I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.
Cheryl and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.
Ch. 30
"I think we're done. You look beautiful, dear." Esme took a step back and smiled at me.
I turned and looked in the hotel mirror. I almost didn't recognize the girl looking back at me; she looked so much older and mature. My fingers brushed the locket that hung around my neck and I blinked back tears, trying not to ruin my makeup.
As much as I loved Esme, my mother should be here today helping me. I missed her.
My mother's memorial took place on a sunny day in April, her favorite month. We wanted to wait until we could claim her body, and as the months went by, I hoped for the best. But then Alice was able to uncover footage from streetlamp that showed my mother in the car before it blew. There was nothing left to claim. After the memorial, Dad had pulled me aside.
"I know your mother would want you to have this. It showed up the day after you ran to Chicago. I think she knew..." He stopped, getting emotional.
I bit my lip as I opened the small box. I swallowed hard and tears leaked out of my eyes. It was her locket; she had lied about throwing it out. I opened it to find my baby picture still inside.
"Thank you, Esme, for everything," I told her.
"No thanks are necessary, dear. I'll go tell your dad you're ready." She kissed my cheek, then left.
After she left the room, I found my shoes and slipped them on. Then I gave myself one final look.
Wedding dress shopping was worse than dress shopping for formals my mother had dragged me to. All the ones I tried were too fancy for my taste. None of them felt like me.
Finally Tanya, who had flown back for the weekend, suggested I look in the prom or bridesmaid section. The sales lady was aghast and argued it wouldn't be proper. Until an angry pregnant Rosalie got in her face and accused her of trying to up her commission.
I ended up with a knee-length dress with a floaty chiffon skirt and embroidered top. Even though it came in white, as soon as I saw the mist blue shade, I fell in love. Again, the saleslady had a smartass remark. This time it was Esme who took the bull by the horns and got another saleswoman to take over. I ended up getting my headpiece for free as an apology and a dress that said me.
I had to wonder what my mother would think of me wearing a blue dress.
Dad knocked on the door, then entered the room. "I have the car cooling down and ready to go. Can't have the bride melting on the way to the altar. You look beautiful, Bells."
"Thank you, Dad," I said to him.
"Thank you. For not making me wear a monkey suit." He chuckled, picking up my overnight bag.
I laughed. "Thank Edward. He decided a tux was too formal for an outdoor wedding."
We got in the car and started to drive to the wedding location. The lake would always be special to us. But at the same time, I couldn't go back to the beach where those men were killed. So, we found an alternative location. Edward and I chose a restaurant where we had a few dates. They had a gazebo outside and a great view of the water.
So much had changed since that night in Chicago. The FBI, thankfully, took over the case. I was convinced Heidi had a lot to do with it even though she couldn't say anything. A week after the horrible night, we had a funeral for Anthony Junior. On the same day, Afton and quite a few of his associates were arrested.
Two months later, the family, minus Peter and Tanya, moved to Seattle. Elizabeth was the one to bring up the idea. She no longer wanted to live at the house and wanted a fresh start. It was also a good idea in case Garrett left behind any cohorts. The only thing Edward was upset about was that Elizabeth refused to live with us. She insisted on staying with Esme and Carlisle.
After much deliberation, and with his mother's blessing, Edward formally changed his name to Edward Anthony Cullen. He finally decided on becoming a social worker. He could still help families without putting himself in danger. He was also seeing a therapist. He found out after his father's death that his dad tried to apologize in person and to tell Edward he would support him with whatever career he wanted. Edward took it hard; he never got closure.
The others settled into new lives in Seattle. They started a security alarm company. Alice designed the systems and Emmett and Jasper installed them. Rosalie took over the business end. Even though Peter didn't move with us, he did stop going on missions. He was getting help and focused on real estate. Tanya stayed in school in New Hampshire but planned on moving home when she graduated.
I glanced out the window and realized we had missed our turn.
"Dad, you were supposed to take a left turn about a mile back," I told him.
