Chapter Sixteen

Bella POV

I'm lazing on the couch next to Edward watching the television in a surprisingly calm and stress free environment. No one has asked us to get up and help finalise the flower delivery or to shine all the men's shoes to perfection so that they practically reflect the undergarments of their dance partner.

It's refreshing.

And a little bit worrying. While the majority of my mind relaxes there is a part that is niggling at me, making me worry. I feel like I've forgotten something.

Let's hope it's nothing too important.

I stare at Edward a little. His eyes are closed, but I'm not sure if he's asleep. His right eye is still swollen and he says that it is more comfortable if he keeps his eye completely shut.

I couldn't believe how stupid he was yesterday, both him and Emmett. Though, I didn't really expect much secrecy from Emmett, but I would appreciate him not blurting out in front of Esme that we're fucking.

Whether she knows about us or not, though I expect she does, she doesn't need to be told that we're fucking. Edward and I will tell her when we're ready, if we ever are.

And, besides... I don't really think we're just fucking anymore.

I close my eyes and let my head flop down against the back of the sofa. There are just so many unknowns surrounding post-wedding Edward and Bella.

I open my eyes when I feel soft fingers gently drift across the back of my hand.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asks softly, as he looks at me with one eye open.

"I feel like I've forgotten something," I tell him, not wanting to ruin this peaceful moment. I'm also not one to ask the big questions.

He chuckles. "It does seem like we're missing something, right? No one's told me to practice tie tying." He closes his one good eye and rests his back on the sofa again.

I laugh and look at him incredulously as he lounges there with a grin. "Practice tie tying?"

"Heaven forbid that my tie is not the same length as the groom's," he says seriously. I gape at him. Has Alice really become that much of a control freak? "I'm joking," he chuckles as he opens his eye to look at me and my gaping mouth.

I begin to laugh, relieved that he is joking.

Unfortunately my laughter is cut short when Rose enters the living room and plops down on the couch next to me.

"Are you packed?" she asks.

I frown at her. "Packed for what?"

Rolling her eyes she tells me, "The traditional separation of the bride and groom."

My eyes widen as I realise what this means. "I have to go to that?" I understood that the bride and groom traditionally were separated twenty-four hours before a wedding, but I didn't know that included me.

"Yeah, the bridal party, you and me," she clarifies, "are supposed to stay with her."

"But, technically, I'm not a part of the bridal party." I smirk and glance at Edward.

He snorts. "If you think I'm going to spend the night before the wedding with Alice then you are poorly mistaken. I may be in the "bridal" party, but I don't need to spend a night talking about girly things."

I laugh. "And what are girly things, Edward?"

"You know... hair, make-up, waxing."

I open my mouth to comment on his thoughts, but Rose cuts me off.

"So, you're telling me you haven't packed?" she asks with a worried tone.

"Um..." all my dirty laundry is packed in a suitcase, but I don't think that Rose means that type of packing.

Rose sighs, "Bella, you really make life difficult for me, you know?"

I laugh at her. "I make life difficult. You decided to shack up with a grown child."

Rose rolls her eyes. "At least people know I'm 'shacking up'," she says using air quotes.

"You've not confirmed that," I point out.

"Nor have I denied it." She gives me the bitch glare and huffs. Tugging on my arms she instructs, "Get your ass off the couch and go pack. I'll give you two nineteen minutes alone to say goodbye or whatever. Bella," she looks me directly in the eye, "we leave in twenty. I will drag you out of this house in twenty minutes no matter what state of dress you're in."

"Aye, aye Captain." I mock salute her before I grab Edward's hand and drag him up the stairs.

He is staring at me with a bemused expression.

"What?" I ask nervously.

"I really like Rosalie," he says. I wait for the disclaimer, but it doesn't come. I let him be with his bemused expression and enter my room.

I pack what I will need for the night and every possible thing I think I will need for tomorrow. Edward sits on my bed watching me and when I finish I stand in front of him, biting my lip, and considering everything I've packed.

He reaches out to me with his hand extended and I gladly grasp it. He tugs gently and I comply and fall into his lap.

He tugs my bottom lip from my teeth and says, "What are you thinking about?"

