Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
"I feel like I have an ulcer on the way."
"That's just the drama queen inside of you threatening to claw out."
"Edward!"
Edward groaned, making a turn.
"Love, you've been feeling an ulcer on the way since yesterday, but you wouldn't buy anything for the pain. My parents don't bite, you know this."
Bella kept up her whining though, unwilling to admit defeat.
"But Edward," Bella complained, sticking out her lower lip and batting her eyelashes at a boyfriend who would never look at her instead of the road. As he should; he drove like a maniac. "I broke their baby boy's heart. Even if you've forgiven me, a mother never does."
That was a fact, Bella was sure of it.
Edward thought his girlfriend was underestimating the extent of how much his parents loved her, but he'd told her this during the first hour of her freakout. There was no use in talking to a wall, and that Bella most definitely was at the moment.
"Bella, my parents also broke up when they were dating. Five times, for that matter. I doubt either of them will think much about this."
Seemed unlikely, but ok.
"Alright, look," Edward put his directional on and pulled up to the side of the road, then turned off the car. He shifted in his seat so he was facing his girlfriend, noticing for the first time just how pale she was. "Bella? Baby, breathe. Everything's ok. I promise you, nobody will say anything to hurt you."
Bella exhaled just a little bit.
"You can't know that."
"I can. I'd never hurt you intentionally, and it's not like I'm just this person out of nowhere. My parents made me who I am. Now, I can't promise you that everything will be like it was before, and I also can't promise you what my reaction will be if they don't play nice. However…" Edward sighed, leaning over and folding Bella's hands in his. He squeezed. "They're my family, and they mean absolutely everything to me. Outside of them, you're the person I love most. So please, for me, can you remember this? That you're everything to me, but so are they."
Bella looked down at his hands, so big and warm.
She wanted to cry in frustration, but she held back.
"I… Only feel that way about Emmett. I mean, I love my mom and Phil, but they've always seemed to be more interested in each other than in me. And I love my dad, despite everything, but I've already grown too distant from him. So even though I understand what you're saying, and would never change a thing, I can't help but feel a little hurt. Like you're telling me you wouldn't stand by me in a fight. And even though I know that's the way things ought to be, that this is just another reason why I love you… I can't help it. It burns thinking that I'm not anyone's… number one."
Edward frowned, mad at himself for the way he phrased things as well as hurting for Bella. He'd always felt the way in which Bella was a little clueless when it came to feelings, and he knew her parents were a big reason why.
"Love, I'm sorry. That's not what…" Edward sighed once more. "Bell. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone; I'm always in your corner. But I'm also not the kind of person, nor are you, that would push our loved ones aside for each other. What I meant is, even if I can't promise you an angry tirade or a threat to never speak to them again, I can promise to stick up for you. Even if it's not a movie-worthy moment, I'll back you up."
Bella stuck her lip out.
"You're too good at calming me down." She looked up at him and gave him her best puppy dog eyes. "Kiss me?"
Edward laughed, but he leaned in and sucked in her bottom lip. He swiped his tongue across it, asking for entrance, and Bella gave it. She made a noise in the back of her throat, and he knew it wasn't the sexy kind; instead, she suddenly forced her way into his mouth, her tongue feeling a lot more like it was seeking something out than it was trying to just kiss.
"Bella?"
She was sucking on his tongue, and a second later she'd pulled back with a scowl on her face.
"You ate my chocolate, didn't you? The one I told you not to touch?"
Shit, he ate it on his way out.
Whistling, Edward turned on the car.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Outraged, Bella started smacking his arm.
"You did! You owe me three of the same chocolates! Oh, I'm telling Esme about this, you'll see. How dare you…"
The rest of the short ride was devoted to Bella grilling Edward on the details on when, were, how, why he'd eaten her Cadburry. He was quite tight-lipped too, which only riled up Bella more. Even though she was glad for the distraction, she was actually genuinely upset at the thought that Edward had eaten her chocolate… which was unfair, given that she was always eating his food and he never said anything about it. But then again, she never claimed to be rational when it came to snacks.
When they arrived and Edward had parked in the driveway, Bella turned to him with a pout.
"You're actually upset with me aren't you," Edward asked rhetorically, and her pout intensified. She even had her arms crossed over her chest. "On our way back I'll buy you more, ok?"
Bella gave him one of her breath stealing smiles.
"Ok!"
He got out of the car and went to Bella's side to open her door, tugging her into his arms once she was out.
"You drive me crazy sometimes, you know? And the worst part is I love it because there's never a dull moment with you."
Bella felt her heart stutter in her chest.
"You know, I'm really happy that you're my first and only boyfriend. You keep raising the bar higher and higher, and I'm not sure anyone could ever measure up."
Smugly, Edward kissed the top of her head.
Bella didn't know this, but he was making sure she stuck around this time for good. He knew what he had in her, and he couldn't afford to let her go. If this meant spending the rest of his life buying chocolates for his glutton of a girlfriend, he would gladly do so. It had been exhausting, keeping up a front the first few months of dating Kate; with Bella, he'd always been himself. The fact that she was an unproblematic person had made things for him that much easier, thankfully; it wasn't that she was low-maintenance, because every relationship required a high degree of effort. It was just that… she made the effort smooth and doable. Even though they'd both had to change themselves to fit each other better, this didn't mean they'd made unsustainable changes. They'd each modified themselves however they were able to (for their own benefit) and had basically told the other to take it or leave it.
Obviously, they'd both taken it.
"I'm low-key conditioning you to be unable to live without me." Edward joked, planting another kiss on her head.
"That's mean," Bella countered. "And selfish."
He chuckled.
"It's fair, because I already can't live without you," he said. "But for real, if anything should happen to me—"
"No, Edward, you know I hate that kind of talk!"
"Listen to me baby, it's important I swear. If anything should happen to me, I want you to be happy. I want you to carry a piece of me in your heart, and I don't want you to forget you ever loved me, but I also want you to live. You're not the type of person who lives for love, so I don't want you to die for it either. You have, and always will have, so much going on in your life that I can't fathom a world where you lose your spark. It's what I love most about you, after your butt. I know this is what I want because when we broke up and you told me how your life was going, I was genuinely happy to know you were doing well, and it'd break my heart if you felt like you couldn't go on without me. That's the only thing I want for you; I don't want someone who can't function without me, I want someone who finds strength in me but is strong by themselves. Just like you."
