A/N Happy Sunday! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. School started this week for the kids and it's been a little crazy around here. Anyway, we're getting closer to the wedding and to the end of the story. Please take a minute to review and let me know what you've though so far! Thank you all so much for reading! XOXOXO
Chapter 69 - Finishing Touches
After Edward picked her up from Charlie's last night and brought her back to his place, he attacked her. It was almost like he hadn't seen her for a year instead of just a few hours. She wasn't going to argue though, and quickly found herself helping him remove her clothing and then his. When they were both naked, Edward guided her back toward the bed and then lowered himself on top of her. As he looked into her eyes, she saw so much raw emotion in his face that she was left speechless. This man would be her husband in less than eighteen hours. In that time, they would belong to each other in every way possible, and she couldn't wait.
Apparently he couldn't wait either, because he nudged her legs apart with his own and gently ran his fingers through her slick folds. The way he had started to tear at her clothing was enough to soak her, but he must have needed to be sure. "Oh god, Bella. You're always so ready for me," he whispered huskily, sending chills down the length of her spine. Before she could even respond, he pushed two fingers into her core and started thrusting them in and out of her at a quick pace.
She was putty in his very capable hands. Every touch, every movement of his fingers, brought her closer to the edge and she found herself holding one of his pillows against her face; she needed something to muffle her cries of pleasure. Just as she was about to tumble over the edge, she felt him withdraw his fingers. She wanted to protest and moved the pillow to do so, but was silenced as she watched him move down her body until his face stopped at the apex of her thighs.
He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes closed as his tongue slid between his lips to wet them. "Mmm, you smell so good, Beautiful; so delicious." Without another word, he closed the small distance and buried his face between her legs.
"Oh god!" She couldn't stop the exclamation as it left her mouth and quickly clamped her hand down to keep from crying out again. The things Edward could do with his tongue! He continued his ministrations until she was literally writhing beneath him, every nerve ending in her body on fire. She wasn't able to tell when one orgasm ended and the next began. "Baby please," she begged him. "I can't take much more. I need to feel you inside me before I go insane."
Edward emerged from between her legs and had a cocky grin on his face. He knew he was driving her wild and it showed. He slowly crawled up the length of her body, kissing and licking every surface along the way, until he reached her face. "I love you, Bella," he told her as he lined up with her entrance and slowly pushed his way inside, filling her completely. There was nothing rushed about his movements. It seemed like he needed to prove his words to her: to show her how much he loved her.
After they had reached a mutual climax, Edward collapsed beside Bella and kissed her lips. "Wow," Bella panted. "That was amazing, Edward."
His cocky smirk was back as he looked down at her. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Love, because that's only the beginning of what I want to do to you. We do need to talk about something first though, if that's okay."
He seemed a little nervous and Bella wasn't sure why, but she knew he would tell her what was on his mind. "Of course it's okay, Babe. What do you want to talk about?"
Edward started fidgeting a little and looked away from her. "Well," he began, "I was talking to Esme about the ring set I got you for tomorrow and she asked me if we picked one out for me, too. Bella, I didn't even think about how awkward it might be if I gave you a ring but you didn't have one to give me. I know I should have, but I was so excited watching you look at the rings, that the thought didn't even cross my mind. Do you want to go back to Port Angeles in the morning to pick one out? We should have time..."
Bella had let Edward go on longer than necessary because she thought he was so adorable when he rambled like that. She finally silenced him though, by placing her index finger over his lips. "Edward, it's amazing how Esme and my dad asked the exact same question." He looked at her with a confused expression, so she quickly continued. "Hang on a sec." She climbed off the bed and went to her purse, digging out the ring Charlie had given her. "Edward, my dad gave me his wedding ring from when he and my mom got married. He said he hung on to it for seventeen years without ever knowing why until tonight." She took a deep breath and opened the small box for Edward to see. "He insisted I take it and give it to you tomorrow."
Edward stared at the ring for a moment and then looked into Bella's eyes. "Bella, I don't know what to say. I can't believe he would do that for us. I guess it just goes to show how much he loves you: almost as much as I do." He leaned in and kissed her lips, making her smile. "Since we're on the topic of parents and gifts, though, there's something else I need to talk to you about."
