A/N I'll say more below, but I just wanted to say how excited I am to post this chapter. It may be my favorite so far. Hope you think so too!
Taste of Innocence Epilogue #2
"Just how much shit do you need to pack, Bella?" She was a whirlwind of activity, stuffing a huge suitcase full of all her new clothes, all the while scowling at them as if they'd insulted her in some way, simply by being expensive as fuck.
"I don't know what I'll need. I can't believe you're making me go." She stomped back to the closet again and started rifling through her hangers.
"If you didn't want to go, you wouldn't have told me about it in the first place," I pointed out, fucking calm and rational as all hell despite the fact that she was raging at me.
"That's not true!" She whirled back from the closet and pointed an accusing finger at me. "I only told you because…" she broke off, because of course she had no fucking answer because I was fucking right.
I walked over and looped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me. If she'd have been truly pissed she would have hit me but she didn't, burrowing against my chest and holding me close. She was nervous, I fucking got that. What she didn't realize was that I was even more nervous because I knew what else was going to happen and it scared the living shit out of me.
I'd tried, three fucking times I'd tried to give her romantic proposals but shit always went wrong. At the park, of course, when she'd elected to send me off to kill someone instead of to propose to her, not that she fucking knew that was what I was going to do, but still. In the bathtub, with fucking candles and flowers and shit when I'd inadvertently made a derogatory remark about her fucking cow and set her off and finally in the meadow, under the stars, right after making love; her fucking father called and she just had to talk to his ass. Something was out to get me each and every fucking time I tried to propose and I was fucking sick of it so I'd taken matters into my own hands. We were getting married this fucking week if it killed us both. The rings were in my pocket and we were getting this shit done, pronto.
"You told me because you want to go and lord it over them all. Show them just how over them you really fucking are baby. How strong and confident and beautiful you've become and what a fantastically gorgeous man you managed to land. You want them all to drown in their envy and believe me when I tell you that they fucking will."
She snorted against my chest and peeked up at me. "Fantastically gorgeous?"
"Incomparably handsome? Hot as fuck? Devastatingly stunning? What adjective would you like, baby?" I gave her a wide grin and she hit me lightly on the arm.
"Yeah, sure." But her lips were twitching and I knew I was fucking right, like usual.
"Plus you want to see your dad. And of course he wants to look over the man that swept you off your feet." She rolled her eyes at that but we both knew it was fucking true. "This way we go, you see him, you show your former classmates what fucktards they are and we come home."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "You're not going to kill them, are you?" Damn that fucking promise I'd made.
"I said I wouldn't and I meant it. I won't lay a hand on those assholes. They're not worthy of being touched by me."
She continued to look at me suspiciously. "What about teeth? You're not going to use those on them either?"
I laughed. Trust her to think I'd try to find a loophole. I mean, I fucking would, but I was going to let them live. What I had planned was a billion times better than killing them outright.
"I said I wouldn't kill them and I meant it baby."
She nodded. "Alright then. What about Willow?"
"Bella, she's a fucking cow, she'll be fine. We've left enough food for twenty cows, not just two." Yes, fucking two. Tara was being delivered right before we left. I fucking gave in, as usual, to make her happy. "Mrs. Manningham is going to stop by to check on them. Everything will be fine." I couldn't believe I fucking knew our neighbor and that she was going to stop by to check on our damn cows. My life was officially fucking insane but I loved it.
"What if she and Tara don't get along?" Bella bit her lip like a fretting mother hen which made me laugh hard. She was so fucking cute and ridiculous. I loved her.
"They're cows, baby. I have never heard of cows fighting. They're not cats and dogs. They're fucking cows."
Of course that was entirely the wrong thing to say and she fixed me with one of her heated glares that made Edward Junior spring quickly to life. "Are you saying cows don't have feelings? Are you saying that Willow doesn't love me?"
Fucking Christ, that argument again? I'd fucking learned my lesson last time though. A week of no sex had learned that lesson well. "Of course I'm not saying cows don't have feelings. We both know she prefers you to me." That made no fucking sense whatsoever since she was a female and even fucking cows should recognize male perfection when they were faced with it.
