Edward's POV

I was sitting behind the counter, eating lunch with Bella, when my phone dinged, alerting me to a new text.

Yo, whatcha doin tonight? A wants you guys to come over.

"Alice and Jasper want us to come over tonight. You game?" I asked Bella around a bite of my sandwich.

She nodded, smiling. "Sure." She smiled. "Alice has been anxious to have us over so she can show Rose and me her designs for the baby's room and new clothing line."

Grabbing my phone, I texted Jasper back. Sure. Sixish?

Sounds good. Gotta go. Doing emergency training today.

Whats that?

We have to make sure everyone in the building is ejaculated before this fake bomb is detonated.

I didn't have time to type in a response before he'd texted again, much to my amusement.

Dammit! ejaculated = evacuated

I snorted, throwing my head back in laughter as Bella raised an eyebrow in question. I started to tell her, but the phone rang. Seeing Jasper's number, I hit Answer and held it up to my ear.

"Dude, you work at a high school," I said with a laugh. "That's just wrong!"

"Fuck, man, you know what I meant," he said, laughing. "My job's not that interesting, I promise."

"Suuuuure," I teased. "You know I have to show this to Emmett, right?"

It was quiet for a moment, and then I heard him half-grunt, half-sigh, before he muttered, "Whatever," and hung up the phone.

Laughing, I just shook my head and explained to Bella.

She burst out laughing and then snorted. "That's going up on DYAC."

"DYAC?" I echoed. "Huh?"

"Oh, honey, you are sorely in need of an education!" she teased with a shake of her head. "Damn You Auto Correct—DYAC. Rose, Alice, and I spent hours looking through that site a while back. People send in their funny—and fucked up—texts, like the one Jasper sent you, and they get posted for everyone to read."

She reached over and snagged my laptop, pulling up the site once she had the browser open.

"Here," she told me, turning it back my way. "Read."

For the next twenty minutes, I could barely breathe, I was laughing so hard. It was a damn good thing I didn't have any customers, because I'd have scared them away for sure.

"I think my favorite had to be the one about the baby in the freezer," I told her when I finally bookmarked the site and closed the browser. "Bacon...baby...what's the difference?"

She giggled, crumpling up her trash and tossing it into the wastebasket beside the counter. "I'd better get back. See you after work?"

I nodded and pulled her into my arms for a kiss.

~*~CIBD~*~

Later that night...

"Holy crow!" Bella exclaimed as soon as we were in the car and our doors were shut. "And I thought planning her wedding was bad!"

I laughed as I started the car and pulled away from the curb. Alice had been busy in the month since her wedding. She and Rose had already begun planning Bella's and my wedding, and the minute we'd walked into the house tonight, they'd nearly jumped on Bella, dragging her off to look through the wedding books they'd started.

"I know," I agreed, shaking my head. "I could hear everything." The guys and I had cooked dinner while the women talked dresses, flowers, music, and venue. My head was still spinning.

"I know we told them we had plenty of time, but Edward," she whined, "I can't spend seven months doing this! I'll go insane!"

When cornered about all the details, Bella had blurted out suddenly that we wanted to be married at Christmas, so we had plenty of time to plan. In all honestly, we hadn't done much talking yet about setting a date, but if she wanted to wait until Christmas, I would be okay with it. Whatever made her happy.

"Are you set on a December wedding, love?" I asked curiously, reaching over to take her hand in mine.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her shake her head.

"No, not really." She laughed softly. "I just wanted to come up with a date far enough in the future that they didn't have to rush. It's going to be crazy enough having to deal with it spread out like that, but can you imagine doing it by June, when Alice wanted us to? It would be as hard to plan as hers was!"

I was quiet for a moment. "What about Vegas?" I asked suddenly. "We joked about it at their reception, but if that's something you wanna consider, we certainly can."

She chuckled, but shook her head. "No, as much fun as that sounds, I can't do that to Charlie or your parents. Not even to the rest of them, as much as they drove me crazy tonight. My mom—" She stopped, taking a deep, ragged breath before continuing. "My mom can't be there, so it's important to me that Charlie is."

