Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Stephenie Meyer owns anything and everything relating to Twilight. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended and in order to keep it that way, No reproduction, copying, reposting, downloading, or any kind of redistribution of this story is allowed. This is to cover my arse as much as yours! And finally, the Original characters, plot, names, nicknames, songs, poems—anything I created from my very own brain—are all the property of the author of this fanfic, My-Bella. Unauthorized use of the material is plagiarism so please be kind and don't steal my creations.
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Chapter 56 – A Fighter and a Queen
Saturday, March 20th
Bella had woken while it was still dark out, excited about having breakfast with Edward. Between their secret wedding planning tasks, his super-secret nursery planning with the guys, her job, and the mountains of research he was doing to pick a location for the upcoming season, they had been left with very little time together. He'd actually had to write on his calendar that he would be taking this morning off so that they'd be able to see each other.
She looked over at the clock on the oven and frowned at the time showing on it. Consistent lateness was the only real downfall she'd found so far to living with an insomniac genius. Not to mention that her homemade banana nut muffins were twice as good when eaten right after coming out of the oven.
She didn't really care about the muffins. That was just a way to keep her mind from focusing on how this wasn't his typical lateness. Usually he was already walking through the door, dropping his bag and shoes, and giving her an explanation and heartfelt apology. She'd actually expected him to be early since he'd seemed so excited about the muffins she'd promised to make. And the bacon—he loved bacon.
"Five minutes is nothing. I don't even really mind ten minutes. But twenty is a bit much," Bella said to Lilo as she reached past the curled up kitten to get the cordless phone from behind her on the counter.
The line rang and rang and then a recording of Edward's voice informed her that he was unable to answer her call and asked that she leave a message with her name and number. "Edward, I love you dearly but I'm not a big fan of your ability to shut out the entire world, including a ringing phone." And because she hated the idea of him thinking she was angry with him, she quickly added, "Love you and hope to see you soon."
She was disappointed he was so late, but definitely not angry. She understood and accepted how much his work meant to him, and she knew without a doubt he was not putting it before her. He was just absorbed. The same way he could get absorbed with her in a room full of people, only seeing and hearing her.
Bella decided to give Carlisle's phone a try since he was usually up at this time making business calls. "Good morning, Bug!" her uncle greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I'm hoping you wouldn't mind going out to the shed and getting Edward to come out of his work-zone. He was supposed to be home twenty minutes ago for breakfast. I tried his cell but it went straight to voicemail. You know how he is when he's absorbed."
The silence that followed had Bella pulling the phone away to make sure the battery hadn't died. "Uncle Carl?"
"Bella, we talked before he left, almost fifteen minutes ago. He should be home by now."
"I'm sure it's nothing," Bella said quickly, not wanting to worry him. "He probably stopped to watch the sunrise and lost track of time. I'll head down to the beach and join him."
Carlisle didn't bother telling her what she already knew—sunrise had been well over an hour ago. "I'll head out from this end and help look."
"I don't want to take you away from work." She said it because she wanted him to tell her she was being silly and not to worry.
"Family first, Bug," was what he actually said.
"Okay, but I've got to get dressed first so don't leave until I text you. That way if he comes home first, you haven't gone out for nothing."
"If I don't get a text in the next five minutes, I'm leaving anyway."
Bella relaxed slightly, feeling incredibly lucky that her uncle accepted and loved Edward. "Thank you, Uncle Carl." She ended the call and stared at the phone for a moment before looking over at Lilo. "He's fine. Of course he's fine. He's just gotten distracted, that's all."
Lilo hopped off the counter and trotted over to the door. When Bella didn't immediately follow, she gave out a loud meow.
"I'm going after him, don't worry. Just not going to do it in my pajamas."
She ran up to change her clothes and when she got back downstairs, both Lilo and Lizzy were standing ready at the door.
"You guys can't come this time. And I won't be gone long at all," she told them while putting on her shoes. "I'll probably run into him before I even hit the sand."
Her pets didn't seem convinced, but then again, neither was she.
She didn't meet up with him on the stairs.
Or when she hit the beach.
Or at the nearby sand dunes he liked to sit between. She pulled her phone out and texted her uncle, hating the way it made this seem real and that her worry was warranted.
It was as she was following the curve of the land that she picked up on a group of yelling voices. The tone was not the happy and playful one she was used to from beachgoers. Her mild worry turned into a rock solid conviction deep in her gut and she started running toward the yelling.
The angle of her view was what caused her to stumble and fall face-first into the sand. That initial glimpse had made it look like an attack but as her brain processed what her eyes were seeing, she realized what was really going on. Edward's leg wasn't in the mouth of a shark—the shark was between his legs. She picked herself up and started running again, absently brushing away sand as she worked to take in the full situation while keeping her panic at bay.
Edward is definitely distracted but not by any sunrise, she thought to herself, fighting off a wave of nausea. She was determined to be MMR's Guppy right now and not the old, panicked version of herself. He needed a competent teammate—not a liability.
She pushed her way through a group of bystanders and waited for Edward to notice her. She was not about to interrupt him while he was giving out orders and straddling a juvenile great white shark. He had a child's sand bucket in his hands, slowly pouring water onto the dark beach towel covering the shark's eyes.
"Try to maneuver the hose deeper and tighter to the left-hand side. The flow through the gills isn't enough," he told the older man and teenage girl kneeling near the shark's mouth.
A young woman ran up to him, waving a radio. "He's on his way. He should have enough gas to give it a try."
Edward looked up to answer her but once he saw Bella standing there, he froze.
Knowing it was dangerous for him to have his focus anywhere else but the shark, Bella quickly stepped forward and spoke up. "What can I do? Should I call the team?"
"He'll never make it that long. We have a jet-ski coming in and we're going to try to tow him out." He leaned his head toward the shark's tail. "Those guys found us some rope but they can't tie the knot. Do you remember how to do a Highwayman's Hitch?"
She let out the breath she'd been holding and realized she was glad there was a way for her to help. "I better with as much as Whit made me practice. How far up the tail do you want it?"
"Close to the caudal fin. It needs to be loose enough for a quick release but tight enough that it can't slip past the second dorsal fin or the anal fin. If it slips past those, it could get trapped between the pelvic and anal fins and have to be released at the knot."
"Got it."
He reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "I know you do."
Bolstered by his confidence in her, she strode over to the guys, asked them for the rope, and then instructed them on how to hold the tail for her. While she worked on making the knot perfect, she answered questions from the guys and from some of the other onlookers as well.
The guy to her right asked, "Is this guy for real? Does he really work with sharks for a living?"
Bella grinned. "He's the real deal. He runs Masen Marine Research and I work with him."
"Think this is gonna work?" the guy on the left questioned.
She shrugged. "I have no idea. I only know that he has to try. We have to try."
"I think you're crazy. It's a shark. It's not worth getting bit," said a woman in the small crowd watching them.
Bella remembered very clearly being the person who would have said 'shark' in that nasty, uncaring tone. "I can understand why people think that but sharks are extremely important to the health of our oceans, which makes them important to our own survival. Right now their numbers are so low that every single life counts."
"How many is low?"
"Low how? I see them all the time."
"What about our numbers when these things attack?"
"That's media bias. I surf here all the time and the rocks hurt us more than any sharks."
Edward's commanding voice cut through all the noise of the people talking to and around her. "Bella, is that knot ready?"
