Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the Twilight characters.

This chapter is longer at 5,000 words strong. Let me know if this length is too long. If so, I can break it into shorter chapters.

Please read and review, I love hearing reader feed back. I'll go ahead and throw this out there, think of some truth/dare questions and other games that you'd like to see them play. I'm already working on future chapters but would love reader input.

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Saturday

BPOV

I was startled awake by my mother storming into my room. She crossed the room and threw open the curtains. Light flooded my room, making me squeeze my eyes tighter. I grumbled before taking a small peek at the time. It was only 7.

"Go away." I mumbled as I rolled onto my stomach.

"No! You need to get up, we need to start getting ready. You're getting married, baby." My mother sat at the foot of my bed and started rubbing circles on my back.

Little did I know that the back run was just a ploy to get me relaxed before yanking the covers off my body and shoving me into the floor. My body landed with a hard thud

"Ouch. Mom!" I whined as I rubbed my hip. I slowly stood up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"Don't Mom, me. You know that today is very important and you just want to sleep the day away." She huffed before leaving my room.

Yes mom wanting to sleep past seven is definitely sleeping the day away. So crazy that I would ever desire to do so. I have fought with my parents so much this week that I was truly exhausted. I know that they are looking out for me and want me to have advantages in life. I also know that they didn't refrain from telling me about the marriage, they had just forgotten about it.

5 hours later…

I've spent the day being poked and prodded but was now ready. My hair was twisted around the top of my head with a delicate braid running along it. My makeup was naturally flawless and my nails had been painted white. Not that it was my color choice. Despite it being May, my wedding gown was long sleeved. Please don't let it be hot in the church. Overall the gown was simple but was pretty.

I was taking deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth. My heart rate increased and I began panicking. Here I was dressed in a white gown, about to be led down an aisle by my father. The only thing between the altar and I were these two wooden doors. My brain was going crazy knowing that my life was about to change forever. My future husband was so close yet so far.

Inhale. 2... 3... 4…

Exhale 2... 3… 4…

"You got this." My father was rubbing slight circles on my hand. I knew deep down that he would probably support me if I chose to turn and run at this moment.

I really wished that I could have brought Alice and Rosalie. I wanted my friends here. I wanted my non-family, family here. The people who support me in my day to day life.

Anxiety was really kicking my ass at this moment. But I just kept breathing. Suddenly the music started and my head began to spin. I could hear my father saying something but my brain wasn't processing it.

"Don't let me fall." I whispered to him.

"Never." He reassured me as he laced his arm with mine.

The doors swung open and the guests turned in their seats trying to get a look at the bride. Me. I'm the bride. *gulp* I looked up from my feet as I began to walk. My eyes searched the room, looking for my husband. I noticed that his side of the room had a significant amount of guests compared to mine.

Standing at the front of the altar was a gorgeous man with wild, bronze hair. He was much hotter than I expected. A few gasps brought my attention away from my future husband. In the front two rows on the groom's side; Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie were all turned, facing me. Shit.

I gasped and my stomach dropped. The puzzle pieces started to work themselves together in my brain. With every step, the altar became closer and closer. My head was spinning as it went into overdrive. I was marrying Edward Cullen. The brother of Emmett Cullen and the cousin of Alice Bradon. Not only was I marrying my best friend's cousin but I was also doing it without her knowing. I was the mystery fiancé that she was worried about.

Standing face to face with Edward made the situation feel real. The room's air felt thick in my throat as I tried desperately to not cry. I, Isabella Marie Swan, was marrying my friend's long lost cousin. Will she forgive you for this? The ceremony felt significantly slower than it was. I missed most of the preacher's speech. Until my brain was suddenly pulled from thought.

My eyes snapped up to his and I realized that I had been staring blankly at him this entire time.

"Do you, Edward Anthony Cullen, take Isabella Marie Swan to be your wife?"

"I do." His voice was smooth, almost velvety.

"Do you, Isabella Marie Swan, take Edward Cullen to be your husband?" This is it Bella, no turning back now. You can't turn back anyways since your parents would be so disappointed in you.

I opened my mouth to respond but the words got caught in my throat. 'Speak' my brain shouted at me. Don't stand there like a fool. Say something.

"I do." My voice was shaky and the words sounded strangled.

"You may now kiss the bride." The preacher stepped away from the altar.

