Hello my dears!
Got a busy day today. It's my dad's 70th birthday, so I've gotta get things for dinner started, because he has requested... liver nips... Lol I know some of y'all are leery of them, but they're really not that bad. No they're not for everyone. I couldn't stand them for the longest time when I was younger, but I did grow to appreciate them as I got older, and now I actually like them. But, I've also got green beans from out in the garden that I picked last night that I've gotta get cleaned up and snapped. I think I'm gonna go check on the corn too and see if any of it's ready. It looked like it was getting there last night. But, so far on the menu, is liver nips, green beans, air-fried fried green tomatoes, maybe some mashed potatoes... maybe some fresh cream corn if it's ready. We'll see.
I've got a gd two tiered cake I've gotta have done for Saturday too, so I've gotta get started on that today, as well.
Why do I do this shit to myself?
Anywho, it's wedding day for ExB! I am putting some pics on fb in the groups, as usual. The ones I used for the wedding are from the internet, so, sorry if anyone knows the people in them. I tried to get some where you can't really tell.
Song credit for this chapter: 'Have I Told You Lately'- Rod Stewart
Chapter 23 - Love
BPOV
I can't help but feel excited about today.
I'm not panicked.
I'm not scared.
I'm not even slightly nervous.
I'm so ready for this.
This is what I've been wanting for, for years.
It's our wedding day.
Everything is set, we have security so no one is getting to the ceremony site, it's all cordoned off and no one but wedding guests are getting into that area.
I have full faith in the people here that they're doing their job and making sure things are going to plan.
It's not a lot that we have going on.
We're having a small ceremony, not a lot of guests, and then we're going to have our reception at the Inn.
The ceremony, itself, is going to be at sunset, on the South Terrace, next to Biltmore House. It's a stunning sunset view from that spot, and I couldn't think of a better spot to have our ceremony.
At this point in the year, sunset ends up being right around eight o'clock, so that's perfect.
Also, the upside will be that most of the guests from the day will be gone by then, the house will be closed. So, really, the only people that will be left hanging around will be employees.
Tomorrow, we're flying out from here to go to Paris for our honeymoon. We'd both said it was the one city we wanted to visit together after our wedding.
I am, currently, in my suite at the Inn, getting dressed and ready. My mom, Esme, Alice and Rosalie are all here with me.
Edward is a floor below us with Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and Phil.
"Alright, Bells, it's time to put your dress on." Rose says as she pulls my wedding dress out of the closet.
Alice designed my dress, obviously. There was no one else I would've trusted to do it. She knew exactly what I wanted.
The dress is fitted at the top, a hidden corset in the bodice with a sweetheart neckline. There's nothing flashy going on with the bodice, but Alice put in some very beautiful folding details around the bust and down to the waistline. It's also got some delicate swag around the upper part of my arms, where it looks like they're hanging off my shoulders. From the waist-down, it has a very long tulip hemline, that ends up giving the effect of a train in the back. Which works perfectly for a springtime wedding, outside.
It's simple, but elegant and romantic.
Rose and Alice are wearing lavender colored dresses that are similar to mine, but have a halter top, instead, with a tulip hemline that isn't quite as deep as mine.
My hair is swept up in a loose, but elegant, updo, with a few pieces of hair hanging down. My makeup is very simple with a light brown to lavender eyeshadow, a little eyeliner, a little mascara and some powder with a touch of blush. Simple but very pretty.
I'm just putting the finishing touches on when we hear a knock at the door and my mom walks over to open it.
"Carlisle! Come in, come in! She's just about ready." My mom ushers him into the suite.
He walks in and gives her and Esme a kiss on their cheeks, then turns to look at me.
I turn to fully face him and his face lights up. "Wow. Bella, you look absolutely stunning." He sighs, then goes on. "I blinked and you and Edward and Alice are all grown up." He fidgets with the small box in his hand for a second. "This is something Esme and I wanted you to have. This has been in our family for over a hundred years."
He opens the box and turns it towards me so I can see what's inside.
Laying inside is a gorgeous sapphire and diamond necklace. It's definitely a statement necklace. You can tell it's an antique, but it's still absolutely beautiful.