Bella was slightly mollified and turned away to continue packing. She'd been so fucking worried about her father and her former classmates noticing how much she'd changed that I'd taken her out and bought her a shitload of new clothes and make up and crap. I figured she was about to be married to one of the richest fucking men in the country so we could explain any changes from going to fancy salons and shit. You'd have thought I was torturing her the way she acted about the fucking clothes. She'd taken to calling me Alice on the shopping excursions, which I knew she meant as an insult, but since when was looking good a fucking bad thing? I bought myself some new shit as well and I looked fine as hell. We were a stunning pair and her classmates were going to fucking die when they saw how well she'd done for herself.
She packed one more shirt and pulled the suitcase closed. "I'm ready," she muttered.
I chuckled and leaned down to kiss her. "It'll be the best week of your life, Bella. I promise you that." At least I fucking hoped so. She wouldn't say no when I asked her, would she?
Asked her? Since when were you going to fucking ask her? Aren't you telling her? I seriously cannot believe you're still this fucking stupid.
I'm not stupid. I tried to fucking ask her three times and it didn't work. I'm still going to ask, more or less.
Ask? Try ambush.
Some girls would consider it romantic.
Yes, gold-digging whores would be quite thrilled by your idea of a proposal. Last time I checked, Bella wasn't either of those things.
You don't have a fucking clue what you're talking about. I tried to do it your way and it bit me on the ass each time. Now we're doing it my way. She'll be thrilled.
Don't come crying to me when she fucking rips your head off. At least then you'll finally have some sense knocked into you.
Look here, douchetard, I've done just fine without you for the past year. I don't need you now.
What you call fine, I call marginally functional. A little less retarded than usual. Should you be congratulated for that?
Yes, I fucking should. She's still here, isn't she? She still loves me.
Against all odds and probabilities.
Oh, fuck off. I know what I'm doing.
"Edward." She was tugging on my hand and watching me intently. Fuck, he'd taken me away from her yet again. So much for his fucking advice on romance. Dick.
"Sorry, baby, just thinking."
"Is everything okay? Because if you don't want to go, we don't have to." She sounded a little disappointed but I knew she'd suck it up for me if she thought I wasn't willing. She wanted to see her father. The reunion held little interest for her, I knew, but I really thought it would be good for her.
"No, baby. I want to go. I do have a little surprise for you." Fucking understatement of the century right there.
"What surprise?" She eyed me suspiciously, her golden eyes narrowed.
"We're going to make a little stop on the way."
She put her hands on her hips. "What kind of stop?" What? Like she thought I was going to stop and kill an orphanage full of kids or something? Jeez.
"We're stopping in Chicago to see Jenks. I have some papers to sign and shit."
Shit's the right word. Your supposed proposal is going to be shit.
Fuck off! I'm doing it right.
Right? You may as well be purchasing her; making her one of your assets. Jackass.
Don't you dare fucking imply that Bella is some kind of item to me. You know she's my entire fucking world. You can go the fuck to hell. Get the fuck out of my head, now.
Alright, maybe I said that wrong but…
No buts. You insulted my soon-to-be wife. She's worth more than everything I own, than you and I combined. You do not get to imply that I'm buying her love and affection. Go the fuck to hell.
"Are we going?" She tapped her foot impatiently and I kissed her quickly again.
"Yes, we're going." Going to get married. I fought back the excitement and nerves and took her hand and led her to the car. This was going to be one epic fucking trip that much I knew.
Xoxoxoxox
"I can't believe I finally get to meet Jenks!" Bella bounced excitedly in the plane. She'd been silent for most of the flight, just taking in the view and enjoying the fuck out of my private jet. She'd been extremely fucking cute, turning on the TV and pouring a useless drink that remained untouched just so she could say that she had one. Eventually she'd returned to the cockpit to sit next to me and watch the scenery down below.
"Yeah, well he's quite interested to meet you as well," I muttered. Jenks had been his usual moronic, questioning fucking self when I called him with my list of needs for this visit. I almost couldn't blame him, seeing as what I'd asked of him was even unexpected to me but still, he should keep his fucking questions to himself if he wanted to continue to live. To say he was interested in meeting Bella was no doubt an understatement though. He knew what a big fucking deal this was. Hopefully she would realize it too.
"What kind of business do you have to meet with him about?" she asked, still looking out the windows instead of at me, which was a good fucking thing since she was the business we were meeting about. I wondered if I should tell her that or go with my initial plan and spring it on her.
Moron.
