Chapter 15: Wedding Worries

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.

Bella called Alice the next day. At least she could maybe help her pick out a wedding gown. Alice always knew the best places to shop.

"Alice, you're still my best friend, right? I need your help; the wedding is a month away, and I haven't even shopped for a dress yet."

"Oh, of course you're still my friend; nothing like a little wedding could break our friendship. I'll pick you up on Saturday first thing in the morning. Say, 7:00 A.M.?"

That seemed a little early, but for a vampire who didn't need any sleep, it was a moot point. Bella whimpered, "Seven?"

"Well, you don't want the other brides getting all the good stuff, do you?"

True to her word, Alice showed up at the house at 6:55. They got to Seattle a little before 10:00 and the first Bridal shop on the list.

Shop 'til you drop held no meaning for the little spitfire. She could shop all day and never tire. Bella on the other hand was about to face plant on the showroom floor. Gosh, how many wedding dresses could there possibly be? It was a daunting task. Bella just wanted something simple, with a modest train to keep Renee happy. Jacob couldn't care less. She could wear a potato sack, and he'd still drool. That lucky dog—he was probably still in bed asleep.

Alice had a list of which shops they visited, and the three dresses that they had narrowed it down to. She had taken a picture of each one of them with her iPhone while Bella modeled the dresses. They were now on their way to the shoe store.

"How do you keep track of all this stuff?" Bella wanted to know.

"Silly, Bella, I've got it honed down to a science. Chalk it up to lots of experience. I've been married a time or two—always to Jas of course."

Bella raised an eyebrow, her curiosity running wild. "How many times exactly, is a time or two?"

"Well, let's see now." The little pixie scrunched up her perfect face and concentrated hard. "Fifteen—no sixteen. I almost forgot that time at Mount Waialiali. That wedding was a toughie. It kept raining on and off all day long, and the wind practically blew the cake away. But never mind that; this is your wedding. Isn't this fun?"

Fun? All these preparations made her feel like her brain was in a blender. She was so glad that she had just run off with Jacob. If she had to face a day like the one looming before her in addition to her wedding night, she would have suffered a stroke. She could just imagine spending her honeymoon in the ICU.

Picking out shoes wasn't as bad as Bella expected. Alice let her settle for some Queen Anne style pumps, so she could be comfortable during the night.

During lunch, they scrutinized the pictures of the three dresses, discussing the pros and cons. Bella finally settled on the chiffon dress with the little puffed sleeves, and empire waist. It was the cheapest too, $360. She could think of a million other things she could buy with the money. That potato sack was looking better all the time. She had taken some sewing classes last summer; maybe if she sewed some lace on it, no one would notice—well, maybe except for Alice, and oh, god, Renee.

Alice, of course, insisted on paying half of it, as a wedding present. Ordinarily, Bella wouldn't have let her, but the dress was far more expensive than she had anticipated, like $120 more. She and Jacob had made a pact not to use credit cards unless it was an emergency. So, it would have been embarrassing to put it on layaway until she could come up with the remaining cash—that and having to drive all the way back to Seattle.

Bella was beat, and even though she tried to stay awake on the way home, she nodded off a couple of times—that she was aware of. Alice was chattering on so much, she probably didn't even notice Bella's lack of response. The poor exhausted human was surprised when they got to La Push; she must've really dozed off.

Their scent must have preceded them, because Jacob bounded through the door and off the porch to greet them. He was cordial to Alice. "Thanks, Alice. You saved me shoe leather and boredom. I don't think I could have endured that trip. Shopping for a wedding dress isn't exactly on my list of favorite things to do. Now, seeing Bella in the dress, that's a different story."

Alice opened the trunk of the car and Jacob pulled out the garment bag. "I've got it," he said as he took the gown inside the house.

Bella stayed with Alice a little while longer, talking and gathering up the purchases. There were some fancy blue rhinestone hair clips, some perfume—Jungle Gardenia—new eye make-up, pantyhose, and a frilly lace garter?

Holding it up in her hand, Bella asked, "Where'd this come from? I don't remember buying a garter."

