Posted: 2020-03-08. This story would not be possible without Eeyorefan12's work. Many thanks to her for all that she does with this tale.

On a related note, someone nominated this story for the TwiFicFandom awards over on twificfandomawards DOT blogspot DOT com. Thank you to whoever nominated it.

Cheers,

Erin

"Yes," Bella said to Joshua, "there will be lots of treats tomorrow. But right now, it is bedtime." She helped him slip his pajama top over his head.

"Bed," Josh agreed, pushing a hand through the cuff of his shirt, a profound look of concentration on his face. This accomplished, he called out, "Man?"

"I'm here," Edward replied, voice oddly muffled. He appeared now at the door to Josh's room, several pins held between his lips, as he pulled a needle through the fabric of Meredith's dress.

In the excitement of preparing for the wedding tomorrow, Meredith had tried her dress on—again—and dissolved into panicked tears when she accidently tore part of it in the process.

Bella had been downstairs, but had come puffing upwards, hearing the commotion.

"No, no," Edward had said, kneeling by Meredith, "I can fix it. Just give me a minute."

"I think we should call Alice." The pitch of Meredith's voice had risen along with her anxiety, and she had looked to her mother for support.

"I can sew just as well as Alice," Edward had scoffed gently.

Meredith's expression had grown more incredulous. Bella had only lifted her eyebrows, waiting to hear Meredith's objection.

"But, Edward . . . you're a man."

"Oh, Meredith, I'm the man," Edward had chuckled, glancing at Josh and then winking at Bella. "And I will fix your dress after dinner."

So he was making good on his promise now. Meredith stood like a sentinel behind him, clearly checking up on his work.

With another neat stitch, he said, "Scissors," which Meredith handed to him efficiently. Bella couldn't help smiling at the image of her daughter playing nurse to 'Doctor Edward'.

"Voila," he pronounced, draping the dress over his arm, pocketing all the pins. "No more trying it on until you have some help, okay?"

Meredith's nod was solemn. Then she suddenly threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Edward's legs with a choked, "Thank you!"

Startled but clearly pleased, Edward rubbed her back before handing over the garment. Meredith walked carefully back to her room, the dusty rose dress spread out over her arms like the most sacred of offerings.

"Nice," Bella grinned.

"Man, nice," Josh agreed, adding, "Book!" for Edward.

When the children were finally, and so very reluctantly settled in bed, Bella was too, a new novel in hand. As Edward lay down beside her, she put it away. "Everything ready for tomorrow?"

"I think so," he said. "And if it isn't, I have a few hours to fix things."

"True," Bella said, smiling, then asking, "no cold feet?"

Edward laughed. "Not figuratively, no. And you?"

"None here," she said, wriggling her toes under the bedsheet.

Edward smiled still, but the expression faltered a bit. "Are you okay that we're not doing this more traditionally, with me being here?"

Chuckling, Bella stared at her visibly pregnant abdomen. "Oh, yeah, it's completely ruined my traditional plans." She shook her head, still smiling. "We're getting married tomorrow. I'm happy."

There was a silent, 'me too,' in Edward's kiss.

He pulled back and leaned on his hand, watching her. "You've been much . . . happier since your birthday. Freer. I was wondering if there was something to passing that as a positive milestone."

"Mm," Bella said, briefly raising her eyebrows as she gave it some thought. "You could say that. It was . . . liberating, I suppose."

Edward continued to eye her, and she watched him back, wondering what else was on his mind. His musings remained a mystery, as he leaned towards her again, planting a very chaste kiss on her forehead. "I should let you sleep."

She couldn't help but groan a little in disappointment.

"Because I certainly won't be letting you sleep much tomorrow," Edward promised, leaning in again to whisper this in her ear and then pulling away to wait for her reaction.

She wanted to laugh, to make the moment light, but found herself holding her breath instead as she lost herself in the intensity of his gaze.

"Breathe, Bella," Edward said, gently nuzzling her cheek and then the line of her jaw until she relaxed enough to do as he said.

