Bella.

His gasp of surprise was what triggered the spark of curiosity within me. Edward was usually so composed, but now, as my fingers pried open the small velvet box, he was a mess. The grimace was apparent on his flawless face, his eyes half squinted in apprehension. I glanced down to look at the object that had him acting so oddly. Obviously, it was a piece of jewelry. I didn't know what else ring boxes could be used to hold, but the look on his face was frightening me. Maybe it wasn't a ring. Maybe it was something that I wasn't meant to see, or-

Scratch that. It was a ring.

I raised my eyebrows, my confusion raising by the second. The gold ring was wedged into the blue silk in the center of the box. It was gorgeous. I wasn't the type of girl that appreciated jewelry as much as Alice and Rosalie did, but this just had a certain sparkle and beauty to it. It's face was oval shaped, sheltering thirteen perfect twinkling diamonds. They captivated me, holding my gaze as I ogled it's beauty. Besides my crest, this had to be the most marvelous piece of jewelry ever made.

But why did Edward have it?

I gulped. Maybe I didn't want to know the answer to that. Maybe this ring belonged to .. somebody else. Maybe it .. wasn't my business. Realizing that I was being incredibly rude and nosy, I snapped the box shut and shoved it into Edward's hands. He looked confused as he stared up at me, his mouth opening slightly in wonder. I sighed, and gave him a soft smile.

"You never cease to surprise me, Bella."

I cocked my head to the side, not quite following his statement. He laughed once, and I could hear the nervousness that swallowed it whole. Edward Cullen was nervous. Well, this wasn't something that happened very often. This must be very, very bad. He sighed, holding the blue velvet box in his left hand, his thumb gently stroking the soft texture.

"You aren't .." he fumbled, pursing his lips to find the words to finish. "You aren't .. angry about this?"

Everything inside of me dropped. I was supposed to be angry? I was supposed to harbor feelings of anger towards the breathtaking ring that sat in that box. I gulped, trying to gain composure of myself before I let any trace of fright appear on my face. I inhaled a sharp breath, forced a dim smile and shook my head innocently.

"Should I be?" I asked, making sure my tone was nothing short of curious. He shrugged his shoulders, his glorious eyes drifting to the box once more. I lowered my head, not allowing him to see the cringe that was forming on my face. Though it was an astonishing ring, it was quickly becoming the object of my hatred. There was something about it that was making Edward distant, and I had just spent the past few weeks breaking him out of that.

"Well, under any normal circumstance, you would be."

I exhaled the shaky breath that I wasn't aware I was holding in. If my heart wasn't still, it'd be plummeting down to my knees at this very second. I pressed my lips together, trying to form a decent way to appear mature in this situation.

"What you did in your past doesn't concern me. It doesn't matter to me who that belongs to," I announced proudly, tilting my head up. I was shocked with myself that I had enough dignity to let myself sound so assured, but in reality, I was over-analyzing the situation with fury. He had told me that he's never been with anyone else before me. He had told me that I was his first love, but here he sat, nervously holding a ring that could possibly belong to an elephant sized lie.

Suddenly, his fingers were on my chin, and he pried my face up to meet his gaze. I tried to focus on anything but him, but his fingers moved my chin until I had no choice but to stare at his golden eyes. He gazed for what seemed like minutes, as if he were searching for something, before his eyes widened and he snapped back in shock. His hand never left my face.

"Isabella Marie Swan," he scolded, his voice cold. "Do you believe that this ring belongs to another woman?"

I stared, mouth open and eyes wide. I let my jaw drop a few times, trying to push the strength to talk, but the glare in his eyes was so heavy that I was beat. I sighed dramatically, and finally looked down, breaking his gaze. His hand pushed my chin up once more, and he raised his eyebrows in expectation of my answer.

"Well.. doesn't it?" I mumbled pathetically.

"Oh, Bella," he sighed breathlessly. "How many times have I told you that you're the only one who has ever touched my heart?"

"You might have mentioned it a few times."

His hand released the grip on my jaw, and moved gracefully over my cheek, holding it gently. I relished in the feel of his fingers expertly stroking my skin, and I closed my eyes. His leaned his face closer, an amused smile plastered on his face. I could tell that he was trying to hold his laughter in, but once I frowned, he couldn't contain it any longer. He let out a long, musical laugh.

"This was the ring that my father gave to my mother. It belongs to her," he explained once his laughter died.

