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Ooooh, did you see that coming? Whatever will Edward say? ;)

Chapter 23: Bella Has a Question

Bella's POV

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, will you marry me tonight?"

All the sneaking and dodging. All the plotting and planning. Every secretive maneuver I had made in the past few weeks became totally worth it as I looked at Edward's beautifully startled face. He was shocked, visibly shaken, and I took great pleasure in teasing him further.

"I realize you might have other plans tonight. You might have a new book to read or a large mountain lion to slay. But if you're open to suggestions, I'd like you to consider the possibility of-"

"Bella..." Edward's wide eyes darted between me and his bustling surroundings. "What is happening here?"

"Am I being unclear?" His confusion was adorable. "I am asking you, sir, if you would be interested in making me your wife tonight."

"In six hours and twenty-three minutes, to be exact," Alice added as she scurried by.

Edward blinked, his golden eyes yet blazing. "What did...How did you..."

"Do this without you knowing? Yes, well...that's another story for another time. Now I don't mean to be insistent, Mr. Cullen, but you still have not answered my question, and I am rather surprised by your rudeness. So if it isn't too much trouble, I would appreciate it if you would address my offer before-"

Edward crushed cold, insistent lips to mine, and I was breathless by the time he released me. He shook his head and cradled my face in his hands. "You crafty, deceptive, clever little minx..."

"Shall I take that as a 'yes'?"

He laughed aloud. "Yes, you beguiling woman! I will marry you tonight. I am just so...Bella..." He kissed me repeatedly until Emmett and Rosalie appeared at our sides.

"Okay, okay," Rosalie smirked. "You're in love and happy; we get it. But in case you haven't noticed, we've got a wedding to pull together. You..." she pointed to her husband "...get Edward upstairs into his room and keep him there. And you..." her voice softened as she took my hand "...come with me."

I broke away to sneak one more kiss as Edward's eyes smoldered. "I will see you at the altar, Mrs. Soon-to-be-Mine."

His heated words obliterated my bravado, and I bit my bottom lip before leaning in to kiss him again.

"Oh, no you don't!" Rosalie pulled me back. "There'll be time enough for that later."

I kept my eyes on Edward as Rosalie whisked me upstairs, blowing kisses until he was out of sight.

Rosalie planted me in a velvet chair in her bedroom where Alice and Esme were waiting. As soon as she closed the door, three pairs of eager eyes zeroed in on me.

"Okay, I am exhausted from all the love and subterfuge, so I am only going through this once. Then I would like to take a long, hot, undisturbed bath."

"Of course," Esme said with barely-controlled excitement. "But only if you promise to give us every little detail first."

"I'll be watching the entire thing in her head," Alice trilled, "so I'll fill you in on anything she misses."

"Wait." I looked around the room. "Where's Renee?"

"At Charlie's," Esme explained. "She thought the first meeting between Charlie and Phil should be private in case things got awkward."

"Right." My lovelorn father meeting my mother's new husband? Why would that be awkward?

As if Jasper was nearby, I felt a wave of calm settle over me. Turned out it was only Esme touching my shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. Nothing will spoil this amazing night. I promise you that."

Her words were more comforting than a crystal-clear vision from Alice, and I shook off my worries. Tossing my hair back, I bent my wrist to showcase the ring, causing all three ladies to squeal. "Where should I begin?"

For the next thirty-nine minutes, I filled in my future in-laws on everything that happened from Edward sitting me on the sofa to our appearance at the Cullen front door. I never imagined three women who had been married longer than I had been alive would be so interested in my story. But as I watched their ecstatic expressions and the way Esme clutched her silent chest every few minutes, I realized they were as happy for me as I was for myself.

After Rosalie examined my ring for the eighth time, muttering "Good job, Ed," Esme stood up. "Okay, girls. Let's give the bride some time to herself. She's got a long night ahead of her."

Alice leapt to her feet. "Tonight is going to be epic!"

Rosalie ushered Alice out of the door while Esme led me to her bedroom suite for my bath. The deep, whirlpool tub was large enough for three Emmetts and filled with lightly-scented bubbles.

"Enjoy." Esme kissed my forehead. "I'll check on you later."

