AN: Bigger time jump with this chapter and a romantic vacation for our favourite couple, on the occasion of Edward's birthday, and their anniversary.
Thank you MeteorOnAMoonlessNight, Midnight Cougar, and ghostreader24 for their stellar work on this story.
The same goes out to everyone who reviewed not only the last chpater byt all those before. I write for both me and you.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer still owns it all.
Deceit and Destiny Chapter 67
Edward
Pulling myself out of the pool, I made my way across the warm terrace to where Bella lay stretched out on a sun lounger, my gaze taking in the vision in front of me. I loved the contrast between her clear, pale skin and the dark blue swimsuit she wore. The cut-out sides created the perfect place for my hands, and she took my breath away in the same way she'd done the first night I'd met her.
Over the last year, Bella had lost the weight she'd gained while she was pregnant with Harley, but she was ultra-aware of the remaining signs that she'd given birth. Looking at her now, all of those things made her even more beautiful to me, her body having given life to two wonderful children.
I shook my head, water droplets flying from my hair and landing on her skin, the sunlight refracting on them.
"Hey," she shrieked. "Watch it." Opening her eyes, she shaded them from the sun with her hand, her face breaking into a gorgeous smile.
"Sorry!" I said, throwing myself down on her lounger and pulling her into my arms.
"Edward, you're making me wet."
"That's good to hear," I whispered in her ear, earning myself a tiny gasp.
"Edward!" She giggled and turned to face me.
I kissed her and pressed my cool, wet body against her warm one, making her squeal. "I love you," I murmured.
"I love you, too." After a few moments of silence, she continued. "Is it foolish to say I miss them already? We've only been away for half a day."
Leaning away from her, I rested my head on my hand, my other hand on her warm belly. "Of course it's not foolish, sweetheart. I miss them, too."
The loungers weren't really made for two, but Bella held onto me when I made a move to get up and go to my own lounger, whispering, "Stay," in my ear. Turning over, she wriggled against me, earning a rumble from me as she pressed herself to my chest, her ass nestling in my lap.
We'd been up early this morning to drive to Seattle for our flight to Los Angeles, arriving here at the hotel at lunchtime. It was the same hotel she and her friends had stayed at for their vacation the weekend we'd met, two years ago almost to the day. It wasn't the same room, since we didn't need the two-bedroom suite, but the balcony overlooked the pool and the ocean beyond.
So, I found myself drifting and thinking back to the day Harley was born, just over fifteen months ago.
Bella was one of the lucky ones. Initially, her preeclampsia had worried both of us, but she had been able to deliver our darling daughter naturally. It was the most amazing experience of my life.
I fell in love with Harley Elizabeth from the moment I laid eyes on her, as did everyone else. From that moment on, she owned me just as much as Bella and Connor did.
Watching her with our daughter, I couldn't believe how different my life was compared to just six months ago.
After losing contact with Bella, I'd slowly been turning into a bitter man, then my life had been turned upside down when fate brought the love of my life crashing back into mine, bringing a son and now a daughter with her.
Announcing Harley's last name as Cullen was bittersweet. I wanted Connor to be my son as much as he wanted me to be his dad, and I'd vowed to bring the subject up with Bella sooner rather than later.
I'd been able to take some personal time and paid paternity leave from the hospital, spending the first four weeks of Harley's life with our daughter, giving Bella time to heal and recover from the birth, and spending plenty of time with Connor to make sure he didn't feel left out.
My life was theirs, and nothing was too good for them.
These last two years, since Bella had crashed into my car, had been the best of my life, and now I wanted to take the next step.
I had wanted to do something special for and with Bella, and although I knew she wouldn't want to be parted from our little girl for any time at all, even for a few hours for dinner with Renée on speed-dial, this was important.
With both my birthday and the second anniversary of our meeting coming up in a few weeks, I'd wanted us to take a short vacation, and I couldn't think of a better place to take the next step in our lives than where we'd met.
It wasn't easy to get Bella to agree to leaving Connor and Harley behind, but eventually, I convinced her we needed the short break to recharge our batteries.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" Bella's voice broke through and into thoughts.
