Author's Notes: Yay for pushing past 100 reviews. I know it may be stupid to be so overjoyed by that amount, but you have to understand that every single review I receive is a shocker. I love you all for giving this story a shot and I love you all even more for proving you like it. Edward is finally introduced into the story. Let me get some hallelujahs! :) Lol!

As always, all the love in the world to IcelandGirl812 for being all sorts of awesome and the definition of a wonderful friend. Like I continue to say, you're the best, Erica!

Another quick shout-out to the very talented Cherolyn (aka iponeddyou) for creating another lovely banner for this story. It's absolutely gorgeous and I can't thank you enough!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I'm more than sure you all knew that.

A Little Less Than Before

Chapter Three;

Love Lockdown

Bella Swan

Two weeks had passed, and I had to admit, I was pretty proud of myself. I gave myself pep talks in the mirror every day up until today and had gotten a bit better at masking my emotions whenever I saw Alice and Jasper together.

Which was, let's face it, all the time.

Except for now. Or well, they were in each other's company, but I at least didn't have to witness it. While a bunch of their acquaintances lingered around the Cullen's enormous house, Alice and Jasper decided they'd make a fashionably late appearance, which left her parents and I to handle everyone. It was a supposedly "small" gathering yet was really anything but. Anyone who didn't know Alice Cullen would have thought this was the biggest party of the year or something.

While shuffling in and out of different crowds like a good best friend of the bride-to-be is supposed to, I tried as best as I could to avoid any type of conversation that would lead into the heavy details of how, where, when, and why they were getting married.

People were really good at sneaking up on me though. I had to feed them all the answers they wanted to know. They met in college. They've been really good friends for four years. I honestly don't know how long they've been dating. June. He proposed on Christmas eve. Yes, the ring is gorgeous. No, I don't know where they're going for their honeymoon. Yes, it will probably be a big wedding. No, I don't think they're thinking about kids yet. No, I don't know if Alice is going to take his last name or hyphenate hers.

Fucking jeez!

For goodness sake, it seriously felt like everyone was working together to pummel down every wall I had struggled to build up, and I haven't even seen Alice or Jasper yet. I'd be a pile of emotional mush by the time they stepped through the damned threshold if people kept asking questions like that.

Some people who knew I was the best friend would even pull me aside to tell me it was about time I get married myself since I wouldn't get to tag along anymore. Barricades are going down, and quick. Thanks, people.

Some didn't even know it was an engagement party, and I was honestly thankful for those few because that at least spared me the heartache of having to tell them.

Alice was supposed to text me when she and Jasper were on their way, and since my phone hadn't received anything at all, I figured they'd probably still be a while.

If I had known I was going to be walking around and saying hello to everyone, I would have asked Alice to just let me wear a fancy pants suit or something. Instead, my body was trapped inside a tight fitted, red, sweetheart cut dress that ended just above my knees. The heels weren't helping much either, though I did have to thank Alice for allowing me to wear the two-inchers instead of the four.

Still no texts.

I groaned and moved from the spot that I was standing at to get some fresh air on their patio. I'm sure Carlisle and Esme would be fine for five minutes while I took a breather outside. I inhaled softly and tossed my brown, curled hair over my shoulder. I hated getting dressed up more than anything, but of course, this was a special occasion so I had no reason not to. Their engagement was going to be a short one so a party wasn't entirely necessary, especially after only three weeks of being engaged, but this was Alice Cullen's wedding engagement. Of course she was going to go all out. It wouldn't be like her if she didn't.

The sun was setting, and the winter air had a bit of a nip to it, but I had to admit, it felt nice. I shivered slightly from the lack of having a jacket but brushed it off because I'd be back in the warmth of the Cullen household within a few minutes anyway.

"No freaking way!" I heard a big voice boom from the entryway as I turned hastily to see who it was.

Before I could smack whoever it was upside the head for startling me, muscular arms crushed me to an even more muscular chest, and I instantly knew who it was. I didn't need to see his face to confirm my suspicion; the body structure gave him away.

"Oh, god, Emmett, can't breathe!" I gasped, suddenly very paranoid that my already too-short dress had ridden up a little more as he held me above the ground.

"Jeez Bells, you look awesome! Has it really been that long?" Alice's big, tall, and bulky brother that stood a head taller than me was flashing the goofiest grin I'd ever seen, and I couldn't help but laugh. Like I said before, a teddy bear trapped in a muscle man's body.