Grateful for the solitude, I stripped down and stepped into the water. Its warmth enveloped me instantly, and I closed my eyes and laid my head back, marveling at my journey to this unbelievable place.

The shock of Brittany's passing had affected me in more ways than I expected. It certainly made me grateful for my life and prompted me to examine my beliefs about death. It made me more conscious of how I treated other people and less inclined to harbor resentment.

And it also made me think of Brittany herself: how she'd pick me for a partner during relay races in gym; her large, bubbly handwriting and unique note-taking system. But more times than I could count, I replayed the conversation we'd had in her kitchen while preparing those Belgian waffles. And one particular admission stood out among the rest, Brittany's soft voice speaking to me from beyond the grave:

"I've never been in love...but I always thought that when I found the man of my dreams, I would marry him as soon as I could... If I love him and know that I want to be with him for the rest of my life, why would I put it off?"

I'd had legitimate reasons not to marry Edward, starting with my youth and aversion to tradition. But after Brittany's tragic death, I realized the frivolity of my objections. For if today were my last day on earth, I would want to go down as the woman who had loved Edward Cullen and spent the best days of her life with him.

And just like that, I couldn't imagine anything I wanted more than to marry him as soon as humanly possible. I began fantasizing about what it would be like to be Edward's wife: sleeping beside him every night, signing my name "Bella Cullen," wearing his ring on my left hand. And the more I considered it, the more I knew it was what I desired above all else.

And that fact presented a huge problem.

Edward would never believe I wanted to marry him. He would dismiss my change of heart as my excessive grief talking and give it very little credence. So convincing him otherwise would take some help and a rather big gesture.

So on the afternoon of Brittany's funeral, after preparing a meatloaf for Charlie, I texted Alice. I thought she and Edward might still be near each other, and if so, her verbal conversations weren't safe. As she blocked her mind from him, she disclosed their conversation about my desire to marry him and confirmed his disbelief. When I explained the full extent of my plans, she promised to call while he was en route to pick me up.

"We can help you pull off a surprise wedding," she said quickly. "But he's waiting for a definitive sign that you're serious about the engagement. If you can give him one, he'll gladly propose."

So I took him to Florida, away from everything connected to Brittany and Forks, and dropped a not-so-subtle hint even my occasionally obtuse vampire would not miss. When we returned, Alice texted me confirmation that Edward planned to propose. She promised not to give me any details-a girl's engagement should be a surprise, even if it is her idea-but to enlist Rose and Esme to plan our wedding behind his back. Once they were on board, I knew we could do it.

In truth, it was easy to keep Edward in the dark. As he couldn't read my mind and the Cullen women were experts at blocking him from theirs, much of my wedding planning was completed in his presence. Alice saw my choices when I made them, so there was very little need for verbal communication.

The deception was doubly intoxicating as his plans for my proposal remained a delicious secret. My Cullen co-conspirators stayed admirably mum about the when and where of it all, and Esme only said wherever Edward proposed, I needed to keep him there for two full days so they could prepare the house and secure certain invited guests.

My chief concern about the guest list was the police chief himself. Although I was fairly sure Charlie would be fine with my engagement, a hasty wedding would be a different matter altogether. Esme had enlisted Carlisle's help in tackling that issue, and Alice predicted with my resolve to attend college firmly in place, my father would accept my decision to marry Edward.

I opened my eyes as a grin slowly crept across my face.

I was going to marry Edward.

In a matter of hours, I was going to marry Edward.

I was going to be Edward's wife.

A vision of me in my wedding dress walking toward my beloved drifted across my mind, and I screamed. Before I could cover my mouth, Alice flew into the bathroom.

"What's wrong? Did you decide you hate your dress after all? Wait." She held up her hand and stared. "That was a happy scream." She frowned. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"I'm sorry." Though my grin said otherwise.

"Don't let it happen again. Or I'll tell Edward about his real Christmas present."

"You wouldn't dare!"

She pretended to think it over. "Nah. I only wish I could see his face when he sees it."

I blushed at the thought. "That will be a private moment."

"Indeed." Alice's tone became thoughtful. "Are you nervous about that?" My brows furrowed, and she saw the concern in my mind. "Oh, don't worry. The stereo is on."

