30
Just after seven the next evening, I drove into Las Vegas, Nevada. Bella and I had driven all night; me for the first few hours, then her for a handful more, and finally me for the last ten. I thought my nerves would be on fire the closer we got to the city, but they weren't. It felt like with each mile we drove, the more confident I was that we were making the right decision, that Bella and I should get married. Based on the carefree smile on her face and the way she sat with her knees bent up in front of her and her eyes closed, I knew Bella felt the same.
"Go to the Bellagio," Bella instructed without opening her eyes.
"Why?" I asked, staying on the strip.
She smiled and looked over at me. "Because Carlisle made us a reservation."
"What?" I lifted an eyebrow, but kept my eyes on the road, not wanting to get lost.
"I guess I forgot to mention that part, huh?" she murmured, and I nodded. "Well, he, um, kind of insisted on paying for the hotel."
"Hmm," I hummed, unsure of what to say. I knew Bella's family had money. Fuck, the cars their massive garage in Forks was evident of as much, but she hadn't been one to flash it around, and it wasn't important to me.
"He wants to do this for us," she said, reaching over and placing her hand on my arm.
"It's fine," I told her, smiling. "Just surprised. I mean, he's being so . . . understanding."
Bella laughed, the sound seeping through to my soul. "He likes you, Edward. And he wants us to be happy." She sighed and looked out the window. "While we were sitting around the table, I felt . . . normal, Edward," she whimpered. "My parents were sitting there, my brothers, Renee and Charlie, Rose, Alice, Ed, Elizabeth, Esme . . ." She paused and shifted her eyes to me, ". . . you, and I felt happy. I wasn't scared of being around them, or of them not being there. It was like the last few years hadn't happened, like we were all just a normal family. I liked it. A lot."
"I liked it, too," I told her, pulling into the Bellagio hotel. There were a line of cars waiting for their turn to hand over the keys to the valet. "So, where are we going to get married at? Want Elvis to marry us?"
"No," she laughed, snorting at the same time. "Oh, my God, I did not just snort!"
"Yes, you did," I snickered, inching forward as the line of cars began to move. "Okay, so no to Elvis?"
Bella shook her head. "Just find us a nice, simple little chapel, and a couple of rings. We're good to go, baby."
"I can't wait until you're my wife, Mrs. Masen," I smirked.
She furrowed her brow. "That sounds weird," she murmured. "How about Cullen-Masen?"
I pursed my lips together as I inched the car forward again. "Never been a fan of hyphenated last names," I told her with a sigh, "but I can live with it. As long as I can still call you Mrs. Masen when we're in bed, because, baby, that's all kinds of hot."
Bella laughed. "Okay, deal. You're such a dork."
"But I'm your dork," I snickered.
"And you always will be," she teased, but there was an undertone in her words, one that I knew meant that I would always be hers, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Once we were in front of the hotel, Bella and I climbed out, grabbed our bags from the trunk, and I handed the keys of my car to the valet, giving him a look that clearly said to be careful. My car may not be a classic, but it was mine, and well, I love it.
We walked inside and over to the front desk. After waiting a few minutes, the concierge waved us forward, looking frustrated after dealing with a group of drunk cowboys from Texas who were here for some sort of bucking bronco rodeo.
"Welcome to the Bellagio," he greeted us, planting a smile on his face. "Do you have a reservation?"
"Um, yes," Bella murmured. "Under Cullen."
The smile on his face grew as he looked from me to Bella, and reached under the counter, pulling out a large manila envelope and placing it in front of us. "Everything you need is inside. All I need is a signature, and you can be on your way."
He slipped a credit card receipt over to Bella, who was quick to scribble her name along the dotted line. Thanking him, we grabbed the envelope and walked over to a group of couches, sat down, and opened the envelope, dumping the contents on the table in front of us. There were two key cards with the letter "P" on them, two American Express gift cards, a brochure to Heavenly Moments Chapel, and a note that was folded in half.
Bella and I shared a look before she reached over and picked up the note, unfolding it. A smile spread over her lips as she began to read it out loud. "Bella and Edward, I know you're sitting there, trying to figure out what's going on. When I was standing at the front of the church, waiting for Esme to come to me, I thought I would die from excitement. My heart was racing and it took all my control not to race down the aisle just so I could see her face. Then the doors opened and there she was. She was beautiful, and amazing, and I knew in that moment, that loving her was what I was meant to do with my life.