Edward slowly lifted my veil and gently draped it over the back of my head. He moved his hands, one caressed the base of my skull and the other wrapped around my waist. He swiveled my body as he dipped to kiss me. His lips were smooth, silky even. The kiss was short but satisfying. I could hear our families cheering around us as he brought me back up and out of the kiss.

...MMHW...

EPOV

My breath was taken away when I first saw Isabella. Her long brown hair looked like silk against her pale complexion and she had the biggest, brownest eyes. She seemed nervous while walking down the aisle, not that I could blame her.

An arranged marriage is not ideal but it's what the family wanted. As far as I know, my grandfather made a deal with her grandfather that insured us getting married. I'm not complaining since it brought me a beautiful bride and made my aunt happy.

"You can unblock me now." I whispered in her ear as we entered the reception hall.

"What?" Her face turned towards mine with a look of confusion.

"My number. You can unblock my number." A slight blush spread across her cheek.

I felt a little guilty when I remembered why she blocked me. I couldn't justify my words but I also couldn't rectify them if she had me blacked.

"I guess." She murmured meekly. She still seemed incredibly nervous as she scanned the room looking for someone.

I had noticed that her parents were the only ones present from her family. I knew that she was an only child, but I still thought she might invite friends or grandparents. I had my mother, both of my aunts/ uncles, and most of my cousins were in attendance. Alice's younger sister, Cynthia, was unable to attend since she was in the third trimester of her pregnancy.

I also didn't escape my notice that both Alice and Rosalie seemed shocked by my bride. I'll have to ask them about that later.

BPOV

I was a little shocked that Edward called me out on blocking him. I could even feel the heat spread across my checks. My guilt returned when we reached our table. Both of our parents were seated together, Edward's aunts and uncles shared a table, and Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie were at the third. Alice and Rosalie seemed to be in a heated conversation.

"Bella!" Alice hissed my name. I turned in my seat so that I could make eye contact with her. "What the fuck." Her eyes bored into me relentlessly.

"Can we not do this here?" I pleaded with her.

"When were you going to tell me, your best friend, that you were getting married. Was that not something you found important? And why the hell did you marry Edward?" She whispered to me harshly.

"Alice, it's not like that." Tears pricked the corner of my eyes.

"I even asked if you were going to the wedding and you acted like you were gonna be somewhere else." It was Rosalie who spoke this time.

"Girls, leave her alone. We can discuss this later." Edward patted my arm as he addressed them.

"Don't think you're off the hook either." Alice snapped her eyes to Edward. . "You could have TOLD me that you were marrying my friend!" Her voice raised in pitch as her anger became evident.

"Calm down dear." My mother hushed Alice as she sat down. "Bella didn't know that she was going to get married until last weekend and even then, we didn' t tell her his name." My mother spoke as if the situation was normal.

"You still could have told us." Rosalie's eyes looked sad as her voice dropped.

"I know and I should have. I was just scared about how y'all would react. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"If you didn't want to hurt me, then you should have told me." Alice threw her napkin onto the table before storming out.

I felt a single tear slide down my face as I watched her leave. I got up from my spot and followed after her. I was thankful to be out of my wedding dress and into a simple cocktail dress, it made it easier to run after her.

I reached outside just in time to see Alice's car leaving the parking lot. I sat down on the church steps and began to cry into my hands. I didn't look up until I felt someone sit next to me.

"Don't worry, Alice will come around. She always does." It was Esme who dropped her arm over my shoulders.

"But what if she doesn't? She's right! I'm a shit friend for not telling her sooner."

"Oh dear, she's just in shock." Esme's voice was a little soothing.

"I don't know why I ever agreed to this." I broke out into another round of sobs.

"Can I let you in on a not so secret, secret?"

I meekly nodded my head for her to continue.

"This isn't the first arranged marriage for this family."

"What?" I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

"Yep." She nodded. "Carlisle is brothers with Edward's father, Edward senior, and Alice's father. All three men had arranged marriages. It's something that their father felt strongly about. Edward Senior was hesitant about creating the same faith for Edward but his mother, Elizabeth, supported the idea. It was known that each partner in the marriages, whoever they may be, received a trust fund for their troubles."

My eyes opened wide with shock as she continued. This was the most information that I'd been given.

"Carlisle and I turned down the idea of having Emmett married off since we supported the decision for him to find his own love. Alice and Cynthia were also spared since they were ladies. My father in law was very particular about only marrying the men off…. Weird, I know. Edward's parents are the only ones who agreed and they did so while you both were infants."

