A/N Okay, first off, I want to apologize for not posting in so long. It's been a busy week with a few distractions. Anyway, I wanted to make sure I got this chapter posted as soon as possible so here it is. I hope you enjoy it! Please review! I really love your feedback! Thank you so much for sticking with me through this story! It really means a lot to me to have so many people following it! 3

Chapter 48 – Decisions

When Edward had asked her whom she wanted as her maid of honor, she honestly didn't know what to say. They had talked a couple of times about getting married, but she didn't really see that happening any time in the near future so she hadn't put very much thought into it.

That all changed when he brought up the question. Who did she want as her maid of honor? There were only two people she really thought of as possibilities, but she couldn't decide between the two of them; Alice and Angela.

Alice had been a godsend in the last few days. Bella had to admit that she was really pushy when they went shopping, but Edward really seemed to love the clothes Alice had picked out for her, so she couldn't complain too much. Plus, it saved her from the countless hours it would have taken her to do it herself. Yes, they had spent most of the afternoon in the one store, but if she were being honest with herself, she had to admit it would have taken her days to get done what Alice did that one afternoon. She knew she owed her a lot, but she was terrified of what Alice would do if she asked her to be her maid of honor. Bella was afraid that she would try to take over the entire wedding and she wanted it simple. Alice was amazing, but she was anything but simple.

Angela. She had really been a true friend to her in her darkest hour. Without her, Bella might not even be here to be marrying Edward. It was Angela who came to her rescue after Lauren sent her over the edge. Of course, she didn't know that Bella would attempt suicide, but she cared enough to call Charlie just in case. She owed Angela her life and more. They had really become friends since the incident, even though she had only seen her once since then. She remembered telling her about meeting Edward, but not giving her any details. Would she be surprised that Bella was marrying Edward? Absolutely! Would she judge her for it or try to change anything? The more Bella thought about it, the more she realized that Angela just really wanted her to be happy.

She had her answer then; she was going to ask Angela Webber to be her maid of honor. Of course she felt bad for Alice, but she knew that Alice would help Esme with some of the planning if she asked her to. She was hoping that would be enough to satiate her.

"Baby?" Edward's voice pulled her from her inner thoughts as his thumb gently stroked her bare upper arm.

"Hmm…" She was beyond intelligible conversation at this point. Every time he touched her, an electric current ran through her skin, causing all thoughts to exit her brain. She felt Edward chuckling beside her as he moved his hand to rest on her stomach. He seemed to know her so well and that made her smile and love him that much more.

"What are you thinking about so hard, Love?" he whispered in her ear before grazing the lobe with his teeth, causing a chill to run from her neck down to her toes.

They had talked about whom to invite to the wedding and agreed that it should only be their family and closest friends. They both had felt the need for an intimate ceremony, shared only with those dearest to them. Now they were lying on her new bed in a spooning position just enjoying each other's company.

"Oh, I was actually thinking about who I wanted for my maid of honor. I would love to ask your sister but it just doesn't feel quite right. Don't get me wrong, she's a great person, I'm just afraid she'll want to make this into some extravagant affair. I want to keep things simple. The only thing that matters to me is that I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

She paused for a minute before continuing. "Anyway, I think I want to ask Angela Webber. If she hadn't have called Charlie that day she dropped me off at my house, I might not be here today. I would never have gone to the meadow and we probably wouldn't have ever connected. I feel like if she hadn't been the friend to me that she is, we wouldn't even be doing this."

She felt Edward's arms tighten around her as he started kissing up and down her neck. "Angela is a great choice then. Do you want to ask her over the phone, or would you rather ask her in person?" he asked her seriously. "I'm thinking it would probably be better if we went over to talk to her face to face. I'm sure she'll have a lot of questions. Plus, I never got the chance to thank her for saving you. When she made that call to Charlie, she saved us both."

Bella rolled over so she was facing Edward; her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I love you so much, Babe," she whispered to him through the lump in her throat. He always knew exactly what to say to her to make her feel extraordinary.

"I love you, too, Bella. I can't wait until you're Isabella Cullen. I am truly the luckiest man alive." He checked his watch and then asked, "School's out. Do you want to drive by Angela's to see if she's home? I can call Sam on the way."

