Hello my lovelies!
Yes, Biltmore is a stunning place. I, for one, am in love with that place. It's literally like taking a step back in time to the Gilded Age, and seeing how they lived back then. It's also a show of the technology of the time, because indoor plumbing was not everywhere yet, and electricity in homes was just coming about. Both were prevalent in the house there. Which just goes to show you what money can buy. And, I mean, the guy had his own railroad built to bring supplies straight to the front lawn to build the house... This is what happens when your family makes their fortune from the railways. I've seen some of y'all say you went and looked up Biltmore online, and yes I do recommend it if you haven't seen the pics I posted on facebook. The pictures online do not do the place justice.
Anyways, I'll put away my inner tour guide nerd for a sec.
Song credits for this chapter: 'Coming Home' by Gwyneth Paltrow
Chapter 22 - Home
BPOV
"Oh my God! I saw the pictures of this place, but holy shit! I've never seen anything like it! That drive from the front gate was gorgeous!" Rose says as we meet her and Emmett in the portico of the Inn at Biltmore.
It's the end of April, and it's finally here.
Our wedding!
Rose and Emmett just arrived and we came down to meet them at the front door. The valet guys were helping them get their luggage out of their rental car, but the moment Rose saw me, she ran over to hug me.
"Well you haven't seen anything yet, Rose. We'll let them take your stuff up to your room, and we can show you around the hotel, and maybe take you down to Antler Village, down the hill. C'mon!" I tell them, grabbing Rose's hand and dragging her into the Inn, and heading toward the back door.
She gawks at the lavish inside of the hotel as I drag her behind me, and she's not even watching in front of her.
Walking through the back doors of the hotel, and onto the back patio, I stop and let them take in the view.
"Oh holy fuck…" I hear her whisper, because, really, this view is drop dead gorgeous, and can definitely render you speechless.
"Woah…" Emmett is much the same seeing this view.
I pull them along, down to where the line of Adirondack chairs are located, and have them take a seat.
"Ok, I'm never leaving. This is just… sooo beautiful." Rose sighs as she looks out over the mountains.
"I feel the same every time I come here. We've spent a lot of time right here, or on the loggia, just looking out at this view. It's very soothing to the soul, if you ask me." I tell her.
"I can see why. I think Rose and I need to seriously think about what we mentioned before. We need a vacation house, or home-base, on this side of the country so we can be in Charleston and even come back here. This is incredibly relaxing." Emmett says as he lounges in his own chair.
The temperatures here are perfect, right now. This area can go from frigid to sauna in a matter of hours, which I've witnessed plenty of times. But being situated up in the mountains, and being right at the end of April has made for some beautiful lower 70 degree days.
We sit out in the Adirondack chairs for a few more minutes, then we take them around the rest of the hotel, showing them where the pool is, the spa, the gym, and then make the quick walk down to the village, just below the Inn.
"Wait, does that say 'Winery'?" Rose stops me as we pass the entrance to the Winery.
She doesn't even give me a chance to answer as she grabs my hand and drags me behind her to the cavernous entrance. Edward and Emmett are just following behind us.
Once we make it through the tunnel full of twinkling lights, and upstairs, Rose lets out a squeal.
"Eeeee!" Then she's off, grabbing just about every kind of wine there is.
"Ro? Rosalie? Maybe slow it down a touch? I've got a private wine tasting setup for tomorrow, if you want to… hold off… Rose?" She's not even listening to me.
There's one thing you don't get between; Rose and wine.
"Just let her get it out of her system. There's not a lot of wine that she won't drink." Emmett chuckles next to me, then makes his way around to check out what they've got around the winery.
I palm my face. "I forgot how crazy she can be about wine, sometimes."
Edward just laughs, grabs my hand and walks after them, and we go about telling Rose what each of the wines she's picked up tastes like and about the chocolates that we had that go with them.
"So, Cabernet never lets me down. I'll drink this tonight, and I'll go more crazy tomorrow with lots more wine. Shit… I can't take this on the plane with me, can I?" Rose realizes as she starts pouting.
But, I'm about to shock the shit out of her.
"Actually Rose, you can have your wine shipped back home when you purchase it. That's a huge thing they do for people that have to travel."
Her eyes widen comically, and she grabs me and crushes me to her in a huge bear hug.
"I LOVE this place!" She exclaims as she turns and heads to the checkout counter.
"Oh boy…" I mutter as we follow behind, Emmett and Edward both still chuckling as we go.
/-/
"I don't know how I haven't come back here sooner than this. I remember us coming up here ALL the time growing up." Alice said as she and I, along with my mom, Esme and Rose, took a walk around the expansive gardens.
"It's been a few years since I've been up here, myself. Carlisle and I came up right after they finished the hotel and we had to see it for ourselves." Esme said as she admired the azaleas that were in full bloom, and there were millions upon millions of them.
"Where exactly did Edward propose, Bella? You never did tell us." Mom asked me as we continued our perusal of some of the most gorgeous flowers.
