AN: So many new faces around here lately! Thank you so so much to everyone who has been reading, and especially to those who have sent in reviews! It makes my DAY to see those and know someone is enjoying this story!
A couple of housekeeping notes at the bottom
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Chapter 24: Edward
Monday, November 19
Canberra, Australia
15 Weeks
"I can't believe I'm doing this," I said shaking my head. Bella nodded to me encouragingly, wiping her hand on a paper towel.
"It's incredible!" she breathed. I looked over at Ashley, our tour guide, who nodded her own encouragement. I turned back to the grizzly bear in front of me and nodded, holding out my palm. The bear sniffed forward, and his long tongue came out, licking the paste of peanut butter and seeds off my hand. The bear was shockingly gentle about it, and happily licked my hand clean before sitting back and sniffing the air. I turned to Bella who was beaming, her phone in her hands.
"Right?" she asked when she met my eyes. I shook my head, accepting the hand sanitizer and towel from our guide.
"Wow," I breathed. Bella giggled.
"Baloo is a rescue," Ashley explained. "He was born into a traveling circus and spent his whole life there. When the circus got disbanded, we took him in to let him live out the rest of his life in peace." She turned to the bear, smiling. "He's been such a loving bear. A real treat to work with," she reached out to pat him on the snout and he leaned into her touch like a cat. I stared at her, stunned. Ashley pat him once more before closing the feeding bucket. Baloo let out a soft snort then got up, ambling away back further in his enclosure.
Ashley picked up the feeding bucket and motioned for us to follow her. We had only a couple days as a stopover in Canberra, and at first, when we'd arrived in the small city I wasn't sure what Bella was up to. Now, it made sense.
She'd booked us an exclusive, private behind the scenes tour at the Canberra Zoo. The tour included getting to go behind a lot of enclosures and hand feeding a lot of the animals, including, I noticed, lions. I was anxious but crazy excited about that one.
We followed Ashley inside a small building where we were able to properly wash our hands. Once we were done, she smiled. "Right, ready for the next one?"
Bella and I fed so many animals, I could hardly keep track. We fed zebras and giraffes, kangaroos, and koalas, as well as spent time petting and playing with dingoes and cheetahs. We had to use tongs to feed the tigers and lions, but even though we were feeding them through a small hole in a plexiglass wall, I could feel their power as they reached up to yank the meat from us. The whole night blew me away.
Bella was recording the whole thing on her phone, taking pictures and videos of us feeding and interacting with the animals. I was glad she had the presence of mind to record, because had it been up to me, I would have utterly forgotten, so wrapped up in the experience.
"Our last stop will be the reptile house," Ashley said, leading us across the zoo. The zoo had closed to the public over an hour ago, and it was incredible to be able to walk around so freely. For her part, whether Ashley recognized me or not had not interfered with her friendliness and professionalism. She'd been easy going, and deeply informative whenever Bella or I had a million questions.
We approached the snake exhibit and Ashley smiled at us. "Why don't you two stay here and I'll bring out our special guest," she offered. We both nodded while she went behind a set of doors. I turned to Bella.
"This has been the most amazing day," I told her, shaking my head. She grinned at me.
"I know, I had no idea how much we'd be able to do. I'd heard about this program, but I've never done it before," she said shaking her head. I smiled at that. It seemed unreasonable to want Bella to experience something with me for the first time, especially considering how much she'd done in life, but it still thrilled me when we got to do something for the first time together. I reached out to her, kissing the side of her head. Her arm wound around my waist.
"How are you with snakes?" I asked her. She looked up at me.
"Oh, I'm fine. Spiders though," she shuddered. "Nope. Can't deal. Which reminds me, there was a spider in the bathroom before we left home, and I couldn't deal with it. Hopefully Carmen is tougher than me."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Carmen's tougher than me," I said shaking my head. Bella giggled. "I'll make sure to give her a heads up, though I'm sure she's already taken care of it."
Bella placed a kiss against my chest, smiling. Ashley came back out and I swallowed thickly at the sight of the thick yellow python. "This lovely lady is Suzy," she said holding out the snake. Bella let go of me, stepping closer.
"She's beautiful," Bella breathed. "Can I pet her?"
Ashley smiled and held the python out to her. "You can have her sit on your shoulders if you are up for it."
Bella nodded eagerly. "Babe make sure to get a photo. Tanya hates snakes, but she'll love this."
I laughed, pulling my phone out of my pocket as Bella took the snake. It settled heavily on her shoulders and immediately, my anxiety spiked as the snake's tail began curling lightly, tightening around Bella's neck and shoulders. On the other end, the snake's head was moving around near Bella's face, a tiny pink tongue darting out to taste the air. She was safe, I knew she was safe, but I couldn't help my knee jerk reaction to rip the snake off her. Bella looked back at me, and her wide grin soothed my worries. I snapped a few photos of her, then recorded a video. Bella was so confident and calm as the snake curled around her. Whenever the snake would get a little too tight, Bella would reach up and gently correct her. "Hey pretty girl, not so tight. I don't want to pass out and hurt you," Bella said when the snake snuggled in a third time. Ashley smiled and helped Bella pull the snake off her.
"She likes you," Ashley said shaking her head. She looked at me. "Do you care to try it?"