"Bell, the last few years have been hard. Worse than hard. There was a time, and not all that long ago, that I wondered if you'd ever be able to move on and let your pain and anger go. I missed my baby sister, the girl who begged me to let her train with me, while taunting me about how she was going to kick my ass one day. And I knew, from the first time you climbed into the ring when you were five, that you would be able to do it. There was a fire inside of you that burned brighter than any fighter I'd even seen. But then, Mom and Dad left and you were broken and lost, and I wanted to hold you together, but I couldn't. I wasn't who you needed. Bell, you needed Edward. Just him. It wasn't easy letting you go, letting him love you," Bella read as tears poured down her face. "But he does. I see it in his eyes every time he looks at you. He's a good man, Bell, and I know that he's going to be a good husband. And because I know that he will always be the man you need, I can give my blessing, not that you needed it. When you know what you want, you refuse to let anyone take it away.
"Now, that I've been a sap and made you cry, and I know you're crying, Bell." She laughed and wiped the tears away. "I know you don't want the fancy wedding like Esme and I had, but, Bella, I don't want you to look back at your wedding day and regret a single detail. So, Esme and I would like to gift you the wedding you deserve. There are two prepaid credit cards with enough money on them to pay for you to get a dress, a tux, and rings. The hotel has been reserved for two days and is already paid for. Also, Esme and I have made a reservation for you and Edward for tomorrow night at seven p.m. at Heavenly Moments Chapel. Mia St. John, remember her? She's been instructed to make sure everything you need is ready. Just . . . indulge me, Bell. Please?"
Bella shook her head and looked over at me. "Can you believe this?"
"No," I laughed. "But it seems important to him, and if I know my sister at all, then it's important to her, too."
Bella nodded and placed the letter on the table, picking up the brochure from the chapel. I laughed as I thought about the last time we were in Vegas. It weekend Phil offered us a spot at UCLA, the weekend we first made love, the weekend Bella began to take the steps to forgive her parents. Carlisle and Esme had been teasing us with condoms and pamphlets about safe sex and waiting until marriage. So, Bella and I decided it was time to get even with them and sent them on a wild goose chase after leading them to believe that we had gone to get married. One if the chapels we led them to was Heavenly Moments Chapel. Mia St. Johns had been a willing participant in our scheme. She nice, and somehow, it felt right that we would be getting married in her chapel.
Bella sighed and stood up. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" I asked, letting her help me stand.
"Well, seeing as we've been up for last thirty plus hours, I thought we might get some sleep. Then tomorrow," she said, leaning up and kissing me, "we're getting married."
I smiled against her lips. "Sounds perfect."
Sliding my arm around Bella, I led her to the elevator. The bellhop took one look at our key and smiled as he reached over and hit the button taking us to the penthouse. I barely managed to stifle my laughter, knowing that this was the shit that Bella normally hated, but it wasn't every day that one gets married.
—LO—
At six-thirty the next evening, Bella walked out of the bathroom and I felt my mouth flop open. She looked beautiful, absolutely amazing. We had crawled out of bed just after ten this morning, which was three hours later than we had planned, but our exhaustion from the last few days had caught up with us.
We ate a quick breakfast while we scrambled around and threw on some clothes. Then, we grabbed the pre-paid credit cards and went searching for rings, a dress, and a tux. I wish I had thought of bringing the one I'd worn for Esme and Carlisle's wedding, but I didn't plan on needing it, since Bella and I had planned on just wearing jeans. I didn't buy a tux, though. Instead, I brought a nice suit, knowing that I would be able to wear it again if a situation arose where I needed one.
While I found a suit, Bella searched for a dress, something that didn't make her cringe away in horror. Needless to say, it took a while. Most of the shops seemed to have dresses that had lace, ribbons, ruffles, and multiple layers, none of which appealed to my bride. Finally, she found it. Strapless and hugging her breasts, the soft, ivory silk flared from under her bust line and hit her at the knee. She looked amazing, incredible, and sexy as hell. And she was mine. All mine.
"Wow," I murmured, letting my eyes travel over every inch of her body, stopping at the three inch heels she was wearing. They made her calves look spectacular.
"You don't look half bad yourself, handsome," she giggled, walking across the living room. Yes, the penthouse had a living room, small dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms, large balcony, and hot tub. It was amazing, and way over the top, but who was I to complain.
"Gee, thanks," I scoffed, sliding my arms around her and kissing the side of her neck. "Are you ready?"
"Mmhmm," she moaned, titling her head to the side and giving me better access. "How about you? You having second thoughts?"
I pulled my lips off her skin and looked her in the eyes. "No. Are you?"
"No," she smiled, and I believed her. "I love you, Edward, and I'm ready to be your wife."
