Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and such. You know the drill. I just like playing with them. Some more than others. *wink* *wink*
Richard Marx owns the song, but Edward wrote it for Bella here.For those of you who read, review and such....Thanks for the love and support.
Chapter 24
EPOV
The rest of freshman year flew by. We are all heading back home this summer for a couple weeks to visit our families. We aren't staying there all summer though. The house here at college is ours year round. It is just easier that way so we don't have to move our shit left and right. We and we want some time to veg out without having to worry about classes, deadlines or visiting people.
I have made damn sure that Bella and I don't go long without spending time together. I do not want her to ever have a shred of doubt of my love and devotion for her. I don't want her to ever think she is second best in my life. It was easy to fall into a routine and take things for granted. I swear that will never happen again as long as there is a breath in my body. I have been planning a little surprise for Bella once we are home. I hope after I am through, she will finally accept the fact that I love her with every fiber of my being and we will never be apart. We are joined together heart and soul just as God intended.
To my discomfort, we are going to be separated some since we need to spend time with our families. I think our parents know better than to try to keep us apart for long because there are a lot of cookouts scheduled along with a small party.
I sit here in my old bedroom, staring out the window, thinking about all of the changes that have happened so far in my life. It is still hard to wrap my head around the fact that I am lucky enough to be with Bella. I just love her so much. I am brought out of my thoughts when my mom enters my room.
"Edward honey, are you okay?" Mom asks.
I turn to face her. My mother is so beautiful and lovely. She is kind and caring. I am so blessed to have her as my mom. "Yes mom. I am more than okay. I have an amazing girlfriend and school is going good." I stand up and reach my arms around her waist to hug her. "And I have the best mom a guy could hope for."
She hugs me back and I hear her sniffle. I kiss her on the cheek and we sit on the chaise together. She looks at me with a smile that I cannot help but return.
"Mom, I know I am still young, but I am planning to ask Bella to marry me." I wait nervously for her reaction. The look on her face is unreadable.
"You are correct Edward, you are young" she begins and I cringe thinking about the lecture that I am sure is coming. "But Edward, I know how much you love Bella and I can see how much she loves you. I believe what you two have is a forever kind of love. It reminds me of me and your dad. I know you two will be together for a long time and I am sure she will say yes." She gives me a smile and I cannot help but hug her again. "And I have to admit, I cannot wait to have her officially in the family." She giggles and I cannot stop the smile from taking over my face.
"Oh mom...I love you. Thank you for being so supportive." I feel like screaming from the rooftop I am so excited.
"Do you have an idea how you plan to propose?" Mom asks.
"I am going to take Bella to the meadow and ask her there."
She smirks, "Why the meadow?"
I blush as I think about how I am going to explain it without divulging intimate details to my mother. I can tell mom knows there is a reason that is embarrassing to talk about by the mischievous look on her face.
I decide to shake it off. "You remember mom, I took Bella on a picnic there and she really loved the place. I think it would be perfect."
"Sounds wonderfully romantic Edward. When do you plan on taking her out there?"
"Well" I looked out the window, thoughts rushing through my head "I think I am going to take her in a few days. The weather is supposed to be nice. And before you ask, I already have a ring for her."
Mom starts bouncing and giggling. I see where Alice gets it. "Can I see it Edward? Please?"
"Okay mom." I get the ring from the top shelf in my closet. I bought it while we were up at college. I was out with the guys one afternoon while the girls were shopping. There was a small jewelry store that had a lot of different styles of rings. I wanted something different for Bella. Something extraordinary like her. And I found it. The ring is gold and has a 2 carat round diamond in the center. The band has three diagonal rows of small diamonds on each side of the solitaire. It just sparkles. I went ahead and bought the wedding band that has diamonds that follow the diagonal lines on the engagement ring. I even had another band made for the other side of the engagement ring to match the wedding band. I am going to save it for our first anniversary.
I open the little velvet box and show the ring to mom and she gasps. "Oh Edward, it is so beautiful. She is going to love it." A tear falls down her cheek and I cannot help but chuckle as I wipe it away.
"Thanks Mom." I give her a hug before she heads out my bedroom door. I also wrote Bella a song and I plan to sing it to her before I ask her to be my wife. I figure I will let that part of the proposal be something that Bella can share with everyone afterwards.
A few days fly by. The weather was not cooperating with my plans, but finally the sun decides it is going to make an appearance in the middle of the week. It actually is going to work out good because everyone has things to do. Parents are shopping preparing for the party this weekend before we head back to school. Alice and Rose are going clothes shopping and Emmett and Jasper are going to sit home playing video games waiting to be put to work. My plan is perfect because it also gets Bella out of shopping and me out of hard labor.
