A/N: Alright everyone. This is it. Just an epilogue after this. From the bottom of my heart, to every reader, every reviewer, everyone who helped me or encouraged me along the way: thank you. You have no idea how much this story has helped me over the last two years. I'm incredibly proud of it, and I love you all so much for liking it. I hope you'll all stay with me, and check out my next story, Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have. I'm going to miss these two, but the story remains for re-reading and re-enjoying any time I need them. Hopefully it's that for you, too.
Disclaimer: I do not own twilight. Duh.
*
This was going to be the last morning he didn't wake up with his wife beside him, Edward was going to make sure of that.
It wasn't like he or Bella could have convinced Alice sleeping apart was unnecessary; they'd tried.
"We're already married," Edward had pointed out.
Alice had crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, by a guy leaning out of a drive-through window, which I was fine with because then I got to plan the wedding of Bella's dreams." She'd raised a brow at Edward, accusingly. "This is part of that."
He'd turned helplessly to his wife, who looked exactly as happy as he did about the arrangement. "Is this really necessary, Ali?" Bella had asked.
But Alice, instead of answering, had picked up the suitcase full of Bella's "wedding essentials" (the thing was massive; Edward couldn't fathom how much Alice thought she needed for one day where she'd be wearing one dress) and taken his bride by the arm, leading her out of the apartment and back toward Alice's. Jess had taken Bella's old room and was waiting for them both with – he assumed – a lot of junk food. Edward had rushed over and used his superior upper body strength (thank you Henry Cullen, for being so heavy) to stop them in their tracks. He'd kissed his wife good night, lamented her leaving, and then let them go, Bella pouting back at him the entire way out the door.
And then Jake and Jasper had shown up with the sole intent of keeping him from retrieving her. Because Alice Cullen was actually the devil. They'd actually managed to have a nice night, Jasper and Jacob both hyping him up for his wedding, reflecting on their own relationships – Jasper with Alice, Jacob with Tinder – and Edward's and Bella's relationship, sharing memories and anecdotes. Jasper reminded him of how absolutely useless they'd both been at the beginning. "Remember when I delivered that bed? The fact that Mrs. Cullen sent that thing to you… she was basically telling you two to get it on and you just mooned over Bella and told her you'd sleep in it instead of your bed." He had laughed boisterously. "You were whipped before she even grabbed hold of the whip, pal." Jacob had laughed then, too, commenting on Edward's willingness to walk over broken glass and lemons for her.
"You two are really it, huh?" he'd said. It was a question, but it didn't need answering. They all knew he was right.
Edward and Bella were the real deal. The kind of love people wrote about in old novels, the kind people wrote love songs about (and he had, on his keyboard, written several), the kind on the big screen and small screen and every screen in between. The kind of love that inspired and consumed and make everything explode like glitter. Edward no longer wondered if he was sub-par, if he was a bad partner, if he was good enough. None of that mattered because Bella had chosen him. If she wanted him, he would make himself be enough, and he'd been trying every single day since their marriage to prove it to himself and to her. They were deliriously happy together. Bella was starting at Mabley House in July, after their honeymoon, and he was training Seth for a big promotion in the store's advertising department (which he ran, happily), and they were having their wedding finally, with everyone they loved. Edward couldn't even imagine his life without her, and he didn't want to. That one night, as he'd drowned his sorrows and she'd been dragged into tequila trouble by his cousin, had changed the entire course of the universe as far as he was concerned. That one kiss had made her its center, and he revolved around her adoringly.
God bless Jose Cuervo.
Jacob and Jasper were passed out in his guest room and the couch, he knew. Ben would be joining them soon and taking them to the hall, where they'd meet up with Emmett, who'd agreed to watch Henry and Maggie for Rosalie and Angela while they did the bridesmaid thing. It was only fair, as they'd be primping and preening and fawning over Bella all morning, and all Emmett had to do was put on a tux and run a brush through his hair. Once they were all ready, they'd put Maggie into her dress and Henry into his mini tux, and some guy would play some strings and his wife would meet him at the altar for yet another declaration of love and commitment.
Since it was more of a vow-renewal than a wedding in the eyes of the state, Bella and Edward had agreed to write their vows, as they'd used the traditional ones at their quickie Vegas shindig. Edward glanced over at the nightstand where he'd put the little notebook that matched Bella's, snatching it up to check that his vows were secure and ready to go. Glancing over the pages quickly, he was satisfied with their safety, setting it back down and finally extricating himself from his woefully empty bed.