Alice smiled. "You need something borrowed, don't you? You can give it back to me after the reception. I decided to give it to you early so you can let it air out." She rolled her amber eyes. "I know how Jacob just loves eau de Vampire."

It was so nice seeing and being with Alice. Bella missed the time they used to spend together at school and at the Cullen's home. She waved at her as she drove away, secretly hoping that they would remain life-long friends.

Jacob's physical condition was in perfect contrast to Bella at this time. He teemed with energy. He was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. She barely put down her packages when he was nosily poking through the contents to see what she bought. Dangling the garter from a finger, he joked, "Whew, you better hang this outside on the porch for a couple of days." He wrinkled his nose as he handed it to Bella.

"That's exactly what Alice told me you would say." She took a hanger from the hall closet, looped the garter onto it and opening the back door, hung it in the fresh air.

Bella was tired, and yeah, a little bit testy. She threw her arms up in the air. "What about the rest of this stuff? You want me to decorate the trees with them?"

"Nah, I can deal with it. Those things haven't been in close contact with her that long. I don't know about the dress though. I set it in the spare bedroom just in case. Speaking of, I don't care if it does reek; go put it on. I wanna see it." He wiggled his eyebrows in anticipation.

Bella shoved him onto the couch, and plopping onto his lap, wound one arm around his neck. She sighed as she told him, "Well you're going to have to wait 'til the wedding, mister."

Jacob had the stupidest expression on his face. "I don't get it; I told you I don't care how bad it smells. It won't take that long to lose the stink. Now let me see you in it."

Her head slowly oscillated back and forth. "Nope—not a chance."

"Why the hell not?"

"Jacob Black, sometimes you can be so ignorant. Don't you know that it's bad luck to see the bride in her wedding gown before they take their vows?"

"Who says?" He nibbled all the way up her neck, as he added, "Anyway, we're already married, so our luck couldn't change that much."

He reached her ear, and kissing every little curve, whispered. "Now that that's all settled, go put the dress on."

Climbing off his lap, she started toward the kitchen, and looking back over her shoulder, uttered a one syllable response. "Nope."

The wedding was fast approaching—only two more weeks away. The guys were busy cleaning up the beach for the big event. It was literally strewn with hundreds of derelict trees and errant branches. They made a massive heap of sawed logs and various pieces of driftwood, hauling them all off in Paul's and Bella's trucks. It took them three days to finally get the last of it removed.

While all these preparations were going on, Bella's thoughts turned to something of a more intimate nature. With just ten more days to go, she and Jacob were lying on the couch, snuggled together under a blanket. Jacob's caresses were leading up to the usual amorous encounter. Bella suddenly sat up and stiff-armed him."

Baffled, he groaned, "What?"

She tapped her lips with her index finger. "I've been thinking . . ."

Oh crap, whenever that phrase slipped out between her lips, it meant something that he wasn't going to like.

Easing himself up, he slumped against the cushions of the couch, his head hanging back over the edge. He groaned again, inwardly. How bad was this gonna hurt? Jacob didn't want to hear what she had to say, but he had to suck it up and get it over with.

"Yeah, you've been thinking . . ." He held his breath, afraid of what that brain of hers had conjured up. His head turned in her direction as the dreaded words began to spill from her mouth.

"Well, the wedding's only ten days away. Do you think that maybe we could abstain until the ceremony? I mean, it would make it that much more exciting. It would be like the first time all over again. So, what do you think?"

"What do I think? Hell, I don't want it to be like our first time. I like how things are right now." Was she crazy? He could barely last a day, never mind ten days. He could never get enough of her. She haunted his mind every minute of every day. And she wanted him to hold off for ten whole days? She might as well make it ten years, because that would be what it felt like. After having her in his bed these many weeks, it would be cruel to suddenly separate her from him. He wouldn't be able to stand it.

"Can't we at least try? We can always renegotiate." She grinned impishly. "You're so good at negotiating."

Jacob knew he was gonna sooo regret this, but he caved anyway. "All right, Bells. I guess I can give it a try, but please . . . please . . . not tonight."