"Hmm," I hummed against the shell of her ear. A sprinkle of goosebumps formed on the skin of her neck, then traveled down her arm. "Just remembering coming back here after our dinner date."
If we hadn't been in such a public place, I would've slid my hand inside her swimsuit. No doubt, I would find her nipple pebbling, and if my hand found its way lower, I was pretty sure she would be wet and ready for me.
"Why don't we go up to our room and rest before dinner," I murmured.
I flexed my hips, letting her know the last thing on my mind right now was resting.
Bella's light-hearted giggle went straight to my heart. Hearing her sound so happy was all I ever wanted.
"I'll go on up," she whispered back. "But you'd better wait until you can walk without scaring the other guests."
She wriggled back against me and giggled again, feeling what she was doing to me, then sat up, half-turning to me and kissing me. I was tempted to pull her back down so I could kiss her some more, but she got to her feet, adjusted her swimsuit, and tied her wrap around her body, then walked toward the door leading to the rooms, more than one set of eyes on her.
When my cock had softened enough to stand, I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my waist, following in her footsteps.
Slipping into the room, Bella had altered the temperature on the air-conditioning to cool the room and half-drawn the room curtains. I could hear the shower running, and as I opened the door to the bathroom, our eyes met through the glass shower enclosure. I smirked, allowing my gaze to roam over her body and licked my lips.
Slowly, I dropped the towel, my shorts following it to the floor. My cock was already hard again, rising to meet her gaze. She bit her bottom lip, knowing what it did to me, and I pulled open the door, stepping under the water, my hands automatically reaching around her waist.
"You are the sexiest woman I've ever seen, Bella Swan," I growled as I pulled her back against my body. "Do you realize how many men were ogling you down by the pool?"
She shuddered as I nipped at the skin covering the juncture between her neck and shoulder.
"I only have eyes for you, Edward," she answered. "I want you to fuck me here, now," she demanded.
My hands slid further up her body, engulfing her breasts, kneading the supple flesh and pinching at her nipples. I thrust my rock-hard cock against her ass.
"You want this cock?"
She elongated her body, stretching up and gripping the hair at the base of my neck, her breasts jutting out, encouraging and enticing me.
"Yesss," she hissed, as my fingers followed the path of the warm water and down between her legs, finding her clit.
"Does that feel good?" I asked, circling the nub with my fingers.
"Hmm, so good." She shuddered under my touch, her skin pebbling.
Bella whined her displeasure when I stopped to unhook her hands from around my neck.
Pushing her body toward the cool tiles, I placed a hand between her shoulder blades, bending her over. My hands caressed the skin from her shoulders to her ass, and my fingers slipped into her center, searching for and finding her G-spot, stroking it until her body jerked and she cursed under her breath.
"Fuck, make me come, Edward."
All I could think about was sinking myself into her heat, and wasting no time, I bent my knees and impaled her on my cock in one smooth thrust, forcing a scream from her throat as her inner muscles fluttered around me.
"I love your pussy, Bella. Gripping me so tight . . . so fucking good."
Clutching her hips, I withdrew almost completely, slamming back into her, pulling her against me, my thighs slapping against the back of her legs with each thrust.
"Oh, God, Edward. Harder! More!"
Pistoning in and out of her, my eyes were fixed on where I disappeared inside her body then reappeared. My hands released her hips, sliding around her body, squeezing and plucking her nipples. My balls tightened and the skin at the base of my spine tingled.
"Touch yourself," I pleaded. "I'm gonna come."
Immediately, her fingers were between her legs, brushing against my cock as she rubbed her clit. I pounded into her, chasing my orgasm, my thrusts becoming erratic, heat rushing over my body as I jerked and twitched into a pulsing climax.
A few seconds later, muscles clenching around my cock, Bella followed me, her low groan echoing around the shower enclosure.
"Fuck."
Resting my forehead lightly on the middle of her back, I closed my eyes, waiting for the head rush to disappear. I could feel her trembling and tightened my grip around her waist, then pulled myself upright with an effort, my heart thundering in my chest, my cock slipping out of her.
