Disclaimer: Still not Stephenie Meyer...

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."

-Judy Garland-

Chapter 18

"Forever and For Always"

Six months after Mike's funeral things were finally starting to look up. I no longer had a cast on and my wounds were almost healed. Edward, Esme, and I were big on house plans. Alice and Jasper were officially moved into their apartment in Seattle. Rose and Emmett were talking to a pregnant teenager, who decided she wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility of a child at such a young age. And after six long months, I was finally finishing packing everything out of the old apartment, much to the realtor's happiness.

"Mommy, look what I found," Hannah said running into the living room. She held out a picture of Mike, Hannah, and I on Christmas last year. The border of the frame had our fast food nicknames around it. I could see the distant look in Mike's eyes already. His smile was forced.

"Can we keep this one?" She asked.

"How about we find a different picture to go in this frame?" I suggested not wanting her to keep a picture where her father didn't look happy. She nodded her head and skipped back to my bedroom. Of course I planned on keeping all my pictures, but all of the girls were going to help to put them in scrapbooks.

Rose walked into the living room with a large box labeled bathroom. She had a permanent smile on her face since she found out she could finally be a mother.

"Where am I going to put all of this?" I asked staring at all the boxes.

"Just remember that side of the room is going to charity," she said. All the furniture and things I was not personally attached to were all going to Good Will.

"So, Rose, did she find out what she's having?" I questioned. She would know I was talking about Hallie, the young girl giving up her baby.

"I can't tell you. Emmett and I are telling everyone at dinner," she said, but her smile widened.

"Oh, come on, I'm your best friend, Rose. We tell each other everything. You can't keep this from me," I pouted. She rolled her eyes, and sat next to me.

"Fine, I'll tell you, but only because I hate when you pout like that," she said. "It's a girl."

I squealed loudly, pulling her into a tight hug. I knew how much Rose wanted a girl.

"Have you and Emmett thought about names?"

"We're letting Hallie name her," Rose answered with a far off look in her eyes.

"Has she thought of anything?"

"Sophia Lilly," Rose sighed. "Hallie's middle name is Lillian. I can't imagine how hard this is for her. First, the guy that gets her pregnant doesn't even believe it's his. Then, her own mother has disowned her. Now, she's giving up her baby, who she is already attached to."

"But she's doing the responsible thing. It can't be easy. And she knows you and Emmett are going to be wonderful parents. She knows her daughter deserves this."

"Hallie wants me to be in there for the birth. I can't believe I'll be holding my baby girl in five months," Rose whispered. "But, enough about me. How's the house coming?"

"I don't really know. Edward's big on the exterior and he wants me to do the interior. He assures me he's done with his part. He told me we need to find a lot and then construction will be underway," I said. "I, of course, we be getting lots of help from you, Esme, and Alice."

Rose laughed. "So have you and Edward talked about kids?"

"Not really, I mean, I know we both would like more, but I don't want to consider it until we get married and the house is done. Besides, Edward's work schedule is crazy right now. It's like ever since the news over Mike came out every female in the area is getting hurt hoping he'll be their doctor. I'm just glad one of the older nurses has taken Edward under her wing to make sure none of those girls gets too frisky."

"It's not like it matters. Edward only has eyes for you, Bella. You know what, I don't even know what kind of doctor he is," Rose said shaking her head.

"He's an ER doctor, so he's always on call and he never has normal hours. But he loves his job," I said with smile. The pride in Edward's eyes when he talks about his job gives me extreme joy.

"How are you guys paying for the house? I assume Edward won't let you have just any house. He sounds like the type that will want something extravagant."

"Well, I guess his real parents were loaded and he got everything after they died. He's been saving it since he got it. He never spent it except for bills and such. And Carlisle and Esme have had a savings account sent up for both Edward and Alice since they were adopted. Especially since they knew Edward was going to Medical school. So he didn't even pay for that with his parent's money," I responded.

"That reminds me, what about Mike's Will?"

"Anything he had is now in Hannah's college fund," I said happily.

"Mommy, is this a good picture?" Hannah asked climbing into my lap. I took the picture from her. It was when Hannah was just four months old. And looking at it, we looked like a happy family. Mike's bright smile reached his blue eyes. We both looked exhausted, but pure bliss was apparent in both of our expressions. It was one of the few times Mike was ever happy after Hannah was born.

Without saying anything, I took out the other picture from the frame, replacing it with the other one.

"Look how little I was Mommy," Hannah said in awe staring at the picture. I just chuckled.

"I know Hay-Bay," I said kissing the top of her head. She wiggled out of my lap and raced back into my old bedroom.

"Edward signs the adoption papers," I announced to Rose.

"Finally," Rose mumbled. It was a long road to get there. The lawyer was working hard, but with Mike's sudden death, he had even more paper work to do. "Have you explained everything to Hannah yet?"

