Chapter 4
"Isabella Marie Swan."
Bella flinched and wrapped her quilt tighter around her. She knew that attempting to avoid the party and the pre-party bustle was pretty much useless, but it didn't mean she wouldn't give it a shot.
With a sharp yank, Edward pulled the covers off the bed. "You're not getting out of this," he warned. "I'm not letting you. If I have to do it, then by God, so do you."
"I'm sorry, Edward, but I can't," she said in a hoarse voice—obviously faked. "I'm sick."
He rolled his eyes to show how much he believed her. "Uh-huh."
"Seriously! I think I caught the swine flu. How can I tell if I have it or not?"
"If you start foaming at the mouth and it tastes like bacon grease," he answered. He took a seat at the edge of her bed and felt her forehead. "You're not warm." Then he gently felt the soft area under her jaw and around her neck. "Your glands don't feel swollen. Funny thing, Bella, I don't think you're sick."
She rolled her eyes. "Just because you're right most of the time doesn't mean you're right all of the time. I know my body better than you do, and it's telling me that I'm sick."
Ordering didn't seem to be working so Edward quickly switched tactics. "Bella, please?" he asked quietly, his eyes smoldering with intensity. What he was about to do actually wasn't very fair, but desperate times call for desperate measures. "I need you there." He took her hand in both of his without ever tearing his green gaze from her beautiful, porcelain face. "I need you there to keep my sanity."
Bella could almost feel her will physically crumbling. Oh, hell—whom was she kidding? The foundation started to crack the moment he barged into her bedroom. "Fine," she grumbled as she reluctantly got out of her bed. "But I'm going straight home afterwards with no clean-up duty!"
"Agreed," he answered eagerly. Anything to get her to go.
She left for the bathroom to run a brush through her mouth and detangle her hair enough to tie it up in a ponytail. When she was finished, she came out to meet Edward in the hallway in a pair of tatty sweatpants and torn t-shirt. He raised her eyebrows at her and she simply rolled her eyes. "I'm going to have to change into whatever ridiculous dress Alice wants me in later tonight anyway. I don't want to make an effort for the pre-party crap."
"It's not ridiculous," he assured. "She checked with me before she got it."
When they arrived at the Cullen mansion ten minutes later, Alice immediately put them to work. "Bella, I need you to take your truck into Port Angeles and pick up some of the tables and chairs that the party people forgot. While you're there, I also need you to go to The Sunshine Bakery and pick up the cake." She ripped a piece of paper from her clipboard and handed it to her. "Here are the addresses. And take Edward with you; he has to pick up his suit anyway."
Bella was glad for an excuse to get away from the hustle and bustle of the main house. With the directions and the addresses in hand, she and Edward went back to her house to pick up her truck and head to Port Angeles. Factoring in travel time, she estimated that it would take her at least three and a half hours.
"You know, we could get there faster if you let me drive," Edward said hopefully.
"Forget it," Bella said firmly. "My truck. I drive."
He frowned. "I helped restore your truck, you know."
"I know, and I thank you for that. But you drive like a maniac, and I would rather not have to make a trip to the hospital today."
He rolled his eyes. "I do not drive like a maniac," he said petulantly as he crossed his arms and slumped into his seat.
Forty-five minutes later, they got to Port Angeles and fetched the rest of the linens and the tables. The people at the rental place were good-natured and they helped them load them into the back of her truck. Then after fifteen minutes of searching for the bakery, they finally found it tucked away into a corner far from the main tourist street. The outward appearance of the place made Bella skeptical that the establishment could produce any sort of edible product, but they walked out of the place with a four-tiered, chocolate masterpiece lined with fresh strawberries and decorated with calligraphic letters.
"I know I shouldn't be surprised," Edward began as they carefully maneuvered the cake in between their seats in the truck, "but Alice really outdid herself with this cake."
"No kidding," Bella murmured as she turned the ignition.
The last stop was the tailor's shop. Bella stayed in the truck while Edward went inside. He emerged fifteen minutes later with a hanger and a garment bag slung over his shoulder with a bored expression. He almost looked like was walking down a fashion runway.
"Is that everything?" she asked as he climbed back in.
"I think so."
During the drive back, they had a deep discussion on what they predicted would happen at the party.
"I bet Lauren tries to get you to kiss her by the end of the night," Bella announced.
He raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Well five bucks says Newton asks you to dance with him six times tonight. And another five bucks says that he tries to start a fight with Crowley when he cuts in for the seventh."