"Thanksgiving last year. I think that's the last time I saw you." I laughed again as he pointed to his cheek, making it obvious he wanted his usual peck. He gave me that same goofy grin again when I finally kissed his stubbly cheek softly. "Jeez Emmett, heard of shaving?"

"I didn't have time." With a shrug, he grabbed two little fruit tarts a server was passing out. Like I said, this was Alice Cullen we were talking about. Of course she'd even hire servers for her engagement party. She made good money, her parents were wealthy, and not one of them were spoiled or conceited about it. In fact, they were some of the most humble people I knew. That was part of the reason why I loved the Cullens so much.

I looked down at the mini custard filled tart that was garnished with strawberries and kiwi. It was almost too pretty to eat.

"Jeez, I can't believe my baby sis is getting married. And to Jasper? Seriously I swear, Bells, I thought you were gonna be the one marrying Jazz, not her."

The bite I had in my mouth slipped out and fell onto my overpriced dress, leaving one big lump of custard right where my stomach was. Shit. Alice was going to murder me in my sleep! "Why do you say that?"

Emmett guffawed at my accident but shrugged and popped his whole fruit tart in his mouth. "Don't know. I always kinda thought you looked at him all dreamy-like. Like you were secretly in love with him or something, you know?"

God, leave it to the gigantic one to figure my feelings out. How the hell could Emmett have seen that while Jasper didn't? "I'm going to clean myself up before your sister strangles me to death for staining this dress already. I'll see you soon, Emmett."

He waved me off as I went back inside the crowded house to clean myself up. There was no way in hell I was going to spill my guts to Emmett Cullen of all people. Knowing him, he'd joke around about it with Alice and would guilt trip her into believing she stole Jasper away from me. I couldn't have that. It wasn't even true in the slightest bit.

As I said before, if it was going to be anyone's fault, it would be mine for keeping quiet for so many years.

Once I got to a vacant bathroom, I put the seat down and sat on it, wiping at the parts of my dress where the custard had spilled. I groaned to myself and hoped I didn't have to take it in for dry cleaning, but by the look of it, I'm sure it was a definite possibility.

Damn!

I was desperately hoping I'd be lucky enough to avoid Alice for the rest of the night because I really didn't want to get yelled at. Maybe she'd be too wrapped up in the atmosphere of "I'm getting married!" to notice my accident. Maybe. Hopefully.

Lucky her.

Angrily, I shook my head and tried to rid my brain of the constant bitterness I felt towards her. Alice did nothing wrong. She didn't even know how I felt because I never had the guts to tell anyone, so it wasn't as if she did it on purpose.

Horrible, Bella. Horrible.

I know, I agreed with my conscience. I took a quick breath in and then out, tossed the hand towel down in frustration, and walked out of the bathroom, hearing a bunch of commotion coming from the other side of the house.

Did Alice and Jasper already arrive?

I walked towards the location of where all the excitement seemed to be. Another guest had situated himself with everyone and before I could say hello, Alice had tackled all one hundred and eight pounds of herself into me.

I had another reason to envy Alice now. Sure, she and I had gone shopping for our dresses together, but I didn't know she could make something so... different look so good. Her gown was strapless and ended mid-thigh. I would have thought that that dress meant hitting the clubs until the break of dawn instead of an engagement party. It was black and gold and on anyone else it would have looked horrible and flashy, but somehow she made it work. Alice could make anything work, I swear.

I remember when I first met her in college. She had this straight, dark brown hair that she'd complain about every day. She always thought it was too plain and that it didn't suit her at all. So one day after class, she chopped it all off on her own. And I couldn't believe how... good it looked on her. We, of course, went to the salon later just to even it out, and she was so much happier after.

Ever since then, she kept her hair that same way. Short, dark, and flipped out in many directions. Jasper always told her it looked better that way also. Could that have possibly been the reason why she kept it short? Maybe, maybe not. I was over thinking things when it absolutely wasn't necessary.

Either way, they both loved each other. And I loved them. Plain and simple.

And, damn it all to hell, if she wasn't such a wonderful person that I loved unconditionally, I wouldn't have felt bad about giving Jasper my letter. If he had chosen any other girl on the planet, I would not have given a shit. At all.

But of course, Jasper had taste. And he picked the one person I'd never be able to upset for anything. I'd take a knife in the back for her any day. I loved her that much.

Or one in the heart, rather, since that makes more sense for my situation.

That's what makes this so much harder. The fact that there really is absolutely nothing I can do except sit back, watch, and smile like I've trained myself to do.

