Naughty Secrets Chapter 21 – Better Late Than Never, a twilight fanfic

Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight or any of the characters in this story. If I did own the characters, I can think of a few that I would lock up in my bedroom and never allow them to see the light of day. Others would be dropped off at the local shelter for stupid characters (if such a place existed). Oh well, as they say, you wouldn't appreciate the good if you never knew the bad.

Chapter 21 – Better Late Than Never

EPOV

I know it may sound strange, but I clearly remember the day I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Bella, and of course it wasn't until after we were already married. It was April 1st. Jacob brought Bella a letter from Paul. I read it and gave it to her to read after dinner. It was obvious that Paul was still confused, but he seemed a little better now that he was taking his medication again.

Bella read the letter and started to cry. I tried to hold her but she pulled away. She went into the guest room and dug through some of her boxes that hadn't been unpacked yet. Later, I found her sitting at desk in the office typing a letter to Paul. She had scanned a picture out of an old photo album and added it to the top of the page. The picture was of four kids in a row boat. They were all smiling.

"The two in the back of the boat are Sam and Paul. Jake is sitting up front with me. I think we must have been about seven years old. Sam talked us into going fishing. My dad thought it was pretty funny because I always hated to fish. We got all the way out into the middle of the lake and sat there for about five minutes before we got bored. We ended up swimming instead." Bella said with a smile.

She typed the letter to Paul, printed it out, and signed it. I picked it up and read it.

Dear Paul,

It has been a long time since our childhood. We had a lot of good times back then. I know you must miss Sam just as much as I miss my mom. It's important that we remember the happy times we had with them. When I think of Sam, I remember how he used to take care of you. He was always the strong one. Do you remember how he rowed the boat all the way out into the lake by himself, because we were all too weak to do it? I had fun swimming that day. I hope this is a good memory for you too.

I know that things have been tough for you since the loss of your father and brother. I am sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed a friend. I know you never meant to hurt me. You didn't know it was me and I didn't know it was you. I guess we have both changed a lot in the last ten years or so. You have changed from a skinny little boy with messy hair that always hid in his big brother's shadow to a big strong man that was ready to rescue someone you thought was being held in captivity.

I have changed too. I am no longer a freckle faced little girl with frizzy hair and her nose buried in a book. I am a grown woman now. I look more like a lady than a little kid. I am married to a great man and don't work at night in Seattle anymore.

I know you never meant to hurt me and you really are sorry for what you did. I accept your apology and really hope that you are able to get better. I wanted to write to let you know that you did no permanent harm. I am happy and I am free.

Thank you for being concerned for me.

Bella

The level of compassion and forgiveness that this woman has is astounding. I don't know that I would be so forgiving. After she wrote the letter she called Jacob and asked if he would take it to Paul next time he went out to see him. Jake said he would take it by there in a few days.

She hung up the phone and said, "Ok, I am putting all that behind me now. I am officially ready to move on with my life. Edward, are there any loose ends still left for us to clear up? I know I need to get in there and go through those boxes and I need to sort through my clothes to get rid of things that don't fit. Is there anything you can think of that you would like to do?"

I picked up the scrapbook from the coffee table and flipped to the picture of us kissing at our wedding. "I would like to have a wedding I can remember clearly."

She put her head on my shoulder and ran her finger over the picture. "It's strange that most of our memories have come back except that moment. We remember the bar, shopping, the park, the bank, and walking across the street but not actually getting married."

I wrapped my arms around her and said, "Bella, what do you think? Can we get married again? This time we can invite our friends and family. It doesn't have to be anything big. We can do it however we want."

"I think I would like that." she answered. "When do you want to do it?"

"How fast do you think we can plan a wedding?" I said with a devious grin, "Today is April 1st. Do you think we could get it all planned and put together for say… the end of July? That would give us a couple weeks in August for our honeymoon, before school starts back up."

Bella pulled out her note pad and said, "Only if you let ME plan it. You overanalyze everything. Let me take care of it. I will let you know what I want you to do."

She sat down a made some notes on the notepad. The next morning, she brought her notebook with her to school. She made phone calls when she wasn't busy in the library. By lunch time, she already had four pages of notes. That evening, she had the date planned. We were going to get married on August 8th. This date was important to her because it was her mother's birthday.

She called Alice and Kate to ask them to be in the wedding. Of course both ladies were thrilled. I called Jasper and Jacob and got shit from both of them. Jacob complained that he would have to dress up but said he would be happy to do it. Jasper accused me of just trying to "stake my claim" so no one would mess with Bella again but agreed be my best man after Alice punched him in the shoulder and told him to stop being an ass.

The following Saturday Bella and the ladies went to Port Angeles to find dresses. I was shocked when they actually found something in one day! I always thought there was some sort of unwritten rule that a woman had to look at literally every store within a 500 mile radius before they made a decision. Thank god I was wrong.