"Testing it now," she called back. She gave a hard tug and watched as the rope loosened and instantly fell away from the tail. She quickly yet carefully re-tied the hitch the exact same way as she had before. "Ready on this end."
"I need your help up here."
She oversaw the guys lowering the tail into the sand and then joined Edward. He was no longer straddling the shark. Now he was on the ground at its mouth, checking the water flow from the hose and through the gills.
"The jet ski guy just pulled into the shallows. We've got one shot at this and a very small window of time to work in," Edward explained. "As soon as we get to the shallows, we've got to release the hitch and tie a new one in front of the dorsal fin."
"I don't know about this plan, Edward. That's incredibly risky. And puts you far too close to the teeth of this shark."
"I agree it's risky, but if we drag him into the water backwards, we'll drown him and all of this will have been for nothing."
"Will keeping the towel over his eyes help keep him immobile once he's in the shallows?"
"I honestly don't know. I hope the towel combined with his lethargy from being out of water so long will keep him stunned just long enough." He finally looked at her, his eyes pleading with her to understand him. "Bella, I have to try everything to save him."
She smiled for his sake, pushing down her worry for his safety. "I know you do."
"Mahalo, kapu."
"Thank me later. Right now, I need to know my next task."
He gave her such a proud and grateful smile that it stole her breath away. "I need you to run the rope out to the jet-ski. Tell the driver it's extremely important that he pulls slow and steady and stops as soon as I give the order. Let him know how we'll have to adjust the rope and then explain to him exactly how to release the knot. Answer any questions he has and then come back to shore. I'll need you walking beside the shark's tail, keeping an eye on the knot. I'm sure you tied it perfectly but just in case it comes loose before we're ready, you'll see it and alert me.
"Once we reach the shallows and I give the order to stop, I'll need your help in retying the rope around the head. I'll do the lift and you'll work the rope around, and then I'll tie it off. After—"
"I can do it," Bella quickly insisted. "It's safer if you keep your focus on the shark's alertness while I tie."
"You sure? I know this situation is already testing your anxiety control."
"I can do it," she promised.
"Alright, kapu, I trust you. After you've tied the knot, we'll turn the shark's body toward deep water, remove the towel, and then I'll give the driver the go-ahead to pull him out."
"And if the knot doesn't release?"
He reached into the side pocket of his cargo shorts and pulled out his pocket knife, the new one Carlisle had given him for Christmas. "Then the driver will need to cut the rope as close to the shark as possible." He passed the knife to Bella as he said, "Repeat it all back to me."
She went over all of her steps first and then his, proving how much attention she'd been paying and that she was ready for this next part. He sent her off with a quick kiss on the lips for luck.
Everything unfolded so quickly after that, that it would have been hard to know what was going on if she hadn't been directly involved. Getting the shark to the shallows had been no problem at all thanks to those in the crowd who had created a smooth, even path from the shark to the shallows. But once the shark made it into the shallow water, it had started fighting them. It had taken five people to hold the shark's body still enough for Edward and Bella to safely get the rope around its head. The shark's behavior had Edward on edge, forcing him to calculate risks for those helping them as well as the onlookers crowding around. And then suddenly Carlisle had appeared and forced them all back, giving Edward and the volunteers room to safely work with the feisty shark. Bella finished off the knot and then Edward twisted around so that he was once again straddling the shark. He ordered everyone away this time, including Bella.
"Be safe," she demanded of him.
He smiled and replied with something she often said to him. "Always."
She backed away, unable to take her eyes off of him.
"He'll be okay, Bug," Carlisle assured her as he gripped her shoulders.
She nodded in agreement. "He promised me."
They watched together with the crowd as Edward gave the command to "go", yanked the towel off the shark's head, and twisted his body away from the shark. The slack in the rope allowed the shark to turn toward Edward for a few seconds before the rope caught and forced the shark away and into the water. But those few seconds were all it had taken for the shark's head to connect with Edward's foot and send him crashing down into the water. Bella's body wasn't sure if it wanted to retch or scream so she decided on a third option and forced it to run. She could hear Carlisle yelling for her to wait but the words made no sense. Why would she ever wait when Edward was hurt?
Edward had managed to get to his feet by the time she reached him. He looked an odd mix of angry and happy for the few seconds she saw his face before he turned his attention to the water and the jet-ski. He seemed oblivious to being drenched and to the stream of red coming from his body and flowing back and forth in the tide swirling around his ankles.
"Why are you just standing there?" she yelled at him. "We have to get you to the hospital."
"For what?" he asked, his focus still on the jet-ski.
"You're bleeding! You've been bit."
He laughed. He actually had the nerve to laugh and she couldn't remember the last time she'd so strongly felt the urge to slap him. "I'm not bit. My heel is grazed. But I got a good snap in with that towel in exchange."
"Masen, perhaps now is not the best time for laughing and jokes," Carlisle advised, having once again taken hold of Bella's shoulders. He seemed to sense how close she was to smacking her fiancé—who was once again staring out at the water and oblivious to her anger.
"Now's the perfect time, Carlisle," Edward replied. "All the people are alive and the shark is back in the water where he belongs."
The lady with the radio from earlier ran up at that moment and relayed to Edward what her brother was seeing from his jet-ski. The shark was moving under its own power, trying to head in the opposite direction of the jet-ski. Edward gave the order to release the knot and after waiting a tense thirty seconds for a response, the driver reported the rope was slack and the shark's fin had slowly disappeared under the water's surface which meant that the shark was swimming under its own power and would most likely survive.
The cheer from the crowd around them was so loud it made the birds flying above cry out and wheel away. The onlookers surrounded Edward, shaking his hand and congratulating him. Some asked questions about the shark, and some asked about his company. No one asked about his foot, though.
The jet-ski driver returned and brought Edward back his knife, and the two of them easily had a ten minute conversation about jet-skis.
Bella stood there through it all, going back and forth between feeling numb and incredibly angry. He was alive but he was hurt. He was concerned about the shark but not his foot. He was happy but she had no idea how she was supposed to feel.
"Wish I could have tagged him to know for sure," Edward lamented as the last of those wanting to congratulate him left. "But from what we saw, I'm ninety-five percent sure he'll make it."
"How about we discuss your percentage of survival?" Bella snapped at him.
His lips curled into the gleeful smile that usually made her want to kiss him, but right now it only made her want to scream. "I'm fine, kapu. We are fine. We saved a shark together."
"You are not fine. You are soaked and bleeding and will probably end up with the flu or pneumonia or who knows what." She had no idea she was punctuating her words by slamming her fists against his chest.
He trapped her hands against his soaked shirt then lifted her chin to force her to look directly at his eyes and nowhere else. "I'm here with you. I'm not letting go." His heartfelt words cut through the worst of her panic and as her actions caught up to her, her embarrassment grew and hot tears slid down her flushed cheeks. There was still anger for the flippant way he was treating his injury but she also felt bad that she wasn't able to be supportive of the great thing he'd done today.
"It's okay, kapu," he promised, wiping her tears away. "I'd hug you but I'd freeze you."
"You're still bleeding." It was the only clear thought in her muddled brain.
"Barely. What do you say we head home so I can change and clean up?"
"What if you need stitches?"
"I'm sure I don't but I'll call Whit to come over and verify."
"We're closer to my home. Let me run you two back in the car," Carlisle offered.
Edward shook his head. "I'm not getting sand and blood in your car, Carlisle. We'll be fine walking home. Oh and don't say anything to my mom. I'll tell her tonight myself. If you tell her, she'll just worry until she sees me."
