Disclaimer: Twilight does NOT belong to me. This story is inspired from the show "Sunny Happiness". I don't own that one either.
Thanks so much to my beta, Ninkita 3
Previously: The next day at 4 pm, with his lawyer and lawyer's assistant as our witnesses, we got married and thus, I officially became Mrs. Isabella Marie Cullen.
Chapter 2
This whole 'Marriage' fiasco was supposed to be on paper only, but as they say, fate does interrupt on occasion. After the ceremony—or more specifically, after signing the papers—we returned to our hotel rooms and spent the day doing our own things, acting as if we didn't just get married a few hours ago. Edward came to my room that evening and gave me some papers. When I asked what they were, he explained that these were our divorce papers, dated one year from that day. We both signed them without any regret, thinking that one year would go by in the blink of an eye.
Edward's lawyer informed us the next day that we would need photographic proofs of our wedding. Mr. Lawyer suggested we throw a little wedding reception to get pictures of us performing the post-wedding rituals. Edward thought it was a great idea, but I protested. A wedding reception means booking a hall, food and clothes… unnecessary expenses.
I tried to make Edward understand my point, but he smiled and said, "Bella, even though this is a fake wedding, it is your first one. You deserve some celebrations, at least. And what kind of husband would I be if I can't give my new bride a little reception party?" Hearing him, the words of protest dried up on my tongue.
.
.
.
Edward took me to the hall he had booked for the reception. It was huge! When I mentioned it, he just shrugged. I looked around and I could almost imagine our family members and friends at the different tables. With a smile of delight, I started describing in detail who would sit where,
"That table in the front…that's where our parents will sit, on the next table on the right will be for his siblings and our cousins. Our friends will sit on the left table. In the second row first two three tables will be for the children of the orphanage I volunteer for. The next first two tables will be for our teachers we want to invite and the rest of the tables are for our colleagues and other guests." I explained grinning dreamily but that smile fell as soon as I recalled that in reality, there would be only four people and no one else at my reception. I sighed and told him as much.
For a moment, he looked guilty, but then he smiled a crooked grin and said he would personally help my guests to their seats at my real wedding. He took my hand and told me that he's taking me to shopping. He took me to an expensive looking boutique and asked me to buy a dress for the reception…in whatever color I wanted. I hesitated at first—I didn't want to waste his money. But when he glared at me and ordered me to do as asked in his bratty voice, I poked my tongue at him and went to search for a dress.
I chose an off-white knee-length sweetheart dress. It had a fitted bodice with a flowing skirt that ended just above my knees. I got out of the changing room to show Edward my choice. I heard his breath hitch first, before I looked at his face and noticed him staring at me with his mouth agape and his pupils dilated. When I asked if he was okay, he cleared his throat and nodded.
"You look like an angel," he commented, looking at me with a soft smile. I was confused by his reaction. 'What did he meant by that angel comment anyway?' was my exact thought. After buying matching shoes, Edward dropped me off at my hotel room and said that he'd escort me to the reception in four hours.
I changed into my new dress and shoes two hours later. The waterfall twist hair style looked elegant with the dress. I curled the ends of my hair and kept my make up natural. I finished the look with pearl hoop earrings. Right on time, Edward came to escort me. He smiled at me widely and said, "You look gorgeous," making me blush.
.
.
.
Just as I predicted, the reception was awkward. Edward was sipping on his wine, I was concentrating on food, Mr. Lawyer was eating and looking around the empty hall, while his assistant observed our reactions.
"This is the weirdest reception I have ever been to," she huffed, getting everyone's attention. "The photographer is clicking pictures of everyone eating food in awkward silence. No one is going to believe in these picture proofs. Everyone will know that this marriage is not a 'love marriage'," she added, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"So….what do you suggest?" Mr. Lawyer—whose name is Mr. Jenks, by the way—asked, swallowing his food.
"How about some toasts to the bride and groom? And a cake cutting ceremony? I had already ordered the cake this afternoon," Jena, Mr. Jenks's assistant said excitedly.
"Good job. I like your suggestions. What do you think, Edward?" he asked.
Edward shrugged and said, "Yeah whatever you say," before sipping on his wine.