I pack a picnic basket and blankets. I sneak my guitar in the trunk of the car. I want to try to keep that a surprise for as long as I can. I head to Bella's to pick her up. Her dad lets me in the house. "Morning Edward. Bella is still getting ready. Come sit and talk with me." Charlie says as he clasps his hand on my shoulder.
I am about to shit myself. He is being so serious. Does he know my plans? Fuck, I should've asked him for his blessing. "Um, Charlie, there is something I would like to talk to you about." I try not to stutter. He just looks at me as we sit on the couch. Now or never."Charlie, you know how much I love Bella. I love her more than life itself. She is the air that I breathe. She is the beat of my heart. I know we are young, but I want to ask Bella to marry me and I would appreciate it if I had your blessing."
He just gives me a sly smile. "Edward, thank you for coming to me and asking. I know how much you love my little girl. And I know how much she loves you. You take care of her and I know you will be a good man to her. I would be happy to have you as a son. But just remember what I told you before. You hurt her and you answer to me." He smiles and we shake hands. Renee and Bella walk in the room and Bella has a questioning look on her face. I just smile as I walk to her and take her hands in mine.
"Ready love?" I whisper in her ear.
"Yes baby. Where are we going?"
"Na aa aa. It is a surprise." I tease as I open the car door for her. She gives me a quick kiss before she sits in her seat. We drive out to the meadow and once I park the car she looks at me with a shit eating grin. She knows exactly where we are.
Bella takes the blankets as I grab the picnic basket and my guitar. She cocks her eyebrow when she sees it and I just shrug ignoring her silent questioning. We reach the meadow and it is just as I remember it. So full of color and life. We lay out the blanket, sit and begin eating. After we have had enough, she sits in front of me, leaning back on my chest, my arms around her. The sun is shining on her, highlighting the red and copper colors throughout the brown strands. We just sit and talk about the year that just passed and how we think the next year will go. The guitar must be driving her crazy because she keeps stealing looks at it. I decide I need to put her out of her misery.
"Bella, I wrote a song for you. Would you like to hear it?" I whisper in her ear before I kiss her neck.
She sighs "I would love to hear it Edward." She turns and kisses me before she slides from my lap. I reach for my guitar and take a deep breath. I am a little nervous, but my heart knows that this is right in every way. I look over to Bella. Her soft silky hair is gently blowing in the breeze. I watch the sun sparkle on her face and I've never been so overwhelmed. Her chocolate eyes look at me with all the love in the world. God I love her.I begin to play my song, never removing my gaze from hers.
Whenever I'm weary
from the battles that rage in my head.
You make sense of madness
when my sanity hangs by a thread.
I lose my way but still you seem to understand.
Now and forever
I will be your man.
Sometimes I just hold you
too caught up in me to see.
I'm holding a fortune
that heaven has given to me.
I'll try to show you each and every way I can.
Now and forever
I will be you man.
Now I can rest my worries and always be sure
that I won't be alone anymore.
If I'd only known you were there all the time.
All this time.
Until the day the ocean doesn't touch the sand.
Now and forever
I will be your man.
Now and forever
I will be your man.
I can feel emotions running strong throughout my body. Bella's eyes fill with tears and they trickle down her porcelain skin. I lay the guitar in the case and she crawls across the blanket and straddles my lap. She kisses me hard and passionately. I can feel so many emotions in this kiss. We break for a breath and I caress her face with my fingers.
"Edward..." Bella gets choked up and I hug her, holding her close to my heart. After a few minutes she sits up straight. "Edward that is a beautiful song. I am breathless. I don't know what to say except...I love you. But those three words can never truly express the depth of my love for you." She gently kisses me. This moment is so perfect. I take a deep breath.
"Bella. I love you with everything in me. You are my life, my breath, my heart, my soul." I reach into my pocket and bring out the ring. She gasps and tears start falling down her cheeks again. "Bella, I promise to be by your side, help you accomplish your every dream and give you wings when you want to fly. I will be your shelter, your support, your hero, your cheerleader. Bella, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?"
Bella takes a deep breath and looks into my eyes. I swear I can see forever in them. I can see our wedding, our unborn children and our forever. "Edward, I want nothing more than to be with you always. I would be honored to be your wife and share our dreams and future together...forever." I slip the ring on her finger and give her a soft kiss. Her face in my hands and my face in hers. Our kiss is sensual and full of emotion. I can feel tears falling down my cheeks and I feel Bella smile against my lips. We lean back from each other and wipe each others tears. Smiling like kids at Christmas.
Bella starts giggling. "What's so funny love?" I ask.
