Thank you so much to each and every one of you who followed along through this story and supported me in the journey! You all are what keep me coming back for more.
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Now off we go, to Edward and Bella's HEA :)
EPOV
I'm startled out of my almost slumber when our bedroom light flicks on, blinding me. My reaction is built from years of being on edge, constantly alert, and ready for attack. I roll halfway toward my nightstand, pausing as I reach to unlock my gun safe.
Bella giggles in the doorway, one heel on and one heel off as she stumbles into the room. I lie back, my lips stretching into a grin as my arms reach behind my head so I can watch the drunken show.
"Your sister knows how to par-tay!" Her sheer sweater drops, revealing the creamy skin of her bare shoulders and the tight navy halter dress she wore to the bachelorette party.
I lick my lips at the sight. "You look like you had fun."
"Margaritas for everyone! Whoo!" Her second heel joins the sweater before she falls to the mattress, her face tilted to the ceiling. "Everything is spinning." She raises an arm twirling her finger in circles to punctuate her point.
"I'm sure it is."
She groans and turns to the side to face me. "But I'm sooooo tired. Ali isn't. She could go all night. Rose got to leave early because she's knocked up." She whispers the last part like it's some secret. "Maybe I could be knocked up. Then I could go home and sleep." Her eyes fall closed while I swallow hard, the image of Bella, round with my child waking an urge inside me. One that has been appearing more and more in the past few weeks.
Ignoring my inner thoughts- because right now is not the time to have that conversation- I reach out to stroke the long strands of her hair. "You are home."
"I am home." A soft smile curls at her lips as she gazes over at me. I think her words mean more than the simple statement of a location. "But I don't want to sleep."
"Oh?" Damnit, if that doesn't wake up my dick.
"Do you know why I don't want to sleep?" She asks, rolling over and crawling onto the bed on all fours. I shake my head, but my lips hitch at the side. I have a feeling I do know why she's not ready to sleep. "It's because I have a sexy federal agent in my bed that I think needs a little lovin'."
Even drunk, she's God damn adorable. My eyes dip to the cleavage prominently on display in front of me. "I think you might be right about that."
"I'm gonna rock your world, baby," She sits up and lifts her dress, but it catches around her neck because she's forgotten to untie the halter. I laugh and reach forward to help her out. I go for her strapless bra while I'm at it- I know that's about to give her trouble too. "Awe, my hero!" She throws herself at me, crashing her lips to mine as I palm her naked breast and knead the heavy flesh.
"Jesus, Bella," I moan when she begins to kiss down my chest, her hand leading the way until she's tracing her fingertips inside the waistband of my boxer briefs.
"I think you've got a present for me." She's giggling again as she pulls on the elastic, peeking inside at the erection that begs for her attention.
"Why don't you unwrap it and see?" Within seconds she's got my boxers over my hips and down my legs. Then she's on her back, kicking her legs and twisting, trying to get her panties off. "Need a hand?" I raise a brow as I watch her struggle.
"Why are these so complicated?" she huffs, finally getting the fabric around her ankles and flinging them across the room. "Now, where were we, big boy?"
"I think you were about to play with the present you unwrapped."
"Oh, my God! You got me a cock!"
I can't hold back my roar of laughter as her hands fly to her cheeks, and she feigns elated surprise at her "gift."
"Alright, enough, smart ass, come here." Grabbing her by the waist, I pull her toward me until she's settled, straddling my thighs.
She rolls her hips, and I hiss through my teeth, the sensation of her wet folds running over the skin of my shaft almost too much to bear.
"Fuck me, Edward," she begs like I need any convincing. I lift her by the hips and position myself so that when she lowers, I slide right inside the tight heat of her body.
My hips buck up while she grinds down, and we find a rhythm that's bringing us to climax faster than I care to admit. "So fucking good, Bella," I groan, slowing and going deeper, trying to prolong the experience.
"Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God," she chants and reaches up to pinch and tug at the dusty pink buds of her nipples. "Yes, yes, yes!" And her body tenses, her eyes squeezed tight, and her mouth open as her breath catches. The walls of her pussy clench around me as I thrust a final time and let her lead me to my release.
She collapses to my side and curls around my body, one leg tangled in mine while her arm rests across my chest. I pull her close and place a kiss on her forehead.