He hopped into the shower, ignoring the snores from the guest room, making sure he was well and truly clean and shaved, as per Alice's instructions. He meandered into the kitchen, nudging Jasper on his couch along the way, starling him awake. Jasper twitched up into a sitting position, shouting, "No more taffeta!" before slumping back over, hands over his face.
"Morning," Edward said, before starting a cup of coffee going. "Shower's free."
"Thanks," Jasper groaned, before finally rising from the couch and heading for the hall. "Jesus, Jacob snores like crazy," he commented, before Edward heard the bathroom door open and shut. Edward made another cup in his and Bella's single-cup brewer, heading for the guest bedroom to awake what could only be described as a snoring bear. Although Edward had heard worse. Emmett snored like a wood chipper. He set the coffee on the dresser across from the bed, allowing the scent to waft through the room.
When it reached Jacob, he snorted through his final snore, his eyes opening slowly and his hands reaching for the coffee.
"It's over here," Edward said, smiling. "And if you want it you have to get all the way out of the bed."
"Cruel." Jacob rubbed at his eyes, before he threw the covers away and set his feet on the floor. "But effective."
Edward chortled and left Jake to it, heading back out to the living room to enjoy his coffee and wait for Ben. They were all to arrive in comfy clothing, as their tuxes were at the hall, so Edward was in shorts and a t-shirt, scrolling through the news on his phone and checking his social media accounts briefly.
bellmarieswan-masen tagged you in a post!
He smiled, clicking through to view the post, finding a photo of Bella and him in her first wedding dress and his suit, standing outside the drive-through chapel, Bella with her bouquet dangling from her hands where they were draped around his neck, his hands around her waist, eyes only for each other, ignoring the camera entirely. Swiping through he found the photo of their coffees that she'd posted the day they'd furniture shopped, a picture she'd snapped of him drinking from his "Hubby" mug (a Valentine's Day gift; Bella had a "Wifey" one), their photo from Thanksgiving, the one from their wedding announcement that his mother had insisted on, and one of her hands, wedding and friendship rings clearly displayed, holding her vow notebook that Alice had probably taken. "Marrying my best friend AGAIN today," the caption read, "Am I lucky or what?" followed by several yellow heart emojis.
Edward double tapped to like, before commenting: "I'm the lucky one, Mrs. Masen," accompanied by his own string of emojis. He'd never used them before Bella, but her excess of them in texts to him had rubbed off on him.
"You two are disgusting," read a comment from jake.e.black. Edward scoffed and liked it. Jacob had followed it up with a smiley face, so he knew he didn't mean it.
Besides, it wasn't Edward's fault he and Bella were in love. They could deal.
Edward scrolled through his camera roll, looking for one specific image: Bella at work, a candid shot that he'd gotten while taking photos of the stock for advertisements. She was at the counter, doing a signature Bella lean, her hair waving all over the place, her legs crossed at the ankles, and she was laughing with abandon at something Jessica said. Edward loved that shot, he felt it captured the girl he'd fallen in love with perfectly.
He found it and posted it, with the caption "So perfect I married her twice," and tagging Bella in it. He waited approximately a minute before his phone started ringing.
"You're such a dork," Bella said as soon as he picked up.
Edward snorted. "You're one to talk."
"I love you," she said.
Edward grinned involuntarily. "I love you, too."
"Meet you at the altar?"
"I'll be the one in the tux being restrained by his friends from running for you."
She laughed and Edward drank it in. Edward Masen got to make his wife, Bella Swan-Masen, laugh every day if he was so inclined. The privileges of marrying your best friend were truly endless.
*
When they arrived at the hall, Emmett was waiting for them with the kids, chasing them through the seats and waving their wedding clothes at them.
"Come on, guys, you have to wear them for Auntie Bella!"
Henry and Maggie were giggling furiously, Henry leading her around the chairs, as fast as her clumsy little legs would go. She'd only been bipedal for a few months, after all. Edward waved over at them, and Jake went to join Emmett in the chase, effectively caging them in. Maggie made a break for it, running right past Jake and Emmett toward her dad, who scooped her up and planted a smacking kiss to her cheek. Henry, seeing a means of escape, did the same, running and clinging to Edward's leg.