"I'm holding you to your promise." she told him once she had drawn in enough air to respond.

- 0 -

"So, Emmett, how was the, uh...fishing?" Bella asked coyly, putting a glass of water to her lips in the Cullens' kitchen.

Emmett shot her a glance from where he was playing cars with Josh. It was the closest thing to a dirty look that Bella had ever gotten from him. He pointed a finger in her direction. "The things we do for love. That's all I'm sayin'."

Bella giggled. She hadn't heard the whole story yet, but judging from the catch Charlie had come back with, and the fullness of her freezer, it had gone well for the human contingent. Of course, this meant that her almost in-laws had to endure a smell they had assured her was thoroughly revolting.

Jasper made a derisive sound as he walked into the kitchen, eyeing Emmett with eyes narrowed to slits.

"What?" Bella asked, surprised by this unusual behaviour.

"Don't mind him. Jasper's just sore about our bet," Emmett explained.

"What bet?" She asked suspiciously. There were near-constant bets between the two of them, and nothing was so sacred as to be off-limits—Bella and her children included. She had put her foot down recently when Emmett suggested he and Jasper see which of them could make Josh eat the most broccoli in one sitting.

"Oh, sports bet."

"Ah," Bella said, a little relieved.

"But the loser had to actually catch and hook the fish," Emmett said, grinning.

Oh.

Now Emmett leaned over toward his brother, sniffing dramatically, "Yep, still smells like fish," he whispered to Jasper.

Jasper eyed his brother coolly enough that Bella tensed slightly.

Edward arrived at this point, shooting a warning look at his brothers before slipping his arm around Bella and placing a soft kiss to her neck. "Are you ready for Alice?"

She turned to face him, smiling. How could she not smile, having Edward in front of her? His features sharpened under her pointed focus, and she sighed watching his bright golden eyes. "I'm ready," she breathed. She was certainly ready for him.

The next kiss was not so soft, but a promise of things to come later.

"Hey, hey, hey! Enough of that. That part comes after," Emmett said, nudging Edward in the ribs as he walked past his brother to pick up his phone.

The wedding commissioner, who had arrived early and was being escorted into the kitchen by Carlisle at that moment, smirked as he surreptitiously eyed Bella's abdomen. It was clear from his expression that he'd heard Emmett's words and determined that a certain ship had already sailed. Bella rolled her eyes at Emmett, sighing a little as Edward's hand brushed by hers.

"Very soon," he whispered, "I do believe we will be united in way that no one but God can part. Let alone Emmett." The corner of his lips lifted in a beautiful and breath-inhibiting grin.

"Yep," Alice's voice called from behind her, "but even God isn't going to let you get married in a pair of off-the-rack maternity jeans, so upstairs you." A small and firm hand emphasized this point, tugging gently at Bella's elbow.

Upstairs, Bella watched in the mirror as Rose worked on her hair, the time marked by the occasional wordless look between the two sisters. She was grateful for the companionable silence, as it let her listen to Esme try to talk to Charlie in the living room below.

This was a venture that even the gracious Esme found challenging. She'd been able to charm him into easy conversation before Sue's death, but now, she might as well have attempted chit-chat with a rock. He gave answers in their most cursory forms, sometimes a near-grunt being all that could be pressed from him.

Edward had told her that Jasper had felt a brief flicker of happiness from Charlie on their fishing trip, but it had been quickly muddied by his ever-present sorrow.

Of course it had.

When Bella had suggested postponing the wedding plans, Charlie had insisted they go ahead. He'd waved away her attempt to say it was because of the baby and told her there was no point in her holding back her joy for the sake of his grief. So here they were, three living creatures, seven of the living dead, and one approximating something in-between.

Bella sighed.

"You know, it isn't the the bride that's meant to be blue," Rose remarked quietly.

Bella gave her a half-smile. "My dad," she said by way of explanation.

Rose nodded in understanding.

