Good Morning, Darlings!

Thank you to Melferd, DaniDarlingxx, and Lily Jill for pre-reading this chapter. Any mistakes are my own.


June 23, 2022

Los Angeles California

I hate cleaning. Well and truly hate it. I mean I'll do it, because the alternative is a nightmare, but why do humans have to be so messy?

I stare at the piles of crap strewn around our apartment and let out a long sigh. Okay, so it's mostly my mess. Edward is pretty tidy, and I know it kills him that I'm not.

I scowl at the crap we've somehow accumulated over the years and shake my head. No more. When we move to Europe, we aren't allowed to buy anything.

It takes me longer than I was hoping to tidy up the living room. I don't even bother with our bedroom. His parents won't go in there, and it gives me more time to focus on the shit going on out front.

After a year and a half of being stuck in the house together during lockdown, when our lease came up for renewal in June, we'd decided to go our separate ways. I loved our friends, but I needed a fucking break from them, just as I knew they needed a break from us.

Sometimes I miss living with them, but honestly, living with Edward for the last year has been amazing. It's not always been easy, but man has it been fucking worth it.

I am still writing, publishing on the side of my normal life stuff. It doesn't bring in a ton of money, but it definitely brings in enough to help supplement our incomes. Edward is still teaching; which he says he enjoys. I know he's good at it, because he's annoyingly good at just about everything he does, but I can tell it's not his true passion in life. He wants more, and I can't wait for him to get that.

When he brought up the possibility of moving to Europe for his PhD, I'd been stunned. I hadn't been sure what exactly he was proposing, and I'd unloaded a frankly embarrassing rant on him that he still teases me for. I didn't know just how much I loved him until I thought he was getting ready to leave me.

After calming me down, and after a few rounds of some very angry and heated sex, Edward tried again, stressing that he wanted me to come with him.

He told me he had planned a big proposal, something romantic and grand, but my stubborn ass had thwarted him.

Personally, I loved his proposal. Sweaty, naked, slightly out of breath, and giving me that look that tells me he's about an inch from losing it because of my crazy ass.

I wouldn't have had him any other way.

It's been nearly ten months since that night and in less than forty-eight hours, we'll be married.

I pause my cleaning to glance down at the ring on my finger. It's small, but perfect. Edward called it a salt and pepper diamond. I don't know what the hell that is supposed to mean, but it's a beautiful speckled grey set on a thin gold band. Simple, sort of odd, but unique. Edward told me the moment he saw it he knew it was the one for me. I have to agree with him there.

It's the only jewelry I've ever worn, and I've hardly ever taken it off since he slid it on my finger.

If someone had asked me a few years ago if I ever saw myself getting married, my answer would have been a hard and fast no. I didn't believe in marriage, not really, and at the time I didn't imagine there was a single soul I could have ever loved enough to spend the rest of my life with. People are annoying, and what's more, I'm annoying. Only someone certifiable would want to marry me.

The thought brings a smile to my lips and I shake my head a little, dropping my hand and taking a deep breath.

Edward is crazy, but that's what I love about him.

I try to focus on cleaning our apartment, but I only get about half of what I want to get done before I hear his keys in the lock. I look up from where I'm gathering my sweaters off the ground and hastily shove them in our room, closing our bedroom door before turning to greet Esme and Carlisle.

We've talked several times over video chat, and of course, Edward took me back to Chicago to meet them last summer when it was finally safe enough to travel, but apart from that, I've hardly spent much time with them.

Esme is warmer, and usually tries to reach out to me more often, but I hardly know Carlisle still.

"Bella!" Esme says, the moment our apartment door is open. "Oh Sweetheart, look at you! You look amazing!" she squeals, rushing into the apartment to embrace me. I'm momentarily startled, and glance at Edward over her shoulder. He smirks as he lets his dad in behind him.

"Hi Esme, it's good to see you," I say, lightly patting her back. She pulls back from me, her hands finding purchase on my arms.

"Oh, you too Bella. My goodness, you just get prettier every time we see you," she gushes. I shift uneasily. "I'm so excited for this weekend. I know you two didn't want anything too extravagant but I think it's going to be so lovely." She still hasn't let go of me, and I give her a stiff smile.

"Mom," Edward says, coming to my rescue. "I think you're squeezing her to death, and I happen to still want to marry her this weekend."

Esme sighs a sappy little noise that is embarrassingly close to the noise I made earlier. She lets go of my arms, patting my cheeks with a smile before she steps back. I look at Carlisle who gives me a polite smile.

"Hi," I say, lifting my hand in a small wave.

"Hello Bella, it's great to see you." He offers.

That's that from him and I let out a little breath, relieved.

"Oh, the apartment looks wonderful. How is packing going?" Esme asks, wandering the living room.

"Fine, mom," Edward says, shaking his head.

She turns to him. "Are you taking all this with you?" she asks, arching a brow.

"No," he says quickly. "We're sending some stuff ahead, but most of this stuff in here we are selling or donating."

I nod when he glances at me. Alice has already claimed a dibs on several of our furniture pieces which is just as well. She and Jasper still have a house to fill.

I glance back at our room, making a mental note to sanitize the dresser before it goes to their new place.

"When is your father set to land?" Esme asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, um, not until tonight."

She nods. "Are we meeting Alice and Jasper for dinner?" she asks, turning to Edward, I'm relieved when she finally takes her attention off me. We settle in the living room, and silently, I take a minute to congratulate myself on cleaning up most of the mess. Esme can't sit still if there is shit to clean up, and the fact that she's sitting now is…

"Oh, are you going to be taking this?" Esme is up off the sofa, interrupting the current conversation. She crosses the living room to point at the degrees Edward and I have framed on the wall.

"I doubt it," Edward says, shrugging lightly. Esme nods, and bends over to pick up a stack of magazines.

"Oh, you'll have to cancel all sorts of subscriptions, won't you. I hope you have a list somewhere," she mutters, organizing the magazines into a neat stack before sliding them carefully onto the bookshelf. When she's done, she turns to the next item she can find.

Okay, so I didn't clean as well as I probably could have.

"Mom, relax," Edward begs. She ignores him.

"Think I have enough time to take a nap before we head to Alice and Jasper's?" We look over at Carlisle, and I'm grateful for his question.

Edward takes the out his father is offering him. "Yeah, in fact, why don't I drive you two to your hotel now. Give you some time to rest up before we all get together tonight."

Esme looks up from the stack of laundry she's somehow managed to collect. "Oh, well, I suppose that is a good idea."

I don't know why they didn't go to the hotel first. It only ever stresses Esme out to see our place.

"Great, let's go."

Edward stands, but this time, pulls me up with him. I glance at his face and realize that I'm going to have to go with him.

I let out a breath then nod, turning to his parents. "Ready?"