"Save me Unca Edwahd!" he shrieked, and Edward laughed, hoisting him up onto his shoulders, causing Henry to giggle. Maggie looked over at them, pointing at Henry and letting out a laugh as Henry waved at her, screaming, "Look Maggie, I'm taller dan you!" Emmett wandered over with Jake, and knocked Henry over so that he was hanging upside down against Edward's back, screaming out a laugh. He went around and gave Henry a raspberry on his now exposed belly, before grabbing him by the legs and letting him hang a few more seconds in his arms before righting him.
"Ready?" he asked Edward.
Edward rolled his eyes. "We're already married."
"Yeah," Emmett said, "but now you have to do it for an audience."
Edward laughed. "I'm sure I'll be fine." He tweaked Henry on the nose. "Got the rings?"
Emmett nodded. "And this one's tux and Maggie's basket. They'll have to walk together, though." He nodded toward Maggie. "Henry likes to help her."
True to form, Henry was leaning over his father's shoulder making faces at Maggie as she giggled.
They made their way to their dressing room, keeping the conversation light as they got ready and helped the kids get dressed. They were lounging around their room when Alice bustled in.
She waved Jasper off as he reached for her, fussing with his hair instead before turning to Edward. "Your wife says happy birthday," she told him, handing over a box and going back to fixing Jasper's blond hair as he smiled at her. Edward hoped they did this whole wedding thing soon; they were really great together. His birthday was in a few days, and Edward had told Bella that the two of them lounging around on their honeymoon was enough, but of course she had to get him something, despite his assurances that she needn't worry. She was just like that.
He opened the box and found a flash drive inside, along with a note. "These remind me of you," it read. "You are officially invited to any and all jam karaoke cooking and cleaning sessions, including moshing with the vacuum. I love you. With my whole heart, Bella Masen." Edward's brows went up, and he glanced over at Alice. She shrugged, and pulled a laptop out of the bag the box had come in. It had headphones attached. They were Bella's; he recognized the stickers.
Edward took them from her, sitting down and plugging in the drive. He popped the headphones in, and clicked the file, and suddenly Bella's voice assaulted his ears. "Hey, honey," she said, "I know you said no gifts, but Seth got his DJ friend to mix this for me. I hope you like it." The sound changed, and suddenly Fall Out Boy's "Alone, Together" began to play. Only it wasn't Patrick Stump's voice he heard, it was Bella's. She was singing it to him.
He'd once remarked that he hoped she sang the entire song, and that's exactly what he got. He clenched his jaw, trying very hard not to cry. When the song ended another began: "No Scrubs" by TLC, the song he and Bella had danced to on her "last night of freedom" bar crawl. Jessica and Kate were backing her up, but Bella was singing again. He checked and saw that there were at least ten more songs on the drive, but he would listen to them later. Right now he needed to go see his wife.
Bella usually only sang when alone or intoxicated. The amount of trust she was putting into him, the intimacy of the gesture, wasn't lost on him. She'd let Alice in, and she couldn't help herself when she was drunk, but to give him this, her singing the soundtrack to their relationship? It went beyond any gift he'd ever been given. Bella had told him once that Alice got to listen because Alice had seen her naked. While that was certainly true for Edward now, a fact that tickled him pink, he knew it was more than that. She trusted Alice and let herself be vulnerable with her. Edward knew that she trusted him, he knew that she could be at her most vulnerable with him.
But now he had proof.
He got up, closing the laptop and making for the door, before Alice stopped him.
"Alice, let me go see her, please."
Alice smiled. "Twenty minutes and you'll never have to wait again," she said. "Listen to the other tracks."
He rolled his eyes but complied, ignoring his groomsmen and sitting with the laptop, listening as Bella made it through "That Thing You Do!" "Shadows of the Night," and "Howl," the song she'd played in the car when they drove to Starbucks and Ikea. At some point Alice had left, the guys were all adjusting ties and joking around, but none of it phased Edward. He was completely engrossed in not only the sweetness of Bella's voice, but the fullness of his heart. This was the greatest birthday gift he'd ever received. He couldn't wait to get to that altar today and see her face, hold her, kiss her, show the entire world how completely and forcefully she owned him, body, mind, and heart. Edward was going to have to really go all out for Bella's birthday this year, because he'd probably never recover from this. He wanted it to play like theme music his entire life.
