Authors Note- READ ALL NOTES BELOW, READ ALL NOTES BELOW
Okay, some who don't keep up with me on twitter are probably a little confused on the 'Part 1'. ( I suggest you get a twitter if you can and follow me on there, link in my FF profile). I said that the next update was January 22nd, I lied. The Epilogue became way too much, and I figured I could divide it into two parts so that it won't seem as overwhelming. All of the things in here I want in the epilogue. Therefore…PART 1 AND 2 exists!
The last chapter (Epilogue Part Two) will be posted on January 22nd though. So that is a definite set in stone thing. THIS CHAPTER IS LONG. It still is pretty lengthy to what I normally give you guys. Twice the amount as usual, but enjoy!
Disclaimer- S. Meyer owns all things Twilight.
July 29th
Wednesday
2009
BPOV
Today was Edward and I's second year anniversary of being officially together. It made me ecstatic knowing that things were just as great, if not better, than they ever were. We were back in New York, but school had yet to start up.
This morning I had awoken to a note on Edward's pillow with a red rose laying over it, telling me that he went out to get me breakfast. He'd been back ten minutes later with an egg and bacon breakfast sandwich on a biscuit, no cheese, from McDonald's, and a coffee from Dunkin Donuts. Some girls would rather like French toast or an omelet, but Edward knew how much I loved those and it was perfectly enough for me.
Edward had planned on whisking me away all day, and we were going to the Museum of Science and Natural History in Manhattan. I was extremely excited, and I think Edward could sense that by the way I twirled myself around our room and the bathroom. I had put on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a silk light blue camisole, with a royal blue cardigan over it. I had on a pair of silver ballet flats, and I'd kept my hair down in curls. I put on a little bit of makeup, just a bit to highlight my features, not going to heavy.
Edward had on a pair of designer jeans, as always, and a white v-neck t-shirt with his blue and white Nike's. He was perfectly shaved, with a spray of cologne on his neck that smelled amazing, and very Edward. His hair in a disarray as always, but nobody could do anything about his out of control hair.
I closed my makeup compact and put it in my makeup bag, ready to start the day with Edward. When I got downstairs, I saw a huge bouquet of red roses. He was sitting in the living room all nonchalant while I walked towards the huge bouquet.
" Edward! These are beautiful."
He smiled and stood up, striding towards me. " I am glad you like them."
Next to them was a box of Godiva chocolates, assorted. I groaned and looked at him, smiling a huge grin at him.
" You spoil me."
" I awoke to a matching box next to my bed, along with a ring from my girlfriend. You deserve all of this."
I had in fact gotten him a sterling silver ring for our anniversary, it had been engraved on the inside, saying ' Until the end of forever', and I was glad to hear how much he loved it. Edward had it on his middle finger of his right hand. I also got him chocolate, because hell, Edward can resist a box of Godiva just as much as a girl who just broke up with her boyfriend could; true story.
I smelled the roses and he handed me a box. Inside there was a charm for my bracelet, it was an anniversary charm, in the shape of the heart and engraved on the front with, ' Two amazing years, Happy Anniversary, Beloved ', and on the back it said ' Love, Edward '. I gave him a hug and a lingering kiss, thanking him for the beautiful charm. He put it on for me, holding me in his arms for a moment.
" You look absolutely beautiful today."
" Thank you." I murmured, still breathing in his scent.
" Would you like to leave now?"
" Yes!"
Edward laughed and ushered me out of the house. We took the motorcycle, on Edward's request. He would find any chance to ride that thing in the summer. I wouldn't be surprised if he just made laps around the neighborhood for kicks.
When we arrived there, Edward gripped my hand and we walked in together. It was free admission in the summer, which was pretty awesome. I loved going to places like this, seeing all of the different things they had in here. Old airplanes, trains, and other things that were used many years ago, they even have a glass room that was like a dentist office, showing all of the old tools that were used, unlike everything they have today. It, of course, was nothing that could be touched which is why they have everything surrounded by glass so we can see most angles. These aren't things that can be found again if ruined.
They had an old ice-cream parlor, and they actually were open and selling ice-cream treats. We went through every single thing they basically had to offer around here, and Edward looked at me, an amused expression on his face as I put seventy five cents in a vending machine for a coke.
" What?"
" You just look so happy and excited."
" Because I am."
He grabbed onto my hand and pulled me close to him, " I'm glad you are happy."
" Are you happy?" I asked.
" Very."
" Then everything is perfect."
December 2nd
Wednesday
EPOV
With school already starting up again, and classes and work keeping both Bella and I busy, we didn't have very much time together besides when we got into bed to sleep at night. I knew that soon enough it wouldn't be like this, and we would have actual jobs and plenty of more time with each other.
As trivial as it sounds, I missed just sitting down to eat dinner with her. I missed sitting on the couch to watch a dumb movie that I convinced her to watch with me. The more I reminded myself this wasn't permanent; the easier it seemed to be to me. We texted sometimes between classes when we didn't have homework we wanted to get done. When we had extra time, we would go and have lunch together at Panera, or a sandwich shop somewhere.
Break was starting the Thursday after the next, and I knew that this one was definitely going to be one to remember. This year, we also decided to visit our grandparents in London, before Christmas because we promised to fly out to Chicago, so basically it was going to be kind of busy with us.
The box inside my end table drawer had been screaming at me, and I'd been looking for the right time to take it out. On the inside of that box was the perfect ring that I planned on using to ask for Bella's hand in marriage.
I'd talked with both Renee, Charlie our grandparents and hell, even my own parents, asking them for their blessing for me to ask Bella. I honestly think that Bella is not expecting anything from me this break. It was just another time off from classes to her, but it was going to be much more.
They all had given me their sincerest blessings, and that almost made me nervous. I think all of them were surer than I was. By no means was I backing out of asking Bella, I wanted to spend the rest of my life by her side, loving her, taking care of her, and being the father to our children. This choice was one that was going to seal my plans for the rest of my life, and I was ready to do that.