Carlisle nodded and then turned his attention to Bella. "Bug, I can't find the words to tell you how proud I am of you. To watch you jump in the way you did, taking the lead and beings so hands-on in the rescue of that shark … You may not have fully conquered your fears yet, but you have certainly gained a good deal of control over them."
Edward jumped in to add, "I couldn't have done it without you, Bella." The angry part of her wanted to consider his words a line meant to soften her. But the realistic part knew he would never have said them if he didn't completely mean them.
She said the only thing that made sense to her in that moment. "Let's go home."
They could see their home when Edward finally broke the silence between them. "I think I get why you're angry, but if I'm right, you shouldn't be angry with me. I think you're angry that I got hurt at all, but accidents are just what happen when you do everything right and some small part still goes wrong."
"Oh I'm angry alright. I'm angry because you don't care. You don't care that you're hurt. You're still thinking about the shark's chances of survival with no regard at all to your own."
He caught her elbow and turned her to face him. "I'm thinking about you. I'm thinking about why you're angry and how I can fix it. I'm thinking about how scared you must have felt and how you pushed it aside to help me, to be the partner I needed. I'm thinking about how I can repay that, and what I can do to show you how much it meant to me. I'm thinking about how insane it is from a logical view to be more concerned with what you feel than with what we accomplished. And I'm thinking that accomplishment is worthless unless you're proud of it with me."
His words were exactly what her head and heart had needed to hear and she threw her arms around his neck in thanks, hugging him as tightly as she could.
"Bella, I'm soaked."
She hugged him tighter.
"You're already starting to shiver."
"I love you."
"I know you do, kapu." He kissed her temple before pulling her arms from around his neck. "Let's get dry and then you can hug me all you want." He took hold of her hand and led her up the sloped beachside toward their yard.
"We have to call Whit," she reminded him as they reached the stairs.
"We will once we get inside. I would have called him on the way here but as wet as I am, I'm pretty sure my cellphone will need replacing."
After taking a moment to revel in the excited greeting Lizzy and Lilo gave him, Edward pulled his shirt off and wrapped it around his foot to keep from getting blood all over. The wound wasn't bleeding a ton but it was a steady flow. Bella really doubted he was going to get away with no stitches, and she was comforted by knowing Whit would decide based on the injury and not Edward's wishes.
Edward hopped into a hot shower while Bella brought his wet and bloody clothes downstairs to the washroom. She threw her own sandy clothes into the basket, remembering at the last second to take her phone out of the pocket of her shorts. At least one of their phones would survive the ocean for another day.
By the time she made it back upstairs, Edward was out of the shower and bandaging his foot.
"You promised you'd let Whit look at it."
"This is just to keep it clean and to keep blood of the floor," he explained. "I'll call Whit as soon as I'm dressed."
"You'll need to use the house phone or my cellphone. Yours is very much dead," she informed him, having tried to turn it on before taking his clothes downstairs.
He chuckled. "Yeah I was pretty sure it was a goner. At least Lee will enjoy picking me out a new one."
Once they were both wearing clean clothes, they headed down to cuddle together on the couch. They were joined by their pets and once everyone was seated comfortably, Bella handed her cellphone to Edward.
Very few words were spoken between the guys and yet Whit immediately agreed to come over with his medical kit. Their friendship was amazing in so many ways and she wondered if she'd ever fully understand it. She also wondered how Whit would react to hearing the whole story.
"So," Edward said as he brushed his lips against the shell of her ear. "We had a definite breakdown in communication. Wouldn't you agree?"
It really isn't fair of him to ask questions while his lips are touching my skin, Bella thought to herself before answering him. "I agree."
He stopped kissing her and while she missed the feel of his lips, she was very glad to have his arms wrapped so tightly around her. "Where do you think we went off track?" he asked.
She didn't have to think at all—she knew. "When you laughed."
He was silent for a long time. "I can see why you misunderstood my laugh and figured I didn't care. You didn't understand it was a reaction to the relief I was feeling. All those people and us and the shark—we all made it through that with just a scratch. It could have been exponentially worse."
"You never said you were expecting it to go badly."
"I didn't expect it but I knew the odds, Bella."
She sighed from feeling disappointed in herself as she said the important thing she'd forgotten in her panic. "You always know the odds."
"Right. And because of that, my usual reaction to things going really well is to feel relieved and laugh, and I'm used to those around me laughing too."
"Which makes sense because Whit and Lee would normally be the ones at your side and they know the odds just like you." She huffed at the goofiness of her earlier behavior. "I'm such an idiot. I should have realized that."
"You're not an idiot. You had reached the edge of your limit and my laugh pushed you over. It's just how an anxiety as deeply rooted as yours works."
"I feel bad."
"Don't. And I really meant what I said earlier. I'm glad it was you with me today."
"But you wouldn't have gotten yelled at after if it had been Whit or Lee."
"It wouldn't mean as much either. I've been lucky to have so many amazing moments with my best friends, and while I'll never take a single one for granted, I'm ready to start making some with you."
She moved so that she was sitting in his lap and hugging him with most of her body, needing the reassurance that only came from being in his arms. She let her eyes slip closed and tried to calmly replay their adventurous morning to see his side of things.
Behind her closed eyes, flashes of their past appeared, revealing just how much he had grown through their relationship. While she would always be an anomaly for him, she had become part of his pride, his accomplishments. He wanted her working with him, challenging him, and experiencing with him—even when she got things wrong because of her panic.
She sat up so that he could see her face, so he would know she felt her words with every part of her. "Aloha Au Ia 'Oe, Edward."
"Mau Loa, kapu." He followed up his promise of forever with a kiss that managed to be both loving and lustful in equal measure, and left her wishing breathing wasn't a thing that was necessary because she never wanted it to end.
A cough that didn't come from either of them was what finally broke them apart. "Well that's one way to make sure the blood doesn't come out of his foot," Whit happily informed them.
"Good morning, Whit," Bella greeted while pretending her cheeks were not as red as the apples in the bowl on the island behind her.
Whit chuckled at her and then shifted his eyes to Edward. "When you asked me to bring my medical kit, I didn't know you needed help controlling your libido. I don't have the tools for that. Unless what you're after is something permanent. I could certainly stitch your lips together."
Edward wore a huge smile as he replied with his favorite nickname for his friend. "Asshat."
Whit laughed and took a seat on the coffee table beside Edward's propped up foot. "You knew I was coming over so clearly you wanted me to see that and comment on it. I'm just granting your wish, bro."
"The only thing I want to hear from you is that I don't need stitches."
"Then I guess I better get to work." He headed into the kitchen and pulled out a large salad bowl, then dumped a tray of ice cubes into it. Bella often wondered why he had a place of his own when he was usually here, at his parents', or at Esme's. The only reason she could come up with was having a completely private bedroom.
"Let's see what we're working with," Whit said as he set the bowl in his lap. He lifted Edward's foot over the bowl and removed the bandage, letting it drop into the bowl. "The best way to reduce cleanup when you're done is piling it all up in one spot," he said, having noticed Bella watching his every move.
After a few minutes of inspection, Whit announced, "We definitely have a bleeder and the cut's more ragged than I would like, but it doesn't appear deep enough for stitches. I'm going to clean it up first before I make a final decision on stitches."
"I don't need them," Edward promptly informed him.