He was halfway through "Where You Lead," the Gilmore Girls theme song, when Emmett laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to glance up and pop a headphone out.
"It's time," Emmett said.
Edward beamed.
*
Jesus, this aisle was long. Rosalie had been walking down it with Jasper for a solid five minutes at least. Edward was waiting beside the good Pastor Weber, who had kindly made it down to Seattle for his daughter's best friend's wedding. He heard the pastor chuckle as Edward's leg twitched impatiently.
"Calm down, son," he said, patting Edward on the shoulder. "Hard part's been over for months, remember?"
Edward sighed and attempted to enjoy the procession. After Rosalie and Jasper made it to him, Ben and Angela made their way down, smiling. Angela gave Edward a little wave with her bouquet, and whispered, "She looks beautiful," as she went to stand beside Rosalie. Edward grinned at her. They were followed by Jessica and Jacob, both grinning widely and eyeing up the attendees. Edward very carefully refrained from rolling his eyes when Jess gave a little wink to Lauren.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all dressed impeccably, of course, because Alice had dressed them. The girls were in dusty rose dresses with swirling tea skirts and sweetheart necklines, which was exactly the vintage vibe throughout the wedding. The place was covered in yellow roses, which the bridesmaids also held. There were twinkling lights everywhere, and the ceiling was covered in sage colored streamers that gathered around the Emporium chandelier.
Oh yeah, Esme had insisted. It was going back tomorrow, but for tonight, it was the wedding centerpiece. Edward was glad, because Bella's skin always glowed beneath the golden light of it, and he was willing to bet he'd be unable to tell the difference between her and an angel tonight.
Alice, the maid of honor, and Emmett, the best man, were making their way up the aisle now, smiling at their respective partners at the end of it. Behind them, Henry held Maggie's hand as they tottered up the aisle, scattering petals. Maggie was in an absolute riot of pink tulle, looking more like a cupcake than a kid, and Henry looked positively dapper in his tux. They hadn't actually let him hold the rings, because he was three, but he was Maggie's escort and Edward saw several cameras snapping away at their cuteness, including the photographer's.
The music changed, the strings picked up an instrumental of "Cosmic Love" and Edward's heart beat against his ribs. Bella and Charlie appeared at the end of the aisle, Bella watching her feet in her dress, being careful not to trip. And then… she looked up, locking her eyes with his.
And his heart stopped hammering, and he couldn't stop the smile on his face. She smiled back at him, and he suddenly felt utterly at peace. This was how it was supposed to be. He barely noticed anything else, just that smile and those eyes. He'd have to be sure to look at the dress later when he could breathe again. Edward had been right; the chandelier made her look as though she had swallowed the moon. She was luminous.
"Hello. Do you mind if I sit here?" She'd sat beside him and he'd felt it then. The earth moved. "My friend has found some people more willing to quote 'get rowdy' and I want to be as far from the blast zone as possible."
If Edward had known then what he knew now, he'd have flown them to Vegas that night.
"I wouldn't want you to get caught in the falling debris, miss…"
"Bella.""Edward."
Just the simplest moment, and suddenly he wasn't the same, intrinsically changed.
"To drinking alone, together.""That's a toast I'll drink to."
Less than a year had passed since that moment, and yet Edward knew that it was the start of forever. Bella, in her beautiful dress, which he'd finally noticed, floated her way toward him, smiling at him, choosing him again, and he would never need anything else. All the other things in his life, his job, his friends, they were beloved, happy aspects of living that he enjoyed. But the woman who stood before him now was the only thing as important as breathing. He'd told her that first day that it was the not-knowing that was galling him, and he'd been right. Knowing, really knowing that she was there and they were together and they'd be together until they were both just stardust made him complete. He lacked for nothing, wanted nothing, needed nothing, as long as she was there.
Charlie placed Bella's hand in Edward's, and he pulled her up to stand beside him.
"Thank God I made it," she whispered. "I was so scared I'd trip."
A low murmur of laughter traveled through the church as people who heard her relayed the message.
"I won't let you fall," he told her.
