Chapter 2

Bella's POV

"I didn't see that one coming." Alice said.

I directly met the aqua eyes that intrigued me, it was the new girl. She held things that gave me the idea she was the florist. I heard Edward sigh beside me.

"What?" I whispered.

"I don't think she likes us. She gets these weird thought around us, but she seemed fine when she thought you and her were alone. I don't know what her problem is, it's like a reflex." I looked at him in wonder. If he could read her mind, then wouldn't he know why she had this reaction to him? It made no sense.

She started walking our way, with a grin on her face. The first time I had seen her smile. It had to have been for business, because she didn't like the Cullens, she wouldn't want to smile at them. Would she? I looked at Edward, in hope that I could see some kind of answer on his face, but it held only confusion.

"Oh, Hi!" She said in a soft voice. "I didn't you guys to be here. I realize that I never got a chance to formally introduce myself. My name is Amaryllis Belladonna. But call me Amy." She held out her hand to first Alice, then Edward, then me.

"Hi, Amy, wow, you have such a beautiful name. I'm Alice Cullen. This is my brother, Edward Cullen; and his fiancée, Bella Swan. We spoke over the phone."

"Thank you, Alice; and it's nice to meet everyone. So, you might be interested in doing business with me, correct?" she asked, looking innocent.

"Yes, that's right. Bella and I, well, actually, just me. Well, I found these pictures of them on the internet, and saw that they are amazingly beautiful. I thought they would be just perfect for the wedding." Alice spoke like she was talking to an old friend that she had known for years.

"I'm surprised you found pictures of them. There aren't that many people who raise these flowers. I think there are only three others in the United States, and a couple more in Europe." She said, clearly getting excited.

"Yeah, they were hard to find, and they weren't the best quality pictures, but they were enough to convince me that I needed them in the wedding."

"You needed them? Doesn't the lovely bride get a say in the matter?" She asked, confused.

Finally, someone who was brave enough to ask the big question, 'Why the heck isn't the bride doing anything?' Well, there was a great answer to that. In fact, there were a couple of great answers. One, I wanted no part in planning the wedding, for it will make me frightened and more nervous even more than it already is; and two, even if I wanted to help plan, I had a feeling Alice would have ended up taking over anyways because I would have had no clue what to do.

"Well, Bella has kindly asked if I would plan her wedding for her, and I accepted with gratitude." she answered.

"She asked, or you forced it upon her?" she asked in suspicion. They both started to laugh.

Bingo. She definitely knows weddings, and sister-in-laws.

"Well now, I think I have some better quality pictures than what you found on the internet. I'm taking a photography class at Washington U. and I rather enjoyed taking these pictures. I liked the way they came out as well." Amy said, as she handed Alice one of the binders.

Alice took the binder and opened it slowly, taking care not to rip the fragile looking pages. I watched as she stared at them in awe.

"These are… well they're… I can't even think of a word good enough for them." She spoke silently, and in a higher voice then normally.

"Alice, can I see them?" I asked, holding my hand out for the binder.

"The color is like nothing I have ever seen before." She went on.

"Yes, my roses are the rarest in the world. You can't find these on the side of the highway." Amy spoke with a gentle kindness in her voice, but with a hint of pride.

"I can see that. It's simply amazing."

"Alice, may I see them?" I asked again.

"Now, it is true that they only bloom in the light of a full moon, right?" she asked, timidly.

"Yes, would that be a problem?" Amy asked. She put one of her fingers to her lips and almost started to chew on her finger nail, but stopped before it reached her teeth.

"No, not at all. I just needed to make sure that they will be extra special for the big night." She responded, reassuringly.

"Oh, good. Well, I hope you aren't planning on having the wedding here. You'll never be able to schedule something like this on a clear night and a full moon. It's near impossible."

"Well, I have my reasons to believe that this will be the right date." Alice responded.

Edward started to tense up. I had barely noticed that he was still here, and I scooted closer to him and he placed his arm around my shoulders.

"Um, alright then. I just hope your right, or you'll be up for a big disappointment." Amy spoke sternly, like Alice was a stubborn child.

"Don't worry, if I am wrong, I will simply change the date. It's as simple as that."

"It's not that simple, but I'm not going to start arguing with the costumers."

"That's right the costumers are always right." Alice replied, smiling.

I had never heard any of the Cullens act superior, but it sounded to me that Alice was about to do anything just to get these stupid roses. Speaking of which, I was dying to see.

"Alice, please, let me see them." I spoke again.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bella. Here, I have more pictures in my bag." Amy reached into her book bag, and pulled out another thick binder with pages sticking out of the sides.

"Wait! I change my mind!" Alice spoke, right before I was able to touch binder.

Amy tensed up, and we all looked at Alice, confused.

"I decided I don't want you too see these until the moment you walk down the isle. I want it to be a surprise." She spoke in a mysterious voice, and it just annoyed me even more. But, Amy visibly relaxed, and set the binder back on the table.

"Alice! Why did you drag me down here if you don't want my help in choosing the flowers? And you know I hate surprises!" I whisper/yelled.