Our Birthdays had gone and passed, and we were already twenty one and legal to do anything we wanted now. We didn't exactly go out and get drunk, because we had more class than what most people would have done. We went out for a dinner and had a few drinks to test out the waters. Usually, we always had wine with dinner anyways when we went out; a lot of places seemed to think we were of age, which didn't have me complaining in anyway. We've been drinking wine with dinner since we were fourteen; it wasn't anything bad in our eyes to drink at that age.
Today, I had gotten home from work at six, it had been completely dead and I didn't exactly have much work to do. Maybe three or four customers in a two hour span today. Our busiest days were from Thursday to Sunday usually, and the rest were quite slow.
I had all the bills paid for everything needed, all food ordered, advertising was taken care of, and any other business was just finished off. When I had gotten home, Bella was surprisingly there, and she dancing around the kitchen in only a pair of shorts, one of my t-shirts and a pair of short white socks, the radio on and playing some kind of pop song.
I took my coat off, brushing the snow off the sleeve and putting it in the closet. Bella stopped dancing when she heard the closet door closed and she was in my arms in an instant. I wrapped my arms around her and she shivered.
" You're so cold!"
" You're so warm..Mmm, how was your day, love."
" Great, I have enchilada's in the oven for you."
I pressed my lips to hers and she sighed, melting into me. Her lips were soft on mine, gentle but firm. I set her down carefully on the floor and she walked over to the kitchen.
" You look nice today."
She laughed and opened up the oven as the timer went off.
" Okay, Edward. Kiss ass."
" I am not a kiss ass. You look cute."
" Kiss. Ass."
I rolled my eyes at her and she poured me a glass of wine, setting it down in front of me.
" Buying wine already are we?"
" I got carded today!"
" Is that exciting?"
" I was starting to think I looked old."
" Far from it." I murmured as she set the hot dish on two oven pads. She had on her fancy stripped oven mitts, and I got a kick out of them because she bought them specifically because they were green, had strips and were fuzzy inside. She claimed that the green reminded her of my eyes.
" That smells absolutely delicious."
" I hope so. It has to cool for fifteen minutes."
She came over and sat down on my lap, kissing my chin. I wrapped my arms around her slim waist, pulling her back flush against my chest.
" Excited for break?" she asked.
I smiled, " Very."
Once the Enchilada's cooled a bit, we sat down to eat and took our sweet time. Bella had told me she ordered our tickets for London, and they were from the fifteenth to the twenty first, so we were going to have a good amount of time with them. Our parents were planning on being there, but that was alright with us. We were clearly old enough to go without them.
" Can you believe it's almost 2010?"
" And next July we are on our third year of dating."
" We've still got awhile." she laughed. " But, yeah…Three years, huh?"
" Yes, and an amazing three years."
She pressed her lips to my neck and leaned into my side, her head resting in the crook of my neck. I wrapped my arm around her waist and rested my cheek upon her head.
The word forever echoed in my head.
BPOV
I honestly had no idea what went on during our trip to London. It almost felt awkward, and Edward had been acting like a nervous wreck, and I have absolutely no idea why. Our grandparents sent him looks, which made him even more nervous it seemed, and Grandma Claire even pulled him aside for a 'talk' once or twice.
This had me troubled, and while I was trying to have a great time, Edward acted all fidgety. He looked at me like he wanted to say something, and ended up saying something completely different then what he seemed to want to say, and then acting all depressed about it later on. It was a very hot and cold situation, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it.
I had a fun time in London though. We spent a lot of time out, and we even met up with Abigail and Allen to spend some time together in a coffee shop. We rarely talked, maybe an e-mail here and there, but we really seemed to re-connect with them and spend a lot of time together. They apparently got engaged in the summer time during August, and Allen popped the question. They were getting married next fall and were ecstatic about it.
There was a sense of jealousy inside of me, because it was like people around me were moving on and I was just...here. I would never just push the idea of marriage into Edward. That would probably scare him away, and I didn't want to do that.
I was happy for both of them though, and they were just beaming with happiness; rays of it just shooting off of them. I never thought they would ever be married, let alone take a step to be friends, but now they were getting married. They never got along as kids, and this was surprising. But they were very happy, I could see it.
We walked around London, going to places we hadn't been to in years. Edward and I went shopping, basically as gifts to each other for Christmas. I loved the designer clothes that they had here, and I didn't spend too much, but I got a few pretty blouses that I thought were cute. This year we both agreed not to go Christmas gift crazy, because we have bills and things to take care of. And that was agreed with both of us.
We spent a lot of time with our grandparents also, enjoying the time we had with them before we were off to Chicago again. Edward and I spent time in the house cooking, baking, playing card games and just having a great time with them, and besides their weird behavior, it was a great time.
Our trip was kind of cut up, we actually had to get two separate flights, because there was none from London to Chicago for three days, and therefore, we had to fly into New York, we were going to be home for about two hours, and then had our flight to Chicago.
When we were leaving and at the airport after being dropped off by Grandpa Allen, Edward looked really annoyed. We went through security and then headed to the terminal to board our flight after being given the okay to go by the attendant. We sat in our first class seats, and Edward looked even more irritated.
" What's wrong?" I asked him, reaching up to put my carry-on in the compartment above. I closed it and sat next to Edward, taking my phone out of my pocket to turn off after sending a quick text to my parents that we just got on the plane to New York.
" Nothing. I'm fine."
" You're a shit liar."
" Bella..."
" Fine. Keep whatever is bothering you to yourself."
" It's nothing, beloved. I promise." he murmured.
It's already eight twenty seven at night, and it was an overnight flight obviously. We would be landing at approximately six fifteen, six thirty in the morning if it were on same time, but it will actually be one fifteen one thirty when land in New York. Our seats were reclined back, and I quickly grabbed my quilt and got the requested pillow from the attendant. Edward sighed loudly when I turned away with my back to him, but he wouldn't tell me what was wrong, and that upset me.
I laid my head on the plush pillow and sighed, the area around us going dim and quiet. I pulled my quilt around me and felt Edward push the armrest up. The seats were combined together; with a cup holder/arm rest in the middle to separate the seats. I felt his body behind mine and his head on my pillow.
" I love you."
" You, too." I said begrudgingly.
" This is uncomfortable."
" Stay on your side then."
" Nope."
" Then no complaining."