"I'm a cop. I know how to drive." He focused on the road ahead.
"Seriously, Dad. I'll be late to my own wedding." I was getting annoyed.
"You can't be late to your own wedding, you're the bride. It can't start without you."
"Dad," I said, exasperated.
"I told him this was a bad idea. Now I got left holding the bag," he grumbled, tapping on the steering wheel. "There's been a change of location. The wedding is at your house."
"My house? I don't own a house," I stated.
Edward and I had looked around, but we decided to rent a condo until we finished school. We wanted to wait to get a house when we were ready to settle.
"You do now...surprise!" Dad announced.
I stared at him wordlessly for a moment, then looked at the backseat. My bag was out of reach.
"Let me borrow your phone," I more or less demanded.
"About that..." He reached over and popped open the glove department. "I was told for you to contact him on this. We should be in range after this next turn."
I stared at the walkie-talkie, then pulled it out.
As soon as Dad straightened out of the turn, I pressed the button. "You bought a house?"
"You're supposed to say over," Edward responded teasingly.
"Are you sure you want me to say over right now?" I shot back, making my father laugh.
"Uh...perhaps not. It's a wedding present. Please, don't say it's too much."
I snorted. "Didn't you think I would want to help pick out a place?"
"I knew everything you did and didn't like about the houses we had looked at. This is more like a summer home. Same lake but on a different side for new memories," he rushed out.
I sighed and smiled despite myself. "It sounds nice."
"I love you, see you in a few." He sounded nervous.
"I love you too. Over." I smirked, then turned off the walkie -talkie before he could respond.
A few minutes later, we pulled into the driveway of a two-story blue house with white trim. There was a wraparound porch with a ramp, and I could see a porch swing in one corner.
"I guess that's supposed to be some sort of joke." Dad pointed to his left.
I looked around him to see a circular flower bed of multi-colored flowers. In the center was a windmill. I giggled when I saw it. Dad just shook his head and got out of the car, then he ran around to the side to open the door for me. We were greeted by my old friend, Angela, who was standing up for me. She gave me a hug, careful not to wrinkle my dress.
"You look stunning!" she exclaimed as she handed me my bouquet.
"Thank you. I'm glad you could be here for me," I told her.
"You can thank me by giving me a tour of your house. It's gorgeous from the outside," she joked as she looked up at it.
"I need a tour myself. Edward bought this as a wedding present. I didn't even know it existed until five minutes ago." I snorted.
"Wow!" Her eyes widened. "That's some wedding present."
"Are you girls ready? We have people waiting for us," Dad interrupted.
"I am." I took a deep breath and nodded.
I took Dad's arm as Angela led the way. We followed a path which looked freshly cemented.
"Edward had this put in for his mom. Esme and Carlisle own the house across the street now. They wanted to make it easier for her to join you guys on your own beach," Dad explained.
"My own beach? Cool." I grinned.
"Yup, you're moving on up." Dad's mustache twitched as he smirked.
We rounded the corner to the backyard. There were a little over a dozen chairs facing the water. An arch covered in flowers and white twinkle light sat at the crest of the hill before it went down to the water.
Edward stood waiting with Emmett beside him under the arch. His face broke into a large grin when he saw me. I tried to resist the urge to sprint to him.
This day was finally happening after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting.
Days
Later that evening, we danced under a canopy of white lights to Perfect. My head rested on Edward's shoulder. It was the wedding Edward had described. The one we both wanted, simple, yet…perfect.
Most of our guests had left. All who remained were Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Tanya, and, her date, Corin. Everyone had been in good moods today and laughter filled the air. Having a backyard barbecue was laidback. Even Elizabeth was smiling more than she had in months.
"Hey, guys, we're going to head to the 'rents." Emmett came up to us when the song was over.
"Thank you for manning the grill." Edward gave him a one-armed hug.
"My pleasure." Emmett grinned, then gave me a hug.