Bella and I sat down together and decided what we wanted written on our invitations. She was going to save some money and print them up herself. She picked up some really nice card stock from a craft shop and printed the invitations at home. Originally Bella was pretty insistent that it was going to be a small wedding but once she started printing the invitations I realized that my idea of small and her idea of small were two totally different things. She sent invitations to everybody that worked at the school with us, everyone that worked with her father, all of her family, all of her friends, she even invited the old lady at the grocery store because she has known her all of her life.

When it came time to prepare invitations for my family, the only people I could think of were my parents. Bella called my mom and within a few hours another twenty five invitations were printed. Most of them were for people that were friends of my parents. Mom was thrilled that we were having another wedding. She insisted that they help pay for it. Bella refused at first, but my mom was pretty persuasive. By the end of the week, a wedding fund account was set up in Bella's name at the local bank.

I was tasked with five simple things… Find rings, show up for the tux fitting, show up for the wedding, determine where we were going for our honeymoon, and stay out of the way until I was told otherwise. This sounded simple enough. Boy was I wrong. I looked at the local jewelry store but didn't like any of the rings there. I went online and searched but found nothing. I decided to focus my attention on the honeymoon instead.

With my parents pretty much paying for the entire wedding, Charlie insisted on helping out with the honeymoon. I knew he didn't have a lot of money to spend, so I was looking for something reasonable but romantic. I tried to think of things she would enjoy. I could take her somewhere with a nice beach, but I figured she had already had her share of sunburns for the year. I could take her to a big city with fancy museums and high dollar restaurants but I wanted something with more privacy. I found the perfect place and made reservations for a private cabin at the Kantishna Roadhouse in the heart of the Denali National Park in Alaska. It was a bit out of Charlie's price range so I paid for the difference, but I didn't tell him that. I let him believe that they gave specials for honeymooners and he paid for almost all of it.

The time flew by and next thing I knew, Jasper, Jacob, Charlie, and I were on our way to Port Angeles to try on tuxes. I had been so preoccupied teaching summer school that I didn't realize how quickly the wedding was approaching. Jacob and Charlie met Jasper and I at the tux place. We tried on three different tuxes and found one that we all looked good in. Bella's only requirements were that I NOT wear a white tux. None of us liked the idea of wearing cummerbunds so settled on vests instead. Alice and Kate were wearing deep blue dresses, so I got ties and vests for the guys that matched. I wore a white tie and vest with my black tux. I thought it made me look like a maestro. Charlie chose a dark grey tux to walk Bella down the aisle. It actually looked really nice on him.

Afterwards, we stopped for lunch. Jacob and Jasper were joking about who looked better in their tux while Charlie and I laughed. Charlie took a sip of his beer and said, "I was looking over Bella's checklist. She seems to have taken care of all of her part. I am assuming she gave you a list of things to do. Have you finished with your stuff yet?"

"Next week we go back for the final fitting on the tuxes and sometime between now and the wedding I have to find her a wedding ring." I confessed.

Jacob shook his head, "Damn, Edward, aren't you supposed to have that already? I mean you ARE already married, aren't you?"

"Yes, but we didn't have rings when we married in Mexico. We were waiting until this ceremony for the rings. The only problem is that I just can't find anything I like. I want her to have something special but I'm having problems finding the perfect rings. She said that she doesn't want huge diamond, so I have been looking at smaller sets, but they all look so plain. I want her to have something that is as special as she is."

Charlie nodded his head and said, "I know where you can find the perfect ring." We all looked at him, "It is a gold band with a pretty design on it. It has a nice diamond on it, but it's not set really high up, so it doesn't look gaudy. Bella has always loved it."

"That sounds perfect." I said, "It's just the kind of thing I'm looking for. Where is it?"

Charlie took a deep breath and stared off into the distance, "In my drawer at home. It was her mother's. Before she died, she told me that she didn't want to be buried with it on. She wanted Bella to have it. I was holding onto it until the time was right and I guess this is it. I don't even think Bella knows that I have it. She has never asked about it or anything."

I could feel my chest tighten with emotion. This was absolutely perfect. When we got home, I followed Charlie to his house to look at the ring. It was exactly as he described. The ring was beautiful and in excellent condition. The ring was narrow at the bottom and got wider toward the top. There was a filigree pattern on the sides and across the top of the ring. The narrow part at the bottom of the ring was decorated in tiny infinity symbols. While I was looking at it, Charlie handed me another ring. "Here, Edward, try this on and see how it fits."

It was Charlie's ring. It was a small gold band that had the same infinity symbol design that was on the bottom of the other ring but this one was all the way around. "Charlie, I can't take your ring. This means a lot to you."

I tried to hand it back but he refused, "No, you take it. I haven't worn it in years. Besides, it would look pretty strange for me to be wearing a wedding ring that matches my daughter's." We both started to laugh. I tried on the ring and it fit perfectly.

