Chapter Seven
"Where are you off to, love?" Edward asked as we entered the house and I jetted up the steps.
"I need to talk to Alice," I called back to him as I turned the corner to see her door open.
"Alice," I said as I entered her room. She was perched at the end of her bed, trying to appear innocent.
"Yes Bella?" she smiled.
"What have you been up to?" I asked as I stood with my arms crossed just inside the door.
"Nothing. Jasper came in earlier, and we…," she started.
"Alice, you know that's not what I'm talking about," I groaned. Edward came up behind me.
"What are you doing?" he laughed.
"I was just talking to Alice," I tried to explain.
"Bella, she's not going to tell you what your surprise is."
"Fine," I growled.
"You should take a shower, Bella, before we do the make-over," Alice giggled.
"No make-over," I said as I turned to leave.
"Yes! You have to!" Alice exclaimed as she grabbed my arm, keeping me from leaving.
"I don't have to do anything," I replied coldly. I felt a little double crossed at the moment. She was supposed to be helping me with my plans for Edward, and now I find out she had been planning with him all along.
"Edward, could you give Bella and I a few moments alone?" Alice asked.
"Bella?" Edward turned to question me.
"Go ahead, if I yell you better come back though," I replied. Chuckling, he left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Bella, please trust me," Alice said after a moment of silence.
"How can I Alice? I feel like I've been betrayed."
"Bella, take my word for it. You'll be happy later," she sighed. I looked down at her and saw that she was serious. No one ever doubted Alice and I felt that maybe I should listen to what she had to say. I would give her the benefit of the doubt, for now.
"Sure, sure," I replied as I rolled my eyes. She instantly sprang up as she wrapped me in a hug.
"I promise you won't regret this Bella! You're going to love it!" she cheered happily as she bounced us both around the room.
"Ok, Alice! Just quit bouncing," I laughed. It was hard to be around her and it not affect you. Her personality could easily rub off on anyone and infect them with her giddiness.
"Alright, you go take a shower, then right back here!" she ordered as she let go of me.
"Bossy are we?" I laughed.
"Got that right," she giggled as she pointed to the door. Following her orders, I went back to Edward's and my room.
"What did Alice have to say?" he asked as I walked in. He was sitting at the desk Esme had recently put in our room for our studies and appeared to be working on some homework.
"She told me to go take a shower," I replied honestly as I went to the closet to grab my robe and some underclothes.
"Is that all?" he asked as he stood up from the desk, eyeing me suspiciously.
"No, she also told me to trust her."
"And do you?" he asked.
"She's Alice, of course I do," I laughed as I started towards the bathroom. He, however, had other ideas. Before I could make it out of the room, he had grabbed me by the waist and turned me to face him.
"What else did you two talk about?" he asked staring down at me, unleashing his golden gaze upon me. I blinked a few times to regain control and smiled up at him and his attempts to get the truth out of me.
"She told me I would enjoy tomorrow."
"Is that right?" he asked as he started to stroke his hand up and down my back.
"That's right."
"And did she tell you what I had planned?" he asked keeping his gaze locked with mine.
"No, she wouldn't say," I sighed.
"Good, I would hate to have to pull out the picture albums," he chuckled.
"Hey!" Alice called from down the hall. This made us both laugh. I tried to picture Alice in the eighties, but I just couldn't see her like that.
"Bella, get in the shower!" Alice called after a moment of our snickering.
"I guess I better go shower," I laughed as he let go of me.
"I'm just going to finish up this paper."
"You have homework?" I asked laughing. It was the first time I had ever witnessed him doing any homework.
"Yes, for once," he replied as he walked back to the desk. Laughing, I walked to the bathroom and took a shower. Once I was rinsed off and was smelling slightly of strawberries, I dressed and returned to our bedroom. Edward was still at the desk when I walked in.
"Still at work?" I laughed.
"No, just editing."
"Oh, well I have a date with Alice," I sighed as I trudged out of the bedroom. Slowly I walked into Alice's room to see her waiting behind the chair for me.
"Alice, be nice," I pled as I took a seat.