Pulling Bella with me under the water spray, I tightened my arms around her as she wobbled, her legs threatening to buckle under her. Eventually, our breathing slowed and she looked up at me, water droplets on her eyelashes. She leaned into me, our lips meeting in light kisses.
"I love you," I murmured.
"I love you, too."
After finishing washing, I stepped out of the shower and handed Bella a towel for her hair and used another to dry her body before doing the same for myself.
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I left Bella in the bathroom to dry her hair while I ordered turkey wraps and chips, and some fresh fruit to tide us over until it was time for dinner at a local restaurant. I added a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate our first vacation together.
Bella called home, putting the kids on loudspeaker. Connor was excitedly telling us about the camping trip Charlie and he were taking for the weekend and Harley babbled on about cookies and her ball, and "Ner" as she called her brother. Eventually, Connor disappeared to help his Pops pack.
"Are they okay, Mom?" Bella asked.
"Of course, they are, sweetie. They're both used to spending time here, although Harley might be a little upset later when Edward isn't here to read her a story, but I'm sure we can distract her," Renée assured her.
I left Bella to speak to Renée and crawled onto the bed, stretching out and yawning. The two of them spoke for a few more minutes, then ended the call and Bella climbed up and laid beside me.
"I miss them," she said quietly.
"I know, sweetheart." I pulled her into my arms. "If you really want to go home, I'll change our flights to tomorrow."
She pushed herself up onto one elbow, looking down at me. "You'd do that for me?"
"I'd do anything to make you happy, Bella . . . anything."
"No, it really is okay, Edward. I do miss them, but I really want to be here with you, too. I know they'll be perfectly all right with Mom and Dad—I know they will."
The afternoon sun spread itself over the bed, gradually shifting across the cover, then farther into the room as the day wore on. We relaxed, feeding each other fruit and chips, and drinking the wine room-service had brought up.
I couldn't get enough of her, and as we were in no hurry to do anything except relax, we stretched out on the bed, sharing the same pillow, enjoying being together with no interruptions, both of us a little tipsy from the sparkling wine.
Towels were discarded, and my fingers traced the faint tan lines already showing on Bella's skin. Ghosting my fingers over her nipples, she shivered as they hardened and pressed her body against mine.
"Hmm, I want you, again." Bella's murmured words vibrated against the skin at the base of my throat, and it was my turn to shiver.
My cock was already hardening for the second time, and I pressed myself against her belly, then leaned up on one elbow, lowering my head over her torso to take a nipple into my mouth. The palm of my hand cupped the soft, curving flesh of her other breast before gently squeezing and plucking the hardening bud between my fingers.
Letting go of her nipple with a pop, my lips traveled over her collarbone, up the column of her delicate neck, eventually finding their way to hers. Her warm fingers wrapped around my hard, leaking cock, pumping from top to bottom and back again.
I thrust into her hand a few times before reluctantly pulling away from her touch and lifting my body to settle between her legs. My cock slid easily through the wetness and bumped against her clit.
"Ah, so good," she breathed, closing her eyes, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.
Raising her legs, she gripped me around the waist, then slid her hands over my shoulders, caressing my back, her fingernails lightly scoring my skin.
I hissed at the sensation and arched my back, rising up onto my hands and thrusting my cock easily into her. My eyes rolled back into my head as her heat surrounded me and I held my breath for a few seconds to allow my body to calm. My gaze caught hers as she bit her lip, and I lowered myself onto her, leaning on my forearms.
I caged her in with my arms, my hands on either side of her face, then flexed my hips and thrust in and out with short, shallow strokes.
"Hmm, so good, Edward."
She slid her arms around my neck, pulling me down to her mouth, nipping at my bottom lip, then soothed the sting with a swipe of her tongue. Mouth to mouth, we breathed each other in, words of love, lust and pleasure passing between us as my strokes became deeper and longer, and she met me thrust for thrust.
"Like this, sweetheart?"
"Yes, more Edward. Harder!"
