THANK YOU HAPAKIDS, TEAMHOTMEN, AND FLAMINGPEN18 YOU ALL MAKE THIS STORY PRETTY, AND I APPRICIATE IT!
I GET SUCH A HUGE SMILE ON MY FACE WITH EVERY REVIEW, FAV AND FOLLOW!
No copyright infringement implied. All people, places and items are the sole property of their respective owners.
EPOV
Bella exited the bedroom, a vision in a white sundress. It clung to her breasts, and flowed past her knees. She was wearing my mother's blue sapphire earrings, and my great - grandmother's diamond pendant necklace. All the women in the family wore this particular necklace, as their 'something old'. She was beautiful.
She had been in the bedroom with Rose and my mother, since six this morning. Her was hair was in an elaborately styled french twist, with wisps hanging to frame her face. Her makeup was done lightly, just enough to accentuate her natural beauty. She looked just like an angel, all she needed is the wings.
At nine am, we got into two vehicles. My parents, Bella, and I in one, heading to City Hall. The other vehicle took the rest of my family to the hotel, where we would meet them after the wedding.
The officiate, who performed the marriages, was ready for us when we arrived. He had us stand in front of him.
"Do you, Edward Anthony Cullen, willfully take Isabella Marie Swan to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in good times and bad, forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do!"
"Place the ring on her left hand and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."
"With this ring, I thee wed."
"Do you, Isabella Marie Swan, willfully take Edward Anthony Cullen to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in good times and bad, forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do!"
"Place the ring on his left hand and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."
"With this ring, I thee wed."
"By the power invested in me, by the State of Washington, I now pronounce you Man and Wife. May God bless you both? You may now kiss your bride."
I didn't need to be told twice. Smiling, I pulled her into me, whispering my love for her, and placed my lips to hers. It was a chaste kiss, but full of our love.
"I love you, Edward." Both Bella and my Mom had tears streaming down their cheeks.
We left City Hall hand in hand. Bella's face was glowing. I think everyone we passed knew that we had just gotten married.
Wanting to surprise Bella, I didn't tell her that I booked us into the Thornewood Castle Inn for our wedding night. We'll be staying in the Grandview Suite. I wanted to get her out of town for a few days, after this meeting.
We arrived at The Westin shortly before eleven am. The guys had been busy checking the conference room for listening devices and setting up our own. Even though we didn't want anyone else listening in, we wanted to be able to go back and review the meeting.
Alice and Rose had worked with the hotel to set out a spread of finger foods and pastries. They made sure there were pitchers of water on the conference table. We didn't know how many people were in Aro's entourage, but the table seated twenty, with additional seating along the walls.
Promptly at noon, Aro entered the room. His skin was pale and thin. He looked like he was suffering from a life-threatening disease. He was followed by four men and a woman. They were each carrying some type of medical equipment. Once he was seated, one of the men placed a breathing tube under his nose, attaching the other end to a portable oxygen tank.
"Please, excuse me. It takes me a moment to get settled," Aro coughed.
"Aro, my friend, what's wrong?" My grandfather asked.
"I have inoperable lung cancer. This is what took me so long to arrive in Seattle. I can no longer travel by air, due to the machines I am normally attached to. We arrived two days ago, by sea. I am so happy that you have found my granddaughter. I have been exceedingly nervous for her well-being. My men have not been able to find her for some time. Now, please, Marcus, do not keep me waiting any longer. Introduce me to Isabella. I am most anxious to make her acquaintance."
"I am proud to present Mrs. Isabella Marie Cullen. She was recently wed to my grandson, Edward." You could hear a pin drop on the floor.
An older man, with pale blond/gray hair looked outraged. "She was supposed to marry my grandson. I am your consigliere. You need me to carry on your legacy. A marriage between our families will ensure this. It should have been done twenty years ago!"
"The Cullens are more than qualified to carry on in my stead. I have made no such promise. Matthew was the one betrothed to your daughter. Isabella is, and always has been, free to follow her own heart. I lost my son due to this nonsense. I refuse to lose my granddaughter also. You may leave at any time, Caius. You inserted yourself into this meeting, and I grow bored with you."
"You will regret your decision. They know nothing of your dealings. They will ruin everything you have devoted your life to," Caius said and stormed out of the room.
"Come sit by me, child. I know you have many questions, and I will answer them to the best of my ability. After all, you are the sole heir to my legacy."
I don't think that Bella had the ability to speak! She looked overwhelmed. "Sir, would you mind if I took her out of the room for a few minutes? I think this has been a bit much for her."
I didn't wait for a response. There was a sofa just outside the door. I led Bella to it. "Sweetheart, are you going to be alright? You look like you're going into shock. Let me get you a brandy. It will help to settle your nerves."
Returning from the bar, I saw Caius sitting with her. "…suited to my grandson…after what your father did, you owe me!"
"My wife owes you nothing! If you have something to say to her, let's go back in there and get it all out in the open." He hadn't heard me walking up behind him.
"Not necessary. She knows. Think about what I said, Isabella." He was already walking away.
We heard the tail-end of a conversation as we headed back into the room. "…chose Swan, to send me a message. He knew I'd be keeping tabs. He wanted me to know, that as swans 'mate for life', he too, had found his lifelong love with Renee. He was telling me to let them be together, that he would not marry someone else. Even if that meant, forfeiting his birthright," Aro explained.