I slept through a lot of the flight, completely exhausted and drained from the trip. Edward at one point had taken me in his arms and I slept on his chest, completely at ease in his arms. His fingers ran through my hair and his hands gently rubbing my back to help me sleep better on the plane.
I'm usually one of those people, who can sleep absolutely anywhere basically with a pillow, but with a plane it was a little bit harder and Edward helped me stay calm to sleep. I enjoyed laying in his arms for long periods of time, he was hard and muscular, but soft at the same time.
Eventually, I heard the voice over the intercom say we were landing soon and to be in our seats. I left Edward reluctantly and the attendant took the pillows and anything else needed. I folded my blanket up and put it back, ready to get off the plane. The time difference throwing me off, it felt really early in the morning to me.
When the plane landed, Edward and I walked off together and into the airport we went. We were getting a cab back to the apartment, and right now we just needed to get our bags from baggage claim. Edward and I walked around the airport, it wasn't too busy or crowded to get around, and we got our bags quickly.
We got into a cab and gave the elderly lady the address before sitting back in our seats. Edward was quiet, but he held my hand the entire time during the car ride and let me lean against him. When we arrived at the apartment, we grabbed our things from the trunk, paid our money and headed up the stairs.
I unlocked the front door with fumbling fingers and walked in, smelling the familiar scent of home. I set my things down, stretching my arms above my head. I was really tired of sitting at this point, I almost wanted to go upstairs to lay down and sleep.
Edward stepped through the door and bent down to set his bag down on the ground. Suddenly a box fell out of his jacket pocket, clattering onto the hard floor. I bent down to pick it up and noticed that it was black velvet, a square box, and clearly for jewelry. It couldn't be mistaken for anything else
" Fuck...Bella..."
Edward looked panicked, and I held the velvet box in my hands, wanting to know what the hell was going on right now. The look on his face clearly stated that I wasn't meant to see this, but it fell out of his pocket, what was I supposed to do? Not say anything? Hell no. And I couldn't hand it back to him with no questions.
Why did Edward have a velvet box in his pocket?
Before he could do anything, I opened up the box and saw a ring nestled in the satin. It was a white gold band with a princess cut diamond front and center with two smaller square diamonds on either side imbedded into the band. The diamond shined even in the dull light of the house, the sun not making an appearance at all today. The ring was absolutely gorgeous, breath-taking even.
" E-Edward?" I said, looking up at him.
Was this an engagement ring? Was this what had been bothering him the entire trip?
" I didn't plan for it to happen like this. At all." Edward started, taking the box from me, " I wanted the moment to be perfect. But I don't think we've ever been traditional anyways. This ring has been burning holes in my pocket, waiting for me to finally say something about it. I was going to wait until we got to Chicago, and ask you in front of everybody...taking you completely off guard."
I covered my hand with my mouth as Edward knelt down in front of me on one knee, taking his right hand in my left.
" Isabella Marie Swan, you are my best friend, you are my love, and the women that I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you please do me the extraordinary honor by accepting my hand in marriage and becoming my wife?"
This was the moment that I'd been dreaming of since I was just a young teenager. A moment I never thought would come, but it was right here. This beautiful man wanted me. My best friend; the one person I dreamt of sharing this moment with, but never thought it would happen.
" Yes, Edward."
I felt his hand take mine and gently place the ring on my ring finger. His lips gently kissed over the ring and he stood up, taking me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the sheer joy in my bones and down to my very core.
" I love you, so much, Isabella."
" I love you...God, I love you so much."
He pressed his lips against mine in an intimate kiss and I heard my cell phone going off. Edward reached inside my pocket and threw it on the couch, to which he proceeded to push me onto and straddle my waist. His teeth grazed my neck until he leaned up and caught his lips with mine again.
" I don't want to let you go." I murmured, hooking my fingers into his belt loops and holding him to me.
" Then don't."
" We have to re-pack, babe. Do a few loads of laundry."
" It can wait an hour." he whispered, dipping down to kiss my lips.
I let myself melt into the couch, and Edward held his body up not to crush me. I slid my arms around his neck, hearing my cell phone go off once more. Edward gripped me a bit tighter, one arm wrapping around my waist, and the other bracing him against the couch to hold him up. I sighed into his mouth, pushing against him. Our positions switched and I sat on his stomach, leaning down to press my forehead against his. His hands cradled both sides of my face, and he stared deep into my eyes.
" Do we have to go?" I whispered, closing my eyes.
" Yes, beloved."
" I want to stay here with you."
" Oh, now you want to stay here."
I smiled and pushed his shoulder, resting my head on his chest. His fingers ran through my hair and I sighed, relaxing against him further and closing my eyes.
" I want to, too, but we have family to see. Most of them who are expecting me to make a move I've already made without anybody watching."
Edward brought us into a sitting position, and we leaned against the back of the couch, making out for a good twenty minutes before we parted to get shit together. I didn't want to leave his side. My body just naturally didn't want to.
I was able to get three quick washes in, and Edward took care of packing our clothes. I trusted him not to put revealing clothes in my bag. Although I did have a nice wardrobe, like any girl I had a few mini-dresses, skirts, tank tops and low tops ( that Edward would probably 'accidentally' forget to put tank tops with). When I got upstairs with a basket to fold our clothes, Edward was holding a pair of heels and stuffing them into my bag. I looked at him and he gave me a bright smile.
" What do you have in there?" I asked him.
" Nothing my beautiful fiancée."
My heart jumped almost out of my throat, and my sixteen/seventeen year old self was screaming on the inside, unable to believe what was going on right now. I felt like this was a dream, and I couldn't wake up.
I didn't want to.
" That was nice to say." Edward noted.
I smiled to myself. " I've been waiting forever for you to realize that you belong with me."
" I was a blind, very blind."
With a laugh I tossed Edward one of his white t-shirts I knew he would need. He caught it and set it back in the bag.
" Things are going to be great from here, I promise." he said, leaning over the bed to give me a kiss.
April 9th
Friday
" JESUS FUCK, EDWARD! How could you do this! Oh my god. Why in the hell aren't you at the hospital right now? You should have called me or something, we could have gone."
" Iz," Edward started out as he collapsed on the couch breathlessly
" Don't ' Iz' me, and when in the hell did that name come back! You know what, whatever."