Pastor Weber stepped forward then. "Please be seated," he told the attendees. "Ladies and gentlemen and all those in-between or neither," Edward heard Seth give a whoop, and his date smacked his arm, "we have gathered together today before God and all of you to celebrate the marriage of Edward Anthony Masen and Bella Marie Swan-Masen… again." Everyone got a good giggle out of that one. "Now, normally, there's a bunch of things I have to say to ask for the Lord's blessings, and state-mandated marriage ceremony stuff, but these two saved me the trouble by already being hitched." He beamed at them. "But I think nothing else could describe these two better. They were so eager to start their lives together that they bypassed the wedding part entirely.
"I have seen myself the love between them, and I am proud to be their officiant today. The love that they give to each other is an act of sacrifice, of compassion, of loyalty. They manage to hold all of that within themselves, and yet they still freely give their love away to others as well. Everyone in this room can attest to what a joy it is to be loved by one of them, let alone both. Now think of that feeling, and imagine them loving each other." He paused for effect. "Absolutely nuts, right?" Everyone laughed, and Pastor Weber waved his hands. "But enough from me about their love. Let's hear from them. Edward, your vows?"
Edward kept right on staring at his wife, holding her hands in his, enjoying that slight electrical charge he always felt when their skin touched.
Emmett tapped him on the shoulder, and the congregants tittered out a laugh, before Emmett dangled the notebook in front of his face. Bella laughed then, and Edward took that as his cue to take the book and start reading.
"Isabella Marie Swan-Masen," he began, smiling at the sound of his name attached to hers, "I vow to always keep you away from Alice's makeovers unless you want to go, to keep the house at sixty five degrees because you like being cold, to stay out of the way of your dance moves when you're cooking, and to cheer for the Patriots even though I do not care about football." He took her hand, his thumb rubbing over her engagement ring. "But mostly, I vow to be with you, whenever you need me, whenever you want me, whenever you even think of me. I vow to be your best friend, your confidant, and anything else you ever need. I vow to remember tequila sunrises and three fingers of whiskey in a dark room where the only thing I can see is you. I vow to love you with everything I have for the rest of my life."
Bella closed the gap between them and kissed him. She probably would have kept going, but Pastor Weber cleared his throat and she backed away, muttering a quick "Sorry."
"Bella, your vows?" Pastor Weber asked.
She retrieved her notebook from Alice, before clearing her throat a little, clearly still affected by Edward's vows. He smiled at her. "So not fair that you went first," she said. "How am I supposed to follow that?" The crowd let out another giggle. This was definitely not a serious occasion, if their reaction was anything to go by. Bella took a deep breath, flipping the notebook pages. "Edward Anthony Masen," she said, before shooting him a quick smile, "I vow to make bad jokes, to work too hard and play too hard and love too hard and live too hard with you." Edward squeezed her hand, eliciting another smile. "I vow to make comfort food when you're sad, and turn on The Room when you're really sad. I vow to pick you first for snowball fights, and to be an accessory to your fall obsession as long as you're an accessory to my Christmas obsession." Edward snorted at that, and Bella beamed up at him. "And I vow that I will make sure you always know how wonderful you are. How kind and special and funny and smart and enough you are. How you're not only the best friend I've ever had, but the best man I've ever known. I vow to return all the love you give me and then some. To prove to you every day that you're the man of my dreams and I'm the lucky one." She gave him a pointed look, referencing this morning and all the other times she'd said as much and Edward had corrected her.
"Edward, do you take Bella to be your – "
"Already did, and do, and will again," he said, cutting Pastor Weber off.
He shook his head, chuckling. "Bella, do you – "
"Oh, do I," she said.
"May I have the rings?" Pastor Weber asked, over the giggling of the bridal party.
Alice and Emmett handed them over. They were Edward and Bella's original wedding bands, but they'd gotten them engraved for the occasion.
Pastor Weber redundantly explained what to do, and they faced each other once more.
"With this ring, I thee wed," Bella said, sliding his ring onto his finger.
He admired it for a moment before taking her left hand. "With this ring, I thee wed." He slid her ring on, his smile growing when it was back where it belonged.
"By the power vested in me, by God and the great state of Washington, I re-pronounce you husband and wife." The crowd cheered and clapped and Edward heard a few whistles. "Well, go on, son, kiss her!"