I was anxious, but I'd never really had a problem with snakes before, so I nodded, sliding my phone in my pocket. I stepped over to her and Ashley settled the snake over my shoulders. I was shocked at how heavy the snake was. She had looked massive on Bella, but I hadn't realized how solid she'd be. I could feel her muscles bunching around me as her tail secured around my shoulders, her head wandering toward me. Bella was in the corner, taking pictures of me.
"What do you think, Babe?" she asked. I looked at her.
"I uh," I didn't know what to say and Bella giggled. Ashley smiled at me.
"She takes some adjustment, but you're doing great."
The snake crossed my chest, and a small flare of panic set in me as she essentially created a loop around my neck. Ashley reached out to gently correct her and I let out a heavy breath when she was no longer wrapped around my neck.
When the snake crossed over me again though, Ashley reached out to pull her off me. "We'll call that a day for Suzy," she said softly. "Let me just put her away and I'll be back with you."
I nodded and turned to Bella who was coming up to me. "You look terrified," Bella said, reaching out to me. I shook my head.
"I just, haven't had a snake wrap itself around me like that before. It was a little sobering."
Bella nodded. "I felt like that when we were feeding those lions," she hummed. "I mean I know that plexiglass was there, but they were so close, I could feel their breath."
I nodded, understanding completely. This whole day had been incredible and unexpected and wonderful. We'd come so close to so many massive animals that had absolutely terrified me, but it had also been amazing.
"Thank you, for setting this up. I've never done anything like this, and it seriously blew my mind."
Bella smiled, reaching out to hug me around the waist.
"I'm so glad I got to experience this with you," she whispered against my chest. I smiled, wrapping my arm around her. There was a lot in life I'd experienced that she never had and vice versa. Even though part of me wished all our experiences could be new for both of us from here on out, there were plenty of things I couldn't wait to show her, just as I knew she couldn't wait to show me things.
The thought of spending my life discovering those things with her made my heart swell. I couldn't wait.
Wednesday, November 21
Melbourne, Australia
15 Weeks
"Well?" Bella demanded. I grinned at her. She had been asking me nonstop since we arrived in Melbourne what I thought of it, and I'd been purposefully not answering her, leaving her dangling. Bella loved Melbourne, and it was incredibly easy to see why. Sydney had been big and beautiful and shiny, but there was something about Melbourne. It reminded me of Europe and Los Angeles mashed together and given a strange, Australian twist.
The city was incredible, but I loved to get Bella worked up.
My face scrunched and I sighed dramatically. "Well," I dragged out the word and Bella grunted, smacking my arm. I grinned at her, reaching out and yanking her to me. "It's incredible." I told her, kissing her neck. She groaned. We were finally back in our room, after spending the whole morning sight-seeing. I'd noticed a few more paparazzi following us around, though for the most part, they'd kept their distances. I knew it was only a matter of time until they got wind of where we were, but I had been hoping it would just last a little longer. Chris and Phil, our two security guards had stuck a little closer to us today, but thankfully, they still hadn't fully been needed. Bella, for her part, hadn't seemed too perturbed by the paparazzi or the presence of security, though she'd insisted on changing her outfit after we spotted the first pap. I thought she'd looked incredible before, but when she came out in a loose-fitting sun dress rather than the tightly fitting tank top she'd been wearing before, I understood.
She reached up and wound her fingers through mine around her waist as we looked out of our room. We were staying at the Grand Hyatt hotel, and somehow it was almost more spectacular than the place we'd stayed in Sydney.
"Jeez Babe, I'm never going to be able to go back to hostels or couch surfing," she sighed, looking around the room. My arms tightened around her as she said it. I hated, absolutely loathed the idea of her couch surfing. I wasn't big on hostels, especially because I knew that she liked to sleep in a communal room, but the couch surfing she did with absolute strangers triggered a deep panic attack in me. It scared the shit out of me to think about how close she could have come to being hurt by one of those strangers.
Bella sighed, scratching her nails over my arms gently. "Hey," she whispered. "I can take care of myself, and I'm fine," she said softly. She knew what I was thinking, of course she knew. I let out a long breath, kissing her neck again.
"I know," I whispered. "And I'll be honest, if I could get it my way, you'd never have to settle for anything less than this ever again."
Bella spun in my arms, and I pulled back to look at her. "I appreciate that," she said gently. "But I can't keep letting you just take care of things. I can't afford to travel like this, and sometimes, I'll be flying coach and having to get a crappy hotel room, that's life."
I didn't like where this was going. She was talking as if she planned on a future where I wasn't there to help her. Was that what she wanted?
I couldn't fucking breathe, and I sure as hell wasn't ready to ask her that, so instead, I wrapped my arms around her, tucking her head under my chin so she couldn't see the look of terror on my face. Since Bella had told me she loved me, it hadn't occurred to me that there was still a possibility that she didn't want to be with me like I wanted to be with her.
Bella's arms wrapped around my waist, her nails lightly scraping against my torso over my shirt. I let out a careful breath. I didn't want to fight with her, not right now. Things had been blissful between us, and right now, I just wanted to focus on spending time with her.
"What time do you have to be at the restaurant?" I asked her quietly. Jess wasn't having a bachelorette party, but she had asked Bella to come to dinner. From what it sounded like, Jess had invited a few of the guests for a sort of celebratory engagement dinner.
Bella looked up at me, her chin resting against my chest. "We, babe. I want you to come with me."