The idiocy of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. I wanted to have tear ducts again so I could cry in embarrassment. It was such a simple solution. It was the first solution that should've came to my mind, considering the vintage appeal to the ring. How could I have lost so much faith in Edward? I was positive that my trust was completely restored in him. I was positive that we were past all that had happened between us, but the first chance I got, I doubted his loyalty to me. I was truly unbelievable.

I let out a frustrated cry, and lowered my face into my hands. Edward chuckled once from beside me, but grasped one of my hands, pulling it away. Through my uncovered eye, I saw him gazing at me with concern.

"What's wrong, love?"

"I'm horrible, Edward! I'm so sorry! I can't believe that I doubted you! I honestly- I thought that maybe you lied to me and-" I couldn't continue. Even as I explained my reasoning for my reaction, the words seemed to fuel even more humiliation from me. If that was even possible.

Edward's hand released mine, and he pressed it softly to the back of my head. He pushed gently, until my head found the soft contours of his shoulder. I immediately inhaled his scent, finding comfort in the alluring fragrance that always left me happy. He laughed again, the sound vibrating and shaking his entire body. I shuddered involuntarily, but didn't move my head away.

"You're not horrible, Bella. It was an easy assumption to make. I guess I was acting a tad bit nervous."

"A tad? Edward, if it were possible, you looked as if you'd vomit," I joked, trying to push my previous humiliation aside. I wanted to vomit from my recent behavior. "Why would I be angry over the ring if it belonged to your mother?"

The question popped out of my mouth, but I didn't forget the curiosity that grew within me once I opened the small box. If it didn't belong to another woman, and Edward never loved anybody but me, what reason would I possibly have for getting upset over a ring?

Oh. Oh. Oh!

Holy crow! Now I knew why he was acting so nervous. Now I knew why I was supposed to be angry and freak out.

"Th-the ring is mine?" I asked weakly. He smiled sheepishly, but sighed heavily, surrendering with a nod of his head.

"If you want it, that is."

I was stunned. I was completely speechless. He was planning on proposing to me. He was giving me this ring- this gorgeous, perfectly beautiful ring that had once laid upon the hand of his very own mother. He was giving it to me. He wanted to marry me. I gulped, not quite sure how to react to this. One half of me was numb with happiness. An existence as Edward Cullen's wife? Nothing would get better than that. But the other half of me was screaming in protest. Maybe this was too soon. Maybe we weren't completely healed for us to take this step.

But when the hell had he even proposed? It was my stupid curiosity that led me to the ring. He was probably waiting, and I ruined it. Way to go, Bella.

"I'm sorry, Edward. You were probably waiting to ask."

He smiled, flashing me his perfect alignment of teeth. I melted at the sight of the crooked grin that I loved so much. He held the ring in one hand, and stood, his face growing serious.

"Yes, I was."

I nodded. I understood, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I rose up off of the bed, straightening out my clothes before I moved towards the door. I vaguely remembered something about Rosalie telling me she'd be in the garage if I wanted to learn a bit more about cars. The Cullen family were big on them, and since Emmett and Jasper were insisting that I have one, I wanted to know a bit more.

I felt Edward's hand grip my wrist, and I turned around. I gasped.

He was on one knee.

If the situation wasn't already enough, I felt butterflies in my stomach. As cheesy as that sounded, they were there. They were moving so quickly, jumbling around as I watched him grin up at me, his lips folded into a genuine smile. His topaz eyes never seemed so bright before as they watched mine. I gulped, watching silently as he reached for one of my hands, holding it with both of his.

"Isabella Swan, I promise to love you forever- every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"

There were so many things that I wanted to say right now. I wanted to yell at him for putting me in this position, I wanted to kiss him for putting me in this position. I wanted .. well, I knew what I wanted. But was it what we needed? Was this too soon? After everything we've been through, and with everything we're about to go through, how did I know if accepting his marriage proposal was the right thing to do?

I heard Edward suck in a sharp breath, and I gazed down at him. The brightness in his eyes had faltered, along with the grin. I didn't realize I had been silent, keeping him waiting. He must've thought I was going to deny him.

I bit my lip, trying to decide. With one more glance at his crest-fallen face, I had my answer.

Screw doing the right thing.

"Yes," I breathed out. He sat perfectly still for a moment, as if he was trying to process the small word into his brain. It took him a moment before he realized my answer, and his eyes jumped back to mine. I decided that he needed re-assurance.

"Yes, Edward, I'll marry you."

He stared at me for another long moment, before jumping to his feet and engulfing me in his arms. I felt his strong hand at my chin again, and before I had time to question his actions, his lips were pressed hard against mine.

