Welcome back!

Hello new followers!

Since this story is a sequel, some things may be confusing if you haven't read the first piece to this story, The Rec.

We're going to stay back in time for the next handful of chapters. Fill in some of those gaps in time between then and now. We will get back to the father of the bride, promise!

Chapter 3

Remember when we vowed the vows

And walked the walk

Time is relative.

When I think about our engagement, from proposal to vows, there was only a measly four months between them.

When I think about the time between my proposal and from when Bella returned, there was a year and four months between those two life changing events.

When I think about those events and the time between them all – Bella's return, our engagement, our vows – that time is nothing compared to how long I've actually wanted to marry her.

I reminded myself of that thought, of how long I've waited for Bella Swan to be my wife, over and over from the minute I woke up in the morning until now. Maybe it was an attempt to calm my nerves, to remind me what my purpose was for today, I don't know. I wasn't nervous, really. Just a little anxious as I waited for the guests to arrive and for us to begin.

It was a perfect Saturday in October.

The late afternoon hour was the perfect time of day for an outdoor wedding in early fall; the trees were bathed in hues of red and orange and yellow and the temperature was just chilly enough for a light jacket. There were large, white tents on the other side of the property for the reception taking place later in the day, decorative space heaters placed strategically throughout the area for when the sun dipped from view later and the air turned cold. It was known to get chilly out here at night, and we didn't want the weather or temperatures to impede on anyone's right to party.

I stood in our bedroom upstairs in The Rec, looking out through the windows onto the grounds around us. In the days and weeks prior to today, I had made sure to make the lawns and landscape pristine and precise; Bella's mums of orange, yellow, and purple along the edges of The Rec and down the driveway matched perfectly to the centerpiece arrangements she had picked. Satisfied with the way that everything appeared to look from my view from our upstairs window, I exhaled loudly and turned to make my way back towards the center of the room. I straightened my tie on my way, giving a smile to the photographer when I heard the shutter button document the adjustment on my wardrobe in a single shot.

I was ready. As ready as I could be.

Glancing at my watch, pausing because I knew the photographer would snap yet another picture of me as I looked to see how much longer it was until I was due downstairs, I saw that I had only thirty minutes to spare.

The ceremony was set to begin at four o'clock in the afternoon, with Bella and I and the rest of the bridal party meeting an hour before that for pictures with the photographers. There was one here with me and my groomsmen, documenting our every move, every laugh, every moment on film. The other was at the Swan's house, most likely documenting the same images and moments across town as well.

It had been an easy and humorous day so far. Emmett and Jasper had done a great job of keeping me relaxed; it felt like we were kids again with them unconsciously protecting me from a potential stressful situation. Like the brothers I never had, they always read the room to make sure I would be comfortable. Growing up in the system presented too many flaws for me to count, too many little things that triggered an emotional response in me, and the two of them knew how much it bothered me. As teenagers, they knew the pain and embarrassment I shelved in a locked room somewhere deep within, and even now as adults, it filled me with such gratitude to watch them unknowingly take turns trying to keep my mind on something other than my upcoming vows.

Like I said, I wasn't nervous. Just a little on edge, I guess you could say. Patience and dealing with anticipation weren't necessarily my strong suit; the year it took renovating The Rec was excruciating, and marrying Bella was something I had been waiting for a lot longer. There was never a doubt in my head when it came to marrying Bella; she was my dream come true in every way. She was the guiding light in my dark world. Even when she was gone for all those years, the thought of her kept me going and made me believe I was worth so much more than what I had thought. I had found myself checking the time more often than not, ready for the day to start and life with Bella to begin.

I could hear the shuffle of my groomsmen downstairs and the caterers hustling to prepare for the evening's entertainment. I listened for the sound of guests arriving onto the premises, into our world that we fought so hard to remain somewhat private, despite how public The Rec was in this town. There were people directing the arriving cars so they would be parked discreetly and away from the festivities. There were chairs ready and waiting for people to sit in them, decorated the exact way Bella imagined them. There was an empty bar just dying to gift everyone with their temptations.

It was a small, intimate gathering of our close friends and family. Our core group of friends, Bella's parents, and some of our friends from work were the ones we wanted to celebrate our wedding day with here at The Rec.

At first, we hadn't thought about getting married at The Rec.