Bella sniffled.
"I'm not crying but just because I don't want to smudge my makeup."
"It's ok, I'm already crying for both of us." Edward laughed, wiping away the tear that had slipped.
"But thank you. I want the same for you, and I was also happy you were doing well… And we both know what I love most about you is your kindness, after your butt."
Indeed, they were both butt people.
"Now, let's head inside love. Mom said she made hotpot, and that's her specialty." Edward said, and feeling his stomach start to growl in hunger, he released his girlfriend. Even though she still looked nervous, she looked a lot more willing to go in now. Whether it was because of his words or the promise of hotpot, he did not know. He didn't ask, either; he wanted to believe what made him happy, and her answer would not necessarily be the one he wanted.
In either case, Edward clasped Bella's hand firmly and together they went into the Cullen household.
"He-llo? Is anybody home?" Edward sang, swinging their arms back and forth.
"In the kitchen baby!" Esme called, and feeling her heart sink painfully, Bella slowly followed her boyfriend into the kitchen.
Carlisle, Esme and Seth were all gathered around the kitchen island with much too innocent faces.
"What's going on guys?" Edward asked wearily.
Seth, who was on his phone feigning disinterest, answered.
"Mom and dad heard you arrive so they were peaking out the window."
Esme pinched her son beneath the ribs, and Carlisle pretended to look elsewhere.
"Ow! Mom!"
"Blabbermouth," Esme muttered, nonetheless rounding the kitchen island to stand in front of Edward and Bella.
Esme, in all her goddess like beauty, fixed her gaze on the smaller girl.
Bella felt like she had a dinosaur threatening to claw out of her throat, but she stood her ground.
"Edward told me you were nervous to come. As a mother, it's hard watching your baby hurt, and I was terrified to think someone held so much of my son's heart. But as a person who's in a relationship herself, I know that sometimes breakups are necessary and there's no easy way to do it. Not to mention, you were the wake-up call he needed to get back on track. In other words sweetheart, you'll always have a spot in this family if you want one."
Bella crushed Esme in a hug, nearly crying. All the words that Edward had given her had been nice, but ultimately she'd needed the reassurance to come from his parents themselves. Hearing Esme not call her names and welcome her back with open arms had been the reprieve her soul needed.
"Edward, can I have your mom?"
He smirked.
"Sure you can, but not yet," he said, and the meaning was lost in Bella… but not in his family. They all gaped at him as if to say 'Did you really just say that?', and he only shrugged smugly. Oh yeah, he'd started planning their wedding already.
No way was this woman slipping through his fingers again.
Seth laughed.
"Oh Bella, we've missed you."
-.-
"And this is my room," Edward said, making Bella shake her head in disbelief.
"I can't believe it took me over two years to go up to the second floor. I feel like you were hiding it from me," Bella teased, stepping into his bedroom. "I'm also kind of impressed your mom didn't decide to make your room into a gym or something."
"Dad tried proposing to make my room into a second wine cellar or something and mom nearly ripped apart his library. She said, and I quote, that I should always have a room to come back to."
Bella smiled; that was sweet. She didn't hold the same expectations of Renée, given her mother's hoarding history. One of these days she'd decide to use her room as a fourth storage room and she'd be unable to stop her. Not that Bella minded too much; the tree house had always felt much more hers than those four walls. Ironic, given that she shared it with Emmett.
"That's sweet of your mom," Bella echoed her thoughts, assessing the room.
There really wasn't much to it. It was filled with track medals, which was something she'd expected already given how freaking fast he was. The walls were painted a deep blue, but it had splashes here and there of a lighter blue; it was a nice touch, she thought. There were framed pictures everywhere, too —mostly of his parents and brother, two with Jake, another with his college friends and two more with his childhood friend (Marcus, whom she'd never met given that he'd gone to a different school and moved to France in eighth grade). There was one from college where Emmett, Rose, Edward, Jasper and Bella were all in Chompie's celebrating the end of the first semester with a monster pie. Much to her surprise, there was one of the two of them: the picture Seth had taken at the wedding. More specifically the one where they were hugging; you could see both of their faces since Edward had been lying his cheek on her head facing his left, and Bella had her arms wrapped around him with her face turned to her right. Their eyes were closed, but you could see the glaring smiles on their faces.
Touched, Bella looked up to see her boyfriend had a blush on his face.
"When did you put this one up?"
He was picking at a non-existent threat in his shirt.
"Edward…"
"Um, like in… January?"
Bella's eyebrows shot up.
"Really?"
"… of last year." Edward ended sheepishly. "I mean, Seth took a while sending me the pictures, but I put it up as soon as he had. I never followed up on whether or not he'd sent them to you, so…"
Bella picked up the frame, tracing their silhouettes.
"Did you put it away when we broke up?" Bella asked softly, her eyes focusing solely on the picture.
"I didn't. I had one or two with Kate, and I put those away immediately. I'd been kind of angry and confused with Kate, but with you… I felt heartbroken, but I also kind of suspected that we'd get back together, if that makes sense."
Bella laughed.
"You knew, huh?" Bella held the picture against her chest, looking up to smile teasingly at her boyfriend. "You know, if it hadn't been for Seth, I wouldn't be here right now."
Edward huffed.
"You're giving him too much credit."
Bella shook her head in disagreement.
"He convinced me that you and I could work things out. Also, he spilled that you still loved me," Bella winked at him.
Edward frowned.
"How…?" His lips flattened in displeasure. "Jake."
She giggled.
"Don't blame him too much. If it wasn't for his big mouth, I might've never gathered up the courage to go see you." This was true, so Bella was really grateful for the teenager. "Not to mention that if I hadn't seen this picture, I might not have believed it."
Edward humphed.
Still feeling like teasing him, she placed the picture back where it belonged and lied down like a starfish on the bed.
"I can't believe you have a Kirby duvet," Bella snorted, lying smack down in the middle of the pink round creature.
Sheepishly, Edward shrugged.
"Mom bought it for me one day. I didn't care enough to change it."
Bella laughed, not believing him for one second. She knew her boyfriend and he'd never had any qualms about being geeky. She'd seen hidden duvets in his apartment that had Pikachu plastered all over it —she was pretty sure he'd used them before they'd started dating and thought she'd make fun of him for it.
