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not beta'd

storyline - Countdown

prompt - wine

It's not the first time I've been in Esme Cullen's kitchen, but it still impresses me. It's a gorgeous space, very wide open and modern. And yet, the personal touches and cooking smells make it feel very cozy.

"Another?" she asks, holding the bottle of wine we're sharing over my glass.

I pop a strawberry in to my mouth and nod, smiling. "Sure. Thanks, Esme."

"Of course." She smiles back and pours herself a glass as well. "I'm glad you kids you could make it out today. Things get a little hectic for us during the summer. We travel a lot."

"We've been wanting to come," I say, taking a sip. It's a really crisp, somewhat dry Pinot Grigio. I like it a lot, especially with the strawberries. I know next to nothing about wine pairing, so I just sort of make up my own rules, tasting and testing things out.

"And of course, there's Edward's birthday," Esme says, adding liberal amounts of feta to the huge salad she's just assembled. "Do the two of you have plans yet?"

I shake my head, feeling guilty. Truthfully, I haven't given Edward's birthday much thought –we've both been so busy lately. Still, it's the first one I get to celebrate with him and the fact that I haven't considered a celebration of some sort upsets me.

"No… is there something you guys usually do, or…"

Esme shakes her head, unaware of my issues. "Not really. We did throw him a huge surprise party for his thirtieth but, you know." She glances up at me, winking. "He's not a little boy. I'm sure he can plan his own birthday parties by this point."

Her impertinence makes me laugh. We're still smiling when Edward and his father walk in to the room, their jackets damp from the light summer rain.

"I hope Cuban bread is okay," Carlisle says, placing a bakery bag beside Esme.

She frowns. "Oh no… I specifically wanted baguettes!" Then she looks inside the bag and grins, poking him. "Oh, you."

Carlisle grins at me. "She's so easy to tease."

Edward shakes his head and tugs me out of the kitchen, where his parents are giggling amongst themselves.

"They're so ridiculously happy," I whisper, taking a large swallow of wine. I'm a little tipsy; this always seems to be the case when we come to his parent's for dinner. "I envy them."

"Your parents aren't happy?" asks Edward, sliding his arm around my waist.

"They are. Just… they've had rough times over the years too, you know?"

He nods. "The important thing is that they made it though, right?"

I nod. "Right."

He kisses my mouth and smirks. "You're drunk."

"Only a little."

"I should take you up upstairs and have my way with you."

"Please do." I reach down to cup him through his pants.

He looks out the window. "Rain has stopped. Want to go for a walk?"

"But the grass will be all wet."

"We can take off our shoes and go barefoot."

That sounds perfect, so that's what we do.

By the time Edward's birthday rolls around, I have plans.

He's one of those types that has everything, materially, but he seems to appreciate small gestures. I want the day to be filled with them.

He has work, but I wake early and make him breakfast in bed with a nice, sweet bj for dessert.

I have lunch delivered from his favorite sushi place, and I send him naughty pictures texts all day, little glimpses of the present he can unwrap later.

He tries to have me when we both get back from work, but I've made reservations at a restaurant he loves. His parents are there, along with his siblings – one of whom has come in from out of town just for tonight. The look on Edward's face is priceless when he realizes I've put this together and honestly, that's all I want.

Back at his house, he takes me to bed. His lovemaking is almost desperate, it's so wild, and I love it. I love him. We make out like teenagers in the shower afterwards.

"I'm going to get a glass of water. You want anything?" He's in his pajamas now. It's late, and we're both tired.

"Water's good," I say through a yawn.

I scan the page of the book I'm reading, trying to finish the chapter before Edward comes back and turns off the lights. Minutes later the bed dips, and then he's handing me a glass.

Sticking a piece of paper between the pages, I close my book and set it aside.

I'm just about to take a sip when I notice something at the bottom of my glass.

"There's…" I squint, holding it up to the light. It's a ring.

I swallow back the lump in my throat and look at Edward, who is watching me. There's so much love on his face, hope and vulnerability and a little nervousness, too.

Shaking, I gulp down the water until the glass is empty, and then I slide the ring out. It's beautiful, simple, but the diamond leaves no question as to what kind of ring it is. Edward reaches over to take it from me. He grabs my hand and squeezes.

"Bella."

I'm already crying, but I look at him.

"When you know, you know. I've known for awhile you were it for me. I hope I'm it for you, because I really want to spend my life with you. In one house."

He smiles and I laugh, nodding. "Yes."

The ring fits. I push him down and get on to his lap, covering his face with kisses.

"It's your birthday," I whisper. "You're the one who's supposed to get presents today."

"You said yes," he says, kissing me. "That's probably the best thing anyone's ever given me."