**BPOV**
"So here we have red velvet, chocolate fudge, marble mocha, lemon chiffon, French vanilla sponge, carrot cake, raspberry white chocolate, oh, and funfetti."
The woman in the chef's coat with the name "Susan" embroidered on the front pointed out the various flavors of cake, all artfully arranged on a huge tasting board in front me.
"Choose five flavors, Bella. Your cake has 5 tiers," Alice informed.
"FIVE? Alice, there will be less than 60 people in attendance!" I said reprovingly.
Alice shrugged with a rueful smile.
I eyed the StoneHenge-sized array of cake slices and wondered who and what army was expected to eat all this.
My sentiments must have been written all over my face because the next comment out of Susan's mouth was, "I wouldn't have brought so much cake if I'd known that the groom was diabetic," she blushed.
"I also have some sugar-free recipes-," Susan flushed, clearly ill at ease around the ethereal non-cake eating Cullens.
"That won't be necessary, Susan," Edward smiled warmly, putting poor Susan out of her misery. "I'm not one for sweets. Whatever Bella says goes," he squeezed my hand under the table.
"Oooh, happy wife, happy life, right? I love it. You've got yourself a keeper there, Bella!"
Susan winked at me, while clapping Edward on the shoulder. I could see Edward tense up at the familiar touch despite his easy smile. Susan pulled back her hand, shaking it slightly as if it stung.
"What are you waiting for? Dig in!" Edward said cheerfully. Then Susan, Alice, and Edward all proceeded to stare at me.
"What, so you're all just going to watch me eat?" I blustered.
Edward just laughed and continued to watch me while Susan and Alice made a show of backing off and distracting themselves with their phones.
I gorged myself. They were all so good, I tried them all two or three times just to be sure.
"Alright, so from bottom to top, I've got Funfetti, chocolate fudge, lemon chiffon, marble mocha, and for your top tier, the one that you traditionally share on your first wedding anniversary, you picked red velvet," Susan read off the completed order form.
"Cake lasts for a whole year?" Edward wrinkled his nose looking thoroughly disgusted.
Susan giggled, "It does if you freeze it." Then it was my turn to laugh when Edward didn't look any less disgusted by this explanation.
As Susan packed up her things she thanked us profusely for our business and graciously congratulated Edward and me. Then she made her exit.
I sat at the table feeling stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey.
"After eating all that, I think you can add me to the list of diabetics in this family." I groaned and laid my head on the table, defeated. Edward chuckled and rubbed my back affectionately.
"Alright lover boy, you, OUT." Alice pointed to the door that exited out to the garage. Her voice left no room for argument.
Edward sighed, standing up from the table. "For how long am I being banished?"
"I'll let you know," Alice chirped.
"Don't go far!" I raised my face up toward the ceiling so that Edward could more easily kiss me goodbye.
"Never!" he promised as he leaned down and planted a loud smacker on my lips. He licked his lips as he pulled away from me. "You taste like pure sugar. Even sweeter than usual," he smirked. "I'm just going to go for a quick hunt, love. I'll have my phone on me."
As soon as the door shut behind Edward, I turned to Alice.
"Let the Vampire Bride edition of 'Say Yes to The Dress' begin!" I snarked. I could hear Edward laughing from somewhere out in the attached garage.
"Goodbye, Edward," Alice said without even bothering to raise her voice. She said it for my benefit. He would have heard her even if she hadn't said a word.
A moment later, the garage door opened and the Volvo could be heard starting up and speeding off down the gravel driveway.
"Now then!" Alice clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Go up to my room and take your clothes off."
Jasper had materialized at her side just as she had finished ordering me to go upstairs and strip.
"Yes, ma'am!" Jasper turned and made for the stairs.
"Not you, Jazzy," Alice caught his arm with a tinkling laugh. "I was talking to Bella."
"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Jasper said in his teasing drawl, giving me a wink.
"I can see Alice is in makeover mode, so I'll stay out of your way before she tries to give me bangs again," he finished in a loud stage whisper.
"Edward just left to hunt at the usual spot. If you leave now, you can catch him," Alice framed the idea as a suggestion as a courtesy. She already knew what he'd do.
"That's probably a good idea what with all humans coming on Saturday," Jasper nodded and gave Alice a parting kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry for the human invasion, Jasper!" I said, my face twisted with regret.
"Don't be. I'm not. I don't think you realize how much easier you've made my life just by making Edward so happy. You're one of the family now. That deserves a celebration!" Jasper's smile made it impossible to doubt his sincerity. I felt him throw a wave of gratitude toward me.