"Good, because I'm ready to be your husband." Giving her one more kiss, I slid my hand down her arms and wove my fingers in with hers. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she whispered.
Slowly, Bella and I made our way to the Heavenly Moments Chapel, neither of us wanting to rush, yet unable to stop the excitement from surging through our bodies. It was funny because a year ago, Bella was barely hanging onto her sanity, her parents reappearance in her life had her struggling to breathe every morning. Out of fear of being taken away from her brothers, Bella all but begged me to marry her. Though I loved her, we weren't ready. Bella wasn't ready. She needed to grief the life she had been dealt, the chance to grow up and mature. She had done that. Sometime over the months since we left Forks, Bella and I had turned into adults, ready to spend the rest of our lives together.
When we walked into the chapel, Bella gasped, pulling her hand out of mine and bringing it to her lips. Standing at the desk with Mia St. John was Carlisle and Esme, both of whom were smirking. She rushed over to her brother, throwing her arms around him. Esme smiled as she walked over to me, reaching up and straightening my tie.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, knowing Bella and Carlisle needed a moment alone.
"What do you think we're doing here?" She shook her head. "We weren't going to let you get married without us. You're not angry, are you?"
"Of course not," Bella giggled as she and Carlisle walked over to us. There were tears in her eyes, though I knew she was trying hard not to let them fall. "But what about your honeymoon?"
Carlisle grinned as he looked over at Esme. "We're on it. Kind of."
"We decided to put off our trip to Italy until the summer. That way we can take our time and really enjoy it," Esme explained.
I frowned. "You shouldn't have done that, not for us."
"Um, yeah, we should have," she disagreed, but when I went to protest, she slapped her hand over my mouth, causing me to lick the palm of her hand. "Ew, Edward!"
"Don't put your hand over my mouth," I sniggered.
"You're such an asshole," she laughed, hugging me. "I couldn't not be here for you. You're my brother, Edward. Please, just . . . don't be an ass about this, okay?"
I nodded. "Thanks," I whispered. Pulling back from her, I looked over at Carlisle. "Thanks to you, too."
He bobbed his head. "It's what family does," he murmured, before clearing his throat. "Now, did you get rings?"
"Yes," Bella said, digging the black velvet boxes from her purse and handing them to him. "What do you think?"
Carlisle opened both boxes, smiling at the simple white gold wedding bands inside. Though I wanted to get Bella a ring with diamonds, she refused, saying that it wasn't her, that she wanted something simple. In the end, I agreed with her.
"They're prefect," he said, handing Bella's ring to Esme, while keeping mine. "Well, you ready to get the show on the road?"
Bella and I both nodded and walked over to Mia St. John, who showed us where to sign on our marriage license. Ten minutes later, Esme was standing next to me at the front of the chapel while the minister waited for Carlisle to walk Bella down the aisle. It was clear based on the look of pride on his face that he was happy for her, for us. As they reached us, he shifted his eyes to mine, titling his head toward me, and placed her hand in mine. It was a show of respect, one that I had earned a hundred times over.
Bella and I turned and faced the minister, who smiled as he looked between the two of us. "We're gathered here today to celebrate the union between Edward and Isabella. If there are any here who do not think these two should be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."
Of course nobody spoke. There were only four of us in the chapel.
"Isabella, do you take Edward to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" he asked.
Bella smiled wider as she shifted her eyes to mine and said, "I do."
The minister turned toward me. "Edward, do you —"
"I do," I blurted out, causing everyone to laugh.
"I know you're eager, young man, but let me finish," he laughed. I smiled weakly. "Edward, do you take Isabella to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in good times and in bad, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"
I took a deep breath. "I do."
"Do we have rings?" the minister asked.
"Yes," Esme squealed, handing him Bella's ring while Carlisle gave him mine.
"Bella, take this ring and place it on Edward's finger," the minister instructed.
With trembling fingers, Bella picked up the ring and slid it along my finger until it reached the base. It was amazing how natural it felt there, like I had always been meant to wear that ring.
"Edward," he said, drawing my attention up to him. "Take this ring and place it on Bella's finger."
I plucked the ring from the palm of his hand and shifted my eyes to Bella as I set it on the edge of her fingers and pushed it upward until, like mine, it rested at the base of her finger. Her eyes were full of tears, and the happiness pouring off of her was breathtaking. And I found myself falling in love with her even more.
"You may kiss your bride," the minister told me.
Bringing my hands up, I cupped her face. I leaned down and as my lips were just about to touch hers, I whispered, "I love you." Then I closed the distance between us, kissing my wife for the first time.