Chapter 22

Edward would have been sweating if it were possible. All eyes were on him and his gorgeous daughter Renesme as they stood at the end of the isle. Her arm was linked through his and he heard her take a long, nervous breath.

"Here we go," she whispered to him.

Edward brought his other hand up and gave hers a squeeze as he smiled, "You're beautiful."

Their family and friends were perfectly placed on either side of the isle that was made from white canvas and decorated with photos of Jacob and Renesme over the years.

Edward looked down, stepping over a photo of his daughter as a baby that kicked off the montage trail of the bride and groom. Alice had suggested it and Renesme fell in love with the idea so they'd decided to put a unique spin on the decorations.

Renesme continued to sigh and Edward heard his daughter's heartbeat pick up with each step as they approached Jacob's comparable pounding heart. He stood nervous but proud at the altar waiting his bride with a semi serious expression.

Their walk seemed to go on for miles, though before they both knew it, Edward was staring at Jacob with a soft smile as he moved Renesme's hand from his own to meet the one of her love. Her eyes glistened, but she stayed strong as Edward whispered, "I love you," before assuming his position next to Bella.

Jacob smiled and let out a visible sigh as his chest heaved beneath the suit he was wearing, escorting Renesme the rest of the way.

Bella looked over at Billy and saw his eyes shimmering with a similar glisten to that of her daughter. Charlie sat just behind him with a smile. Sue sat with a matching expression and had her hand placed neatly on his knee.

The entire pack decorated the right side, while the Cullens sat on the left. Masen and Leah sat beside Esme and Carlisle, with Alexandra gushing over the ceremony next to Leah. Rosalie kept whispering to her as she asked a few questions. All in all, everyone looked happy.

Bella looked up at her daughter and found herself feeling overwhelmed with happiness. The glow on her face was unmistakable. She was so relieved to know that she would never have to experience the heartaches that could sometimes go along with being in love. Jacob would take care of her forever.

They smiled at each other as their vows were through, knowing their was only one more phrase to say before their marriage would be official.

"I do," Renesme said, looking Jacob deep in the eyes.

"You may kiss the bride..."

Everyone clapped as Jacob and Renesme shared their first kiss as a married couple and stood up as they strolled happily, hand in hand down the isle, skipping over pictures of their past as they went.

Alice cheered loudly, and Emmett did the same upon hearing her friendly shouts of approval for their niece. The wedding was beautiful, and everyone began to filter out of the isles to make their way toward the other side of the reservation for the reception that was set up close to the beach under an elegantly dressed up pavilion.

Carlisle let his family out before him into the isle and Alexandra hugged him as she passed. He smiled as they prepared to vacate the area and move on to their second destination of the day.

As they passed by the Denalis, Alexandra and Peter made eye contact and he flashed her a subtle smile. Her eyes lit up and she sent a smile back in his direction, arching her neck to keep him in her vision as they passed.

Carlisle followed her eyes and noticed the young man doing the same, checking her out as they walked away. He immediately stepped in the path of the boy's wandering eyes and urged his daughter to continue walking forward.

Alexandra now looked ahead for Rosalie or Alice, eager to tell them about the handsome stranger who had caught her attention.

A large ice sculpture decorated the middle of the reception and glowed in the increasingly dark night, flashing different shades of reds and purples every few seconds.

The night carried on with speeches, dancing and lots of friendly conversation.

Carlisle looked over as Peter made his way across the floor to speak with Alexandra. He quickly made his way to where Carmen and Eleazar stood talking with Esme, Edward and Bella.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked Eleazar.

"Of course," he squeezed Carmen's elbow and made his way to the side with Carlisle. Esme looked at her husband and he subtly let her know with his expression that he'd fill her in in a minute. She smiled at him, one he returned, and walked away with Eleazar.

"Who's this guy?" he pointed across the way, "Peter, right?"

"Yes. He's been staying with us, converted to the lifestyle."

"How'd you find him?"

"Surfing in the ocean. Seems like a good person. He was very eager to do as we all do, not feeding on humans."

Carlisle saw his daughter accept a dance as a slow song began to play from the speakers.

"He's okay, Carlisle," Eleazar said reassuringly, "Been with us for months now. Tried setting him up Tanya, but she didn't seem at all interested."

"Why's that?" he asked with a ring if suspicion.

"Well, you know Tanya. They just didn't click."

Carlisle nodded and Eleazar patted him on the back, "It's just a dance."

"Yeah..."

"Let's get back. I'd let you know if there was anything odd about the kid. Aside from his sometimes annoying surfing slang, he seems to be a pretty decent guy."

"Mmm.." He still didn't feel fully convinced but decided to let it go for the night.

Carmen quickly scooted her and Eleazar onto the dancefloor, and Edward and Bella were already drifted about in each other's arms next to Jacob and Renesme. There were smiles exchanged between the four of them as they swayed slowly from side to side.

Esme smiled and Carlisle offered her his hand.

"They look happy, don't they?" Esme said, looking over toward Edward and the rest of them.

"Yeah. I'm happy for them," Carlisle told her.

She followed his eyes to where Alexandra continued to slow dance with Peter.

"Let her be," she told him, "They may never see each other again after this."

"And if they do..."

"We'll monitor the situation."

"Okay," he agreed, smiling for the first time since Peter had coaxed Alexandra into the dance.

"There you go," Esme said, kissing him on the cheek as they danced. "I think the last time we slow danced was on the island."

"In our swimsuits," he said with a grin.

The two of them had been nearly inseparable since their trip the month before and Carlisle found his self control regarding his wife to be lacking, as it was when they were a young couple. He let his eyes drift down her elegant gown that she'd picked out for the wedding and wanted nothing more than to press his mouth to hers and race the two of them off to somewhere else; anywhere else.

"Hey," Sue whispered, dragging Charlie over to see them.

Esme smiled and parted from Carlisle to give her friend a hug, "It's been so long."

"Too long. You should come by the house some time this week."

"It's a date," Esme told her, then paused to give Charlie a quick hug, as Carlisle greeted both of them.

"What a nice ceremony," Sue continued.

"Oh, I know. This is beautiful in here, too."

They continued to chat for awhile before moving over to see Rosalie and Emmett. William and Maddy stood hand in hand close by, seemingly unable to keep their hands off of each other.

Garrett continued to monitor that situation as much as Carlisle had done with Alexandra and Peter.

"He definitely takes after his father," Jasper whispered, joining them with Alice in tow.

They looked over as the two of them slunk themselves into a quieter corner of the place to make out.

Emmett laughed as Rosalie took a handful of ice cubes and hauled it over the top of them. Madison looked a little embaressed and the two of them made their way into the middle of the crowd despite William's attempts to keep her there.

"Ahh, young love," Alice said with a laugh.

The night went on happily with love all around them from every angle. The wedding was perfect and though it had been a long day, the night was young.