I nodded, understanding completely. We were quiet again, both thinking over the issue at hand. About halfway home, I had an idea.

"What about if we did an ambush wedding?" The more I thought about it, the more I got into the idea.

"Whatcha mean?" Bella asked, turning in her seat to look at me.

"Why don't we plan it ourselves—in secret—and have them show up somewhere for some other reason, but then surprise them with the wedding?" I continued, feeling comfortably sure of the thought.

Bella bit her lower lip, obviously thinking it over, before she finally nodded. "I like that idea," she said with a smile. "You know, we could get your mom and dad involved. Have them help us plan it. I was thinking about wanting to maybe have it in their backyard, if you didn't mind, so maybe they can help keep it from everyone else and help us set it up."

"That sounds perfect," I told her, squeezing her hand in mine once before pulling away to take the wheel. "We can call them tomorrow."

~*~*~CIBD~*~*~

Two Weeks Later
Bella's POV

I was sitting on the bed in one of Edward's T-shirts and a pair of boy shorts, flipping through the catalog of dresses I'd gotten in the mail from the little shop in Seattle that Esme had recommended, when the phone rang. Edward was in the living room, working on a piece of music he was composing, so I knew he wouldn't answer the phone.

"Hello?" I answered distractedly, without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hi, sweetheart," Esme's voice crooned sweetly. "Did you get the catalog? Have you found anything?"

I set the magazine aside and smiled. "I did, and maybe. I found a few possibilities. They're all like we'd talked about—tea length, not too flashy or formal, and beautiful. I'm having a hard time narrowing it down to which I like best." I tried to figure out how to show them to her, and then a light bulb went off over my head. "Oh! Hold on, and I'll send you pictures."

Pulling the magazine back over to me, I flipped through to the first dress, took a picture with my phone, and then did that twice more before sending them off to Esme.

"Got them. Let me look," she said excitedly. There was a minute of silence before she gasped. "Oh, Bella! The one with the sweetheart neckline would look stunning on you. Do they have that in stock?"

I flipped back the first marked page—which was my top pick of the three, too—and looked at the notations the lady at the store had made. "Yes," I confirmed happily. "She said they have two of those in my size, so all I would need to do was come in for a fitting to make sure it's the right length and doesn't need taking in anywhere."

"Do you have plans tomorrow? We could go up then, since it's Saturday. Mrs. Cope can watch the store for the few hours you're open, right?"

I closed my eyes for a minute, trying to remember if I had anything scheduled for the next day, and couldn't think of anything. "That should be fine. Let me call her and make sure she would be okay to do that, and then I'll call you back."

"All right. I'll talk to you then," Esme said before clicking off.

I made the call and got the okay from Mrs. Cope, and then I promptly dialed Esme back.

"Hi," I said once she answered the phone. "We're all set. She'll be there from open to close tomorrow. I told her Angela had asked me to come up for a short visit, which is what I'll tell Alice and Rose if they ask."

Esme laughed. "Good idea. Now, we have flowers covered—the ones from my garden will be beautiful, and any more we need, we can get from my friend—but what about music?"

We talked for another twenty minutes about details before finally saying good night. Just as I was hanging up the phone, Edward came walking into the bedroom. I quickly flipped the catalog closed and shoved it into my bedside table drawer before setting the phone on top.

"Mmm, is that the dresses?" he asked, clearly curious.

I nodded with a smile. "I think I found one. Mrs. Cope is gonna cover the store tomorrow while your mom and I go to Seattle for a fitting. Just a month, and I'll be Mrs. Edward Cullen."

I watched as his eyes changed from their normal color, to a deeper, darker shade of green, the desire so clear that it was breathtaking.

"Fuck, Bella," he uttered, taking a single step toward me. "You know what it does to me to hear you talk about becoming my wife."

I was vaguely aware of the shiver coursing through my body, but everything in me was attuned to the highly aroused man slowly making his way to the bed. With every step he took, he shed one article of clothing, until finally, he crawled up to me on the bed without a stitch on.