" I couldn't make it that far. One block was enough, and stop yelling at me!"
" Edward, the wedding is in two months! What if you... FUCK! I need to call Alice!"
" Can you please get me Tylenol, water and an icepack."
I groaned loudly and stood up, pacing back and forth in frustration. Edward's moan brought me out of my reverie and I went to the kitchen, still seething from his stupidity. I clearly told him no, but of course he never listens to me! He never listens to me!
It's April, and it's been raining a lot. Well this morning, the roads were wet, but the sun peeked out a bit and Edward wanted to ride his motorcycle to the store, but I told him it was not a great idea and that he could get hurt. Now I've got a bruised fiancée laying on the couch moaning in pain from taking a sharp turn and the motorcycle slid and went up a curb and knocked Edward right off. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and a bottle of Tylenol from the cabinet, along with the requested icepack and went to him. I set the icepack on his knee, where he said it felt like he pulled something. He groaned when I set it down and I groaned with him.
" Why, Edward. Why don't you listen to me?"
" Because I like being a rebel."
" I'm calling Carlisle."
" Bella..."
" I am, don't argue with me anymore. We both obviously know that you were wrong about this! I am not trying to be all right, but the roads were wet and you knew it."
I grabbed my phone and dialed Carlisle's number. I told him everything that had happened and he said that it did sound like Edward pulled a muscle in his leg, but that he probably didn't need to go to the hospital as long as he didn't hit his head or feel like anything was broken. He was definitely bruising, purple and blue blossoming over the skin of his pale arms.
He would have to rest for awhile, and luckily we were on a spring break that started two days ago, so he has eight days to get his ass better. I was really upset at him for being so careless. He couldn't do this to me, because next time he could hurt himself even worse. I hated seeing him in pain.
I called Alice, apologizing for hanging up on her and explaining what happened. We'd been going over things for the wedding a lot recently, wanting to get things set up perfectly. Edward and I set a date for June 20th, and this was all him. I had no idea he wanted it to be so soon, but it wasn't that bad. I had six months to pull it together, and with the help of Alice it was going to be great.
We were both keeping everything simple; a black and white set-up, with a splash of red here and there that we had planned out. I made sure that Edward had an equal say as I did, this wedding wasn't just about me.
As we were raised, we were getting married in a church, and we even decided to take an extra step and decided to get married in Chicago. We had a long discussion over this, and originally, we wanted to wed in London, but we knew it would be easier to have our grandparents fly out, then all of our friends here. Since it would be break, Edward and I would be able to spend the summer on our honeymoon, if we even wanted to spend a month or two away.
Edward had been keeping our destination a complete and utter secret, not saying a word.
On top of having our original group, I had invited Angela, Ben, Abigail and Allen. I knew that we also had old friends from high school invited. I even invited Luke, much to Edward's dismay, but I hadn't seen or talked to him, and I wanted to offer to be out there. Their invitation also extended an offer to a guest to come with them, but they had to be known when we got their RSVP.
As far as I knew, everyone who was invited was going to be there. We had our caterer all set up, decorations ordered and being sent to the Cullen's. Esme and my mom were setting up the wedding, they were both interior designers, and I knew they could deck it out.
The ceremony was taking place at a cathedral church in downtown Chicago in a very nice area, and then we were having the reception in both of our yards, extending all across both ways. I was really excited to have all of it falling into place perfectly, and I knew that Esme and my mom would do a dynamite job, even if they didn't exactly specialize in outdoor decorating. They still had taste.
Flowers were ordered, along with table pieces that were being set up in the back. Everything was very classy and simple, just like Edward and I. That was exactly what we wanted.
Two months ago I had gone wedding dress shopping downtown here in New York. Esme, my mom and Alice had all flown out here to help me and we had even went as far to go to Kleinfeld and find a dress. My mother and father were paying for the dress, and all of our parents and grandparents were helping out with wedding expenses.
I had found a beautiful Panina Tornai dress that was on sale for just below five thousand dollars. The amount almost gave me a stroke, but the way I felt in the dress was amazing. It was a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, almost a v-neck but not quite.
It was like lace on the bodice, and it was fitted until it flared out at my hip. There was one sheet of thin, soft tool that had little almost flower like appliqués on it. Around the waist is a satin ribbon, wrapping around the front and back, and around the front again with a weeping bow at my hip. The dress was absolutely beautiful; I couldn't have found a better one to walk down the aisle in.
I was broken out of my reverie when Edward had shifted on the couch and let out a grunt. I went to him quickly and grabbed his arm, regretting it instantly because he yelled out in pain. His pale arms were covered in bruises.
" Edward, my god."
" I am such an idiot."
" Let me help you out of some of the clothes. They're all dirty."
I took his shoes off, his jacket and shirt because it was wet from the ground he landed on. I helped him get his jeans off carefully, and I saw that his right thigh was banged up, along with his right knee that he pulled a muscle with. When I moved the jeans down his leg he was clenching his jaw and I tried my best not to hurt him.
I put his wet clothes in the dirty clothes basket and grabbed a blanket and pillow for him, situating him as comfortably as I could. I lay on the other side of the couch, resting my head on the pillow to share with him. I reached my arm around and clasped his hand with mine.
" You can't do this to me, Edward, or to yourself." I murmured.
" Do what?"
" Be careless. Hell! What happens if we ever have a kid? I'm not going to have you get hurt until you kill yourself."
" Bella, it was one stupid, careless mistake."
" Well, next time I won't take care of you when you are in the damn hospital!" I exclaimed, standing up from the couch and heading upstairs.
" GET OVER HERE, BELLA!" I heard Edward shout.
" I'm not five!"
" I will get up those damn stairs."
I sat on the bed, letting out a deep sigh. Suddenly I heard Edward descend the stairs slowly until he was in front of me, taking my hands off my face and sitting next to me with a deep sigh. I felt his arms wrap around me, and I knew he was in pain doing this but he said nothing. I launched myself into his arms and wrapped my arms around him.
" When you're hurt, so am I. I need you in one piece, promise me you will be careful on that thing. Please, Edward. I don't want you to get hurt; I don't know what the hell I would do if something ever happened to you."