Charlie looked at it and said, "Looks good on you, son. You know Renee used to tell me that the symbols meant forever but it would also serve as a reminder of when her birthday was, because she was born on August 8th and the symbols look like little eights on their sides. Since you are getting married on her birthday, it can act as a reminder of your anniversary, too."

"Thank you, Charlie, this means a lot to me and I am sure it will mean a lot to Bella, too." I truly was touched.

Charlie and I decided NOT to tell Bella about it. We thought it would be a nice surprise. On my way home, I was thinking about how we still keep doing things out of order. It is supposed to be the bride's family that helps pay for the wedding. If the groom is going to give his bride a ring that has been in the family, it usually comes from his family. Heck, here we are planning a wedding after the marriage has already begun! I guess we just can't seem to get anything in the right order. It's just our style.

When I got home, I found Bella taking a nap on the couch. She looked so peaceful. I didn't want to wake her, so I snuck into the bedroom and hid the rings in a place where she wouldn't find them, and went into the kitchen to pour myself something to drink. On the counter was the tablet of Bella's wedding planning notes. I started to flip through them and realized that I could only read about one third of what was written. What the hell? Is she losing her mind? Some of the letters are even written backwards?

I was honestly concerned. I went into the living room and knelt down beside her. I gently put my hand on her forehead… no fever. Hmmm. I looked at her closely to see if I could see anything physically wrong. Of course I couldn't see anything wrong with her. I leaned over kissed her cheek. She stirred and said, "There's my prince charming."

"Bella, are you feeling ok?" I asked as she moved over to make room for me to lay down behind her and wrapped her in my arms.

"Yes, I was just a little sleepy, why?"

I held up her notes and said, "Bella, my love, this doesn't make any sense. Do you even know what you were writing?"

She laughed and said, "I know exactly what I was writing. I wrote it like that so you wouldn't be able to mess with it. I know how you stress over the details. I figured if you couldn't read it, you couldn't try to correct it."

I scowled. "I don't like you using some secret code to keep things from me. Your dad said he read through the notes. Does he know this code too? Is it a police thing?"

She laughed, "Edward, there is nothing secret about Russian."

"Charlie knows Russian?" I was honestly shocked. He was so… small town. Crap, I'm starting to sound like my dad.

Bella sat the notebook on the floor beside the couch and rolled over so she was facing me, "Yes, he knows Russian. His family, on his mother's side, was from Russia. His mom was the first to be born here in the US. He was raised bi-lingual so he taught me when I was young, plus I took it in high school as my foreign language."

I pouted. "I have to admit, I am impressed, but I still don't like you keeping secrets from me. This is my wedding too. I think I should be able to know what is going on."

"Edward, you know you will just stress over it. All you need to know is that you go for your final tux fitting next weekend and the weekend after that we get married." She rolled so she was facing me and kissed me softly.

"Do we have a caterer yet?" She didn't answer. She just kissed me softly. "How about music?" She kissed me again. "How many people are going to be there?" She slid a hand up under the back of my shirt and started stroking my skin as she kissed me. "Bella, are you trying to distract me?"

"No, I'm trying to inspire you." She whispered as she kissed me again, this time I felt her tongue softly trace my upper lip. The sensation sent chills up my spine. She had been so preoccupied with the wedding plans lately that we haven't had much time to be intimate with each other so this little bit of attention was a rare treat.

I kissed my way down her neck as my hand slid up the front of her shirt. Her fingers were tangled in my hair and she hitched her leg up over my hip. My hand reached her breast and teased her nipple through the lace of her bra as she gasped. She was tugging at the back of my shirt, trying to pull it off, so I lifted myself up, letting her. Her hands were now at the buttons of my pants. She set up and pulled on them, so I lifted my hips to make it easier for her to slide them down my legs. Before she resumed her position on the couch, she removed her shirt and pants so she was just in her brown lace bra and matching panties.

Her hand slid inside the front of my boxers and began stroking me. She was wild and horny. She wanted me NOW. She slipped off the couch and kissed her way down my body, licking and nipping at me along the way. She pulled my boxers down and took me into her mouth.

"Fuck, Bella, I love it when you do that!" I said as my fingers slid into her hair at the back of her neck to encourage her. She continued to suck as I slid my hand from her neck, down her back, to stroke her ass.

I pulled her toward me slightly. "Come here, love, I want to taste you." I pulled her up on top of me, so that her legs were on either side of my head, while she continued to suck me. It was difficult, because her body was smaller than mine, but I propped my head up on the arm of the couch to put me right where I needed to be. I shifted her panties to the side and started to lick her drenched pussy. She moaned loudly, sending vibrations through my dick, all the way to my spine.

Within a few minutes, her hips were rocking on my face, and she was moaning. She lifted up, letting my dick fall out of her mouth and said, "Fuck, Edward, I want your dick." She climbed off of me and said, "Get your ass in that bedroom, NOW!"