He would have been right, but she also would've fallen even more for him. One of the things she liked most about him was how he was his own person; he dressed how he wanted and did what made him happy. She'd never once heard him say that doing or wearing something was embarrassing. She'd even seen him ask for food from the kids' menu with a straight face.
"C'mere," Bella patted the spot below her right arm, and grinning, Edward decided to fool around. Instead of sitting on the bed, he laid down across Bella's body facing up.
She oomphed.
"You're crushing me," Bella wheezed out; Edward was really not taking off any of his weight from her. She wrapped her arms around him, flailing a bit trying to get him off.
"Am I? I'm pretty light," Edward joked.
"You're not," Bella huffed out. She was about to say more when the door to Edward's room opened abruptly.
"A-ha!" Seth said triumphantly, expecting his brother to be making out with one Bella Swan. He, however, found them in an odd position —the couple was seriously weird.
"Mom!" Seth called out, disillusioned from the dream he had of making things awkward for his brother —he was the little brother, he lived for these things. "Edward's being weird!"
Nonetheless, Seth was never one to back down from upstaging his brother. So he took off his shoes and lied down on top of Edward's stomach perpendicular to the couple.
"Can't… breathe…" Bella doubled down on her wheezing.
"I'm quite comfortable, thank you," Seth hummed, and was about to say something more when his parents walked into the room.
"Oh my God, they're still children," Esme cooed as she snapped a photo of the scene. They were all adorable.
Carlisle laughed, then looked at his son's girlfriend.
"Uh, Edward, you might want to get off. Bella's looking blue," Carlisle said, and quite quickly Edward had shoved Seth off and rolled over so he was lying next to her.
Bella took in a gulp of air, feeling like she'd been flattened by a bulldozer.
"Thanks, Carlisle," she wheezed out, holding her stomach as if to make sure everything was still three-dimensional.
"Any time," Carlisle winked at her, happy to see his house being a place where the kids could be goofy.
"Anyway kids, behave. Carlisle and I have to go with Seth to get fitted for his tux," Esme said, still laughing a little.
"Tux?" Edward asked, frowning. "What for? On a Saturday? And he doesn't graduate until like June right?"
Carlisle gave him a look.
"Your mom wants us to have our tuxes tailor-made. You'd be coming with us too if not because the seamstress only had two appointments available for today of all days. And… you know your mom. She starts packing four months before a two-week trip."
Edward nodded, recalling his own experience. His mom had made him go get his in January.
"Tux? But guys usually don't wear a tux for graduation… right?" Bella asked, confused.
Seth answered, coming up from his spot on the floor.
"It's tradition. Dad got his first tailor-made tux for his graduation, so did Wardo and now it's my turn."
Huh.
That was a cool, if odd, tradition.
"And I need a new one since I've gained a pound or two recently," Carlisle chuckled good-humoredly, and Esme sent him a look that said she wasn't happy about his eating habits.
"Try ten," Esme muttered, shooting her husband a dirty look. She sighed. "Anyways kids, behave. We shouldn't take too long. Are you taking Bella back to her house or to the dorms?"
Edward looked at Bella.
"I should probably spend the night at my house. I haven't seen my mother in like two weeks."
Esme nodded.
"Alright, you should let your mother know you're going. Well, it really was great seeing you again sweetheart," Esme smiled kindly. "We've missed you."
Adopt me! Bella wanted to shout, but refrained. Just barely.
"I've missed you too. So much," Bella said, trying and failing to sit up. Apparently, she was still deflated.
"Alright then, have fun kids."
Then the Cullen trio left, Esme very pointedly leaving the bedroom door open.
"Did they just… leave us alone? In an empty house?" Bella whispered to Edward. He turned to look at her and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Well, they love you too much to kick you out. Not to mention, after I told dad about Emmett's oopsie he's been suspiciously sending me all these articles about pre-natal care."
Bella snorted.
"We're barely back together and they're already rushing the grandkids, huh?"
Edward rolled his eyes.
"It's dad's unfunny joke about tying you down with a kid. My parents had been on the verge of breaking up for good when they found out I was coming, so they think kids fix everything. I don't think dad gets just how much I wouldn't want to do that to you or myself. Can you even imagine my anxiety then? I'd be wondering all day if you only stayed with me because of a kid. Talk about bad ideas."
Bella realized there was something they'd never talked about.
"Hey, do you want kids?"
Somehow, the subject had never been brought up.
Edward's answer was instant.
"Absolutely. It's honestly one of my biggest dreams apart from architecture ever since I was a kid. I've always seen myself as a parent. How about you?"
Bella replied honestly as always.
"I've never been sure. It scares me to think of myself as a mother; Renée isn't the best mother out there, you know, and my dad fucked up more than a little. So every time I've thought of myself as a mother, I've imagined myself as a combination of the two. It'd make me sad to think I could be that for a child."
Edward got on his side and rested his cheek against his hand. He looked down at his girlfriend, seeing for the first time a little of her worry.
"You know, if that's what worries you, then that's normal. I'm under no illusion that I'd be the perfect father, but… Unless you're a single parent, it's always about teamwork. You shouldn't have to worry about raising a kid on your own or fucking them up by yourself; if it's me by your side, which I hope it is, I would want us to lean on each other. And the other part…" Edward grabbed a strand of her hair and started twirling it around his index finger. "I've met your mother, and you've told me a lot about her; you're not like her. Well, the good parts sure, but you're not flighty like her. And the way you love is totally different."
This brought up another worry.
"Oh no. What if my kid grows up thinking I'm terrible just because I'm bad at showing love? I mean, it's happened with you, why wouldn't it happen with them?"
Edward guffawed.
"Oh my God Isabella, who put that stupid idea in your head? You might not cry a lot, and I might be the clingier of the two, but you're such a loving person it's a tragedy you're not aware of it. Love, not everything in this world is about words or being mushy, even if it's nice. You are far better than me at doing little gestures to show love, and I can't even begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you've always taken care of me when I pull all nighters. I probably wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for you. You do all these little things that aren't your responsibility, they're just you loving and caring for me. Any kid would be lucky to have such an attentive mother, just as I'm lucky to have you as an amazing girlfriend."