"Oh really?"
"Really."
"Fine then. I take your bet. Ten dollars."
"Fine."
Bella shot him a sidelong glance. "You seem awfully sure about this. Did Alice predict it or something?"
"No," he answered, his voice uncharacteristically dark. "But Crowley and Newton are very predictable, and I already know what they're going to be thinking when they see you tonight."
She smiled softly and reached across the space between them to lay her hand gently on his forearm. "Don't worry about me tonight, Edward. I'll be fine. I'll make sure that Mike doesn't slip anything in my drink."
He caught her hand in his and squeezed. "I know, but I can't help worrying about you anyway."
Bella laughed. "It's in your nature, worry wart."
They got back to the Cullen mansion three hours before the party was about to start. Alice must have disappeared into the house because Esme had taken her place, directing and overseeing the labor. She had already changed into her party gown and she looked absolutely amazing; her vintage, mermaid dress was deep red with a black lace overlay. It had a heart-shaped neckline offset by two wide straps that rested over the crest of her shoulders. The skirt clung to her hips, but flared out when it reached her knees and stopped mid-calf to show off her shapely legs. Her hair, too, looked like something out of Casablanca; her structured curls were pinned perfectly to frame her face and probably sprayed stiff so they wouldn't move an inch.
When she saw the two of them emerge from the truck, she smiled. "Good, you're back. Alice asked me to tell you to bring the cake to the kitchen. The waiters will take care of the tables. When you're done with that, Alice wants Bella to go straight to her room to get ready."
Edward grinned at her. "I'll take care of the cake. You go ahead, Bells."
She made a face at him before trudging toward the house. But try as she might to stall, she reached Alice's room in record time.
"There you are!" she demanded impatiently. She was already dressed: the bodice of her gown looked like an upside down black triangle and the thinnest of straps barely kissed her shoulders. The skirt was a sheath of ivory silk and a second, outer layer of sheer, black fabric that flared away from her hips in an a-line and stopped just at her knees. The dress would have made Audrey Hepburn proud.
"Quick, go take a shower," Alice said imperiously as she stuffed a towel and the necessary undergarments in Bella's arms and shoved her in the direction of the bathroom. "And don't try to stall because I am not afraid to go in there and pull you out of the shower."
There was no doubt in Bella's mind that she would, so she made the shower a quick one. When she was finished, she emerged in her full satin slip and a haze of steam.
"Sit," Alice said simply and pointed to the chair in front of her vast vanity mirror. Laid out on the table was seemingly every beauty product known to man. Bella made a face when she realized that Alice would probably have to use all of it to make her look even somewhat presentable.
Rosalie strode into the room a moment later dressed in her nurse's costume. Being in the room with the two of them made Bella feel like she stepped back in time.
"You guys look amazing," she told them.
Rosalie flashed her a gorgeous smile. "Thanks. And now, it's your turn."
The two of them combed, tugged, ironed and pinned every inch of her hair. When they were finished, they sprayed on a layer of hairspray so thick, her hair alone could have ripped a new hole in the ozone layer.
"Rosalie, can you do her makeup while I try to steam out the wrinkles in her dress?"
"Sure," the older girl answered.
Bella sat there patiently with her eyes closed as Rose applied her eye shadow, liner, mascara and lipstick with a professional's touch. When she pulled away, Bella felt sharply surprised by her image in the mirror. She looked almost…pretty.
"Voila!" Alice declared when she emerged from her closet with Bella's dress. The brunette caught sight of its reflection from the mirror and she gasped. Edward must have been on crack because—in her dictionary—that dress counted as the epitome of ridiculous.
"Alice! You can't be serious!"
"But I am!" the smaller girl said earnestly with wide eyes. "Don't worry, Bella, you'll look amazing."
She reluctantly pulled the dress on. It wasn't that the dress was ugly—far from it, actually. It was strapless and made of deep blue satin that clung to each of her nonexistent curves. The satin gathered in an intricate ruching pattern over her bust and the front of the dress was overlaid with a layer of black lace and sparkling beading around the edge of the hem. The back of the dress dipped low and flowed away from her hips with extra fabric, almost like a cape. Yes, the dress was lovely. The only problem was that Bella couldn't pull it off.
Rosalie and Alice, however, disagreed. "Bella, you look beautiful," Rosalie breathed, her blue eyes wide in amazement.