I jumped up and started heading to the bedroom without hesitation as the doorbell rang. Fuck! I turned to look back at Bella who pointed toward the bedroom, giving me silent directions on where she expected me to be, as she walked toward the front door. I heard her mumble something but I couldn't tell what it was because I was already on the bed with my boxers kicked off. She was just peeling off her bra as she stepped inside the bedroom door and pulled it shut.

She stepped out of her panties and crawled up the bed like a predator. She sucked me once more and then kissed her way up my body to kiss my lips. "Fuck me, Edward! Fuck me hard!" she purred.

She positioned herself over me, so my tip was just barely inside her, then bent down and took my nipple in her mouth and started to suck and tease it with her tongue. The sensation was quite distracting. It tickled and felt good at the same time. She clamped down on it gently with her teeth as she slid down my cock, taking me all the way inside her, "Oh Fuck, Bella, that feels so good, baby! Don't stop!" I shouted out as she lifted herself and plunged down on me again.

"Fuck me, Edward. I want to feel your dick slamming inside me!"

She lifted herself back up and stopped. I grabbed her and flipped her over, so I was on top. I lifted her silky legs up over my shoulders and started pumping hard into her. She was screaming and pinching her nipples.

"Yes, Edward, just like that! Don't stop baby! Give it to me, just like that!"

I could feel her pussy starting to tighten around me. "Fuck, Bella, your pussy is so tight!"

"You like it tight, I'll show you tight!" she said as her pussy muscles clamped down on me squeezing my dick.

"Oh shit! That feels so good Bella. Don't stop! Squeeze me baby! Squeeze me with that beautiful pussy of yours."

"Don't stop, Edward! I'm gonna…. Oh Shit! I'm cumming!" Bella screamed out as I continued pumping in her. Seconds later, I let out a scream of my own as I shot off inside her.

We lay there panting and breathless for a minute then Bella sat up. "You need to get dressed. You were supposed to go to the driving range with Jasper and Emmett. They are waiting in the living room."

"They're WHAT?" I said as I jumped out of bed and ran to the bedroom door to peek outside. Sure enough, there, sitting on the loveseat, was Jasper and Emmett trying to look casual. "Geez, Bella, you could have warned me… Hell, you could have sent them to Jasper's house and told them I would come by in a few minutes!"

She laughed and said, "I guess I wasn't thinking very clearly. They were standing at the door, asking for you. I told them that we were busy fucking but it shouldn't take too much longer."

"Did they have to wait inside?"

"Emmett said they would wait in the living room, so I opened the door to let them in, and came in here to you."

"You could have told me to be quiet, at least!" I said as I started grabbing clothes and throwing them on. Bella started getting dressed while I stepped out into the living room. "Umm, hi guys. I didn't know you were here." I said with a blush as I started picking up our scattered clothes.

Jasper laughed as Emmett sat there with a dumb look on his face. "I think poor Emmett here has been scarred for life." Jasper said as he waved a hand in front of Emmett's face.

Bella walked out of the bedroom. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She took the clothes out of my hands and said, "I'll go put these away." When she walked back into the bedroom, Emmett looked up and watched her walk away.

"Emmett, stop drooling over my wife." I teased.

"Dude!" he said, shaking his head. "I thought she was joking when she said you were busy… you know! Then she opened the fucking door and… well, I don't think I will ever be able to look at the color brown again without thinking of… that!" He pointed toward the bedroom.

Jasper was laughing so hard I thought he would fall out of the chair. "Shit, Emmett, the look on your face! It was fucking priceless! You would think that you never heard anyone going at it before!"

Emmett flipped him off and said, "Shut up Jasper. It was just a little unexpected, you know. First off, I didn't expect Bella to be standing in the doorway in all her chocolate hotness, and then I didn't expect to hear all the rodeo action going on in the other room. It was just a little… unexpected!"

Bella came walking back into the room and said, "Emmett, what is it you always used to tell me growing up… Oh yea, that's right... You used to tell me that I needed to stop being such a prude. I guess I finally took your advice. Oh, wait a minute… Maybe it was all the times you told me that I might actually like it if tried it a couple times."

Emmett eyes got big and he blushed, "That's bullshit! You're twisting my words around. I told you to stop being such a prude when you were in the fourth grade and tattled on me for saying the word 'bitch'!" Bella was laughing, "And I was telling you to try my mom's squash casserole!"

Bella tousled his hair and said, "I know, Em, I just wanted to see you squirm. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I guess I kind of got carried away. I didn't even tell Edward you guys were even here until we were done."

Jasper changed the subject by reminding us that if we were going to go to the driving range we had better get going. That changed Emmett's focus back to sports. Nothing can redirect Emmett's focus like sports. I kissed Bella and we took off out the door. By the time we got to the driving range, everything was back to normal.

The next two weeks were filled with Bella running around finalizing details and me sitting around wondering what was going on. The wedding party had a practice run on the Wednesday before the wedding, but I was not invited. I didn't even find out about it until it was over. I have to admit, my feelings were hurt that I didn't even get to go to my own wedding rehearsal, but Bella promised that it was only because she didn't want me stressing and she wanted everything to be a surprise. I tried to tell her that I don't like surprises and not knowing was causing more stress than knowing ever could have, but she knows me too well to fall for any of that.