He laid back on the bed and I lay next to him.
" I promise to be more careful."
Edward gently massaged my back, and I let out a deep sigh. My phone then went off and Edward gripped me, groaning when he tightened his arm too much.
" Don't get up."
" I have to. It could be about the wedding. I'm sorry." I murmured, sitting up and answering my phone.
" Hello."
" Bella! I just got off the phone with the caterer. I made an appointment for final tastings for May 18th. Is that workable for you?"
" Definitely."
Edward and I were taking a leave of absence from work this summer, and after this we were going to keep up our job until next summer and then we were moving back to Chicago. This November Edward is going to be sending out applications for Law Schools down in Chicago, and we were going to spend next summer looking for a place to live and settling in
Both of our bosses knew that we were leaving in June, and they were very well aware. We made sure to sit down with them and talk about it, because we didn't want to just leave them last minute, especially Edward being manager at the restaurant.
" Okay, girl. I'll talk to you later. Take care of that boy."
" I will. And thank you so much for all of this. I appreciate it so much, Al."
" It's my duty as maid of honor! Love you!"
" You, too!"
We hung up and I set my phone down, looking at Edward. " May 18th, final tasting for food."
" Can't we go cake tasting again, that was fuck-awesome."
I laughed at him, " I know it was. Now, will you be alright for two hours? I want to head to the gym and get in at least an hour."
" Why?"
" To fit my dress, babe. I won't be long I promise."
" Fit your dress? Bella, you look amazing."
" My last fitting it was just a tad tight, and I could trim up a bit. It's fine. I'll be back soon."
I situated Edward upstairs and headed to the gym. I figured that I could do the treadmill for awhile, and the stair stepper. I knew that Edward thinks I look absolutely perfect, and I know I am clearly not overweight, but I could lose five pounds to fit my dress. I wanted to look good for the wedding, and the night of our wedding.
Edward and I decided to wait until our honeymoon to do anything. The interruptions were always coming up, especially with planning our own wedding, and we were getting annoyed with them. We just figured to go with it. We've only had sex four times, which isn't a big deal. It's been over a damn year, almost two, I think we can deal.
When I got to Cardinal Fitness, I walked inside and showed the guy my membership card. Both Edward and I had one; he went at nights when he had time, or on weekends. Sometimes we even went together, but Edward lifted a lot of weights I knew, wanting to keep the strength in his arms as they were in high school. He made it very obvious that he was also sporting a nice six pack. Edward has never been ripped, but I am glad he's never taken it that far. I find it at some points disgusting, but Edward is perfect.
I got to running on the treadmill and enjoyed jogging for forty five minutes, my iPod on shuffle going through all of the songs I had on there. It was just what I needed, and I felt good. I stopped for a ten minute break and nursed on my water bottle before heading to the stair stepper.
It was hard to believe that I was actually getting married, and to Edward at that. This had been a complete and total dream, and I honestly never thought this would ever happen. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him, and that made me feel good.
I had invited Rosalie to the wedding, and even gave her the offer of bridesmaid, but she didn't accept it, in fact, she didn't even respond to it when I gave out the offer. I was okay with this, she could make her own decision, and while I felt bad about it, this was all of her doing and Rosalie was in charge of herself. From what I know from Alice; Rosalie and Emmett have kind of been on the rocks with their relationship.
She has been hanging out with Tanya a lot, and we all know that's why her mood has been like it is. She was never like this before Tanya started to come around more. I know that Emmett refused to be around Rosalie and Tanya at the same time, because apparently that's when Rosalie's at her worst attitude wise. I don't even want to know the shit they've probably said about Edward and I getting married.
When I had hit almost a two hour mark of being here, I quickly got off and headed back home, but not before stopping to pick up some Chinese for an early dinner. When I got back to the apartment, I grabbed forks and headed upstairs. When I got to the bedroom I saw Edward sleeping in the bed, his chest slowly rising and falling. Slowly I walked over to the bed and took a seat on the bed, setting the food down on my end table.
I leaned over and kissed Edward softly on his forehead, gently rubbing his arm. He moved over and groaned, sinking deeper in to the mattress.
" I brought Chinese home. Is that alright?"
" Yeah, it's fine, love. I don't expect home cooking every night." he murmured.
I grabbed the remote and flipped on LA Ink while I grabbed food. We shared everything, the shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour chicken with the pineapple sauce only, and the beef and broccoli. Edward and I have very similar taste in food, so usually I don't have to worry about making something I like and not knowing if he will like it.
When we finished with dinner I tossed everything out downstairs and headed back up. I brushed my teeth, washed my face and lotioned up my legs, changing into one of my nighties, a light pink one this time with spaghetti straps, and a v-neck lined with cream colored lace and a tiny bow, and also lace on the bottom hem.
When I walked into the bedroom, Edward was sitting himself up. I went to his side and he stretched his arms out. They were all splotched with purple, with just a few patches of his pale skin showing.
" You look like you were hit by a train." I murmured, grabbing his face.
He didn't hurt his face, he had a slight bruise on his jaw but he looked alright.
" Thanks, what a great compliment."
I rolled my eyes and he went to the bathroom to shower. He said I could help him, but we both knew he didn't need my help. Instead I climbed into bed and laid down watching television, waiting for him to come back.
He was in the shower for a good fifteen minutes, and I heard him brush his teeth also. Edward came out in his towel and grabbed a pair of boxers from his drawer. He put them on quickly and put the towel in the hamper before standing over by my side of the bed. He had bruises on his ribs and a bad one on his right hip. I also saw one on his shoulder.
I sat up and wrapped my arms around his waist. I kissed the bruise on his hip and the ones over his ribs before resting my head on his stomach. His fingers ran through my hair and sighed quietly, moving over me and planting legs on either side of me, careful of his knee. His legs had a few scattered bruises, but his arms were the worst of the bruises.
He laid down and I rested my head on his chest. I felt his hand on my back, gently rubbing.
" This little outfit is driving me crazy."
I leaned up and pressed my lips against his, moving them slowly and sensually together.
" I thought it would." I whispered.
" You don't play fair."