"Take it off," he said, jerking his chin toward my clothes.

I'd come upstairs after work and changed into one of Edward's T-shirts, needing to be comfortable after having spent all day in a skirt and blouse.

I tugged the shirt off over my head and had just barely tossed it to the floor when Edward reached out and grabbed my hips, swiftly pulling my legs toward him, forcing me gently onto my back. Before I could utter a sound, he slid my panties down over the curve of my bottom and then off past my feet. He tossed them over his shoulder as his eyes trailed the length of my body. I could almost feel his attention on my breasts, my nipples perking from the cool air and his intense gaze, before moving down to the juncture of my thighs.

"Fuck, Bella," he growled. "You're beautiful. I will never get tired of looking at you like this."

My legs parted without any conscious decision on my part, giving him an even better view. I knew without looking that my lips were slightly swollen with my arousal, as everything between my legs was throbbing, and I could feel the wetness already. I needed...something—hands, a tongue, a cock—something inside me. Now.

"Edward," I begged softly, reaching down to pluck at my tight nipples.

He growled and suddenly drove forward, burying himself to the hilt inside me. We both gasped at the feel of him, at the feel of my inner muscles clenching around him. With his hands under my ass, he pulled me up onto his thighs; at this angle, we could both see him sliding in and out of me, the lips of my pussy gripping him on every stroke.

"God!" I moaned, throwing my head back and closing my eyes.

"Watch, Bella," he guttered softly. "Watch me filling you, taking you. Watch so you know it's me—your soon-to-be husband—making you feel this good."

I cried out as he reached between us and rubbed a circle around my clit with the tip of his finger. My eyes flew open, immediately zeroing in on the spot we were joined. My breath came out in pants, my fingers tightened on my nipples, and my teeth dug into my lower lip as Edward tightened the circles with his finger until he was brushing my throbbing clit over and over again. When he pinched lightly between his thumb and forefinger, I couldn't hold back any longer, and I screamed my pleasure as wave after wave of my orgasm shot through me.

He slowed the movements of his fingers but continued to slide in and out of me as my trembling finally slowed. He murmured something in Italian.

Edward knew what it did to me when he spoke in Italian, and this time was no different. It shot a bolt of desire straight through me. I growled low and reached up to shove at his shoulders. He took the hint and flipped us, keeping himself seated inside me as I straddled him.

I began rocking above him, planting my hands on his chest to steady myself as my hips moved back and forth, back and forth, before circling once, rubbing my clit against the coarse hairs at the base of his cock.

"You had to throw in the Italian, huh?" I teased, clenching him tightly for a moment with my inner muscles. "Even knowing what it does to me."

Edward groaned, sliding his hands up my thighs to cup my ass and help move me above him. "E-Especially knowing what it does to you," he said through gritted teeth as I flicked his tight little nipples.

"Who's riding you now, Edward?" I purred, raising myself up until the head of his cock was barely inside me. When he didn't answer, I slowly lowered myself down before leaning forward even more and feeling his hair rasping against my clit. "Who, love?" I growled, wanting to hear him say the words.

"Oh, fuck!" he hissed when I scored my nails lightly down his chest. "You, love. My wife. Now quit teasing and fuck me!"

I laughed and leaned back up, bracing my hands on his chest and using my legs to help raise and lower myself on his cock. His hands tightened on my hips as he began thrusting as hard as he could below me, forcing me down on him with every thrust up of his hips.

It didn't take long for both of us to be right on the edge. I sat up completely, and in one fluid movement, my hand moved back to tug on his balls while his moved between us to stroke my clit. The sensations were enough to send both of us into space, and we cried out as we flew over the edge of our orgasms together.

I collapsed onto his chest immediately, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. "I'll—have—to—call—you—my—husband—more—often!" I gasped, laughing at his soft growl.

When our sweat began to cool and become uncomfortable, I slowly crawled off my fiancé and clambered off the bed. Looking over my shoulder as I walked, I teased, "Come on, Edward. Show me how good you can be in the shower."