Turning a few degrees to her right, Bella eyed Meredith. Alice was attempting to shape her curls into submission, an unusually vexed look on her normally placid face. Bella empathized. Meredith's hair had a mind of its own. As did Josh's. She sincerely hoped no one was trying to do anything with his curls. The thought of Emmett wielding a curling-iron made her chuckle. Of course, with Edward, all things were possible. When Josh had seen Edward's suit, he'd communicated a desire for his own 'just like Man's'. She was looking forward to seeing the two of them in their matching attire.

A faint rap at the door drew her attention.

"Is it okay if I come in?" Charlie asked.

"Sure," Alice said. "I think we're all done here."

In the mirror, Rose's eyes flashed to Alice's. Bella expected Rose wanted to do more with her hair and makeup, but Rose only nodded, smiling at Bella and Charlie as she and Alice left with Meredith, murmuring something about a snack.

"Hey Dad," Bella said, turning to face him.

"Hey yourself," he said, forcing a smile to briefly lift his cheeks. He sat on the chair by Bella, nudging at one of the make-up brushes on the vanity. "Fancy," he observed.

"Yeah," Bella agreed, wondering what had brought him upstairs.

When he spoke, the question surprised her. "Do you wish you'd done something a bit more . . . fancy, I guess, with Matt?"

"No," she said gently, still trying to fathom where this conversation was coming from.

"Hmm," Charlie said, looking at the brushes again. "I wondered if you were just trying to be practical then, if you were worried about asking for more, for help—"

"Dad, no," Bella said, understanding now. "That wasn't something Matt or I wanted. This is different." She smiled. "This is Edward and me."

Charlie nodded a little, as if assuring himself of this. "Okay. Because I know you're grown up, and you're independent, but I'm always your Dad, and I'm always here to help. I just want you to know that."

Bella had to wait a moment before speaking again. "I know that, Dad."

"I really mean that," he said. "If you ever need me for anything, or anything from me, I'm there for you."

She nodded, more worried now. It must have shown on her face, because he hurried out the next words.

"Sorry, I'm sounding like a sop. I'm just . . . I wish I'd said things to Sue, done things differently with Sue. I don't want anything left unsaid with you. You just never know what life will throw at you."

"I know," Bella whispered, reaching out and taking his hand.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Speaking of Sue." He pulled a small box from his coat pocket. "She got this for you for today."

Bella released his hand and took the box, opening it to reveal a silver oval pendant shaped as a howling wolf, its one eye a bright sapphire blue. The fine box-chain of the necklace caught the light.

"The wolf is the Quileute symbol, I guess you'd call it. Sue said she wanted you to know that you were always protected by her tribe," he explained.

It was a tug at her heart, those words. They'd been true with Jacob. And Sue had thought they'd been true, too. For Charlie's sake, Bella wished they had been.

Charlie hadn't stopped talking. "The chain was her mother's, and something she meant to be old and borrowed, but the wolf is new and blue," he said, shrugging, obviously uncomfortable communicating all this symbolism. "I know moms usually do this stuff but you didn't do anything like this the first time and Renée couldn't be here . . ."

"It's beautiful, thank you Dad," Bella said, putting her hand back over his. "And it means a lot that you honoured Sue with that."

Charlie nodded gruffly, blinking rapidly.

Bella gave him a moment to collect himself before asking, "Would you help me put it on?"

His fingers fumbled with the small clasp, but he finally managed. "You look beautiful, honey." His hand seemed cool on her shoulder, and she raised her own hand to join his there. She wondered at the temperature briefly, chalking it up to her pregnancy, and her father's increasing age.

"And you look happy," Charlie said. "You deserve to be that."

"So do you, Dad," Bella replied.

His gaze dropped, a half-meant smile on his lips.

"You can't not . . . try," Bella pushed. She was nervously approaching the edge of this conversation, wanting, and not wanting to have it now. There was that urgency stirring in her gut. Life was short—there was no end of mundane things to see to that, let alone supernatural ones.

Charlie's voice was even. "I've been married once to the wrong person, and was too chicken to do it again with the right one. I don't expect to get . . . more than that. Not at my age. And I wouldn't want to inflict my cowardice on anyone else."