After Bella had made Forks her permanent home once again, we had spent the better part of the next year focusing on rebuilding The Rec – and in doing so, rebuilding us. We had found each other again, and with each nail of The Rec hammered in place, another part in our story was nailed into finality. We uncovered water damage and useless circuit breakers as well as our hopes and dreams of our future together and stories of our separated pasts. We found love and laughter, fear and frustrations.

When it was time for the Grand Opening of The Rec that following June, we both thought a little separation from The Rec couldn't hurt. We both worked full time jobs during the day and then came home to The Rec and all the wonder it brought us, then disappeared upstairs into our own little world above the rest of them at The Rec.

Once the initial excitement of the engagement trickled down a bit, Alice and Jasper had recommended a few places in the area from when they were hunting for wedding venues the year before. After being in their bridal party and seeing how involved it was, we told each other that we didn't want a wedding – we wanted a marriage, so we didn't focus on the place. The only reason we didn't go to the courthouse that afternoon was because her mom would kill her if she wasn't a part of our big day. So instead of marrying her the next day like I wanted, we sat down and talked. Talked about what we both envisioned on our wedding day, wrote down pros, cons, and non-negotiables.

A month after I proposed, we were sitting around the outside firepit here at home, at The Rec, just the two of us, when she looked up at the cotton candy sky above us with a sigh of contentment.

"I love it here," she had said, breathing out the words like they carried all the truth in the world. I then took her hand in mine, kissing the top of it so she knew I was feeling the same way, and we both looked at the ring sparkling on her finger.

We decided that night that this was the place where we wanted to be married. To share our love with each other and to our loved ones. It was where it all began, then ended, and then began again - not to mention the surrounding views of nature and the promise of privacy had us making preparations in no time.

Planning this wedding in four months was a task, but Bella and I had kept it simple, just like we wanted.

"There you are," Carlisle said, walking into the bedroom as I was staring out the window again. His voice startled me, and I looked over at the intrusion quickly, giving him a little smile when I registered who it was.

"Sorry," I said, turning back to stare at the guests gathering beneath the wooden trees. "Just taking it all in."

He stepped over to me, peering down to see what I was watching.

"Taking what in? You're missing most of it," he said, handing me an empty shot glass. He must have been referring to my groomsmen gathering downstairs without me, no doubt with their own shot glasses not nearly as empty as my own.

"Not all of it," I corrected, pointing towards a white stretch Lincoln Navigator that had just pulled into the driveway. It carried the most precious cargo.

"Ah, I see." Carlisle said, clapping me on the back when he realized who had arrived. "Come here. This isn't right."

He reached for my wrists and began to fix the cufflinks that I had been so sure to have perfected. The shot of Carlisle putting his finishing touches to my wardrobe was sure to be one of Bella's favorite from the photographer.

"Thanks." I said to him, and I hope he knew I didn't just mean for tonight. The man had been my rock, the closest thing to a father figure I had in my life, and I needed him to know that I wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for him and his belief in me.

The years I spent with Carlisle and Esme, sleeping on their couch in their small apartment, taking up all their time and space, were years so dark I hated to remember, but had to because of what it represented. Carlisle never gave up one me; him and Bella were the only two in my life that never had. For the second time that day, I felt my emotions settle in my throat.

With one last adjustment to my tie, I felt like I could use the shot he offered to me, empty or not. "I don't remember seeing you like this when you got married."

I tried to exhale the nerves that were beginning to take over my stomach.

He laughed and reached for his shot glass, not empty like mine was. "You don't remember me pacing a hole into the wooden floor of the church?"

"No," I replied, laughing along with him before shaking my head. "You always tried to keep those moments away from me."

Carlisle shrugged, downing the shot with a grimace as the liquid ignited a fire in his blood. "Figured I'd help where I could. Kids shouldn't always be aware of everything going on around them."

I rolled my eyes, wondering if Carlisle had ever put his needs before my own. It was highly doubtful.

"First of all, I wasn't a kid when you and Esme got married. I was twenty."

"Yeah, twenty years old and sleeping on my couch pining for a girl across the country," he kidded, always taking advantage of when he could bust my balls for those miserable years when I was so lost without Bella. "So dramatic."

"I had to pine. It's part of the whole brooding guy package." I defended myself self-deprecatingly and pointed out the window to the white Navigator. "Besides, I knew it wouldn't last forever. I knew she'd come back."

