Chapter Twenty-Six: Take My Whole Life Too

Edward's POV

"You're what?" Kate, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper all asked at the same time.

"We're...getting married," Bella said as she held out the ring. Emmett took a look at the ring and smiled. He knew exactly where it came from.

"Dude, I thought you were just going to sing her a song and talk about things," He chuckled. "I didn't think you'd have the balls to propose."

I shrugged. "I had the ring but I didn't even think I had the balls to do it. But then I realized I didn't want to waste another second so I asked her to marry me."

"How'd the kids take it?" Kate asked as she and Alice examined the ring.

Bella and I looked at each other and smiled.

"You're sure about this?" Bella asked nervously when Caroline and I got to her house on Sunday morning. Caroline thought we were just here so she and Brady could work on a project together but we didn't want to hide anything.

"Positive."

She smiled. "I trust you."

Bella went upstairs to bring the two of them downstairs. We sat them down on the couch and they were looking at us like we each had three heads. Caroline was smart. She knew something was up but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Brady just looked at us, impatiently waiting for us to get to the point so they could work on their science fair project.

"Bella and I have something we want to tell you guys," I smiled and took her hand.

Caroline screamed. "You're back together? You're boyfriend and girlfriend again?"

"Something like that," Beall said. She looked at me, bit her lip, and then smiled. "Kids...Edward and I are going to get married."

"MARRIED?!" Caroline screamed as she jumped off the couch and threw her arms around us in a group hug. I snuck a peek at Brady who was looking smug. When Caroline let us go, Bella looked at him previously.

"Brady?" She asked. "You okay."

"Yeah," He smiled. "Edward asked me if it was okay yesterday."

"He...what?" She looked at me.

"He showed up at Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper's house yesterday and asked if it was okay if you two got married," He said as he hugged her. "I told him it was okay with me."

She turned to me and smiled. "You asked for his permission?"

"Of course. I knew Caroline would be okay with it, but Brady has always been more reserved. It's harder to tell what he's thinking."

"Just don't start kissing a bunch in front of us," Brady laughed. "I might change my mind."

"We should have a party!" Alice clapped. "To celebrate your engagement."

"We can make it a joint celebration for the engagement and Kate's pregnancy," Emmett boomed.

The room got very still and quiet.

"Emmett," Kate whispered through clenched teeth.

He shrugged. "We agreed we'd wait until you were in your second trimester. You're almost four months now."

"You're pregnant?" Bella asked.

"I'm due at the end of November," Kate nodded and the two girls pushed Emmett and me out of the way to fondle over Kate's nonexistent belly.

"Congratulations, man," I slapped Emmett on the back as we watched the girls.

"You too, big brother," He slapped me on the back as well but the difference was Emmett was built like a linebacker. It nearly knocked the wind out of me when he did that.

After a few minutes of asking Kate question's about how she was feeling, Alice got to work planning the party. It amazed me that by the time they all left after dinner the entire thing was already planned. I wondered how Alice was able to do it but Bella told me it was her second calling and that she almost became a professional party planner.

Our parents were extremely excited and supportive when they heard the news about the engagement. Our mothers went into planning mode immediately and we could tell they were thrilled that they were finally going to be in-laws. They'd developed a close bond when Bella and I were dating and I knew it was part of the reason they were so upset when we broke up.

When the three of them were talking about the wedding, Dad took me to the kitchen. He told me how proud of me he was and asked how I felt about everything. I told him about what I'd been working on in therapy.

Dr. Grey helped me realize that I was so scared of losing Bella I pushed her away without even realizing it. The trauma that occurred when Rosalie died helped me build a wall that would keep me from getting hurt if anything happened to Bella. I was stupid because I'd hurt myself by trying to keep myself from getting hurt but he helped me see that if I was honest with Bella we could get through this.

And we were going to get through this. The night we got engaged, we stayed up all night talking. I told her about my fears of losing her and she assured me that she wasn't going anywhere. We made promises to each other that night that we would never tell anyone else about.

"No, we want a small wedding, mom," Bella laughed as Dad and I came out of the kitchen. "Family and close friends."

Renee looked disappointed, but it's what we both wanted.

"And soon," I told them. "Next May."

"That's only a year," my mom mentioned as she took out her datebook. She flipped to May of 2017. She looked over it and then smiled at me. "May twentieth."

I looked at Bella who smiled. "We can do it at the park."

"The park?" Renee asked. "Like where the jungle gym is?"

"There's a beautiful garden along one of the trails," Bella explained. "Edward and I would take walks there when the kids played."

"It's beautiful in the spring," I told them. "Full of blooming flowers."

Mom smiled. "May 20th, 2017 in the park."

"Sounds perfect," Bella smiled as I pulled her into my side. She put her hand on my chest and mom immediately gasped and grabbed her hand.

We hadn't shown them the ring yet in all the excitement.

"Grandma's ring," She smiled. "You gave it to her?"

I nodded. "You told me to give it to the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

"Awe, honey," She cried as she gave me a kiss on the cheek. "She'd be so happy to see that ring on her finger."

