Hello my Darlings!
Firstly, I am super sorry about the long wait for this update. I lost track of time between starting a new job, and having an amazing experience on India and Nepal! :P
Firstly I want to acknowledge all the great reviews I've gotten so far. Even if I don't get the chance to respond to many of them, I do read them all so keep 'em coming! Also someone along the way asked me if this is what Las Vegas is really like, and I can honestly say yes! All my knowledge is from a family holiday I went on almost 9 years ago when I was 11!
Please enjoy the chapter, and let me know what you think :)
Chapter 11- Sunday Night
Las Vegas is known for quicky weddings and 24 hour marriages. We were here for one of those things, and I sure hope the other doesn't happen. Because of this people don't give us a second glance as we leave the dress shop in our wedding attire.
The shop assistant lightly dusts my face with concealer and foundation before I leave, to cover the fading bruise, as well as dabbing on some lip gloss and mascara. I still feel light, natural and, dare I say, beautiful. My hair is up in a delicate bun, with whispy bits coming down to frame my face. It's so shiny and soft that I can't help but trail my free hand over it, my other help tightly in Edward's grasp. He stops leading the way to pull my hand away from my hair.
"The lady said you'll mess it up if you keep touching it."
"I know, by it feels so nice." I pout, looking up at Edward through my lashes.
"You are so... beautiful." The last word comes out as a sigh. Gently he pulls me closer, leaning down until his nose grazes mine and his warm breath ghosts across my lips. My own lips part, drinking him in, waiting for the ever perfect moment when his lips touch mine and my world stops. Instead, he pulls away.
I look up, annoyed, my heart racing and lungs gasping. He smirks cheekily.
"The lady also said that I couldn't kiss you until the wedding or I'll mess up your makeup." With a lightening fast kiss to my cheek, too fast for me to divert it to my lips, he's off again, leading me behind him. Grumbling I follow.
My pace is slower, hindered by the death trap stilettos strapped to my feet. They're gorgeous, with wide white satin straps that wrap over my feet and around my ankles, but I've never walked in heels before, and its a bit more difficult than I would have thought. Especially with my clumsiness. My feet are already aching, and people keep knocking me off balance. After one particularly forceful shoulder shove I stumble into Edward. He catches me easily and props me up with an arm around my waist.
"Are you ok?" he asks.
I nod. "It's the shoes." I reply. "I've never worn heels before"
Edward nods in understanding. "We're almost there, I promise." He keeps an arm around me and helps me to our destination.
The Chapel.
I imagine there are a lot of Chapels in Las Vegas, this one just being the one in our hotel. I had imagined something like what I once saw on a TV show. Shabby, with bad themed weddings and terrible decorations. The place we walk into however is anything but shabby.
The waiting room perfectly matches the theme and decor of the hotel, with historical opulence that takes my breath away. There is a lady sitting behind a desk to the side, immaculately dressed with wavy blonde hair that makes me jealous, until I remember the look and feel of my own hair. The lady stands to greet us.
"Hello, and welcome to the Venetian Wedding Chapel." My heart beats energetically with excitement. Edward helps me to the couch next to the desk and tells me to rest my feet. I do so gladly, my toes screaming and the balls of my feet aching. I listen as Edward talks to the lady about photos, videos, wedding contracts and vows. It makes my head spin, so I focus on studying the breathtaking paintings and pretty flower arrangements. Soon Edward comes to sit next to me, taking my hand.
"There's a couple in there right now, so we'll have to wait about 15 minutes. Is there anything in particular you want to happen, any details?" I think for a moment.
"No, I just want to marry you." And I want him to kiss me. The need is driving me insane.
"Ok, well the plan is for me to be at the front of the church and for you to walk down the aisle to meet me..."
"No." I interrupt. No. No. No! "Can you walk with me?" I plead. "I don't want to walk by myself. I...I'll fall over ...or walk the wrong way or something." I blush and look away, embarrassed, but Edward just smiles.
"Of course I will sweetheart. We'll both walk down the aisle. For music there's a choice of either the Wedding March or Pachelbel's canon..." he looks at me questionably.
"Pachelbel's canon." I answer confidently. "It's one of my favourites." Edward nods in agreement and continues.
"...and then the minister will perform the ceremony. For the Vows, I'm going to say something, but you don't have to if you don't want to." I think about this hard. Although the thought of saying vows in front of a minister and in such an important moment scares me, I really want to say something, to somehow let Edward know how much he means to me. But I can't decide now.
"I don't know." I admit.