He smiled at me for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief. "Not many are as lucky as you are."

Lucky didn't come close to the way I felt when it comes to Bella.

"I know."

"Yo!" Jasper's voice ricocheted off the walls throughout The Rec from his place downstairs. The excitement in his voice was palpable. "Shots!"

"Is he all right?" Carlisle laughed.

"He had a baby four months ago. This is the first time they're out of the house," I explained with a chuckle. I turned to look out at the Navigator again. No one had come out; I guess Bella would be staying in there until it was time for our First Look. Another wedding term I never thought I'd learn or say.

"Say no more," Carlisle quipped, speaking through experience with a chuckle, reaching down towards the windowsill to hand me my empty shot glass again. "Let's fill you up."

With one last look behind me to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything I would need for today, we headed downstairs to pass the time. I told myself on the way down that I wouldn't look at my watch again, wanting to appreciate these final moments with the only family I ever had.

Not wanting to overdo it, I took one shot with the guys to ease my nerves and relax my mind.

"You got this, bro," Emmett told me as he gathered all our empty shot glasses and placed them in the waiting tray in one of the server's hands. "Best day ever."

"One of them," I responded, my mind glossing over a select handful of memories that could definitely be categorized as the best. Today was, for sure, going to be one of those days.

"Wedding day is definitely in the top five," Jasper agreed, coming over to join us. "But the birth of your child…" he trailed off, shaking his head at the memory of meeting his son just months ago for the first time still fresh in his mind. "There are no words for that."

"Let's get him married first, huh?" Carlisle interjected, slapping a hand against my shoulder. "One big life event is enough for Edward in one day."

The sound of the front door opening invaded our ears, a shout coming from Rose to announce their arrival. "Everyone decent?"

A chorus of excited invitations to come in echoed off the walls, the anticipation in the room palpable amongst all of us. The butterflies of restlessness were replaced with an overwhelming desire of seeing her, being with her, marrying her.

Suddenly, I couldn't get to Bella fast enough.

We designated the office upstairs in our place as the room for the wedding party to store all their belongings for the night. The girls and photographers didn't waste any time lugging in all their belongings into the foyer of The Rec, Jasper and Emmett jumping on the opportunity to move them to where they belong.

Alice walked over to where I was standing in front of the large window, trying to see if I could make a glimpse out of the shadow I saw in the Navigator. I looked over at her when I realized Alice was standing next to me. "She okay?"

"She's perfect." Her voice softened as she remembered the moments of the morning over at the Swans. With a gentle hug and a tilt of her head, she smiled at me. "She's waiting for you."

"Where's Emmett?" Rose interrupted, looking around with another round of bags in her hand.

"Back here!" He shouted from upstairs.

"Ready when you are," the photographer said, disrupting the chaos that was ensuing in all areas of The Rec. On the outside, the grounds were immaculate and subdued in their wait for the wedding. Inside was a hubbub of activity, the complete opposite of what was happening outside, and it made me laugh out loud. I turned towards the photographer when I heard the click of the shutter. "She wants you at the tree."

Sobering up at the mention of the tree, I felt that familiar bubble of emotion well up in my chest again. "Of course, she does."

Letting the cacophony of sound trail behind me, I pulled down and adjusted my suit one last time as I walked out of The Rec and towards the tree. Our tree.

This tree held every type of conversation imaginable over the years. When Bella and I were teenagers, just barely able to acknowledge our growing feelings for one other. Our first kiss. Our proposal.

And now, pictures for our wedding.

I placed a hand on the trunk of the tree, a tangible memory of us.

The photographer pointed a few paces to the left of where I was standing. "Right here?" I asked her, looking over my shoulder as I walked to where I thought she had pointed. "Like this?"

She nodded her head at me. "Yup. Perfect," she answered, coming over to stand in front of me and pausing for a moment. "Stand like – yeah, just like that." She moved me another inch to the left. "Face this way."

I could feel the warmth of the now late afternoon sun warming me on my back. It wasn't near time for sunset; we were covered in the warm, orange amber of a sun almost ready to close the door on the day. Against the fall colors of the trees surrounding us, it was absolutely beautiful.

"Eyes closed?" I asked, not wanting to mess this moment up in my excitement.

"Now, Bella's going to tap you on your shoulder and that's your cue to turn around," the photographer said with a smile, not looking up at me as she spent the next few moments tinkering on her camera in an effort to get the perfect shot. I heard the second photographer's camera in the nearby distance.