On the Thursday before the wedding, my parents arrived. They flew into Seattle and drove down to Forks. They booked a room at a hotel in town. Thank god they didn't try to stay at my house! Bella was at the grocery store when they showed up at the house.

"Edward!" My mom beamed as she wrapped me in a bone crushing hug. "Look at you! You look so good! I see you have been eating well." What is it with mothers always worrying about how their children are eating?

As soon as she let me go, my dad wrapped me in a hug. "Edward, my boy, It's been much too long! We checked in at that little place they call a hotel and came straight here. We were thinking about grabbing something for dinner but thought we should check with you first so you can tell us what's safe."

"Dad, this is Forks. The entire place is safe." I said flatly. "You run a much bigger chance of getting mugged in Seattle than you do here."

My mom smiled and said, "He knows that, dear. He's just being difficult. Carlisle, you promised that you would watch your tongue!" She gave him a playful poke in the chest. He pretended to be in pain then kissed the tip of her finger. Sometimes their affection for each other can be kind of nauseating.

I heard Bella pull up in the driveway. Shit! I was hoping to have a chance to prep her before she had to meet my dad. She had been talking to mom on the phone for a while but my dad… well that's another story all together.

She came through the door with her arms full of grocery bags. "Edward, can you go get the… Oh, I didn't know we had company."

"Bella, this is my mom, Esme, and my dad, Carlisle. They just got here. Mom, dad, this is Bella." I said as I took the bags out of her hands just in time for my mom to wrap her up in a hug. I think I saw Bella's eyes bulge from the pressure.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Bella!" Mom gushed.

"It's nice to meet you, too." She turned her attention to me and said, "Oh, Edward, can you go grab the rest of the groceries? I don't want the ice cream to melt."

I went out to the car to bring in the rest of the groceries and came back in the house just in time to hear my father say, "So, Bella, you must feel pretty proud of yourself, landing someone like my son. I'm sure all the other women in town are quite jealous."

Bella smiled and said, "Edward is a good man. I love him very much."

"Of course you do." Mother said as she gave dad a stern look.

Apparently dad didn't notice because the next words out of his mouth were, "So, what was it that you did, exactly, to get my son to marry you? I thought he would have been smarter than to fall for one of you people's tricks."

Bella gave him a look that could cut through steel and said, "I don' know, Mr. Cullen. How did you trick your wife into marrying you? Did she marry you for the money, or was it the sex? I honestly can't see her falling for your personality."

Dad seemed stunned at first. He looked over at mom like he hoped she would come to his rescue but mom just sat there looking smug. "I… Ummm…. I…."

Bella put her hand on her hip and said, "Apparently it wasn't your intelligence either. Maybe you didn't understand the question. Maybe English is not your first language. Вы понимаете это? No, you don't know Russian? Ok let's try Polish… Sposób rozumie Pan tego? Ok, maybe Italian… Lei capisce questo?" she put her finger up and said, "Apparently the only language you speak is ASSHOLE, so let me speak your language, so you understand exactly what I am saying."

She turned to my mother and said, "Esme, please pardon my language. I hope this doesn't offend you too much." Then she walked over so she was directly in front of my father, looking him directly in the eye, and said, "I don't know how an asshole like you managed to trap a wonderful woman like Esme into marrying you, let alone putting up with your obnoxious attitude and insinuations! You must have some secret talent that we are not aware of, and to be perfectly honest, I could care less. Either way, you need to keep in mind that this is MY house, just as much as it is Edward's, and I will NOT tolerate your attitude here! You don't have to like me, and you damn sure don't have to love me, but you WILL show me respect and while you are here you will also be respectful to my friends and family or I will personally kick your pompous ass out of this town! Do I make myself clear?"

Dad stood there with his mouth hanging open. I am sure I had a similar expression on my face. Mom looked at me and gave me a wink, letting me know that everything was going to be ok. Dad closed his mouth and took a hard swallow before he spoke.

"Maybe I didn't word that correctly. Let's try again, shall we?" He looked around nervously and said, "So, Bella how did you and Edward meet?"

Bella smiled and said, "We both work up at the school. I am the school librarian."

I could see Dad thinking really hard before he spoke. "Did you always want to be a school librarian?"

"No, actually I have a degree in English Literature and another in Biology. I wanted to be a teacher but the school here in Forks didn't have any openings in either of those fields so I took the job in the library until a teaching position opens up." Wow, I didn't even know that! Bella has two teaching degrees?

"What made you want to become a teacher?" Dad asked.

"The kids that are in high school right now will be the surgeons and doctors that treat me when I'm old. They will be the law makers that run the country and the financial advisers that manage my retirement funds. I want to make sure they have a strong knowledge base, since my future will ultimately be in their hands."