May 2017

"It looks perfect," Bella gushed when our wedding planner showed us the finished product. The garden had been transformed into a simple yet elegant venue for our ceremony.

Bella and I weren't going to use a wedding planner since we wanted to keep everything simple, but mom had a friend whose daughter was a party planner. She did everything from business banquets to baby showers to weddings and she did a perfect job at executing our vision.

Plus, since the garden didn't come with someone to help with the planning Bella and I were kind of clueless about what to do. Alice wanted to help but had a lot going on with her actual job. Makenna had done a great job of keeping things simple.

"I'm so glad," Makenna let out a big breath when she got Bella's approval. "I hope this is the simple wedding you were dreaming of."

We both nodded. "It is."

Makenna had a few rows of white chairs pointing at the wooden arch Bella and I would get married under. We weren't planning on using an arch but Makenna found one at an auction and refurbished it. The arch was white and decorated with lavender flowers and beautiful white fabric. It was perfect and I was glad we'd gone with the arch.

After we saw the garden we got the rest of our family for the rehearsal. Makenna was also coordinating this and Felix was going to play the music for the ceremony. We practiced where everyone would stand and where we would go after the ceremony. After the rehearsal, we headed back to Bella's house for the rehearsal dinner.

Renee and my mom had been cooking for a few days for the dinner and everything was amazing. It was the perfect last party to have in this house.

We discussed the option of Caroline and I moving into the house but we ultimately decided that we wanted our own house. We found the perfect home to fit our family and expand if we wanted to a few blocks away. We were officially moving in after our honeymoon and I was excited to start our family there.

After the party was over, Brady and I headed over to Emmett's house. Caroline was staying with Bella for some girl time before the wedding and Brady wanted to spend time with the boys.

And his future cousins.

Kate had given birth to their second daughter, Elena Ruth Cullen, at the end of November. It was a difficult adjustment for them but Lucy was such an angel. She was a great big sister and loved Elena so much. They were very lucky she had gone through mild terrible twos.

Brady got ready for bed and crashed before I even had a chance to go upstairs and check on him. I sent Bella a text, telling her he was sound asleep and that I couldn't wait to see her tomorrow. She replied, telling me the same thing about Caroline and about the wedding.

After getting out of my suit, I grabbed a beer and sat down on their back deck. The sun had set a while ago but they had a bunch of small lights lining their backyard that lit everything up. I looked up and saw a crescent moon and then there was a light breeze.

I took a deep breath and smiled.

"She makes me so happy, Rose," I whispered. "Caroline and I are very lucky."

Another breeze.

I smiled. "You'll always be my first love. But I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with Bella."

I heard the sliding door open and someone rested their hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Emmett standing there with a beer. At first I thought he would tell me I was being weird for talking to myself, but he just nodded. He was silently telling me that he understood and sat down next to me.

"How do you feel?" He asked as we sipped our beer.

"Good," I told him. "Nervous."

"Bella isn't Rosalie."

"It's a good nervous," I assured him. "I have these butterflies in my stomach and there's an excitement to it."

He smiled. "That's how I felt the night before I married Kate," He stopped and looked up at me. "I'm really happy for you, Edward. You and Caroline deserve this."

"Thanks, Em."

We stood up and hugged each other. Emmett and I had always been close but this felt like one of those real hugs. It was like one of those hugs after you really connected to someone and I felt strangely closer to him.

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of bacon and heard Brady and Lucy laughing. When I walked downstairs, Kate was making breakfast for us and the kids were watching a toddler cartoon show.

"Morning, groom," Kate smiled as she handed me a plate. She got food for the kids ready while Emmett gave Elena a bottle. We ate quickly before Kate got the girls ready to go to Bella's house. Lucy was our flower girl and Bella wanted her there to be with Caroline while they got ready. We all showered, shaved, and got dressed with time to spare which was rare when Emmett was around.

At two o'clock, we headed to the park. Makenna had set up two tents on opposite sides of the garden for the small bridal parties to relax in before the ceremony. The photographer showed up to take our pictures before the ceremony started. When I saw Bella's car pull up, dad and Emmett shielded my eyes while they got Bella in her tent.

When it was three o'clock, Makenna told us we were ready to start and the butterflies were really flying around in my stomach.

I was about to get married.

Felix started softly strumming the guitar as my parents walked down the aisle. Renee followed them and Brady, Emmett, and I made our way to the altar. Caroline was next and she looked like a little lady as she walked down the aisle in her purple bridesmaid dress. Alice followed her and then Lucy and Nathan who both did surprisingly well.

The music changed to a beautiful version of Pachelbel's Cannon and I saw Bella and Jasper appear at the end of the aisle.

She looked incredible in her simple, white dress. Her hair was in loose curls and she wore a mixture of Renee and my mother's jewelry. When our eyes locked, I couldn't help but tear up.

When they reached the end of the aisle, Jasper gave her a kiss on the cheek and put her hand in mine.

He leaned in close to me. "Be good to her," He whispered.

"I promise," I nodded as I looked at her again. "You look amazing."

