Chapter 40 – Very Engaging

Bella

Once we had done all the decorating we could for the evening, I realized it was getting late. The snow had also picked up again, so I suggested that everyone just stay for the night. There were two more empty bedrooms upstairs, so Rose and Emmett took one, and Alice and Jasper took the other. The older girls were excited about sleeping on the sofas in the family room, so they could stay up a while and watch Christmas movies and work on making out their wish lists. Edward gave his apartment to Esme and Carlisle, laying his sofa out flat into a sleeper for Dorianne and Marisol. My mom and dad gave me a look, as they passed me in the hallway upstairs. They didn't say anything, though, as Edward joined me, and we headed into my bedroom and closed the door.

"I remembered to grab these for you," I said to Edward, as I handed him a pair of pajamas. He grinned and took them from me and went into the bathroom. He came back out with a puzzled look on his face.

"Do you usually have a guy at the other sink in here?" he asked, as he pulled me into the bathroom. I grinned at him, as he pointed to the men's toiletries and new toothbrush on the counter. I had snooped to see what he used and had picked it all up while I had been out shopping the other day, setting everything on the counter earlier this afternoon for him.

"Not usually, but I'm planning to more often," I said, grinning and winking at him.

He pulled me into a warm embrace, kissing my forehead. "You, my dear, are amazing, you know that?" he smiled down at me, nuzzling my nose. "What would I do without you?"

"I hope we never have to find out," I whispered.

"Me, too," he said, as he kissed me again.

Edward was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, while I sat down to take off my shoes. When he came back into the bedroom, he stopped short. I had finished undressing and was standing there in just my panties, reaching into my drawer for a nightgown, when I looked up in the mirror and saw Edward staring at me with his mouth open. I pulled a gown out of the drawer and slipped it on over my head quickly, blushing bright red.

"Don't be embarrassed, Bella, you're so beautiful," he whispered. I pulled the covers back, climbing in and patting the bed next to me. He joined me, taking me in his arms for another deep, passionate kiss. His fingers played with the tiny, thin strap of my gown, slipping it off my shoulder to kiss the bare skin there. Before long, things had started to get intense, but we managed to stop ourselves.

Edward held on to me tightly, shaking hard with his efforts to control himself. He was breathless, as he buried his face in my neck. "Bella, I don't know if this is such a good idea. I almost didn't stop just now. It took everything I had not to…"

"Shhh, it's okay," I whispered, trying to calm him down. "If it's too much, then we won't do this again, at least not until…"

"You're my wife," he said, looking into my eyes with so much love it made my heart skip a beat, "and you will be very soon, if I have anything to say about it."

Did he just propose to me?

"I'll be right back," Edward whispered, kissing me quickly. He got up shakily, slipping his jeans on, before leaving my room. He was only gone a couple of minutes before he returned, closing the door quietly. He came to my side of the bed and knelt, opening a small velvet box. Inside it was the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen.

"I was planning on doing this in a more romantic fashion, with dinner, candles, music, the whole works, but I just can't wait any longer to know if you'll be mine forever," he said, taking my hand. "This was my mother's ring, which had also belonged to my father's mother. I'm certain they'd be as honored as I'd be if you'd wear it as my wife. Bella, will you marry me?"

I sprung out of bed and into Edward's arms, knocking us both over onto the floor with a loud, shaking thud.

"Yes, Edward, I'll marry you!" I squealed, as I plastered kisses all over his face and neck. He sat up with me in his lap and slipped the ring on my finger, and then he pulled me into a deep kiss. His back was to my bedroom door, which was good, because the door suddenly opened, and my mom was standing there, wide-eyed and a bit panicked, her earplugs in her hand.

"Oh, Bella, I felt the floor shake so bad, like someone fell really hard and…" mom trailed off, her mouth hanging open. "Am I interrupting something?"

All she could see was my bare legs and arms wrapped around Edward, so I was sure it looked a bit suspicious. I just grinned and waved my left hand at her. "No, we were just getting engaged is all." Spotting the ring on my finger, she started to come towards us, but I held up my other hand to stop her. "Just go back to bed, Mom, and we can talk about it in the morning," I grinned at her over Edward's shoulder.

"Getting 'engaged' she says. Yeah, I can see that," she raised an eyebrow at me, as she closed the door behind her. I could hear her footsteps shuffling quickly down the hall, and I knew if my dad were not already awake, he would be in a few seconds.

"You know, we're going to give my poor old parents twin heart attacks if they keep finding us like this," I giggled, looking at the beautiful ring on my finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had been made just for me.

"I hope not. Your dad is going to have an especially important job to do. You can't walk yourself down the aisle, you know. Tradition and all that," he teased, pulling my hand to his lips and kissing the ring he'd put there, as he helped me to my feet. "You're mine now, Ms. Swan. I've put a ring on it and staked my claim," he said, striking a manly pose.

"You didn't need a ring for that. I was always yours, Edward," I said, looking at my ring once more, before stepping back into his embrace. "I'll proudly wear it, though, and show the world just how happy I am that you're mine, too."

I was never taking it off…at least, not until he put a wedding band in front of it.