Chapter 37
BPOV
It rained on my wedding day.
I don't mean figuratively.
I was standing in the lobby in my wedding dress, just outside of view of the small assembly of guests seated outside awaiting my arrival—my walk down the aisle—when it started.
It began as no more than a drizzle, a fine mist to coat the guests, the numerous flowers and garlands artfully arranged.
My three bridesmaids—Alice, Rosalie, and Angela—were torn between expressing their horror at this unexpected event and concealing their reaction for my benefit. They were huddled a few feet away from where I stood, casting worried glances in my direction.
"Don't worry, Bella," one of them said. "It's only drizzling."
"I'm sure it will stop soon," anther added.
"Should we...?"
I tuned them out. I stood in my wedding dress, bouquet in hand. Half of my hair was artfully piled on top of my head, the remaining strands beautifully curled and framing my face—Rosalie's handiwork; the makeup perfectly applied was Alice's.
It was raining on my wedding day.
And I didn't care.
It happened in an instant; one minute I was agonizing over everything that could go wrong, and the next minute...I wasn't.
It was Charlie that triggered it. My father stood at my side, a quiet fixture, incongruous amid the bustle exuding from everyone else. Just like me. He looked at me with a hint of a smile touching his features, and something shared passed between us. He knew. He'd been here. He understood. If I'd had any remaining doubt that Charlie had loved my mother beyond all reason, it disappeared in that moment. Just as Renee had been it for him, Edward would always be it for me.
"He's waiting for you," Charlie said then.
That was all it took.
Edward was waiting for me. It didn't matter if it was raining. Inside, I was shining.
Charlie tucked my arm beneath his. "She's ready," he announced.
Alice, Rosalie, and Angela disappeared outside one by one.
The wedding march sounded.
Charlie tightened his hold on me and guided me forward.
The Cullen backyard was beautifully decorated, the garlands and flowers in soft tones surrounding the white chairs erected on either side of the petal-filled aisle. To me, it was just a blur of bright colours.
I only had eyes for him.
He only had eyes for me.
He stood there, handsome and glorious and perfect in his suit and tie. Waiting for me.
I felt almost giddy with happiness. Never had I felt more beautiful than in that moment.
And Edward...Edward glowed. His smile was radiant.
I reached the end of the aisle. Charlie offered him my hand. Edward took it firmly in his.
I was home.
Our vows were simple. We didn't need words.
We were declared husband and wife.
It felt like nothing else.
I was his.
He was mine.
I forgot that everyone was watching. The feel of his arms pressing me forward against him as he kissed me back felt just as good as the slow caress of his lips.
The cheers, applause, and whooping cut through my daze, and I turned my heated cheeks into his chest.
It was still raining.
I didn't care.
I was passed from person to person, accepting hugs and congratulations. Both old family and new.
"Welcome to the family," Carlisle said as he hugged me, and if he noticed me tear up he didn't comment.
Esme squeezed me hard. "Thank you for loving my son." I may have teared up then, too.
Charlie and Renee stood off to the side, side by side. The bickering that volleyed between them every time they were in the same room together was absent. Today they were united by the one constant that would forever link them—me. But then, I was no longer so sure the bickering wasn't something else. I saw it now as I looked at them. Was it possible they could find their way back to each other after all this time?
I may not have thought so, had it been any other day. Any other day except today.
Today it felt like anything was possible.
Emmett was the first of my brothers to whisk me up for a dance. "Stop hogging my new little sis, would you?" he said, snatching me directly from my husband's arms.
Edward was grinning.
"Aw, man," Emmett grumbled as he spun me around, —he was a surprisingly considerate dancer, guiding my own clumsy footing with ease— "look at what you've done to him. He's no fun when he's this happy."
A bubble of laughter escaped me and Emmett grinned.
Jasper was next. "My turn," he said. It surprised me. He usually tended to keep his distance. Close contact was new. I felt a little awkward at first. Emmett's nature always made it feel easy. Jasper was more reserved. He smiled at me. His hands guided me carefully but fluidly. He was a very good dancer. I didn't trip once. He was silent at first. Then he said, "You've brought a lot of happiness to our family, Bella, I hope you know that."
I tried to speak. Couldn't.
My new family.
They were welcoming me with open arms.
When Charlie found me next, I was perhaps bolstered by my own elation and had the urge to impart my own bit of magic.
We shuffled together a bit more awkwardly than I had with my previous dance partners, and I saw Edward sweep past us with Renee—saw my dad's eyes unwittingly go to my mother.
"You should tell her how you feel," I told him then, surprising myself just as much as I did him, maybe more.
Charlie looked at me with wild, startled eyes. "Your mother and I..." he began uncomfortably, then seemed to backpedal, settling on, "Well, it was a long time ago, Bells."
I smiled dimly. "Doesn't change anything, though, does it?"
He looked away. "No, I reckon it doesn't."
I said nothing more.
The drizzle had become a light rain now. Nearby, Esme and Rosalie were fussing over the table of food, gathering up items to bring inside. Rosalie was grumbling about getting wet. Her hair. Her dress.
Their voices, the voices all around me, were slowly beginning to blend together, fading into an indistinct murmur now as my eyes began searching the sea of faces. After shuffling between various sets of arms, much loved as they all were, I longed for one set in particular.
His.
My eyes found him, amid the sea of people and flowers and arrangements, dancing with Alice. He looked at me, then bent to say something to Alice. Then he was weaving his way toward me.
"Excuse me, Charlie, may I cut in?" he asked as he approached. "I believe I'm done sharing for today."
Charlie relinquished his hold.
Then I was home.
I signed blissfully.
My dress was cut low in the back and the tantalizing feel of Edward's palm against my bare lower back was deliciously thrilling.
He bent to put his lips against my ear. "You're stunning. Do you have any idea how beautiful you look?"
"I'm not opposed to hearing you tell me," I admitted. "You like the dress?"
"It's quite exceptional." He lowered his voice. "I especially like this." His hand pressed me closer and his fingers caressed the bare skin at the small of my back to demonstrate his point.
My heart thumped and my face warmed. "Me too," I breathed.
He began to lead me smoothly to the music.
"Wait," I said. I gripped his shoulder with one hand, then kicked off my three-inch (a compromise to the four-inch) heels. I breathed a sigh of relief as I nested my cheek against his chest—perfectly positioned now that I was three inches shorter once more. And much more stable.
Edward chuckled.
Then we were dancing.
In the rain.
The music picked up speed, and Edward paced us accordingly.
We were whirling. Effortlessly.
Like most things with Edward, dancing was easy.
It was even easier today.
We'd moved from the dancing platform assembled for the occasion to the grass closer to the river. It was soft and damp against my bare feet, my white dress billowing.
Most of the guests had filtered inside.
Edward lifted and spun me around.
I was laughing. Twirling. Soaring.
Edward was smiling. Really smiling—the kind that filled his whole face.
Neither of us noticed Angela snap the picture.
With my hair damp and less than perfect and Edward's tie slightly skewed, it would be my favorite photo of all.