Bella didn't know why, but suddenly she was the nervous one. Carlisle and Esme had become like second parents to her, and she knew they supported her relationship with Edward, but she didn't know what to make of his words exactly. "Oh?" she questioned, waiting for him to go on.
"When I went down to show my mom the ring tonight, she had been reading the paper." He looked a little nervous for a second, but then he took a deep breath and continued. "Bella, she was looking through the real estate section. She and my dad want to buy us a house nearby as a wedding present."
Bella was speechless. She couldn't even begin to fathom the love this family had for each other. The amazing thing was that they weren't even bound by blood. Carlisle and Esme had adopted five very different children, and for all different reasons, but loved each of them as if they were their own.
Edward must have realized she was lost in her own thoughts and gave her a minute to herself. Finally, he ran his fingers along her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. "Bella, I know we haven't really talked about what we're going to do after we graduate, but my mom begged us to stay close by. I guess she and my dad have been planning this for a long time. She said they wanted to buy as all houses close by when we get married."
"Seriously?" She was so shocked she felt the need to have him confirm what he was saying. "They're planning to buy all of you houses nearby? Edward, that's incredible!"
Edward smiled widely at that. "You mean, you're okay with staying here in Forks after we graduate?"
Bella returned his smile before kissing him softly. "Babe, Forks is my home now. Everyone I love is here. You, my dad, your family. I'll follow you anywhere, Edward, but I'm definitely more than happy staying here."
Edward held her close to his chest and nuzzled his nose just under her ear. "You're amazing, Bella. Do you realize that? I don't know how I ever got so lucky." When he finished, he started kissing her on the sensitive skin back there, causing her to groan. The conversation had effectively ended and round two had begun.
...
Edward woke up the next morning and smiled to himself as he remembered last night. Bella was lying naked in his arms, and after today, he would never have to wake up without her again. Today was the day she would become his wife. It wasn't like they had spent much time apart in the last week, but still.
As he laid there beside a sleeping Bella, he began going over what they had left to do before the ceremony. They had their clothes and rings, Rosalie and Alice were going to be putting together the flowers today, the rooms were reserved, and the location was set. He decided he did need to put a call into Sam though, just to be sure they would have a place to change when they got there. Somehow, he didn't think Bella would want to wear her dress for two hours during the drive; not to mention the fact that she didn't want him to see it until she was walking down the aisle to meet him at the altar. Another thing that had to be done was picking up their marriage license from the courthouse at noon.
He also needed to tell Esme that Bella was okay with staying in Forks. He knew she would be thrilled beyond belief. Figuring that Bella would sleep for at least another hour or so from staying up until the early morning hours, he decided he may as well call Sam now and then go find Esme. Ever so carefully, as to not wake her up, he extricated himself from her and climbed out of bed.
He slipped on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and then grabbed his cell phone. When he got down to the kitchen, he found Esme sitting in the same stool as last night. "Morning, mom." She smiled at him knowingly before turning back to the paper in front of her. "Are you still looking at properties?" Since she was there already, he figured he might as well talk to her first. Besides, it was still pretty early and he wasn't sure what time Sam would be getting up.
Esme laughed. "Of course I am. Like I told you last night, we want you close by. I know you need to talk to Bella about it, but I've always been an optimistic person. It's in my nature." As if that explained it all, she once again turned back to the paper, making Edward chuckle.
"Mom?" When she was looking at him again, he continued. "I talked to Bella last night about everything." Esme perked up when he said that, and he couldn't keep the smirk off his face. "She said Forks is her home now and that she's okay with staying here. She said she'd follow me wherever I go, but that she would be more than happy here. I know I'll probably have to go to college in Seattle, but I want our home to be here."
She was literally bouncing up and down on the stool by the time he was finished, and the moment the last word left his mouth, she was standing and pulling him into a tight embrace. "Oh, Edward! You don't know how happy that makes me," she gushed. "And Carlisle will be absolutely thrilled. We never considered being grandparents so young, but now I just can't wait."
Is she really talking about becoming a grandma already? Jesus! "Mom, Bella and I aren't even married yet and already you're planning the arrival of your grandchildren? I talked to Bella about where we wanted to live, not when we wanted to start our family. We're only eighteen and haven't even finished high school, dammit." He couldn't help but laugh; it was so like Esme to get ahead of herself when it came to planning the future. Then again, the image of Bella, round with child, flashed through his mind and it was a beautiful sight.