Edward was only too happy to oblige, gathering Bella into his arms and crashing their lips together with as much love as he could muster. In that kiss was a kiss in a bar, a kiss in silly costumes, a kiss stashed between two credenzas confessing love, a kiss in a car while getting hitched, another bar kiss, and months of kisses in-between. It was twenty-questions, and manicotti, and movie nights, and game days, and holidays, and… everything. Her hands went to his chest, fisting into his lapels, and he crushed her even closer to him, dipping them both dramatically, which caused her to squeal against his lips, which made him laugh against hers.
Edward lifted them back upright, and Bella used the motion to kiss him quickly before he turned her toward the roaring crowd of friends and family. He led her down the aisle and out of the hall, followed by all of their friends, but he didn't pay them any mind. He took Bella back to the dressing rooms, shutting the door behind them before whirling on her and pinning her to the door.
"I missed you last night," he said.
Bella smiled up at him, her arms winding their way around his neck. "I missed you too."
Edward took the opportunity to kiss her nose. "Thank you for my birthday present."
That blush he loved so much appeared in her cheeks and spread down her neck. It was insane that after all this time she still reacted to him that way. He could feel her heartbeat erratically against his own where their chests pressed together.
"You liked it?" she asked.
Edward rolled his eyes. "No, Bella, you gave me an incredibly thoughtful and mind-blowing gift and I didn't like it." He skimmed his nose along her jaw to her ear, and she shivered. "I loved it. Like I love you," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you too," she whispered, her arms tightening on his neck.
Edward grinned, moving to the side to kiss her. He was gentler than their kiss a few moments ago, careful not to ruin her makeup. His wedding day would be a bad time for death by Alice. "Come on," he said, "I'm sure we're missing pictures."
"Yeah," she said, nipping once at his chin like he loved.
He backed away and got a good look at all of her, finally. Edward took her hand and spun her around, admiring the entire bridal effect. From her perfectly wavy hair, pulled halfway up like she'd had it at Christmas, with the veil securing it, to her beautiful makeup complete with those blushing cheeks, to her dress, with its fine mesh and lace sleeves and neckline leading down her bodice before flaring out around her waist with even more lace and a full tulle skirt that swirled around as he spun her, and the keyhole back, displaying more of her skin than was probably wise with him so close, to her feet in the shoes Alice had insisted on. She was stunning. Perfect. She giggled as he spun her around, beaming.
"Alright," she said, "enough gawking, we have to document how great we look."
Edward laughed but allowed her to drag him out by his hand toward their awaiting friends and family.
*
Bella was across the dance floor, dancing with Phil. Edward was taking a dance break, watching her from his place by the table, champagne glass full, gazing across the floor at his wife. Alice had removed her skirt overlay after the photos, leaving her in a skirt the same length as the bridesmaids', and she'd handed over a pair of white All-Stars to Bella and all-black ones to Edward. She was laughing at whatever Phil said, and Edward's heart constricted. She glanced over at him and she gave him a wink and blew him a kiss. Edward returned the wink. He couldn't believe that only a few short months ago he hadn't even been allowed that much, and today she had married him a second time.
The chair beside him pulled out and Esme dropped into it.
"Well, hello, Mr. Groom," she said.
Edward leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Hi, Aunt Esme," he said.
"You happy?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied, glancing back over at Bella.
Esme tapped his shoulder to get him to look at her. "Now aren't you glad someone pushed you in the right direction?" she asked, eyebrows raised, giving him a significant look.
Edward laughed. "Yes, oh wise one, I am." He raised his glass to her. "Thank you, Esme."
"You're welcome," she said, clinking her glass with his before hustling away in Carlisle's direction. He watched as she reached him, Carlisle setting both of their glasses on a table before sweeping her away to the dance floor. Edward happily watched the dancers and drank his champagne. When the song ended, Alice headed over to the stage and tapped the DJ's shoulder. She whispered something in his ear and he handed her a microphone.
"Alright, everyone, take your seats," she said. "I've got a few words to say about the bride and groom."
The dance floor cleared out and Bella made her way over to Edward, sitting beside him with a kiss on the cheek and a grin. "This oughta be good," she whispered. Edward snorted.
Once everyone was seated, Alice began. "So, almost seven years ago, my best friend wandered into my life without realizing exactly what she was getting into." She looked over at Bella, shooting her a wink, which made her giggle. "I got a caring, beautiful, patient, loving, patient, kind, sweet, patient, bestie, who is, did I mention, extremely patient? And she got me. Pushy and more than a little maniacal with the meddling. Sorry, Bells."