"We thought it was fitting since this is your birthstone. This was left to me by my mother. We wanted you to have it so that you can pass it down to your children, one day." Esme said as she pulled the necklace out of the box and put it around my neck.
I turn around and hug them, thanking them profusely for the wonderful gift.
"Well, you've got your something old, and something blue. Now, something borrowed…" Alice trails off as she pulls out, what looks like, a veil. But, the veil is attached to…
"No. No, Alice! I can't wear this! This is one of your favorite tiaras in your collection. I can't-" I try to tell her, because this is not a good idea.
The veil is attached to a beautiful tiara that looks very organic, like it's flowers and leaves and branches. It's nothing huge, by any means. But it's very much something that Alice has kept close since she was younger.
"Bella! Yes, you can! This is perfect for this setting. Bells, you're getting married at a CASTLE. You need a symbol of that elegance. But it's also perfect for an outdoor garden setting. It looks organic, so why not?" She argues with me, and I can see the look in her eye when she's determined. "You know I'll tackle you to get this on your head. So why don't you just concede and let me put this on you."
I do concede, because I have no doubt she will tackle me to get it on me… She's done it before.
She puts the tiara in place, and I have to admit, I do love how this looks together.
I feel like a princess.
"Thank you, Ali. It's perfect." I turn and hug her.
"Sooo, for something new…" My mom said, and I turned to face her. She holds out a small piece of cloth, and I look at it closer. It's a beautifully designed handkerchief, with an almost damask pattern, lace all around the border, and the initials ISC embroidered on it.
My new married name initials.
"Oh, mama… It's beautiful. Thank you." I whisper as I take it from her and hug her tightly to me as I try to not get insanely emotional and ruin my makeup.
"For generations, in my family, we were always given a handkerchief with our initials on it, for our wedding day. It's usually an emotional day, so it's fitting to have." She says as she pulls back and cups my face.
"Alright guys, we gotta get moving. The carriages are downstairs, waiting for us." Rose says from the doorway.
We all get everything rounded up for the ceremony and head downstairs to the portico in front of the hotel, where there were horse-drawn carriages waiting for us to take us to the ceremony.
It looks like the boys have already left for the house because there's only two carriages left out front.
Rose, Alice and I get into the first carriage and my mom, Phil, Esme and Carlisle get into the second one, then we head off to the house, ourselves.
"This place is so romantic." Rose sighs, looking at our surroundings as we ride down the gorgeous, peaceful, tree lined roads. "I can totally see why you guys wanted to get married here."
"Well, it's not Vegas, but it's exactly what we wanted." I tease her a little bit, because I'm still upset with her and Em over their impromptu run to Vegas to get married.
"I'm never gonna live that down, am I?" Rose says, knowing it's the truth. "I said I was sorry."
"I know. But you know I'm gonna give you shit about it for as long as I possibly can." I tell her, as we pass by the fields where there are new baby lambs just starting to run around and playing with each other. I ask the driver to stop for a minute so we can watch them.
Baby lambs, by the way, are one of the cutest things, ever. They're all white, and silly and energetic as all get out. The little 'baa-baa's they let out are so sweet.
I get a dreamy look about the sweet babies.
Alice looks over at me, and quirks an eyebrow. She's always known when something is up with me. She just hasn't seen it clearly with all the wedding stuff going on.
"Is there something you need to tell us?" She whispers, making sure not to let our parents hear us in the other carriage, that's also stopped.
I narrow my eyes at her slightly and hear her gasp. "REALLY?!"
"Shut up, Alice!" I whisper yell at her as I smack her in the arm. "Jesus, no one's supposed to know yet…"
"Wait, are you?" Rose whispers, looking at me wide eyed.
"We can get moving again, sir." I tell the driver of the carriage, and we start back on our way to the house.
"Spill it…" Alice and Rosalie both say once we're moving.
"Well… I found out before we left to come up here. I'm only a few weeks along. Like, it's probably the earliest you can possibly find out-" I tell them, but am cut off by them both crushing me in a huge, bear hug. "Guys, don't say anything, yet." I rush to tell them, because I really didn't want anyone else knowing before Edward.
They pull back and are all smiles.