"She doesn't really get it. But she knows Mike will always be her dad, but Edward is her Daddy. She still loves Mike and understands that he's gone, but she doesn't get why Edward isn't her 'real' dad," I replied.

"She is only four," Rose said. "Well, let me call Emmett and Jasper so we can get this stuff out of here."

I went to find Hannah who was still looking through the pictures. She found great amusement in it, and since she was stuck with me while I packed, I couldn't tell her not to. At least she didn't make a mess.

"Is Uncle Emmie coming over?" Hannah asked as she put the pictures back in the box. I just nodded my head as she ran out of the room. I looked around the blank room. I smiled. I was finally free of this place and could move on with Edward.

"Where are those pictures?" I heard Alice from the hallway.

"Auntie Alicat you have to follow me," Hannah said before bouncing in the room pulling Alice with her.

"I bought so much scrapbooking stuff, I think I wiped out the store," Alice said picking up one of the boxes not bothering to say hello to me.

"Um, Alice, you do know we aren't doing it tonight, right? We're having dinner and Emmett's and Rose's place," I said picking up the other box of pictures.

"I know, but I couldn't help myself. I was just too excited to not stop to shop," she giggled as she walked out of the room. I just shook my head.

I walked to Alice's car to put the box in there. Rose was already getting Hannah into her car. She waved me over and all put pushed me into the car next to Hannah. Alice hurried to take the passenger seat, beaming as she turned around to smile at me.

"Um, why did we just leave the guys?" I asked slightly confused as to what was going on.

"Oh, they can handle that themselves. Well, you know we were supposed to have dinner together, but there has been a change in plans-"

"No, not a change, we lied to you Bella," Rose interrupted Alice.

"Excuse me?" I asked now more than slightly confused.

"Daddy planned a special dinner for you, Mommy," Hannah announced. I raised an eyebrow to Alice.

"Edward got the afternoon off, and he's at the apartment planning a very romantic dinner for you tonight. Rose, my Mom, Hannah, and I will be doing some scrapbooking tonight. We are here to get you dressed and ready," Alice cleared up.

"How does Hannah know?" I questioned looking over at Hannah.

"I can't tell you, Mommy. I promised Daddy I would keep it a secret," Hannah sighed dramatically.

So for the next two hours, we played Bella Barbie, the extreme edition. Not one hair on my head was not touched and placed in the perfect spot. My makeup, although light, was put on with care. And my dress fit perfectly. It was a light purple, pleated skirt, with a band under my breasts. A small slit at the top revealed just a small amount of skin. It was paired with matching heels.

Once they felt I was perfect, Rose pushed me back into the car, while Alice stayed at Rose's place since Hannah had fallen asleep.

"Okay, so just remember we have Hannah for the night. Have fun, and don't think too much," Rose said as she pulled up in front of Edward's apartment building.

"I won't, Rose," I said as I carefully got out of the car. I didn't want to trip and hurt myself. A night in the ER would ruin the romantic part of the evening.

I slowly opened the door to the apartment. My heart swelled as I took in the rose pedals scattered across the room. The candles and flowers decorating the apartment fit the mood perfectly. And there standing by the piano in the corner, with a breath-taking smile, was my Edward. His usual unyielding hair didn't change and his intense green eyes were filled with love. And let me tell you, Edward in a tuxedo is by far the sexiest thing I ever seen. If for some reason I were to die right now, I would die a very happy woman.

We both took tentative steps toward each other, until finally I was in his arms. He lightly kissed me before grabbing my hand, leading closer to the piano.

"I tried to cook dinner," Edward said breaking the silence as he pulled out my chair. He had moved the dining room table so it was next to the piano. I looked at what he made and almost laughed when I saw the spaghetti and meat balls.

"It looks lovely," I whispered taking in the candle lit room. "I hope you aren't planning on going all Lady and the Tramp on me," I teased as we both started eating.

"That would be fun to reenact. We should try it," he suggested, but with the glint in his eyes I could tell he was kidding.

"But that would be messy, and you mister already have quite the mess to pick up," I replied waving my hand as I looked around the room again.

"Aw, but love, I had the belief you would help me clean up," he said, pouting slightly. I scooted my chair closer to his, kissing his pout away. He gave me my favorite crooked smile resting his forehead to mine.

"I love you, beautiful," he mumbled, his green eyes smoldering into mine. My heart fluttered at the thought that he was mine and only mine.

"I love you, too. But you dazzling me isn't going to get me to help you clean up," I said smiling. He chuckled before kissing me full on the lips. All too soon, he pulled away.

"We have time for that later. I didn't slave over a hot stove all day for this to go to waste," he said pushing my fork closer to me. He rested his hand on the top of my thigh.

We ate in a compatible silence for some time, before we started chatting about our days. He told me stories from the ER, thankfully sparing me the gory details, while I told him about packing up the old apartment. He also told me he had this night planned for awhile. He wanted everything to be perfect, hence why Rose and Alice were involved.

"I have a few more surprises for you. Three more to be exact," Edward proclaimed as he quickly cleared the table of our dinner.