I nodded, exhaling loudly. "Got it."

Bella had kept everything a secret; I knew nothing of this day other than my time to show up and not be late. I had sat beside her throughout our quick four month engagement, offering my opinion whenever necessary, but I knew almost nothing about Bella's plans for herself for the day - I didn't know what she had decided on for hair or make up or jewelry. I didn't know if she thought she was going to cry as she walked down the aisle. I didn't know what kind of wedding dress she had dreamed of.

What I did know was that my imagination would not do her justice. When I felt a tug on my shoulder, I opened my eyes carefully, wanting to savor this feeling of the unknown.

I turned around slowly, ready to see my bride for the first time, and -

"The fuck -?" I turned around and it was Emmett. Not only was it Emmett and not Bella, but Emmett was wearing a wedding dress that he had no business wearing whatsoever. The sight of him in a white wedding dress and veil had me doubled over in laughter, tears coming out of the corners of my eyes as I tried to catch my breath from the ridiculous of it all.

"Whose idea was this? Yours?" The words stumbled out of my mouth between gulps of laughter, pointing over at Jasper and the rest of our bridal party as they attempted to hold each other up. Pretty sure I heard Alice say she was going to pee herself.

"We saw a video and he just had to do it," Rose wailed, gesturing towards Emmett who was laughing so hard that his corset loosened with each heave of his massive shoulders.

"With Bella's permission, of course." Alice added once she was able to catch her breath.

I turned back towards Emmett, the hysteria building up within me again. "I can't even look at you right now."

Wiping his own eyes, Emmett stomped over towards me dramatically and with purpose. "Get over it, man. It's time for our pictures."

A few minutes later, once Emmett had been ushered back inside to get back into his proper male wedding attire, the photographer placed me back into the spot for the real deal. My sides still aching from laughter, I sent a mental prayer up above for somehow blessing me with all these crazy people in my life.

It felt like a lifetime from the time I heard the door slam on the Navigator to now, even though it had only been mere moments.

"I can hear you," I said, laughing at the sound of grass crunching and twigs snapping. The endearing picture I had in my head of her walking slowly so she wouldn't fall made the emotions lodged in my throat dissipate into pools of water in my eyes. "God, even when you weren't here, I could always hear you."

Even in my darkest days, she never left me. In my head, on repeat, I would hear her voice. I wiped my eyes, not expecting for all of this to hit me as hard as it did.

"I was supposed to sneak up on you," she said, scolding me with a voice that told me she had no such intentions. I laughed.

"Like Emmett?"

"I'm surprised you didn't hear me laughing in the car," she responded with her own twinkle of a laugh.

"I could have used the laugh, that's for sure."

"Are you nervous?" Bella's voice softened.

"Not anymore," I said, shaking my head. "Right now, I need to see you." More than I ever had in the I almost twenty years I had known her.

My eyes closed at the sound of her voice. "You can turn around whenever you're ready."

When I felt a gentle, familiar tug on my elbow, I knew immediately the difference in the touch between this one and the one from Emmett. I knew this touch belonged to the person I was most blessed to have with me.

Starting from today, no amount of time with her would be enough.

But we'd start with forever.

I was right when I said that my imagination wouldn't do her justice.

I expected that I would be right, but I didn't expect just how wrong my imagination could be at the same time.

"You're beautiful," I said, pressing my forehead against hers. So many thoughts and words were running through my mind, in overdrive, but I could barely form them together. "So beautiful."

I moved my head back from hers, tilting my head to the side to press her lips on mine but she stopped me with a laugh and a hand between our lips against my mouth.

"I don't know if we can kiss yet!" She giggled loudly before her sounds grew muffled in my embrace. I wrapped my arms around her, her arms warm from the lace sleeves that dipped snuggly beyond her wrists, but her open back was chilled from the cool air around us.

"Try and stop me," I said, holding her face in my hands before finally, finally, kissing her on our wedding day the way that I had wanted to. We ignored the flash of cameras and our bridal party gathering on the outside deck. We ignored the guests that remained on the other side of the property, waiting for the celebration to begin. We ignored everyone but each other, our lips together sealing wordless and private promises.

"You look so handsome," she said through her tears once I had let her come up for air, pressing her palm against my tie on my chest. She wiped the corner of her eye with the knuckle of her pinky, trying to leave no mess left behind.

