The wedding, part 2

After a trip to the bathroom, Bella was returning outside, more than ready for the charade of Alice throwing her flowers, so they could cut the cake. The party had tired her.

The ceremony had been emotional and beautiful, followed by Alice trying to keep her safe and away from their friends. Edward continued with keeping her to his side, until they had sat down to eat.

The woman named Carmen had thrown her nasty looks all through the meal, which made it abundantly clear that she wasn't a fan of Bella. Edward had reassured her, whispering into her ear, that she'd done nothing wrong.

Edward was by the pool make-shift bar, laughing with several other men. Most of them were around his age, but there was an older man, who looked like he could be one of the guests' grandparent. Though, his leather-clad body told her, he was no grandpa. His mere presence there put her on edge.

Bella looked around for Alice, not sure if it was okay to interfere in Edward's time with those men. But, not seeing Alice, or even Charlotte, who she liked, Bella made her way slowly to Edward's side.

He smiled widely when she stopped by his side. He handed her a cocktail glass, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Bella recognized Benjamin and that older man she'd seen Edward and Jasper talking to, earlier. The older man, extended his hand, smiling wickedly. Edward's fingers dug almost painfully in her waist, which made her wary of the man.

She placed her hand in his, trying not show how repulsed she was by him kissing the back of her hand. "Lovely Bella," he drawled.

Edward pulled her closer, away from this man. "Yes. Bella's lovely." His terse voice was on the edge of respectful.

"Such beautiful skin. How often do you turn it pink?"

Bella choked on her sip from the glass.

"Not often. Bella's well-behaved," Edward answered, downing his drink.

She could tell that he was ready to abandon these men, but something kept him from being rude.

"What a delight!" the older man cheered. "Beautiful and behaved."

"Must be a keeper," Benjamin added, with a smile.

"Definitely." Edward nodded his way, before looking down at Bella. He unleashed the spell of his green gaze on her, and she forgot to breathe. "Bella's my reason to exist right now."

Bella bit on her lip in a failed attempt not to cry at his words. She'd never cease being amazed by how much Edward loved her. She placed her glass on the counter, before wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. He kept her close, returning the kiss.

"There you are!" Jasper cried out. "Time for the final act of this show," he chuckled.

"Catch you later," Edward said over his shoulder. "Much later," he muttered under his breath.

"Who was that?" Bella whispered to him.

"That's Aaron – one of the oldest of our friends in the community. Try not to find yourself alone around him."

"I'll definitely avoid him," Bella vowed.

"He's not the bad guy. He just likes to sample new toys," Jasper explained.

A chill ran down her spine at Jasper's words. The thought of that man's hands anywhere on her made her shudder.

"Thanks for scaring Bella," Edward muttered, noticing Bella's horrified look. "You're safe. He won't try anything. Especially, after I made it clear you're mine."

"Like that ever stopped him before." Jasper rolled his eyes.

"On whose side are you?" Edward shoved Jasper playfully.

"Yours, as if there was any doubt. I'm just saying, man." Jasper shrugged.

They went to the side of the cleared path where the make-shift aisle stood. Alice was under the flower archway, holding her bouquet.

"Ready, ladies?"

Bella moved out of Alice's path, seeing a glint in Alice's eyes when she looked at her. Bella found herself near Carmen, away from the group of girls waiting for the bouquet, but that was the least of her worries. She wasn't ready for what Alice seemed to plan on doing.

There weren't even that many girls fighting for the bouquet. Actually, there was no fighting. They were all standing, waiting for the throw.

Bella groaned internally when she saw the flowers flying toward her, and she was about to dodge the impact when her hands reached up instinctively to catch it.

She wanted to die of mortification. The partygoers cheered, but Bella glared at the white roses as if they had personally offended her.

"I knew my aim was great!" Alice squealed, joining her.

"I hate you right now," Bella muttered.

Edward's warm body wrapped around her, his scent invading her senses. "I see how it is. You wouldn't move in with me, but you catch the bouquet."

"You're moving in together?" Alice screeched. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I'm playing hard to get," Bella deadpanned, leaning into Edward's chest. She glanced up at him, holding the flowers in her hands. Edward reached down to kiss her lips.

"You better give us a little heads up when you plan on tying the knot, not two months before you do it," Peter said in warning.