"I can't believe it! I'm gonna have a little niece or nephew soon?" Alice asks, bouncing in her seat.
I can't help but smile widely. "Yes, Alice."
She starts clapping like a little kids as she lets out a squeal.
"Guys, seriously, don't say anything or draw any attention to it today. I want to tell Edward while we're on our honeymoon. Or tonight. I haven't decided yet. I'm just… so fucking nervous. This is probably the biggest thing I've done, or will do, in my entire life. This is huge for me." I tell them, feeling the knot in the pit of my stomach again.
I've been so nervous the last week and a half since I found out. My period had been late, and I'm NEVER late, so I knew something was up. I ran to the store and grabbed a test, took it, and then sat on the bathroom floor for two hours trying to figure out if the doctor back in L.A. was full of shit, or if this was just a little miracle baby. My gynecologist had said it would be damn near impossible for me to get pregnant, but that there was a very slim chance…
But I guess that slim chance was given to us, and we're gonna graciously take it.
I've been itching to tell Alice and Rose all week, and it's been killing me not to tell Edward yet.
Looking over at Rose, I see a wistful look on her face. Knowing that she can't have kids, at all, is hard enough. Now that her best friend is pregnant, is probably a blow to her.
"Rose?" I ask, getting her attention, and see her look back up at me. "Are you ok?"
She shakes her head quickly and grabs my hands in hers.
"Bella, don't worry about me. I'm perfectly fine. I'm so unbelievably happy for you. You're going to be such a great mom. I just can't believe it's finally happening for you. I thought the doctors said it'd be almost impossible for you to get pregnant?" She says, emotionally.
"Yeah, I thought so, too. But it just happened. I've been calling her my little miracle baby, in my head." I say as I slightly rub my belly.
She rests her head against mine in a show of love and support.
We're coming up to the house at this point, so I reiterate my point to them. "Promise me you guys won't say anything?"
"Promise." They both reply, but I can see the excitement in their eyes and the wheels turning in both of their heads.
Pulling through the gates at the front of the house, the driver pulls the carriage around the Esplanade and to where the South Terrace is located.
There's a large archway setup at the entrance, covered in lavender, some peach colored tulips, white roses, and some wisteria hanging down from it as well.
It's very romantic looking, especially with the coming sunset over the mountains.
Mom, Esme and Phil go and take their seats. Alice, Rose and Carlisle stay with me, helping me do last touches and waiting for the service to start. Rose hands me my bouquet that is shades of lavender, lilac, peach, and white.
I asked Carlisle to walk me down the aisle. Not so much to 'give me away', but to just be a father figure for me. My mom said she was more than fine with it, and Carlisle was honored I'd asked him.
"You ready for this, Bella?" Carlisle asked me as he held out his arm to me.
I hook my arm in his and smile up at him. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life. Thank you, again, for doing this."
"Anything for you, sweetheart. You're my daughter, officially, now. So, of course, I'll be there for anything for you, Edward, or Alice." He tells me, sincerely, then kisses my cheek.
I smile to myself, thrilled at the fact that I've had this family all along, but just never really realized it. I've always thought of it just being me and mom for the longest time… But, we weren't alone. I've always had Alice, Edward, Esme, and Carlisle as my family, too. They've always been there, rain or shine, happy or sad, anything.
And now I'm officially becoming a part of their family, and adding one more to it in about eight more months…
I take a shaky breath at that last thought.
I still can't believe this is going to happen. I never thought, over the last six years that I'd actually be able to have a child. The doctor did say to be extremely careful during my pregnancy because she wasn't sure if my body would end up being able to hold onto the baby. With the trauma and scar tissue, she said it could cause some issues, but didn't see why I couldn't carry the baby to full term without any trouble. I just have to pay attention to my body for any signs of distress.
"Is it too early to mention that Esme is chomping at the bit to be a grandma…" He whispers to me as Rose and Alice turn to start their walk down the short aisle.
Rose swings her head back around with wide eyes, having heard Carlisle's comment. She quickly turns back to face forward to walk down the aisle after Alice.
I grip his arm tighter as I take a deep breath in and look down quickly.
He puts his other hand over mine in his arm, and I know that he knows now.