"Really Bella, it's not going to be that bad," she giggled. Taking a hairbrush, she gently pulled it through my wet hair. Carefully, she pulled out the tangles and smoothed it through.
"Are you going to give me any hints?" I asked before she picked up the hair dryer.
"Nope," she giggled as she turned it on. Sitting patiently, I waited for her to get my thick hair dry. It took quite a long time to do, especially with just one hair dryer going.
Finally, to my relief, she turned off the noisy machine and ran the brush back through my hair.
"What are you going to do to me?" I asked.
"Well, I'm going to put your makeup on and Rosalie is coming up in a little bit to fix your hair.
"Alice, it's just now six in the morning, surely Rosalie and you wont need all that time to dress me up," I replied eyeing her suspiciously.
"Well, I was thinking that we would possibly have a little girl time,"
"What did you have in mind?" I asked, not totally opposed to spending time with the two of them.
"Well since shopping just isn't an option, I thought we could watch a few movies and gossip about the boys," she laughed.
"That sounds fun," I smiled. Not that I didn't like spending all my time with Edward, it was just nice to have girl time every once in a while.
"Good, Rosalie will be up in a few minutes with the movies," she giggled.
"So you promise everything will work out?" I whispered.
"Yes, don't worry. He has no idea," she grinned.
"Good!"
"Hey ladies," Rosalie said as she walked into Alice's room with two DVDs.
"Hey," I replied smiling. Rosalie's and my relationship had come a long way since I first met her. We were not nearly as close as Alice and I, but we had made great progress and I proudly called her my sister.
"I brought 'The Notebook' and 'A Walk to Remember'," she said as she took a seat on the end of Alice's bed.
"I love those movies," I replied.
"Me too," Alice said as she took the movies from Rosalie. I hadn't noticed the TV in her room until now. But hanging on her wall was a large plasma screen, directly at the end of the bed.
"When did you get that Alice?" I asked, and laughed as she loaded the DVD into the DVD player that was sitting on an entertainment center below the screen.
"About a month ago. Jasper and I like watching movies together," she grinned as she took her spot next to Rosalie.
"Come sit with us Bella," Rosalie said as she moved aside to make room. Getting up from the chair, I carefully plopped myself down between them and waited for the movies to come on.
A few hours worth of movies and much gossip later, I found myself enjoying the company of my two sisters. It was nice having some girl time even if I did miss Edward. I was sad to see it all come to an end when Alice put me in the chair.
"What do you think Rose?" Alice asked.
"Nothing overly dramatic. She's pretty as is," Rosalie smiled.
"I think just a little eye shadow and mascara," Alice suggested.
"Yeah, that's definitely enough," Rosalie agreed from her seat on the bed. I tried to suppress my feelings. I didn't want to hurt their feelings, but I really didn't like to be made over.
Carefully Alice applied the makeup. When she was finished she handed me a mirror and I was astonished as to what I saw. My crimsons eyes were no longer as deep and noticeable as they once were. They now appeared a deep orange color. Honestly, they looked a little weird but I was happy to no longer be gazing into the deep red that always reminded me of the Volturri. I smiled at the beautiful job she had done on my make up. The shadow was smoky and the mascara only complimented it.
"Thanks Alice," I sighed as I sat the mirror down.
"You're welcome," she replied smiling from ear to ear.
"What about her hair?" Rosalie asked as she came to my side.
"I was thinking big curls with the front pulled back to show off her face," Alice replied.
"Good idea, do you have the curling iron ready?" Rosalie asked as she ran her fingers through my hair.
"Yes," Alice said handing Rosalie a large curling iron. Rosalie instantly set to work, curling my hair.
When she had finished, Alice handed me the mirror for me to inspect Rosalie's work. Without even looking in the mirror, I knew it would be fabulous. Rosalie and Alice never did anything half way. Large curls fell gently on my shoulders. A pretty silver hair clip loosely pulled back the front of my hair. I felt pretty, looking at myself. I could hardly believe the creature looking back at me was indeed, me.
"So, what do you think?" Rosalie asked.
"I love it," I smiled as I sat the mirror down and turned to hug the both of them.