Dad smiled and nodded his head. He seemed to accept that answer. Bella insisted they stay for dinner, so she and mom went off to the kitchen to cook while dad and I watched TV in the living room. Soon we were all sitting at the table eating dinner and talking about all of my parents' friends that were going to be coming into town the next day. Apparently quite a few of them were coming for the wedding. I was surprised.

That evening, as I walked my parents to the door, my dad said, "You have a good woman there. She has a good head on her shoulders and she's not bad looking either."

After they left, Bella confessed that my mom had told her to stand up to dad and put him in his place. Mom said it would be the only way she would get his respect. I was glad that it actually worked! I sure didn't want world war three to start at my wedding.

The next morning, Bella told me that she would be spending the day at the spa and then she would be spending the night at her dad's house. The guys were going to be picking me up and taking me out. Apparently Alice made plans for my bachelor's party. Great! The one thing I didn't want was to be puking my guts up and suffering from a hangover on my wedding day!

The guys picked me up at noon in a limo that took us to a spa in Port Angles to soak in some mud that smelled pretty good, take a hot shower, and get a hot rock message. It felt great! The spa fed us a delicious steak dinner and then trimmed our nails and did something to my feet that made them feel softer. Jasper loved every minute of it. Apparently Alice gave him a spa day like this once for their anniversary. Jacob was totally freaked out when he saw how much dirt and grime they were able to get off of his hands. They practically had to sand the calluses off of his rough hands but they somehow managed to make them soft again. It was funny to watch him rub his hands together and touch his face when no one was looking.

Emmett met up with us as we were leaving the spa and joined us for the rest of the night. The next stop was a dance club in Seattle where we had a private area to sit. Our waitress kept our drinks filled, but we were doing a good job of pacing ourselves, so no one was getting too hammered. The music was playing and we were having a good time. We could see the dance floor clearly from where we were sitting. The DJ sat on an elevated platform against the far wall. On either side of him were small elevated stages with white screens in front of them. The screens were back lit, so you could see the silhouettes of the women that were dancing behind them. Emmett said it made him feel kind of like he was spying on them, but he liked it anyway.

The DJ made an announcement, "I have just been told that we have a bachelor's party in the house tonight." Everyone cheered. "This next song is for the future groom and his buddies. Let's get these guys out here on the dance floor." The four dancers came out from behind the screen and came over to where we were sitting. They each grabbed one of us and pulled us out to the dance floor directly in front of the screens where four new dancers had just come on the stage. "We're going to dust off an oldie for you. I hope you enjoy it." The guy started playing, "Do You Wanna Touch Me?" by Joan Jett. The women behind the screen started dancing, making suggestive moves as they danced together looking like they were rubbing up against each other. The crowd flooded the dance floor. The dancers that drug us out there were dancing with us, but made sure we were paying attention to the screen.

Just as the song was about to end the screens lifted and we just about tripped over our jaws. There, dressed in practically painted on black leather, dancing on the stage in front of me and Jasper was Bella and Alice. On the other stage in front of Emmet and Jake were Rosalie and Jane in the same outfits. The ladies danced off of the stage and came to join us on the dance floor as the DJ started playing "Chemicals Between Us" by Bush. Emmett, Jasper, and I danced with our respective wives and Jacob danced with Jane. He owes Bella big time for this one!

We spent the rest of the night dancing and partying with the ladies. It was by far the best bachelor's party any married guy could have asked for! When we finally left the club to go home, we dropped the ladies off at Charlie's house and the guys all headed back to my place. I was so tired from partying that I fell right to sleep.

I woke up to the sound of Jasper barking orders at Jacob to get in the shower. I managed to crawl out of bed before he came in to yell at me to do the same. Jasper was already dressed in his tux. Emmett was over at his place getting cleaned up and dressed. Apparently Jake and I had overslept and we were running a little late. I managed to take my shower and climb into my tux while Jasper was helping Jake do his tie. I looked in the mirror. Thankfully I didn't look too warn out. I had some small bags under my eyes but other than that I looked good.

Jasper came in the bathroom and pulled a little tube of cream out of his pocket. "Hold still," he said as he squirted some of the cream on the tip of his finger and spread it under my eyes. "Alice said this was going to make the bags go away so you look good for the pictures." He was washing his hands when I asked him what it was. "Hemorrhoid cream… Alice told me to tell you that you are not allowed to wash it off."

"Shit, Jasper! That had better be a brand new tube! If that shit came anywhere near anyone's ass I am going to…"

"Settle down. It was brand new. I put some on Emmett and Jake too." Jasper said as I grabbed the rings and we headed out the door. I started to get a little nervous as we approached the church. The parking lot was already full. Thankfully they had some parking spots roped off for us up front. Charlie was standing outside as we approached. He shook my hand and told me that the photographer wanted to go ahead and take pictures of me and my family so he took me around to the side entrance to find the photographer and then disappeared into the bride's room. I posed for pictures with my family and the guys. I met the ring bearer that I didn't even know I was going to have. He was a cute little boy named Danny. Apparently Bella used to babysit him when he was a baby. He was carrying a pillow that had two fake rings tied on it with ribbon.