Whit chuckled. "You are still not in charge when it comes to this area, bro. I make the call and you shut your cakehole. Unless you want to thank me for coming out here to do this for you rather than making you go sit in an urgent care place most of the day."
"Thank you, Whit," Bella quickly said, cutting off whatever smart-alecky thing Edward was about to say.
It took about twenty minutes for Whit to finish his inspection, clean up, and close up. Edward was overjoyed that he was able to avoid stitches, though Whit did warn him that if he popped open the liquid bandage he would then have to get stitches. During all of this, Edward gave his version of events while Bella listened closely to his point of view. For him, it had been pure luck that the shark had breached itself on his beach and that he'd stumbled across it so soon after the breaching. He had been shocked by, but incredibly happy for, the number of people who had jumped in to help him. Even just a year before he doubted he would have had that much help. And the way he'd gotten so much more animated when he'd started talking about spotting Bella and having her help, it simultaneously made her feel worse for her freak-out and lucky beyond words to be his partner.
"Mahalo, bro," Edward said, grinning as he shook Whit's hand.
Whit rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that shit-eating grin. You didn't get your way."
Edward smiled wider. "No stitches."
"I don't have to stand here and put up with this. I have a brunch invitation from Alice and she's a hell of a lot prettier to look at than you."
"You know you love me," Edward called as Whit headed for the front door.
He opened it up and then turned back to face Edward and Bella. "Oh and about that offer for a permanent lip lock … Bella doesn't deserve that kind of torture."
Edward and Bella both laughed as Whit gave a wave and disappeared out the door. It was amazing how quickly the guys could get everyone laughing and in a better mood.
"How's it feel?" Bella asked, noticing Edward moving his foot around on the pillow it was propped up on.
"I'd much rather discuss that pout you had going when I was regaling Whit with our morning adventure. I used some of my best adjectives in that spiel and yet no giggles from you. Wanna tell me why you're beating yourself up?"
"You were so excited for the both of us but I squashed it with my panic."
"I'll admit you tried your best, but lucky for you, I have an extremely resilient ego."
She hadn't expected him to say anything like that and it caused her to giggle.
"There it is," he said as he caressed her cheek. "There's that laugh that lets me know you're happy with me."
"I was scared for you." She wished she had the words to explain to him all she was feeling and thinking, and how very much she wished she could have been only happy without any fears getting in the way.
"I know it's hard for you to see the real situation behind the haze of your anxiety and that's why you had the reaction you did. I also know that we're still building trust here and your last experience with me getting hurt wasn't a very nice one. But I hope that now that you've had time to calm down and think about things, you see how much of an asset you were to me. It really did mean a lot to share that win with you."
She cuddled closer to him and kissed the edge of his jaw. "I see it now thanks to you."
"Yeah, I'm kinda great like that."
She snorted. "And you were doing so well. You really should have stopped before that one."
"And deny you the fun of laughing at me? Not today, kapu." He kissed the crown of her head as he repeated, "Not today."
She smiled against his shirt, knowing that anything she said would just prolong the teasing. It had certainly not been the morning she'd pictured when she'd first woken up, but it was absolutely a morning she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
Wednesday, April 14th
The fingers drumming on the island countertop were slowly driving Masen insane and he wished they would get distracted by the coffee cup in front of them.
Masen couldn't recall a time when Gopher had ever been bone-deep nervous like this and it caused him to take pity on his friend and not tease him. "We've gone over it eight times already and that's just this morning. You have this. You've had it for weeks now."
The drumming abruptly stopped and Gopher pressed his hands together as if he were about to pray. "Please, Mase? It's gotta be perfect."
"There's no such thing as perfect," he said, smiling secretly as he recalled his kapu saying those words to him. "There's just our absolute best, and the luck of being loved by women who accept our best as enough. Now, get your ass off my mom's stool and go visit your family until it's time to meet up at the beach."
Gopher got to his feet and held his hand out to Masen. "I owe you."
Masen glanced at the hand and then pushed it away, pulling him into a hug instead. "Not for this, bro. This is 'ohana." He let him go and playfully pushed him away. "Get out of here before Lee shows up and you ruin all of my hard work."
"Don't be late. Not even to tease me. Especially not to tease me."
"Out," Masen demanded, pointing at the front door.
No sooner than the front door closed, Esme started sniffling from the other side of the kitchen island. "My misfits."
"No crying," Masen warned her. "You promised me there would be no tears until this afternoon."
"There's no crying in baseball," she said as she forced a smile and wiped away a few tears.
Masen chuckled and came around to give her a tight hug. "I love you for being the kind of mom who quotes movies like that."
"I love you for being my kid." She giggled and he knew exactly what would come out of her mouth next. "So when do I get to help plan your wedding?"
"My answer is the same as it's been the last four dozen times you've asked … When Bella picks a date. And yes, you are still banned from asking her. She'll tell us when she knows."
Minutes later, Lee came strolling through Esme's front door waving a single sheet of paper. "I hope you're ready, Mase, because according to this itinerary we have a full day ahead of us. It's been forever since we had a 'Lee Day'."
He chuckled at her excitement. "Stop exaggerating. We just had one as part of your Christmas present."
"That was months ago. Forever."
"Whatever you say."
"I say it's almost nine and time for Esme to say goodbye to her kid. First up on the list is taking me to breakfast at my most favorite spot."
"What else is on there?" Esme asked as she reached for the paper.
"Clothes shopping," Lee all but squealed. "His most hated adult responsibility and my favorite hobby."
"Then you two better be off to breakfast to fuel up for the big day ahead," Esme suggested. "Just be sure you're back in time for dinner."
"I will make sure he stays on schedule," Lee promised.
Masen snorted. "I'm pretty sure I'll be the one doing that. You have a way of getting lost in the fun of shopping."
"Lucky for me, there's plenty of time scheduled for it," she said, tapping her finger against the shopping section of the itinerary.
"Let's go, you goof," he said, taking her by the shoulders and moving her toward the front door.
She jangled her keys at him. "I know you're going to want to drive."
He did want to drive and he happily took the keys from her.
After enjoying a leisurely breakfast filled with her favorites, they went to the park to walk off some of the food and enjoy the sunshine before the day warmed up. Lee used the time to plot their course through the mall to "maximize the shopping pleasure" as she put it. While the plan was to get some new outfits for him, he knew they'd end up finding some clothes for her too which would work in his favor and make keeping her distracted easier.
The first stop was for new basic t-shirts since he wore them almost every day. He preferred white and grey since they were bleachable but Lee ended up convincing him to get a couple in blue and green, though she called them by much fancier names. One of his favorite parts of shopping with her was having her call something primrose or mauve and him turning right around and calling it pink or red just to get her riled up. There would be payback later—there always was—but that was part of the fun of their friendship. They could mess around and have fun and not take any of it personally.
The next store had him trying on pair after pair of cargo shorts. If he liked the color, then Lee hated the style. If he liked the style, then she hated the color. They finally agreed to disagree and he ended up with one pair he liked and one pair she liked.
When he'd left the house this morning, he'd owned one pair of jeans and they had been his jeans for as long as MMR had been in existence. After a whirlwind trip through yet another store, he now had a pair of jeans for work, a pair for casual date nights, and a dress pair to go with blazers for conferences. He attempted to point out he hadn't been invited to any conferences yet but she was apparently too busy plotting to get him a blazer to hear him.