I remembered its loud thumping during the reunion in Edward's bedroom a few months ago. "I don't hear anything."

"This one is audible to vampires only. We added the option when you came into Edward's life, figuring there might be an occasion where you would want to talk to one of us privately with other humans in the house."

"Like the day of my wedding?"

"Something like that."

I sighed heavily, causing a flurry of bubbles to float across the tub. "Not nervous, exactly. Part of me is so excited I feel like I'm going to burst!"

"If he does it right, you will."

"Alice!" I splashed her with soapy water as her tinkling laugh echoed around the bathroom. "You know what I mean!"

She giggled as the water darkened her t-shirt and jeans, the only time I had ever seen her so casually clad. "I do. I remember my wedding night with Jasper. I was so shy and..."

"You? Shy?"

"Every girl is a little shy the first time, Bella," she blushed. "At least, she should be. Being too excited makes your husband more nervous."

I was surprised at my fearless sister's declaration but preferred to stay on subject. There was something I desperately wanted to know only she could tell me. "Do you think that he'll be..."

"Disappointed? No." Alice's voice was firm and final. "Bella, you are the consummation of everything Edward has always longed for. I have stayed out of that part of your future intentionally, but I promise tonight will be the greatest night of his existence from start to finish. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.

"Actually, I take that back." Alice patted my head. "Your mother just arrived, and her head is buzzing with questions, starting with the price of the ring.

Crap.

"If you close your eyes and lie still, she might think you're asleep," Alice offered as she walked to the door. "Your acting skills have vastly improved in recent weeks."

Instead of playing possum, I asked Alice to play keep-away with Renee for another twenty minutes, and I finished my bath in relative peace. Just after I'd pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, Renee knocked on Esme's door. She set down the tray of fruit and crackers, none of which I could bear to eat, and beelined for my hand.

"Holy mother of pearl..." she gasped and gaped. "Are those...Is that a real..."

"Breathe, Mom," I said as her grip on my hand intensified.

"But Bella..." Her eyes were glued to my ring as if calculating its weight. "This is... I mean, it probably costs more than my house."

"Now you're being absurd." I smiled as my soon-to-be husband's favorite adjective rolled off my lips.

My mother dropped my hand. "How in the world did he afford something so extravagant?"

I shrugged, as much to stop her rant as to stop me from wondering myself. "His parents left him a pretty large inheritance when they died. And I'm sure he got a good deal on it."

"Oh. Well, great!" Renee could pardon any large purchases as long as someone "got a good deal on it." She smiled and began walking around Esme's room, pausing to look at the pastoral watercolor paintings and refusing to make eye contact.

That was odd.

"What is it?" I asked.

She stopped walking but kept her back to me. "You knew about all this in Florida, didn't you?" It wasn't a question. "About the engagement and the quick wedding."

"Sort of." Keeping my plans from Renee had been a gamble, but I couldn't risk Edward plucking them from her frenzied mind. The element of surprise had been far too important.

"And you didn't tell me."

"I couldn't. I'm sorry."

"Is it because I wasn't a good mother?" She faced me with sad eyes. "Is that why you didn't talk to me about this? I know I didn't do the best job and you practically raised yourself, but I always tried to..."

"Mom, stop." I didn't want to rehash my decision not to tell her, and I refused to stroke her maternal ego right now. For once in my life, the only thing I wanted to think and talk about was Edward. "Please."

Renee blinked rapidly. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just..." She came to sit next to me on the creamy chaise in front of Esme's window. "You were my little girl when you got on that plane to Forks, and now..." her lip quivered "...you're a consummating woman."

I tried to smile through the awkwardness. "It's okay, Mom."

"And tonight, you're getting married and will get to enjoy all the rights and privileges that come with that relationship." She grabbed my hand and squeezed. "You'll probably be nervous because it's your first time." She said this with a great deal of pride. "But if Edward exercises some patience, I'm sure it won't be too painful. Besides, he looks like he knows what he's doing in that department."

Oh, dear lord.