She leaned forward to bring her lips to his and kissed him sweetly. "Alright, let's go," she replied and then added, "and I can't wait until I'm Isabella Cullen either." She winked at him before sliding off the bed. As she slid on her shoes, she suddenly thought of something. "Babe," she faced Edward again. "I just realized that I don't know where Angela lives," she said a little sheepishly. This was the girl she wanted to ask to be her maid of honor and she didn't know a think about her other than the fact she was a kind, loving, individual.

…..

Bella impressed him more and more with each passing minute. They were lying on her bed after discussing some details of their wedding when she seemed to get lost in her own thoughts. He just lay beside her and held her, knowing that he should give her a few minutes to think through whatever it was she was thinking about. Marriage was a big deal for two people their age. The only reason anyone ever got married at eighteen was because they were pregnant. Edward knew that people would start speculating as soon as word of the wedding was out, but he didn't care. He couldn't wait until Bella was carrying his child. The thought actually made him smile as he held her.

Bella was his entire life. Without her, he wasn't whole; when they were apart, he couldn't breathe. Just thinking about the fact that James was still out there terrified him. If something were to happen to Bella, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. It would break him far worse than he had broken when he accidently killed his parents and Jessica.

He mentally scolded himself for thinking such morbid thoughts. Bella was alive and in his arms where she would stay, presumably for the rest of their lives. She had agreed to marry him and he couldn't be happier.

After about ten minutes of just lying there, he spoke to her, bringing her out of her thoughts and back to the present. When he asked what it was she was thinking about, she told him she was thinking about whom she was going to ask to be her maid of honor. As long as it wasn't Alice, he was fine. He was afraid that if she asked Alice, the whole thing would go from a small, intimate ceremony to a large, boisterous extravaganza, which neither of them wanted.

He couldn't help but feel a bit of relief when she said the same thing about Alice. He loved the little fairy, but knew she tended to go overboard in everything she helped with.

When Bella mentioned that she felt she needed to ask Angela Webber and explained her reasoning, Edward realized she was right. Angela had saved Bella's life and he had never really thanked her for it. He was suddenly overcome with a need to repay her somehow, even if it took him the rest of his life.

He mentioned that it would probably be better to ask her in person and Bella agreed. They were about to leave when she mentioned she didn't know what Angela lived. "Well, you have her cell number, don't you?" he asked her with a smirk on his face.

She looked slightly embarrassed when she realized he was right. He watched as she thumbed in a text message to her friend. A few minutes later her phone beeped. "Angela?" he asked.

"Yep," she said as she climbed off the bed again. "She just sent me her address. Are you ready?"

He nodded and stood up. "Let's go." He offered his hand to Bella and she reached up to grab it, twining their fingers together. He led her downstairs and was about to head to the front door when they noticed their dads still sitting at the dining room table. Jake was gone, but Charlie and Carlisle were sitting there; empty Styrofoam containers in front of them.

"We're heading over to Angela Webber's house," he told them. "Bella wants to ask her if she'll be her maid of honor." He wasn't sure what else to say of if Bella was going to say anything, so after a second of silence, he started leading her to the front door again.

"Edward?" He froze when Charlie called his name. Please don't say you changed your mind, he thought to himself as he turned around to face him.

"Yes sir?" he asked. Charlie had risen from the table and was standing in the hall now, a few feet away.

Charlie took a deep breath and then answered. "Please be careful. James is still out there and I don't want him anywhere near my baby girl," he said. His voice was rough as if he'd been crying.

"We will be. I promise." He could hardly breathe past the lump that had formed in his throat. This man in front of him was the Chief of Police for the town of Forks, but the thought of something happening to Bella was obviously weighing heavily on his mind. He definitely loved his daughter; that was for sure.

"Thank you," was all Charlie was able to really say before he turned on his heel and plopped himself back down into the dining room chair.

Edward stood there for a minute, holding Bella's hand, but then turned back towards the door and led her out to his car. Once they were both in and buckled he spoke again, "Where to Babe?" He tried to make his tone light and playful, but he knew seeing Charlie so broke up like that had been hard on Bella.

She gave him the address and he started heading that way, neither of them really saying anything. He pulled out his cell phone and looked up Sam's number. Sam answered after two rings, so he must have been nearby his little cottage.

He explained to Sam what they had wanted to do and Sam quickly agreed that the observation deck would be perfect. After a short conversation, they agreed that Friday would work for both of them. That would give them just over a day to throw things together, so he wanted to make sure it was okay with Bella. If it wasn't, Sam had said they could have it the following Friday as well.