Another knock announced Rose's return. "It's time," she said, looking at Bella and Charlie apologetically.

"Right," Bella sighed.

Charlie held out his hand for Bella to stand up.

"Ready?" He asked, a husky note in his voice.

"Yes," Bella said, staring at the sadness on her father's face. If there ever was a second chance to grasp at happiness in life, today was that moment for her and her children. She could only hope that, for all his doubts, Charlie would have another opportunity someday.

- 0 -

"And do you, Edward, take Bella to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Edward said softly, one hand holding Bella's, the other tightly gripped by Josh. Her son had refused to release custody of it when Bella had arrived.

"Do," Josh piped up. "Man do!"

"Shh!" Meredith said. "Only they're supposed to talk, Josh!"

Around them, Bella heard chuckles from several of the Cullens, along with Charlie's soft laughter. With a barely suppressed grin, the marriage commissioner continued with the vow it was her turn to repeat.

"I do," Bella said just as softly, struggling a little to push the words past the lump of emotion in her throat. She had said these very words once before, and she had meant them—but there was just something about this moment that felt so right to her, so much more like her true destiny as she gazed into the eyes of the man she would spend the rest of her life with. She did not allow her thoughts to dwell on how long that might be; she just knew that the sense of wholeness and peace she was experiencing right then, surrounded by the people she loved most in the world, was enough.

But Josh, his face furrowed in concentration, was obviously now struggling to produce the salient words he had picked up from the commissioner's ceremonial speech. "Man, Mama, keep," he said, looking at her and Edward. To Bella, he appeared slightly worried, as if an alternative was being proposed.

Edward turned and looked down at Josh. "This means we stay together," he explained gently. "We get to keep each other. We're a family."

"Family," Josh repeated. His little shoulders relaxed, as did his hand in Edward's fingers. His determined eye contact, which Bella knew cost him so much energy, slid away into its more regular wide focus, and she knew he was at ease.

Edward looked back to her, and she smiled through her tears. Edward's unique ability to understand her son—now his as well—was a blessing for which she would be forever grateful.

"I pronounce you husband and wife."

She wasn't so sure what happened around them then, because Edward kissed her, and like all the times Edward kissed her, the other parts of the world receded into the background, all her senses swamped with his scent, his touch, his—

Someone cleared their throat very loudly nearby, and Edward pulled away from her.

Bella was glad he had found the strength because she could not have. She still found herself leaning toward him, feeling a little overwhelmed as she stood beside her husband. She heard him say, "Yes, now we get to have the party and dance," to either Josh or Meredith.

And dance they did.

After having a few tastes of the treats Esme had prepared, Bella watched Alice's horrified eyebrows brush her hairline as she kicked off her clearly-expensive-but-horribly-uncomfortable shoes. With Bella's long dress hiding what he was doing, Edward lifted her up and placed her toes onto his, making it look like she was moving elegantly around the platform they'd erected in the middle of the Cullens' lawn as he waltzed her around.

As the other Cullens joined them, Emmett and Rose passed close by. "Barefoot and pregnant," Emmett said quietly, neatly evading Edward's elbow and dirty look. "Shoulda held the dancing in the kitchen."

Bella laughed, but Edward glared.

"Hey you, lighten up," Bella said, putting a hand to his cheek.

"Hmm," But his features softened considerably as he looked at her. "I just don't want to admit that he has a tiny point." he teased her.

Charlie, who was dancing with Esme, had obviously heard the exchange, because he was trying very hard to keep his chest from shaking with suppressed laughter. Bella watched him and Esme shake their heads at Emmett. They were all smiling, and it gave Bella the most beautiful hope to see her father's lips stretched with happiness rather than sorrow. It made her feel as if he'd be okay after all.

Edward brought her attention back to him by tipping his head down to kiss her, his lips soft over hers. "Now we get to have our happily ever after. " He grinned.

We do, she told herself. Yes we do.