Bella's lip wobbled, but she refrained from crying.
"What if I tell you… I don't want to have children? What would you say then?"
Edward sighed, pained at the hypothetical.
"I'd say I'd have to think about it. It's kind of a very big dream of mine and giving it up wouldn't be easy. It'd be irresponsible of me to just thoughtlessly tell you I wouldn't care if I actually would. Though to be honest, I hadn't thought before about the possibility of you not wanting any, so I'm sorry I can't give you a better answer."
But Bella was satisfied by his reply, even if it wasn't the 'I'll stick with you no matter what' romantic movies would have wanted her to get. Not to mention, she wasn't actually saying she didn't want children; if anything, she was a lot more against marriage than the idea of reproducing.
"No, you're right. We've never talked about this. And I think that it's true, children isn't something you can change someone's mind about selfishly. Having or not having them has huge implications."
Edward smirked.
"Although, I will change your mind about marriage," Edward said, and Bella groaned, having expected his segue.
"Edward… I've told you this before. A piece of paper isn't going to change how I feel about you." Bella sighed, turning to look up at the ceiling. "Not to mention, I'm twenty-two. It's way too early for me to be thinking about marriage. And we just got back together. And I… You know I'm just not thinking of getting married."
Instead of arguing with her, Edward chuckled.
"Love, I'm not telling you we should tie the knot in two weeks. And you know as well as I do that even it it's a piece of paper, it's a very beneficial one. Like, being a citizen instead of a resident. It's just a formality, but having one or the other might mean you can or can't do certain things, right?"
"Like what?" Bella argued, falling right into his trap. He gave her a salacious smirk.
"Like getting to call you my wife if someone starts hitting on you," Edward wiggled his eyebrows, laughing at how adorably annoyed his girlfriend was. "Either way, I wouldn't want to start that journey until we were both financially stable, or at least one of us. Doesn't seem like a great idea for our parents to maintain us during married life."
She turned to look at him with a curious look in her eye.
"You're quite certain you're gonna change my mind, aren't you?"
He switched positions so he was lying on top of her, resting on his elbows in order to not crush her. Looking down at her, he admired the glint in her eye. She was something else entirely.
"Of course I am. But I'll make sure that it's not just marriage you want, but marriage with me. And not to brag, but I'm pretty confident I'm the more stubborn of the two."
Bella giggled.
"That's not a position I want to fight you for."
She craned her neck a bit and gave him a quick peck.
"Get off. I want to find your porn mags."
Edward snorted but got off of her, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. He didn't care if she swept through every spot in his room; she'd never find a single porn mag.
Basically, because everything these days was digitalized.
After five minutes of looking through his drawers, Bella straightened her back and turned back to look at her boyfriend with narrowed eyes.
"You don't have any, do you? That's why you're so calm about me searching your stuff."
Sheepishly, he nodded.
"I don't keep it."
With a thoughtful look in her face, Bella walked over casually to his bedroom door and closed it. Then she locked it for good measure, even giving it a shake to check it was well closed. She'd seen too many movies to not be cautious.
"Tell me, boyfriend of mine," Bella cleared her throat. "What do you usually search for on the websites?"
When he understood her question, he got red like a firetruck. Was she really asking…? Oh God.
His girlfriend was crazy.
"Well?" Bella arched an eyebrow when she saw that he hadn't replied.
"Uh…"
Tell the truth? A lie? Ah, fuck it. It's Bella.
"I search for…" Edward shut his eyes tight and hoped for the best. "Petite, rough, blow-job and… doggy-style."
Earth should've just swallowed him when he was born. That would've been better.
For a few seconds he heard nothing. His heart was stuttering in his chest when he suddenly felt a hand on his hips, tugging at his shirt.
He opened his eyes cautiously.
"Bella?"
"Come on, I don't want to stretch your shirt."
He clasped her hands in his tightly, stopping her movement.
"Are you sure? We haven't done this in like four months. Are you ok with my childhood bedroom?"
Bella leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
"I am. I've got a thing for Kirby watching us."
Edward released her hands, letting her take his shirt off. Then he lifted his ass so she should take his jeans and boxers off unceremoniously. He was curious as to what she wanted to do.
Smiling mischievously, Bella tugged off her blue dress. She was wearing a black lace bra and matching panties, something odd in her. Her usual choice of underwear was granny panties and a sports bra. He rather liked this development.
"You like it? Angela took me shopping a couple of weeks back." She pulled off her hair from the ponytail it was in and did a twirl, looking like she could've been a Victoria's Secret model (if they accepted five foot three women).
"I like it so much I think I might marry it if you won't marry me," Edward said dramatically, making Bella give a little laugh and sigh. He was stubborn indeed.
"You haven't even seen the best part yet," Bella said coyly, but instead of telling him, she just sauntered over to him. "Do you love me?"
What a ridiculous question.
"Of course."
Giving him a bright smile, Bella clasped his cheeks and crushed her lips against his. She was standing between his knees, so she had to be careful not to accidentally knee him. Talk about mood-killer.
He was about to deepen the kiss when Bella pulled back, gave him a wink and then dropped to her knees.
"Fuck," he cursed just above a whisper, the sight of her, on her knees and in front of his dick making something inside of him clench. When she licked her lips, he knew he wouldn't last long.
To make matters worse, Bella didn't immediately touch him. No, she started with trailing her fingers up his legs, reaching a few inches below his dick. Then she opened his legs wider and started trailing kisses from his left knee all the way up to his groin, so close and yet so far from where he wanted her. He could feel her hot breath on him, teasing what was to come. When she'd gone through the same painstaking process with his right leg, she switched to instead start sucking on his balls. One hand pumping his dick, the other bracing herself on his thigh, she alternated kissing and sucking. Unable to resist, he placed a hand on the back of her head, his other arm helping him stay upright so he could see her.
"So good," he whispered, unable to resist bucking his hips when Bella touched the tip of his dick. Shit, he needed to come, but he also never wanted her to stop. Just when he'd become comfortable with the slowly increasing pleasure, Bella switched gears again, only this time it was to suddenly suck on the head like it was a lollypop.
Taking him in further, she bobbed her head twice before nearly undoing him —she looked up and locked eyes with him. Her eyes were intent on his, enjoying how his face contorted with pleasure. The sight of her looking at him with half his cock in her mouth was suddenly too much and he came, only able to give her the slightest warning of what was coming.