I blushed and ducked my head knowing the fondness I felt for him at that moment spoke louder to him than anything I could have said.
In a very brotherly gesture, he ruffled my hair before taking off on foot to catch up with Edward.
I took one look at Alice and made for the stairs before she felt the urge to pick me up and carry me.
Moments later, I was sheathed in the slippery satin of the bright white gown. Alice made quick work of the tiny white buttons in the back.
I turned around in front of the 3-way mirror to see all my angles. The pale skin of my back was visible through a large lace cutout giving the dress a backless appearance. It was my favorite feature.
I turned back around to see how the dress gracefully hugged my curves in all the right places, flaring out just below my hips. It draped elegantly into a chapel length train pooled around my feet.
"Oh, Alice!" I gasped. "It's perfect. You nailed it!"
She hopped up and down clapping her tiny hands so fast they were a blur of movement.
"I did, didn't I? I'm so glad you like it! The satin is vintage, likely from around the 1920s. I tracked it down from an antiquities dealer in Portland."
"There's just one thing," I scrunched my brow. "Isn't it a bit long?" I asked, looking down at the floor where the gown had swallowed my feet.
Alice's eyes widened, and she disappeared into her walk-in closet and reappeared holding a white shoebox with the name Manolo Blahnik printed simply across on the top.
"I almost forgot!" She beamed. She thrust the box into my arms.
With some trepidation, I unlidded the box to see a pair of spectacular white satin pumps with crystal beaded appliqués sewn across the toe and instep and a death-defying 4" spike heel.
They would've been perfect for somebody who didn't have quite so many disagreements with gravity.
"You won't fall. I promise!" Alice beamed. She snatched them out of the box and ducked down in front of me to slip them on my feet. I kept a hand on her shoulder to keep from falling over.
The dress was perfectly tailored to accommodate the added height of the heels. I didn't dare move in them for fear of falling and damaging the dress.
"Good. Now that you can't run away, I want to talk with you. About honeymoon things."
Alice looked like she was bracing for some kind of outburst on my part.
I felt the breath rush out of me. "Good. I need someone to talk to about honeymoon things," I admitted. "Not just someone. A sister."
Alice's answering smile could have lit a cathedral.
"Can I take this stuff off now? It doesn't need any alterations, right?" I shifted my weight from foot to foot in the acutely uncomfortable high heels.
Alice disappeared behind me and unfastened the buttons in mere seconds. Before I was even aware of what was happening, I was standing there in my underwear while Alice buttoned my gown onto a dressmaker's doll.
She then concealed the doll inside an opaque garment bag and carried it back into her closet while I hurried back into my clothes.
When she had finished storing my dress, Alice gracefully lowered herself onto her white leather couch crossing her legs underneath her and patting the space next to her. I joined her on the couch.
"Let me start off by saying I'm really sorry for the violation of your privacy. Edward has me watching you like a hawk until you've been changed," Alice frowned.
I waved it off. "I understand his anxiety. I'm going to let it slide until I've been changed, but not a day later! My future doesn't need a babysitter!" I huffed.
"You know, you would think that! But frankly, given the insane amount of trouble you've gotten yourself into in the very short amount of time that I've known you, I can't say that I disagree with him. Trouble follows you around like a shadow, Bella," Alice shrugged.
"Gee, thanks," I said sourly.
"If you can't trust your sister to tell you the truth, who can you trust?" She grinned unapologetically.
"Alright so, I saw that you were...having some reservations about consummating your marriage. I can't imagine how it must feel to be taking such a huge step for the first time with someone like Edward and not be able to talk to someone about it because of what we are.
"So I just wanted to lend you an ear, or a shoulder to cry on, or any other body parts you might need. Esme wanted to be here, too, but she worried it would be awkward for you since-"
"She's Edward's mom?" I finished for her.
"Precisely," Alice confirmed. "So what's been going on?"
I opened my mouth to say something but instead asked, "Did Edward put you up to this?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "No way! I'm pretty sure he'd drag me out of the room by my throat right now if he thought I was going to ambush you with a sex talk," Alice laughed lightly.
I shook with laughter at the mental picture.
"I don't know what I'm doing, Alice," I moaned. "It was easy to act like I did when I knew he was just going to push me away. But he's doing a whole lot less pushing these days."
Alice nodded in understanding.
"I know it seems really scary and unknown right now, but when you're partner loves you and trusts you as much as you two love each other, sex is as natural as breathing. It's instinctual. Your body will just know what to do.