"Alright! I toast to Mr. and Mrs. Cullen for the success of their unusual marriage," said Jena, lifting her newly filled champagne glass. We chuckled at her statement. "Cheers!" we echoed, taking a sip from our glasses.
"For successfully getting custody of Anthony!" Mr. Jenks toasted. Edward grinned widely as we cheered.
"Congratulations, Mr. Cullen," I said jokingly as I touched my glass with his.
He laughed, "Same to you, Mrs. Cullen." We both took a sip on that.
"Okay…now link your arms and drink from your glasses. The picture will be awesome," Jena squealed. We did as instructed, as the photographer clicked away.
.
.
.
It must be a few hours later, in the middle of the night. We decided to go to a beach nearby. Edward and I were walking along the shore while gulping down wine from our bottles. Jena and Mr. Jenks had bought these six bottles for us as our wedding gift.
As we sipped on our wine, we shared a bit about our lives, our likes, dislikes; I got to learn about a whole new Edward that day. He was fun, free and open-minded. He wasn't anything like the guy I first met, and I told him so. Edward laughed at that and explained that after his divorce he had become bitter. But since he had learned about his son, he felt like he had been reborn. His happiness lit up his face. I laughed along.
I told him about my life, about my dad's accident, my dropping out of college and taking the job at the hotel as a cleaner. He then requested…no, begged me to come back to work, since his office hadn't been as clean as it used to be when I was on the job. I chuckled at that and told him I'd join as soon as I returned to Seattle. He gave me a huge toothy grin, making my heart flutter.
.
.
.
I don't remember clearly what happened after that, since we had finished all the wine in one go. But when we woke up the next day in my room, we knew an accident had happened. We were both naked and my privates were sore. We screamed at each other in shock. I kicked him off the bed, threw the bed cover over his head and ran to the bathroom. Edward apologized profusely from outside the door. I told him to forget that 'this' ever happened and declared that we would NOT talk about it, ever. He agreed and left to go to his hotel room.
I changed fast and stuffed my clothes into my suitcase. My flight was in two hours. The bed sheet was stained with a small amount of blood, letting me know that I had given up my virginity to my fake husband and I didn't even remember it. I huffed in irritation and left the room. Silly me for not thinking about the risk of pregnancy!
Down in the lobby of our hotel I met Edward, who was going to meet his ex-wife to try to convince her one more time to settle the custody matter outside of court. Those were an incredibly awkward two minutes of our lives. We said goodbye after Edward assured me that back home it would be like the wedding never even happened. We were fools for thinking that.
.
.
.
Life returned back to normal. I joined work at the hotel again, dad's bills were paid by Edward and everything in my life was pretty much good… until three days later, when I got a call from Edward at midnight. He informed me that his ex-wife Tanya had agreed to give him custody after learning that he had gotten married to give his son a full family. But there was a slight problem. She wanted to meet Edward's new wife… me. He was coming back to Seattle with Anthony, and Tanya was coming along.
I was a little surprised, and asked him how come his ex-wife had agreed to give the custody up to him so easily after learning about our marriage. Edward informed me that Tanya had never told anyone that Anthony was her kid; in fact, everyone who knew her professionally thought she was taking care of her sister's son and that she was single. Tanya wanted it to stay that way to keep her show's ratings up.
It was exactly what we had gotten married for, so I agreed to meet her but I suggested that we meet in the orphanage where I volunteered. Edward didn't understand at first why we should do that. I explained to him that if his ex-wife saw how we manage and take care of the kids at the orphanage, she might feel more at ease leaving her child with us. Edward thought it was a great idea and agreed.
They next day was fun. I met Tanya and Anthony. Anthony looked like a younger version of Edward. He was a very obedient boy; eager for his father's attention. In turn, Edward showered his son with lots of it. Tanya was a gorgeous woman. Her blonde hair looked like gold threads…very beautiful. She seemed to be a good mom and a good woman. To me, it seemed like they had gotten married so young, that they both couldn't handle the responsibilities of a marriage and as a result their marriage broke apart. Tanya said she felt relieved after meeting me and knowing that her son now had a mom and a dad. I explained, or rather assured her that no matter what, she would always be Anthony's mother. She smiled in gratitude and gave me a hug. We didn't tell Anthony about me being Edward's wife. We didn't want to explain to him why his parents can't be together. So Edward just told Anthony that I was a friend of his and that I would work as Anthony's nanny on occasion. Anthony was happy about it and we became friends as soon as he agreed for me to be his nanny.