I giggled quietly into his neck and he kissed the top of my head. Suddenly I shifted in his arms and he let out a small yelp when I pressed my weight too much into him.
" Oh, fuck that hurt."
" I'm sorry." I murmured, moving away from him to the other side of the bed.
He spooned me from behind and rested his forehead against the back of my neck, resting one of his bruised arms over my waist. I held his hand and braided my fingers through his. I yawned and used my free hand to grab the remote, turning the television off so that it would be quiet. It was only like seven thirty, but the room was dark and I was exhausted for some odd reason. I think Edward's sleepiness rubbed off on me a little bit and made me tired.
I heard him quietly whisper his love for me in my ear before he fell silent.
May 18th
" There you guys are!" I heard Alice say, skittering over to me with her blackberry in hand.
" Sorry we are late, Alice. This crazy woman took forever curling her hair." Edward replied
I narrowed my eyes at Edward, " What are you talking about! I found you ironing your shirt after I was finished getting ready. You were trying to seduce me after that also, Mr. Cullen."
Alice rolled her eyes. " Enough of that. Now let's go! The meals are ready."
Edward and I had a lot of meals to serve, some of them with alternatives.
Our first dish is basically a light melon soup, which is damn tasty. It's like a smoothie served in a bowl, that was optional and could have an alternative of a tomato soup with lemon and rosemary. It was up to the guests completely.
The next dish was a salad, and we were sure we didn't need an alternative for that one. The salad had a mixture of romaine lettuce and butter lettuce. Almost everything in it was grilled, the avocado, corn, shrimp, zucchini and tomatoes. The dressing was lemon and balsamic vinegar, very simple and light. It was a lot like a chopped salad, everything in it bite-sized.
Our main course is a filet mignon with a mushroom garlic mixture topped on it (mushrooms optional), and that was with fried potato chunks with a thyme seasoning in it that is divine, with that is mixture of steamed veggies. The other dish from the main to pick from it is a halibut which is roasted with lemon and garlic, it's on a bed of arugula and is also plated with an orzo stuffed pepper, which not also has the orzo, but melted parmesan and roasted eggplant mixed in with it.
All of the dishes Edward and I picked ourselves, and we love all of them, they match and taste delicious.
The drinks were a choice of red or white wine. We also had water, ginger ale or raspberry lemonade. We wanted the guests to have a choice of anything. Not everyone is a wine fan, so we picked out just a few other drinks.
We sat down at a table in a very open room. Glass walls all around and open scenery outside. There was a golf course in the area behind, and we could clearly see people playing. Alice wasn't taste testing, but she was here just for help.
The chef came out, introducing himself as Chef Mark Peppers. We had basically done everything over phone these past few times, and we were meeting for the first time. Edward and I shook hands with him and took our seat.
First the salad came out; we both just shared the serving, only taking a few bites. I grabbed my fork and took a bite, fighting a moan when the flavors hit my tongue. Everything pulled together and tasted so good. The flavors were like an explosion in my mouth.
" This is...amazing." I said, looking over at Edward.
" Very well put together, I like all of the flavors, definitely a keeper. Maybe a little less spice, I want to keep it fresher."
Chef Mark nodded, keeping that in mind and then the Halibut with the orzo stuffed pepper was next. I noticed that the halibut had lemon slices, and fennel on it with some crisped pancetta. It actually looked really good with the added things. I got a bit of everything on my fork, along with the arugula on the bottom and took a bite.
This was absolutely divine, and I loved everything. The pancetta was a really great addition to it, and the fennel gave a unique taste to the meal. Edward really liked this one, usually he is hesitant about fish, but he seemed to like it. Edward cut the pepper up for us and I took a bit. Damn it was really, really good.
" I love the eggplant, and with the parmesan cheese. This is delicious. The pepper is tender, but still has that good crunch. Great job, it's absolutely superb."
Next we tasted the filet mignon with the thyme roasted potato chunks and the steamed vegetables. The vegetables had just a hint of a butter glaze, which made them not just shiny just really tasty. The filet mignon was cooked perfectly, cooked to a medium rare, but it wasn't too rare like I know some people take it as literally mostly rare. Edward almost dived face first into it.
" I really, really like the potatoes." Edward noted, " The filet is perfect, vegetables still have a crunch. No changes need to be made. The mushrooms on the filet are really good, not too much garlic or butter. Great dish."
Next we had the soups. He brought out a small bowl of the melon soup and I eagerly took a taste of that. I loved this stuff; I would put it in a cup and drink it all day. I knew Edward liked melon a lot, and this was right up his alley. I really liked it. While the chef left to get the other soup out, Edward leaned back.
" I know you like melon smoothies. I thought you'd really like that."
" I like other melon's too, ya know."
For a moment I was confused, and then I looked at him, slapping his arm and crossing my arms over my chest. It was so like him to make a sexual comment here. Alice rolled her eyes at him.
" Wow, Edward."
He leaned over and kissed the side of my neck, gently scraping his teeth against my flesh. I pulled away from him and the chef came out with the other soup. This one was also really tasty, and gave a sense of warmth.
After giving our thanks to the chef and securing date and time, we were off. Edward sat in the driver's seat, leaning back with his hand on his stomach at a red light.
" That was an amazing lunch."
I smiled, " Is everything good? Are you happy with the choices?"
He looked at me, " Bella, don't worry so much about me being happy. I am. Everything was perfect."
" It's just...I see those girls who are; I want this, and I want that. And they forget that's it's not just about them. I want it all to be fair. Your input means the world to me, Edward."
" And I appreciate that so much. I am perfectly great with how it's pulling together, don't worry...Nutter."
" I am not a nutter."
" Ya kind of are a nutter."
" What if I called you a nutter, or a hob knocker? How'd you like that?"
" I'd say I think you're cute when you say hob knocker in your little accent."
" You say it the same way! And cute?"
" Okay, you're sexy. Is that better, love?"
I rested my hand on his leg and laughed. He rested his hand over mine and pulled into the driveway of his house. We both got out of the car and Edward opened up the front door, letting me in first. He smacked my backside and I jumped forward in surprise. I glared back at him and he winked, shutting the door. I turned around and tackled him to the door, wrapping my legs around his waist.
" You got me so what are you going to do with me?"