"Fucking awesome," she mutters before yawning so wide it's contagious, and I find myself following suit.
"Alright, sleepy head. Time to get some rest." I reach around her to pull the sheets over our quickly cooling bodies. "We've got a big weekend ahead of us."
As she drifts off to sleep, she cuddles close. "Love you, Edward."
My smile is broad as I close my eyes. "Love you too, Bella."
oOo
"So, what do you think, son? Are you next?" My father claps me on the back, a drink already in hand, although the Cullen crew just arrived at the Port Angeles Country Club for Alice and Jasper's reception. I scan the patio railing overlooking a lush golf course and spot Bella huddled with my mother and Rosalie while my grandmother gushes over the beauty of the two bridesmaids.
"I don't know, pops. We'll see." Except I do know, so I send him a wink that earns me a shoulder squeeze and a laugh before he walks off to greet guests.
In front of me, Charlie Swan clears his throat, and I turn to find him appraising me in a way that makes me squirm. "Chief."
"Something you want to ask me, son?" I pause. It never crossed my mind that I needed his approval to take the next steps with his daughter. I'm an idiot.
I nod and swallow hard. He shouldn't intimidate me as much as he does, but that's my girlfriend's father. And I'm positive that if he knew the things I do with her, he'd have me in a body bag buried in the forest somewhere I would never be found. "I'll be honest, in all my planning, it slipped my mind." I pray for forgiveness.
His mustache twists to the side before he speaks. "You already buy a ring?"
I glance around to make sure we're out of earshot. "Yes, sir."
"She going to like it?"
"I hope so."
"Well," he sighs and leans back on his heels. "I guess there's not much I can do to stop you, is there?"
"Probably not."
"Good thing I like you, Edward. It would be real hard to give my baby girl away to some schmuck." My shoulders sag in relief. "But if you hurt her…."
"Then you have my permission to kick my ass all the way back to Chicago."
"Sounds like a deal." He sticks his hand out, and I return the gesture, shaking it firmly twice before dropping my arm back to my side.
A different arm slips around my waist, and I take a deep breath in, my nerves settling as the scent of Bella's strawberry shampoo fills the air.
"What are you two talking about?" She smiles up at me.
"Baseball," I say while Charlie blurts out, "fishing."
"Uh-huh." She glances between us. "Okay…"
"Baseball and fishing. There's a game this weekend that your dad wants to watch, but we were thinking about going fishing first."
"You're going fishing?" She looks at me with raised brows.
Charlie is quick to come to my rescue. "I was gonna teach him a few things."
"You want to go?" I ask, getting a grimace from Bella.
"Absolutely not. Any cold, wet thing…." She shivers. "Not for me."
Charlie shrugs, "Suit yourself. I think I'm going to grab a drink. You two want anything?"
"I'm good." Bella holds up a glass of chardonnay while I shake my head. She links her hand with mine as Charlie walks away.
"Wasn't the wedding beautiful?" she sighs once we're alone.
"Alice sure did something with the flowers. I mean, they were everywhere."
She slaps my arm, her drink sloshing in her glass at the movement. "Don't be an ass. I loved the arch at the altar covered in wisteria. Who knew she could tie in greens and purples so well? The entire thing was romantic."
I suck on my lip for a minute, building the courage to broach the questions burning in my mind. "Is that what you want for your wedding? Hanging flowers and romance?"
She freezes for a moment, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. It's not the first time we've discussed the subject of marriage, but in the past, we've spoken in generalizations along the "yes, I think I'll eventually get married" line.
"Um, actually, I think I want a beach wedding," she says quietly, peeking up to catch my reaction.
I purse my lips and nod. I could do a beach wedding. "Are you thinking of a destination wedding or something local?"
"More local. There are some beautiful beaches out past Forks near the Native American reservation. I think a summer wedding there would be amazing."
"That sounds nice." I can picture it in my head. Bella wearing a classic white dress, an altar of simple wildflowers, and my brother as my beast man. It's incredible how quickly the possibility becomes an inevitability in my head.
We're interrupted as Emmett himself comes running up, chasing a sugar-filled toddler who crashes right into Bella's legs.
"Where are you off to?" she laughs, handing me her wine and reaching down to pick up the giggling girl.