I made Danny promise that he was NOT going to lose the pillow, or let Bella see it, before I took the fake rings off and tied the real rings on it. The photographer took pictures of me tying the rings and pictures of me and Danny with the pillow. Danny took his job very seriously once he knew he was carrying the real rings. He wouldn't let anyone near the pillow. He even brushed off his own mom who wanted to look.

Emmett and Seth were doing a good job of seating people while Rosalie and Leah handed out what looked like programs. I asked my mom what they said. She told me that it just welcomed everyone, gave them a little information about us, and told the names of the wedding party.

A few minutes later, Jasper came over and told me it was time to take my place. The Reverend came out and told me that he was just going to have a brief prayer and the rest would be up to us. Crap! Once we were done, he would introduce us to the crowd and we could leave together. I tried to remember the last time I went to a wedding. It had been years. I don't think I have ever paid that much attention. What was I going to do?

Jasper and Jacob came to stand beside me as the music started and the doors at the back of the church opened. I could see Kate standing in the doorway with a huge arm full of red roses. Each one had an individual white ribbon tied around it. As she walked down the aisle, she stopped at each row and passed roses down the row so every woman in the church had a rose. When she reached the front row, she handed a small bouquet to mom, sat one on the empty bench on the other side and kept one for herself.

Alice stepped in the doorway next. She carried a bouquet, and three frames. As she approached the front row, she turned and placed one of the frames on the empty bench beside the roses. It was a picture of Bella's mom with a big smile on her face. I had to take a deep breath to keep my emotions in check. This must be really hard for Bella without her mom being here. Alice took her place beside Kate and turned to face the door as Danny and a little girl came through. She was wearing a pretty white dress and carried a basket of rose petals. Danny carried the pillow as she walked down the aisle, sprinkling the petals on the floor.

When they reached the end of the aisle, the girl went to stand beside Kate while Danny came to stand beside Jasper. On his way past me, he whispered, "Don't worry. She didn't see the rings."

I smiled and whispered, "Good job! I knew I could count on you."

The music changed and everyone stood as Bella and Charlie stepped up to the door. She was breathtaking. She was wearing a simple but elegant looking strapless gown with tiny pearls sewn in the bodice. She was wearing a veil and had white flowers in her hair. I recognized the huge sapphire that hung from a simple white ribbon around Bella's neck. It belonged to my mother.

Charlie held his arm out for her as they slowly made their way down the aisle. He kept his head held high and walked proudly beside his daughter. Through the sheer material of the veil, I could see the smile on Bella's face. She was beaming. I had to reach up and wipe away a tear of happiness from my eye. When they reached the end of the aisle, Charlie lifted the veil and Bella kissed his cheek. He shook my hand and put her hand in mine, before he turned to take his seat. When he sat down, he picked up the frame and whispered, "Our baby's all grown up, Renee. Isn't she beautiful?" He wiped at a tear and sat the frame back down on the seat beside him.

The reverend gave a short sermon and led everyone in prayer and then he stepped back. Bella took my hand and turned to face the crowd. "We all gather at weddings to celebrate the joining of two people in holy matrimony. My mother taught me that we should celebrate the love of the two people that have chosen to bind themselves together. Weddings should also remind us of our love for each other as spouses, family, and friends. We should recognize and celebrate the love we have for each other at every opportunity because you never know how long that person will be in your life. Before we exchange our vows and make our promises to each other, we encourage you to show your love for the people around you by looking them in the eye and shaking their hand."

People started turning to each other and shaking hands. I could hear some of them telling their family members that they loved them. Jasper, Jacob and Danny met Kate, Alice, and the little girl in the middle to shake hands before returning to their places. The little flower girl went over and kissed Charlie on the cheek before going back to her place beside Kate. When everyone settled down, Bella turned to Alice and handed her the bouquet she was holding and took the two frames. When she turned back to me, she handed one of the frames to me. Inside it was the napkin from Mexico with my vows written on it. I couldn't have been happier. Those words said exactly how I felt then and even more now.

The reverend stepped up and asked if I had the rings. Danny came up and held the pillow up so I could untie Bella's ring from the pillow. She looked down as I held it to her hand and her mouth fell open. I saw tears welling up in her eyes as she turned and looked at her father. He smiled and gave her a nod. Her hand was shaking as I read my vows and slid the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.

Alice passed her a tissue and had to help her untie my ring from the pillow because Bella was too emotional. Bella had to take a few deep breaths before she could read her vows to me. They couldn't have been more meaningful. I loved every word. When she slipped the ring on my finger I couldn't wait anymore, I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a kiss.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward."

The reverend cleared his throat, so we stepped away from each other and smiled shyly. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Bella Cullen. May the rest of their lives be just as happy as it is today."