I knew Bella had told me I was invited, but I was anxious about going out to a restaurant with her, especially now that the paps were in town. I didn't want to take away from Jess' night.
I opened my mouth to protest, but Bella shook her head. "I already talked to Jane," she said firmly. "She's got security on standby and we know the dinner is in a private room at the restaurant." She squeezed me gently. "No backing out, Cullen."
I sighed, kissing her forehead.
"Alright, love. I'll go."
…
I was fidgeting in the car, and Bella reached over, settling her hand on my thigh. I looked up at her. This was the first time I'd be meeting any of her friends, and I was shockingly anxious about it. Setting aside the fact that she'd definitely slept with the groom at some point, these friends meant a lot to Bella, and I was far out of my comfort zone with them. They were adventurous world travelers, and I doubted—if Bella was anything to go by—that they'd be impressed with my career. What did I have to offer to a group of people who literally took the world by storm?
"Hey, things are going to be fine. Alright? Chris and Phil will be in there making sure no one comes into the room who isn't supposed to. Jess and Tyler will love you, so calm down."
I grunted, running a hand through my hair. It was easy for her to say that, but we'd wait and see how she felt before a premier or awards show.
Fuck, knowing Bella, she'd take it all in stride and be totally fine.
Phil pulled the SUV over and I glanced up from the backseat. We were here.
Bella looked at me and nodded as Chris got out of the car. He came around and opened the back door. Bella slipped out of the car, looking back at me. I let out a tight breath and followed her.
She was dressed in a beautiful green dress tonight. It wasn't overly fancy, but she could make anything look stunning. I'd gone slightly casual as well, settling with slacks and a button down. I left the jacket home and had rolled my sleeves up. I reached to them now, wondering if I should lower them again, but Bella reached out and took my hand in hers.
"Come on," she said, tugging on my hand. I followed her into the restaurant. It was plushy inside, and the maître d' smiled at us.
"Evening, Sir, Madame. Do you have a reservation?"
Bella nodded. "We're here for the Crowley/Stanley dinner," she told him. He nodded.
"Very good. Right this way please," he said motioning for us to follow him. We moved away from the main dining room, down a long, sleek hallway. At the end of the hall was a set of tall double doors. "The party is waiting here. Should you need anything, our waitstaff will be happy to assist you."
He smiled at Bella and nodded to me before leaving us. I stared at the doors.
"Ready?" Bella asked, looking up at me. I grunted and Bella squeezed my hand before pushing the door open.
Inside the room was a large circular table. Only a handful of people were in the room, and I realized that based on the table settings, not many people would be making it.
There was a shriek, and I automatically winced, ready for the rush.
Instead, a short woman with thick blond curls sprinted past me, nearly tackling Bella to the ground. I reached out to catch them, anxious about Bella. Was she hurt?
Before I could ask though, Bella was laughing, squeezing the blond in her arms.
"Bella! I can't believe you made it! I missed you so much!" the blond was squealing. Bella laughed, and was kissing the blonde's cheeks.
"I missed you too!"
The blond—who I took to be Jess—pulled away from Bella, holding her at arm's length.
"Holy crap, you look amazing! Where have you been and what is your secret?" she demanded. Bella laughed and let go of Jess, pulling me closer to her.
"Jess, this is Edward, my partner," She said, avoiding Jess' questions.
Jess looked at me, her eyes wide, before she looked at Bella. "Wait, what? You've actually gone steady?" she demanded. Bella laughed and wrapped her arm around my waist.
"Yeah. We've been together mostly since August," she said squeezing my waist. Jess looked stunned and looked me over. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
"Well hot damn, Bella. Trust you to land a movie star. When you do something, you really go for it," she said shaking her head. "I'm Jess." she said holding out a hand to me. I smiled a little and offered her my hand.
"Edward," I said redundantly. Jess smirked.
"Oh trust me, I know." she eyed me appreciatively and Bella giggled. Jess beamed, turning away from me to focus on her.
"I can't believe you know who he is," Bella said, reaching her other arm around to pat my chest. Jess stared at her skeptically.
"What do you mean, of course I do. He's all over the place." She looked at Bella. "Wait, did you not know who he was when you two met?"
I shook my head and Bella shrugged. "I was clueless."
Jess shrieked another laugh. Christ this woman was loud.
"Of course, you were, Bella! I can't even believe you! We had literally been talking about Edward like three weeks before you met James," she said shaking her head.
Bella's eyes widened. "What? No! Were we?"
I stared at them curiously. Jess looked up at me and smirked. "We were. You were all over the place in Bangkok. There were entire stores with shrines to you in the windows," she looked at Bella. "You seriously don't remember me pointing them out? We talked about how fuck hot he was for like an hour," she said shaking her head. Bella stared at her blankly and Jess laughed, looking back at me. "Trust me, you're still gorgeous, but my head has been turned," she sighed, glancing across the room. Her eyes met those of a tall man with brown hair and she smiled. I looked down at Bella.
"You thought I was fuck hot even before we met?" I asked her smirking. She looked at me.
"I seriously have no memory of the conversation, but I'm sure if I saw your picture, I would have thought so," she said shaking her head. I laughed quietly and Jess turned back to us.