The hours of shopping they'd accomplished so far had left them hungry and they stopped for lunch in the food court where Lee surprised Masen by letting him pick the food. He waited until they were seated to ask about it, knowing there had to be some reason for it.
She shrugged. "Just being nice."
"While I completely agree that you're nice, I know you better than to believe that's the only reason you let me pick."
She shrugged again. "I guess I thought it was a good way to say 'thanks'. You've been so busy with the guys lately …" She shrugged once more and then finally looked up at him, letting him see the sadness in her eyes. "I'm just used to being part of the team is all and I've missed hanging out with my best friend."
"Lee-Lee, not only are you still part of the team, there is no team without you. We can't do what we do without you watching our backs."
A small grin appeared on her lips. "Sometimes calling you on your shit."
He smiled at being presented with a chance to do exactly that to her. "And sometimes winding Whit up just because you can."
She looked slightly ashamed. "He makes it so easy sometimes."
"You've been pretty hard on him lately when we have had time to get together."
"Maybe—I'm not saying for sure either way—but maybe I've been a little jealous that he still gets to have beers with you while I have to wait for you to schedule a day for us to hang out."
"But see that's exactly why you shouldn't be jealous. You get a full day of fun and he gets a beer and a short chat after I work him to exhaustion. Trust me, you're getting the better deal here."
She considered that for a moment and then smiled wide. "Sucker."
That comment had them both laughing.
"Seriously though, Mase. The whole nursery idea—Esme is so happy. She was actually worried about us accepting Carlisle and then the new baby. Can you believe that?"
"Don't forget her sneaking off to get married."
"I totally forgive her for that after the kick-ass party she let her girls and me throw to celebrate."
He snorted. "It was certainly something."
"Don't even," Lee warned with a wicked smile. "You enjoyed every one of those slow songs that let you get your hands and lips on Bella that night."
He shrugged—and turned a little red in the face. "She makes it hard not to have a good time."
Lee pointed her fork at him as she said, "And yet you haven't gotten around to mentioning a date to make it permanent."
A laugh shot out of him. "You have got to stop being Esme's partner in crime. You're my best friend, not hers."
It was Lee's turn to laugh. "I choose both. It's much more fun this way."
"I'll tell you the same thing I told her … I put the date in Bella's hands to make sure it's what she wants."
"I think you put it in her hands because you're afraid. You and me, we're pretty set in our ways, but Bella is still changing, still growing as a person and in what she wants out of life. I think you're afraid you won't always be someone she wants."
He'd actually thought a lot about this and had looked at it from a variety of angles. "I'll always be a friend to her. I have no doubt about that. We've shared too much for it to be any other way. But this romantic stuff, that's going to depend on her figuring out what she wants and how often I can give it to her."
"You don't give yourself nearly enough credit in the feelings department, which I get because we both know I'm only slightly better at it. But, Mase, the more time we spend with Bella and Emmett, the more we just know. We know their moods and if they'd prefer a hug or a kiss or just a kind word. We have to get better about listening to those instincts and going with them rather than sitting there running pro-con lists and leaving them to think we didn't notice."
He smiled his shitty grin for her. "It's nice to see you're completely over your worry about Em."
"I wouldn't say completely but I did come across some mail on his desk that indicates marriage is definitely on the table for us."
"Reading his mail? Isn't that a federal offense?" he teased. He couldn't wait to be able to tell her it had been his idea to leave the mail for her to find.
"You gonna turn me in?"
"Hell no! I can't be left alone without a buffer between him and me."
"I don't believe that anymore. Not after all the time you two have spent together these past months working on the nursery." Her happy smile quickly turned into a calculating smirk. "By the way, where are you putting everything?"
He shook his head. "Not telling you."
"Oh come on! I can totally keep a secret."
Her comment was met by his snort. "Not from Esme, you can't."
Lee grabbed his arm and gave it a playful shake. "It's not my fault. She's got powers, Mase."
He laughed, nodding his head in agreement. "Lucky for us she mostly uses them for good."
Lee plopped her last fry into her mouth. "You ready to get back at it? Your itinerary says we only have an hour more of shopping and then we leave for what you've labeled as 'an exciting beach activity'. By the way, this is horrible code for riding the jet-skis."
It took a lot of willpower not to laugh at how wrong she was, but he managed it for her. "What makes you so sure of yourself?" he asked just to keep her talking.
"It's the wrong time of day for good surfing. Plus, I've been asking to go riding for a while now."
"I guess we'll see," he said as he got to his feet. "I'll dump our trays. You decide what store we're going to next."
They rounded out the shopping with a few dress shirts for him in what he was assured were colors Bella would love. He also ended up with a pair of dress shoes and socks, while Lee came across a new dress she'd just had to have. Masen was sure Emmett's eyes would be glued to her once he saw her in it. Maybe she'd
Walking back to the car, it really hit Masen how big this day was going to be for his best friend. He was literally about to drive her to her future, to the wedding day she'd been dreaming about. He was positive they were giving her a day she'd cherish for the rest of her life. If he'd had any doubt at all, he wouldn't have let any of them put so much time and effort into creating this day.
The closer they came to the beach, the more the low-level nervous excitement he'd been feeling all morning climbed higher. It was taking everything he had not to tap a finger or a foot, not to give away that anything out of the ordinary was going on. He tried to focus his energy on a good excuse for blindfolding Lee, knowing she was going to fight him over it. He'd decided weeks ago that the best play was just to ask her sweetly but it never hurt to run through the options one last time.
He parked the car and then pulled the blindfold from his back pocket. "This next part is a surprise I've been working on and it won't have the same impact if you see it before you're right in front of it. I'm going to need you to be a good sport here and let me blindfold you."
"Not happening," Lee said, crossing her arms to prove her seriousness.
"Come on, Lee. Don't make me sad. Don't let me believe that you don't trust me," Masen pleaded, sticking his lower lip out in a pout.
"Mase, you know I don't like not seeing what's in front of me."
"This is me, Lee-Lee. You know I won't let you fall or run into anything. I'll protect you."
Her arms relaxed a tiny bit. "You promise it'll just be for a few minutes?"
"Just long enough to get to the surprise. Promise."
Her wary look turned calculating. "I'll agree on the condition that I can do this to you at some point."
He knew how he'd feel if he was the one being blindfolded so he went ahead and agreed. "One time and it has to be for something big."
"Done." She closed her eyes and leaned her head toward him.
He carefully tied the blindfold, making sure it was tight yet comfortable, and then ran around the car to help her out of it. "Here we go, Lee-Lee. I promise there's something very worth it at the end of this."
By the time their feet hit the sand, Whit was there to walk with them and lead Masen to the exact location where Emmett was waiting and ready to ask the big question. Whit used his hands to speak in sign, telling Masen all about how nervous Em was acting and how excited Bella and Kate were to hear Lee's thoughts on the biggest gesture yet from her man.
They rounded a large dune and the tents Whit and Masen had set up in the dark hours of early morning were suddenly all in view. So was Emmett, down on one knee and sweating buckets with Bella and Kate standing behind him. The guests were all hiding in the main tent, waiting to know for absolute sure that there would be a wedding to witness today.
Masen lined Lee right up in front of Emmett. "Alright, Lee-Lee. I'm going to take this off but don't open your eyes yet. Count to twenty first."
"Mase," she whined.
"Trust me. This is worth it."
She smiled and rubbed her hands together. "It's totally riding the jet-skis and you've bought me my own. I know it."