"I was just thinking...we are going to get married. I get to keep you forever. You are mine and everyone will know it." She giggled again and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes baby, we are going to get married. I get to keep you forever and if everyone doesn't already know that I am yours and you are mine, then they will find out quickly." I kiss her again and she wraps her fingers into my hair. That shit makes me crazy. I can't stop myself from roaming my hands over her body. The next thing I know I am flat on my back and we are both topless. She kisses my chest and nibbles on my nipples which make me tingle. I palm her breasts squeezing and pinching. We are breathless, kissing and licking. Our pants and undergarments pile on top of our discarded shirts. We lay naked on the blanket lost in each other, bodies sweaty, limbs intertwined.
Bella rolls us over so I am lying on top of her. She whispers to me "make love to me fiancée."
I want to cry hearing her call me her fiancée. I want to yell from the top of the trees that this amazing woman is mine. We both let out a delicious moan as I enter her. Her legs wrap around my waist and her hands cling to my arms. I gently move in and out of her body. Soft and tender, making sweet love to my soul mate. Making love to Bella gets better every time. It doesn't matter if we are going soft and slow or fucking like crazed monkeys against the wall. The feeling of the two of us together is extraordinary. We reach the mountain top together and lay in each other arms for awhile just touching and talking.
We finally decide to head back since the sun is starting to set. We get dressed and pile everything into the car. Once inside I notice Bella's little worry crease appear between her eyebrows.
"What is the matter love?" I inquire.
"I am worried about what my dad is going to say. We need to tell him and my mom." I reach over and run my hand over her cheek and smile.
"Bella love. I spoke to your dad before we came out here and I asked him for his blessing. He said yes." I can't help but smile as I realize this is really happening. I am going to marry the love of my life.
Bella's eyes are wide and her mouth is hanging open. I gently life her chin and close her mouth as I chuckle.
"Edward, are you serious? You talked to my dad?" She looks stunned, but begins to smile.
"Yes my love. I spoke to him and he gave me his blessing to propose to you. Just so you know my mom knows too. I told her earlier this week." I grin and lean over and give her a quick kiss.
"You Edward Cullen are amazing." She giggles as we start driving home. We stop at her house and we sit and talk with her parents for about an hour. Her mom is over the moon with the news. Renee immediately starts calling family members. We just laugh as we head out towards my house. One down, one to go. Bella is going to stay over at my house tonight and I could not be happier.
We arrive at my house and once we walk into the living room, Alice is in our face. She grabs Bella's hand and starts jumping up and down in place. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it." She bounces and Jasper walks over and picks her up around the waist and carries her to the couch. We are all laughing as she pouts while he is carrying her. We sit down as mom and dad walk into the room. Mom gives me a questioning look and I nod.
"Everyone, Bella and I have some news" I start. I look over to Bella silently asking if she wants to tell them.
She nods and continues "Edward asked me to marry him and I said yes." She almost squeals at the end of her sentence.
Mom grabs Bella into her arms before I could blink. "Oh Bella. I am so happy that you are going to be a part of our family officially. We love you dear." She kisses Bella on the cheek and I can see the tears welling up in my ladies eyes. I have to be honest, I could cry again but I know I will never live it down if I do. Rose and Emmett show up and we update them on the good news. Everyone hugs and the girls gush over Bella's ring.
The guys are a little more laid back. "Edward man, so you are going to give up your freedom and get hitched to the old ball and chain, huh?" I laugh as I see Rose spit daggers in Emmett's direction. He is going to have a long night ahead of him.
I can't help but smile as I look over to Bella when I respond. "Emmett, I have never been happier in my life than I am right now. I cannot wait to turn in my bachelor card for a wedding ring. And in regards to the ball and chain, I will let Bella tie me up anytime she wants." I give Bella a wink and a grin and she blushes with a sultry look on her face. I know what my little vixen is thinking.
We all watch tv and eat pizza. Soon we are tired so Bella and I head for my room. We get ready for bed and climb in cuddling close to each other. As I lay here, with Bella in my arms, I cannot help but breathe a contented sigh. I am so happy.
Bella looks up at me. Her exquisite features glowing in the soft moonlight coming in the window. "Edward. Thank you for making me so happy. I love you with everything in me. I will always be here for you, no matter what you need."
"I love you too my Bella. You are my best friend, my lover, my life. We will make it through everything this life has to offer us...together." We kiss for awhile and then snuggle closer ready for sleep.
"Goodnight my sweet angel." I whisper into her hair.
"Goodnight my soul mate." Bella murmurs into my chest.
God...I have never been so euphoric and satisfied in my life.