A/N: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Myers does, I'm just obsessed with the characters.

This is the first story I have ever written.

Please leave a review, good or bad. This is s learning experience for me. I would appreciate any constructive criticism that would make me a better writer.

I am vacationing in San Diego and have sporadic access to computer, but wanted to get this chapter posted. It has not been beta'd so all errors are mine. I hope there aren't many errors and that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 18: BPOV

It was surreal being back to our ordinary life at the beach in Florida. We had so much to be thankful for yet we both felt such as sense of loss without Zafrina. We started the adoption process before we left Ethiopia but it was so difficult leaving her behind. We already loved her and she felt like a part of us, so getting on the plane leaving Ethiopia was heart wrenching.

Edward officially met Zafrina on the second day after he returned to the camp. I spent an hour that morning talking about the little girl that was on my lap when he arrived. Edward knew my intention was to adopt her even before I was able to voice it myself.

I never realized how complicated the adoption process was going to be. Ethiopia participates in a Pre-Adoption Immigration review called the PAIR program. We had a hearing while we were still in Ethiopia to determine Zafrina's immigration eligibility to the United States. To bring her to the U.S. we must meet the eligibility and suitability requirements. While Ethiopian government shows preference to married couples, they understood we were engaged and would be married by the time the adoption was finalized. We also must prove financial ability. The adoption authority, the Children and Youth Affairs office operates under the Ministry of Women's, Children's and Youth Affairs. Our next step in the process was to file the Form I-600 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to initiate the PAIR. The form was only four pages but these four pages could determine our fate and the fate of a precious little girl.

As soon as we got back to Florida we were busy gathering paperwork. We had to submit proof of economic status, police clearance, and medical certification of our health, birth certificates and two passport sized photos. All of the documentation had to be certified and authenticated and sent to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C. for additional authentication and then forwarded to the Children and Youth Affairs office for approval.

I wonder what Zafrina is doing right now. She was moved to an orphanage before we left the country, waiting out her fate. We went to the orphanage before we left and were very impressed. You could see how devoted the caregivers at the orphanage were.

She was staying at Faya Orphanage in Adama, Ethiopia which is located about two hours away from the capitol city. When Edward and I arrived at the orphanage it seemed like it operated like it was a big family; some of the bigger children were doing homework, others were outside playing and others were carrying around the babies and toddlers. The caregivers often had babies tied up in a shawl on their backs.

Every once in a while I needed to calmed from a state of pre-adoption panic. It was a good thing we were so busy, we were usually asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. Besides all the adoption paperwork we had to gather, we had our wedding to plan. We wanted a small wedding on the beach with family and a few friends. It was important to us to be married before the adoption was finalized. Our families understood that our plans for a larger wedding were no longer important to us. We just wanted to declare our love for each other in front of the people that were most important to us.

The wedding day was fast approaching and I had a case of the wedding jitters. Alice and Rosalie were standing up for me as well as Emmett and Jasper. I will be wearing a white dress with a high to low hemline and an empire waist, just perfect for the beach. My feet will be covered with gorgeous barefoot sandals decorated with delicate seashells. Edward will be barefoot and wearing ivory linen pants and button down short sleeved shirt. The bridesmaids dresses are lavender and the groomsmen are wearing khaki colored linen Bermuda shorts with lavender camp shirts.

On the night before the wedding, Alice insisted that Edward stay with Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett and Charlie at a local hotel, while all the ladies stay at our house.

Right before Edward was reluctantly leaving to go to the hotel, our doorbell rang. We went to the door and the mail carrier was standing there with a certified letter. As Edward signed for the letter, I started to tremble, seeing it was from the orphanage. Was something wrong with Zafrina? Had something gone wrong with the adoption process? My mind was spinning with all the possibilities. Edward opened the letter with shaking hands. I could not even look at the letter, but had my eyes trained on /Edward. He started to cry and I thought I would lose it right there, then the most beautiful expression settled on his face. He was crying tears of happiness.

There were two pictures of Zafrina who seemed to be thriving at the orphanage. There was a letter attached which stated that things were going smoothly on their end, and Zafrina's appetite was improving daily and she was reaching many of her one year milestones; she was sitting on her own, pulling up on furniture into a standing position, waving good-by, starting to point to things that she wants and also clapping when she is happy. She has a beautiful smile and her eyes sparkle now. By the end of the letter both Edward and I were a blubbering mess. The letter closed by wishing us well on our wedding and with the hope that they would be seeing us soon.

What a gift the letter was. We were both so happy. Edward took one of the pictures with him and left for the hotel. We kissed once more and as Edward left he said "See you at the altar" to which I replied "I'll be the one in white."

After Edward left with his picture of Zafrina I sat on the couch and just stared at her. Her eyes still captivated me as much today as they did on the first day I laid eyes on her. I couldn't wait until we were together as a family. We already had plans for the nursery in the room across from ours. Esme was helping with the plans, but I didn't want any work done until the adoption went through. It was silly but I felt like it would jinx the plans if I were to assume it was definite.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I startled when the doorbell rang. I rushed to the door and was greeted by Esme, Alice, Rosalie and my mother. Everyone was in such a great mood with Edward's safe return and our wedding that we were all smiling form ear to ear. We all went out onto the deck and enjoyed the beautiful blue skies, with the sun reflecting off the ocean. As soon as everyone was seated with a glass of wine, I showed them all the picture of Zafrina and updated them on Zafrina's progress By the end of the discussion, everyone was wiping happy tears off their cheeks.

Alice became the voice of reason and organization and told us that we needed to start getting ready. As part of our wedding gift, Carlisle and Esme were paying for a day of pampering to be done right in the house. We were all getting manicures, pedicures, facials and massages, as well as waxing. The guys were getting the same treatment at the hotel, minus the waxing.

After all our treatment were done and we were feeling thoroughly pampered, we had a light supper and retired to the living room. The plan was to go to bed early so we were well rested for the big day, so we each had a glass of wine and the others all reminisced about their wedding days. As soon as I went to bed, I got a text from Edward:

I promised myself we would never be apart again when we were reunited in Ethiopia. I wish I kept my promise. We had a great day today but it was hard for me to enjoy. I kept looking at Zafrina's picture and I can't wait for our lives to begin as a family. The first step is us becoming husband and wife. I can't wait until tomorrow.

Edward and I texted back and forth a few minutes and I fell asleep smiling and content. Tomorrow was the beginning of our forever.