"Oh, hell, she's fast." Emmett rests his hands on his knees, catching his breath. "I gotta tell mom to stop keeping candy in her purse for the grandkids."
I laugh and cock a brow. "She keeps candy in her purse?"
"She was feeding Charlotte M&M's and lollipops through the entire ceremony!"
Emmett jumps when my mother's hand rests on his arm, and she gives him a don't-mess-with-grandma look. "It's my right to spoil my grandchild."
"Ma, come on! You're not the one who has to take a cranky toddler home tonight."
"Oh, she could never be cranky," my mother says, lifting Charlotte out of Bella's arms. "Could you, darling? No, you're too precious."
I laugh at Emmett's eye roll, and he shoots a glare at me. "Just wait. When you two have babies…." He points between Bella and me. "You're going to have to deal with her too." He runs off, following my mother, who is showing Charlotte off to a couple of cousins from Alaska.
"When we… have babies?" Bella bites her lip and shakes her head as if ridding it of a thought.
"Ignore my family. Let's go to the bar. I think I need that drink now."
I spend the next few hours introducing Bella to family members that I have to reacquaint myself with. There are non-stop questions about the Volturi trial and my time undercover. I tell everyone they'll have to wait for the book to come out to get the sordid details. Yes, I agreed to write a book- it took about a week to find a publisher. I've also filmed a couple of interviews with news shows that started airing last week. The money my circumstances earned me is nice and helpful in orchestrating a surprise I have planned for Bella, but I don't want to stay in the public eye forever.
Before we know it, Alice is tossing her bouquet. I dodge a bullet of harassment from Emmett when Bella misses the bundle of flowers, and my cousin Kate scores the catch instead. The upbeat pop music Alice chose for the first half of the reception begins to slow, and a classic Frank Sinatra song plays over the DJ's speakers.
The champagne and whisky I drank fill me with warmth as I watch Bella laugh at a story Rose tells about toddler parenting. When Rose asks if Bella and I want to have kids sooner rather than later, Bella looks up at me through her lashes, and my heart doubles its pace. She gives a coy answer while I scream in my head, "yes!"
The light in the banquet hall is dim, coming from chandeliers on the ceiling and votives on the table tops. The effect surrounds Bella in a halo, making her skin glow and her hair shine. It takes every inch of effort I have to let her finish her conversation instead of sweeping her into my arms and running my hands along the length of her body. Finally, Emmett appears and asks his wife to dance. I quickly offer my hand to Bella, nodding toward the dance floor.
"I suck at dancing, Edward," she tells me as I lead her into the middle of the room.
"Just follow me. My mom made me go to cotillion as a kid." I remember enough to guide us in simple steps and circles, passing my parents on one side and Alice and Jasper on the other. The latter aren't so much dancing as kissing and giggling while they try to keep their hands in PG territory. When Alice spots me, she gives me a thumbs up. She knows about tonight's plan. I may have asked for her opinion a time or two. Amazingly she's remained silent, probably due to her complete obsession with everything wedding related.
Bella and I spin and talk through a few more songs until the older guests have left, and Emmett and Rose begin packing up, a sleepy child following behind them.
I lean close to Bella, speaking softly in her ear. "I want to take you somewhere tonight."
"Tonight?" She pulls back to look at me. "It's getting late."
"Trust me?"
Her lip catches between her teeth before she nods and drops her arms from my shoulders.
We say our goodbyes, Alice whispering, "good luck," as she squeezes me tight. I tell her to have a fantastic time in Cabo San Lucas and to take pictures. She says she will if she and Jasper leave the bedroom. He winks. I balk.
The drive toward Seattle is quiet as Bella watches out the window, and I play easy-listening music low on the radio. Every few minutes, Bella glances in my direction, and I can tell she has questions for me, but she's willing to let me surprise her, and I love that.
After a little over an hour of driving, I pull up in front of our destination. We're on the outskirts of the Seattle suburbs, close enough to access strip malls and restaurants but far enough out that the homes aren't built right on top of each other.
"Are we staying here tonight?" Bella asks as she climbs out of my recently purchased Lexus. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah, I was thinking we'd stay here" I take the key to the house out of my pocket and flip it around my finger.
We walk up a stone walkway to the modern-style home. It sits on a hill, with a two-car garage below the main living area. The front of the building is dark wood with forest green accents, designed to blend into the nature surrounding it.
