Thank you all for taking the time to read this little holiday tale. Even though I can't respond to reviews while I'm on vacation, I read and cherish every single one of them. It's so awesome to see so many familiar names reading along, as well as a bunch of new ones!
This is the last regular chapter of Scroogeward. Tomorrow will be an epilogue, and then this story will be complete.
Chapter 6
Ever since the dinner at my parents' house, my mother has taken a much more active role in my life. She calls me every few days to check in, and we meet for lunch once a week. Bella and I have also had a few more dinners with them over the last three months.
The first part of my plan to ask Bella to marry me comes together easily. I discuss my intentions with Mother at lunch one day, and the following week she shows up at the restaurant with my grandmother's engagement ring.
"I'd be honored if you gave this to Bella," she tells me. "Grandmother Platt would have loved her."
"Thank you, Mother," I say, admiring the nearly flawless solitaire set in platinum. "It will mean so much to Bella to have a family heirloom."
The next part of my plan takes a little more effort, but it's nothing I can't accomplish. During a long lunch, I have my driver take me down to The Gallery at Market East, where I am able to find all the supplies I need in one of the department stores. Hiding them in the house is a little more difficult since Bella frequents most of the rooms on a regular basis. I end up hiding everything in plain sight in the living room, in boxes I collected from work that are labeled with client information.
Two days later, I shut my computer down at noon when the rest of the office begins to clear out. I pack up my belongings and lock up my office for my long holiday break.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Cullen," a newer employee named Heidi says as I walk past her desk.
I stop and turn to look at her, noticing a few people in the vicinity frozen in their spots. A slow smile spreads across my face. "Merry Christmas, Heidi. I won't be back until January, so have a happy New Year also."
She smiles and nods, and I turn to make my way to the elevator. "Merry Christmas, everyone," I call out with a wave as the doors begin to close, ignoring the surprised stares of some of my long-term employees.
"Honey, I'm home!" I call out when I enter the house. "Something smells good."
"In the kitchen, dear!"
I wrap my arms around my girl's waist from behind while she transfers Christmas cookies from a baking sheet to a wire rack. "Mmm, can I have one?" I ask, already snaking my hand around to steal a peanut butter and chocolate confection. "Oh, hot!" I drop it back to the rack as Bella laughs.
"Serves you right, buster." She turns in my arms and gives me a kiss hello. "The cooled ones are over there."
I follow her finger and take a cookie from the tin on the other counter, shoving the whole thing in my mouth as quickly as possible.
"You sure you don't mind me doing all this baking?"
I shake my head as I chew. "As long as I get to sample the goods, it's fine with me," I tell her around a mouthful of cookie.
I know what she's thinking because the house isn't decorated and we discussed not giving each other any gifts, even though my parents are coming over tomorrow to celebrate and have dinner with us. But she doesn't know what I have up my sleeve for later. She has no idea just how much she has changed me—for the better—in the last year.
"So, pizza and beer later?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.
"I was thinking of skipping dinner and going straight to dessert. You—" I waggle my eyebrows "—and cookies and eggnog."
Her laughter warms me from the inside. "But right now, we have an errand to run," I add.
"Where could you possibly want to go on Christmas Eve?"
I take her hand and lead her to the door. "Bundle up, baby. It's cold outside."
Even though it's only a short drive, I take my car knowing we'll need it on the way home. We park across the street from our destination, and Bella's eyebrows furrow as she tries to figure out where we are and what we're doing here.
She tries to stop me as I lead her by the hand into what is normally a parking lot but now houses a few remaining Christmas trees. "Edward, what are you doing?"
"Come on," I encourage. "We're picking out a tree."
"But …" She comes to a full stop just inside the lot.
"But nothing, sweetheart. I finally have something worth celebrating." I put my gloved hands on either side of her face and kiss her.
She still looks skeptical. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." She'll know soon enough just how true that is.
It doesn't take long to pick one out of the few remaining trees, have it wrapped and strap it to the roof of my car. I watch Bella bite her lip in contemplation on the drive home.
"What's wrong?"
"This is great," she says with a shrug. "But we don't have a stand or anything to put on the tree."
"Oh, ye of little faith."
She unlocks the house while I drag the tree off the top of the car and up the steps, pulling it into the living room and leaning it by the fireplace.
"Can you move those two boxes out of the way for me?" I ask, pointing to the ones I placed there a few days ago.
She pulls hard on the first one, expecting it to be filled with paper, and is surprised when it comes flying toward her since it's contents don't weigh very much.
"Open it," I encourage.
She gasps when she lifts the lid and finds packages of ornaments and lights. "Edward," she chokes out with tears in her eyes.
"The stand is in the other box."
We spend the next while setting up the tree and decorating it just right, drinking eggnog and listening to Christmas music. The smile on Bella's face doesn't leave for even a second, and my heart is full to nearly bursting from how happy she is.
The sky has darkened by the time we finish, so we turn off all the lights in the room, flip on the fireplace and sit in front of the tree admiring it together.
"It's perfect," she tells me, kissing me softly. "Thank you."
"There's one more thing we have to do to make this night perfect," I counter. "Take a walk with me?"
"Babe, it's freezing outside."
"I know." I nod. "Just come with me."
We bundle up once again and head outside hand in hand. I lead Bella in the direction of the park. She laughs and turns her face up to the sky with her eyes closed as the first flakes begin to fall.
"It's snowing," she notes, a hint of joy in her voice.
We stroll leisurely through the park until we come to the spot where I stepped off my chosen path exactly one year ago.
"Where are we going?" she asks as I pull her toward the tree I found her near. "Oh."
I turn to face her, grasping both of her hands in mine. "Bella, you have no idea how miserable I was with my life a year ago, so alone, so unhappy. But something made me find you here … right here … and it changed my life in ways I never thought possible. You changed my life. You helped me find joy where there was none before, made me laugh again, showed me love.
"You make me happier than I ever thought possible just by being here, and I'd give anything to have you by my side for the rest of my life. Isabella Marie Swan," I say, dropping down to one knee and pulling the ring box out of my pocket, opening it for her to see. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"
Her right hand is over her mouth and tears are gathered in her eyes, but there's no mistaking the vigorous nodding of her head. "Yes, Edward. Yes!"
She pulls on my hand to pull me off the ground, and I squeeze her tight as I lift her in my arms, kissing her cheek, her neck, anywhere I can reach. I finally pull my head back so I can find her lips, and we share a passionate kiss as our cold noses bump into each other.
"I love you, sweetheart," I tell her, unable to wipe the smile from my face.
"I love you too." Hers is equally as wide, even though the tears are now running down her face.
"Oh, the ring!" I put her down and take off my glove, pulling the ring from its nest of velvet.
She takes the glove off her left hand, and I place the ring on her finger. "It's beautiful," she says.
I lift her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. "It belonged to my grandmother. Mother wanted you to have it."
"Really?"
I nod. "I told you they love you, Bella. Of course, not nearly as much as I do." I pull her close and nuzzle into her neck, kissing her sloppily and making her laugh. "What do you say we go home and celebrate?"
"I'd love to."
We make love that night on the floor in front of the tree, celebrating not only the love we share between us, but also creating new memories to make this holiday special for both of us.