I smiled and leaned forward to press my lips to his.
I heard a throat clear behind me and Edward lowered me down to the ground. I stood firmly on my feet and saw Esme standing there with a grin on her face.
" Not home alone today, kids." she stated.
" Of course not, mom."
" If you plan on taking that further make sure to lock the door and put music on."
" Oh my...I'm kind of hungry, would anybody like something for lunch. I'll cook." I said, changing the subject.
" I have food made. And don't be shy, sweetheart. It's clear you and Edward are active."
" Mom, can we not talk about...that."
" It's okay, sweetie."
" Of course it is." He said with an eye roll, " Come now, Isabella darling." Edward said, taking my hand and leading me towards the kitchen.
I laughed at him, " Isabella darling?"
" Go with it."
He drew me to him and kissed my forehead sweetly. I leaned into him and smiled against his chest, feeling genuinely happy at that moment in his arms.
June 20th
" I'm going to be sick." I gasped with my head down facing my legs and my hands in my hair.
" Isabella, focus. It's alright, sweetheart. You won't be sick, just take a deep breath." my mother murmured to me, wrapping her arm around my waist.
I took a deep breath. " Someone get me my phone, please."
Esme reached for my bag and grabbed my phone out of my purse. I took it from her and clicked the '2' button on my phone. I clicked call and heard it ring three times before it was answered. My hands were shaking, and I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my entire life than I was right now.
I was marrying the love of my life. The man I have wanted to marry since I was a mere kid. This day was monumental in my life.
And I was about to visit the porcelain god in a minute if I didn't calm myself down enough to focus.
" Hey, why are you calling? Everything alright?"
I stood up and went to the bathroom, closing the locking the door firmly behind me. I think them staring wasn't making anything any better for me. Quietly, I sat down on the counter and hooked my ankles together, leaning against the mirror.
" I feel like I am going to throw up. I need you to tell me that everything is going to be amazing, and that you love me and nothing bad will happen today. Tell me everything I want to hear, please."
" Bella, my Bella, everything is going to be perfect today. I am going to be waiting for you at the end of that aisle, and we will say our vows in front of everyone that we love and care about. Nobody is going to disturb our perfect day; it will be all about us my beautiful girl. I love you very much; there is absolutely nobody else that I could ever want to be with like this. And today we are going to tie each other together in every way humanly possible, and I will be yours forever."
I took a deep breath once again and felt relief flooding my body.
" I love you, too." I whispered.
" On a funny note, I have my pants around my ankles."
" What are you doing with your pants around your ankles?"
" I was in the middle of zipping up when you called. I didn't expect it and I thought something happened."
" Fiancée dead on the day of getting married, that'd be awful."
" I'd be right after you, love."
" Don't say that."
" I've said it before; I will never live in a world that you don't exist in. It would be the worst torture in the world. I'd rather have somebody eat me alive."
" This is not something we should be talking about today."
" I know. So, how about you put on that beautiful dress, and meet me at four. I'll be the one waiting at the end of the aisle for you, looking gorgeous."
" I bet you will be."
" Are you okay now?"
" Yes, thank you. I'm sorry for this; I just needed to hear your voice."
" Don't apologize. I'll see you later, okay? I love you."
" I love you, too. Bye"
" Bye."
After the call with Edward I felt confident and perfectly alright. It was two now, and we really had to get going and getting ready. I was at the Cullen's, getting ready in Edward's room, or our room as it has been for the past few months when we come visit. I got out of the bathroom and took a seat on the perfectly made bed.
" I'm fine now. Let's get started." I said.
I'd already brushed my teeth and washed my face clear of any makeup, so we luckily could just get right to work.
Alice clapped her hands together and bounced towards me, taking me by my hands and leading me back towards the bathroom, beaming with happiness. She had set up a stool in the bathroom and I sat down on it.
I was doing my own makeup, which I didn't have a problem with. I knew what I wanted to do with my eyes, and I would let Alice do the rest for me. She offered to do my other makeup, and I let her because she wanted to have her fun, too.
My eyes were all silver, lighter silver, lined with black eyeliner, thin, so that I didn't look goth on my own wedding day. Usually I go with darker, but I wanted to keep it somewhat light for today. The silver sparkled a little bit, but it wasn't obnoxious or anything that would draw too much attention. I had Alice do my eyeliner for me, and she did a bit of foundation on my face also to even my complexion out.
I had Esme do my hair. She was really great with styling hair, and she did mine every since I was a kid. She did it for dances at school or any events that required looking nice. And she worked well with my long hair, which at this point it was at the middle of my back. I'd cut it, but I knew that Edward would just about have a heart attack if I cut more than two inches. He loved my hair, and always found an excuse to run his fingers through it.
Esme had the curling iron heated up and she got to curling my mass of hair. Alice had unzipped my dress from the bag, and that had been a bitch to take with me on the plane. Luckily, it did not get wrinkled. She set it over the bed and smoothed it out. My mother just about had a heart attack looking at the dress, she'd seen it before but up close it's perfect. Flawless.
" I'd like to present you with your something old. This is your grandmother Elizabeth's. Last night she told me that she wanted me to give it to you." my mother stated, coming into the bathroom and handing it to me.
In my hands was a hair broach. It was incrusted with ruby diamonds and tiny pearls and was absolutely beautiful. It ironically matched with the wedding colors; it was that splash of red in my completed outfit. I was honored to be able to have it and I loved it.
My hair was going to be pinned half up, and Esme said she could put it in my hair somehow.
Alice had given me my something new, and something blue, which is a brand new garter that she had bought for me, a wedding gift. It's white lace with a blue ribbon that ties off into a bow. It's really fancy looking, and I thanked her profusely for it. I was happy to have it as my own.
" Look at the ribbon." she said.
In black lettering, it was sewn on to say, " Edward and Isabella, June 20, 2010. Forever and Always."
I covered my hand with my mouth, " Alice..."
" I know, you love me and all that. You are so welcome."
I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a tight hug. She went above and beyond for me, and I appreciated it so much. Alice deserved a damn medal for all that she's done for me. She had said that it was her repaying me for everything I helped her with in her wedding.