"Jesus… please don't say anything. I haven't told Edward yet. I just found out…" I tell him, hoping that everyone under the sun doesn't figure it out before I tell Edward.
"I promise, I won't say anything. But I will say, congratulations. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am for you two. Let me know if you have any questions, or if you need anything throughout your pregnancy. Don't be surprised if I'm checking up on you daily to see how things are progressing." He laughs as he kisses me again, this time on the forehead.
I smile widely and tell him, "I wouldn't expect anything less, grandpa."
His answering smile is almost blinding, hearing me call him 'grandpa'.
"I can't wait." He whispers as the wedding coordinator turns to tell us it's time to walk down the aisle.
Walking slowly, we make our way through the arch and down the aisle, where I can now see Edward and his brilliant smiling face. It's only magnified by the approaching setting sun behind him.
Taking in Edward right now, he looks so handsome. He's in a navy blue suit, lavender colored tie and brown leather shoes. He's also got a peach colored boutonniere.
Carlisle places my hand in Edward's and kisses my cheek before turning and taking his seat next to Esme.
"You look absolutely gorgeous." Edward whispers as we turn to each other.
The minister starts the service, and it all becomes a blur to me because all I can do is stare at Edward, and just take in this moment, in this place.
When it comes time for us to exchange vows, Edward and I decided to write our own.
"Edward…" I begin, then sigh, "There is no one in this world that understands me the way you do. There's no one else that loves me the way you do. You've known me, really known me, for as long as I can remember. We had our bumps in the road… but there was always a connection between the two of us that never faded. And I don't think it ever will. I love you with everything that I am. You are the other half of my soul that is finally back in place. I can't wait for us to begin the rest of our lives together. You're my best friend, my love, my life, my rock… You're my home. And I want you to know that for as long as I breathe, I will spend all of my days reminding you that no one else will ever love you as much as I love you." I tell him, with so much love and sincerity, and even a few tears welling up in my eyes.
Thank goodness my mom got me that handkerchief.
I almost let it slip that he was gonna be a daddy, but I want us to be alone when I tell him.
I can see the emotions brimming inside him too, as he gathers his thoughts to respond with his own vows.
"Bella… I never understood how we got here. I never thought we'd actually get here. There was a time… that I was sure this was never gonna be in the cards for us. And that gutted me. You'll never know how insanely happy I was when Alice called me that day and said to meet her for dinner, and I showed up and saw you sitting there with her. You were home, for however long, and I wanted to take advantage of whatever time I might have with you. That night, I realized that I was crazy to ever let you leave. I wanted you back in my life, in whatever capacity that I could get. I've never been able to love anyone nearly as much as I love you. You are the great love of my life, and I'm gonna spend the rest of my life proving that to you. Isabella, you are the very best part of my life. We're a team. We're the other half of what the other needs. I love you to the ends of the earth, and beyond that." He said, his own tears welling up in his eyes.
The tears are just falling for me, at this point. My handkerchief is gonna be soaked by the time this ceremony is over, as I continue to dab at my eyes.
We exchange rings after that, Edward kissing my ring finger after he put mine in place.
I love this man so much.
The minister said his final words, that I was barely paying attention to because I just wanted to jump into Edward's arms and kiss him senseless.
And that's exactly what I did as soon as he said; 'you may now kiss your bride'. Not to a point where it was inappropriate, but I was so happy that we were finally married and we were finally going to spend the rest of our lives together.
I could faintly hear our family and friends cheering and clapping behind us, but I was still completely focused on Edward.
I finally pull myself away from him, smiling, as we turn to face our cheering family.
We received hugs and congratulations from our small group of family and friends, then quickly took some photos on the terrace, in front of the house and in the gardens.
I can't wait to get those photos back from the photographer.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look right now?" Edward asks me as we make our way to the carriage so that we can get back to the Inn for our reception.
"Only about a hundred times since you saw me walk up the aisle." I laugh as we get situated and start back to the hotel.
"Well, it bares repeating. You look like this glowing angel today… Are you sure you're real?" He jokes and I swat him in the arm.
"Funny, Edward." I lean my head against his shoulder as we take in the quiet surroundings and the final glimmers of sunlight for the day.