Stop fucking hissing at me. I told you to leave. Not another fucking word.
"Just some papers that need to be signed and stuff." That was fucking true. I was adding her as a co-owner of CEI. If anything fucking happened to me, she needed to be protected and this was something that was more than easy to do for her. I'd already set her up several bank accounts but this would ensure she was taken care of for her entire existence. I was responsible for her and even if I didn't love her more than anything in the world, I would have made sure to take care of her. It was the right fucking thing to do. I just hoped she saw that and didn't fucking freak out on my ass like she usually did when I tried to give her shit she hadn't specifically indicated she wanted. She happily took her fucking cow from me but when I bought her a diamond bracelet she acted like I'd given her a fucking spider or some damn thing. Crazy, infuriating, fascinating woman. Was it any wonder I fucking loved her?
"Okay, that doesn't sound too bad. Are we staying for long?"
"No." My voice was edgy, as it always was when I thought of my first home. Home. That was a fucking laugh.
She turned to steady me. "You hate Chicago, don't you?"
I shrugged. "I suppose I fucking do. I can't say I have a lot of happy memories there."
"Well, why not move the company somewhere else?"
I'd considered that more times than I cared to count but I always came to the same fucking answer. "Because that's where he started the company and that's where I took it over and made it into one of the most powerful companies in the world. It's my own little way of saying 'fuck you' to the old man."
She reached out and linked her hand with mine. "I get it, but remember he can't do anything to you now."
I smiled at her and brought our joined hands to my lips. "I know, baby. You're the only family I need." Which is why I want you to marry me. "It's just very well established there and I only have to go now and then so it seems pointless to move it."
She nodded. "Okay. Whatever makes the most sense."
If I had my way, Chicago would soon be home to my happiest memory. I got permission to land at O'Hare and brought the plane down smoothly. A limo was waiting for us and I helped Bella into it. In true Bella fashion, she was all sorts of excited about being in a limousine.
"Do you travel like this often?"
I smiled at her and shook my head. "No, usually I make Jenks come and get me or take one of my own cars. I thought you'd get a kick out of this though." And she did. She stuck her head out of the sunroof at one point and she played with every button and gadget that she could. Sometimes she was amazingly mature for her age but others she could let down her guard and be a happy fucking kid. I loved both aspects of her. Then again, I loved something else too.
"Did you ever want to fuck in a limo, baby?" She slapped my leg and turned on the TV which I could take as a fucking insult but I elected not to. I doubted she wanted to fuck with someone else in the car anyway. I sat back and closed my eyes, not wanting to watch the city flash by. I fucking hated it here and I hoped I didn't have to come back anytime soon. I felt Bella's hand on my leg and I smiled a little when she stroked my thigh. My girl always knew when I was upset.
Her hand crept a little higher and my eyes flashed open as her fingers moved over Edward Junior. Holy fuck, was she really? My jeans button flipped open and my zipper was down and suddenly her strong fingers were wrapped around my cock and she was stroking me hard while watching me intently. She bent down and licked the head and fuck yes, my girl always knew exactly what I fucking needed. I arched my hips toward her and she took my cock into her mouth. I groaned at the sensation of her sexy little tongue moving against the underside of my shaft as she took me in and out of her mouth.
"Fuck, baby, that feels incredible." She made some noise of agreement as her head bobbed faster. My eyes rolled back into my head when she deep throated me and then she pulled back and released me which made me dig my fingers into the seat. She grinned and yanked down her jeans and panties and oh thank fucking God she wasn't done with me. She straddled my waist and took my cock inside her, her tight pussy enveloping a very grateful Edward Junior.
I was extremely close to coming so I held her hips and pulled her to me hard as I thrust fast inside her. She moaned softly as I pressed a finger to her clit, moving fast circles against it that matched the pace of my cock thrusting inside her. She threw back her head and I leaned forward to suck on that gorgeous spot where I'd made her mine forever. She rode me hard and fast and it wasn't long before we were both coming. I held her to me when we were done, still joined and just loving having her in my arms.
"Thank you."
She giggled and kissed my neck. "You looked like you needed something to take your mind off where we were."
"That is by far the best way to do so, baby." I tilted her head up and kissed her softly. "I love you."
Bella grinned up at me. "I love you, too." I was acutely aware of the rings in pocket in that moment. I really hoped she liked my fucking surprise. Why wouldn't she though? She loved me and I was asking her to marry me.