"I never knew this. Neither Alice or Emmett have mentioned that you were in an arranged marriage."

"That's because you would never know unless you were told. Both Carlisle and I are happy and in love with one another and Alice's parents get along just fine." She sighed before giving me one last squeeze. "It may take some time, but she will come around."

Talking with Esme made me feel better about the situation. I hoped that she was right. I really wanted the support of my best friend.

Once I regained my composure, I re-entered the church. I walked up to where Rosalie was sitting and took Alice's seat.

"I want you to hear me out before you make any rash judgments against me." I took a deep breath in as she nodded for me to explain.

"Last weekend I came to Forks at my parents' insistence. When I arrived I was notified that I would be getting married. I wasn't given a choice or asked about my thoughts. My parents sat me down and said that I would be married in a week's time. They were afraid that if they gave me longer to process it, I would run away."

I spaced my explanation, hoping that she would understand what I was saying.

"I wasn't told Edward's name or even shown what he looked like. I had no reason to believe that I'd be marrying into your family. I wanted to tell you and Alice but it never felt like the right time. I knew that you'd try to talk me out of it or even try to rationalize the situation. I was a coward and panicked. I decided that I would tell you after this weekend when it couldn't be changed. It was never in my plan to deceive you."

I was quiet for a moment while waiting for her response.

"But why an arranged marriage?" She seemed to think over the information I'd given her.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. My parents mentioned that it was a deal made between my grandfather and Edward's. Edward's family wanted us to uphold our end of the deal. I believe that both of us get money out of this….I'm not sure I understand that part."

"I'm not going to lie to you. I'm hurt. I wish you had told me about getting married and I wished that I would have been included in your wedding. I know that it won't help anything if I stay mad at you. It's also a lot to process."

"Yeah." I muttered in agreement.

"If you're happy then I'll try to be happy. I'll also talk to Alice." She patted my leg and gave me a small smile.

…MMHW…

Edward and I went to a hotel after the reception. It was best if we waited to drive home until the morning. Before leaving the church, my mother gave me a hug and a kiss while wishing me the best for my first night as a married woman. My father gave me a hug before telling me that I could always come home. They also chose this time to tell me about my belongings getting moved into Edward's house during the ceremony. I would also be riding home with Edward since they picked me up on Friday, preventing me from no-showing.

I stood awkwardly in the lobby while waiting for Edward to get our room keys.

"Ready?" He held up two room keys before throwing his duffle over his shoulder. Once upstairs, I was a little thankful to see that the room had two beds. "Do you have a bed preference?" He gestures between the beds.

"No." I mumbled awkwardly before setting my bag on the bed closest to the door.

"I'm going to shower but I think we should talk afterwards." I just nodded while unpacking the things I needed for the night.

I, Bella Swan, was officially Bella Cullen. I was a married woman who was too awkward around my husband. I just didn't know what to say to him. Pulling out my phone, I made the conscious decision to unblock him.

I couldn't help but stare when Edward exited the bathroom. His chest was left bare as he was only wearing some low riding pajama pants. His hair was still wet and dripping onto his chest. A well defined chest. My eyes snapped away and a blush began to spread across my cheeks.

I quickly gathered my clothing and rushed into the bathroom. Great job Bella, you were staring at him like an idiot. I won't deny that I find him attractive but a relationship should be based on more than appearances. I stared at myself in the mirror before groaning out loud.

My dress's zipper was too high to reach. My mother had helped me change when I took my wedding gown off. I took a few breaths to brace myself before working up the courage to ask for Edward's help.

"Hey, Edward." His eyes looked up from his phone. "Would you mind unzipping me? I can't reach the zipper."

"Sure, turn around." I did as he said. He moved my hair to the side before slowly unzipping the dress.

I quickly grabbed the top of the dress when I remembered I wasn't wearing a bra. I squeaked out a quick thanks before rushing back into the bathroom. My shower was gloriously long and hot. I made sure to wash all my makeup off and scrub the gallon of hair spray out of my hair.

Edward was laying on his bed by the time I was done. "You wanted to talk." I mumbled as I crawled into my bed.

"Yeah." He sighed. "I want to start by apologizing for my last message. I was drunk, not that it's an excuse, but I didn't mean any harm by it." He started rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's ok, I guess."