Smile, smile, smile. No tears. You're happy for them.

Liar.

"Bella, you look so good! I can't believe you went with my whole outfit choice. I really thought you'd show up in some jeans and sneakers," she giggled and squeezed me a little tighter before letting go. "And did you do your makeup and hair all on your own?"

I laughed and tried to get her to settle down. "Well, Alice, you've taught me well. Aren't you proud?"

"Of course! I can't even believe how good you look! God, Jazz, come here a sec. Come see how amazing of a job your Jezebels was able to do without me!"

His Jezebels. Yeah, I wish.

She reached out for his hand as I took in a breath and put up all the barricades and walls I had been working to build. I told myself to forget all the questions people had asked earlier and made sure I focused all my energy on now. You can do this, Bella.

Jasper put his hand in Alice's, lacing their fingers together and stared at me, eyes widened and jaw dropped. "Holy... Wow, Jezebels. You seriously... Wow. You look amazing. Much lovelier than even prom, I have to admit."

I laughed and rolled my eyes at his choice of words, the memory of Jasper and I going to our senior prom together flashing through my memory. We were the dorkiest couple there, all awkward with our attempt at dancing and not knowing where to put our hands and whatnot. My dad was surprised to see us playing a game of monopoly when he came home from the station since we had decided prom wasn't really our thing.

And just for the hell of it, we both had our first kisses together that night because we had nothing else better to do. Yeah, we were seventeen and late bloomers, but who really cared? I sure as hell didn't.

That was just the way it was for him and me. I was the girl who wasn't afraid to tease him whenever he got a zit. The girl who told him he had food in his braces whenever we were done eating. The girl who knew he screamed like a bitch while watching the Texas Chainsaw Massacre at his place. He freaked out since Texas is his hometown and like the best friend I was, I laughed. No comfort, just all out teasing and he still loved me no matter what.

Jasper would always be a dork in my eyes. To me, he'd always be the guy who enjoyed collecting pogs when they were "in" and loved slap-bracelets like they were the greatest invention anyone had ever come up with. He was a geeky guy, but he was my guy. That's what I liked to call him at least.

And age did him well and as the years passed, his looks just got better and better. After he got his braces off and grew into his face a little more, he was absolutely stunning. I saw the looks he received whenever he and I walked down the campus of Seattle University together. They always thought I was his girlfriend.

And oh how badly I wish I were.

Then, Alice came along. After that, people no longer thought Jasper was my boyfriend. They just thought he was the guy who had lots of friends who were girls, but never girlfriends. I even overheard someone saying once that Jasper was too good looking to be straight anyway. Idiots. All of them.

I hadn't even noticed that during my trip down memory lane, Alice had dragged me to the dining room where her parents were talking to someone I had never seen before. I had been bustling around the house for hours and hadn't even said hello to them yet. What the hell was wrong with me? Noticing my presence, they smiled at me and gave me a warming embrace I hadn't felt since Thanksgiving.

Another reason I loved Alice so much was because her family was absolutely wonderful. They were seriously some of the nicest people you'd ever meet.

"How lovely to see you again, Bella!" Her mother, Esme, cradled my face in her hands and kissed the top of my head in a very mother-like gesture. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you, Esme. It's all thanks to Alice's teachings though." I smiled back, a little embarrassed at all the compliments I was receiving on the dress. The attention was supposed to be focused towards the to-be married couple, not me.

A strong hand gripped both my shoulders and I was suddenly smiling up at Alice's father, Carlisle. "Where were you New Years, Bella? We missed you." He chuckled heartily.

"Sorry, Dr. Cullen. I ended up bringing in the New Year with some new friends instead." Yeah, ice cream, tissues, and a freaking notebook. Fun.

"None of that. You make me feel old. It's Carlisle, alright?"

"Okay, Carlisle, sorry about that."

All of us laughed at that as Alice spun the other guy in the room around to face me. He didn't look familiar at all, but I had a very good guess as to who it was. Good genes had to run in Alice's family because this guy was the serious definition of drop dead gorgeous. He wasn't dressed in anything too fancy, just regular, black slacks and a gray, button down dress shirt. His brownish, bronze hair that resembled Esme's was in a casual disarray all over the place like he had just stuck his head out of a car going 90 miles per hour. Surprisingly, it just made him look even better.