"God, you are a gorgeous couple," she sighed. "Okay, Bella, come say hi to Ty. He's excited to see you again," she said taking Bella's hand and dragging her out of my arms. I followed behind them, feeling anxious. We approached the man Jess had been eyeing earlier. He looked up at Bella, and the smile he gave my girl sent a shot of jealousy running through me.
"Ty! It's so great to see you!" Bella said, flinging her arms around him. He laughed, pulling her against his chest, and I had to shove my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching out and yanking her away from him.
"Bella, how have you been?" he pulled away from her, looking her over. "Gorgeous as ever," he said smiling at her. She beamed at him.
"Well look at you," she said motioning to him. "You look amazing. Looks like Jess is keeping your ass active," she giggled. He rolled his eyes and Jess leaned into his side, grinning.
"You have no idea," Jess winked. They all laughed, and I shifted awkwardly. Bella turned to me.
"Babe come here. This is Tyler Crowley. Ty, this is my partner, Edward," she said, winding her arm through mine. Tyler smiled at me and reached out to shake my hand.
"Wow, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said brightly. I shook his hand, managing a smile.
"You too, congratulations," I said motioning to Jess. Tyler beamed.
"Thanks, mate. You don't know what it means to us that you could both be here," he said looking back at Bella. "If it weren't for you, Jess and I never would have met."
Bella shook her head. "Are you kidding? I am so happy things worked out like this for you two. When I sent Jess your way, well, I didn't expect this, but it's obvious you two are happy."
Tyler laughed. "When I got your text about meeting your friend I was actually considering canceling. I'd decided to stay single for a bit, and if anyone but you had reached out, I probably would have turned it down," he said winking at Bella. "But one look at Jess, and I was just done." He turned to her, smiling at her lovingly. She giggled and reached up to kiss him.
"Of course, I knew what to expect with Ty," Jess said, pulling away and turning back to Bella. "I mean, because of what you'd told me." The girls giggled again, and Tyler rolled his eyes. "But he was so much more than that. He made this skeptic's heart just melt." Jess turned back to him, looking at him adoringly. Bella shifted on her feet, shaking her head slightly.
"I'm seriously so happy for you two," she sighed. Jess and Tyler smiled at her before Tyler turned his attention on me.
"So how did you and Bella meet?" he asked.
I glanced at Bella who was smiling at me happily. "We uh, sort of met through a mutual friend," I said vaguely. Bella grinned at me and wound her arm around my waist.
"We met at a club," she said turning back to her friends. "One look at him and I knew I needed a taste," she said with a wicked smirk. I felt my neck blushing in surprise at her words. Her friends laughed.
"And you got her to keep coming back for more?" Tyler asked, shaking his head. Bella giggled, looking at him.
"I know it's heartbreaking, Ty. But yeah, Edward just had something no one else did," she teased. Ty clutched his heart dramatically and they all laughed. I looked at Bella. I didn't have something unique though. She'd only come back into my life because of Pip. I absolutely shuddered to think about what my future might have looked like if she hadn't gotten pregnant. Would this have been us in a few years? Would she have tried to set me up with another friend somewhere down the line, thinking of me as nothing more than a good time for someone else?
They were talking again, and I struggled to pull myself out of my thoughts and focus on them.
Bella was telling them about how long we'd been in Australia and what we'd been up to. Jess was nodding, her eyes wide.
"Ugh, babe, we need to go to the reef!" Jess said, smacking Tyler's chest lightly. She turned to Bella. "He keeps saying we'll go, but so far nothing. I want to get some underwater shots up there," she sighed, shaking her head a little.
Bella nodded. "We did a private tour and," she paused, glancing up at me with a little smirk. "It was totally worth it."
I smiled at her, remembering our time in the cabin. I'd paid the crew quiet a tip when we'd gotten back to shore.
Jess was talking again. "Okay, we're definitely going to do that. Maybe when we get back from our honeymoon," she said squeezing Tyler's arm. He nodded.
Bella started asking her about the honeymoon, when a sharp gasp interrupted her. Immediately, I was on edge as my eyes swept the room.
Holy shit. It couldn't be.
Lauren, the girl from our flight was there, staring at me wide eyed and desperate.
"Lauren!" Jess and Bella called out at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise.
"How do you know Lauren?" Jess asked. Bella shook her head.
"We met on the plane from LA. How do you know her?"
Jess laughed. "She's my sister! Lulu come here and meet Bella!"
But Lauren's eyes were on me, and she was very obviously undressing me in her mind. Bella shifted a little in front of me and moved into Lauren's eye line.
"Lauren, it's good to see you again," Bella said, her voice light but her shoulders slightly tense. I reached out to her, pulling her against my chest. She leaned into my touch and I let out a soft breath.
"Oh my god," Jess groaned when Lauren still didn't look away from me. "Excuse my sister. She's crazy," Jess said, shaking her head. She stepped over to Lauren and grabbed her wrist, dragging her across the room. I could hear her furiously whispering to her sister whose eyes were still on me. I curled my arms around Bella a little tighter.
"This must happen a lot," Tyler said, looking at me. I shrugged and Bella looked at him.
"We mostly spend time at home," she said shaking her head. Tyler looked surprised.
"In a relationship and staying home? Who are you?" he joked. Bella smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"So, where are you two going on your honeymoon?" Bella asked, diverting the conversation. Tyler allowed for the change with a nod.