Bella gasps as she steps inside onto hardwood floors and into the open concept floor plan. To our left is a generous dining room, and to the right is a living space wide enough that we could fit a couch that would hold our entire family.
But both of those rooms have yet to capture her attention. Along the back wall, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a small yard. In the distance, you can see a passage of seawater flowing in from the Pacific. Even in the dark, it's evident that the view is fantastic.
"You should see it from the master bedroom." I rest my hands on her shoulder, placing a light kiss along the curve of her neck.
"Hold on." She steps out of my reach, her eyes scanning the marble-topped counters of the empty kitchen. "Edward, why isn't there any furniture in here?"
I rub the back of my neck, glancing away, suddenly sheepish. "There's a bed upstairs."
"You rented a house for the night with only a bed in it?" She cocks her eyebrow and leans to one side, her hip jutting out.
"Not exactly."
"Could you please explain to me what's going on?"
This is it. The moment I've practiced for since we returned home to Washington. My hand searches out the little box in my pocket, and I fumble with it momentarily, trying to find the bravery I felt earlier at Alice's wedding.
This is ridiculous. I've been in front of the most dangerous men in the world, crossed them, and lived to tell about it. I've testified at the most important trial of the century. I've done interviews with reporters known for digging up dirt on even the most unlikely subjects. But standing here, in front of this woman, I'm more terrified than ever before.
"Bella," I start, swallowing back my nerves. "You are the strongest, most incredible woman I have met in my entire life."
"Oh, my God." Her hand flies up to cover her mouth as she blinks in shock. I can't tell if this is good or bad, so I forge ahead, determined to get through my speech.
"From the day I showed up in the emergency room at Chicago Mercy, I knew there was something special about the beautiful doctor who sewed me up." I smile at the memory as she laughs through watery eyes. "You were my rock when my life felt like a never-ending loop of frustration. You were the light, the thing that kept me going. Seeing you smile at me after dealing with the horrors of my job made it worth the struggle. I knew I had to succeed, for you, for us."
Pulling the velvet box from my pocket, I kneel to the floor, and Bella lets out a laugh. It's light and delicate and fills me with hope and joy.
"I want forever with you. I want our life to start now and in this house. It's ours. I bought it for you and our future children. I'm sorry I didn't wait to get your opinion on it, and if you hate it, we can sell it tomorrow."
"No!" she cries, and my heart sinks. "Don't sell the house. I love it!"
I blow out a breath in relief. "You haven't seen the whole thing yet."
"Edward, you're getting distracted."
"Right." I clear my throat and put my game face back on. "Bella, I love you with everything I have and want to keep loving you forever. Please be my wife, and I promise I'll give you the world."
My heart pounds as I open the box in my hand, showing her the two-carat princess cut solitaire Alice helped me pick out. She was sure that Bella would want something simple and classic, and judging by the smile breaking across Bella's face at the sight of the ring, Alice called things correctly.
"Yes!" She says, her eyes meeting mine. I'm off the floor instantly, wrapping my arms around her and lifting her off the ground.
"I love you so much," I mutter into her hair, trying to will away the unmanly tears in my eyes.
"God, Edward, I love you." Letting her down, I take her face in my palms and kiss her soundly. I can feel the wetness from her tears on her cheeks, and fuck it all, we're both crying.
I try to be inconspicuous as I wipe my face and pull away. Hopefully, Bella didn't see, except by the softness in her eyes and the way she bites at her lip, I know she did.
"So, uh, do you want to try it on?" I lift the box, displaying the diamond for her inspection.
"Put it on me." She smiles wide as I slip the band on her finger, and she studies it as it sparkles in the light. "It's beautiful."
I place my head next to hers, watching the ring glisten before kissing her temple. "You're beautiful."
"You know, you mentioned something about a master bedroom with a bed," she says, locking her eyes with mine.
"I did." I raise my brows, liking the direction her thoughts are taking.
"I think we've waited far too long to christen our new house, Mr. Cullen," she teases, pressing the length of her body against mine.
"Well, future Mrs. Cullen, I think that's something that we need to remedy immediately."
She yelps when I pinch her behind, and I growl when she turns to run toward the stairs, throwing a cheeky grin over her shoulder. And I chase her off into our forever.