His skin was pale but not in a sickly way - more like in a porcelain type of way which brought out his eyes even more. God, his eyes. They were the loveliest set of forest-kissed, green eyes I had ever seen. It made me wonder where he got them from since Esme's eyes were brown and Carlisle's were blue.

"Bella," Alice smirked, having caught me staring seconds ago. Crap. "This is my brother, Edward. He's the one who's going to be Jasper's best man." She shoved her elbow into his side as he flashed the cutest crooked grin at me. Add ten more points onto his scale of hotness, please. "Edward, this is Isabella Swan. But, call her Bella. Best man, meet the maid of honor."

"Nice to finally meet you, Bella. I've heard quite a bit about you."

His voice, velvety and smooth, was even lovelier along with his image. He held out a hand to me, and I willingly put mine in his. What I wasn't expecting was for him to flip it ever so slightly to bring it to his lips, caressing the top of my hand with a gentle kiss.

My breath caught in my throat.

"Jesus Christ, Edward!" Alice and Emmett boomed at the same time, laughing insanely shortly afterwards. I let out the breath I was holding and watched them laugh as they slapped their knees and jabbed at Edward playfully.

"What?" he asked innocently, shrugging like he had done nothing wrong. Really, he didn't do anything wrong at all. Not in my opinion at least, but from a third-person's point of view, I guess it could be seen as a tad bit old fashioned. Like I cared.

"Sorry, Bella, sometimes I think Edward here was born into the wrong century," Alice giggled, ignoring the scowl Edward directed towards her.

"Be nice, Alice." Esme went mama bear status and wrapped her arms around her son's torso lovingly. "Chivalry is nice when coming from a gentleman, don't you think?"

Emmett guffawed at that. "Mom, no one does stuff like that anymore. Really! Have you seen anyone my age do that? Have you?"

"Did you guys ever stop to think that perhaps his being polite is the reason why he's never able to keep the girls off him?" Carlisle chuckled, giving Edward a fatherly pat on the back.

All of the Cullens joined in with the discussion of chivalry and since Jasper really had no choice, he threw his opinions in too. Edward excused himself from the room, and for a reason unbeknownst to even myself, I followed.

I didn't know people would flock to me the second I seemed to have time to chitchat. I lost sight of Edward's destination and with a heavy sigh, I fed everyone more of the answers I knew they wanted to hear. Yes, no. Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know. It was beginning to get quite annoying actually. And after what felt like forever, I finally managed to escape and decided it was time for another breather. At parties like these, the patio was my sanctuary.

My hair bounced on my shoulders as I stepped outside, my eyes widening slightly at the sight of Edward himself standing there with two glasses of champagne. He didn't seem to realize he had company until I took a step closer. The click of my heels gave me away as he turned to me, using that same half smile from earlier.

"Were you expecting company?" I questioned, eyeing the extra glass.

"Yes, actually," he replied, holding the glass out to me, "and she's here now. Champagne?" A single strawberry was at the bottom of the glass, illuminating the drink with a pink haze.

Gladly, I took the glass and gave him a shy smile as my form of a thank you. He was expecting me? Of all the people gathered inside, me, Isabella Swan?

Yay.

A little part of me began to celebrate as I stared at the bubbles within my cup to distract my eyes from his striking, green ones. I had to admit, I felt quite... awkward with the way I was ogling my best friend's brother, but it couldn't be helped. He was so undeniably easy on the eyes.

And yet, regardless of how attractive Edward Cullen was, he was still...

...no Jasper.

I cursed myself for allowing my mind to wander back to my blind best friend who had been oblivious to my emotions all these years. Surely he had to have some kind of a hint that I was utterly in love with him, right? Emmett did. Why not Jasper as well? Nervously, I took a sip and tried to think of how to converse with the handsome man beside me without totally embarrassing myself.

"So," I began, "how was the move from Chicago?"

Edward ran his hand through his disheveled hair and leaned back into the patio seat to make himself comfortable. "The drive here was so long. It probably would have been more enjoyable if I'd had company, but it was just me and the Volvo."

I cringed at the thought of driving all the way from Chicago to Seattle. He had probably made many pit stops, of course, but still. Just the idea of being on the road for that long by your lonesome didn't sound very fun at all. "So, where's all your stuff? Getting it shipped here?"

He nodded and swished the champagne in his glass. "Yeah. I didn't want to drive a U-Haul, so I just paid the extra to get it sent over."

"I see," I mused quietly, taking in his appearance. His eyes were still a surprise to me, and I made a note to ask him about them later. "Are you enjoying Seattle so far?"