I exhale slowly. "That's a loaded question."

He doesn't say anything else. He lies down on the bed and brings me with him, so that I am now curled up on his chest. I breathe him in deeply and think that I couldn't think of a better place to be in this moment.

Edward is playing with the ends of my hair when he asks, "When will I see you again?"

I chuckle lightly, "Well, the wedding tomorrow is at three."

"That's just over twenty-four hours away," he states.

I try to gauge his attitude to the upcoming separation. This is the longest we will have gone without seeing one another in the last two weeks.

"Well, we do need to switch teams," I tell him.

His chest rumbles as he laughs at my phrasing. "That just doesn't sound right," he says and drops a kiss on the top of my head, "I quite like the team you're on now." His lips move down the side of my face before meeting my lips.

We kiss slowly. Savouring each other's lips, tongue, taste... I'm trying to make this count for all the kisses that could have happened if we were not separated for the night.

Edward slows and begins to pull back.

"No," I whine when his deep kisses turn into chaste pecks.

"I'm sorry love, but you have got to go soon," he tells me and I pout in defeat as he places one last kiss on my forehead. I go to sit up, but Edward pulls me back down and hugs me to his chest.

"Will you have lunch with me tomorrow?" he asks into my hair. "It won't be much… probably just a cold roll, but we do have to switch teams, as you said."

I grin. "I'd love to."

Rose knocks before opening the door just as we sit up.

"Well, that was quick," she says, "I fully expected to have to pull you two off of each other."

I guffaw. "That's why we didn't even begin. I didn't want you getting an eyeful of what's mine," I tell her.

"Mine?" both Edward and Rose speak at the same time.

I blush at the small possession I used.

"We have to leave?" I question Rose.

"Yeah, yeah," she says as she grabs my bag. "Bye Bella's Edward!" she sings as she exits the room.

I turn to Edward, who is grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Don't," I warn with faux aggression. "It just slipped out."

He pecks me on the lips and waves goodbye without a word.

I slide into the back seat of the car. Alice is in the front beaming. She almost dives into the backseat to hug me.

"I'm getting married tomorrow!" she squeals excitedly.

Rose and I laugh at her.

She hugs Rose tightly after she hugs me and then bounces in her seat as Rose drives down the driveway.

"Where are we going?" I ask, thrilled suddenly by this impromptu sleepover.

"We're actually spending the night in Charlie's living room," Rose tells me. "It's close," she adds trying to ease my perplexed look. "Alice didn't want to risk being over half an hour away," she jibes.

Alice pokes her tongue out at Rose. "Just wait until you get married."

Rose mumbles something which I cannot hear. Alice gasps and Rose bites her mumbling tongue and pays close attention to the right turn she makes.

"Rosalie Hale?" Alice questions with disbelief. "Or should I say McCarty?"

"Rose?" I gasp.

"Bella," she stares back at me through the rear-vision mirror. Her look is daring me to continue. I feel like she's shouting at me I'll spill your secret.

Alice's eyes are flickering between our stare down.

"Oh my fucking God!" Alice exclaims and Rose breaks a little too harshly at the only stoplight in town. We all jerk forward roughly and Alice breaks out with hysterical laughter.

"Alice?" I shake her trying to bring her back to reality.

She's crying and gasping to breathe through her laughs. She starts trying to say something, but she keeps choking on her laughs.

"You're... and, and... fucking... You too... married..." she staggers out. A sharp honk breaks sounds and Rose jumps to life and continues driving.

It also knocks Alice out of whatever she was going through. She wipes her eyes on the back of her hands. Small chuckles are still escaping her every so often.

"I'm a fucking genius!" she suddenly shouts. "Jazz thought I was mad for wanting to get the wedding party together for two weeks before the wedding. But it turns out I'm not so crazy, doesn't it?"

Rose pulls into Charlie's driveway and Alice exits the car first, while a shell-shocked Rose and I remain seated in the car.

I hear Alice pop the trunk and grab her bag. I see her round the car and watch her hesitate with a grin before she opens the passenger side door and says, "Come on Mrs McCarty," she says to Rose, "come inside, Bella's going to tell us all about her and Edward."