"You're going to love tonight Bella, I promise," Alice replied as she hugged me back.
"Have fun Bella," Rosalie said as she left the room.
"Thanks Rosalie," I replied.
"You're welcome," she called out to me.
"Now, time to get you into that dress."
"You mean that dress is for tonight?" I asked, wondering if she had lost her mind. Edward and I would not be going anywhere for a dress of that quality to be worn.
"Yes silly," she laughed as she pulled it out of her closet.
"Alice…," I started.
"Trust me Bella! Just put on the dress," she interrupted. Nodding and accepting that she would be right, I walked over to her. I pulled off the robe and slipped on the beautiful black dress. It was amazing, to say the least. It fit perfectly.
"You look amazing Bella!" Alice exclaimed as she started to bounce. I walked over to her full length mirror that was mounted on the inside of her door and looked at it myself. It did look pretty, but I just wondered what type of reaction it would get out of Edward.
"Thanks Alice," I smiled, looking at my reflection. I finally felt as if I really belonged in this family. I wasn't nearly as gorgeous as Alice or Rosalie, but I didn't look like the plain Bella I had once been. I was still me, just a more enhanced, updated version.
"What are those?" I asked in horror as Alice brought out some black stilettos.
"Your shoes," she laughed as she handed me the box.
"Alice," I said, looking at her. Was she crazy? Me in heels? I may be a vampire, but I was still sure that me plus heels equaled huge disaster.
"Bella, you'll be fine. You're not clumsy like you once were," she laughed. Rolling my eyes, I put on the death traps and turned to face Alice.
"He's going to love it Bella," Alice sighed as she adjusted the dress slightly.
"You better be right Alice," I laughed.
"Have you known me to ever be wrong?" she giggled.
"No, that's why I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt."
"As nice as it is to look at you Bella, you should go to Edward," she laughed. As if I needed to be told twice, I quickly walked to our room, astonished at the gracefulness of my steps. I had conquered heels!
"Amazing," Edward purred as I entered the room. He was wearing a dark blue button down shirt and dress slacks. He, of course, looked amazing as always. In the blink of an eye, he was pulling me to him.
"So, you like the dress?" I asked, looking into his beautiful eyes.
"More than like, I love it," he grinned before kissing my forehead.
"So, where are we off to?" I asked, trying to get him to give in.
"Not a chance," he chuckled.
"Edward," I groaned. He new I absolutely hated surprises.
"Ready?" he asked, ignoring my last comment.
"Yes," I sighed. Taking my hand in his, we walked downstairs.
"Bella, you look amazing dear," Esme said as we walked down the steps.
"Thanks," I replied. If blushing were an option, I would be now. I hated being the center of attention. It was then I heard a low whistle.
"Dang Bella!" Emmett chuckled.
"Thanks Emmett," I laughed.
"You really do look amazing Bella," Rosalie replied. It seemed as if the entire house had gathered to see me.
"Doesn't she look lovely Jazz?" Alice asked.
"Lovely," he replied.
"Thanks," I sighed. I really was not enjoying the spotlight.
"You two have fun," Esme said as we started towards the door.
"Did I mention how beautiful you are?" Edward asked as we got into the Volvo.
"I believe you said I was amazing," I giggled as we sped down the road.
"I take that back. You are absolutely breathtaking love," he sighed, holding my hand tightly in his.
"Edward," I sighed.
"I speak nothing but the truth."
"You look amazing, as always," I replied.
"Silly Bella," he chuckled. I turned my gaze momentarily to the landscape passing by.
"Are you going to even give me a hint as to where we are going?"
"Nope," he replied as he laughed.
"No fair," I groaned.
"You'll just have to wait and see," he replied. My only response was a sigh as I turned to watch out the window. It was just turning evening, and the outside was beginning to become dark. I hadn't been in the Volvo in a while. Our destinations were always too close to use the car. Running was always more logical than driving.
"We are here," Edward said, bringing me from my thoughts. I noticed we were in front of the cabin. I gave an involuntarily gulp as he ran to my side of the car to let me out. Did he know about the hot tub? Grabbing his hand, I slid out of the car and started to walk to the cabin, but was stopped by him.