Once Esme finished curling my hair, she pinned half of my hair up, giving it just a slight bump so it wouldn't look flat. Once she had finished with that, she curled a few loose pieces in front of my face and sprayed on some hairspray to make my hair maintain the style. It looked great, Esme did an amazing job. She had put the broach in, sliding it closer to the side. With about an hour left, we really had to get going.
Both Esme and Renee were dressed; Esme had on a nice black pencil skirt with a silk cream blouse and a pair of black heels. Her hair is curled and makeup light, as always she keeps her makeup just enough to highlight her features.
My mom had on a pair of black dress pants and a red blouse with a pair of white heels. It was like her to make herself match the colors. The outfit pulled together well and she had her short hair curled. No makeup, because my mom hates bother with that 'junk'.
Alice had on a strapless red dress that hits just above her knee's, form fitting to her waist and flows from then down. Her bouquet is all white roses; mine a mixture of both white and red roses with a beautiful concealer over the handle on the bouquet. Its lace, very much like Alice's has been, with black appliquéd swirl designs on it and crystal beads.
I had changed into a robe and put the garter on myself. I decided to put my shoes on first, not wanting to have to bend over and put them on with the dress. Last Friday us ladies had gone for a spa day and got our nails and feet done, and I was forced into waxing. Alice did it too to make me feel better, but this was the fourth time she dragged me into Brazilian torture, the little pixie.
I had my toenails painted a bright red and it had white little flowers designed on them too. My fingernails just had a French manicure. Simple and nice looking and we all had a fun time there. I know that I enjoyed it immensely, girl time was needed every once in awhile.
My shoes are white sling back peep-toe heels, probably a good four inches high and over the top it had a bow on it, looking like it draped over. They were really cute, I loved them immediately upon seeing them.
The choice of undergarments was actually something I put thought into.
Edward had a very strong love for midnight blue. He very specifically enjoyed seeing that color on my skin and made it very evident. On a trip to Victoria's Secret, I had found a dark midnight blue bra and panty set. The underwear I will admit is just a little skimpy, but it covers what it needs to, and it is all lace, and they tie on both sides with satin ribbons. The bra is the same color, strapless and satin with a matching lace over the cups. I hadn't told anybody what I had on, even if Alice did pester me. I changed into it and put my shoes on, tying my satin robe back on around me and walking out.
" Whoa, we should take pictures with you in just that. Edward would probably double over." Alice said with a whistle.
I rolled my eyes and looked around the room. " Where's my mom?"
" Oh, she had to run over to help Charlie with his suit. I swear, he's just as nervous as you walking you down the aisle."
Originally, as a sign of respect, Edward was going to ask my father to be best man. We both knew that he wouldn't dare do it though, and that it would be kind of weird. Of course, Carlisle was standing up in the wedding. Carlisle is, very obviously, Edward's father, but also a great part of my life growing up. He spent so much time with me as a kid, and even taught me how to read books.
He deserved the title as best man and he would be walking with Alice down the aisle.
Esme and I went into the bathroom with my dress, and she helped me slip into it. I had put it mostly on; she understood my modesty of other people seeing me in my underwear. I held the front of the dress to my chest, and after Esme had zipped it up, she started with the pearl buttons, and there were a good twenty.
" I've known that you would marry Edward since you were just a little kid."
" Really? Why?"
" I know that you both had always been put together on purpose, but there was always something about the way he treated you; like you were the most fragile thing on earth and the most important. You have always been the center of his Earth. Edward probably wouldn't be the man he is today if he didn't spend time with you or grown up with you. He has this sense of gentleness and care that I think you've given him. When you were just little ones, I swear when one of you got hurt, it was like the other was heartbroken. You were both always so precious, you still are. I know you've gotten older now, experienced life, but you both still have that same relationship in certain ways."
When she finished with the buttons, I smoothed out my dress and examined myself in the mirror. The dress fit my figure perfectly, and I looked at myself and thought that I looked beautiful. The very first time, and the girl in the mirror staring back at me was beautiful.
" You look gorgeous, sweetheart."
I turned around and wrapped my arms tightly around Esme.
" Thank you so much. You've been as much as a mother as my own, and I can't ever repay you for what you've done for me. I love you and Carlisle like second parents; you both mean so much to me."
Esme hugged me back tightly. " Oh, Bella. We love you, too, so much. It's meant to be, you being officially part of the family. You have always been like our daughter; nobody could take your place as to who you are in our life."
I wiped my tears and made a touchup to my mascara. My mother came back with my father, who was holding a long velvet box.
" Edward wanted me to deliver this to you." he said, handing me the box.
" You look great, dad."
" Monkey suit." he muttered.
I laughed.
" You look beautiful." my mother said, wrapping her arm around my waist.
With a smile I opened up the box and saw a necklace inside. There was a white gold chain with a white gold heart attached to it. Engraved right in the middle was:
Isabella and Edward
June 20th
2010
And in the middle on the back was:
I promise to love you
every single day
of forever.
-E
I smiled, touching the necklace softly. It was perfect.
I had my mother clasp it on my neck for me and Esme was suddenly in back of me, putting my veil on for me. She had secured it in perfectly and then Alice handed me my bouquet, bouncing up and down in happiness, wearing three inch heels, which was pure talent.
" We've got to get going! Let's go!"
When we got downstairs all of us got into the limo. Our grandparents were already at the church, and I think that they were also with Abigail and Allen if I wasn't mistaken. My dress didn't take up too much space in the limo, which I was glad for. Everyone was comfortably seated and we were off.
Then it suddenly hit me, like a slap in the face.
" Holy shit. I'm getting married to Edward."
" I was waiting for it to hit her!" Alice said with a laugh
My mom laughed as did Esme. " Yes you are."
" I mean here I am, years and years later. Sixteen years old never in a million years thinking that this day would happen, and now it's here and I...Christ." I rambled out in a rush.
Alice set her hand on my arm. " Don't freak out, Bella. It's all okay."
I felt the nervous butterflies in my stomach, but I'd also never felt so excited and happy in my entire life at this moment, knowing that I was going to be married to Edward. My Edward.
Authors Note- Hope you liked it, Part Two on Saturday! Let me know what you think and just leave a review, it means a lot to me!