I had to smile at the memory. I still love how simple, but right, his proposal was.
"Right by the fountain, up in front of the house. It was after the house had closed for the night, not too many people were around. Maybe a handful of people. It had started snowing earlier, and we wanted to see the house while the snow was falling, so we came up here from Antler Village. He stuffed a snowball down my shirt and I'd ended up chasing him around the Esplanade, and tackled him to the ground. He got to his knee and told me, 'You've already told me you'd say yes, so I need to know, as a formality now, would you like to get married here, or in Charleston?'. I told him 'No one has actually asked me to marry them yet'. Then he told me he'd loved me for as long as he could remember. That there was no one else that he loved in this world, more than me. It was perfect. It was just so us." I told them and I could see them all sigh dreamily.
"That's one of the most romantic things I've ever heard. So sweet and fits you guys so well." Esme said as she hugged me to her side.
"I can't believe we're actually doing this. I'm kinda like Rose, in a way; I never thought I'd end up getting married. I never thought I'd find someone that can handle my baggage, but Edward's been extremely wonderful and supportive, in every aspect. He never pushes me, he never makes me feel like a freak. I always feel cherished with him. He's just such a good man." I say as we make our way to the conservatory.
I could tell Esme held a sense of pride when I said that. She and Carlisle raised both Alice and Edward to be good, decent, honorable people.
"I've always said you two were good for each other. Even after you split up. I never thought anyone else was good enough for him. But you two are good for each other. Sometimes you have to be apart to realize what you have. You both realized it… Eventually. That's all that matters. Y'all are getting married, after all." Esme laughed, but then became serious. "I can't tell you how incredibly happy I am, though, that you're finally going to be a part of this family. I've always considered you one of my kids, but it's just going to be official now. I'm over the moon."
I'm at a loss for words at what Esme has said. I love this woman dearly, as if she was my own mother. She has treated me as her own child, ever since I was little. She helped out my mom as much as she possibly could after my dad died. Mama obviously went through depression, and it was hard for her to care for me sometimes. That's why I always ended up at Alice and Edward's house. Alice and I were best friends, and Esme was always there looking out for me, letting me spend the night and such.
I grab her hand and kiss it, then she pulls me into a huge hug. "I love you, mama Es."
She hums and tells me quietly, "I love you too, sweet girl."
/-/
We had our rehearsal dinner at Cedric's the night before the ceremony. It's such a fun environment, pub style, live music on a regular basis. Just a really chill place to hang out.
It's just our family, Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and two of Edward's good friends.
Edward got everyone's attention at our table and stood up, pulling me with him.
"Thank you guys for coming and being a part of this experience with us. We couldn't be happier about starting this chapter of our lives together. I'm beyond ecstatic that this gorgeous woman came back into my life, and that she's agreed to spend the rest of her life with me." He says, then turns his head to me. "I love you, beyond all words." He kisses me sweetly, then we hear our group clap and cheer behind us.
I pull away and turn to our family and friends.
"I've got a little surprise for Edward. I've written a song, and I'd like to sing it tonight for him. So, if y'all will indulge me..." I then turn to face Edward. "I want you to know this song isn't just about coming home to Charleston… it's about coming home to you, too. You're my home, Edward." I kiss him, then walk towards the little stage they have set up for their bands they have come in on the weekends.
I grab the guitar that the band had left up there for me while they went on a break, put it on and tuned it.
Turning to the mic, I look up and see Edward staring straight at me with such love in his eyes.
I smile at him and start the first slow strains of the song.
It's a four letter word
A place you go to heal your hurt
It's an altar, it's a shelter
One place you're always welcome
A pink flamingo, double wide
One bedroom in a high rise
A mansion on a hill
Where the memories always will
Keep you company
Whenever you're alone
After all of my running
I'm finally coming
Home
The world tried to break me
I found a road to take me
Home
There ain't nothing but a blue sky now
After all of my running
I'm finally coming
Home
Well they say it's where the heart is
And I guess the hardest part is
When your heart is broken
And you're lost out in the great wide open
Looking for a map
Finding your way back
To where you belong
Well that's where I belong
Home
The world tried to break me
I found a road to take me
Home
There ain't nothing but a blue sky now
After all of my running
I'm finally coming
Home
Home
Home
The world tried to break me
I found a road to take me
Home
There ain't nothing but a blue sky now
After all of my running
I'm finally coming
After all of my running
I'm finally coming
Home
As I emotionally finish the final strains of the song, I see Edward's face through the crowd and the tears that are in his eyes.
I hear the cheering crowd as I walk off the stage and into Edward's waiting arms, where he kisses me deeply.
When he pulls back he just says one word.
"Home."
I nod, knowing exactly how he feels. We're home for each other. "Home."
A/N: *sniffles, wipes tears* So, yeah. If you haven't listened to the song, please do. 'Coming home' was the inspiration for this story. Not originally, but it morphed into what we have now.
Hope y'all enjoyed! Leave some love!