"It's... different. But it's nice to be back around my family. It feels like it's been much too long since I've spent any sort of time with them. I mean, I come back to Seattle for the first time in years and my sister is engaged. It'll take me a while, but I'm sure I can adjust."

I nodded my understanding and rested my chin in my palm, suddenly very interested in getting to know more about him. "The time difference getting to you?"

"Not at all. It's only two hours anyway." His gaze wandered off and met mine as I instantly blushed and turned away, embarrassed that he caught me. "I'm sure I'll be taking a huge liking to this city if there are women like you wandering about, Bella."

The look in his eyes as he said that was enough to make it feel as if my face had been set on fire. If I weren't so utterly in love with Jasper, I definitely would have taken the opportunity to show him around Seattle and attempt to be a little flirtatious vixen. Attempt being the keyword. I'd probably fall flat on my face while trying to do so. Gosh, how very sexy, Bella.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't be happening because I was a little too not over Jasper.

I involuntarily shivered at the nip the air still held and rubbed my arms to try and create some warmth for myself. Edward must have seen me doing so since he stood up and offered his hand out to me.

"Do you want to go inside?"

I nodded and took his hand with my glass in the other as he pulled me to my feet. He released it as soon as I was standing, to which I internally pouted. What girl wouldn't want a hot guy holding their hand? We went back inside the crowded house and heard the hoots and hollers of many of the guests. I raised a brow and wondered what all the commotion could be about, peeking my head into the living room since that's where it was coming from.

My stomach dropped when I saw Alice on Jasper's lap, happily showing off her engagement ring to a lot of our old friends from college and some family members I hadn't met yet. But it wasn't the bliss in Alice's face or her excited giggles that made me feel like my heart had been ripped out, it was the look on Jasper's as he held her close.

It was a look I had never seen before in all my eight years of knowing him. The twinkle in his eye, the curve of his smile... The way he'd lean in to kiss her cheek or neck as she continued talking. The way his hand squeezed her thigh every so often to let her know how happy he was. I realized it then more than ever that... Jasper was in love with Alice. Of course, he had to have been in love if he proposed. But looking at him and getting my solid, physical proof that she was his one and only was like getting smacked with a ton of bricks.

Oh, god.

This was the real deal. Alice and Jasper, until death do they part. I had tried to avoid it, tried to live in my own alternate reality where this was all some kind of a sick nightmare I'd wake up from. But it wasn't. They were going to get married whether I liked it or not. I felt every single wall I had worked for two weeks to build come crashing down with every second that passed.

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward asked, steadying me by holding my elbow firmly.

Another glimpse over at them was my undoing. I felt the tears I was holding back pushing their way through, felt the pain I made myself ignore clawing its way through my stomach. It was unbearable, excruciating pain, and I had to get out of there as soon as I possibly could.

With a quick apology to Edward, I dashed out the room and exited the house as fast as my high heels would allow. Who the hell was I to think I could make it through their engagement party all smiles? Who was I to think I could make it through anything that involved seeing the two of them together?

I'm so weak. Why can't I do this? Why am I not strong enough?

I threw open the door of my car and tried to calm my heavy breathing. The tears were rolling by the time I had gotten my seat belt on, and I knew I was stupid for trying to make my getaway in the state I was in. My vision was blurred, my heart was hurting, and I thought for some fucking reason that I'd be able to take myself home. Stupid.

I was still in my spot across the street from the Cullen household, but I didn't care. I just needed to be alone. As I placed my hands over my face, a knock came on my window, and I jumped slightly.

It was Edward.

Great! I get the hottest Cullen boy alone, and I'm bawling my eyes out. Greeeaaat.

He knocked again, and I had no other choice but to roll down the window. I must have looked like a raccoon with my smudged eyeliner and runny mascara. I knew I should have gotten waterproof.

"Shit, Bella, what's the matter?" Edward asked as he took in my appearance. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, nudging my arm with it. "What happened?"

"Why did you follow me?" I asked hoarsely, pulling down the visor so I could fix my makeup.

He shook his head and went over to the other side of the car, pulling the passenger door open to take a seat right next to me. Ignoring my baffled look, he shut the door and took the key from my ignition to prevent me from leaving. "I asked you first. What happened?"

There was no way I could explain to him that I was madly in love with his sister's fiancé. Nobody knew or even had the slightest clue that I felt the way I did. Except maybe Emmett, which still shocked the hell out of me. But I'll be damned if I was going to tell this guy I didn't know at all my deepest and darkest secret. It doesn't matter that he's absolutely gorgeous.

