A/N Okay, so according to the site this is chapter 51, but I don't count my prologue as an actual chapter, so here's chapter 50. The story is winding down, but there will still be several more chapters before it's finished. Another milestone is that this story has received more than 150 reviews. Thank you all so much for your thoughts! They mean more to me than I can express in words! Anyway, here is Chapter 50! Please enjoy it and let me know what you think! 3
Chapter 50 – Explanations
As they left Angela's house, Bella couldn't help but feel euphoric. She would be Mrs. Edward Cullen in a matter of days; things couldn't be more perfect than they were in that moment. Angela had agreed to be her maid of honor and would be going with her to Port Angeles tomorrow to shop for a dress. She even suggested that her dad officiate the ceremony. The only stipulation he had when they asked him was that he wanted to meet with them at his church the following morning. She wasn't sure what he wanted to talk to them about but nothing could change the way she felt right then.
They had driven for a few minutes before Edward pulled onto a road that wasn't used often by the looks of it. She scooted next to him, getting as close as possible in the confines of the car and she started to idly draw shapes on his forearm with her fingertip. Edward had told her that he wanted to ask Emmett to be his best man and that he knew he should ask in person but didn't think it would be feasible because of the distance issue. He decided to call him and knew the sooner he made the phone call, the better it would be. That's why they were sitting where they were right then.
She continued tracing patterns on his skin as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Emmett's phone number, putting it on speakerphone so that she wasn't left out of the conversation. It rang a few times and she was sure it would go to voicemail, but at the last second, she heard a resounding "Hey Bro! What's up?" resonate from the phone. She had only met Emmett twice, but it totally fit with how she remembered him and his personality. She smiled as she remembered dinner with the Cullen's a few days before when he had teased her relentlessly.
Edward seemed a little fidgety as he answered. "Hey Em. Am I interrupting anything?" He sounded like he was truly worried for a second. Then they heard chuckling on the other end of the line and their eyes met. Edward smiled at her lovingly as Emmett responded.
"No, man. Rosie and I were just um…" he paused as if he was trying to think of something to say before adding on hesitantly, "studying." His chuckling before made sense as images of he and Rosalie 'studying' crossed her mind. There was a loud noise on the other end of the line and then they heard Emmett again. "Ow! What the hell was that for Babe?" She could tell he wasn't talking to Edward anymore, but the whole thing was pretty funny and she couldn't help but smile as she imagined Rosalie slapping him for saying too much to their little brother.
A muffled female voice said something she couldn't make out and it sounded like Emmett had covered the phone with his hand to give them a moment of privacy. Finally Emmett's voice was clear again when he spoke, letting Edward know that he was on speakerphone with both Emmett and Rosalie. His voice was then laced with concern as he asked what was going on and then if everyone was okay. Bella smiled at his comment, realizing how much Emmett loved his adopted family.
Edward's voice was unwavering when he answered his brother. "Hey Rosie. Relax Em; everyone is fine." He smiled at Bella before adding; "I actually have you on speakerphone as well. Bella is here with me and we have some news to share. I know you were planning a trip down this weekend, but can you guys get outta class for the next two days and come down earlier?"
Bella wondered if he was deliberately being vague and one glance at him to see the smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth confirmed it. He loved to tease his bear of a brother and leaving him in suspense was apparently one way to do it.
Needless to say, she was a little surprised that it was Rosalie who was the first to respond. "Eddie, what the hell is going on? We were just there this last weekend. What's so important that we need to miss two days of class to come back early?" She hadn't really gotten to know Rosalie very well, but the bite in her voice still surprised her.
When Edward responded, it was clipped but not angry. "Oh, I don't know Rosie. For some strange reason I thought you and Emmett might want to come down for my wedding."
The two on the other end of the line definitely hadn't expected his response and it was obvious by the sharp gasps that came through the phone. After a second or two, Emmett seemed to have composed himself enough to say something. "Are you serious Eddie, or is this some sort of prank?" His tone implied that he was leaning more toward it being a prank than not.
Edward explained that he was completely serious and that he wanted Emmett to be his best man. He was about to get into details when Rosalie jumped in again. "What the hell, Edward? You've known her for what, a week? Did you tell her about the life insurance settlement you got after the accident or what? That's the only reason any sane eighteen-year-old girl would want to get married."
Bella couldn't help her reaction to Rosalie's words. She gasped, feeling like she had been slapped across the face with the words that were spoken. How could anyone think that she wanted to marry Edward for his money? She didn't even know he had any money; the only thing she knew was that she loved Edward with every fiber of her being. She was devastated by Rosalie's words.