.
.
.
A few days passed. It was dad's birthday the next day. I had decided to bake a cake for him. I was happily humming as I gathered my ingredients at the grocery store, when I caught a movement from the corner of my eyes. Turning, I saw it was Edward who was buying something. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him, so I ducked behind my trolley and ran in the opposite direction.
I thought I had passed him and wouldn't see him again, but fate works in mysterious ways. After getting everything I needed for my cake, I was heading towards the check-out counter when I bumped into someone's trolley. I started to say 'sorry', but found that it was none other than Edward himself. We both greeted each other with awkward 'Hello's and stood in the check-out line.
"So…um…what is this stuff for?" he asked, as we waited in the line.
"It's my dad's birthday tomorrow. So I thought I would bake his favorite cake for him," I explained, shrugging.
"Hard to tell that you're so talented. I would've never imagined that you can bake too," he teased, smirking.
"Please! I can do everything in a kitchen. I even have a chef's license, along with a car mechanic's license, and everyone knows that I'm the best cleaner your hotel has. I'm an expert at all of that," I replied proudly.
"Hmm." I saw that he was deep in thought. "We're paying together," he informed the girl behind the counter.
"No! That's totally unnecessary!" I protested.
"I need your help in a matter. Consider this as the advance payment," he said mysteriously.
"Can I refuse?" I asked hesitantly.
"No," he replied smoothly.
"But…why?" I whined… I may also have stomped my feet… don't remember clearly.
"Because you're the only one who can help," he explained. I could hear the desperation in his voice.
I sighed and asked, "What is it?"
"You need to teach me to… make sandwiches."
"Sandwiches?" I asked in confusion.
"I would've asked my mom but she's out of town. I'm taking Anthony and Tanya for a picnic tomorrow where we'll tell him that his mom is going back to California and from now on he'll stay with me. I thought if I made the food myself, he might get impressed," Edward confessed sheepishly.
.
.
.
So that's how I found myself in his house later that evening. He told me that he used to have his own apartment when he was alone. But when he learned about his son, he moved back with his parents. His parents are super happy at getting their son and their grandson at home.
I asked Edward to show me how much he knows about sandwich making. He presented me with a pile of triangles of bread, with almost mashed tomatoes and cheese, giving me a proud smile. I raised my brow at him and shook my head.
"Teach me, please?" he requested with a pout.
"Call me teacher," I teased him with a smile.
He sighed, looked around as if to see if we were really alone. When he was satisfied with the surroundings, he looked at me and smiled crookedly, "Teacher, please teach me how to make sandwiches."
"Good boy!" I cheered, before getting to work.
As I showed him how to make a sandwich, he watched closely, examining the result with very careful eyes. "They sure look different than the ones I made," he said.
"I've taught you the method. I hope you remember it?" I asked.
"Yes. Thanks a lot, Bella."
"No problem. I'll leave now," I said, washing my hands.
"Let me drop you off."
"Oh, hell no! You'll practice until these sandwiches are perfect," I ordered. "I hope Anthony loves your sandwiches. Work hard. Bye."
"Bye. Go carefully," he bid me. We didn't know that day, but it was then we first started bonding with each other.
.
.
.
Two days passed after that. On the third night, a phone call woke me up from my peaceful sleep. The caller id said 'Edward'. I huffed and ignored it. But he called again. I whined in irritation and received his call. "You do realize it's 1 am, right?" I said by way of greeting.
"Sorry for calling this late. But I didn't know who else to call for help. I need another favor from you," Edward said. I could hear the hesitation and desperation in his voice.
I sighed, shaking my head. "What is it?"
"Anthony has been upset since his mom dropped him off. He hasn't eaten anything since then. A few minutes ago, he said he wanted to have cake. It's late at night, so all the shops are closed and mom isn't home. You're the only one left. Will you…please bake…a cake for him?"