Esme sighed wistfully. "You're right Edward, and I'm sorry. I just can't wait to be a grandma." She had a faraway look in her eyes and he figured she was daydreaming about possible grandkids.
Clearing his throat to draw her attention back to him, he continued. "Anyway, the only thing I ask is that Bella and I are allowed to take part in the decision before you buy anything. I'm sure we'll be happy with almost any house you decide on, but it's still going to be the place we live for the rest of our lives; I want to make sure it's a good fit for us."
"Oh Edward, of course you and Bella can have a say in the decision for your house. I'm just so happy that you guys are going to stay close by. Do you have some time now to look at the ones I think are promising?"
Edward chuckled. Esme would always be Esme. "Actually, I don't right now mom. I've still got some things I need to do this morning to get ready for tonight and I want to have it done by the time Bella wakes up." He paused when her shoulders dropped slightly, but then went on. "But, we're only going to be in Port Townsend tonight and tomorrow night. When we get back on Sunday, maybe we can all sit down then?"
"Of course. I guess I'm just too excited about the prospect of one of my kids getting married. You guys are growing up and I don't want to lose any of you."
Edward pulled her into another hug and then kissed the top of her head. "I know mom, and you're not losing me, I promise. We're just adding Bella into the mix."
She pulled back and looked up at him. "Thank you, Edward. That's just what I needed to hear. Do you need any help with anything?" she asked, releasing her hold on him.
"Nope, I think I've got it, but thanks. I need to call the keeper at the lighthouse to see if we'll have a place for us to change when we get there. If not, I'm going to need to make other arrangements. Oh, but if you want to go find Alice and Rosalie and see if they need any help putting the flowers together, that would be a big help." He really didn't have much to do today, but he knew Esme wanted to feel involved and thought that was the best place for her.
"I can do that. Oh, and Edward?" she asked, waiting for him to acknowledge her. "Congratulations."
He couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips. "Thanks mom."
After she left, he picked up his phone to call Sam. It was after nine, so he figured there was a good chance he would be up. He was, and the conversation went really well. Sam said that there were a few places they could use to change and actually offered his own room for Bella to get ready in. Edward couldn't believe he had made such a great friend back when he was such a recluse. Bella brought out the best in him, but Sam must have known it was there all along because he had no problem taking him under his wing.
This was it though; in a few short hours, he and Bella would be getting married. He had butterflies in his stomach, but they weren't from nerves, they were from excitement. He had met the girl of his dreams, his soulmate, and she loved him like he loved her. Today, they would join their lives as one.
He was saddened a bit by the fact that his real mother and father wouldn't be there to see it, but he knew they'd be there in spirit. He had no doubt they loved Bella already. She made him happier than he had ever been and that's all any parent ever wanted for their child, right?
As he was sitting at the island thinking about his parents, he felt two small arms wrap around him from behind. "Good morning," Bella said as she kissed the soft spot behind his ear.
He turned in the stool and pulled her into his arms, right where she belonged. "Good morning, Love. How did you sleep?"
"Really well after last night," she told him, a blush rising on her cheeks before she changed the subject. "What were you thinking about when I came in? You looked so deep in thought."
Edward couldn't help but smile; Bella knew him so well. "I was just thinking about how my biological parents weren't going to be able to be at our wedding today. After they died, I never thought I could be happy again, and for two years I wasn't." He lifted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "Then I met you and all that changed. I love you, Bella, so much."
Bella stood on her toes and kissed his lips softly. When she pulled back, he noticed a tear had escaped her eye and he was quick to wipe it away. "I wish I could have met them, Edward," she whispered. "Do you think they would have liked me?"
He would never understand how easy it was for her to doubt herself. "Baby, they would have loved you. You make me so happy, and for that, I'm sure you've already won a spot in their hearts." He paused for a minute to think about his next words. "You know they'll be there today, right? Looking down on us, with your mother right beside them, smiling."
"Do you really think so?" she questioned.
"Isabella Marie Swan, I know so. I love you, Angel, more than life itself. Now lets go see if Esme, Alice, and Rosalie need any help with the flowers before we have to go get our marriage license." Hand-in-hand, they walked upstairs to finish the preparations for the wedding later that day.