"No it's not. Isabella, I might not have meant harm but it still hurt you. I want it known that it doesn't matter to me if you're a virgin or not."

"No, it's really ok. I was upset but that's because I was upset about everything." I paused for a brief moment. "Why did you send it?" I scooted down in the bed and turned to lay on my side.

"Because I was stupid and drunk. My mother had called me and the conversation made me angry. She started spewing some shit about how you were pure as if it made this marriage situation a win-win." He grumbled as he laid down himself.

"Oh." I wasn't sure what else I could say. "You said that you agreed to get married because it makes your family happy. Is that true?"

"Sorta. My mom didn't really give me a choice. I know that I could have backed out and said no but she was very forceful. She wants to make sure I get my trust fund. Even with that, I still wasn't sure about the situation so I called Esme. I trust Esme and her opinion tremendously."

"What did Esme say?"

"She told me that it was up to me. Her marriage worked out and she doesn't regret Carlisle but she'd never force anyone else into the situation. She validated my feelings and hesitation. After all, I watched my parents' marriage crumble with resentment towards each other. She brought up that I'd be getting money and so would you. She thought that I should consider how you would feel if you missed out on your trust funds because of me backing out."

I nodded for him to continue. Listening to Edward helped to soothe any nerves and awkwardness.

"I knew that she was right and it was eye opening. I decided to give it a chance since I knew it would make her happy and I didn't want you to miss out on something. I can only hope that our marriage turns out like hers. She also reinforced that she would support me no matter what…. And now we're here." He was staring at the ceiling. "If it makes you feel better, I only found out about our wedding a month ago."

"A month! That would have been nice." He looked at me slightly confused. "I found out about this last Saturday. What I've gathered is that your mother reached out to my parents. She reminded them of the signed contract that our grandfathers put into place. They were trying to find a way around it but you're the only one who could give us an out. It had to be your decision to not get married." I explained my parent's findings.

I rolled onto my back so that I could also stare at the ceiling. "My parents don't care about the money, if anything they want me to have it and be successful in life. They were more worried about the legal repercussions that it could have if I said no. They had exhausted all the time they could before then told me. They were afraid that I'd run away." I draped my arm over my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I took your only way out." His voice seemed to sadden.

"Don't be. We'll make this work. It must have been really important to your mom."

"Yeah." He quietly agreed.

"When we get back to Seattle…. Can we wait a little bit before announcing our marriage. I haven't told anyone yet."

"That's fine." He thought for a second before continuing. "I'm sorry about Alice."

"It's ok. I should have told her, so that's on me."

"It probably wouldn't have gone well. Maybe it's better that she found out this way."

"Maybe." I murmured before flipping my side lamp off. I was ready for sleep to overtake me. He followed suit and also turned his light off. "I'm not a virgin." I spoke the last words so quietly that I wasn't sure if he heard me.

…MMHW…

It was still a little awkward when we woke up. We made quick pleasantries with one another, still unsure how to feel about our marriage. We dressed quickly before repacking our bags to leave. We had an early check out and a lot of driving to do. I'm not sure about Edward but I'm still tired over the events of our weekend.

…

We were driving 'home' after the wedding in Edward's Volvo. The drive seemed extremely long as I was afraid to get comfortable in his car. I avoid changing the music or temperature out of respect. One of the first things I noticed was that he kept his car incredibly clean. It almost looked brand new.

We pulled down the long driveway leading to the house. I was a little shocked that he was able to find a house with so much land surrounding it. Seattle was definitely known for its apartment living, not luxury houses. If you did find a house, it definitely wasn't cheap.

"I chose this house, but we can always look for another one if you don't like it." Edward spoke rather calmly.

"I'm sure it's fine." I continued to look out of the window.

"Here it is." As we got closer I could see

a modestly sized house.

Maybe not that modest. The house was larger than average without being extreme. The side entry garage had two doors but looked as if it could easily fit a third car. When we pulled into the garage I noticed that my black Camaro was already parked on the right side.

"How?" I don't know if I should ask how or why my car is already here.

"During the ceremony, your mother had people move all of your stuff in." Edward must have understood my question. I didn't think she also meant my car when they had gathered things from the apartment. "You should look around the rest of the house." I simply nodded my head at him.