"Well, that was before I saw these pictures, Bella. Besides, I know you would have picked them out anyways. I know you, and you wouldn't have wanted anything else." She replied, sincerely.

"But-"

"Bella, Love, I know you'll love them as well. They are perfect." Edward whispered in my ear.

I sighed. If Edward thought that it was the best way, then I supposed that he must be right. I just wished that it didn't have to be a surprise.

"Well, if you'd like, I could show you some of my arrangements, Alice." Amy started chatting animatedly with Alice, as Edward and I sat in silence.

I started to get bored and picked up Edward's hand and placed it on my lap, under the table. It was cold, but it felt good in contrast with the over heated room. I began to trace small circles on the back of his hand, in an attempt to preoccupied myself.

I heard Edward's deep, yet light chuckle and looked up, into his butterscotch eyes, only to find the deepest ocean of emotion that was possibly possible. We stared at each other for the longest time before I broke the bond because I couldn't help but smile like an idiot.

I started to giggle like a little girl, and I looked back at his hand. He then took mine in his own and traced hearts on it. It tickled, and I giggled again.

When I leaned back against his chest, I felt his cool breath go down the back of my shirt. I still couldn't believe what my life had turned into. It was like a mix between Romeo and Juliet, and a bible story, because he had to be an angel.

After we proceeded tracing hearts on each other's hands, Edward bent his fingers in, and kept his thumb straight. I examined it and quickly realized what he was doing. So, I did the same with my other hand, and we put them together, creating the outline of a heart.

I smiled, and I could hear him chuckle behind me.

"You are so easily amused." He observed.

"I know, but you influence it, so it's partly your fault you know." I whispered back.

He chuckled again. "Touché," he responded.

"Hey, you two love birds, there's really no reason for you to stay here, so you can go window shopping or something while we talk business." Alice cooed.

"Sounds good to me." I said, looking up at Edward's face.

"Then it sounds good to me too." He said, smiling down at me. I slid out of the booth, and Edward followed behind me.

"Bella, wait, you forgot your purse!" Alice called.

Drat, the dreaded purse. Alice had just started forcing me to carry around an unnecessarily large purse, and I dreaded it every time I saw the thing. I was hoping to forget it, but Alice was determined to teach me this stupid lesson.

"Gee, thanks, Alice." I said, as I walked back and grabbed the back roughly out pf her hands.

"You're so very welcome, Bella." She said in a lively tone.

I walked back to the door, and Edward opened it for me.

"Thank you." I instantly responded. The cool, wet air felt good on my skin when it blew lightly across my cheeks.

"You're welcome. Now, were would you like to go?" he asked. He always made sure to keep a slow pace with me because he knew that if I ever tried to go any faster than my average walking speed, I would trip, and he knew I liked to limit accidents to at least three times a day.

"Umm, I'm not sure. Anywhere's good." I said, and we both started walking down the sidewalk, and towards the direction of the small antique shops in the middle of town.

"So, what's with this Amy girl?" I asked. She was really starting to get me worked up. I didn't have a clue why, but she was.

"I'm not sure. She's thinking normal thoughts, but when I hear her, it's like there's something missing, something that's she trying to hide from herself. Like a fear that you don't want to think about, because it's just too scary." He said. He was clearly listening intently to her thoughts, which was why he was so quiet in the café.

"Huh, well that's weird. Not even I can do that." I spoke.

"What do mean?"

"Even I can't hide what I'm thinking from myself. At least, not forever. I can try and distract myself from those thoughts, just not completely block them. It sounds like something that you need to practice." I observed.

"Yes, I suppose you would." Edward said, distracted.

We kept walking, and I stopped at the window of the first antique shop. Everything inside was just furniture, and the cashier looked like she was about to fall over dead, she was so old. Still looking in the window, I realized that Edward was staring at me, and not what was inside. I saw his reflection in the mirror inside, and saw just how much emotion there was in his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Because I love you, silly Bella." He said, chuckling.

He took my hand, and we walked to the next store, that looked like a boutique store. The things I saw inside were interesting, but the thing that caught my eye first, was all of the sparkling jewels inside the case. I stared, entranced by the sparkles.

Wow, I really am easily amused.

When Edward noticed what I was staring at, he walked over and opened the door for me. I went inside and walked straight over to the counter, where the case was.

The things inside were amazing. Everything was made of complete silver, and there were brooches that looked impossible to make.

"Wow, these are just, beautiful." I said, staring at the different shapes. The one that stuck out was the most was one that looked like a wolf howling at the moon. My hand instantly reached for the small wooden charm on my wrist. I missed Jake. I hadn't seen him for such a long time. I should call him later.

"Look at that one." Edward said, pointing to one three brooches away from the wolf. It was one of a full moon, but the moon looked almost illuminated. It was amazing.

"Wow."

We kept looking for a while longer, and I was staring at one, trying to figure out what it was when it finally hit me. I started to blush instantly, and Edward noticed.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, let's go." I said, turning on my heels.

"No, Bella, tell me." He said, turning me back around.

"Nope that's okay, let's just go."

"Bella, come one. I want to know."