He chuckled at her surety while taking the blindfold off. "Twenty seconds," he reminded her before jogging over to stand behind Emmett with the others.
Lee was a good sport and waited twenty-two seconds—Masen counted. "Twenty!" she cried, popping her eyes wide open. She saw Emmett right away and gasped, covering her mouth with both hands as her eyes welled up with tears.
Emmett reached out for her hand and she shakily lowered her arm and gave it to him. "Rosalie Hale, I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't love you. When I didn't wake up thinking about you and go to bed at night doing the same. I may not be the most skilled or educated man you know, but I swear to you that I'm the man who was made to love you. I want to fulfill that purpose every day of our lives. I want to marry you, Lee. To prove it to you, I've got everything we need right here on our favorite spot on the beach. All you have to do is say 'yes' and we can be married before you know it. So how about it, Lee? Will you marry me?"
She looked up at her friends and then past them at the tents and the seating arranged in the sand. She shook her head slightly as her eyes came to rest on Emmett's face again. "You did all of this for me. I don't even know what 'all of this' actually means and already I'm completely blown away." She dropped to her knees in front of him and took hold of his face. "You are my hero in so many big and small ways. So few people ever get to know a hero, much less marry one. My answer is 'yes', Em. I can't wait to marry you."
"Then it's a damn good thing you don't have to, huh?" he asked, his smile filling up his face.
She laughed and hugged him tightly. "I can't believe you planned a wedding without me, you big oaf."
"Seriously, babe, when have I ever gone big without knowing just what you want?" he asked as they helped each other to their feet.
"Lee, he's done such an amazing job," Kate reassured her. "Just come look in our dressing tent and you'll see."
"But don't we need things? A license? My parents? Your parents?" Lee questioned, looking to Emmett for answers.
"All of those things and more are in the main tent. They're just waiting for Whit to pop in there and tell them this wedding is a go," he promised her.
"Hell yeah it's a go," Lee exclaimed while wrapping Emmett up in another fierce hug.
Masen and Whit wore identical grins as they bumped fists. They'd been pretty certain the size of the gesture and Em's pure sincerity would get Lee to fall in love with the idea.
The next forty-five minutes were an absolute frenzy for the guys. They had to get everyone out of the main tent and into the right seats on the beach. They had to make sure the caterers had everything they needed to get ready for the dinner that would immediately follow the ceremony. Then once everyone was in the tent, they would set up some tables outside for the sunset dessert and dancing they had planned. They also had to make sure the DJ was ready to go with Whit's song selections.
After all of that, they had to find out which style Lee had chosen and get their suits on. Since they'd wanted to leave a few things for Lee to choose herself, they'd given her the option of casual dress and formal dress for the wedding. Originally Em was set to go find out but he was so giddy with excitement that he couldn't be trusted not to barge into the tent—he was just supposed to meet Kate outside the ladies' dressing tent to find out. With Whit answering a few last minute questions from the DJ, it fell to Masen to go find out.
"Oh my gosh, I so called it," Kate said, laughing as Masen made his way over to her. "I knew Em would be too excited to be trusted."
He chuckled. "Excited is too weak an adjective, Kate."
"I bet!"
"So what's the big decision? Are we going casual or formal?"
"You guys are definitely going casual. As for the trio of lovely ladies you'll be eagerly waiting to arrive at the altar, you get zero info. Lee wants it to be a surprise."
"All the planning I put into this and you want me to walk around not knowing something about it?"
"Oh, sweetie," she cooed as she patted his cheek. "There's no want. There just is. Now be good and run along. I am not above calling your mom over to handle you."
The thought of his mom had him smiling. "She looks great, doesn't she?"
"That yellow dress is perfect against her skin. And her baby bump. And of course she looks absolutely adorable with Carlisle. I have no doubt Lee and Emmett will look fantastic today but I still give cutest couple award to Esme and Carlisle."
Masen snorted. "I'm sure she would appreciate that."
"Speaking of appreciating things, don't you think it's time you tell her the whole nursery thing was a ruse to keep Lee in the dark about the wedding planning?"
Masen grinned proudly. "It wasn't a ruse at all. We did both."
Kate's jaw dropped. "There is no way you did both. I know how much time you put into this wedding. I was right there helping for nearly all of it."
"Except for those times when you were working your day job or sleeping," he pointed out.
"When did you ever have time to yourself? Or with Bella?"
He shrugged. "We made it work."
"Masen, you really are a hell of a guy and a remarkable son. Don't ever change." She gave him a quick hug and then a playful smack on the cheek. "Now go get the groom dressed and ready for his bride."
"Yes, ma'am," he said before turning to jog back to the guys' dressing tent behind the main tent.
"Don't call me, ma'am!" she called after him. "I'm not Tanya's age just yet."
He laughed about that comment most of the way to the tent, knowing Tanya's payback for that would be swift and hilarious.
He had one foot in the tent and already Emmett was peppering him with questions. "What are we doing? What are we wearing? What's she wearing? How's she look? Beautiful, right? She's gorgeous all the time anyway but today—"
"Breathe," Masen ordered, gripping Em's shoulders tightly. "Relax and breathe."
"I can't relax! I'm getting married," Em shouted at him.
Whit's loud, surprised laughter filled the tent. "Are you seriously just realizing this? What did you think was the point of all this double-secret work we've been doing for months?"
"I knew—of course I knew. But I didn't know. Lee is ninety-nine percent predictable but man can that one percent fuck your shit up!"
Masen laughed, knowing exactly what Emmett meant about his best friend. "Whit, do you remember our Cali trip and how we didn't bother inviting Lee on our benitoite dig?"
"Yep," Whit answered with a nod and a chuckle. "We knew she wouldn't want to come because digging in the dirt had never been her thing. We figured we'd share our haul with her and she'd be excited to get some of the blue gems. We never expected what happened instead."
"She was hot. I'm talking so pissed off that we had left her behind that she couldn't even speak to us," Masen shared. "It turned out that she had read up on Cali before the trip and she had planned on presenting the dig idea as a surprise to Whit and me on the last day of our trip since it would be a full day off to see the sights."
"So we damn sure understand the fear of the one percent," Whit added.
Emmett released a long breath. "I just want to give her the fairytale she deserves. I want her to feel like for this one day, her life is better than any movie out there."
"Trust us, bro, she's feeling it," Whit assured him.
"Is she ever," Masen said with a chuckle. "We have been instructed to go with the casual outfits while being denied the knowledge of what the ladies will be wearing. Lee wants us surprised at the altar."
Em's smile filled his face. "I love that woman. Have I told you guys how much I love her?"
"More than all the comics in the land," Whit joked. "We know, bro."
"I kind of got you guys something," Em said, scratching at the back of his head. "I wanted to show you both how much I appreciate all the hard work you put into this and—well, I just hope you get where I'm coming from with it." He went over to his duffle bag and pulled some grey cloth out of it. "I had these made special for us."
The cloth turned out to be a light-grey t-shirt made of lightweight fabric and emblazoned with "Wayne Industries" and "Applied Sciences Dept.".
Em still looked nervous as he explained himself. "We were basically mad scientists skulking around the edges of our family life in order to make things right for our loved ones. We might not be The Batman, but we are damn sure worthy sidekicks."
"These are great, bro. Thanks," Whit told him.
"What else is there?" Masen asked, grinning in his surety that there was more to it.
Em smiled right back. "How cool are we gonna look when we bust open our dress shirts to reveal these bad boys?"
