Disclaimer: I don't own anything of this besides the stuff that's not Twilight-related.

A/N I forgot to put this at the top of the previous chapter, but a million thnx to missrebecca for beta'ing this, and to the people I WC with for your encouraging words and valued input, especially M CGT, MkystichKris, JennDUR and KristenLynn. These girls rock!

As Destiny Strikes

Chapter 2

Edward

'Jay, my man, it's good to see you,' I said as I clapped my best friend on his shoulder.

'Likewise, Eddie, likewise,' he smiled good-naturedly. 'I'm glad you're here. When did you get into town?'

I hadn't seen him since New Year's, when he had come to our hometown in Chicago with his fiancée, and it was good to catch up and have a chance to hang out for a few days. Of course, those days would be busy as all hell, but James had assured me there would be plenty of downtime for us, since they had hired the best wedding planner money could buy. I had yet to meet the elusive Alice Brandon, but her e-mails had already meant business, in the form of coordinating dates and dragging my ass to get fitted for my suit. Honestly, I couldn't care less about much of the whole thing. As long as I didn't have to jump through hoops or wear some ridiculously decorated tux, I was good to go. I was here to support my best friend; the rest was mere icing on a heavily over-priced cake. Luckily, James had settled for custom-made charcoal suits for the two of us, and I was left in charge of his bachelor party – with some restrictions laid out by Victoria by way of said Alice.

Despite both of them being filthy rich, James and Victoria had decided on a relatively small wedding, with just me and Rosalie, Victoria's best friend and coincidentally also my cousin's girlfriend, standing up with them. All for the better, in my opinion. I didn't see why some people felt the need to invite everyone they knew and have a million people in the wedding party, putting up a show for the entire world to see. It was about the couple exchanging their vows, and should be a private matter. If I ever were to get married, I wouldn't mind simply going to city hall with just my immediate family and a few close friends. Well, to each their own, I guess. I was just glad that my friend and his girl were of a similar mind.

'So, did you bring a date?' James asked me.

I laughed, 'Yeah right. Like who?'

'I don't know, maybe some hot nurse you work with? Don't tell me women aren't lined up to go out with you.'

I grimaced at that.

'So not going there, bro. This nurse, Jane, she's sort of cute, I guess. Blonde, little doll face, fresh out of nursing school. She's been following me around and getting me coffee and all…'

'What's stopping you?'

'Well, for one, I don't want to mix work with my personal life. And I'm just not interested.'

'In her, or in general?' James questioned.

He knew me too well.

'Both. My life is so busy right now; a relationship doesn't fit into it. And you know I don't really like the casual thing.'

'That's what I said when I was starting law school. Well, aside from the casual thing. And look where we are now,' he pointed out. 'Trust me: when the right girl comes along, you'll make room in your life for her.'

'Sure, sure, but until then, I'm perfectly fine by myself. Anyway, what's the plan?'

'The girls are checking up on some stuff, so I figured we could meet up with Emmett, grab some food and head to a bar. Then tomorrow, we've got a brunch with the wedding party in the hotel at eleven. It's basically Vicky and me, our parents, Rosalie, you, and Alice and Bella.' At my raised eyebrow at that last name, he clarified, 'You know, the wedding planner and photographer. It's going to be pretty informal, just catching up and going over the schedule for the rest of the week. But Bella's probably going to take some pictures, so wear something nice.'

o.O.o

The next morning I woke up with a slight headache. It had been a good night out with James and Emmett, but those tequila slammers had been overdoing it. I was glad I didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn.

When my alarm went off at ten, I dragged myself into the shower and turned it a little colder than normal to wake up. I brushed my teeth and popped a few Tylenol in my mouth before getting dressed. James had said informal, so jeans were okay for brunch. However, his fiancée was old money, so my torn and faded ones would probably be frowned upon, so I opted for a dark-wash pair and Docs. A white dress shirt would have to suffice.

I glanced at my phone and noticed I had about ten minutes to get to the hotel, and I had yet to shave. Oh well, I had shaved the day I had arrived at my parents' cabin; it would have to do. I ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to tame it, but it kept sticking up. I decided they just had to accept me the way I was – scruff and crazy hair included – slipped on my black leather jacket and made my way over to the hotel.

Of course, being the only one not staying there, I was the last one to arrive. I had offered Emmett and Rosalie one of the spare bedrooms, but Rosalie had wanted to be close to Victoria, being her maid of honor and all, and Emmett had wanted to stay with his girlfriend. I was still on time, though, and as soon as we had all found our seats, brunch was served, and the wedding week officially started.

A tiny dark-haired girl took charge.

'Good morning, everyone, and welcome at James and Victoria's bridal brunch. Most of us have already met, but I wanted to take the opportunity to make formal introductions. We all know our lovely couple, of course,' she said as she gestured to them, smiling. 'My name is Alice Brandon and I'm the wedding planner. Next to me is my trusted photographer, Bella Swan. You'll all be seeing a lot of us this week.'

I looked over to the girl in question, conveniently seated across from me, and nearly choked on my coffee. This was the photographer? This was the person who would be closely following us throughout the week?

I had been initially expecting a guy in his thirties, with glasses and a mustache. Maybe even a protruding belly. When James had said the photographer was a woman, I had pictured a middle-aged artsy type. Not this… beautiful girl. Her long, brown hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders. She had this kind-of-bangs thing going on, obscuring part of her face from my view, but the part I could see was all soft lines, plump lips and creamy skin.

'The parents of the bride, Peter and Charlotte,' Alice continued, vaguely registering in my brain, which was still taking in the vision before me. 'I'd like to thank you for offering your cabin for the bachelorette party. Rosalie and I have worked closely together in organizing that evening, and I can promise you'll get it back in pristine condition. I've already hired a cleaning company,' she winked. 'To the parents of the groom, Charles and Makenna, I'd like to extend a warm welcome. Who knew Colorado would still be this cold this time of year, right? And last but not least, the best man, Edward. Welcome and thank you for being here. We couldn't do this without you.'

I nodded in acknowledgement, but my mind was still focused on the girl in front of me. She had these big, brown eyes framed by long, thick lashes. I knew, because she was looking straight at me. I gulped and tried to look away, but my eyes only managed to travel a few inches down, which both was and wasn't an improvement. It was an improvement, because she was wearing this dressy jacket over a white shirt with an almost sinfully low neckline, which allowed me a peek at her cleavage. It wasn't artificially enhanced by surgery or a fancy push up bra, but its modesty was even more spectacular. I found myself entranced by it. Then, all of a sudden, there were hands in front of it, obscuring my view. They were waving, and a throat was being cleared. My head jerked up, and those same brown eyes were still looking at me, now paired with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk.

She leaned forward and whispered, 'My eyes are up here, you know.'

I swallowed nervously and chanced a look up again.

'Sorry,' I whispered back. 'I didn't mean to…'

'Sure you didn't,' she smiled.

I forced a smile back and struck up a conversation with Charles, trying my hardest not to get distracted by her again. Reminding myself that she was here to work and I had just told James I didn't have time for anything besides my job helped – at least until the end of brunch.