These chapters came at the perfect time! This is technically part one, and I'll be posting part two immediately after! I hope you enjoy! Happy Ostara!
Chapter Thirty-Three
"You almost ready, princess?" Edward called from the bedroom.
"Just a minute!" I said as I pulled the high heel shoe on. I stood and checked myself out in the full length mirror. I had to admit, I actually looked pretty good.
Alice made me go out with her, Rosalie, and Esme today to the salon. I got my hair done, my nails done, and my makeup done.
I took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom, the dress flowing around me. Edward had a tux on, and he looked so sexy. I bit my lip as I looked him up and down.
Edward growled, the sound he knew drove me wild, "Good lord. I don't know if I can let you go out in that dress."
I rolled my eyes and laughed, "Don't start. We cannot be late to this event. Your mother will kill me."
"Naw, she knows who's to blame." He chuckled.
"Hey, I got you a little something to go with the dress." Edward said as he pulled a blue box from his tux pocket, "Turn around."
I turned to the mirror to see what Edward was doing. Edward opened the box and put a necklace around my neck. It was a diamond studded choker. It wasn't too gaudy, but it certainly matched the dress.
"I also got you the match earrings too." He said, "But you can put that on."
I smiled, "Thank you Edward, it looks so beautiful."
I had gotten a lot better about accepting gifts from Edward. After our little spat, I'd just accepted the fact that Edward likes to give gifts. It's his way of showing love. I thought about it, and honestly I guess it could be worse.
"You ready?" He asked.
"Mm hmm," I said.
"Okay cool, the limo's here." He said as we walked down the stairs.
"It's so weird going to a party in a limo. I've never been in one. Are you sure we won't be the only one's in a limo?" I said.
He chuckled, "Everyone did. It's a swanky event. And even if we were the only ones who got limos, everyone would just be jealous."
"I can't believe your parents chartered a yacht for this party." I said.
"Well my mother wanted to try something new. It's going to be a lot of fun. We'll be watching the firework show on a boat in front of the Statue of Liberty," He chuckled, "If that doesn't scream New York, then I don't know what does."
"It'll be cool to see the Statue of Liberty. I've been dying to see it."
"I know, I was planning a day trip to see it. But it'll be nice to see it now."
We got into the limo and settled back in the seat. Edward poured us a glass of champagne. I smiled and kissed him before drinking mine.
It took an hour to get to the dock where the party was. I looked out of the window, amazed at the size of the boat.
"I did not expect it to be this big," I said.
"My parents went all out," Edward said, "Let's go."
He held my arm as we walked onto the boat.
"I've never been on a boat before," I said, "Wait, that's a lie. My dad took me out fishing one time. He had a little dingy of a boat. I hated it."
Edward laughed, "Well, I can assure you this is no little dingy."
"That's for sure."
I looked around the boat was massive and had several people in black tie lined up along the entryway as they greeted us. It was huge on the inside, large chandeliers on the ceiling, dark wooded floors, and cream colored walls. There were large pedestals with beautiful flower arrangements sitting on top. I was in shock by how magnificent it was.
"Bella, Edward," Esme called as she walked over with Carlisle, "I'm so glad you two are here."
Esme was wearing a pale pink dress that had silver diagonal sequin patterns all over it. It was a halter top and was longer in the back. It hugged her amazing figure.
"You look beautiful Esme." I said.
"I was just about to say the same thing," She kissed my cheek, "You look so amazing. I love your dress."
"Thank you."
Rosalie and Emmett walked in with Jasper and Alice. They were laughing about something. Rosalie was wearing an emerald green strapless lacey dress. It was tight, and stopped just at her ankles, showing off her high heels. She had her hair pinned up and was wearing black jewelry to match; Rosalie always looked so beautiful.
"Hi everyone," she smiled, passing out hugs. She seemed like she was in much better spirits tonight.
"Hi, dear," Esme said, "I'm so glad you're here. How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling great, actually," She smiled.
More people started to arrive, the boat filling up very quickly. Edward took me on a quick tour of the boat. Every part I'd seen was beautiful. We made our way back to the main floor, where all the guests were.
"Edward, my friend," A man called from behind us. We turned to see Aro, and his wife Sulpicia.
"Aro," Edward said, "How are you?"
They shook hands, then Aro kissed my cheek while Edward kissed Sulpicia's.
"Isabella, you look stunning," He smiled.
"Thank you so much." I said.
"Your mother has outdone herself Edward." he said, "Where are your parents? I want to say hi."
"They're right over there," Edward pointed.
Aro smiled at him and placed his hand on Edward's shoulder, "It was good to see you. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other."