Edward was quick to jump down his sister's throat and Bella could tell he was absolutely livid. "You know what Rosalie? Fuck You! How dare you say that about my fiancé? For your information, no: she knew nothing about the policy until just now when you opened your fucking big mouth. She agreed to marry me because she loves me. Believe it or now, some people get married because they love each other. Not everyone has ulterior motives."
Never once breaking eye contact with her, he spoke to his brother instead of Rosalie. "Em, I'll call you back in a few minutes." Without another word to him, Edward ended the call and tossed his phone on the dashboard.
Bella hadn't realized she was crying until Edward turned completely in his seat so he was facing her full on. He brought a hand to each side of her face and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Baby, please don't cry. Rosalie is being a bitch but she means well." Bella didn't know what he wanted her to say, so she remained quiet and waited for him to explain what had just happened.
She watched him as he inhaled deeply before he spoke again. "Bella, my parents had always been very responsible people. When they had me, they each signed up for a life insurance policy so that if anything ever happened to one of them, I would be well taken care of. They were each other's beneficiaries, but I was listed as a secondary on both policies. After the accident and an investigation, I was awarded both policies."
He took another deep breath as he tried to collect himself. Bella wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he had to say, but she listened anyway. "Bella, the policies were five hundred thousand dollars each. I felt so much guilt over everything that happened, that I put the money in an account and never touched it. For the last two years, it's been accruing obscene amounts of interest. That's what Rosalie was talking about. She has a sick way of showing it, but she loves me and is trying to look out for me."
Edward was quiet for a minute while he waited for her to say something but she still had no idea what to say. What is one supposed to say to news like that?
Apparently, he couldn't take the silence any more because he started in with the begging. "Baby, please say something; anything! I can't stand not knowing what you're thinking. I love you so much, Bella." A feral look took over his face as he slammed his lips against hers, kissing her with so much intensity; showing her with actions how much he needed her, how much he wanted her, how much he loved her.
She responded to his desperate kisses almost instantly, moving her lips with his and then parting her own. When their tongues connected, it felt like fireworks exploding throughout her body. He must have felt it too because the next thing she knew, he had slid the seat as far back as it would go and pulled her onto his lap so she was straddling his legs.
He broke the kiss just long enough to pull her shirt over her head and then his lips met hers again as he reached to remove her bra. She could feel him harden underneath her as he reached for the button of her jeans. Just as he was about to release her from them, his damn phone rang from the dashboard.
Immediately she thought it would be Emmett calling back and the last thing she wanted was to hear how hateful Rosalie was again. Edward sighed deeply before reaching for his phone. "I'm sorry, Beautiful, that's my mom's ringtone. I should probably answer it," he told her before answering the call and putting it on speakerphone again.
…..
When he answered his phone, he immediately put it on speaker so that Bella could hear what was going on. He didn't want there to be any secrets between them, and because Rosalie opened her mouth about the insurance money, there was nothing else about him that she didn't know.
"Hey mom, what's up?" he asked her nonchalantly. He figured Emmett had called her immediately after he hung up on him, but he wasn't sure and didn't want to divulge anything his mother didn't already know. He still wanted to tell her in person that he and Bella were getting married.
Esme was quick to respond. "Edward, what's going on? Your brother just called me and sounded completely freaked out. He said that Rosie said something to you and Bella and he's afraid it may have set you off."
Edward let out a bitter laugh before noticing Bella tense up slightly. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Mom, what exactly did Emmett tell you?"
He could hear the worry in her voice when she went on. "He didn't tell me anything really; just that Rosie said some really hateful things about Bella while she was on speakerphone. He said he didn't even get a chance to see if you were both okay before you hung up on him." He heard her take a deep breath and then she spoke again. "Edward, please talk to me. Are you okay? Is Bella?"
He used his free hand to pull Bella closer to him as he smiled at her. "We're fine mom. We do need to talk though. When are you going to be done today?"
"I'm already done and on my way home now," she said. "I should be there within about ten minutes. Where are you?"
"We're about five minutes away. We'll head there now and explain everything in detail." He was about to end the call but then decided to add one more thing. "Oh, and mom? You may want to clear your schedule for the next few days if you can. Bella and I are really going to need your help."
Much like he did with Emmett, he ended the call without another word. He was still sporting a major hard-on while Bella straddled him, completely topless, but he knew they needed to get home before Esme panicked any more.
Before reaching for her bra, Edward leaned back in his seat and pulled her towards him. He placed open-mouthed kisses from her neck down to her perfect breasts before pulling the pink, pebbled flesh of her left breast into his mouth and sucking on it. She moaned and leaned farther in to him as he moved to the right and did the same.