Rosalie was behind him looking happy but exhausted. Her stomach was huge now that she was a month away from her due date. "It was a beautiful wedding."
"Thank you. I hope you have a good night," I told her.
"Thanks. I just hope I can get more than an hour's sleep tonight. These two seem to become restless whenever I lie down." She stretched her back.
"Leave all the tables and chairs, we'll get them in the morning," Tanya announced.
"You mean us guys will do the work." Jasper rolled his eyes playfully.
"Well, us girls did most of the decorating and food preparation," Tanya retorted. "And Alice handled the music."
"Stop arguing guys," Alice spoke up in her quiet voice.
"Really, everyone, thank you for everything," I said.
We gave out final hugs good-bye and they walked out of the backyard.
"We are finally alone." Edward swept me off my feet and started carrying me to the house.
"What are you doing?" I asked, swinging my feet a little.
"Carrying you over the threshold," Edward stated.
"Oh, do I finally get a tour?" I asked teasingly.
Edward smiled nervously. "How mad are you?"
"I'm not mad. You're lucky I'm not a bridezilla, changing our wedding without telling me. However…I think this means I get one free pass of buying any high price item of my choosing without any complaining," I joked.
"I suppose." He chuckled. "What are you buying?"
"Not sure yet?" I shrugged and thought about maybe my own jet ski.
"Well, I might've bought the house, but it is still unfurnished." He stepped into a nice sized kitchen.
There was a large island in the center and the counters were a gray marble and cherry wood cabinets on the walls. In one corner was a breakfast nook.
"There's a pantry over behind the door next to the fridge." Edward nodded his head toward a door, then headed into the next room.
"Are you going to put me down?" I asked.
"Nope." "His grin grew.
We went from room to room before heading upstairs. There were four bedrooms in all, and Edward paused at the last one where the door was mostly closed.
"This is our room." He kicked open the door.
The room was painted a sage green with windows that faced the lake. There was a ceiling fan that spun slowly. In the center of the room was our tent.
"I thought the tent would be perfect for tonight. But if you'd rather we can set up the air mattress out here," Edward suggested.
"The tent will be perfect. Also, the house is beautiful too. Thank you." I turned his face so I could kiss him.
After he broke the kiss, he set me on my feet. "I'm glad you like it. I'm half tempted to suggest we live here after we graduate and not just have it as a summer house."
"Very tempting," I agreed. "We can keep it up for consideration. If anything, we could retire here."
Edward laughed. "That's getting a little ahead of ourselves. We need to have children first."
"We do, do we?" I grinned. "How many are you thinking?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. More than one. I enjoyed my childhood more when I was around the others."
"I can handle that as long as you're willing to wait until after school is done," I told him.
"Deal." He leaned in to kiss me, but I leaned away.
"Before we get carried away, I want to go get changed for bed." I stepped away from him and found my bag.
I went into the bathroom and quickly changed my clothes. I had forgone traditional lingerie. I was still wearing lacy underwear, but over it was a rash guard that said Mrs. Cullen.
I stepped out of the bathroom, and Edward was by the windows, opening them, wearing only in his boxers.
"I thought I would open some windows, since there's a nice breeze—" He stopped short when he turned around.
"What do you think?" I did a tiny spin.
"Very nice." He grinned wolfishly.
"I'm glad you like it. I'll meet you in the tent." I went over and bent down to crawl in. I paused and looked over my shoulder. "Oh, and you might want to close the window and turn on the air conditioner, so we don't wake the neighbors."
Edward's eyes widened and I let out a small giggle before disappearing inside to wait for him on a satin-sheet-covered air mattress.
A/N: I skipped ahead a few months. Hopefully, I gave you enough hints of what happened over the last few months. If you are wondering about Florida, no worries there will be an outtake coming up next followed by an Epilogue.
Thank you for sharing all your thoughts with me.
Other Notes:
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words is having a Valentine's contest 2nd Edition. Entries are due Feb 4th. More information in the Facebook group, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. Facebook dot com /groups/ 460094101314978