"Hush, you!" Bella shouted from her seat, causing laughter to drift through the hall.
"Still, she seemed to like me well enough. Now, Edward was forced to like me, and even then, I was pushing it. I am fabulous and fun, this I know, but it takes a little time to get there, what with all the pushing and meddling I mentioned. And speaking of," she said, pulling out an older model cell phone, "I found this the other day. This is my old cell phone from about three years ago. It has a very interesting conversation on it between my mother and I. I thought I'd read it for you tonight, to show you all just how perfect these two are together."
She scrolled through the phone, her face lighting up when she reached her target. "It reads: 'Mom, what's Edward up to now?' and the reply, 'Grad school. Why?' 'Don't you think that he and Bella would be perfect together?' 'Oh, honey, he has a girlfriend,' 'No, he has a bitch,'" she said to raucous laughter from Edward's mother; she'd been shifting from side to side to indicate the speaker changing, and everyone was getting a huge kick out of it, "I know, I know, it was unkind, but still, I really wanted this to happen. Anyway: 'Dear, that's not nice,' 'And yet, I feel it,' 'Honey, Edward lives in Chicago,' that's just like her, huh, guys? Bringing reality into my fantasy. 'What's that got to do with how good they'd be together?' 'It'd be a little difficult for them to see each other,' 'Skype exists,' 'Why are you pushing this?' 'Just a hunch,'" she said with a smile. "So, all I really have to say is: I meddle for a reason, and that reason is I'm always right."
"Oh my God," Bella said, rolling her eyes at Edward.
"To the bride and groom, whom I love so dearly. May your happiness be eternal, and your love boundless. I love you guys." Alice raised her glass to them and everyone in the room reciprocated the gesture. "And name your first kid Alice!" Then she tossed back her champagne as everyone laughed and had a sip. "Now I'd like to invite the best man up here, my brother, Emmett Cullen!" Emmett stood and began making his way to the stage, grinning and waving at everyone as he went.
Everyone clapped and Edward groaned. Of everyone in the world, Emmett had the most embarrassing stories about Edward. Bella laughed and rubbed his shoulder as he pressed his face into his hands.
"Good evening everyone," he said, taking the microphone from Alice. "Give it up for my little sis, proving she's a weird psychic, yet again." He gestured after Alice, who flipped him the bird as she made her way back to her seat. "Anyway, as some of you may know, last time Edward and Bella got married, I punched him in the face." There were a few gasps around the room. "All because of these." Emmett reached into his pocket and pulled out some folded papers. "These are the employee contracts that Edward and Bella both signed when they started working at our family's store. They strictly prohibit fraternization between employees and management." He leveled the couple with a stare. "Clearly neither cared much about that."
"Not true!" Bella yelled at him. She stuck her tongue out at him and he barked out a laugh.
"Well, sorry, Edward, pal, but you're gonna need a new one," he said. He took the papers in both hands, and began tearing them to shreds, as Bella cheered him on. "Now, I stand by that policy, and I think it's important, but I also think that understanding the difference between real love and false love is important. Real love is knowing everything about someone. It's spending time with them, and supporting them, and being there for them. Real love will watch you study, make you dinner, and really listen to you when you're talking. It might even book eight flights to Las Vegas on the weekend before Christmas to get married in a drive through." Emmett gave Edward a raised eyebrow.
"Technically it was thirteen!" Edward yelled.
"Not helping, honey," Bella told him, linking his hand with her own.
"The point is," Emmett continued, "that sometimes a rule can have an exception. And that these two are the exception to almost any rule you can think of. They're in love like no one I've ever seen, and they belong together. It took me a minute to get that, but it seems like an irrefutable fact that those two need to be together like most of us need air."
"Where did he learn the word 'irrefutable'?" Edward whispered to Bella, who smacked his arm.
"To Edward and Bella, the two craziest kids I know. I'm keeping my eye on you both." He raised his glass and Bella and Edward raised theirs in tandem with the rest of the crowd.
Someone clinked their spoon on their glass, and suddenly the hall was filled with the tinkling sound of metal on glass.
Didn't have to tell him twice.
Edward kissed Bella, and he could almost swear he tasted tequila and whiskey.
*
A/N: Thank you. See you for the epilogue.