As the music started again, Jacob and Kate walked down the aisle toward the back of the church together, followed by Jasper and Alice. Danny and the little girl walked with me and Bella. When we reached the front door, we stood and shook hands with everyone as they exited the church. The photographer was snapping pictures right and left as people stood around outside in the parking lot. Everyone started leaving for the reception while we stayed behind to take more pictures. Once we finally finished with the photographer, we all loaded up in the limo and headed to the reception.

I was surprised when we got to the reception that it was not a fancy sit down dinner and stuffy dancing in a dance hall. It was a huge picnic at the park. Most of the people had changed out of their church clothes into something more comfortable. Old men were playing horseshoes, people were standing around laughing or sitting in lawn chairs in the shade, kids were swimming in the lake and playing on the playground equipment. A large tent was set up with tables inside. People were showing up with different dishes and setting them up on the tables. There was a table set up with a large traditional four tier white wedding cake and a large chocolate groom's cake that was decorated with the school mascot on it.

Another table had been set up for gifts. I was surprised how fast that table filled up. I asked Bella if we were registered anywhere, because I sure didn't want to have to return all that stuff. She said we were and that made me feel a little better. She led me around so we could greet everyone and then led me back out to the limo. When we got inside, she grabbed a bag from beside the seat and handed it to me. It was the white linen clothes I wore when we got married the first time. She also pulled out the white sundress she was had worn for the Mexican wedding.

"Will you unbutton me please?" She asked as she turned her back to me. There must have been at least a hundred buttons on the back of that dress. I teased her that she must have had a crew of twenty people dressing her. Somehow we managed to get changed and rejoined the party. My dad primarily spent his time talking to his friends who all seemed to be having a good time. Everyone had plenty to eat. We cut the cake and took more pictures. Bella insisted that I NOT smear cake on her face when I fed her a bite, but I got a little on her nose anyway.

Over all, the wedding was a great success. It was relaxing and fun. Danny and I played catch and ate cookies while Bella talked to his mom. The flower girl got mad at a little boy and pushed him down in the sandbox. Her mom had to go make her apologize. Most of my students were there, even the old lady from the grocery store made it. It impressed my father that I was that well known in the community. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that those people were there to see Bella, not me. Mom had a good time and actually made friends with Rosalie's parents. By the end of the day, they had exchanged numbers and Rosalie's parents were planning on flying out to see my parents in the spring.

When it was time for us to leave everyone crowded around to throw birdseed at us as we ran for the limo. "Where are we going now?" Bella asked.

"Right now, we are heading to the house to get our luggage." I said smugly.

"Then where are we going?"

"To the airport." I said with a smile

She smacked me in the arm and said, "Edward, don't make me kick your ass. Where are we going for our honeymoon?"

"We have a cabin reserved in the middle of the Denali National Park, in Alaska. We are going hiking, mountain climbing, animal watching and simply enjoying spending time together. I think it will be fun."

Bella smiled and said, "I think it sounds perfect. I always wanted to go to Alaska."

"I don't really care where we go, as long as you are there by my side." I said with a kiss.

"Oh, Edward, you are so sweet." She nuzzled up to me and said, "Thank you for my ring. I thought it was buried with my mom."

"It was your dad's idea. He said she wanted you to have it. Did he know that you were including your mom's picture in the wedding?"

"No. He said he wished that she could be there so I found a way to include her. It meant a lot to me too. I know that it was just a picture, but deep down inside, I believe she was watching over me."

"I'm sure she was." I said as I held her close. "I just hope she stops watching while we are in Alaska! I have some plans for you that I am sure your mom wouldn't want to witness." I pulled her into a kiss and slid my hand up her dress.

The limo driver took us to the house. Bella double-checked her luggage to make sure we didn't forget anything before we left for the airport. As we boarded the plane, it struck me that I was officially starting my happily ever after with the woman of my dreams. How did I ever get to be such a lucky man?!

A/N – Happy Tuesday! Ok, I need a moment to blow my nose and check my make-up. It doesn't matter how many times I read this chapter, it always makes me cry like a baby. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be the honeymoon then we will have the Epilogue. There will be some out-takes that will come after the Epilogue, but I can't guarantee they will happen on my regular Tuesday schedule. I guess you will just have to watch for them.

Stats update, for all of you who are still sticking with me… 1457 people following through alerts and favorites. 1363 reviews. Thank you for all of you who have stuck with this story from the very beginning and continue to send me words of support through you wonderful reviews and comments. It warms my heart and puts a smile on my face when I receive them.

I can never thank Vicki (NoWayWithWords) enough for her words of encouragement and continued support as my beta and my friend. She is the best. I don't know where I would be without her. She is the noodles to my Pad Thai. Without her, I would have a flavorful mess with no body or real substance.

As you probably already know, our roles are currently reversed. Since I have finished writing this story, it is my turn to beta for her. If you get a chance, read her story. It is called My Imaginary Friend. It is a sweet story that is beautifully written. I think she is doing a great job.