"Can you believe we're finally here and married?" he asks quietly as he takes my left hand in his and rubbing the ring he put there.
"It does feel like we've been waiting forever for this moment, doesn't it?" I ask, receiving a nod in answer. "I'm just… relieved. I guess that nagging little voice in the back of my mind kept saying that we'd never get here. I'm happy to have finally shut that voice up." I laugh because that voice kept whispering 'He's gonna get cold feet. He's never going to agree to deal with your shit.', and to finally have that voice silenced is incredibly satisfying.
"Don't ever let that voice take hold of you. You know I'm in this for the long haul. 'for better or for worse', remember?" He kisses my cheek and pulls me closer to him.
"I know. That's why I love you so much. You love every part of me, good or bad. That's all I could ever ask for." I reach up and kiss him sweetly.
Once we're back at the Inn, we enter into the Dining Room to the song 'Have I told you lately' by Rod Stewart.
Edward takes me in his arms and starts to sway us around the room, and begins to sing the song in my ear to me. He started singing this to me when we got back together just to remind me he loved me, so this song means a lot to me.
'Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there's no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles that's what you do
For the mornin' sun in all it's glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort too
You fill my life with laughter and somehow you make it better
Ease my troubles that's what you do
There's a love that's divine
And it's yours and it's mine like the sun
And at the end of the day we should give thanks and pray
To the One, to the One
Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there's no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles that's what you do
There's a love that's divine
And it's yours and it's mine like the sun
And at the end of the day we should give thanks and pray
To the One, to the One
And have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there's no one else above you
Fill my heart with gladness, take away my sadness
Ease my troubles that's what you do
You take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles that's, that's what you do
You take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles that's, that's what you do'
Again, I'm a bawling mess with him crooning in my ear, telling me with those sweet lyrics how much he loves me…
This is kinda what we do with each other. Music is a love language to us.
I dab at my eyes again as I pull away and look up at him.
"I'm so happy and I love you so much that I feel like my heart could burst right now. I never thought I could be this happy." I tell him through the bits of tears.
He pulls me back to him as another song comes on, and he sways us to the rhythm.
"I feel the same, Bells. I don't think this day could get any better." He smiles broadly at me.
"I bet I could take it up a notch…" I can't believe I'm gonna do this now, but for some reason, I feel like this is right.
He chuckles and squeezes me tightly. "I don't know how you possibly could, but you can try."
"Well, pretty soon, in approximately eight months, there's gonna be someone else above me that you're gonna love even more… so we may have to amend Rod Stewart's song…" I tell him cryptically, and feel him stop our movements, abruptly.
His wheels are turning at a high rate right now, and I see the light ding above his head.
"Wait… are you serious? We're gonna have a baby?" He whispers, which I'm guessing he's afraid to say it too loud.
I give him a watery smile, nod and then am lifted off the ground and spun around in a circle, with Edward hooting for joy.
He pulls me back down and crushes me to him. "Yeeees!" He shouts into the air.
We're both smiling like loons as we turn to our family and friends, who are looking at us curiously.
Well, Rose and Alice are looking at us knowingly.
"Can we tell them?" He asks, leaning down where he can whisper in my ear.
"Might as well. Rose, Alice and your dad already found out." I reply, knowing that, for one thing, this group could be trusted. Being that it's literally just our family and our small group of close, trusted friends that we invited. And for another, if we don't tell our moms, and Carlisle or Alice let it slip, we're both gonna be in deep shit with both of them.
He gives me a playful glare, then turns us back to the family.
"Well, I never thought this day could possibly get any better. But, this beautiful creature beside me, that has already made me the happiest person today by marrying me, just told me… that we're gonna have a baby!" He tells them all, which is immediately followed by raucous cheers from all of our family and friends, and more congratulations.
We spend the rest of the evening enjoying music, food, drinks, laughter, and just being with everyone.
When the reception wound down, we bid our family goodnight, and went upstairs to our suite, spending the evening with Edward worshiping my body, and telling me life couldn't get any better than it was right now.
And I've gotta agree with him.
A/N: Naaaaaawwwww is anyone else teary eyed right now? I wrote this damn thing, and I've read over it several times, and I still get teary at this. *sniffles*
See y'all later!