"Don't worry, Pete. We don't plan on taking that step any time soon," Edward promised.

"Yeah, we're considering eloping," Bella joked.

"WHAT!" Alice wailed.

"It's a joke, Alice," Edward placated her.

"Is it?" Bella frowned at him, before laughing loudly.

"Don't play with a pregnant woman's nerves," Alice groaned. "Jazzy, do you hear them joking about eloping?"

"I say, go for it. Saves you a lot of white hairs." Jasper patted Edward's shoulder, winking at Bella.

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It was after two o'clock in the morning when Bella and Edward returned to his house. The lights were all out, which was unusual. Tanya used to leave at least one dim light on.

Bella had several cocktails to drink, which made her unsteady on her feet and a lot more easily amused. Edward didn't seem to be amused when she tripped her way out of the car, laughing at her impediment.

"It's the dress," she said, amused.

"Suuuure." He kept a hand on the small of her back all the way inside the house.

"It's sooo dark," she whined.

Edward left her side to switch on the light, which didn't come on. "Guess the power's out."

Bella had adventured a few steps ahead in the darkness and managed to stumble over a stool. It fell down with a loud bang.

"Christ, Bella!" Edward groaned, returning to her side.

She tripped over the hem of her dress after rounding the corner, stumbling into Edward's chest. She looked up at him, grinning. She could only see his eyes shining in the dark hallway.

"Hi." She squealed, not expected to be swept off her feet the next second.

"I should have known you were getting in trouble when I lost track of you after the cake," he muttered, opening the door of his room, then footing it shut.

"I had fun."

"I'm glad," he said sincerely. "Now, how do you open this thing?"

"There's a zipper at the back."

His fingers felt around down her spine for the tag, before pulling it down. The dress fell in a heap at her feet.

"No bra?"

"It didn't work with the top of the dress. You didn't even notice, did you?"

Edward chuckled, running his hands over her sides, always careful when he caressed her scar. "I think alcohol makes you more brazen."

Bella pouted, hoping he planned something special fun for tonight. "Tsk. Maybe I should be punished?"

His fingers curled around her hips, bringing her flush against him. She could feel his desire for her against her stomach.

"You're likely to fall asleep in the middle of the scene. I suggest you get some sleep."

"Please," she whined, working on unbuttoning his shirt, clumsily.

His hands stilled her fingers. "Would you stop trying to undress me?"

"You want to do that part?" She blinked, confused.

Edward barked a laugh. "You're impossible when you're intoxicated."

His words didn't make much sense to Bella's alcohol buzzed mind, which seemed extremely funny in that moment. She started laughing as if he'd said the funniest joke, which made him laugh along.

"Come on. In bed with you, miss!" Edward walked her to the edge of the bed, lowering her down.

The room spun the moment she was leaning back on her elbows, but Bella fought to keep her eyes on Edward, slowly undressing a foot away from her. When he was down to his briefs, he climbed on top of her, kissing her long and hard.

"Promise not to fall asleep on me?"

"I'm quite awake," she said, confused.

He kissed a line down her neck to the swell of her breast, sneaking a hand into her lace panties. His middle finger immediately found its destination, making Bella gasp loudly. She felt him smirk against her nipple.

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The following morning, Bella woke up hungover and alone in bed. A look at the clock on the bedside table let her know it was barely nine o'clock, which meant she hadn't slept much.

Frankly, she couldn't even remember much after arriving home, except that she'd stumbled over her long dress. Judging by her naked state, she figured they had some fun, which she was unaware of.

In the bathroom, Bella stared in horror at her reflection. Her hair had been released from the bun, but the hair spray made it look like there was some furry animal trapped in her locks. Her mascara was once again under her eyes and on her cheeks. It served her right for not taking it off when she'd arrived home. Though, she had no clear recollection of that.

"Urgh." She gulped down two strong painkillers from Edward's cupboard, before hopping in the shower.

It took Bella a long while to detangle her hair. She had to wash it three times, which turned the water at her feet a deep purple. Alice had taken Bella to a salon she knew, the day before the wedding, and Bella had accepted the hairstylist's idea of dying the tips purple. It wasn't like anyone had seen the color with the bun she'd had during the wedding. She liked her new look, though.

Once her hair was partially dry and she was wrapped in the silk robe Alice had gotten her on her birthday, Bella went in search for coffee. Her headache had dulled, all thanks to the painkillers.