Bella looked down at herself skeptically. "Are you sure? I feel a little ridiculous."
"Nonsense," Alice said briskly as she stepped forward with a diamond necklace to complete the effect.
Bella glanced at herself one last time in the mirror and sighed. Even if she thought she looked terrible, it was too late. She doubted there was another dress that would have been appropriate enough and Alice wouldn't have let her change. So she was stuck either way.
"Are we ready?" Alice asked as she handed Bella her silver shoes.
The other two girls nodded. With that, they walked out of Alice's room and toward the staircase. Bella had to take great care not to stumble and fall in her borrowed heels. She was looking down the entire time, so she missed Edward's reaction as he waited for her in the foyer.
Edward was…stunned. Yes, that was a good word. Stunned. He knew the dress was beautiful; he had seen it beforehand. And frankly, Bella would have looked lovely in a burlap sack. But nothing could have prepared him for the way she looked in that dress. Satin was usually an unforgiving fabric, emphasizing every flaw in the wearer's figure. But on Bella, it showed off all of her delicious curves like second skin. And the deep blue made her pale visage glow until it seemed like she was the only light source in the room.
"Here," Emmett muttered as he walked up behind him. He handed Edward a napkin.
Edward shook himself from his dumbstruck daze. "What's this for?"
Emmett smirked. "To wipe the drool off your chin."
Jasper laughed and Edward punched his older brother in the shoulder. "Shut up," he grumbled.
When she finally made it all the way down, Edward approached her immediately and brought her soft hand to his lips. "You look beautiful," he said in a fervent, soft voice.
Bella laughed charmingly, unaware of the painful throbbing in Edward's ribcage. "Thanks, Edward, but honestly, I'm nothing compared to you tonight." She cast a gaze over his attire and he felt slight pleasure in the admiration he saw there.
And truly, he looked like he should be in Vegas with the rest of the rat pack, smoking on Cuban cigars and shooting craps with a martini on the table and Marilyn Monroe on his arm. He wore a plain black button-down shirt with a thin white tie, a pin-striped, double-breasted jacket (complete with a carnation tucked into the breast pocket), pinstriped pants and a black fedora with a wide brim and a gray ribbon tied around it set at a jaunty angle atop his messy bronze locks. And Bella knew quite well that by the end of the night he would discard the jacket and roll up his sleeves, making him look even more debonair than usual.
When she finally pulled her gaze away from Edward, she noticed Emmett and Jasper. Jasper wore a khaki military uniform with his tie tucked into his shirt and his hat struggling to lie flat on his blond hair. Emmett was dressed as a sailor: head to toe in white with navy trim and a navy tie.
"Wow!" Esme exclaimed when she walked out into the foyer. Carlisle stood beside her, dressed like Humphrey Bogart in khaki pants, white button-down shirt, red tie, fedora and a long trench coat.
"Alice, you really pulled it off," Carlisle said with admiration. "All of you look amazing."
"Thanks, Dad," Alice beamed.
Esme pulled one of the waiters aside and asked him to take a picture on her digital camera. The eight of them gathered together and smiled widely for the camera. Then Esme insisted that the couples take couple pictures as well. Jasper and Alice took their picture at the base of the staircase while Emmett and Rosalie recreated the famous "V-Day" pose. Then she gave the camera to Edward and he took a picture of her and Carlisle next to the door. He had his arms wrapped around her waist as she leaned away with her leg popped in the air and a wide smile on both their faces. Needless to say, they all looked like movie stars.
After the pictures were taken, they all did one last check before the guests started arriving. The forty-piece jazz band had set up on a stage outside and fifty tables were laid out with sparkling centerpieces of roses and candles. An open bar stood off to the side closest to the house with a bartender serving mocktails. And servers milled about in white dinner jackets and slicked back hair.
"I stand corrected, Alice," Bella conceded. "I will never doubt your abilities ever again."
The tiny girl smirked. "I thought so."
Just then, the doorbell decided to ring. "They're here," Emmett sang in a creepy voice.
Esme and Carlisle smiled at them. "Are you ready?" she asked.
The six young people took a deep breath and nodded. With that, the older couple ventured back into the house to answer the door.
"Here we go," Bella murmured to Edward.
"Don't worry," he said as he squeezed her arm in reply. "Everything will be fine."
"Do me a favor?"
His eyes softened as he gazed at her. "Anything."
"Don't let me fall."
He grinned and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist. That, he could do. "I promise."