The only thing that made him capable of handing her bra to her after that was knowing that they would have all night with each other and presumably every night for the rest of their lives.
Once Bella was fully clothed again, she extricated herself from his lap and reclaimed her position beside him. He turned to her and kissed her deeply once more before starting the car and heading home.
Because it had taken a few minutes for Bella to put her bra and shirt back on, Esme beat them home. When he pulled up the long road to his house, he saw that she hadn't even taken the time to park in the garage. Edward pulled his car in right beside hers and walked around to help Bella from her seat. Hand-in-hand, they walked up the steps and onto the porch.
Edward was just about to reach for the handle when the door was flung open to reveal a frantic looking Esme. Without saying a single thing to either of them, she threw her arms around them both and started silently sobbing.
He knew his sister was looking out for him but he swore to himself that if she ever caused Esme this kind of grief again in the future, he would never speak to her again. Bella never dropped his hand but he felt her other one reach around Esme, returning her embrace; he did the same and the three of them stood like that for two solid minutes.
Finally, Esme pulled back and he could see the tears streaming down her face. "Aw, mom! Please don't cry. I promise that we're okay; we're better than okay. Come on, let's sit down so we can talk." He motioned for his mom to lead the way inside as he followed her, still linked with Bella.
Esme led them into the living room. She sat down on the couch and waited until Edward sat down and pulled Bella into his lap. "Okay, now can you tell me what's going on?" she asked, sounding somewhat annoyed. "Why do I need to clear my schedule for the next few days?"
Edward looked at his beautiful fiancé, who smiled her breathtaking smile at him. He looked back up at his mother and thought it best to just get it over with.
"Mom, I asked Charlie for permission to marry Bella and he said yes. Things are crazy right now and dad can give you the details, but we're getting married on Friday." He knew she had to be curious as to what his sister had said, so he went on.
"I called Em because I wanted to ask him to be my best man. Rosie made him put it on speakerphone and demanded to know what was so important that they miss two days of school. I blurted out the news and then asked Em. He didn't even have a chance to answer before Rosie went off the deep end. She asked me if I told Bella about the insurance money and then said that the only reason any sane eighteen-year-old girl would want to get married was because of money." He felt his anger rise again as he retold Esme the whole story.
As soon as he was done, he heard Esme gasp in shock at Rosalie's reaction and harsh words. Her eyes immediately went to Bella's face as if she was trying to read her. "Bella, are you okay honey?" she asked.
Edward tightened his grip on her waist and gave her a genuine smile before she responded. "I'm perfect Esme. Rosalie's words stung a lot when she first said them, but I realize that she loves her brother and is just looking out for him. I can't hold that against her because I love him too." She took a deep breath and then added, "I guess what hurt the most though, was the fact that she put into question my love for Edward. I love him unconditionally. It wouldn't matter to me whether he had no money or all the money in the world. I didn't fall in love with him because of his pocketbook, I fell in love with him because of his beautiful soul."
Esme watched them for a minute before speaking. "I know, Sweetheart. I know." He leaned in and kissed Bella's neck as he pulled her even closer in to him, making Esme smile. "Not everyone has seen the way you are around each other like I have," she said to them. "Once they witness it for themselves, they will have no doubt that you love each other."
She seemed like she wanted to move on to happier subjects so she quickly changed the direction of the conversation. "So it sounds like congratulations are in order. I am so happy for both of you!" She took a second to gather her thoughts before continuing. "Two days isn't very much time to put together a wedding though. Why don't you tell me what you have planned and what I can do to help?"
They spent the next thirty minutes talking about plans and what preparations still needed to be made. He could tell that Bella missed her mother more than ever, but he never once let her go. He held her tightly to him, sporadically placing kisses on her cheek, her neck, and her shoulder. She was so precious to him and he wanted to make sure she knew it.
The three of them were discussing what time of Friday they would want to start the ceremony when Esme glanced at her watch. "Oh Shit!" she exclaimed and then quickly covered her mouth when she realized her slip. "Sorry, I just realized I haven't started dinner yet. Dear," she looked directly at Edward, "would you mind going and calling your dad to ask if pizza is okay with him tonight? Charlie's invited too, of course. Bella and I need to talk alone for a minute."
He wanted to object because he didn't want to be away from Bella for even a second, but he knew Esme only wanted to help. He squeezed Bella's waist and when she looked at him, he kissed her sweetly. "I love you, Beautiful," he whispered. He would never be able to tell her enough what she meant to him but he would also never stop trying.
He stood up cradling her in his arms before setting her gently on her feet. After kissing her one more time, more passionately than before, he left the room to call Carlisle.