I continued my slow, steady pace, feeling her walls fluttering against my cock as I rolled my hips in a circle, brushing across her G-spot with every thrust.
"Oh, God." Bella's voice was breathy, filled with love and lust. "I'm gonna come."
Increasing my pace, I ground against her clit with each movement of my hips, feeling my orgasm begin at the base of my spine. My body tingled, and pushing up on my hands and knees, I drove into her harder and faster as she writhed and shivered underneath me into a shuddering climax, dragging me over the edge with her.
Slowly, I lowered my body back down onto hers, feeling her heartbeat echo in my chest along with mine. Resting my head on her shoulder, I breathed in the scent of her skin.
"Hmm, always so good," Bella murmured.
I turned my head, planting a kiss on the skin of her neck. "I can never get enough of you, sweetheart, I love you."
As our breathing evened out, I pushed up and rolled off to lie beside her. Reaching out, she entwined her fingers with mine and rolled onto her side to face me, our hands between us, allowing the silence to stretch out for minutes.
Despite the food we'd eaten, Bella's stomach gave a loud rumble, and I grinned at her until mine did the same, making her laugh.
"So, what time are we going to dinner?" she asked with a grin.
I leaned over to look at my phone. "Reservations are for seven-thirty, in around an hour."
She sat up and slid off the edge of the bed, standing and stretching, then sauntered to the bathroom, swinging her hips. I leaned up on my elbows as she turned to look at me.
"Stay there," she warned. "Or we'll never get to dinner, and I'm starving."
I laughed as she disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
~ oOo ~
Bella and I didn't make it back to bed until late, having eaten dinner at a small family restaurant, and revisited the club where we met. We then spent the final part of the evening in the little café, reminiscing before returning to the hotel after two, where we retired to bed, making love again until the early hours of the morning.
It seemed far too early when my cell alarm went off at eight, rolling over and switching it off before turning back and gathering a warm, sleepy Bella into my arms.
"Edward? What did you set an alarm for? We're on vacation and I don't want to get up yet."
She burrowed down into my chest and I kissed the top of her head. I had special plans today.
"I do have something to sort out, but you can stay in bed for a while longer," I answered. "I've worked up quite an appetite, and I need sustenance."
Bella sat up, yawning, then reached into the drawer in the nightstand on her side of the bed, pulling out a neatly wrapped gift and handing it to me.
"Happy birthday, my love," she murmured sleepily, leaning in to kiss me. "I hope you like it."
It was my turn to sit up, taking the gift from her outstretched hand. I carefully unwrapped the neatly packaged box, opening it to find an Apple watch, something I'd thought about getting a number of times.
"Wow, thank you, sweetheart," I said, leaning in to kiss her. "It's perfect."
It didn't take long to set it up, then I hastened to get dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, leaving Bella to get ready for our day out. With a not-so-quick kiss, I dragged myself away from her, asking her to bring along a couple of towels while I headed over to the rental shop. When I got back to the hotel, instead of returning to the room, I stopped at the reception desk to ask them to call up to the room, just as I'd done two years ago, retreating to the bike outside to wait.
Sitting astride the motorcycle I'd rented for the day, I planned to visit the same places on a trip down memory lane. As Bella stepped through the glass doors, she clapped her hands together, squealing in delight.
"You remembered," she said excitedly. "Is it the same one?"
"The same model, just newer," I replied, grinning at her and as charmed at her thrilled reaction as I'd been two years ago.
I pushed myself off the bike, grabbing the second helmet from the lock-box, and helped her to fasten it when she'd slipped it on. She climbed on behind me, and this time there was no hesitance as she gripped me around the waist, her legs on either side of my hips.
"Breakfast?" I suggested as I started the engine and put the bike in gear.
"I'm hungry now, so that sounds great," she answered.
I took off along the Pacific Coast Highway, the breeze caused by our ride cooling the air around us. It wasn't long before I pulled up into the familiar gravel parking lot in front of the '50s style diner. It still had a slightly dilapidated air although it was busier than I remembered.
As I'd done before, I helped Bella to take her helmet off, locking them both away, then took her hand as we pushed through into the diner. Inside it looked much the same as it had every time I'd been here, and the scent of fried food and burgers filled the air, making my stomach rumble.