Asking my ass. More like informing her.
I'm ignoring you. I kissed Bella again and then buried my face in her neck, inhaling her beautiful scent. She calmed me in a way I'd never thought possible.
The car started to slow and I pulled back and glanced out the window. "We're here, baby." My stomach tightened in automatic reaction to where I was and what I was about to do. Bella got off my lap and pulled back on her clothes while I fastened my jeans. The driver got out and opened the door and we stepped onto Wacker Drive in front of the sleek skyscraper that housed CEI.
"Wow, is that your building?" Bella asked softly, sliding her hand into mine and staring up at the giant glass building in awe.
I actually fucking smiled at her reaction to my building. "Yes, I had it built about thirty years ago." I led her inside and we walked past the gawking doorman and the receptionist in the lobby and entered the elevator. I pressed for the 52nd floor and Bella's jaw dropped open.
"Fifty floors?"
"Fifty three, actually. Jenks' office is on the 52nd. The 53rd actually belongs to me, or whichever Edward Cullen happens to be the CEO at the moment."
She glanced around the elevator and shook her head. "This is amazing."
"What is?" She was so fucking cute, taking it all in.
"I mean, I guess intellectually I know you have a lot of money. You bought our house without batting an eyelash. But we're sort of insulated from it on a daily basis, aren't we?"
"You are. I do actually check on things every day baby. I watch the stock market, buy and sell when needed, hack into the computers of my employees to make sure I'm not being cheated in any way, and call Jenks for briefings. I'm removed from it but I'm on top of it."
Bella looked up at me with a rueful smile. "I guess that doesn't surprise me."
"I would have told you if you wanted to know. I'll happily include you in all my businesses." I was fucking thrilled she was showing any kind of interest to be honest.
"I wouldn't mind learning a little about what you do." Fuck yes; she was going to agree to what I had planned, I knew it.
"I'll show you, baby."
The elevator finally arrived at our destination and we stepped off onto the plush blue carpeting. Jenks' secretary had apparently been briefed that I was in the building and she greeted me with a bright smile.
"Mr. Cullen! It's so good to see you again. Mr. Jenks is waiting for you inside." I smirked as I heard his panicked thoughts from the other room. Don't say anything stupid this time. He's here and he might not kill you because his girlfriend is with him but you don't want to take that chance. Just be calm, be smart and be polite. You can do this.
Some fucking pep talk, Jenks. I grinned at Bella and gestured at the secretary, Irina or whatever the fuck her name was, to open the door. She did and I tried not to laugh at how fucking pale and sweaty Jenks already was in his ugly brown suit. Who the fuck made suits in turd brown and why would anybody fucking buy one? Jenks, of course, had shitty taste in just about everything, so it shouldn't surprise me. His wife had been a royal bitch of the first degree, his daughter hated him but he hadn't a fucking clue and he had the misfortune of working for me. Bella felt sorry for him when I told her. Of course she fucking did. He had made his choice though and it served him well, monetarily at least.
"Jenks. This is Bella. Bella, this is Jenks."
She elbowed me and released my hand to offer hers to him. His nervous brown eyes flew to mine as he tentatively took her hand in his and gave it the quickest shake he could before releasing her. "It's a delight to meet you, Miss Swan." She's beautiful; far more beautiful than the girl in the picture last year. Perhaps he met her after. Who in the hell was that other girl?
Wisely he didn't ask any of his questions out loud, turning to me and giving me a fucking bow, or something close to it, bending over with his portly stomach hanging out. What the fuck? Were we in Japan? "Mr. Cullen. Always good to see you." I smirked at that and Bella fucking elbowed me again. I guess she wasn't going to hit me in front of him. That was a good fucking thing, especially if my gift set her off.
"Jenks. I trust you have everything ready?" I raised a brow and he wiped the sweat off his forehead and waddled back to his desk and started shuffling papers.
"Yes, sir. When you're ready to sign everything I'll call Irina in to be a witness, unless of course you have someone else that you've invited to this most wonderful occasion?" Bella's brow wrinkled in confusion and I just barely resisted the urge to punch Jenks' fucking big mouth.
"Irina will do. Leave us for a few minutes." He moved as quickly as his chubby legs could carry him out the door, closing it quickly and breathing a deep sigh of relief as soon as he was out of our presence.