"That's fine. You can decide when you're up there. Then there's just the rings and the kiss. Afterwards we sign the marriage contract and it should be processed by tomorrow or the day after." Just like that. I nod and lean into him. I'm glad he's going through everything with me beforehand, telling me exactly what I should expect each step of the way. It makes me calmer, less scared. It amazes me that he seems to know exactly what I need at any time.
"Hey, are you sure about this?" He grabs my hand and interlocks our fingers. "You know I'll still love you and take care of you, even if we don't get married." I sigh and shake my head. "No, I want this. I need this." The security of knowing he'll be there for me, for some reason, is tied directly to the ceremony that's about to happen. I need it to be happy.
My mind is fuzzy and swirly. With my emotions, I'm always fighting to sort them out, to understand them. I wish I could organize my brain like I organize the things around me, into neat, ordered sections. I stare at my engagement ring, turning it slightly so that it sits directly in the center of my finger.
"I wish you didn't have to take care of me." Frustration burning red hot rushes through me. I don't even realise what I'm frustrated about until the words come out, like my brain bypasses my consciousness to my mouth. "I want to be good enough for you. I want to be your equal."
"You are my equal and you are good enough." he insists, his voice strong and almost angry. I stare across the room but Edward cups my cheek and gently brings my eyes back to him. I never in a million years thought I would stare into a man's eyes, into anyone's eyes, but they're my favourite part of Edward. "Bella, you are the strongest, bravest person I have ever met. It is not a weakness to need help, I'm almost certain that you need a lot less help than you think you do. I hate that people have made you think you can't do anything, because I'm so sure that you can."
I've never thought about it like this. I've only ever need told what I can't do every step of the way. That I'm different, broken. Edward rests his forehead against mine.
"I love you so much Isabella Marie Swan. I never thought I'd find you, that loving you would be so easy, but it's the easiest thing in the world. And I'm so happy that you love me back."
I breath out a shaky sigh. "I love you so much Edward. So much that it hurts."
He places a gentle kiss on the corner of my mouth. "We'll figure this out together."
Just then the door swings open, a couple walking out hand in hand. They're in normal clothes, her a black dress and him a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but the most striking thing about them is the blinding smiles on their faces. After talking to the lady for a moment they leave happily, with rings on their fingers and a marriage license in hand.
It's our turn.
A man with a big camera comes out and we pose for pictures. I feel weird and awkward in the first few but Edward finds ways to distract me, to make me smile. Soon we're waiting at the doors, me swaying in my towering shoes.
"Why don't you take them off?" Edward asks after catching me for the third time. "They're making you uncomfortable."
"I don't know if I'm allowed to get married in bare feet." I whisper back.
Edward smiles. "You can do whatever you want Bella, and who's going to know? You're in a floor length dress." He kneels in front of me, lifting my gown slightly. He unties the bows of my shoes and slides them off my feet while I use him for balance. Once my feet are flat on the ground I sigh in relief. Edward puts the shoes on the ground next to the door. "We'll pick them up on the way out."
A man pops his head out of the door in front of us. It's time.
The walk down the aisle is easier than I thought. I try to focus on my arm wrapped around Edward's, and the sound of the light, lilting string music. All the chairs are empty. The only people present are the minister and the photographer, which makes me relax a bit. Everything melts away as soon as I turn to face Edward, our hands interlocked between us. The ceremony is quick, I barely register what the minister is saying until we get to the vows. I still don't know what I'm going to do, but Edward goes first.
"Bella, there are a million reasons why I love you. I've already told you most of them, but I want you to know that you are smart, caring, beautiful and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I hope I can be my best for you. I love you Bella."
A single tear falls down my cheek, but I'm smiling so wide. I can't wait to be with him for always. The minister turns to me and I know exactly what I want to say.
"I love you..." My voice is quiet and slightly crackled form the tears, but Edward's smile tells me it's ok. "...and I want to spend the rest of my life married to you." I have nothing else to say. Another couple of tears fall, but Edward, his own eyes glassy, wipes them away with his thumb. I stare into his eyes, seeing all the love, comfort and strength I could ever need. We thread the rings onto each others fingers, and I distantly hear the minister speaking.
"...pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Suddenly Edwards hands are cupping my face, his lips pressing against mine. The kiss is just as breathtaking as all the others except there is a distinct depth and passion to it, making my toes curl and my brain melt. It's over too quickly and I let out a whine of displeasure, making Edward laugh.
"I think you're becoming a bit of a brat when it comes to my kisses, Mrs. Cullen." The sound of my new name makes my stomach swoop.
"Well, Mr. Cullen, as long as you keep giving them to me I won't have to be a brat now, will I?" Together we laugh as he wraps his arm around my waist and we make our way back down the aisle.