She swallowed, laid a kiss on his thigh and stood up. He was still half-hard, and when he saw the heated look in her eye, he knew he'd be ready again soon.
Wordlessly, Edward grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer. He wanted her so badly right now, but not before giving her something.
Sad to see the bra go, Edward made quick work of taking it off. He instantly latched onto a nipple, his left hand going to pinch the other one.
Moaning, Bella dug her fingers through his hair.
Shifting closer, she sat on his knee, rubbing herself against it for some friction. Confused, Edward let go of her breast.
"How…?" His thigh felt too wet, and he could've sworn he could feel her pubic hair even though he'd yet to take off her panties.
Giving him a heated look, Bella released him and made her way to the center of the bed, where she got on all fours. She looked back.
"Doggy-style and rough, right?"
His girlfriend was wearing crotch-less panties.
Crotch. Less.
Instantly hard, he launched his face into her pussy. He couldn't not stick his tongue in her.
She was soaking wet, probably the wettest he'd ever seen her. Which he was glad about, since she'd need a lot of lubrication for the fucking he wanted to give her.
Straightening up, he grabbed one ass cheek, using his other hand to guide himself.
"Ready?" Edward breathed out.
"Yes," Bella huffed, needing him inside her to relieve the ache.
Without further warning, Edward slammed himself into her pussy, not even stopping to let her adjust. He was now grabbing both of her ass cheeks so he could piston himself into her deeper and faster, lost in the feeling of Heaven.
She lowered her hips, giving him a different angle, and this one made her lose her breath. He felt her start to convulse around him, and wanting her to come, he let go of her ass to rub at her clit furiously, making her fall over the edge.
Mercilessly, he kept pounding into her. He'd been dreaming of fucking her this way for so long, and he'd somehow been unable to before. He'd never felt it was the right time to ask her to carry out one of his fantasies. So now, he was going to milk it.
Leaning over her, he grabbed a handful of her long hair and pulled, making her back bend. He kept pounding, in and out, at that pace for a few minutes before needing to switch positions. He pushed her until she was lying on her front, still buried inside; then he grabbed her left hand and grabbed the back of it, moving so she could fit her hand below them. He guided her to her clit, providing the force to her rubbing while she gave herself the feeling.
"I… I…" Bella could only gasp out incoherently. Thankfully, Edward understood.
"Shit, I'm coming. Come with me, love. Come," he begged, and in a moment of synchronization, he managed to come at the same time he felt her walls pulsing around him. He kept pumping, riding out his orgasm, and then he collapsed on Bella's back.
"Fuck," Edward heaved, rolling to the side and taking her with him so they were spooning. "Even the sex is better."
She laughed breathlessly.
"Boy, did you mean it when you said you wanted it rough."
Suddenly worried, he stiffened behind her.
"Did I hurt you?"
Thankfully, she shook her head no.
"I liked it. Maybe not every day, but every once in a while I'd enjoy it." Sighing in relief, Edward burrowed as much as he could into his girlfriend, tucking her head beneath his chin and wrapping his arms around her waist.
Bella closed her eyes, content.
"You know, I'd really missed this."
"My body?"
"Yeah," Bella wiggled her butt, making Edward involuntarily buck up his hips. He couldn't help it; it was instinct, he swore. "But I meant more broadly this. The sex, yes, but also the aftermath."
Excited, Edward squeezed her.
"Does that mean you're gonna let me cuddle now longer than ten minutes?"
Bella giggled.
"I make no promises. But I'll try."
Edward gave a deep sigh.
"That sounded charged. What's up, lover boy?"
Edward tightened his arms around her.
"I was just wondering… what would happen once we graduate. How we'd manage with the long distance relationship and stuff."
Bella flinched. That, right. After a fight with Edward last year she decided to apply to a master's degree (for which she was accepted) in University of Nevada, Reno. Which was eleven hours by car from Arizona. That was why you shouldn't make any decisions when you were pissed at your boyfriend. So even though she was excited for the experience, she was also too aware of the fact that she'd be in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend for two years. So yeah, she wasn't psyched about that.
"Don't remind me. I'm still pissed I didn't apply somewhere closer. Not to mention now I won't be around for Emmett's baby's first steps."
Edward snorted.
"I'm somehow not surprised your first thought is of baby McCarty."
Bella rolled her eyes.
"Of course it's about you, stupid. I'm just… realizing what I did. I don't regret it, but maybe I would do it differently if I could do it again." Bella sighed sadly. "You think we'll make it apart for two years?"
Edward scoffed.
"Baby, I'll stitch myself to your side if I need to. I might've gotten back on my feet these last few months without you, but they were hell. No way am I doing that again voluntarily. We'll figure it out, I promise. Neither of us has to give up their dreams to make things work; at best, we'll have to compromise."
Bella smiled.
"I'm glad we think the same. I don't think I'd survive two years without you, either."
.
"I do."
"You may now kiss the bride."
The Church erupted in applause and cheers.
As it would turn out, Rose's father pretty much forced her to marry Emmett two days after graduation. Apparently, Rosalie's family was even more traditional than Emmett's, so when the McCarty parents and the Hale parents met, they pushed and pushed their kids until they agreed to tie the knot. Emmett didn't mind; that had been his initial plan anyway. Rose couldn't help but give in after months of nagging.
Bella was in the side of best man and Jasper was the maid of honor; the bridesmaids were made up by some of Rose's high school and college friends while the groomsmen were football friends and Jason (Emmett's brother). Everyone had been invited, from family to high school and college friends. Renée and Phil had made the cut, obviously.
Someone nobody had expected?
Alice.
She'd just casually shown up as Jasper's date, wearing a beautiful dress and with her hair as long as it had ever been. When the ceremony had ended, Alice had sauntered up to the newlyweds and winked at them playfully.
"Why, I do declare you'll be the happiest couple there ever is —until Jasper and I get married, of course," Alice had grinned, hands behind her back and a bounce in her step.
Emmett had been shocked.
"Alice…? What are you doing here?" Emmett breathed out, shocked. He hadn't seen his ex-girlfriend since they'd broken up four years ago, and seeing her then was too sudden for him.