"We are not going in there, at least not right now," he laughed.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll just have to wait and see."
"Ugh, fine," I muttered.
"I'm afraid with those heels you really should let me carry you," he said as he scooped me up into his arms.
"I'm not complaining," I laughed. Any reason to be close to Edward was good enough for me.
"Close your eyes please."
"No," I laughed.
"Bella, please," he asked, turning his gaze on me. I couldn't resist and I nodded my head in response, closing my eyes. I felt us flying through the woods. Our destination was unknown to me, but I knew it would be an amazing place.
It seemed like forever, when we finally came to a stop.
"You can open them now," he said as he carefully stood me on my feet. Opening my eyes, I was astonished at the sight before me. It was a beautiful clearing, with a small stream nearby. Trees encircled us and made this place feel like a rare jewel in a never-ending forest. The running of the water over rocks added a nice, peaceful sound to the area. I smiled as I remembered our meadow back home. This place reminded me so much of it. The only difference was that it was a lot less green. But I loved it nonetheless.
"What do you think?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me.
"I love it," I sighed, snaking my arms around him. I looked up at him to see him smiling down at me.
"This may not be our meadow, but I thought it would suffice as a nice little get away."
"It's perfect Edward," I sighed.
"I love you Bella," Edward said as he rested his forehead against mine.
"I love you too Edward," I sighed. Gently he placed his finger under my chin and tilted my face gently so his lips could meet mine. The kiss was passionate and eager. I smiled against his lips as he slowed the kiss down.
"Would you care to dance with me Bella?" he asked.
"We don't have any music Edward," I pointed out. Though I was verily able to dance to music, I was sure without it, I would be a disaster.
"Yes we do," he grinned as he pulled away from me. He walked to a nearby rock and pulled a boom box from behind it.
"Edward, you simply amaze me," I giggled as he turned on the music.
"May I have this dance?" he asked as he approached me.
"Of course," I answered. He pulled me close to him, resting his hands in the small of my back. I placed my hands on his shoulders and slowly moved with him. It took me only a moment to realize this was the song he had written for me for the wedding. The blissful tune wrapped around us and eased our spirits. Gently, he leaned forward and meshed our lips together. I must admit, Alice was right. I did enjoy this surprise.
The song came to an end, and so did the dancing.
"Look up," Edward said. Following his orders, I saw the beautiful night sky shining down on me. I hadn't seen the sky in I couldn't remember how long. The twinkling little stars reminded me of the time Edward and I had spent under them. I gazed up longingly, enjoying the sight. I was about to turn my attention back to him when a shooting star crossed the sky.
"Edward, a shooting star!" I exclaimed as I made my wish. I hoped that for all eternity things would never change between Edward and I. That they would only get better. I loved him with every fiber of my being and wanted to be with him forever.
"Make a wish," he whispered in my ear.
"I did, did you?" I asked, directing my gaze back to him.
"No, I have nothing to wish for. I have all I ever wanted," he replied before gently kissing my forehead.
"I love you Edward," I sighed, relishing the way his lips felt against my skin.
"I love you too," he said, before kissing the tip of my nose. I knew then that now would be a perfect time to go back to the cabin and give him my gift. He deserved to get something out of this evening as well.
"Let's go to our cabin," I said as I locked my gaze with his. His eyes were burning with a great intensity.
"Ok," he chuckled as he swept me off my feet and ran with me back to our other little get away. Little did he know that he was in for a surprise himself.
(A/N Sorry it took so long to update! Things were crazy this week to say the least. I know this isn't the hot tub scene and that many of you are probably disappointed, but I promise to have it out by tomorrow if everything works out. Please review and let me know how you felt about Edward's surprise. Do you think it enhanced the evening as Alice predicted? Was this a horrible cliffhanger? Thanks to all the reviewers! I enjoyed reading what each of you had to say. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The poll is closed and I just wanted to say thanks to all who voted. No-I hate Jacob he can burn won. So, I guess no Jake story…lol. With that said, I would like to say thanks to my beta xedwardxloverx and everyone who reads!)