"It's just a bit further along, I promise." Edward is insistent, says he want to show me something, which is why I find myself stumbling along the sidewalk beside him, trapped in my death-defying shoes once more. There's more people out than before now that the sun has almost set, making it even harder to make our way through. People are staring now too, with me having to lift the hem of my dress to walk and Edward in his dashing tux.
Soon Edward comes to a stop and we seem to have reached our destination.
We're at a large lake, standing next to a railing looking out over it. Across from us is a giant multi-story hotel that we passed earlier in the day: The Bellagio.
"Why are we here?" I can't help but ask.
"You'll see in just a second." His eyes are light and innocent, his smile almost childlike.
Almost as soon as he finishes talking, hidden speakers all around us crackle to life. Edward stands behind me at the railing, his arms around me and his chin resting on my shoulder as the first few chords of a classical piano piece play, washing over me and sparking a memory.
"Claire de Lune" I whisper.
Edward hums in agreement. "Do you know it?"
"Yes. My father used to play it for me before he..." I trail off as the water in front of me suddenly bursts into life.
Hundreds of fountains shoot into the sky in a quiet whoosh, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise. Each fountain is lit by a spotlight from underneath.
Then they begin to dance.
A brilliant choreography of movement, colour and music. I'm entranced, staring wide-eyed at the graceful, beautiful waterdance.
"Do you like it?" Edward whispers in my ear, his warm breath tickling my cheek. I nod in response. "Dance with me?" he asks, kissing my temple.
"Here?" In the middle of all these people?
"Yes"
"But...I can't dance."
"Let me lead." I can't help but follow him as he leads me back from the railing. More people are staring and it makes me a bit uncomfortable.
Edward tugs at my hand. "Hey, look at me. Just ignore them." He pulls me close, wraps his arm around my waist and grips my hand in his. "May I have this dance Mrs. Cullen?" He makes me smile.
I rest my hand on his shoulder, and then we sway, gentle rocking motions in time with the music. Everything melts away until there's just me and Edward, the sound of rushing water and the twinkle of coloured lights.
As the song comes to an end, Edward gathers me in his arms and twirls me round. He gently places me back on my feet as the fountains finish their dance in a spectacular explosion, and he kisses me into infinity.
When I pull away I can hear people clapping and I bury my head into Edward's chest when I realise it's for us. We've drawn quite a crowd. As everyone wanders away one man approaches us, a fancy camera strung round his neck.
"Congratulations!" he exclaims happily.
"Thank you." replies Edward calmly as I stay quiet and watchful.
"I couldn't help but take some pictures of guys and I got some good ones. How about you give me your contact details and I'll make sure they get to you." I stand there, stunned, as Edward talks to the man, scribbling down his name, address and email. It seems strange that someone would do something so nice for us, for people he doesn't know.
"So, Mrs. Cullen. What would you like to do now? Dinner somewhere?" I look at the people around us. The thought of spending more time out in the crowds makes me scared and tired just thinking about it, but I don't want to stop Edward from enjoying himself.
"Or... " I look up at him as he speaks again. "We could go back to the room and order room service."
"Yeah?" I ask shyly.
"Yeah."
And with that we fight our way through the crowds back to the Venetian.
It's only when we're almost at the door that it occurs to me. It's our wedding night...aren't we supposed to have sex?
The thought of sex terrifies me... well, ok, it excites me a little, but mainly it terrifies me.
Am I ready for this? I don't know. Do I wish I were ready for this? Hell yes. All this is running through my head as Edward unlocks our door and ushers me inside. He turns to tell me something, but one look at my expression makes him freeze.
"What are you thinking about?" he asks, concerned. I can't bring myself to answer, but my eyes give me away by darting to the bedroom door, then back to Edward. He relaxes a bit. "Nothing is going to happen tonight Bella. You're not ready."
I square my shoulders, my jaw clenching. "How do you know I'm not ready now?"
"The look on your face a moment ago. You're not ready." The fight drains out of me. He's got me there.
"I want to be ready." It comes out as a broken whisper as I struggle to hold in tears that seem to come from a never ending supply. I'm not sure why I'm crying. Probably because I'm tired and frustrated with myself. Frustration seems to lead to tears, or so I've learnt recently.
"Come on" says Edward. "Let's go lie in bed, order some food and relax." He hugs be tenderly, tucking me into my favourite spot against his chest. "We'll get there Bella, but it doesn't have to happen all at once."
I let him lead me away, take care of me, and hold me tightly in his arms where I belong, for hours into the night.
So there's a bucketload of Fluff for you. It's probably not going to stick around for much longer in this story. You've been warned!
Thank you so much everyone :)
Love and Rockets! (Love the sign off, as shown to be in a review from Ash Young!)