Whit chuckled as he clamped a hand down on Masen's shoulder. "One thing is for damn sure. No one can ever say they have a more entertaining brother-in-law than we do."
Masen snorted. "Let's just get this big oaf dressed and ready to meet his bride at the altar. We have the rest of our lives to be entertained by him."
Twenty minutes later, the guys stood barefoot in crisp white dress shirts and cream colored dress pants. The necklines of their grey undershirts were slightly visible with the top two buttons of their dress shirts undone.
"Are you sure you shouldn't have a jacket on," Emmett's mom asked for the fourth time in as many minutes.
"Momma, Lee said casual and that is exactly what I'm giving her."
"I just can't believe my first born is old enough to get married."
"And do a few other things," Whit murmured just loud enough so Masen would hear it and laugh.
"You boys, I want you two to promise me that you're going to continue watching out for my Emmett. Just because he's getting married doesn't mean he doesn't need looking after."
"We promise, Mrs. McCarty," Masen assured her.
"Mary Anne, it's time to sit down now," her husband said as he took her by the arm and walked her back to her seat. Emmett McCarty Senior looked pretty much exactly how Masen pictured Gopher would look at that age, though with a lot less teeth showing. Gopher did not get his sense of humor from his father at all—it actually had come from his grandfather on his mom's side.
The music for Lee's walk down the aisle began to play and Masen nodded to Whit in approval of his musical choice. The violin and cello sounds truly fit their beach setting perfectly.
"A Thousand Years seemed fitting," Whit whispered. "He'd easily wait that long to be with her."
Masen wasn't familiar with the song but he absolutely agreed with the sentiment behind the choice. Over the past few months Emmett had proven he would do anything for Lee's happiness.
The music picked up tempo and Kate stepped into view at the end of the aisle, wearing the formal selection bridesmaid dress. It was a teal strapless dress that was full-length and featured a side-seam ruffle that moved like a wave with each step Kate took.
Masen craned his neck, desperate for a glimpse of Bella in that dress. She hadn't been able to come with them to the final fitting due to work so this would be his first time seeing her in it.
Whit chuckled as he discreetly elbowed him. "Behave, bro. You'll see her soon enough."
Masen did his best to relax while waiting for Kate to reach the front of the aisle and step aside. But by the time she did, Lee was at the end of the aisle with her dad and Masen only had time for a quick glimpse of Bella. It was not nearly enough but it would have to do for now.
Lee looked like every adjective he'd ever heard thrown around about a bride—radiant, gorgeous, glowing, happy, in love. That last one was the most important because without that, none of this meant anything.
He knew it was customary to say the bride looked like a princess but in his view, Lee was a queen walking towards them in her formal white wedding dress. It had a fitted top that disappeared into a full, flowing skirt covered in white tulle that sparkled when the sun hit it just right. Pink plumerias—her favorite flowers—decorated the left side of her dress at the waist, matching the ones scattered throughout her flowing hair. Her bouquet was made up of the same flowers, mixed with orange hibiscus that matched the tinted edges of the plumerias. Kate and Esme had done an outstanding job with creating the bouquet.
Lee kissed her dad's cheek and then he placed her hand in Emmett's. The identical excited smiles they wore had Masen and Whit chuckling. It also had Masen feeling a clinch in his chest, not as if something was wrong but as if it was finally being made right. It only took him a moment of thought to figure it out—it was the feeling of relief that his sister's dream of happily ever after was coming true for her.
The ceremony seemed to pass quickly and Masen was surprised that it was already time to exchange vows and rings. Emmett had wanted to keep the bands smooth so that they wouldn't need to be taken off during work often—if at all—but he hadn't wanted them to be so simple to where the rings wouldn't fit their personalities. Whit had suggested engraving as the answer to the puzzle and the products were damn fine in Masen's opinion.
Lee apparently agreed judging by the gasp she let out as Emmett slipped her platinum wedding band onto her finger, emblazoned with two words that perfectly summed up what their marriage would be—Love Forever.
With vows and rings exchanged and lips happily kissed, it was time to move everyone into the tent for a break from the heat of the late afternoon sun and for a chance to congratulate the newly married couple.
Masen hung back, preferring to take in all of the excitement from a quiet corner. He knew it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for him for pictures and toasts, neither of which were things he particularly enjoyed in front of a large crowd.
As usual, it was Esme who found him, gifting him a cold beer and a warm hug. "You did good, kid."
"Seems like it."
"No one could have done a better job at pulling this together. Though I suspect that's mostly because no one loves Lee like you do. People seem to think only those romantically linked can be soul mates but I know better. I've seen it with my own eyes. You and Lee are a matched set. Sometimes I wonder if you two weren't twins in another life."
"I don't know about any of that. I just know she's special and she needed someone who could see that."
"Would you like to know my greatest wish for this baby?" she asked, rubbing a hand across her eight-months-pregnant belly.
He shook his head, not having a clue.
"That you'll love this baby the way you love Lee and Whit. If I have that, then I also have peace of mind because I know you will always be there for this baby."
He smiled as he wrapped both arms around her in a hug. "You are absolutely going to have that wish come true, Mom. I promise."
Whit walked up at that moment. "Hey, Mase, I hate to interrupt but Lee is asking for you."
"Duty calls," Esme said as she made a quick attempt to fix his wild hair.
He ducked away from her and quickly walked away with a laughing Whit.
As soon as Lee set eyes on him, she broke away from the family surrounding her and made a beeline for Masen, attacking him with one hell of a hug. "Em told me what you did for us. You—Masen—I just really love you."
Her words brought a huge smile to his face. "'Ohana, Lee-Lee."
"'Ohana," she agreed, letting out a nervous laugh as she let go of him. "You better not have messed up my dress."
"You hugged me, remember?"
"You made me have to so still your fault."
"Mase, what have you done to my wife?" Em asked, slipping an arm around her waist.
"He called me his wife," Lee giddily pointed out.
Masen cracked up, remembering a day not all that long ago when Esme had said something similar.
"Hey, you guys," Bella said as she joined Lee and Emmett. "I seem to have misplaced the hot guy I came here with. Know of anyone who can stand in for him?"
Masen's laughter immediately dried up and he growled at her as he pulled her into his arms.
"Oh, hey!" she greeted with a devilish smile. "It's the hot guy."
"I couldn't be all that hot if you gave up looking for me."
"I didn't give up," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I just decided to let you come to me."
"Lucky me." He leaned in for a kiss but a hand suddenly appeared between them.
"Mase, while I know ruffles get you riled up, I can't risk you messing up Bella's dress or makeup until after pictures have been taken," Lee told him.
"Then let's get them going and over with because I'm tired of not being able to fully appreciate how damn ravishing my kapu looks."
Lee laughed at his comment while Bella's cheeks turned a dark pink that matched Alice's dress. The little sister had actually made herself useful more than once during all of the months of planning and prep, leading to a much more civil relationship between her and the misfits. If she kept up the current course she was on, she could eventually become a true friend to them all.
After pictures came the dinner, followed by toasts and stories, and many congratulations and best wishes for the happy couple. With that part done, some stayed in the main tent but most followed the bride and groom outside for dessert and dancing in the moonlight.
Lee's face was priceless when the song for the bride and groom's first dance started to play. Elton John's Your Song had always been a favorite of hers so Masen wondered why she seemed so shocked to hear it.