It was the most amazing kiss he had ever given me. It was quick, but deep enough to express the love that he felt for me. I responded eagerly, moving my lips against his in perfect synchronization. I felt tingles at my toes, as ridiculous as that sounded. But they were there, and they lingered on my skin, making me move myself closer to Edward. I wanted my entire body to tingle like that, and I knew he could do that to me.

He pulled away after a few seconds, leaning his forehead against mine. He smiled softly at me, and I returned it. I wasn't looking, but I felt him grab my left hand gently. I kept my eyes on his, but the butterflies grew stronger when I felt the cool stone of the ring brush against my finger. It applied a small amount of pressure, but it felt perfect. It fit perfect, as if it were made to live on that finger.

"I love you," he whispered softly.

I sighed happily. If I were human, this moment would've been unappreciated and embarrassing. I would've made a fuss over it. I would've scolded Edward for being so cheesy and awkward. But I wasn't human, and I had had two painful experiences where I had lived without Edward. I had developed a strong sense of maturity, and as I watched this scene unfold in front of me, I saw it for what it was- love.

"I love you too."

He leaned down, and I met his lips halfway. I don't know where it had come from, but a sudden urgency was burning in the depths of my stomach. The poor butterflies that had been causing my body so much turmoil were most likely fried to a crisp right now, because the fire that ignited was something that scorched throughout my very presence. I reached up and gripped the back of his neck, attempting to pull him even closer to me.

Edward.

I was engaged to Bella Swan. I was going to marry the most beautiful woman in the universe. We were going to live together for the rest of existence, and we were going to be happy. There wasn't going to be a single thing that tore us apart again. It was my happiness that assured me that Victoria's army wasn't going to stand a chance against us, because I wasn't going to let anything happen to my fiancée.

And it must've been my happiness that also led me to this sudden desire to ravish Bella.

As she wrapped her small arms around my neck, I felt her desire as well. Our lips moved quickly and hungrily together, our tongues dancing in perfect rhythm. When I heard Bella emit a low moan, something inside of me triggered.

With a deep growl building in my chest, I lowered her to bed, pushing her a bit more roughly than I normally would've. She didn't mind. She giggled as she released her lips from mine, before locking her long legs around my hips and moving back in to attack my lips once more. My fingers curled into fists against her sides as my anatomy suddenly awakened.

Her tongue ran along my bottom lip, before she drew it into her mouth, sucking lightly. I closed my eyes in pleasure. If this was just kissing her, I couldn't imagine what sex would feel like.

And as much as I hated it, I wouldn't have the delight of experiencing that pleasure right now. I pulled my face back, meeting Bella's confused gaze. I smiled at the sight of her damp, untamed hair and swollen lips. I raised my fingers, smoothing out pieces of wild hair that fell into her face.

"How objective are you against waiting until after we're married?"

She groaned, tilting her head up to look at the ceiling. I immediately seized the opportunity, and tucked my face into the crook of her neck. I let my lips wander along her shoulder blade, all the way up to her jaw. She whimpered a bit, before lowering her head and meeting my eyes once more.

"Clearly, you weren't born in this era," she muttered sarcastically, and I knew she was referring to my preference to wait until marriage to have sex. I grinned sheepishly, and leaned down to kiss her neck once more. She moaned softly. "Well, if you keep doing that, I'm going to be very objective."

I laughed, and got off of her, sitting upright. She mirrored my actions, leaning her head against my shoulder. She held her left hand out in front of us, her fingers spreading so we could appreciate the view. And I did.

I always used to stare at the ring. Though it was clearly beautiful, it was always missing something. I knew it always belonged to Bella. It belonged to her since the moment I laid eyes upon her, but there was always a void in it's beauty. But now, seeing it on Bella's hand, I realized that the void was Bella. It wasn't completely beautiful until it was attached to the picture perfect image of beauty itself.

I grinned, and reached for the hand that was displayed in front of us. I entwined my fingers with hers, and kissed each of them, letting my lips linger on her ring finger. I sighed in happiness.

Victoria, Kate, the newborns, the Volturi- they could all come right now, and they wouldn't harm us. What we had was indestructible, and I laughed at anybody who thought they could even touch us right now.

Eek, I apologize for another delay- though this time, it wasn't my fault. This chapter has actually been done for a few days now, but my internet has been very scratchy lately, and each time I tried uploading, it failed. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm actually quite fond of it. Though there's not much action, I think that's a good thing. We all need a mushy Bella/Edward break sometimes, haha. And I've added pictures of Kate and Irina on my website as well, so if you want, you can go check that out. Other than that, I'll wrap this up. Please, please, please x456154 review! They make me really happy! :D