"I know," I bragged jokingly, learning quickly that Bella still could punch me on our wedding day. At least I had the suit on to cover my bruises.

All joking aside, I took her hand and moved a step back from her, spinning her around slowly so I could see more of her. I pulled her back against me, cradling her hands in mine against my cheek with my forehead pressed onto hers again. When her eyes closed to relish the moment, I moved my lips and placed them against the top of her head and whispered to her. "I can't wait to marry you."

Bella moved back so she could see me, looking back and forth between my eyes with a big smile forming slowly on her face.

"Let's do it, then."

So, we did.

In front of all our family and friends, we were married beneath the golden trees of autumn. Charlie lead her down the aisle to me, holding her against him in a way I didn't yet understand. Her hand was dwarfed by his when he placed it in my hand, and when Bella's hand was safely inside of my own, I paused and reached out to Charlie, offering him my other hand in more than just a show of gratitude.

Besides Carlisle, Charlie was the man to show me a world I never knew existed. In high school, he had offered me his home when he knew I didn't have one to go to at night. He watched me grow up from a fifth-grade kid to a thirty-year-old social worker and owner of a local youth recreation facility. He not only watched me break his daughter's heart because I didn't know any better, but also watched me learn from the experience and make it up to her.

He showed me what a father was supposed to do for his child.

He didn't take my hand at first; he stared at it for a moment or two before pulling me in for a hug I never knew was missing from my life. Bella was jostled a little in the shuffle, causing a small wave of laughter to roll through the crowd, and we all welcomed it.

"You'll always be my way home," Bella had promised in her vows. The truth was that she had always been my home, my safe place for whenever my world had become too dangerous.

Everyone who had offered advice about the wedding was right. We were glad we had gone with the idea of hiring a videographer, so the night and all the little moments were documented. The night was a perfect blur, a blend of love and laughter, and by the time the night was ending Bella and I were barely able to eat, let alone remember all of these moments that had made the night so special.

What was supposed to be one speech from the Best Man and another from the Maid of Honor turned into a free for all, with more than one person coming up to the mic to offer advice or share a personal story about Bella or myself. Since we had the luxury of a smaller than normal wedding, we reveled in each speech and trip down memory lane.

The final words had been to the tune of appreciating the memories but prepare for more, and the next memory I wanted to add to the list was taking my wife to our bed.

No one needed to know about that memory but us, and I made sure we wouldn't forget it for the rest of our lives.

We definitely wouldn't forget it.

Because it didn't happen.

By the time that we had made it upstairs to our room, exhaustion seeping into our bones in the wee hours of the morning, we both collapsed onto our bed asleep before our heads hit the pillow.

The idea was that we wanted to stay here at The Rec to wake up and watch the sunrise on our patio before heading to the airport to begin our honeymoon. The reality was that planning a wedding, and then celebrating said wedding, was fucking brutal.

We did end up catching that sunrise, though. Just not on the patio. And the only thing we wore were the matching rings on our left hands as the sky went from dark to light against the walls in our bedroom above where it all started.

"Never," I panted when she whimpered and begged me not to stop. I hovered above her, so completely lost and buried inside of her that I struggled to keep my word. The wedding, the color the sunrise painted across her naked flesh, the feel of her around me ready and wanting made the ache in me quicken exponentially.

I increased my pace, pushing harder and deeper into her as she cried out in pleasure. She arched her back again, her shoulders barely touching the sheets beneath us, and came around me for a second time.

Would I ever tire of that?

Because where I was now, sprawled next to her in a heap trying to catch my breath, I didn't think I ever would.

Quickly I would learn the plus side of being a newlywed.

It turned out my wife was quite insatiable.

As was I.

Next up: Some fluff from our Newlyweds! Come join my Facebook group: Lily Jill Fics. You'll get a glimpse into my crazy mind.

Remember this story is based off the Alan Jackson song, Remember When. I suggest you listen to it: one – because it's beautiful, and two – because you'll see where this story is going since each chapter is based off the words of the song.

Chapter Four Sneak Peek:

Gave our hearts

Made the start

And it was hard

See you next Sunday!

Oh! Pursuing the Proposition is up for your votes in the Top Ten, along with other absolutely amazing stories. I think I've voted for almost all of them! Head over and vote!