He laughed and hurried after me into the bathroom.

~*~CIBD~*~

Two Weeks Until the Wedding

"Hello?" My dad sounded like his normal gruff self.

"Hi, Dad," I said, smiling fondly.

"Bells!" I heard the sounds of some ball game in the background cut off. "How are you? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Dad. Everything's fine," I assured him. "Is Sue there? I have something I wanna talk to you both about."

He gave a grunt, and then I heard fumbling, as if he were covering the speaker, and his muffled voice called out for his wife.

Sue picked up the extension—I could hear the dishwasher running, so I assumed she was in the kitchen—and said, "Hi, Bella. How are you, sweetheart?"

I smiled, shaking my head. Once a parents, always a parent, even to children who weren't biologically her own—or technically even children anymore.

"I'm good, Sue. You?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Trying to sort out Memorial Day plans," Sue answered. "Seth and Leah won't be home, so we'll probably just hang out at home, unless your dad has to work."

"That's why I called, actually," I started. "I'm glad you don't have plans yet. We—uh, Edward and I—are getting married, and we'd love to have you both there."

I heard Charlie start sputtering and choking, and when he'd finally caught his breath, he muttered, "So soon? Bells, are you pr—"

"Geez, Dad, no!" I said with a laugh. "After helping Alice and Angela with their weddings, I just couldn't put up with long, drawn-out wedding planning. We were at dinner at couple of weeks ago with everyone, and Alice and Rose jumped in with all the grand plans they had and badgering me about setting a date, and I just couldn't take it.

"The Cullens have a big Memorial Day barbecue every year, and with Esme's help, Edward and I are planning a surprise wedding ceremony for before the dinner," I finally concluded.

"Mmm," he huffed. "Well, give Sue the details. You know we'll be there, Bells."

"Thanks, Dad," I said softly, feeling tears well up at the emotion I could hear in his voice. "We're going to have it in their back yard, but I'll still need you to walk me down the aisle, okay?"

"Of course, of course. Whatever you need." He was quiet for a minute before saying, "I, uh, need to go check on something in the other room. I'll talk to you later, Bells." I heard him sniff once and then the line clicked off.

After a minute, Sue chuckled. "He came through the kitchen, grabbed a beer, and walked back out, his hand running through his hair and over his face the whole time. So, what can I do to help?"

~*~CIBD~*~

The day after my conversation with my dad, Esme drove up for lunch with the group, minus Jasper, who'd been stuck at school. She'd come back to the store with me to continue talking wedding.

When I told her about my conversation with Charlie, she laughed. "Yes, I can imagine your father's reaction to hearing how close the wedding is. It's one thing when you know your daughter's getting married at some point in the future. It's another when it's suddenly right around the corner."

Nodding, I grinned. "He'll be fine, though. It's not like I'm eighteen and getting married. Not that there's anything wrong with that for some people, but I'm just not that girl." Although, if I'd met Edward sooner, he'd have been able to convince me, I was sure.

Esme pulled out a notepad and pen, opening it to a page near the front. "So, what did Sue say?"

"She's definitely up for helping with the food and will make sure Charlie gets in and gets his new pants hemmed."

We continued going over details, including the guest list—we were keeping it small, limited to family and a few friends—and other last-minute things.

"I feel guilty," I admitted when Esme mentioned Alice's dress that we would be sneaking out of her closet right before that weekend to make sure it still fit her at the ceremony.

"Why, sweetheart?" Esme asked, reaching out for my hand.

I sighed. "I'm afraid Alice and Rosalie will both be upset with me for doing it this way."

She shook her head. "Maybe a bit disappointed that they didn't get to help you plan it, but once they see how happy you and Edward are, they'll forget all about it, I promise."

Smiling, I stood and pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you...for everything."

"My pleasure, always," she said softly, returning my hug. "I'd better get going. I need to make a stop at the store for some of the stuff we still need for the wedding and the party after."

We said our goodbyes, and I went back out front to relieve Mrs. Cope, who'd been pulling more than her fair share while I planned the wedding.