"We missed the beginning. Would someone please give us the 'Cliff Notes'* version." I wanted Bella to finally get the whole story.
"Aro was just telling us that Matthew had an arranged marriage to Heidi, Caius's daughter. They hated each other, and he refused to marry her. He and Renee had been together for years and were deeply in love. They disappeared just before the ceremony, thus jilting Heidi at the altar," Dad filled us in.
"I didn't know of the pregnancy, until just before you were born, my child. He begged me to tell no one where he was. He was afraid of what would happen to Renee and the baby. I kept my promise until two years ago. I sent Alec to speak with him, when I found out how ill I was. I was hoping that he would reclaim his birthright. He made it perfectly clear, that he wanted nothing to do with my lifestyle. He even went as far as becoming a police officer."
"How long had he known about the trust fund?" Bella asked.
"I told him that I was setting one up, when I found out about your birth. I sent him a message with the account information. He was going to turn the information over to you on your 21st birthday, although it has been opened to you since your 18th. At which time, he was going to fully disclose his past to you. Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to do that."
"Why does Caius believe that Bella is going to fulfill Charlie's…Mathew's…obligation?" I wanted to know if a betrothal had been promised.
"Because our families have never merged. He knows that, unless I name him as my successor, he will have no rights to my legacy. He's beginning to understand that I have no intention of doing so. He is growing desperate and pulling at straws." Aro looked completely drained.
"Sir, I must insist you continue this meeting at another time. Your blood pressure and pulse rates are at an alarming rate. You need to rest."
"You take such wonderful care of me, Jane. I must agree. May we reconvene at a later date? It will take me a few days to regain my strength. Shall we say, Thursday?"
"Yes, of course. I look forward to getting to know more about you…Grandfather." Aro beamed when Bella called him Grandfather.
"You have grown into a lovely young woman, Isabella. I look forward to knowing you better, also, my dear."
Bella didn't want the leftover food from the hotel to go to waste, so we had it packaged for Tiny, Garrett and Seth. We kept some of the pastries for ourselves.
Mom and Dad got into the car with Em and Rose. "Why aren't your parents riding with us?"
"Because, sweetheart, I'm taking you out of town for a couple of days. Think of it as a pre-honeymoon trip. Besides, you need a break from everything that's been going on." She looked almost as exhausted as Aro had.
"Where are we going?" She sounded as excited as I was.
"Thornewood Castle Inn. It's about 54 miles southeast of Seattle. We're staying in the Grandview Suite until Thursday morning. We'll be back in time to meet with your grandfather. I've booked us for a couple's massage in the morning. We have dinner reservations each night at seven, but other than that, we can do whatever you'd like. I just want to be able to spoil you."
"I'm spoiled already, just by you loving me."
The drive was scenic, and Bella wanted to stop a few times for pictures of Mt. Rainier. "It just looks so serene. I just can't believe it's an active volcano."
After checking-in, we were shown to our suite. Once I had gotten her inside, I didn't want to let her leave. "Let me call downstairs and cancel our dinner arrangements. We'll call for room service later." I told her kissing her neck.
That call was never made.
*************************************tbw********** ******************************
A/N: This was not meant as a 'fade to black' scene. The lemon(s) is in the next chapter in B's POV!
* Cliff Notes, for those who don't know are summarized stories, used mainly for studying purposes in school. They give you the basic gist of the story and some quotes.
a/n recs…My beta and prereaders have some wonderful stories of their own. You really need to check these out!
s/8708338/1/Love-and-Kids
Bella and Edward had the perfect life. They had a beautiful home and four gorgeous kids. All of that is about to change when Bella finds out that Edward had lied to her about getting a vasectomy. See where their adventure called 'life' goes.
Twilight - Rated: M - English - Family - Chapters: 10 - Words: 31,694 - Reviews: 117 - Updated: 4-21-13 - Published: 11-16-12 - Bella & Edward
s/8971800/1/If-Only
. ?sid=8124
What would happen if a vampire and a wolf mated/imprinted on a set of twins how would it be handled and what happens afterwards there is slash in this story E&J
Twilight - Rated: M - English - Romance - Chapters: 4 - Words: 9,984 - Reviews: 12 - Updated: 4-23-13 - Published: 2-2-13 - Edward & Jasper
s/7642771/1/Unexpected-Love
. ?sid=8804
When Edward left Bella a year ago, she had already figured out that they were not mates. Bella soon learns that she is the mate to one of the Volturi kings. What she once felt for Edward will pale in comparison to what she will soon feel.
Twilight - Rated: M - English - Romance/Hurt/Comfort - Chapters: 20 - Words: 57,576 - Reviews: 533 - Updated: 4-22-13 - Published: 12-16-11 - Aro & Bella
s/7500836/1/Sunrise
Bella Swan has always had a bit of a sixth sense. She just wasn't aware of what to call it. When she moves to Forks, Wa., she finds out that she is more a part of the supernatural world than she could have ever dreamed.
Twilight - Rated: T - English - Romance/Supernatural - Chapters: 18 - Words: 44,978 - Reviews: 115 - Updated: 7-31-12 - Published: 10-27-11 - Bella & Edward
I know you'll all enjoy these as much as I do!