"I remember this," Bella said. "It hasn't changed at all."
We took a seat side-by-side in one of the booths, Bella dumping her backpack on the other side of the table, and looked over the menu, ordering the breakfast combo and coffee.
"Whatever happened to the gift I bought you that day?" Bella asked.
Sheepishly, I ran my fingers through my hair. "I sorta threw it in the trash after we lost contact. I did take it out again," I hastened to add. "It's in one of my boxes in storage now."
"I'll always be sorry for that," she said quietly.
"And I've forgiven you a hundred times over, sweetheart." I reached out for her hand. "It's in the past, and it's where we are now that matters, isn't it?"
She smiled and nodded. We lingered over breakfast before setting out for the drive along the coast to Huntington Beach, then past Newport Beach. Finally, I saw the sign for Laguna Beach and turned off the highway into the same parking lot.
Switching off the engine, we climbed off the bike and locked away the helmets before feeding the meter. After purchasing sandwiches, water and chips, we joined hands and headed down the steps to the beach, set out along the sand.
Finding a spot somewhat near our original one, Bella dropped the backpack and pulled out the towels, laying them out on the hot sand, then asked me to rub more suntan lotion over her skin. I remembered the way that felt the first time I'd done that for her. The electricity was still between us, goosebumps rising on her skin the same way.
We were both quiet as we made sure each of us was well covered in lotion, unwilling to break the moment, and once covered in lotion, we ate the food we'd bought, then lay on our towels, sharing earbuds and music.
My heart was beating out of my chest, my skin slightly sweaty with nerves, and I couldn't concentrate on the music playing in my ear. I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering my wits and slowing my breathing, then rolled over and unzipped the pocket in my backpack, extracting the small blue velvet box I'd been carrying around with me for the last week.
I stood, my legs shaking faintly, my mouth dry, and caught Bella's eye. I held out my hand, and she looked at me quizzically but laid hers in mine, allowing me to pull her to her feet.
Clearing my throat, I took a deep breath and sank to one knee. I was aware of the sound of the sea, the seagulls and the faint shouts of children, but the voices that were the closest fell silent.
"Bella," I began, then cleared my throat again as the word came out in a croaky whisper. "Bella, I'm sure you've noticed that today we've followed the same path we did two years ago. But today, there's one difference."
Peripherally, I could see people stopping and looking, and the few voices cheering me on quieted my nerves.
"I believe that my move to Port Angeles was fate's way of putting us back in each other's path. You're the woman I'll adore for the rest of my life, and I am truly blessed with a son and a daughter I love more than I can say.
"Bella Swan, the heart doesn't need much to know what it wants, and mine wants you, now and for always. Will you do me the greatest honor and make me the happiest man alive by agreeing to become my wife? Will you marry me?"
Unable to take my gaze from her face, I watched her eyes fill with tears, her hand over her mouth.
"Say yes! Say yes! Woohoo!" The voices around us grew louder.
"Oh, yes, Edward. A thousand times yes."
A loud cheer filled the air as Bella sank to her knees, her hands linking at the base of my neck as she dragged my lips toward hers. I could taste her tears, a few of mine mixing with them, as my arms tightened around her waist and my lips met hers in an intense searing kiss, slightly inappropriate for the beach.
Eventually, awareness returned to my brain telling me to stop. I pulled back, sitting sideways and keeping Bella in my arms.
"Would you like to see the ring?" I asked.
She nodded enthusiastically, and I flipped open the box to reveal one oval central diamond, and the shank on either side set with smaller sparkling diamonds, still dainty enough for her small hands.
"Oh, my God, Edward, it's gorgeous," she breathed, her eyes shining.
She held out her hand and I pulled it from the box, slipping it on her third finger, left hand.
Throwing herself into my lap, she planted butterfly kisses in my forehead, eyelids, cheeks and eventually my mouth before pulling back to look at me.
"I absolutely adore you, Edward Cullen, and I can't wait to be your wife."
~ oOo ~