Alice giggled, and her twinkling laugh was as sweet as it had ever been.
Seeing her there, dressed in pink and with her hair as long as she'd always said she wanted it, Emmett thought for a moment he was seventeen and seeing his girlfriend walk down the stairs on their way to prom. They'd been so madly in love back then —he was still madly in love with her when they broke up— and they'd been so sure they'd be together forever. And here they were; she watched him get married, and then she'd go back to her boyfriend and probably try to bully him into marriage. He knew, seeing her bright smile, that she was happy for him —and he was glad, too. He knew Jasper was a great dude, and he knew the Texan worshipped the ground the pixie walked on.
"Well, I'm here to watch my ex get married of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world. You look so handsome, Em, truly," Alice said, swallowing back a bout of tears that threatened to spill. She wasn't sad, but nostalgia certainly grew inside of her. She turned to Rose, who had an apprehensive look on her face. "And you look gorgeous, Rosalie. And your dress… Jesus, you could've been a model."
"A pregnant model?" Rose joked, actually feeling a little self-conscious, more so because in front of her was the petite and pretty ex-girlfriend. Plus, she'd gained like two pounds per month.
"The hottest pregnant model ever," Alice winked. "Don't be a stranger. I'm moving back to Arizona for a year to help my mom with some stuff, so I'm sure we'll be seeing each other around."
Rose smiled back at the tiny girl, unsure of how to feel. Alice was pretty much Jasper's shadow from what she knew, but Rose remembered how much Emmett had suffered after their breakup; the love they'd shared had been huge. And Bella, the love of Emmett's life (described that way by her own husband) was besties with Alice; it was a hard thing to fight. On the other hand, she actually rather liked Alice, and it was a big possibility the girl would end up marrying her cousin. And, if she was thinking rationally, she knew that Emmett had never given her any indication that he would've rather gone back to Alice. She had to trust Emmett even if it seemed like the hardest thing to do at the moment.
Smiling goofily, Emmett grabbed Alice and crushed her in a bear hug; he leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"I'm glad you came. I've missed you."
Smiling fondly, Alice gasped out what she could.
"I've missed you too." Then, more loudly, she wheezed dramatically. "Let me go, you oaf. I can't breathe."
Laughing, he set his ex-girlfriend down; then he wrapped an arm around Rose's waist, turning to give her cheek a kiss.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find Jazzy. That man needs a chaperone."
Then Alice was gone just as suddenly as she arrived.
Emmett chuckled.
"What?" Rose asked, feeling pissed. He'd enjoyed that reunion too much.
"Nothing, it's just that I feel relieved. I've wondered what would happen when I saw Ali again, and I'm glad it was like this. I'm the happiest I've ever been, and I'm sure she is too. I'm glad we dated, but…" Emmett placed a hand on Rose's belly. "I'm also glad we broke up."
Rosalie's anxiety flew away.
"Oh my God I can't believe you got married!" Emmett suddenly felt a body slam against his back, arms and legs quickly wrapping around his torso.
"I swear, if you're flashing, I'm not covering you," Emmett warned, grabbing Bella's legs so she wouldn't fall down.
"I've got her," Edward said, his hands flattening Bella's dress to her legs. No way was he letting someone see her granny panties.
"See? He cares about my modesty," Bella said, bending to place a kiss on Rose's cheek. "You look like a princess, Rose."
Rosalie smiled; Bella never gave compliments she didn't mean, so whenever she did it meant a lot to her.
"Thanks, Bella."
One thing Rosalie was eternally grateful for was that time really did heal all wounds. By now, things were nearly back to the way they'd been back in their first semester of college. It had taken a lot of time and effort, but once Bella had realized Rose really was there to stay, she started changing her tune. She went back to the trusting girl she'd been before, the only difference being that Bella refused to hear anything that had to do with Emmett. With time, Rose had stopped resenting that rule and had found the positive within it; she felt like Bella was her friend, not Emmett's. This probably wouldn't happen if Rose was talking about Emmett and Bella was taking his side all the time. So, it worked. And Rose was thankful.
"Now, let's go. I'm famished. You're done with stuff here, right? Let's go let's go!"
Rose turned back to look at Edward with a quizzical look.
"Why's she so energetic?"
Edward gave her a tight smile.
"She couldn't sleep so she had like five cups of coffee before coming here. She's gonna crash in like an hour, so I suggest you enjoy her for the moment."
Rose's eyebrows hiked high into her hairline.
"Why couldn't she sleep?"
Edward groaned.
"This is too embarrassing. Love, tell her."
Gladly, Bella did.
"I was too excited about the food your dad is having catered. Emmett showed me the menu and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since."
Rose took that back.
She hated Bella Swan.
-.-
"I mean, honestly," Renée was laughing, looking more than a little tipsy. "We all thought that Emmett and Bella would end up together somehow," she gestured towards the McCarty parents, Phil and herself to illustrate who was 'all'.
Annoyed, Bella huffed.
"Mom, I would rather shoot Emmett in the foot than marry him. It's honestly the worst assumption anyone has ever made about me."
And she'd once heard a rumor that she was a dominatrix that liked torturing her subs into near death.
Phil was the one who echoed his wife.
"But it's true! Renée and I used to always get really worried about the two of you being holed up in the tree house all the time."
Edward was curious.
"What calmed your fears?"
"When Emmett and Bella shared their first kiss. She came into the house crying and then puked her dinner."
Mrs. McCarty suddenly guffawed, sounding eerily similar to her son.
"Oh, I remember that. They were eleven, I think. Emmy came home and spent an hour brushing his teeth."
Bella shuddered, remembering the event. Damn, remembering that was upsetting.
"And I mean, when we first met Edward, we were pretty sure Bella was a goner. All of my hopes died right then."
Edward puffed his chest proudly.
"Oh, we knew for sure when Emmett brought Alice home. She was such a sweetheart. Actually, I could've sworn I saw her…" Mr. McCarty mumbled, looking to the side.
"She's here, Bob," Phil nodded, remembering the tiny girl. "I saw her just a while ago. Small as always, lovely as ever."
Bob McCarty sighed sadly.
"I rather liked her. She made my boy shine. Not that I have any complaints about Rosalie, but Em's hardly brought her home so I don't know her as well. And Ali was Em's first love, so we rather loved her too." Mr. McCarty turned to Bella, knowing she'd know. "What became of her?"
