ENTRY 11
HAPPIER THAN EVER

Deciding to propose to Bella was a no-brainer. Edward knew from the start his life wouldn't be complete without her in it. Asking her to marry him, however, was a whole other ballgame. Every time he tried, the universe worked against him. But like they say, third time's the charm, and he was determined to get it right this time.

The last time Edward had attempted to ask, he'd placed the ring in Bella's dessert for her to discover after they shared dinner. However, what he hadn't counted on was Jasper popping by, citing boredom. Nor Jasper being high—which shouldn't have been much of a surprise—and devouring the cake he found in the fridge, without so much as pausing to chew.

Edward had stared at him incredulously, the chocolate staining the corner of his mouth. Jasper had simply shrugged and said, "What? I got the munchies, and you know how I get around chocolate."

After Edward nearly ripped the hair from his head, he had to tell his best friend he'd royally screwed him over. Let's just say, waiting for that ring to resurface was not pleasant at all. Edward learned an important lesson: food plus jewelry was a definite no-go. Needless to say, he made Jasper buy the ring off him.

Edward hadn't let that failed proposal deter him. He doubled down, saving up a little more to get a better ring and developing a foolproof plan. He'd been sitting in his office, flipping through a magazine, when he came across an article about creative proposal ideas. One in particular stood out and he set to work.

He made a reservation for Valentine's Day at their favorite Chinese restaurant, speaking to the hostess countless times to ensure everything was arranged. Valentine's Day proposals were cliched, but with how long he'd been wanting to do this, and how poorly the other attempts had gone, Edward had adopted to "go big or go home."

Over dinner, he and Bella talked, laughed, and enjoyed each other's company. He tried to show Bella he cherished her with soft caresses, longing looks, and whispered words of adoration. As they sipped their sake, the waiter brought over orange slices and fortune cookies. Edward reminded Bella to add "in bed" to whatever her fortune read, his leg bouncing nervously in anticipation. When Bella cracked open the cookie, pulling the tiny slip of paper from it, her brow furrowed. This slight dip of her forehead made Edward's pulse race, and a bead of sweat traveled along his temple.

"What's wrong?" She's going to say no. It was a stupid idea to swap out the fortune for one containing the words "Will you marry me?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's blank. I never had that happen before."

"What?! Let me see?"

As he reached across the table, to their left, he heard chants of "yes, yes, yes. I will marry you."

Turning, he saw a man with a shocked expression on his face and a woman with long blond hair, arms thrown around his neck, kissing his face.

"Fuck," he and the man exclaimed in unison.

How had the fortunes gotten mixed up? How's he going to fix this?

Edward turned back, seeing a small smile on Bella's lips. He had to figure out how to salvage this.

After dinner, they walked through the park, their bodies nestled close to one another. The hand not entwined with hers would randomly tap his pants pocket, checking the box safely stashed there. His focus divided between his reason for breathing and the speech he'd practiced countless times. He wasn't going to let the mix-up at the restaurant get the best of him; he could still end the evening as planned.

"Edward?"

Bella stopped and stared at him in expectation. Her calling his name snapped him out of his mental fog.

"Yes, love?"

"I said it's a bit cold and wondered if you wouldn't mind going back to the apartment."

Her cheeks were flushed red, far more than usual, and she shivered a bit. How had they managed to walk for so long?

"Of course. Let's get you into the warmth." He placed a kiss on her forehead and turned them to exit the park.

The walk back to their apartment was quick, both of them eager to get home.

Once Bella pushed open the door, Edward caught sight of the entirety of the kitchen and living room. There were candles everywhere. Candles that hadn't been there when they'd left for dinner.

"Bella?" He turned to her in question, but she said nothing as she pulled him into the center of the room.

When she dropped down to the carpet, resting on her knees, the breath left his lungs in a gust.

"Bella?"

"Edward." Her voice was soft, but in the stillness of the room, it sounded loud and clear. "In all my life, I never thought I'd be so lucky as to fall in love with my best…my best friend." Tears trailed down her cheeks as she sucked in a breath, trying to compose herself as she became overcome with emotion.

Edward fell to his knees in front of her, clasping her hands in his. Seeing she was having difficulty continuing, he decided to throw the practiced speech out the window and speak from his heart.

"I thought it mattered what I said, or where I said it, but then I realized, the only thing that matters is that you … you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way." Edward reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring box and opening it, causing Bella to gasp.

"Bella Swan, would you do me the extraordinary honor of marrying me?"

Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms, kissing him soundly before she uttered, "Yes."

As Edward slid the ring on her finger, he finally felt complete.

#V3ENTRIES

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