She had been listening to his side of the conversation so he didn't have to explain it all to her again. When she agreed that she wanted to try for this Friday, Edward told Sam to pencil it in and that he would call him back after they spoke to the maid of honor and their parents. He fervently thanked Sam before disconnecting the call

About halfway to Angela's, Bella spoke up. "Do you think my dad regrets giving us permission?" she asked, completely serious.

Edward thought about it for a minute before he answered. "No, Love. I don't think that at all. I think he will be sad to let you go after only getting you back into his life recently. I think he's worried about you and scared of what James might do; but I don't think for a second that he regrets giving us permission to get married. Sweetheart, he knows how much we love each other. He knows that I will do anything and everything in my power to protect you, including giving my own life. I think he's sad that he can't be there to do it himself, but honey, he's right. His knowledge and experience would be more helpful down at the station with finding James."

He wanted to look into her eyes, but he didn't dare take his own eyes off the road. The last thing either of them needed was to be in an accident. Instead, he settled for squeezing their interlocked fingers. "Do you really think that's what it is?" she asked him after a moment.

"Well babe, I'm not your dad, but yeah. I'm pretty sure that's what it is. He's going to miss you but he knows we'll be happy together." He brought their joined hands up to his lips and kissed the back of hers. "I love you Bella. He can see that clearly; so can everyone else."

He saw her smiling out of the corner of his eye before she spoke. "I love you so much Edward. Thank you; for being who you are, for always supporting me, and most importantly – for loving me."

"Bella, my beautiful girl, you are more than welcome. I will always love you; don't you ever forget that." He pulled up to the Webber's house and shut off the engine. Before he got out, he looked at Bella. "Everything is going to be wonderful, babe. I promise. Now, are you ready to go get yourself a maid of honor?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

Bella smiled back at him before leaning in to kiss his lips. "I'm ready for anything that will bring me close to being Mrs. Edward Cullen," she told him. "Let's go."

With that, Edward got out and went around to open her door for her, offering her his hand. Bella took it and let him pull her out of the car. Hand in hand, they walked up to the door and rang the bell.

…..

Things seemed to be falling into place seamlessly. Bella listened while Edward was talking to Sam on the way to Angela's. It sounded like they were talking about doing the ceremony on Friday. It was already Wednesday afternoon. If they were to have it on Friday, that would only give her a day or so to put everything together. Could she do it? She thought about it for a minute and decided that it was definitely possible.

When Edward asked her what she thought, she smiled at him and told him she was fine with it as long as everyone else was. Edward told Sam to pencil it in for Friday but that they would check with Angela and their parents and let him know for sure. This is really happening, isn't it? she thought to herself with a smile plastered on her face. In less then 48 hours she would be Bella Cullen.

That thought had her thinking about her dad. When she saw his face and heard his voice as they left the house, she knew he had been crying. She couldn't help but worry that he regretted giving her permission to marry Edward. She knew he would never take it back, but it still worried her that maybe he was having second thoughts.

Not knowing what else to do, she asked Edward what he thought. His answer was so sincere that she couldn't doubt him for a second. He explained that Charlie would miss her but that he couldn't possibly regret his decision. She knew he was right. She knew that her dad was sad because she would be leaving him again. She knew he was sad that he couldn't protect her from James because he was needed at the station. She knew he would miss her. Edward helped her realize these things, even if she already knew them deep down somewhere.

She said it to him all the time, but it was never enough so she said it again. "I love you so much Edward. Thank you; for being who you are, for always supporting me, and most importantly – for loving me."

She swooned at his response. "Bella, my beautiful girl, you are more than welcome. I will always love you; don't you ever forget that." He stopped in front of a house house and turned off the car. Before he got out, he looked at Bella. "Everything is going to be wonderful, babe. I promise. Now, are you ready to go get yourself a maid of honor?" There was that damn lopsided grin again. Every time he smiled at her like that, she felt herself saturate her panties as her heart rate elevated.

Bella felt herself smiling back at him before she leaned in to kiss his soft lips. "I'm ready for anything that will bring me close to being Mrs. Edward Cullen. Let's go."

A second later, Edward was at her door offering his hand to help her out of the car. Once she was on her feet again, he led her up the walkway to the front door. Bella took a deep breath and then reached for the doorbell, pressing it once.