Seven

EPOV

—

Forever

—

"You did what?" My mother sat in front of us, seething. "How could you do this, Edward?"

"Ma—"

"You're my only child! Didn't your father and I deserve to be at your wedding? You robbed us of a huge moment in your life."

"Would you listen to me, Mom? We didn't do this to hurt you or anyone else, but it was getting overwhelming. Bella was so stressed with all the different decisions that needed to be made, she was making herself sick. We were done waiting, we just wanted to be married."

I saw the concern in Mom's eyes as she turned toward Bella. "Is this true?"

"I'm sorry, Esme. I didn't mean to take anything away from you, but it was just too much. Between you, Rose, and Angela...I felt like I couldn't breathe. I love Edward and I just wanted to marry him."

"Bella, I never meant—" Mom's words cut off as she burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I never meant to make either of you feel overwhelmed. I was just so excited to see my son married, and to watch you walk down the aisle to him."

Bella reached across the table, grasping mom's hand in hers. "What if we have dinner with a few friends and family to celebrate? We can have a wedding cake, and a first dance. We didn't have either of those things. I'm sorry we did this without you and Carlisle, but you have to understand Esme. I didn't have my dad to walk me down the aisle, and my mom…" She swallowed back her tears.

"Oh, sweetheart." Mom stood, pulling Bella up and wrapping her in a tight hug. "I feel horrible, I didn't even think about you not having your dad there. Yes, I think a dinner with family and a few friends sounds perfect. Show me your wedding pictures?"

I ran a hand over my face, blowing out a hard breath as they both left the room to find the wedding album that the chapel had provided for us.

At least we averted that crisis.

—

"What do you think?" Mom asked.

She had rented out the space in the back of our favorite restaurant to celebrate our wedding. It was decorated beautifully. She'd taken a few of our favorite pictures from the wedding and scattered them around the room, along with beautiful flower arrangements of white and pink daisies.

Bella had tears in her eyes as she reached around me and squeezed mom's hand. "It's perfect, Esme. Thank you."

"Bella!" Angela burst into the room with Rose on her heels. "I can't believe you eloped!"

She let out a heavy sigh. "I know, it was just—"

"We were being unbearable, I'm sorry. Are you happy? Was it what you wanted?"

She grinned at her friends. "Beyond happy. Come on, let me show you some pictures." As she walked off, more people filtered into the room, including Emmett and Jasper.

Emmett slapped me on the back before pulling me in for a hug. "Dude, you got married! That's like the least rock-and-roll thing you could have done."

"But he eloped in Vegas, so that definitely scores him some rock points," Jasper interjected, patting me on the back. "Congratulations, man."

"I guess the Vegas part helps. How did your mom take it?" Emmett asked.

I snorted. "Why do you think we're having this party?"

—

Bella and I stood at the front of the room. Now that everyone had arrived, it was the perfect time for us to surprise my parents. "Can I have everyone's attention?" I called out and the chatter around the room slowly dwindled.

"As most of you know, Bella and I eloped about two weeks ago. My mom and dad were pretty upset that they weren't able to be there, which is understandable. So, while it's impossible to go back in time and have them and all of you there with us, we can at least give you a small part of it. We decided that we'd read our vows to each other." My mom's gasp made me grin.

I pulled a folded up paper from my pocket and straightened it out before I grasped Bella's hand in mine.

"Bella, I'll admit that when I met you my first thought was 'holy crap, she's really hot, and way out of my league.' I wasn't looking for a relationship, but I knew that if I didn't meet you, I'd regret it for the rest of my life. As time went on and I got to know you better, I knew you were meant for me; you were the piece that was missing from my soul. It was as if the future was suddenly laid out right in front of me. I can't promise you I'll never make you cry or that I'll never make you angry, because I already do that last one a lot." Everyone laughed, and I waited for it to die down before continuing. "But, Bella, I can promise you I will always love you with every part of me."

She sniffled, wiping at her eyes before pulling out her own paper from the pocket of her dress.

"Growing up, I was never shown what a good marriage should look like. You know my parents divorced when I was little, and I didn't have much stability after that. When I first met you, I figured we'd just have a fun night together and that would be it." Her cheeks blushed crimson. "I didn't think you'd want much more than that. You are in a band after all. But just like you, the more I got to know you, the less I wanted to be on my own. You were my missing piece as well. You're the first person who I've ever truly loved. Anywhere that you are is where my home is. I feel safe and protected when I'm with you, and above all else, I feel loved."

I smoothed my thumbs under her eyes, wiping her tears away before leaning in and kissing her. "Forever." I whispered against her lips.

Happy Mother's Day(or just Happy Sunday!) my loves.

I got distracted and forgot to post a teaser in my group, so I decided to say screw it and post early. It's all beta'd, I'll post tomorrow as well.