"Do you have to be such a dick to him?" Bella hissed, turning on me and spitting fire. Fuck, I'd pissed her off already and she didn't even know why we were here.
"Yes, it's what he responds best to," I replied, rolling my eyes at her.
"Have you ever tried any other method of communicating with him?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips and looking fucking delectable. I wondered if I could fuck her against the huge glass windows before Jenks came back in.
"No, why would I? It's effective." She glared at me and started to walk to take in the view but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to me. "If I try to be polite to him, do you promise to hear me out when I explain to you what we're doing here?"
She eyed me for a minute. "What do you mean?"
Tell her or show her? Knowing Bella, she'd rather read and absorb it than anything else. I reached across Jenks' desk and handed her the papers he'd gotten together. "Read this and you'll see."
Bella sighed and started to read through the papers. I couldn't stand to watch her blank expression so I walked to the window and looked out at the city. It was overcast, which was why we'd stopped here today, and I could see Lake Michigan in the distance. Bella didn't know it, yet, but I actually owned a fuckload of buildings in this city. It was something I'd felt compelled to do, to own the city my grandfather so loved. He couldn't own it, but I did.
She was silent and still behind me and I knew she had to have at least gotten to her name somewhere within the stack of documents. I peaked back at her and she was sitting in one of Jenks' leather chairs continuing to leaf through the papers. I turned all the way around and took a step toward her and then she finally looked up and pinned me with her deep, golden gaze.
"Is this what I think it is?" Trust her to ask me some obscure fucking question to try to make me say what it was when it was clearly stated right the fuck in front of her. There might be plenty of legalese in there but it sure as fuck said that Isabella Swan was being given 40% interest in CEI, matching my 40%. The other 20% was made up of shareholders.
"What do you think it is?"
"I think it's you giving me half your business," she replied, continuing to watch me intently. I couldn't read her tone but at least she wasn't outwardly pissed yet.
"Yes, that's what it is."
"Why?"
Why? What the fuck kind of ridiculous question was that? "Because, should anything ever happen to me, you need to have something to fall back on. This is that."
She glared at me then. Fuck, she was so hot when she was mad. "Nothing's going to happen to you." There was fear in her voice along with anger.
"Of course not, baby, but it never hurts to have a backup plan."
"So that's all this is? A backup plan, in case something happens?" Well, what the fuck, of course that wasn't all it was but I shrugged in answer. Let her think whatever the fuck she wanted as long as she was protected.
"There's a typo in the document," she told me, sitting back and crossing her legs.
Figures. Fucking Jenks. "I can have him fix it before you sign, no problem baby." If that was all, we could get the fuck on with it.
"The typo is repeated over and over," she replied, an edge to her tone that I didn't quite recognize but I sure as fuck didn't like.
"So, Jenks is a moron who doesn't use spell check. No problem, Bella. We'll get him to fix it."
"Don't you want to know what it is?" she asked, continuing to watch me with that unreadable expression. She hadn't been so locked down since I first fucking told her I loved her. This fucking sucked.
"It doesn't matter. He'll fix it and we'll sign and be all set." I had other fucking things to do, like figure out how to ask her to marry me and inform her that Jenks was ready to perform the ceremony whenever we were ready.
She got up and walked over to me, bringing the papers with her and thrusting them into my chest, rather fucking hard. "Read," she told me, stabbing me in the chest with her pointer finger.
"Fuck, baby, calm down. Whatever it is can't be that fucking bad." She hissed and I took the papers and started skimming them. Lots of heretofores and whatnots, a list of all the assets we had, blah blah fucking blah, hereby giving Isabella Cullen equal majority share in...oh, fuck. I felt my heart drop. Of course he'd used her new last name in the documents. I hadn't even fucking thought about, especially since he'd called her Miss Swan when they first met.
"Do you see the typo, Edward?"
Fuck. This was hardly how I planned for it to go, but I was well and truly fucking stuck now. Guess I'd just fucking go with it. I looked up at her and saw she was boiling fucking mad now. This should be fun.
"There is no typo," I replied, waiting for the inevitable explosion.
"What?" she screeched, her eyes snapping fire at me.
"You heard me."
"So Isabella Cullen is correct?" Fuck, I loved the sound of that coming out of her mouth.