Aro and Sulpicia walked over to where Carlisle and Esme were. I turned to Edward once they were gone.
"Edward, I have a question." I said.
"What's up?" He asked.
"That man, Aro, the last time we saw him I recognized him, but I couldn't place his face. Is he famous or something? I have no idea where I would've seen him from."
"You know that security system you have?" Edward said.
"Yeah."
"That's his company," Edward said, "He probably sold you the system himself. He loves to be out in the field working."
I thought about it for a moment, "Oh my god, that's right. I can't believe I didn't remember him."
Edward chuckled, "You see hundreds of people a day. You can't be expected to remember everyone."
"He gave me such a great deal on my security system." I said, "Maybe I should go over there and thank him. He probably thinks I'm rude for not saying anything."
"You don't have to say anything to him," Edward pulled me against him, "You want a cocktail?"
I smiled, "Can you get me that one that I tried at dinner the other night?"
He groaned, "Oh god, you just want me to go up there and embarrass myself by ordering a very girly drink."
"Please?" I pouted.
He sighed, "Alright, I'll be right back."
I smiled as I watched him walk to the bar. I turned away when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around and was surprised to see Tanya, standing there.
"Oh, hey," I said.
"Hi," She smiled and pulled me into a hug, "It's so great to see you. You look amazing."
"Oh, thank you," I said, "You look amazing too."
She was wearing a gold, sequin covered dress that reached her midthigh. It was low cut in the front, showing a generous amount of her large cleavage. She looked really hot.
"Bella, this is my best friend, Victoria," Tanya waved to the red haired woman beside her, "Vic, this is Bella. She's Edward's new girlfriend. She works in a little bakery."
"I own the bakery," I corrected.
"Oh that's right," Tanya laughed, "I completely forgot. Silly me."
"It's fine." I said, "It's nice to meet you," I shook Victoria's hand.
"It's so nice to meet you too." She smiled.
"Are you two enjoying yourselves?" I asked; wishing Edward would get back and save me from the awkwardness.
"Oh yes, Esme always throws the best parties. She really outdid herself this year," Tanya said, "I've been going to her parties since I was a little girl. Our families are really close. Edward and I pretty much grew up together."
"Esme did a great job." I said through tight lips. It sounded again like she was trying to be sweet, but her underlying tone was bitchy. I wish Edward would get back and save me.
Thankfully, Edward returned with my drink and a glass of scotch. He kissed me on the cheek as he handed me my drink.
"Thanks," I smiled as I took a sip.
"Edward, you're looking great." Tanya smiled.
"Thanks. You look good too, T." He said.
"Edward you remember Victoria."
"Yeah, I do," Edward said as he shook Victoria's hand, "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great," She said, her smile somewhat tight as she greeted Edward.
"Well, we'll just leave you two," Tanya said as she wrapped her arm around Victoria's, "We're just going to go to the bar."
"Have fun," I smiled.
I took a big sip of my drink, "It's always fun running into her."
Edward snorted, "I wish I could tell my mother to stop inviting her, but we're very good friends with their family. Been friends for years."
"You and Tanya grew up together," I said, "She made a point to tell me that."
"Yeah, we pretty much did," He said, "I hated her until she was like eleven and I was thirteen. By that point, I had a healthy interest in girls. But I mainly followed her older sister. I thought Kate was hot back then. Plus she was an older woman."
"You're such a freak," I chuckled, "Where's Kate?"
Edward looked around, "Why don't I go introduce you two? Kate's a lot better than Tanya."
Edward walked me to a section of a room where two tall blondes were standing.
"Kate," Edward said.
The blonde woman turned around and smiled. She had long, straight hair that grew to her butt. She was wearing a long silver gown that stretched around her protruding belly. She looked to be about nine months pregnant, but she was so gorgeous. A hell of a lot prettier than Tanya. I could see why Edward had a crush on her.
"Edward," Kate smiled and kissed his cheek, "It's so great to see you. You're looking wonderful."
"So are you," Edward smiled, "Kate, this is Bella, my girlfriend."
"It's nice to meet you," Kate shook my hand, "I love your dress."
"Thank you, you look really wonderful." I said.
"Awe, you're so sweet," She said, "This is my husband Garrett."
"Nice to meet you," He said, shaking my hand, "Edward, it's good to see you again."
Edward smiled at him, "Nice to see you too, Garrett. Course, I would've seen you last week at our poker game if you hadn't canceled."
"Hey, I did not have a choice," Garrett said, discreetly pointing at Kate.
"Excuse me, but what's more important? Your beautiful wife carrying your son? Or some card game?"
"My wife obviously," He grinned.
She rolled her eyes, "You guys only get together to smoke cigars, drink, and talk about girls."