Whit answered as if he'd heard the question. "She never expected it with how much I've always teased her about her old taste in music."
"I don't think it's old at all," Alice chimed in. "Vintage maybe, but vintage never goes out of style. Bella, you should have some music like this at your wedding. In fact, just let Whit plan your whole set list like he did for Lee and Gopher."
"I'm not sure we'll have a dancing portion to our wedding," Bella replied from her cozy spot in Masen's arms. "This one isn't a big fan of dancing and even less so of a crowd watching as he does it. He's been griping about having to dance with Lee for weeks now."
"Oh but you have to dance at your wedding," Alice insisted. "It's tradition. Plus, you two looked so cute dancing together at Esme and Carlisle's party."
"I wouldn't worry about it, Ali," Whit told her. "Mase will cave if Bella asks him too. Just like he caved when Emmett asked him to do a brother-sister dance with Lee."
Masen rolled his eyes. "I only agreed because it was basically the only thing he asked to have that was just for him."
"Since we're finally here for the big event, will you reveal your song choices now?" Bella asked.
"I can't think of a reason why not," Whit answered with a shrug. "Em's choice out of the options I gave him for their second dance is Meghan Trainor's What if I. Then we'll toss Masen out there and he'll dance with Lee to You're My Best Friend by Queen. We'll slow it down a bit by Lee cutting a rug with me to Bruno Mars' Count On Me. And to round it all out, Bob Marley singing Three Little Birds while Daddy Hale dances with his beloved daughter. After that, it's a mix of oldies, Motown, some new stuff that's romantic without being cheesy, and a few sprinkles of rock and roll to shake things up."
"Oh the second song is starting!" Alice announced, clapping in her excitement. "Whit, would you want to dance with me?"
"I'd be a fool to pass up an invitation to dance with a beautiful woman."
The two of them joined Lee and Emmett on the dance floor and were soon followed by a lot of other couples, including Esme and Carlisle.
"She gets three dances max and no rock and roll," Masen grumbled.
"She's fine," Bella assured him.
"I'm sorry," he said, hugging her tighter. "You've had to say that to me a lot lately."
"I think it's sweet that you're worried for her and the baby. Unnecessary but sweet."
Masen could have given her an entire list of reasons why it was anything but unnecessary but decided instead to watch his best friend dance with her new husband. Lee's eyes were glued to Emmett's face as he swayed with her on the makeshift dance floor. Each time he sang parts of the song to her she laughed joyously and gave him a hug. She was purely happy and to Masen that qualified this day as perfect for her.
Bella fidgeted in his arms and he looked down at her, wanting to make sure she wasn't getting uncomfortable standing here. "Everything okay?"
She pressed her hand to his cheek. "You're teary-eyed for your best friend," she told him. "I love it!"
He snorted. "Am not. It's the lighting. Be quiet."
She grinned and sang along with the song playing, "What if I wanna kiss you tomorrow?"
"I'd rather right now," he said, already leaning in to put his lips on hers. Finally being able to kiss and hold her made him want to spend the entire night in this one spot doing just this one thing. But duty called all too soon and he had to let her go to fulfill his brotherly duty.
With the first dances done, it was time to reveal the wedding cake to Lee. Emmett stood behind Lee with his hands over her eyes while the caterers set the cake up in the middle of the table. Once they moved, Whit and Masen stood behind the cake, ready for what would come after Lee had time to take in the front of the cake.
Em removed his hands and Lee gasped at her first look at the cake. It had four tiers and was decorated with pearls and flowers made of icing. It was feminine and royal, like her dress.
Now that Em was standing with them, the guys pulled their dress shirts open to reveal their Wayne Industries shirts and then spun the cake around to reveal the backside. Lee blinked a couple times, as if she couldn't trust her eyes. All of a sudden, she was laughing. A deep belly laugh that had the guys laughing right along with her.
"This is perfectly you, Emmett," Lee said as he went in for a hug from her. "I was worried you didn't have anything that represented you but I should have known you would tie it to the food."
The backside of the cake held four tiers of super hero references. The top was for Captain America. The next was Spiderman. Followed by Batman. And the bottom tier belonged to Iron Man.
The inside of the cake was Lee and Em's favorite—devils food, and it was served with a chocolate mousse for those that weren't into cake. Esme and Carlisle stayed long enough to each enjoy a slice and then they made their rounds, kissing everyone goodnight and giving one last round of congratulations to the happy couple. Masen could see in her face how proud she was of all of her misfits. He hoped he'd see that same look next weekend when he revealed the completed nursery at her baby shower.
The last couple hours of the party were spent dancing off dessert, laughing together, and revealing details of how they had planned and pulled off a secret wedding. Lee was equally impressed and appalled at all they'd managed to accomplish without her ever suspecting anything.
It seemed sudden to Masen, but here it was already—midnight. The end of their permit and the end of Lee's perfect day. There were a lot of hugs shared and more than a few jokes about breaking beds passed around as the couple made their goodbyes to all of their guests.
Masen and Bella were the last to see them off. He was able to hug his sister as hard as he wanted, no longer needing to be concerned for her dress. "I love you, sis."
"Nobody out there has a better best friend than I do." She purposefully paused and then teased him with the term he least enjoyed. "Little brother."
"You get a pass this time but only because it's your wedding day." He kissed her forehead and then let her go.
With Emmett, he shook his hand and then hugged him. He also did something that was slowly becoming less rare with them—he told him he loved him.
Masen and Bella kept watch until Lee and Gopher were in her car and then they made their way over to the dressing tents to change so they could help cleanup. With the caterers helping, they were able to have everything taken apart and packed away in a little under two hours.
Walking hand in hand toward where Bella had hidden the Bronco, Masen felt both happy and bone tired. He had no doubts he would sleep hard and long once his head hit his corner of Bella's pillow.
"I was thinking …"
He waited to see if she would say anything more before nudging her. "About what?"
"Maybe our wedding could be small and fun like that."
"Kapu, all you have to do is pick a date and I'll make sure you have any kind of wedding you want."
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the truck. It was when he opened the door for her that she looked up at him and spoke. "May sixth."
He knew she didn't mean this year but he couldn't resist teasing her. "I'm good, but I'm not that good, kapu. I'll need a bit more time."
"Next May. One year. That's plenty of time for planning without going crazy right? Because while I love what we did for Lee and Em, I don't want life to be so jam packed that we don't see each other without scheduling it."
"I didn't like it either and if I'd have figured out any other way to make this all happen."
"I know," she said as she put her head on his chest and her arms around him. "You did what needed to be done and I'm not upset at all. I just missed you."
"I missed you too." He held her for a bit before bringing the conversation back around to the original topic. "I think a year is plenty of time."
She lifted her head and looked up at him. "So then we agree? May sixth of next year?"
"Why that particular date?"
"I like the symmetry of it. Five plus six is eleven, and one and one is two. And it leaves April to Lee and Gopher, and lets us get married and have room for a short honeymoon before another season starts for MMR. But if you don't like it—"
"Kapu, I don't care about the date or what we wear or how big the wedding is. I just wanna marry you."
Her smile filled her face as she looked at him with those caramel eyes that made his heart beat faster every single time. "Aloha Au Ia 'Oe, Edward."
"Mau Loa, kapu."
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
A/N:
We hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as we did! Bella really has come so far from where she started. And seeing Lee and Gopher become happily married to each other was as fun as it was sweet. Masen is absolutely a big softie, despite his assurances that he's only ever logical.