"Well yes, though I intend to still call you Bella. Isabella is your legal name so it only makes sense to use it in formal documents."
"My last name is not Cullen," she replied through clenched teeth. Here we fucking go.
"Not yet, but I'm hoping we can fix that."
Holy fuck, is that how you're proposing? Not even taking her to your office for some private discussion? Just a nonchalant 'I was hoping we can fix that?' I wash my hands of you, I really fucking do.
Nobody asked you. Bella was staring at me like I'd just grown a second head, her mouth wide open. I really wanted to make a fucking crude remark but I fought it because she was mad enough already.
"Fix it? My last name is something that needs to be fixed?" She finally found her words and she was really quite pissed off. Was the most important fucking question of my life not hanging in the balance I'd be laughing right about now.
"No, not exactly. I just think my last name would better suit you." I shot her a winning smile.
"So I'm just legally changing my name? What the fuck does that make you, my brother?" I winced at that image and reached for her but she smacked my arms away from her and started pacing.
"Of course not. It makes me your husband." There, the fucking word was out. Now just say yes and we can get on with this.
She stopped pacing and placed her hands on the back of the chair she'd been sitting in. "You want us to have a pretend marriage so I can run your company with you and inherit it if something goes wrong?"
Was she being deliberately fucking obtuse or just trying to piss me off as well? "No, I want us to have a real fucking marriage with rings and I do's and all the promises and bullshit that everyone has." Now I was fucking yelling because I hated when she pretended she didn't understand what the fuck I was trying to say.
Bella let out a soft scream and hurled Jenks' chair at me. I ducked it and dived behind his desk as the second one crashed against the glass. Good fucking thing it was bulletproof. I heard it splinter but the glass didn't break. "Damn it, Bella, don't destroy the fucking office." Jenks' computer went flying off his desk, smashing against the wall. I scrambled around the desk and held up my hands in a gesture of surrender.
Should I call the police? Mr. Cullen might kill me but I won't have him hurting his fiancée. Fuck, like I was the one doing the hurting? "Jenks, everything is fine. We need a few more minutes," I shouted.
"A few more minutes!" she shrieked, hurling pens at me that I managed to catch before they got stuck in the wall. "You think you can propose to me via legal document and it'll take just a few minutes to fix it? You stupid asshole!" A paperweight came flying next and I caught that just before it smashed into my nose. Thank God for vampire reflexes.
"I wasn't trying to propose to you like that, Bella. Fuck, I tried to do it that night in the park but we got interrupted, remember?" She paused in her search for more shit to throw at me and I took that as a good fucking sign so I soldiered on. "Then I tried that night in the meadow, when your father called and told you about the damn reunion. And that night in the bathtub too. I've tried and fucking tried and something always goes fucking wrong."
Her hand clenched around a name plate and I braced myself but she didn't throw it. "Really? You were really going to propose those times?"
"Yes, baby. I'm not a total moron." You could not be more fucking wrong about that. "I wanted to ask you in a romantic way but something always fucked it up."
She nodded slowly. "So you thought you'd resort to informing me that we were getting married? No ring, no proposal, no nothing?"
"No! I already told you that I have a ring. I want to do it right, I just don't fucking know how!" I ran my hands through my hair as I waited to see if she was going to throw more shit or not. "I swear I was going to take you upstairs and show you my, I mean our, office up there. I have matching nameplates for Edward and Isabella Cullen and I thought I'd show you yours and see how you'd react and then get down on one fucking knee even though I'd feel like a fucking jackass."
"You have a ring?"
Didn't I just fucking say that? I reached in my pocket and pulled out the 5 carat cushion cut fire opal and held it out to her. "Does this answer your question?"
She looked at my hand and then back up at me. "That's not a diamond."
"Diamonds are fucking boring. You're anything but boring, Bella. This was the stone that reminded me of you. It's beautiful but fiery and original. It's unexpected for an engagement ring, which I thought fit you perfectly since I never know what the fuck you'll do."
Her lips twitched but she still didn't smile at me. Fuck, I missed her smile. "It's pretty."
"Yes, it is." She looked at me expectantly. "What?"
"Am I just supposed to take it out of your hand and put it on myself or are you going to try to do at least one part of this right?"