"We're going to Tahiti. Jess wanted a world tour, but I have to be back to work in a couple weeks, so that'll have to wait a bit longer," he said shrugging. Bella nodded.
"Tahiti will be fun though. Jess hasn't been there, has she?"
Tyler shrugged. "Neither of us have. We talked about maybe going somewhere where we could adventure, but in the end, we wanted somewhere peaceful where we could just spend time together. We'll adventure still, but I think we are both looking forward on just focusing on each other for a couple of weeks."
Bella smiled, resting her head against my chest.
"That's sounds amazing," she sighed. I stroked her lightly with my thumb. Did she want that for us? Was that what this trip should have been? Or did she want another trip like that? How would we travel again before Pip was born?
Jess came back over to us, shaking her head. "Lauren will behave," she said rolling her eyes. I glanced up to see Lauren sitting at the table. "I think we're ready to sit though," Jess said, motioning to the table. We nodded and Jess directed Bella on her right while Tyler took the seat to her left. I sat on Bella's right and to my right was an older gentleman who nodded at me, his whiskey sloshing in his glass as he settled at the table. Lauren was seated next to Tyler, and though the angle was awkward for her to be staring directly at me, she didn't let it stop her.
Jess introduced everyone at the table. I was sitting next to Tyler's parents I guess, while Jess's family sat with her sister on the other side. Bella and I were the only non-family members there.
Dinner was delicious, but strained. Bella was so alive with these friends, and though watching her like this absolutely thrilled me—it reminded me of who she'd been when we first met—it also made me sad. She wasn't this alive with me. I'd been naïve to think I could give her everything she needed, when it was so obvious that by being with me, she was giving up so much of herself.
I felt myself moping, even though I tried to hide it. I didn't want to take away from Jess and Tyler's evening.
Sometime before desert arrived, Bella was telling Jess a story, her hands flying in front of her. I noticed that when she talked about travel, her hands went wild, acting out scenes in front of her. She hardly moved her hands when she talked to me.
One of her hands came around, sweeping in front of me before it settled on my thigh. I froze, noticing Bella's proximity to my dick. I wasn't even sort of aroused right now, but the moment her hand landed on me, my dick started to stir. It was like a Pavlovian response to her.
I waited to see if she'd move her hand from my lap, but then she shook her head at Jess, laughing, and her hand traveled higher. I shifted in my seat, startled. Her hand stayed firmly up my thigh, and she continued to speak to Jess, like absolutely nothing was the matter.
Across the table, Lauren's eyes zeroed in on me, and I shifted for a different reason. It made me incredibly anxious, having Lauren stare at me like that. How the fuck was I going to get through this wedding?
Friday, November 23
Melbourne, Australia
15 Weeks
I tugged at my shirt, frowning. Should I be wearing a tie? It was a wedding after all. Shouldn't I be more dressed up?
I could hear Bella getting ready in the bedroom, and I let out a tight breath. She hadn't said anything to me about my behavior after the dinner the other night, though she'd been noticeably quieter. We'd spent yesterday at the aquarium, or we had tried to. After about an hour there, Bella mentioned all the people watching and recording us, and we'd agreed to leave and head back to the hotel.
I hated that whatever peaceful bliss-bubble we'd found at the beginning of this trip was starting to slip away. Before we'd gotten to Melbourne, I'd never felt closer or more connected to Bella.
Now, it was like early days of our relationship all over again. I missed Bella, and I hated how things had progressed between us lately.
"Bella, are you almost ready?" I asked, glancing at my watch. We weren't running late or anything, but I felt myself getting anxious to just get the whole night over with.
"Yeah, give me a second," Bella called back. I stepped away from the mirror and sighed. I'd go without the tie. Bella had said the evening was meant to be casual anyway.
Bella had assured me that the guest list was small, and that the likelihood of Chris and Phil being needed was minimal, but I wasn't going to take chances. This wasn't just about me; this was about Bella's friends. I wouldn't let my fame ruin their wedding.
So far, Chris and Phil had been incredibly efficient and non-intrusive. They were always there, but I'd been generally able to forget about them, at least I had been up until Melbourne. It pissed me off that Hollywood had sent paps to Australia to follow me, but it wasn't all that surprising if I was being honest. And really, they weren't as bad as I knew they could be back home.
Still, I hated that I could feel myself getting tense again.
"Alright, I'm ready," Bella said, coming out of the bedroom. I looked up at her, sucking in a sharp breath. Fuck. How did she get more stunning every time I saw her? She was wearing some light blue dress that was doing frankly sinful things to her breasts. I stared at her, unable to tear my eyes from her chest. Holy Hell.
Bella snickered, and my eyes dragged away from her cleavage, to meet her amused brown eyes. "You like?" she asked, a coy smile on her face. I grunted, unable to form words just quite yet. Bella snickered and stepped toward me. She looked so beautiful. Her hair was swept up in a fancy updo that left her gorgeous neck fully on display. She wasn't wearing a ton of makeup, but whatever she was wearing was just accentuating her already perfect features.
She stepped closer to me, and I my eyes dropped to her chest again. She giggled, and I shifted, reaching down to adjust myself.
Bella stepped right in front of me, and I was staring down her dress, trying to remember why we ever had to fucking leave our hotel room.
She reached out to me, and my eyes rolled back as she palmed me through my pants. "Fuck, Baby," I groaned.
