Chapter 22 – Coincidence

I sat in the house, my kill at my feet. Aggravated bears were delicious. I watched as the snowflakes fell on my body and they stuck to my clothes and my hair. The little crystals were a helpful distraction from my anger. I know Edward and I aren't completely healed, but we are well on our way. We hardly discuss the Dark Times from both our lives, but we talked a lot about what we had done in the past century. In many ways, he and I still walked on eggshells when we were with each other, however, I may have overreacted tonight. I sighed; maybe I should mark this as a misunderstanding. I nodded to myself, we were working on our relationship and I didn't want us fighting. I ran back to the house, where Edward was on the porch. When he saw me, he stood hesitantly, "Bella?" I smiled and walked toward him, smiling. He held out his hand and I took it, "Bella, I…" I cut him off, "Edward?" I looked down at my watch and sighed, "Its Christmas Eve and the year's almost over. I don't want to spend the time fighting or being upset with each other."

I wrapped my arms around his waist, "Let's just enjoy the holiday." He placed his finger under my chin and tilted my head back to kiss my lips, "You're right." I spent the rest of the night in his arms, in front of the fire place. As the sun began to rise, Emmett suggested a snowball fight for the evening's activity. Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Renesmee and I spent the day in town, while the guys went hunting for the day. Jacob had truly become part of the family, he even wrestles with Emmett. When we came back, Emmett sprinted out the door, "Let's go." "Emmett, give us a minute," Alice asked. The five of us ran inside, "Wait, I have an idea," I announced. I explained my shield over all of us, while we slipped out the back window. We climbed up to the roof of the house, and saw the guys standing out front. Trying to stifle our giggles, the five of us pushed the snow from the roof onto the guys, burying them. We stood on the roof, laughing. Emmett roared as he burst out of the snow, "You girls are dead."

We flipped off the roof and land in the back yard. We were surrounded by them, all of them with evil smirks on their faces. My shield was still up, so Edward wouldn't hear our plan. They raised their arms and threw their snowballs. All of us ducked in time, causing the men to be hit themselves. That started our whole night of fun. We ran through the woods, being chased by our boyfriends and husbands, "Why did I have to be with the one who's the fastest?" Renesmee was close by me, "I prefer the fastest than the one who's a hothead." We heard Edward and Jacob laughing, so we ran into the treetops.

The entire family played all night long. When the moon was high above, I stopped and saw the time, "Renesmee, it's almost time." "Coming," she called. Edward caught up to me and swept me up in his arms, "Time for what?" I crumpled up a snowball in his hair and kissed him, "Our family tradition. Renesmee and I open on gift at midnight." He kissed along my neck, "Do you think I can give you a gift now too?" I laughed, "Umm, no. I want to wait." He groaned, "Fine," he said as he kissed along my jaw, pulling my lips to his. I laughed, "She's coming. Let me just go do this and I'll be back." He sighed, letting me back on my feet, "I'll be waiting." I ran into the house and selected my gift for Renesmee and she was waiting with hers.

We sat on the couch, smiling. "Ok, one, two, three," we handed each other our gifts, "Merry Christmas," we said together. I let her open hers first. She took off the wrapping off the small box. Opening it, she saw her gift and gasped. Inside the box were two heavy silver hair combs, with dark blue sapphires that were clustered into intricate floral shapes atop the teeth. "Momma," she gushed. "They belonged to my grandmother Swan. Charlie left them to me and I want you to have them." Tears welled in her eyes, "Thank you, and now open yours. Alice and Esme helped me with it." I took the wrapping off the large box in my lap. Opening the over, I saw it was a large quilt. I took it out of the box, standing to have a better look at it, "Wow, it has all our pictures on it." The quilt was made of patches of clothes and fabric pictures of me and Renesmee. It had pieces of our animal skin clothes from when we lived in the jungle, pictures of her with my parents, pictures of us in the jungle, from when we lived around the world. My eyes pricked as I spread the quilt over the two of us. Renesmee rested her head in my lap looking at her combs, "These are really beautiful, but I want a promise from you?" I looked down, "Yes?" She smiled, "The two of us were one when we have to attend a special occasion." I smiled, "That sound great. I promise." I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Suddenly, something hit the window behind us, making Renesmee jump. I moved the curtain to see Emmett, "Would you two hurry up?" We glowered back, "He's so dead," we said together. After we put our gifts in our room, we flew out of our windows and landed on Emmett. The family played all night long, but Renesmee and Jacob bowed out, going to bed. After the fight, there was hardly any snow settled on the ground. Everyone went inside to change out of their wet clothes. I woke up Renesmee and Jacob telling them that we were ready to open gifts. "How can she sleep with him snoring like that?" Edward asked as we went downstairs. I shrugged, "I learned to tune him out." Edward stopped on his step and I looked back. "He was at my house and we were watching movies. We dozed off, that's it." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "It's in the past." I smiled, "Exactly." The family was in complete buzz opening each other's presents. "I have a gift for you, but I'd like to give it to you in private," Edward whispered to me. I smiled, "Ok." He took my hand and guided me to the back porch.