I felt a smile splitting my face and I dropped to my knees in front of her. Both fucking knees, because I would fucking beg if I had to just to make this right. I took her left hand in my right and brought it to my lips to kiss it before holding the ring right below her ring finger.
"Bella, I know I fucked this up royally and I know you deserve a way better proposal than this but this is all I've got for you right now. If you say yes, I swear that I'll make up for it some fucking how, however you like. I'll buy you twenty fucking bulls if that will make you happy. I want, no, I need for you to be my wife. I love you and I always will and I really want you to have my last name and my company along with my heart. Will you marry me?"
She said nothing for a moment and I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest. Was she just fucking with me? Making me get on my knees so it would be easier to punch me in the face?
"Yes, I'll marry you. I'll take your name and your company, because you want me to, but I'll take your heart because that's all I really want. I love you, too, even if you suck at proposing. At least I finally found something you're not good at."
"I guess it's a good thing I only have to do it once then." I laughed as I slid the ring on her finger and stood up to kiss her passionately. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me back just as fiercely before pulling back and finally giving me that beautiful fucking smile I'd been hoping to see when I finally proposed.
"When did you want to get married? In Forks? I don't know how thrilled my father will be with meeting you and then walking me down the aisle but we can try." She didn't look totally convinced that would be a good idea which was just fucking fine by me. Meeting her father was going to be weird enough without asking for her hand and all that other crap that humans had to do.
How best to broach this without having her lose her temper again? "Well, I may have asked Jenks to get ordained before we came here."
She giggled and grinned at me. "You may have, huh? And did you ask or did you tell?"
I smiled back at her, fucking relieved that she wasn't mad. "I told. And you know, it would make a lot of sense to leave your name as Isabella Cullen on those papers and have you sign them when that was your legal name, after you married me." Perfect fucking sense.
"Is that so?" She was amused, I could tell, so I kissed her and spun her around in my arms.
"Yes. It would save Jenks some time, seeing as you destroyed his computer and all."
Bella looked around the room sheepishly. "Oops. I should have waited until we were in your office."
"Our office," I corrected with a laugh.
"Yes, our office." Her lips twitched and then she laughed.
"I'll let him use our office and have this one fixed up even better than before. It'll be fine." Jenks wouldn't say a fucking word if he knew what was good for him.
She sighed but nodded. "I guess it's for the best. It's been awhile since I destroyed a room."
"Yes it has, baby. Truth be told, I kind of missed it."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Just because you got off this time doesn't mean you need to try to piss me off again. I won't be nearly so lenient next time."
"Mmmmm," I purred in her ear. "I like the sound of that, baby." She smacked my chest and I laughed and called out to Jenks. "You can come in now."
He opened the door and peered in anxiously, his expression one of horror that he quickly tried to mask after he saw the room. It was fucking hilarious. "Sorry about your office," Bella told him, walking over and giving him a friendly smile. "I'm sure he makes you want to throw things all the time." Well that was just fucking wrong.
Jenks let out a nervous laugh but didn't agree with her, because he wasn't a complete fucking dumbass. "It's fine, I'm sure. I've been meaning to change things around in here."
Bella glared at me and I figured it was best to fucking go with it. "You can use our office until this one is fixed. Call whomever you need to make things right and bill the company."
"Yes, sir." I don't even want to know how a little thing like her managed to throw all this furniture around and crack unbreakable glass. Better not to know a damn thing.
He was learning. I almost felt like a proud fucking parent. "After a little discussion, Bella has agreed to marry me." It felt fucking good to say that aloud. "Please get Irina and we can begin."
Jenks scurried from the room and Bella came over to sock me in the arm. "You could have been nicer about it."
"What? I fucking said please."
She laughed and shook her head. "Never mind." Strange, crazy, fascinating woman.
Jenks came in with Irina, whose eyes widened as she took in the damaged room but she wisely said nothing either. I took Bella's hand in mine and gestured at Jenks to get on with it. He knew I didn't want all the long list of shit. There would be no sickness, poorer or bad times for us. Well, maybe some bad times when she was pissed at me but I could get around that shit no problem.
"Edward Cullen, do you take Isabella to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, so long as you both shall live?"
I grinned at her. "Yes, I sure fucking do." The smile on her face got twice as bright at my words.
"Isabella Swan, do you take Edward to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, so long as you both shall live?"