Felix and Tanya were leaning against the counter, talking, when Bella approached the kitchen.

"Good morning!" Tanya greeted her cheerfully. She had changed one-eighty, for which Bella was grateful.

"Hey! Is there any coffee?"

"I take it, you had fun yesterday," Felix chuckled.

"Maybe too much. Apparently, cocktails aren't my thing." Bella slumped on a stool. A hazy memory of her knocking one stool over, invaded her mind.

Tanya placed the red mug in front of her. "I don't know when you returned, but the power went out around five o'clock in the afternoon."

"I think…it was still out when we came back," Bella said slowly, unsure.

The front door opened, and Harley barreled at her, leash trailing after him. Bella slid out of the stool, knowing he was likely to knock her over. Harley collided with her legs, shoving his head under her robe.

"Hey!" Bella pushed him away, feeling sand through his wet fur. "Oh, no!" She looked up in time to find Edward stalking inside the house.

His gray shorts were wet and he had sand stuck to his legs. The white sleeveless shirt was just as wet and sandy.

Bella couldn't help but laugh. "I see you lost your touch in being the dominant."

"Don't!" he snapped. "He's possessed." Edward pointed to Harley, who was still attempting to get under her robe. Bella knew that was what he did when he wanted to play, or right before zoomies hit.

"Do I want to know?" She shoved Harley away. "Stop it," she hissed.

"He decided to chase seagulls…dragging me along the shore."

Bella cupped her mouth, in an attempt to mask her giggles. She could only imagine the scene, because she'd been in Edward's place numerous times.

Harley chose that moment to shake off the water and sand from his fur. Bella cringed, seeing the mess he was creating. Then, her worst nightmare happened. Harley turned to his tail, growling. As he chased his own tail, Felix laughed loudly, but Bella braced herself.

"We have to take him to the backyard, before he starts running around," she said, urgently.

Edward stepped on Harley's leash, preventing him from chasing his tail anymore. Sadly, the collar slipped from his neck, and after shaking his fur once more, Harley began his mad dashes around the kitchen island.

"Oh, God!" Bella moaned, stepping out of his way.

Edward watched him amused, holding the leash and collar. "I'm going to take a shower. If I clog the drain, I blame your crazy dog."

Felix bent over, shaking in laughter. Tanya watched Harley with horror on her face. She was probably thinking of how long it would take to clean after him.

After Edward had abandoned them, Bella tried to stall her dog and lead him to the backyard. It took her several attempts to get him to follow her, but instead of going through the open glass door in the sunroom, Harley went to sniff at the edge of the pool.

"Is he scared of water?" Felix asked curiously, having followed them.

"Water is the devil," Bella muttered. "Shit!" She watched worried and amused, as Harley slipped and ended up in the pool. Not a second later, he started yelping as if someone was killing him. "He's also probably the only dog who has no idea how to swim," she added, hurrying to the edge of the pool. "Come on, boy. Come here."

He splashed around, yelping some more.

The sounds had probably pulled Edward from his shower, because he ran into the room in only his gray sweats, still covered in sand. Before Bella could try coaxing Harley to use his paws to swim, Edward jumped into the pool. Harley threw a paw over his shoulder, licking at his face.

Bella pressed her face in her hands.

"Dogs need to be rescued, too," Felix joked, still laughing.

"He's so not mine," Bella mumbled.

Edward pulled Harley to the edge of the pull, helping him climb up. As in thanks for being saved, Harley shook the water in his fur in Edward's face, before running outside. Felix went after him.

Bella reached out a hand to help Edward out. "I'm so sorry. Maybe now you understand why I'm so reticent to move in."

"Oh, please. Such moments will spice up the life," he said, chuckling. "Let's shower." He pulled her after him.

"I already took a shower," Bella hedged.

"I didn't." Edward met her eyes. "Besides, someone cockblocked me last night. You said you wouldn't fall asleep on me…and you did."

"Fuck. I don't even remember getting home." Not really.

I know some of you weren't happy with Carmen, and I bet you don't like Aro, either. But this is how some people in the community are, some people in general...even...they're set in their ways, not willing to understand and accept others for being different.

Get ready for a little time jump next chapter =)

Reviews are love. I'm still blown away by the amount of love this story is getting.