"She just graduated in fashion at NYU, and she's coming back for a year to help out her mom's business. She's also dating Jasper Whitlock, Rosalie's cousin. Life's funny that way," Bella offered. She was leaning back in her chair, content as Edward had an arm wrapped behind her; she also happened to be stealthily stealing some bread from his plate.
She wasn't stealthy, he was just whipped.
"Jasper? That blond stick?" Mr. McCarty's eyebrows shot up. "Wow, what a downgrade from my boy."
"Dad!" Jason snapped, horrified at what a jerk his father was. "You liked Jasper when we met him. Don't be rude just because he's dating Alice."
Bella thought the scene was funny, though Jason was right; Mr. McCarty was just a sore loser. Though to be fair, Bella also thought no one held a candle to Emmett… with the exception of Edward Cullen.
"But—" Mr. McCarty spluttered to fight his eldest son, but this time it was his daughter-in-law, Rachel, who intervened. She was holding a sleepy Maddison, who was six years old now and the cutest girl Bella had ever seen.
"Yeah Bob, no need to be mean. Jasper's nice, and Maddie liked him a lot."
At the mention of his granddaughter, Robert McCarty morphed into a human marshmallow, instantly deflated at the mention of the kid. Whatever Maddie liked, Grandpa loved —it was a rule.
The table laughed at the obvious defeat. Maddie chose that moment to open her eyes; eyes on target, she wiggled down from her mother's lap, sauntered over to Bella and then demanded to be picked up. Maddie was much more of a doer than a talker, so Bella silently picked up her little angel and held her as the kid drifted back to sleep.
"I swear, I have no idea what kind of spell Bella has the McCarty family under. Emmett can't live without her, we love her, Jason sees her as a little sister, Rachel always brings her chocolate and Maddie always rambles on about Auntie Bella. You're like the favorite McCarty member," Mrs. McCarty laughed, and the rest of the table joined in because it was true. Bella loved them like they were her own family, too; she didn't see Jason, Rachel and Maddie as much as she liked, but any time she found time she visited them.
"It's because I infiltrated your family like twenty years ago for the sole purpose of being Maddie's favorite aunt. I knew she was coming and I had to be prepared."
They spent the rest of the meal joking like that, poking fun at each other and trading stories. when it was time for Emmett and Rosalie's first dance, everyone hushed; even little Maddie perked up to see her uncle move his two left feet. Edward and Bella made their way to the sidelines of the dance floor; Bella simply couldn't miss being front row to this. She gave Edward her phone with the strict instructions to record it from beginning to end; her argument was that she couldn't afford to tear her eyes off the newlyweds even if it was for the video's sake. He honestly didn't need much convincing, if at all; what Bella wanted (within reason), Bella got.
A song came on that Bella didn't recognize, but that didn't stop her eyes from watering when she heard some of the lyrics:
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more.
She watched the intensity with which Emmett was watching Rosalie, the love that was reflected in Rose's face when she looked at the man Bella had seen shit in his own garden. In that moment, Bella knew whatever leftover weariness she had towards the blonde was gone —she couldn't think a single bad thing about the woman who loved her best friend so. She couldn't risk alienating the mother of her future godson, nor did she find a good reason to; Rose was strong and in love with the dumbest, smartest man Bella knew. In that moment, Bella realized that Emmett truly had been meant for Rose and not for Alice Brandon; life worked in mysterious ways, and it had thankfully worked in her best friend's favor.
After the first dance and the family-newlywed dances were over, Edward wasted no time in whisking Bella to the dance floor. He pulled her flush against him as the sound of Aerosmith's I Don't Want To Miss A Thing came on.
"Tell me the truth. How many wine glasses did you sneak when I wasn't looking?" Edward asked, making her giggle; she let her head fall back.
"Like… two."
"Two times what?"
"Um, what comes after four?" Bella teased, enjoying the slow pace they were dancing at. "Hey, I'm surprised you only cried once during the ceremony."
Edward raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean I only cried once? You only saw me cry once, you were so fixed on Em and Rose. I cried like a baby."
Grinning, Bella blew him a kiss.
"I'm glad their love story is a happy one."
Edward didn't say anything; he'd never heard a shouting match like the ones he'd witnessed between Rose and Emmett throughout the years, but he couldn't tell this to Bella. Edward wasn't sure what he'd do if he'd ever dated a woman like Rosalie Hale.
Probably become a wallflower.
"I'm pretty sure your mom is at least a little sad that that's not you," Edward said.
She scoffed.
"You kidding? Remember how she cried when I brought you home again in April? She forgot I even existed."
Edward smirked, proud of his charms; it was true. Renée had whispered in his ear that if he ever wanted to elope to Vegas with her daughter all she asked was to be let know so she could buy the tickets.
He was seriously thinking about that offer.
"It's not her fault. I am irresistible after all."
Bella snorted.
"Boy, you weren't at all this morning," she pointed out, making him flinch. Emmett's bachelor party had been intense to say the least; his football friends had pulled out all the stops, even hiring the strippers that were mandatory for bachelor parties in every movie. Edward wasn't a man who had an easy time saying no, and when you had women trying to grind on in a noisy strip club it was hard to get your displeasure across. So everyone else had gotten shit-faced, a few football players had gone home with a girl (or two) and Bella had arrived at Emmett's to find a handful of hungover, glittery men. Edward hadn't been hungover (he still didn't drink anything) but he'd certainly been sparkly all over his face and pants. Bella had made him drop his pants to confirm there was no glitter on his dick; she wasn't irrational enough to think he'd cheated on her, but she knew his difficulty in saying no. If he'd been even unable to stop a woman from worming her hand down his pants, Bella would've lost it.
"Love, I was even irresistible covered in stripper glitter from head to toe." Edward winked at her with fake confidence. Rolling her eyes, Bella linked her arms behind his neck.
"You know what was irresistible? Alexei, yesterday's masseuse. You never give me back rubs that good."
Edward glared at her.
"I still can't believe you chose the male masseuse. I expected that from Rose, not from you."
Bella snorted.
"You kidding me? Have you seen the basketball she swallowed? She can't lay on her stomach even if she tries. Alexei's twin did her feet."
Edward rolled his eyes; Bella was ridiculous and they both knew it.