"You don't look so bad yourself," She smiled. "You ready?"

"As ready as I've ever been."

We looked at the officiant and he started to speak about how love conquers all. Brady and Caroline read a poem Bella and I picked out and before I knew it, it was time for our vows. Felix played Can't Help Falling in Love as we turned to face each other.

Bella went first.

"On our first date, you brought me to the place where you give music lessons. You sat me down on the piano bench and began to play for me. You mentioned that you were afraid if you shared your feelings that it would scare me away. Edward, that was the moment I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life.

"Through all of our ups and downs, I have always known that you were the love of my life. You sang the words I'm falling for you but at that moment...I had already fallen for you," She smiled. "You once told me that you always played it safe, but I know that our life together is going to be an adventure. And I can't wait for my life with you and our life as a family."

I bit my lip as a tear slid down my cheek. "I love you so much. I can't wait to start our journey."

"Edward," Our officiant smiled.

I cleared my throat. "Bella, there was a long stretch of time that I didn't think I was ever going to be happy again. Really happy...like butterflies in my stomach happy. I thought that Caroline was the only person I ever needed and then you walked into my music shop and asked for help buying an electric keyboard.

"Three years ago, you walked into my store and I smiled...really smiled...for the first time since Caroline was born. Bella, because of you, I laugh, I smile and I dare to dream again. You have no idea how much you have done for me and my daughter. The four of us becoming a family today is something I didn't even know I needed but I'm so glad it's finally happening. I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together."

After we exchanged our rings and said "I do" the officiant declared us husband and wife. The small crowd erupted into applause and we shared our first kiss as a married couple.

"Huh," She smiled when we pulled back.

"What?"

"It's even better when you're married," She smirked and kissed me again.

After the ceremony, the photographer took about a million photos before a surprise limo came to take us and our bridal party to the small reception. It wasn't anything fancy since it was a very small country club but they'd turned their garden into a beautiful place to celebrate our marriage.

As a surprise, I played the song I wrote for Bella before they brought us our dinner. Our moms were both in tears and came up to hug and kiss me when I finished. After we ate, we cut the cake and shared our first dance.

We went through hundreds of options when we picked our first dance song but we finally decided on Wonderful Tonight. It was a classic and she told me she had never felt so special as she did the night of our first date when I told her how pretty she looked.

"Do I look alright?" She sang along as we swayed to the soft music.

I kissed her forehead. "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."

After the party got started, I noticed Caroline sitting by the small fountain a few yards from where the reception was. She was perched on the edge and was looking up at the stars. I sat down next to her and kissed the top of her head as I pulled her close to me.

"I'm really happy for you guys," She smiled. It was hard to imagine how grown up my Caroline was. It was hard to believe she and Brady were starting middle school in August. I didn't want to think about it so I just enjoyed these moments with her.

"Thanks, sweetie."

"Dad?"

"Yes, Caroline."

She took a deep breath. "I want to talk to you about Bella legally adopting me. I know she's not my biological mom but she's the closet thing I've ever had to a mom and..."

"Caroline, stop."

"You hate the idea?" She looked hurt.

I shook my head. "No. It's an amazing idea. So amazing that Bella and I were already in the process of doing that."

"Really?"

"Once we get back from our honeymoon we are going to make it official," I told her and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She threw her arms around my neck and gave me a tight hug. "We love you, honey. Bella loves you like her own...of course she's going to legally adopt you."

It was one of the first things Bella and I talked about after getting engaged. She never brought it up. She was waiting for me since this was a potentially sensitive topic for me. But when I watched Bella teach Caroline how to make homemade bread three weeks after we got engaged, there wasn't anything that could be better than for her to adopt Caroline.

"I love you, dad!" She said. She let go of me, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and went to find Bella. Bella looked over at me when Caroline hugged her and mouthed I love you to me.

I knew this was exactly what Rosalie would have wanted. So many good things were happening right now and I never thought that marrying another woman would be a way to honor her. But it was. Giving Caroline a loving mother and a brother was what Rosalie would have wanted.

I felt that soft breeze and took a big breath.

"Thank you," I whispered before going over to my children and my bride.

Since Jake was still very much in the picture, I couldn't legally adopt Brady. However, Jake and I were in agreement that we wouldn't need to fight for his love or attention. Brady was a great kid and had enough love to go around. I wasn't sure Jake and I would ever be best friends but it was comforting to know that we could be adults and do what was right for our kids.

Being a father was the one thing that we would always have in common and that would always connect us.

Emmett and Alice gave wonderful speeches and before we knew it, the DJ was playing the last song. Bella and I held each other close as we swayed to the music.

I have died every day waiting for you. Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more.

"A thousand years doesn't seem like enough time," Bella whispered as she looked up at me.

I leaned down and gently brushed my lips against hers. "You have me forever. I'm not going anywhere."

"Today was perfect," She smiled.

"It was everything you ever wanted?"

She nodded. "I got to marry the man I love and I was surrounded by family and friends. What could be better?"

"Nothing," I agreed as I kissed her again. "Nothing could be better."