"I fucking do, too." I laughed and kissed her, even though Jenks hadn't told me to yet, because she was so absolutely fucking perfect for me it was ridiculous. I heard sniffling dimly in the back of my mind but I fucking ignored that shit. He didn't get to participate in my fucking wedding.
"Erm, yes. Well if you have the rings, you can place them on one another's fingers as a symbol of your unending love." These two are frightening. I hope they leave quickly.
I reached in my pocket again and got out the simple platinum band I'd selected to go with her ring and slid it on her finger. I handed her the matching one that I'd gotten for myself, because I fucking knew she'd expect me to wear one if she was. And actually, I really kind of wanted to wear it as a symbol that I belonged to her and she belonged to me. She slid the ring on my finger and then linked her hand with mine.
"By the power vested in me by the state of Illinois, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride." I lifted her off her feet and planted one hell of a hot kiss on her. Her arms wound around my neck and her tongue slid into my mouth and we kissed for several minutes. I was kissing my wife. Never in a million years would I have fucking thought this day would come but it felt so damn right.
Jenks cleared his throat and I finally broke the kiss. I thought about yelling at him but he'd just helped me marry Bella so I could overlook his interruption this once.
"I, uh, have the marriage license. You both need to sign and Irina will and then I'll sign it and we'll file it at the courthouse." I grinned at Bella as I led her over to his desk. Thank fucking God she hadn't seen and torn up the license. I picked up one of the pens I'd dropped on the floor after she threw it at me and she giggled and signed the paper. I signed right after her and wrapped my arms around her waist as Irina and Jenks both signed off.
"Now, did you need to go over the other papers or have you seen enough?" He glanced around the room warily.
Bella smiled and shook her head. "I've got the gist of them, thank you. Just show me where to sign." He did and a thrill shot through me as she signed "Isabella Cullen" on each line. Fuck, I could not love that more.
I signed where required and looked at Jenks expectantly. "Is that everything?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. You can go home for the day. We're going to need your office for a little longer." He looked around and looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it. What more damage could they possibly do? I laughed quietly to myself. We would see.
Jenks and Irina took off, glad to have the rest of the afternoon to themselves and to be the fuck away from us. Bella turned to me. "Why did you want to stay here?"
I gave her a lascivious grin. "It is our honeymoon, is it not?" She giggled as I lifted her on to the desk. "I'm going to have to replace pretty much everything anyway. Why not take out the rest of the furniture too?"
She raised an eyebrow in challenge. "If you think you can."
"Oh, I can, Mrs. Cullen. Just wait and see." God, I fucking loved calling her that and judging from the expression on her face she did too. I kissed her and started tugging at her clothes, having her naked a second before she got all mine off.
"Bring it on, Mr. Cullen. Let's leave this room nothing but a pile of rubble."
I could not fucking love her more. "As you wish, wife." Her face positively glowed. Maybe we should have made love to celebrate our union but we didn't need that. Fucking a room down should be a tradition for newly married vampires. If it wasn't, we were making it one. I thrust into her so hard that we cracked the desk and it fell apart beneath us and we just laughed and kept right on going. Life didn't get any fucking better than this.
A/N See? I didn't ringblock for long and I didn't weddingblock at all! To me, Smugward's proposal couldn't have gone any other way. Bless his heart, he does try to get it right, sometimes, but in the end it all worked out the way it should have anyway I suppose!
There is one more chapter to go and I've dubbed it epilogue 3 but it's really more of an outtake so I might change the name when I post it. I wanted to lay down a warning now and I'll do it again when I post. Most of you wanted some in person retribution for Mike Newton and his cronies and Smug's referenced above that it's coming. That's the chapter it comes in and it does get rather dark. If you thought he went a little far with Jacob in chapter 2 you'll definitely think he goes far there. But he is still a vampire and he is still vengeful, particularly when it comes to his girl. I'll issue you a warning before the chapter as well but thought I'd lay the groundwork now, as it were.
We're pretty much wrapped up now, obviously, and I do want to hear from you if you have any outtake suggestions you'd like me to write. I'll be happy to tackle them somewhere between First & Ten and a brand new collab that I plan on starting fairly soon. It'll be AH and very different from anything else I've written but I'm pretty excited about it so hopefully you'll come along with me on a new adventure in the new year :) Thanks for reading, and I'll thank you all again next chapter so I'll stop now. See you soon!