She giggled, reaching up to me and winding her other arm around my neck.
"You look so handsome," she whispered against my jaw. Her lips grazed my skin and my hands immediately came around her, yanking her to me. Her right hand was still palming me, and I was going to fucking come in my pants if she kept that shit up.
My hands traveled up her back, and I groaned when I realized there was quite a bit of skin on display back there. Bella shuddered in my arms, her eyes fluttering shut and her hand squeezing me a little tighter as my fingers trailed up her spine.
"You look so fucking beautiful," I groaned. Bella's eyes opened slowly, and she looked up at me, her big brown eyes filled with love. I smiled at her, the ache in my heart easing at the look on her face. I reached down to kiss her, and she let go of me to wind both her arms around my neck.
As much as her body was a turn on to me, the love I saw in her eyes was what got to me the most. I fucking loved this woman with all that I was, and even the thought of losing her in the smallest way sent me into a full-blown panic. It was selfish and possessive, but I wanted all of her, and I wanted her to want me like I wanted her.
Bella pulled away from me a little, her hands coming around to cup my face, a small question on her face. Had she felt the desperation in my kiss? The possessiveness?
Before she could ask me, I squeezed her waist and offered her a tiny smile. "Ready to go?"
She looked at me a long moment before nodding. "Yeah, let's go."
…
Tyler and Jess were getting married on a small private beach just outside of Melbourne. Chris drove us all out, while Bella and I sat in the back seat. I touched the pocket of my jacket to make sure that I still had Jess and Tyler's wedding present in there. They hadn't registered anywhere, but Bella had picked out the perfect gift for them anyway. I'd insisted on paying for the bulk of it, though Bella had done the planning and research of the gift.
She glanced at me across the backseat, smiling softly. I smiled back at her, once I was sure the envelop was still in my pocket.
"This is the first wedding I've ever been to," she said glancing at me. I looked at her in surprise.
"Really?"
She shrugged. "Okay, well there was the one in Finland that I went to on accident," she giggled, shaking her head. "I was checking out the church, thought there would be some sort of church service and that sounded interesting, so I thought I'd stick around. Then they locked me in with everyone and wouldn't let me leave until the service was over. It was beautiful, but I didn't understand a word of it," she snickered to herself and I shook my head, smirking. "But yeah, my friends aren't typically the marrying kind." She shrugged one shoulder, looking back out the window.
I frowned at her. Was she the marrying kind? It was way too early to ask her something like that, I knew, but it didn't mean it hadn't crossed my mind. I wanted Bella to be with me for the rest of our lives. Of course, I'd thought about marrying her. Hell, I'd thought about it when she told me she was going to keep our Pip.
I had a deep feeling though, that if I brought it up, Bella would panic. It was the only thing keeping me from broaching the subject with her.
"I was at Rose and Emmett's wedding," I said slowly. Bella looked at me. "And I've had cousins and other friends get married. I've been to a handful of weddings, but none like this," I said, glancing out the window toward the water. I looked back at Bella to see her smiling.
"Jess and I are a lot alike. No way she'd stay indoors when she decided to marry," Bella said smiling softly. I frowned at her. Did that mean she had thought about getting married? Had she thought about us getting married? Did she want to get married outside?
My thoughts were spiraling, and before I could make heads or tails of them, the car was pulling to a stop. Bella perked up, her smile wide as Chris came around and opened her door for her. She slid out and I took a second to gather myself together before climbing out after her.
There were a few tents set up, each decorated with gauzy white curtains. There was a semi sturdy path set down in the sand so we could walk from the parking lot toward the party. Bella and headed down, and I noticed she was wearing shiny flat sandals, probably smart considering the terrain.
We headed toward the main tents where a small dance floor was set up in front of two bar tents. Behind the dancefloor were tables that backed up to another set of tents that had long buffet table set out. Bella took in the space around us, smiling.
"This is so Jess," she said happily. I smiled at her when she glanced at me. I hadn't talked to Jess much at dinner, not directly, but I'd seen her interacting with people, most importantly, with Bella. Jess adored Bella, and it was easy to see the feeling was mutual. They had picked up with jokes and teasing right away. It was phenomenally different to see Bella with her friends than with mine. Here, everyone knew how incredible she was, and she reveled in that awareness. Here, my girl was a fucking queen.
I reached out to her, wanting to touch her in some way, and my hand landed on the small of her back. She smiled, looking up at me as she leaned into my touch.
"It looks like the ceremony will be out there," I said nodding toward the water. There were some people clumped together, standing and chatting. Bella nodded.
"Shall we?" she asked. I nodded and gently wrapped my hand around her waist, holding her to me. We headed down the walkway until we hit the sand. Bella ploughed straight ahead while I tried to keep up. I hated walking on sand in shoes, but I didn't feel comfortable enough to just take them off.
We got to the edge of the group, and Bella waved to Jess's mom. Lauren was standing there with her, her attention immediately whipping to me when her mom waved back to Bella.
I shifted behind Bella a little, who completely ignored me as she continued waving to people.
I could sense Lauren watching me, though I tried not to look up and meet her gaze. I didn't want her to think her interest was in any way reciprocated.
Bella led us closer to the center of the group, smiling and chatting with people as she moved further in. I stuck to her like an awkward shadow, smiling when people looked my way, but not focusing on any one person for long.
