had been replaced, in fact everything seemed to be new and yet it still felt like my truck, She was absolutely gorgeous now. I turned the key and brought her to life. The sound of her engine was sweet. She didn't make the complaining noises that she used to. She purred like a cat. A rather large cat, but a cat nonetheless. I couldn't stop smiling. I killed the engine and jumped from the drivers side.
I quickly made my way over to the family. I hugged each one of them but was unable to say anything at that moment in time. Their gesture had renderd me speechless.
I saved my last hug for Edward. I reached up to him, snaking my arms around his neck. "I know we've promised never to keep secrets from each other. This kind of secret, I really don't mind. I love you so much Edward. Thank you." I peppered his face with gentle kisses, careful not to get too much lipstick on his face. That would be done later.
"You are most welcome, my love. I know how much you like to be independent. So, now you can get yourself around Seattle. We've even had a satnav installed for you to make getting around Seattle, that much easier for you. Although, I think Charlie was a little disappoionted that he wouldn't be needed to drive you around town anymore."
"At the rate that Alice is growing, it won't be long until she won't be able to get behind the wheel, so I'm sure it's a good thing that he'll be available for her." I stated. Everyone chuckled and Alice wrapped her arms around her stomach, smiling.
"Well, come on everyone. We have a table waiting for us. Don't worry about the truck, Bella. We'll get it dropped off at the house in the morning. I've arranged for one of my guys, to drive it over." Emmett said. I nodded and handed the keys to Rose.
I took one last look at my truck before we left the building and headed for the restaurant.
When we got there, we sat at our usual table. Baskets of flowers had been beautifully arranged and set on the table, one for each woman of the household. They were a mixture of cornflowers, pink and white daisies and yellow marigolds. They reminded me of the flowers that grew in the meadow, the place where I first began to fall in love with Edward.
The evening was perfect. The meal was oustanding as always and we toasted with champagne. All too soon the evening was over and it was time to head home. We all went to bed almost as soon as we got in. We had been the last to leave the restuarant.
I thanked everyone once again for the wonderful present and before I became too overwhelmed, Edward took my hand and led me to our room.
As he shut the door behined us, he pulled me into his arms.
"I've been waiting to do this all evening." He whispered into my ear, as he kissed my neck.
"Umm." I replied. "So, what do you have in mind to complete this almost perfect day?" I added.
"Almost perfect?" He breathed, not taking his lips too far from my skin.
"Umm, yes, Mr Grand in the gestures department."
"Oh, I could think of one or two things but I think I'll settle on taking you to bed and making mad, passionate love to you." He pulled away from me slightly and looked into my eyes with his noticeably, dark green ones. "Will that do?" He added, planting a chaste kiss on my mouth.
"Umm hmm. It certainly will. You make it sound like it's my least favourite option." I whispered to him as he began to undress me. Within minutes, all of my clothes were dispensed with. How does he do that? I had begun to realise that he had an overwhelming power over me whenever those green eyes of his, turned dark. It was something that I could not control. And did I really want too?
I began to undress him as he kissed my face and neck almost hungrily. He had me gasping for breath at one point and then the tables were turned when I released his erect length from its confines and gently stroked him.
He moaned into my mouth as he deepened the kiss and picked me up by the waist to carry me to the bed. As I sat on the edge of the bed I quickly took control and enveloped my mouth around him. He hissed loudly, gripping my shoulders as gently as he could.
"Bella, it's your birthday today..." He gasped.
"Umm." Was the only sound that came from my mouth, at that moment. I pulled away, replacing my mouth with my hand. "And because it is, I get to do whatever I want."
I replaced my hand with my mouth once again, gripping his hips with my hands, as I continued my ministrations.
"Oh God, Bella. You are just too good at this. I really do want to come with you, please?" I knew he wouldn't last much longer if I kept up the pace, so I gently released him.
I pushed myself up the bed, allowing him time to refocus. He crawled up the bed towards me, stopping every so often to kiss various parts of my body, sending shivers up my spine, another reward in itself. I shut my eyes at the sensations. He couldn't get me anymore aroused if he tried.
I forced my eyes open, not wanting to miss looking at his beauty. He had reached my stomach by this time and was looking at me from under his lashes. I could feel myself pulsating, needing him more and more. My breathing became laboured as his kisses reached by breasts. He kissed his way up between them, his chest just grazing my nipples, making me shudder beneath him.
"Bella," He whispered. "You are the most beautiful person I have ever met. I don't know how I survived without you, all of these years." His mouth came crashing down on mine, taking my breath away. I fisted his hair, gasping for breath as his mouth moved over mine.
He pressed his heated body onto mine, sliding down a fraction bending my legs at the knees and entering me in one swift movement. My back arched under him and as much as I tried to keep my eyes open, I couldn't.
He kissed and nipped at my neck. So many words were going through my mind but I wasn't able to give any of them a voice. He had rendered me speechless, as one orgasm after another, coursed through my body.
"Oh God, Bella. It doesn't matter how many times we make love, I just can't seem to get close enough to you." He said breathlessly. His words were like switches turning on different parts of my body, more and more.
As his pace increased to the point of no return, I gripped his shoulders and reached up to his face to kiss any part of it, that I was able to come in contact with.
Finally, I was able to speak to him, only slightly more than a whisper. "Edward." I said, gasping. "You make me so happy. God, I love you." As soon as the words fell from my lips, he took me over the edge with him, both of us trembling and gasping for breath. He laid his body on mine, carefully. I always found it quite amazing that at that moment, even though I was spent, I was still strong enough to take his weight.
After a few moments of breathing deeply and gathering some kind of coherent thoughts, he lifted himself away from me and laid on his back, still breathing deeply.
"You know, Bella. When we get our own place, I'm going to have you screaming my name all over the house." We both looked at each other. He had his wonderful grin plastered on his face and I was sure that my face was sporting its dumbfounded look.
"I promise you, Bella. We will not be living here after we're married. Come to think of it, we may even move before the wedding." He smiled to himself, looking up at the ceiling.
He had taken my breath away, yet again.
End of Chapter
Author's note; I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that I'm jumping forward in time now. I really hope all of my CW readers are okay with this decision. There is a lot more to come before the big day. So, while I go away and rest my fingers for a bit and think about working on the next chapter, you will have plenty of opportunity to review. Take care.