- 0 -

Bella was focusing on Edward's hands as he carried her, one at her ribs, the other cradling her knees. They were pleasantly cool against her perpetually flushed skin. She thought of how Josh had made everyone chuckle at the service, remarking upon Edward's temperature at the altar, his little hand in his soon-to-be father's.

"Man cold?" he'd asked Edward.

Edward had smiled down at Josh, and Charlie had too, putting Bella's hand into Edward's free one. "Hopefully not your feet," he'd commented to Edward under his breath. Edward's grin had only grown wider.

Bella had kept her smirk to herself then, but now she was full of giggles as Edward's fingers tickled her, setting her down. As she'd promised, though, she'd kept her eyes shut. "Can I open them now?"

"Yes," Edward breathed.

"Oh, wow," she gasped, as all vestiges of humour slipped into awe. "This is . . . wow."

Edward's chuckle raised gooseflesh on her neck, and while this was incredibly distracting, so was the view.

Through the wall of windows, Bella watched the sun setting, a fiery red globe sinking into the ocean just below a thick layer of cloud. Its rays illuminated the pool that ran the length and breadth of the deck, seeming to slip over the edge into the cove. Flanked with fir trees on either side, the house they had just entered existed in a narrow aisle that led to the sunset.

"It's stunning," Bella said, awed by the setting. Then she turned to face Edward.

If the view had dazzled her, it was nothing compared to him. He glowed in the sun's red light, all the copper in his hair on fire and the soft sparkle of his stony flesh on full and rare display.

"It's nothing," he said, shaking his head minutely,before slowly looking her up and down, his gaze boldly caressing every curve in her body.

She felt very, very hot, her neck prickling with perspiration.

"Warm?" he asked, his one hand still holding hers, the other gently wiping away the moisture on her neck.

"Hm-mm," she tried, clearing her throat.

"Tired? It's been a very long day for you."

Yes, it had been a long day. The wedding and small family-centred reception had been everything she'd wanted, full of joy and laughter, followed by the trip up the coast by ferry to this minor oasis. She'd laughed when he told her they'd be staying on the Sunshine Coast. "Ironic," she'd commented, "all things considered."

"Would you like to go for a swim?" Edward asked, pulling her closer, kissing the corner of her mouth.

It was hard to think when he touched her like this. She made an unintelligible sound.

He chuckled. "Is that a yes?"

"Uh-huh," she managed. He'd reached that spot at her clavicle, that spot right—ah, yes, there. "Oh!"

Edward purred out a low growl, making her moan.

When his fingers tugged at the zipper on the back of her dress, the only word Bella could manage was a mangled, "Yes."

All her other words seemed to disappear, along with their clothes.

They didn't make it into the pool.

But it felt very much like swimming, being deposited into the swan-white reaches of an enormous bed.

Edward's ability to speak remained unimpinged. "I love you so much," he began, whispering this into her mouth, slowly meandering across her body with his lips and hands while he caressed her with his words. He kissed her right arm, moving to her tingling palm. "I love the way your hand holds Meredith's, and the way you wipe away Josh's tears, or write witty remarks on papers . . . or when you run your fingers through my hair . . ."

She giggled, despite herself, thinking of all the other places on him she liked to touch with that very hand. She tried this now, luxuriating in the sounds he made.

Collecting himself, he pressed his lips to her breasts, first one and then the other. "I love how kissing these makes you writhe with pleasure." He demonstrated this now, his tongue agile over her nipple, circling slowly over and over again. "And that they will feed your baby. And the baby—I love that you want it to be our baby." He kissed the swelling of her stomach. "And the children we will raise together." His kisses were at her lips again. "I love that we are a family."

Her tears were joyful ones, and she knew, that if he could, he would be crying too.

He was inside her so quickly it made her gasp. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to his thrusting form. God, there weren't words—

His, "I love you's," were an infinite repetition, thumped out in her heart for him, and echoed back in his words, an eternity in a piece of time, tangled up in the sweetness of their joined bodies. Their skin was merely a suggested boundary between their two linked souls.

DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.