Good looks don't buy you secrets.

I snatched my keys from his hand and placed them on my lap. "Edward, I appreciate you trying to make sure I'm alright, but really, I'm fine. I just need some time to myself to take it all in."

His brow arched at my answer as he stared at me in disbelief. "Take it all in? What do you mean?" He was quiet for a second before his eyes widened. "Wait a second... Are you in love with Jasper or something?"

I felt myself stiffen but maintained my composure as I wiped the eyeliner that had smudged. "What the hell? He's my best friend, Edward."

He wasn't buying it. "Okay, yeah. I know that. You still didn't answer the question."

"Why do you care?" I asked, shuffling through my purse for my mascara. If I was going to go back inside, I at least needed to look presentable.

"Because you were crying. Of course I'm going to be concerned. What do you think I am, Bella, heartless?" He tugged on my elbow again and looked into my still red and puffy eyes. "You can't blame me for being worried. We're going to have to get to know each other one way or another. Your best friend is going to be my brother-in-law, remember?"

Of course I remember, I thought sadly. I looked in the small mirror to make sure my makeup was fine and pushed the visor back up after. Edward's worry-filled, green eyes eased the pain in my stomach slightly. At least someone cared. Maybe if Edward and I got close enough in the six-month period prior to the wedding, I'd be able to tell him what I couldn't tell anyone else. I had to admit, it was nice to think I might be able to talk to someone about it.

But, now was not the time for the attention to be on me. Edward didn't drive from Chicago to listen to my sob story about unrequited love. He came to watch his sister get married, to stand at the altar as her husband-to-be's best man.

I would not ruin that for Alice or for Jasper.

"Edward, thank you for coming after me. Thank you for your concern. But really, I just get emotional sometimes thinking of them getting married. I've known them for years. I'm so happy for them, and you just have to understand that the thought of them embarking on a new life together is a bit much." I smiled at him, hoping he bought the lie I was throwing out. "I'm fine now, though. You want to go back in?"

His eyes scanned mine again for some sort of sign of deceit, but I masked myself well. "Fine." He sighed in defeat and opened the car door to walk around to my side. He opened mine as well, and I thanked him quietly, pressing the button on the tiny remote fastened to my keys to lock the car. We walked in silence back into the house and like I'd hoped, everything was the same.

No one noticed my quick disappearance, and the attention was still focused on Jasper and Alice like I was praying for.

"Let's get a drink," Edward suggested with a crooked grin, placing his hand on the small of my back to lead me to the fully stocked fridge. I was glad he finally let the whole crying situation go. As we passed the living room, Alice smiled and waved at me from Jasper's lap, looking happier than I'd ever seen her.

And I promised myself that very second that even if it took me up until right before they each said "I do", I would be happy for them. Someday, sometime, eventually, I would be happy for them. If I had to keep my love on super, ultra, mega lockdown, I'd do it. For Alice. For Jasper. For them. For my best friends.

Because they deserved it.

I hadn't even realized Edward had already poured us both drinks until he was nudging me with one. I had no clue what it was, but if I knew the Cullen men, I knew they could drink like there was no tomorrow. I had no doubt in my mind that whatever Edward poured me was bound to be strong.

"To new friends," he said, holding his cup up to mine.

With a smile, I mimicked his move. "To new friends, and," I nudged my head towards the living room where Alice and Jasper were still happily situated, most likely retelling the story of how their relationship came to be, "to Jasper and Alice."

I was about to take a sip before Edward spoke again.

"And to you, Bella," he held his cup to his lips, "in hopes that you'll learn that your best friends getting married is not the end of the world."

I couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped me as I help the cup to my lips as well. "I'll drink to that."


End of Chapter Three

Author's Notes: Three cheers to Edward being such a sweetheart for following Bella! Oh, and MANY people have been asking about what's up with Alice and Jasper. Like, were they secretly dating, or did Jasper just pop the question in hopes of Alice saying yes? My only answer to that is, you will find out as the story progresses. Trust me, I have the whole back story of them planned out, but you'll just have to wait and see :)

Pictures of Alice and Bella's dresses are up on my profile if anybody cares to see! AND, I've created a brand new banner that I'm VERY proud of, so go check it out! Don't forget to check out the one the wonderful iponeddyou made for me as well!

Alrighty my lovelies, please review so I can know how you're liking this so far! Pleaseee?

-BB