"Hey, hey," Edward said, "Our games are a classy event."
"Bella, back me up," Kate said.
I nodded, "I am a neutral bystander."
"That's my girl," He said, placing his arm around my shoulder.
"Of course, the last poker game you had, you come home without your shoes. And you were really drunk."
"Hey, I lost a bet," He said, "You traitor."
I giggled.
"How in the hell did you lose your shoes?" Garrett asked through laughter.
"Tell him Edward," I laughed when he hesitated.
Edward rolled his eyes, smiling, "Emmett bet me that I couldn't finish a bottle of Jack Daniels in under a minute."
"And I lost," I said, "He couldn't even get out of bed the next morning. He was sick all day. I had to take care of him, big baby."
Kate and Garrett were laughing, "I thought taking over the family would've calmed you down, but you're still just as wild."
He squeezed me a little bit tighter, "No, I've calmed down a lot. Thanks to this pretty lady."
I blushed and shook my head, "I'm not sure about that."
After chatting for a few more minutes, Edward forced me to dance. I was a bit more willing to do it, since having that drink. I was actually having fun dancing with Edward. After a few songs, we found our table and sat.
"I hope dinner is good," Esme said, "I had to use the boat's caterer. They wouldn't allow Amun's company to cater. It was so ridiculous."
"I'm sure it'll be delicious dear," Carlisle said, patting her hand.
The waiter came over to take our orders, "Hello everyone, on the menu, we have seven options. A fresh seafood medley of Alaskan King crab legs, shrimp, clams, scallops, and hushpuppies. A seafood stuffed salmon. Rack of lamb. Crown roast. Wagyu Steak. Duck Breast. And chicken masala. We also have vegetarian options, a vegetable paella, spicy kale and coconut fried rice, and brown rice risotto with mushrooms. Every option comes with your choice of two sides. A vegetable mix, salad, carrots, green beans, peas, potatoes, and asparagus."
I decided to try the lamb. I'd never had it before, and it sounded interesting.
"So, Bella what do you think of the boat?" Carlisle asked me.
"It's amazing," I said, "I've never been on a yacht before. It's so big."
"You'll have to come with us on our cruises. We try to do a big family vacation every year. We've been to a few resorts, but the cruises are spectacular. You get to see so many things. The last cruise we went to Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Greenland. It was incredible."
"Wow," I said, "I've only ever been to two states. I've always wanted to travel and see the world."
"Well, you should join us," Alice said, "We're going to go on the Mediterranean cruise. We'll be seeing five countries. It's going to be amazing."
"I don't know if I can," I said, "Shutting the bakery down for that long… I can't do it."
"Maybe by then you'll be able to hire someone who can run it while you're away," Carlisle said, "You're young. You need to see the world. You don't want to wait until you're retired, then you're too exhausted to keep up."
I smiled, "It's certainly tempting, but I'd really have to think about it."
"Would you all like to take pictures while you wait for dinner?" A photographer asked.
"That sounds great," Esme said.
Esme made us all stand in front of the large mirror with the overhead light for pictures. We took a couple family pictures first, then every couple took a photo, and then we took photos with just the women and the men.
"We'll have these developed for you before the end of the night." The photographer said.
"Thank you so much," Esme pulled out a hundred dollar bill and tipped him. Now I see where Edward gets his tipping style.
We sat down at the table just as dinner arrived. The lamb was good, definitely different, but I mainly ate off Edward's dinner. The seafood was spectacular, it was fresh and seasoned beautifully. I never really had seafood before, but it was delicious.
I was completely stuffed after dinner. I'd eaten way too much. As we finished eating, people began to set up on the stage in the center of the room.
"What's going on?" I asked Edward.
"My mother always hires people to entertain us after dinner. It gives people something to talk about during dessert." Edward said.
"Ooo, so, who's entertaining tonight?" I asked Esme.
"I actually got performers from the NYC Ballet to come and put on a special show. Have you ever seen a ballet Bella?"
"No I've never seen a ballet before."
"You're in for a real treat. The ballet is so wonderful. Carlisle and I go about twice a month." Esme said.
"Do you like the ballet?" I asked Carlisle.
He shook his head, "I'm not a fan. But, Esme loves it, so I suffer through it."
I giggled as Esme lightly smacked his arm, "You like it just fine. The last one we saw you really liked."
"I enjoy making you happy, my love. And the last one wasn't too hateful."
The lights changed, dimming, and putting a spotlight on the stage. I snuggled closer to Edward to watch.
I addressed the fact that Bella couldn't remember Aro. That was honestly a stupid mistake, so I just tried to correct it! My bad! I hope you enjoyed it! Part two will be posted very soon!