"You know, I think I could settle for three kids. Hmm… two, depending on our finances. And I don't need a big wedding like this one, I think inviting like twenty-five people from my side and twenty-five from yours is enough. What do you think?"
Bella laughed.
"You really think that's how you'll convince me? With unchecked confidence?"
Damn if she wasn't finding it sexy as hell.
"Well, if insecurity got me nowhere, might as well flip the coin. So I guess I'll just pester you until you want these things for yourself in such a natural way you won't even know when you changed your mind."
Bella raised an eyebrow.
"I could still say I don't want kids, you know. Or to get married. Especially get married."
Edward pouted.
"But if we don't get married, you won't get to see me cry for twenty-four hours straight," Edward said, and damn if that didn't sound appealing to Bella. He was adorable when he sobbed from happiness. "And you don't not want kids. You're just being stubborn because you want to see where we'd go if you tell me you don't want any and I still do."
Bella's eyebrows flew into her hairline.
"That's a very dangerous assumption to make."
And also scary because of how true it was.
"It would be, if this wasn't you. You're just a little slow on the uptake when it comes to relationships, that's all. And prone to thinking everyone's like your parents, even though no one is. Remember, Bella Swan, I'm not trying to convince you to like marriage or children per se —I'm making you realize that you want them with me."
Bella pretended to think about it.
"And what's so special about you?"
"I can make popcorn without burning it, and I also don't get mad when you eat my chocolate. So already that makes me dad and husband material."
Bella giggled. Damn if this man didn't have her wrapped around his finger.
"You've come a long way in learning to cook. Plus, you do wash the dishes without me asking you to," Bella pretended to consider the offer seriously. "Any other perks I should know about?"
Edward thought about it.
He brought his lips close to her ear.
"I love you more than I love anything else. I'll always be on your side. And I'll make it my life's mission to help you grow into the person you want to be," Edward whispered, unknowingly making Bella cry. "And I'll also give you the family you always needed. We'll be partners in crime raising little hoodlums who think we're cool and always want to be around us because they know nobody will ever love them like we do."
Bella lowered her arms so she was instead hugging Edward around his waist, needing to crush herself against him as much as she could. Bella didn't know if those words were enough to convince her that she really did want to get married and have kids, but they were a little seed of doubt. A what if.
"Also, I wanted this to be a surprise but I can't hold it in any longer. When you applied to Nevada, I kind of applied to a master's program in San Francisco too for Urban and Public Affairs. When we broke up I forgot all about it, but a few weeks ago I got news that I was accepted. So I talked to mom, who talked to a friend of hers, and now I also have a job at this architecture firm specialized in urban planning. The job's near Sacramento though, and I'd have to be traveling back and forth between it and San Francisco so I had to choose someplace in the middle; I'll be living in Fairfield, which is forty minutes from Davis and is a little over an hour from USF. And the drive from Fairfield to Reno is about two hours and a half. So… we might be able to see each other on the weekends. If you want."
Bella stopped dancing.
She turned around and walked off the dance floor, a worried Edward running after her. He caught up to Bella near the pool (because of course the monstrous reception had one), and thankfully no one was around.
He grabbed her wrist.
"Are you… mad?"
Suddenly, she threw herself against him, openly sobbing.
"Oh God, Edward, I was so worried! I didn't know what we were going to do! What if you met some pretty girl here while I was all the way in Nevada and she really liked you and I was there and then I felt you pulling away from me so I only came back here to break up with you and—"
He kissed her.
When he was sure she wasn't about to keep ranting, he pulled back.
"Love, you're not Kate. I don't feel for you what I felt for her; the two of us hardly spoke once she left Phoenix, and I can tell you I never missed her as much as I miss you when we don't see each other for even a week. So let's clear that up, ok? This is Edward and Bella, not Edward and Kate. Even if we're long distance, I told you I'd make sure I could stick to you like glue."
Bella blubbered happily.
"You're such a stalker. What if I wanted to go to Reno to get away from you?"
Edward kissed her again.
"I can always turn down the job and the degree, do them here in Phoen—"
"Don't you even dare joke about that," Bella grumbled, kissing him again. She needed the reassurance that he was there, that he loved her. He did, and so did she.
"Ok. So I guess I'm going to California," Edward shrugged.
"And I'm going to Nevada." Bella swallowed. "Are you ready for this?"
Edward pulled back to look at the face of the woman he loved. She looked beautiful as always, her eyes making his breath catch and her mouth making his heart stutter. He knew under that fancy, sexy dress were granny panties with a unicorn stamp in the back. He also knew that tomorrow they had a date to be alone together; Bella would be reading her comics in his apartment and he'd be playing the piano for hours on end to calm his post-wedding anxiety. He thought of all the adventures they'd yet to embark on, all the places they hadn't visited yet, all the problems they hadn't overcome.
He kissed her forehead, heart warm.
"Yeah, I really am."
Man, this was a long one (for me). I know it's a little shorter than usual, but honestly I put this one together rather quickly. A necessity given how swamped I am. Also, turns out I have attention deficit disorder (inattentive type); I started getting treated last week even though I've known since December (because I'm stubborn like that) and man have I made a 180. I'm efficient like I've never been; hopefully it's not just the placebo effect. So yeah, I basically put this chapter together super quickly and mostly without interrupting my schedule. A first.
Anyway, I hope y'all liked this chapter. Your reviews always warm my heart, and I always get happy when I receive favorite and follow notifications. So thanks, guys. And... if you didn't have the tingling sensation, let me tell you. Next up is the epilogue. I knew this wasn't going to be a long story since the beginning, but herein confirmation. I enjoy writing this story so much and watching you react to it, and it makes me sad to think my time with FanFiction might be coming to an end. The year coming up will be really hard for me, and the one after that won't be any easier. So if you don't see something new of mine before July... well, it'll be a while before we see each other. That, or I'll only post one-shots. There's this one-shot I wrote a little while back, but I honestly don't love it, so even though the part of me that loves interacting with you wants to post it the writer in me is too picky to let me. So, this isn't goodbye yet. I promise to have the last chapter up when I can, which at the latest will be Easter (the last two weeks have been hectic and the next two weeks aren't looking much better).
Thank you so much for seeing this story to the end with me.
Leah.