The garage led into a laundry room which consisted of a new washer and dryer. There was a built-in shelving unit next to the washer along with a bar for hanging clothes. I must say this is a nice laundry room. It seemed spacious, especially to include a walk in the linen closet.

The laundry room led into a formal dining room which had a large table seated in the center. The table could easily sit ten people at it. I hope he doesn' t like to entertain guests often. I noticed that past the dining room, the house had an open floor concept.

There were two opening arches that lead out of the dining room. The first one led to a state of the art kitchen where everything was shiny and new. There was a large island in the center of the kitchen that had a slab of granite on top. In the center of the island was a double sink. Part of me was a little excited to be able to cook with so much counter space.

There were four bar stools on the opposite side of the counter. The entire kitchen had an open floor plan that led into the living room. There was a large 'L 'shaped sectional couch that had one side against the wall and another facing the island. There was also a large otomen in between the two sections and a recliner adjacent to the kitchen. Above the fireplace hung a 80inch flatscreen tv. The living room was large enough that it could fit the whole family.

He must really like to watch tv. There's a door to the side that looks like it would lead outside. Looking up, I saw that there is a staircase with a banister overlooking the room. Rather than checking any more rooms on the first floor, I headed up the stairs.

There was a huge opening that had four doors; two were on the right, one on the left, and one straight head. I started with the doors on the right. The first one led into an office, it had a large oak desk across from the door. Most of the room was lined with filed bookshelves.

I almost felt nosy for being in his study. I quickly shut the door and moved onto the next room. It was a bathroom. There was a nice double vanity counter and the shower had blue and aqua wall tiles with a black, stoned tile floor. I was a little disappointed that there was no tub. I've always been someone who enjoys a hot bath after work.

The other two rooms on this floor were bedrooms. Both were empty from personal belongings. Although they were spacious, there was only a bed, night stand, and chest of drawers in each. I guess he hasn't had a chance to fill these rooms yet. Maybe one would be mine. Both closets were also spacious and well sized compared to the rooms.

I headed back down the stairs and tripped on the last step. I held my arms out and braced for impact. But I never hit the ground. Instead, I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist. I opened my eyes and saw Edward look down at me.

"Thanks." My voice squeaked.

"Uh… no problem." He released my waist and quickly took a step back. "Your stuff is through here." I signaled for me to follow him.

He led me to a room that was off of the living room. This must be the master, it's huge. There was a California king bed that was centered on the wall across from the door. Two large windows on either side. There were also matching nightstands and lamps placed on either side of the bed. A large painting of a meadow was hanging above the bed.

"This is your closet and this one is mine." There were two closets facing each other at the entrance to the bathroom. I stepped inside my closet and was treated with it being a large walk-in closet. All my clothing was hung nicely in season and color order. There was even a chest of drawers placed to the side for the non-hanging clothes.

This is massive! Wait, if someone moved all of my stuff- does that mean they also moved my underwear? The thought weirded me out a little bit. I shut the closet behind so that I could look at the bathroom. I took a moment to notice that there was no lathing door that closed the bathroom off from the rest of the room. Instead, there was a single sliding barn door. Who thought that was a good idea? Privacy involves latching doors.

Rather, it was like a small hallway where the closet door took up most of the 'wall'. The entrance opened up to a large space. Excitement peeked in me when I saw the tub that was lined up against the wall. Strangely enough, there was a mirror that aligned with the wall over the tub.

I was in love as soon as my eyes landed on the shower. The walls were stoned to match the floor and there were two shower heads. One was positioned overhead to act as rain and the other was detachable from the wall. The shower was enclosed with walls on three sides and had a sliding glass door on the fourth.

"It's late, you probably want to go ahead and shower for bed." Edward's voice pulled me from my thoughts. He made me realize just how tired I was and that I had work in the morning.

"Yeah that sounds good. I think I'm gonna sleep upstairs tonight." He nodded his head before leaving me alone in the bathroom.

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about work tomorrow. I can only hope that I get a chance to talk to Alice. I hate her being mad at me but I can also understand her frustration. Then again, why is she frustrated. She's the one who gets to marry who she wants. Either way, I wanted to resolve our issues. I needed someone to talk to and I'd prefer that it was her. After all, she's my best friend.

I decided not to shower, rather just change and go to bed. I pulled some pajamas out of my drawers…. After searching through all of my drawers. I changed and brushed my teeth before heading upstairs. I could only hope that these beds were comfortable.