"Sure, there might be some awkward moments when you're still learning each other. But it's a really beautiful, fleeting phase in a relationship, so just soak it up.
And get ready, girl, because that boy is going to blow your mind!" she tapped a perfectly manicured finger to her temple and grinned wickedly.
I felt the blood rush to my face. "You've seen it then? Everything...goes ok?" I asked tentatively.
"It gets clearer every day. I'd never forgive myself, and neither would Edward if I spoiled a moment of it for you, so that's all I'll tell you. But I can be reasonably sure that everything is going to be fine," she gave me a reassuring smile and patted my knee.
I nodded, absorbing that.
"There's something else that's bothering you," Alice stated more than asked.
"I just want it to be as good for him as I know he'll make it for me. And I just don't see how it could be when I'm so slow and breakable and clueless!" I threw my hands up in the air in frustration.
"Well, I can tell you right now that you do not need to worry about that! I've never seen anything like the hold that you have on Edward.
"Did you know that he kept a bottle cap in his pocket for months just because it was yours?
He'd still be carrying it around if he hadn't gone all Classic Edward and destroyed it in a fit of self-loathing after you got hurt in Phoenix."
I sighed. "That's my other problem. I'm afraid of what he might do if something does go wrong. Whenever something bad happens to me, Classic Edward has a tendency to overreact," I frowned.
"To be fair, Classic Bella has a tendency to underreact whenever bad things happen to you. But yes, I see your point.
"I also know my brother better than just about anyone. I can't promise you that he wouldn't hijack a helicopter to get you to a hospital if you needed medical care. But I can promise you that he'll never leave again, Bella.
"For one thing, because the rest of us told him we wouldn't allow it. For another, because he's seen the damage it's done to both of you and our entire family. He never would have left in the first place if he hadn't thought you'd be better off for it. He knows better now."
I nodded again. It was nothing I hadn't heard before. Though, for some reason, coming from Alice it was easier to believe.
"Ok so you're worried that you won't know what to do, that you won't please him, and of Edward's reaction if it doesn't go smoothly. What else?" Alice recapped.
"What else is there?" I shrugged.
"Oh, I don't know," she rolled her eyes. "It couldn't be that you're preparing to lose your virginity to a vampire. That wouldn't be scary to anyone," she muttered with a sarcastic edge to her voice.
"A vampire that would rather die than hurt me, yet I'm the one insisting he takes the chance anyway. Which one of us is the monster?" I said morosely.
**EPOV**
Don't attack, it's just me. I heard Jasper's mind before I heard the patter of his footfalls approaching me from behind.
I rose up out of my hunting crouch and waited for him to find me.
Had he been sent because Bella couldn't reach me? Anxiously, I checked my phone for missed calls. There were none and I still had a signal. I exhaled and slipped the phone back into my pocket.
You worry too much thought the owner of the voice who was now standing right in front of me. Jasper's blond locks, windswept and disheveled from the run, were even more leonine than usual.
"Hope you don't mind my joining you. Alice said you'd gone hunting, and I'm keeping myself topped off in preparation for your big day this weekend." His light golden eyes were proof of his words.
"It's appreciated," I said sincerely.
So what has you so wound up?
I sighed heavily.
"Something Bella said this morning. Just when I start to think she is beginning to trust me again, she has a panic attack about me leaving her.
"She worries that if I hurt her on our honeymoon, that I'd be so upset with myself that I'd abandon her again. I don't know what's more upsetting—that she's preparing for the possibility that I'll hurt her. Or that she still thinks I could leave her again," I confided, despair thick in my voice.
Jasper looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Sounds pretty reasonable to me," he said matter of factly.
"What's the worst thing you can imagine?" he asked rhetorically. "Something happening to Bella, right? So you spend every moment trying to safeguard her future because her future is also your future."
"So?" I asked uncomprehendingly.
"SO...why shouldn't she do the same?" Jasper countered.
I gaped at him completely thunderstruck.
"Jeez Ed, you'd think a 100-year old telepathic vampire who's gone to high school dozens of times would have a better mind for the emotional needs of an 18-year old girl." Jasper didn't bother to hide the amusement in his voice.
"Yeah, you'd think!" I replied dryly.
**A/N** Thank you always for your thoughtful reviews! It truly blows me away how much amazing feedback this fic has gotten. I LOVE hearing your thoughts and will get right to work on the next one because I'm so friggin excited to eventually put my spin on Isle Esme! Til next time!