"Edward," I whined following him to the kitchen.

"Bella," he mocked me as he turned around smiling at me. "Just let me have my fun, please, love," he begged in a soft voice walking towards me. He pulled me into his arms, resting his cheek on top of my head. He pulled back slightly, grabbing my face, as he slowly leaned in to kiss me. Our lips moving in harmony, our bodies wrapped tightly together, was a feeling I would not soon be willing to forget. Edward pulled away before I could deepen the kiss.

"Remember, I have things planned tonight. And all of them will happen," he declared, lacing our fingers together as he walked to his piano. He patted the spot next to him on the bench. He then pulled out the composition book Hannah and I got for him.

He opened it to one of the first pages. Bella's Lullaby was written across it with Edward's elegant hand-writing. I smiled widely, as he started playing. I had heard him play before, but this was nothing like that. He poured his soul into this, and it was bluntly obvious.

I felt the tears start to well up as Edward played the last note. Before he could even move his hands from the piano, I threw my arms around his neck, kissing him with such passion I was light headed.

"I love you, so much," I whispered against his lips, slightly breathless from the kiss. He lovingly caressed my cheek.

"I love you, too," he said, pulling me off the bench. "But, now it's time for the second surprise."

I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face if I tried as Edward led me into his small office. He let go of my hand when he walked to his desk, pulling out a stack of papers. He walked in front of me with a wide smile, holding out the papers.

"I finished it," Edward announced handing me the papers. My eyes widened as I looked at what would be our house. It was much larger than I expected, but it was beautiful. With the many windows and spacious yard, I was in love with it.

I could see myself raising many more children in this large house.

"Please, say something," Edward mumbled looking nervous.

"It's perfect," I said kissing him lightly on his lips. He almost instantly relaxed into me. He took the papers from me, throwing them haphazardly behind him. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me back into the living room. He left me in the middle as he went over to his stereo.

Once the song started, he pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He slowly started twirling us around the living room, which I failed to notice earlier that he had moved everything out of the way.

'Cause I'm keeping you forever and for always
We will be together all of our days
Wanna wake up every morning to your sweet face
Always

"I love you, Isabella Marie Swan," Edward whispered into my ear causing me to shiver slightly. He chuckled at my response. He softly kissed below my ear, and I exhaled rather loudly. I felt one of his hands leave the small of my back.

In your eyes
I can still see the look of the one who really loves me
The one who wouldn't put anything else in the world above me
I can still see your love for me in your eyes

Edward pulled back, putting me an arm's length away. He took a deep breath before kneeling on one knee. He slowly opened a small box out for me. I gasped loudly when I saw the ring. I quickly returned my focus to Edward's eyes, feeling my eyes water once again.

"Bella, my love, I want everything with you. You have completed my life. I can't imagine you not being the last thing I see before I fall asleep or you being the first thing I see in the morning, nor do I want too. You have made me the happiest man alive. I can't live without you. Bella, will you marry me?"

My heart felt like it was going to explode. This perfect specimen of a man just proposed to me. He planned this romantic evening for the two of us just to show me how much I mean to him. How in the world did I get so lucky?

I realized then that I was taking a little long to answer. Edward looked down at his feet and his shoulders slumped. I kneeled in front of him pulling his chin up. He looked at me with sad eyes.

"Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife," I whispered pushing the hair out of his face. He smiled brightly gathering me into his eyes. He kissed me falling onto his back, bringing me on top of him. He traced my lips with the tip of his tongue. I opened my mouth allowing him to deepen the kiss. He ended the kiss with peppering my face with feather light pecks.

"Edward, the ring?"

"Oh, yeah," he smiled again, grabbing my hand. He got the ring out of the box and slowly slid it on my ring finger. I put my hand out to examine the ring. It was a white gold, with diamonds in the ring. On either side of the large diamond in the middle were emeralds that reminded me of my Edward's eyes. I looked up at Edward who was also staring at the ring.

"Do you like it?" He asked sounding hesitant. I just gave him an incredulous look, silencing his doubts. I kissed him lightly.

"Edward, did you really think I would say no?"

"I was getting worried when you wouldn't answer," he confessed.

"You silly, gorgeous, amazing, romantic man, I love you. There was no way I would say no," I admitted.

"I love you, Isabella Marie soon-to-be Cullen," Edward whispered with a brilliant smile.

"Forever and for always."

So one more chapter...but then the sequel and I have some things planned!!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed. Sorry I didn't reply, but it has been a busy week. But I do read every single one and they all make me smile!

The song in this is Forever and For Always by Shania Twain. I also got the idea of the adoption from the MTV show 16 and Pregnant. And if you have never heard of Lady and the Tramp, first off, why not? And second I'm talking about the scene were they share the meatball. I love that movie...

I think that's everything,

~Scarlet :)

P.S. Pictures of Bella's ring, her dress, Edward in a tux, and the house are on my website. So check that out!