"I'll be there," I said, before hanging up. Let me tell you, getting out of my house without alerting my ex-cop dad is a skill. So after applying every ninja skill I knew, I was able to reach Edward's parents' house in one hour. After another hour of baking and decorating a chocolate cake for Anthony—during which time Edward himself helped me, by the way—we entered Anthony's room with the candle-lit cake, just as Anthony had requested.
"Anthony, look what we have here," announced Edward.
Anthony's face lit up the second he noticed the cake, making my insides feel warm and gooey.
"Ta-da!" I said, smirking.
"Bella! You brought cake! Thanks!" he said, running to me and giving me a tight hug.
"Careful with the cake," warned Edward, before laughing and taking it from my hand. "Bella baked the cake herself for you," added Edward.
"You little imp! You're really hard to please. Refusing to eat dinner and then in the middle of the night you insist on eating cake? Harassing your poor dad, huh? Luckily, I can bake. Otherwise, where would he have found a cake at this time?" I teased, messing his hair. He had exactly the same hair as his father. I smiled at the thought.
He just gave me a grin.
"Okay the cake is here. Blow the candle and eat it."
"Can I make a wish first?" he asked hopefully.
"Sure. Go on." I chuckled at his antics. He closed his eyes and after a few seconds, blew the candles off.
"Done!" he exclaimed.
"Now the candles are blown. Go on, eat it."
"Bella," he whined. "I'm sorry. I don't want to eat the cake. I just wanted to make a wish by blowing the candle," he said dejectedly. "Isn't it true that if I make a wish before blowing a candle on a cake, then my wish will come true? Last time it did… when I wished for my dad on my birthday, Dad came to visit me. So this time I thought…" he explained with a smile.
"So you wished for your mom this time?" Edward guessed.
"No. I wished that you and mom would get together so that I can have my mom and dad at the same time. Isn't it good to live together, just the three of us?" he asked his father. Edward and I exchanged a look silently. Edward just offered a smile to his son, not knowing what to say to him.
.
.
.
I was washing the dishes in the kitchen when Edward entered with a sad smile. When I inquired about Anthony, Edward said he finally fell asleep. When Edward thanked me, I explained to him that every kid wants their parents to be together. Anthony was no different. Then Edward replied that in the world of adults, there are too many complications that children don't understand. I just nodded in agreement.
I asked him why he and Tanya didn't reconcile. Do you know what he said with his devilishly charming smile?
"Did you forget who my legal wife is?" he asked, smiling like the devil that he is. I just huffed at his answer and informed him that since everything was over and done with, I'd go home. Edward insisted on walking me out.
When we were walking by the living room, I saw a beautiful piano in front of the huge window. I squealed in excitement and ran to it. I ran my hand over it like it was the most prized possession. When Edward chuckled at my behavior, I explained to him the reason for my reaction.
My mom died when I was 6 years old. When I was 5, dad had been posted in another town. I wanted to learn to play piano, so mom promised me that when dad came back, she'd arrange for me to get lessons. She even bought me a learner's book. I used to hold it and dream about being a pianist one day and playing in front of people. When dad came back a few months later, mom had fallen sick and she was admitted in the hospital. One month later, she died and along with her died my dream of playing piano. I didn't want my dad to worry more about me than he already did. He got busy with his work and I got busy with my school and stuff.
"I can give you piano lessons," Edward offered.
"Really?" I felt like my heart would burst with happiness.
"Sure but…" he trailed off with a mischievous smile on his face.
"But?"
"You'll have to call me teacher," he teased.
"Teacher Cullen, will you please give me piano lessons?" I asked sweetly, making Edward laugh.
"Certainly, student Swan."
And thus started our piano lessons. Every day, after his mom and dad left home to go to work or other places with Anthony, Edward would teach me. Two months passed, and we didn't even realize it. During those piano lessons, Edward and I had become friends…best friends, even. We would tease each other mercilessly, joke around and gossip.
When in the morning we met while I cleaned his office, we would talk about life, about Anthony and gossip about the employees. Everything was awesome. My life was shining brightly after a long time.
.
.
.
And then came the day when I met Jasper, Edward's younger brother and another member of the Cullen clan.
A/N: Thanks to all of you for reading my new story. My beta has brought it to my attention that a few outtakes in EPOV might be a good idea. I'm thinking about it too. What do you think? Please let me know.
Remember to leave some reviews to let me know what you think so far.