He sat me on the swing, "Bella, I've wanted to give this to you since I realized I loved you. However, the original one I gave it to Jacob." My eyebrows furrowed, "What are you talking about?" He smiled, "Close your eyes." I closed my eyes and I hurried the snow crunch under his weight. Edward took my hands, "Isabella," I opened my eyes and saw he was on one knee in front of me, "120 years ago I met the most beautiful angel who lit up my life. And, like a fool, I let her go. By a miracle, I have found her again, and by another miracle, she still loves me. I swear to you that I will never let you out of my life again." He took a small box out of his pocket, "Bella, I love you and my love for you will only grow. And I know I am not worthy of you, but no one will ever love you as much as I love you, will you marry me?" He opened the box showing a large sapphire ring, set in a white gold band, accented with two diamonds on either side of the large blue stone. My mouth fell open, "I don't know what to say." "SAY YES!!!" everyone shouted from the back door. I looked back and laughed, "Yes!!" Edward slipped on my ring and hugged me up in his arms, kissing me.

Everyone cheered and ran out to us. As I hugged everyone, I noticed Renesmee wasn't there. I went inside looking for her. I found her in the living room, sitting with Jacob. "Renesmee, I was too happy to find my soul mate in you." He was holding her hands, "I love you." I noticed the ring on her third finger, "Will you marry me?" She was crying, "Yes, Jake." They were hugging when she looked up at me, "Momma, look." She showed me her engagement ring. It was a golden ring, with a long oval face, which was set with slanting rows of glittering round stones. The band was delicate and narrow. The gold made a web around the diamonds set into the ring. Alice came in behind me, "Bella, why'd you…" She trailed off when she saw me looking at Renesmee's hand, "You too, Ness. This is amazing." Renesmee looked at Alice, "What do you mean 'you too?'" Alice giggled as I raised my hand, "Edward proposed." Renesmee jumped up and hugged me, "This is amazing. Now I just have to talk to Edward." I huffed, "Fine, then I have to talk to Jacob." She walked back, "Maybe later." I smiled, "Yea, me too." Edward came into the living room, "Did you tell her?" Renesmee and I laughed, "Umm, yea, but she had to tell me something." I held up her hand, "She's marrying Jacob."

Edward smiled at Jacob, "You gave it to her already?" Renesmee and I looked back between the two of them, "You knew?" I asked. Edward hugged Jacob, "Yes. I've known for some time. He wanted to get her a beautiful ring, so I offered him that one." Renesmee looked at her hand. "I wanted to give it to Bella, but I thought Jake could use it more." Renesmee bit her lip, "Thank you, Edward," and she hugged him as I hugged Jacob. Renesmee took my hand and appraised my ring, "Yours is beautiful." I smiled, "Yea, I can't wait to show mine off at school." We giggled, as Edward and Jacob came behind us. Each of us turned and kissed our fiancées.

At the new school year, I announced that I would be leaving after this semester, telling them I was moving back East. The principal was very upset. I told him my fiancée and I were moving because he was offered a job at a law firm in New York. In my classes, some students were devastated that I was leaving, but Edward told me the boys were more upset to find out I was getting married. Alice, Rosalie and Esme helped us plan the weddings. "Momma, I have an idea about the weddings?" We were home alone, on those rare occasions. "Yea?" "I was thinking that since we got proposed to one the same day, we should get married on the same day?" I smiled, "Really?" She beamed, "Yes, Jake and Edward will go for anything we want. And inside of them paying for your wedding one day and you paying for my wedding one another, let's join them. I mean we'll mostly have the same guests. What do you think?" I bit my lip, "Perfect. We're having a double wedding." She hugged me, "Fabulous, I'm going to tell Jake." She dashed up the stairs, "Wait, where will we have it?" "I'll ask Esme if we can have it at the house."

Alice, Jacob and Edward dashed into the room, "That's a wonderful idea. OF course you can have it at our house, Bella. Esme wouldn't have it any other way," Alice gushed. "Ok, but there goes my maid of honor. Oh well, I'll use my back up plan, Alice, will you do it?" She gawked at me. Suddenly, she flew across the room, hugging me, knocking us off the couch, "Really?" Renesmee came back down the stairs, "No fair, I was going to ask Alice." Edward and Jacob was laughing, "What about Rosalie?" I sat up, "Ok, umm, how about Alice and Rosalie are the maids of honor for the wedding?" Renesmee was hugging Jacob, "That works for me." Alice clapped, "Ok, I'm going to inform Rosalie and Esme and we'll work out the details this weekend." She dashed out the window, leaving me on the ground where she pinned me. Edward lifted me up and sat me on his lap, while Renesmee and Jacob went to bed.

Edward and I spent the entire night talking about the wedding and he planned our honeymoon, he wanted to take me back to the jungle, where Renesmee and I first lived. Renesmee and Jacob were offered Esme's island off the coast of Brazil. Everything was perfect. My daughter and I had a very long life together, were it was just the two of us. Coming back home; she found her love and I opened my heart to mine. Edward and I didn't speak, he just pressed his lips to mine. In a few months time, I was going to be Mr. Edward Cullen and my daughter would be Mrs. Renesmee Black. Edward held my body to his, never releasing my lips. We didn't always express our physical love; mainly because we didn't want to damage the new furniture he bought me and we wanted to save most of it until after we were married. For the rest of the night, we looked into each other's eyes, looking into each other's souls and loving each other for the rest of eternity.