A/N: *NEW STORY BEING POSTED TODAY*
If you're up for starting a new read, go check out my new story Honeysuckle. It is a different genre and tone than Stronger Than Blood and The Alias, but I hope y'all will like it just as much.
Here's an excerpt to get you started :)
Honeysuckle Chapter 1 excerpt
He pushes forward, and we're on our way. We ride, side by side, through the sleepy North Island streets toward the pier. It's already hot enough to make me sweat, and I'm happy I chose to wear a bathing suit under my tank top and shorts. My hair is pulled into a ponytail, and the soft offshore breeze whips it back as I pedal faster.
Edward pumps his legs, working to catch up. "You wanna race?" he asks once he's beside me.
"No! That's not fair. You always win." Ever since he grew four inches last winter and started getting muscles, he's been unbeatable.
"I'll give you a head start. Come on."
"Edward!"
"On the count of three…." He grips his handlebars and leans forward like he's going for aerodynamics. I huff but ogle the way the muscles in his forearm bunch with the effort. "One… two… three…go!"
Despite myself, I push my legs as hard as they'll go, shooting down Beach Street. Even with my head start, Edward catches up quickly, passing me and throwing a cocky smirk over his shoulder.
"You suck, Edward!" I cry out as I give up and fall behind. He turns the corner toward the market two blocks before me.
When I finally catch up, I prop my bike on a brick wall next to his and hang my drawstring bag off the handle before meeting him inside the store. He's scanning the coke cooler by the register, faking nonchalance and fighting off a victorious grin. I step beside him and enjoy the cool air hitting my skin.
"Cheater." I pout.
He grabs a couple of cokes from the cooler and lets the door slide shut. "Aww, come on now, I won fair and square." I stick my tongue out at him and turn to pick out the candy he promised me.
I'm debating between a Twix bar and a bag of Gummy Bears when the bell from the front door rings. I glance over to see who entered because, in our town, it's a fifty-fifty chance whoever is in the shop is someone your parents expect you to say hello to.
My eyes narrow as I watch the blonde monster I know as Rosalie Hale and her evil re-headed sidekick Jessica Stanley trail in behind Jessica's Daddy. Mayor Stanley has a boat down at the dock, and judging by the string bikini tops and short skirts the girls have on, they're spending the day on the water.
Rosalie nudges Jessica when she spots me. She sticks her nose in the air as she saunters over, Jessica hot on her heels.
They stop in front of me, eyeing my dirty converse and windblown hair. Next to their perfect braids and sparkly flip-flops, I look like a haggard mess.
"Hi, Bella," Rosalie says, sickly sweet, as her bright blue eyes dart around the store. I nervously fiddle with the candy in my hands because Rosalie is the kind of person who can make your life hell. "You here alone?"
"No," I sigh. I know exactly what, or who, she's looking for. Ever since Edward's growth spurt, girls like Rosalie and Jessica have hung around, being nice to me only to get to him. Gritting my teeth, I nod toward the bait cooler, where he's hovering over a selection of sardines and worms.
Rosalie grins and reaches toward the candy wall, grabbing a sucker out of a bowl. "Jess, go tell your daddy to buy two of these." She hands a second to Jessica, who quickly runs off to do Rosalie's bidding.
My tongue twists, and I watch in frustration as Rosalie pops the sucker in her mouth and heads toward Edward. My heart stutters as she slides a hand across his arm and bats her lashes. She twirls the sucker in her mouth before pulling it out with a pop and juts her chest forward, making her already impressive boobs look even bigger. I glance down at my own flat chest. Rosalie got her breasts right after she turned fourteen last October. I don't turn fourteen until September, and I'm praying it's a magic number that will turn me into a woman.
Edward says something that makes Rosalie laugh, and she smacks his chest playfully. His eyes dip down as her breasts shake with the movement, and the side of his mouth ticks into a lopsided grin. I drop the candy in my hand, feeling nauseous. When Edward turned fourteen last month, he suddenly started to notice Rosalie's boobs. What the hell was it about fourteen and boobs?
"I'll see you around, Edward." Rosalie licks her sucker as Jessica waves her out of the store. Edward watches in a daze, the container of worms in his hand forgotten.
I hope to see y'all over there soon!
Thanks for reading :)
~Lauren