"Bella, you look so beautiful, it's so good to see you again," Jess' mom said, pulling Bella into a hug.
Bella smiled, squeezing the woman back. "It's good to see you too, Joyce. Were you able to get out and enjoy the city at all yesterday?"
Joyce pulled away from Bella and rolled her eyes. "No, it was all wedding details and last-minute scrambles. We'll be heading out tomorrow to site-see." She smiled at my girl. "Bella, we can't tell you what it means to us to have you in Jessie's life," she said, gently, taking Bella's hands. "We know you were the one to encourage Jessie to reach out to us, and well, we want to thank you. I would have been utterly heartbroken to have missed this day, and I know a large thank you goes to you for reconnecting us as a family."
Bella's eyes were glassy as she pulled Jess' mom back into a hug.
"Oh, there is no thank you necessary. Jess saved me more than I could say while we were traveling together, and it just warms my heart so much to know that she has you all back in her life." Bella shifted and licked her lips. "Parents should be a part of their child's lives, no matter how old they are or how far they've wandered."
Joyce smiled and patted Bella's cheek. I reached out to her as well, my hand resting on her back again. She glanced up at me, and I hated the tears in her eyes
"Oh Bella, you're going to make a wonderful mother," Joyce said, leaning in to whisper. Bella's back tensed up, her eyes going wide.
"W-what?"
Joyce glanced at me and smiled before looking at Bella. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Your secret is safe with me. Just know, a mother always knows," she tapped her nose and pat Bella's hands once more. Bella stared at her, her mouth gaping open in shock, but before she could say anything, a man was settling in front of the crowd and holding his hands up, calling for attention. Music started up somewhere, and Tyler came out, dressed in white linen. He came to stand next to the man and smiled at him, shaking his hand. I reached out to Bella, pulling her toward my chest. She still looked stunned, as if she'd just heard about Pip for the first time. I wrapped my arms around her, and she leaned into me, taking deep breaths.
The music changed and then there was Jess and her dad, walking down the aisle. She looked beautiful in her wedding gown that was somehow way too much for the beach while simultaneously being exactly Jess. She looked overdressed, but gorgeous as she walked past her friends and family toward Tyler. She glanced at Bella as she passed by us, and winked at her, making Bella smile. I held her tighter as Jess made her way to Tyler and their priest.
The ceremony was short and beautiful, and timed with phenomenal precision because as soon as they were standing there, the sun began to set behind them, casting them in golden light. They were perfect and beautiful, and watching the joy on their faces made me long to be connected to Bella in the same way. I held her in my arms, my thumb gently stroking Pip.
When I broached the subject of marriage with Bella—it was a when at this point—I needed her to know that I wanted her for her, not because of Pip. Yes, I wanted us to be a family, and we would be no matter what, but I wanted more from Bella. I was a possessive bastard, and I wanted her, and the world to know that she was mine, and that I was completely and utterly hers. I needed that.
My arms squeezed around her a little tighter as Jess and Tyler kissed for the first time, and Bella glanced up at me, smiling gently. I leaned down and kissed her temple.
When they had been pronounced husband and wife, Jess let out a victorious scream, making everyone laugh.
"Food will be served shortly, in the meantime, grab a drink and relax because now it's time to party!" Jess shrieked. Everyone cheered as she grabbed Tyler's hand, yanking him down for another kiss. They broke apart, grinning widely as they made their way back down the aisle. The crowd waited for the couple to leave before breaking up and heading back toward the tables and tents.
"Shall we?" I asked Bella. She glanced up at me and nodded, smiling softly.
"Yeah, let's get something to drink," she said nodding. We headed back with the crowd, sticking towards the back of the pack as we walked. "That was so beautiful," she sighed, wiping at tears on her cheeks. I glanced at her.
"It was," I agreed. Bella smiled at me. "Have you ever thought about it?" Fuck. What had I just said?
Bella froze, looking up at me with wide eyes. "Marriage?" she asked, after about a hundred fucking years. Fuck, I guess this was happening now. I nodded mutely.
Bella looked like she was having a panic attack. Her eyes were so fucking wide and she was sucking in deep breaths. I wanted to take the words back, but a sick part of me wanted to push this conversation right now. "Edward, I…" Bella paused, her eyes filling with tears as she shook her head.
I swallowed thickly and shook my own head. "Forget it," I said quickly. "It was stupid."
Bella was still staring at me as I pushed past her to keep walking. I felt her fall into step with me, but I couldn't look at her. What the fuck had possessed me to ask her something like that? I knew she wasn't ready, fuck, I wasn't even ready.
We made our way back toward the bar and I ordered us some waters. Bella took hers, drinking it quickly. I felt bad about sending her into a panic but she had to know it had at least been on my fucking mind.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I didn't mean to bring it up today."
Bella looked up at me, and I couldn't fucking tell what she was thinking. She frowned and opened her mouth, when something past me caught her eye.
"James?"
Fucking hell. I turned to see the man Bella was staring at beyond my shoulder. She was lit up like a fucking Christmas tree as the guy strolled over, completely sidestepping around me to pull her into an incredibly intimate hug.
"Bella, it's so good to see you," he purred, rubbing his hands down her back. My hands twitched, and I set my glass down so I could shove them in my pockets so I wouldn't rip the guy away from her. Their hug lingered a little too long, and right when I was about to clear my throat or some fucking thing, Bella pulled away from him.