"Are you sure?" I asked, blushing.

"Positive."

I walked back over to the case of silver and just stared at the same necklace. Edward came up behind me and looked at it. He instantly started breaking out into hysterics.

There was a small charm at the end of a long, silver chain, it had a heart with a wooden looking stake going through it, and it looked like there were a pair of fangs with blood dripping off them that were about to chomp down on the heart. I had no clue why it made Edward laugh so hard. I mean, sure the whole wooden stake thing was completely a myth, but it wasn't that funny.

"What are you laughing about?" I asked him, starting to get irritated.

"I'm sorry, Bella. It's just, well, oh, never mind." He tried to stop laughing, but still kept chuckling.

"What?" I asked again.

"No, you would get mad." He said, still trying to stop.

"Just tell me, I won't get mad." I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

"You already are mad." He said, looking at me with his perfect eyebrows raised.

"Whatever," I said, turning back to the case.

I took one more glance at the silver, and once more, something caught my eye. This time, it wasn't all silver, it had something in the middle of it. It was a cross, but not just a normal cross, it was like a scene. Almost like a story was being told in one little picture. There was a cross with the moon in the background, but the moon wasn't just a large circle. It was the biggest ruby I had ever seen. It was red, but had small circles in it that gave it the look of the moon. It was completely breathtaking. And it reminded me of something, I just couldn't quit put my finger on it.

Edward came up behind me once more and looked at the small trinket.

"Isn't the most amazing thing you've ever seen?" I asked, completely dazed.

"Not to me, she's right in front of me." He whispered into my ear.

I leaned against the glass, and place my elbows on it in order to keep from falling over. Edward had that effect on me. He placed his hands on either side of me and leaned over me to see it better.

"I wonder why there aren't any employees in here." He said, looking around.

"I don't know, maybe they're on break." I mumbled.

"I guess so. Wait, I hear someone back there." He stood up straight and rang the bell on the counter.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Hey, Rachel, can you get that?" a guy yell from the back.

"Yes sir!" a voice yelled from up the stairs.

There was stumbling, and a loud booming sound, and then a girl came running down the stairs, she had almost made it, but on the last step, she tripped and fell onto the floor.

"I'm okay!" she yelled, getting up.

I know how she feels. That happened to me all the time.

"Okay, can I help you?" said the girl. She had blonde, almost white hair that was a little lower than her shoulders, and lightly tanned skin. She had pretty green eyes, and she was wearing a loose green knitted hat with jeans and a light blue stripped long sleeved shirt.

"Yes," Edward spoke up.

"Yes?" I whispered.

He chuckled.

"I would like to purchase this necklace." He said, pointing to the expensive looking cross.

"What?" I whispered.

"Okay, well it is a genuine antique, so it will be…" she started to put something into the computer and it printed out a receipt. She handed it to him, and he held it close to his face so I couldn't see it.

"That's fine. Do you take credit cards?" he asked, handing her the paper.

"Sorry, no. But we do take checks." She replied.

"Perfect." He took out his check book from his back pocket and scribbled something on it. He then ripped it out and handed it to the girl.

"Thank you." She took it and put a mark across it with a marker. She put it in the register and took a key off the band around her wrist. She leaned down, unlocked the glass door, and took out the jewel.

"Would you like it gift wrapped, or would you like to wear it?" she asked, handling it carefully.

"I think she'll wear it." He replied.

"I will?" I asked.

"Yes, now turn around please, and hold your hair out of the way." He said softly. I did as he asked, and the girl handed him the necklace. He pulled it around my neck and it went right between my collar bones.

"Perfect." The girl said. "It looks beautiful on you. That's a real ruby you know, it was handcrafted."

"Wow," I breathed.

"It's perfect for you." Edward spoke in my ear.

"Thank you, Edward." I said. It was the first gift that I would ever except from him, and hopefully the last.

"Have a nice day." The blond girl said as we left, holding hands.

We walked back to the café and Alice and Amy were still looking at the stupid binder and chatting.

I sat down and neither of them looked up.

Edward came and sat next to me, and it took them fifteen minutes to even look up from their plans.

"Oh, hi guys. Did you-" Amy started to say. She saw the necklace and froze. "Where did you get that?" she asked slowly.

"An antique store a few blocks away." Edward replied.

"Oh, well it's beauty-" she got cut off by her phone ringing.

"Hello," she answered. "Yes, okay, I'm on my way. Thank you, Rachel."

"I have to go, Alice." She had shut the phone and was now looking at Alice apologetically.

"Okay well-" DING!

The bell to the door opened, and the guy that was with Amy earlier walked in. He spotted her, and froze when he saw Alice next to her.

"Amy? What are you doing?" He asked, walking at a fast pace towards us. It sounded like he ran over here, because he was panting loudly.

"Business." She replied, quickly gathering her things.

"Well, let's go." He said. He grabbed all of her stuff and pulled on her arm.

"Bye guys, sorry I had to cut the appointment short!" She said, grabbing her purse at the last second.

"Okay, bye!" Alice said as she left the store.

"That was weird." I said.