"How are you? I thought you were headed to Costa Rica?" she asked, him, pulling back. He kept his arms wound around hers and my hands fisted in my pockets.
"Went, surfed, broke some hearts," he said, offering her a lazy grin. She laughed, shaking her head. "What about you? When we parted ways, you said you were heading state side," he said, his hands rubbing up and down her arms.
Bella seemed to fucking remember me then because she nodded, shaking her head and stepping back from him. "I did. James, this is Edward," she said motioning to me. James finally fucking turned to look at me. He was handsome, I would grudgingly admit that. He had that laid-back surfer vibe that I knew a lot of women lost it over. He was about my height, though I could tell I was probably more muscular than him, at least for now. Alec had been whipping my ass into shape to stay this way for my Dax Storm promos and I hated to admit that James looked like he was probably always that defined. Fucker.
"Hey," he said nodding to me. One of his hands was still on Bella's wrist and I took a careful breath to calm myself from ripping that arm off him. I hated that he was being so casual and physical with my Bella.
"Hey," I grunted back. Bella glanced at me curiously. She frowned a little and turned back to James.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him. What the fuck indeed?
James looked back at her, his smile easy and flirtatious. "Well, it turns out that Tyler just happens to be an old friend. I couldn't believe it when he called me about getting married. I was even more surprised to see Jess." He grinned at her, reaching out to her with both of his hands again. "I was hoping I'd be lucky enough to see you," he was practically fucking her with his eyes, and she was lapping that shit up. I huffed, and Bella's eyes cut to me again.
"I wouldn't miss Jess's wedding," she said shaking her head. She pulled away from James and I felt my jaw relax a fraction. "James, will you excuse us a minute?" she asked.
He nodded, glancing at me in amusement as Bella reached out, wrapping her fingers around my arm. She yanked me away from James, and I followed her petulantly. When we were behind the bar, Bella whirled on me. "What the fuck is your problem?" she snarled. I glared at her. I knew I was being a jealous asshole, but it hadn't fucking escaped my notice that Bella hadn't mentioned what our relationship was to James. Coupled with the fucking panic attack she'd had at the thought of marrying me and yeah, my mood was shit.
"Nothing," I grunted, not wanting to get into it here. Bella's eyes narrowed and she leaned toward me. Fuck, even when I was pissed at her, I was so turned on by her.
"Nothing my ass," she hissed. "Why are you acting like such a dick?"
I took a deep breath in through my nose. If I told her what was on my mind, it would only make her madder. I knew that for a fact.
I stared at her a long moment before shaking my head. We could get into it later, in the privacy of our room or something. "We'll talk about this later," I said finally.
Bella's eyes narrowed further. "The fuck we will." She stepped closer to me. "You told me you were fine with seeing my friends. Stop acting like such a pretentious ass and get over yourself." She jabbed my chest with her fingers, and I glared at her.
"You think I think I'm better than them?" I snapped, anger rising in me. Bella rolled her eyes.
"You couldn't be more obvious about it. You're staring down your nose at them!" She was all but shouting and I stepped closer to her, furious.
"I'm not looking my nose at anyone, Bella," I said coldly. "I'm too busy wondering if you're going to accept James' offer when he inevitably asks you to come back to his room tonight."
Bella's eyes widened, and then she was moving so fast I didn't have time to duck before she slapped me. Pain blossomed across my cheek as I stared down at her in shock.
"How fucking dare you," she snarled, tears brimming in her eyes. I was running on fury and frustration and pain, and before I could say anything else, she was gone, storming away from me.
The moment she was gone, my head cleared, and I swore violently, kicking a stack of cardboard boxes. They rattled dangerously, and I stormed away from them, tugging at my hair. Fuck. I'd royally fucked up.
I wanted to find Bella, apologize to her. Fuck, I would grovel at her feet. My insecurity and jealousy had never been this bad.
I came around the bar tent, my eyes scanning the beach. I couldn't find Bella anywhere. Angrily, I noticed James was also missing.
I stormed around for a minute before returning to the bar. "Whiskey," I snapped. The bartender nodded; his eyes wide as he poured me a drink. I took it, downing the glass before I slammed it on the bar. "Another," I growled. He poured while I pulled out my wallet, throwing some cash on the bar as I took the drink. It was a terrible idea to drink, I knew that, but fuck, I needed to clear my thoughts and I didn't know how else to do it.
I sipped this glass, letting it burn through my mind and highlight to me exactly how stupid I'd been.
Fucking hell.
AN: Oh Edward. There are still some issues they have to work out, though it's been nice to have some smooth sailing for a while. I absolutely had no intention of leaving things on this note, but honestly, the characters got away from me!
I absolutely want to post the next chapter straight away, but I do need to keep working on parts of it, so it's going to have to wait until Monday. We are unfortunately catching up to where I've written ahead to, and I am officially back at work working some crazy long days trying to prepare for the beginning of the school year, so my writing has been minimal this week. Hopefully this weekend, I'll get in some time to crank out a few chapters so this posting schedule can remain!
An absolute side note: The tour they did at the Canberra Zoo is a real thing and let me tell you, hand feeding a bear will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. It's an excellent program and absolutely essential if passing through the area!