"Then again, he might be more nervous than you are." She frowned, and I begged Alice to rescue me. "Have you thought about relaxing him first? Maybe with a massage or a slow dance? Or better yet, you guys could play a few rounds of Naked Twister! It works wonders for Phil when he's feeling a little..."

"Renee!" Alice burst into the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need you to try on your dress one more time. Jeanette made some additional alterations."

Renee's feigned innocence was almost comical, but Alice managed not to laugh as she dragged my mother away. I waved at their retreating frames with a groan and flopped on the bed, praying my mother never decided to finish that sentence.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I must have drifted off after Renee and Alice left the room, because the next thing I knew, there was a gentle knock at the door.

Esme poked her head in. "Bella?"

"Hey." I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Have you been calling me long?"

"Not at all." She smiled. "I had planned to check on you and thought you could use this."

She entered with a large ceramic mug in her hand, the sweet aroma of chocolate and spearmint filling the room. "You always know what to do. Thank you."

"It is I who should be thanking you." She sat on the bed. "You have given me a tremendous gift."

I sipped slowly, savoring the soothing heat of the cocoa. "You mean a house full of humans?"

She chuckled and became abruptly serious. "You, Isabella Marie Swan, have given me the happiest son in the entire world. You have made Edward a brand new man, and I will be eternally grateful to you for that."

"You have nothing to thank me for." I set the mug on a nearby table. "If anything, I should be thanking you."

She seemed surprised. "For what?"

"For being the mother I never knew I needed. I love Renee and credit her for my sense of independence. But I never had a woman spoil me, watch over me, or regularly feed me something edible before you. You have been welcoming, protective, and kind from the moment I first stepped into this house, and I have never felt so loved by another woman in all my life. I know I haven't known you very long, but I love you as much as I love my own mother, and I am delighted to be joining your family tonight."

Esme had grown very still as my love for her bubbled over, but when I finished speaking, she pulled me into her arms and nearly crushed me with the strength of her embrace.

"Oh, Isabella." Her voice quivered with unsheddable tears. "I have always believed in God, but He confirmed His existence when you came into our lives. You are the daughter I dreamed of as a human mother, exactly the kind of woman I would have wished her to be. You are brave, compassionate, and positively luminous in every sense of the word. Our existence has been deeply enriched by your presence, and I know I speak for all the Cullens when I say that you have made our lives complete."

I remained in her embrace for a long time, happy tears sneaking out of my eyes. I'd never before expressed my love for Esme properly, and tonight seemed like the right time. After all, in a matter of hours, I would officially become her newest daughter.

And Edward's wife.

My heart sped up at the happy thought.

"So..." she smoothed my hair away from my damp face "...how are you feeling about tonight?"

"Like a can of soda someone shook up."

"I can understand that!" She laughed. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

She was the third consecutive female I had spoken to this afternoon, yet I hadn't really gotten to the heart of my concern yet. I wanted to get it off my chest but didn't really know how to begin.

As I deliberated, Esme moved further onto the bed to sit cross-legged in front of me. I leaned back against her pillows as the truth tumbled out. "I love Edward so much, and I want him so badly it literally makes me insane. There have been so many times in the past where it felt like it could have happened, and I would have been fine with that. But now, tonight, it's different."

I leaned on my knees, bringing them to my chest. "Because it's the first night of our honeymoon, it's like it has to happen. There's no sense of spontaneity, no surprise. It's almost like we're obligated. And even though I could combust sometimes because of how much I want him, the fact that we have to do it tonight makes me feel incredibly pressured. Not that I don't want to. It's just...I still want it to feel natural even though I know it's coming. Does that make sense?"

"Absolutely," Esme said without hesitation. "I think all virgin brides feel some semblance of that, but I don't know how many of them have the courage to admit it."

"I don't feel courageous. I feel like a coward trying to avoid sleeping with my husband on our wedding night."

"Have you ever considered Edward might feel the same way?"

Her question halted my train of thought. "No."

"You have been a virgin for eighteen years. Edward has been a virgin, a telepathic vampire virgin to be exact, for eight decades. That's a long time to wonder, fantasize, and fret. And no one frets better than Edward."

"So what are you saying?" Her observation was somehow reassuring. "Edward feels more pressure than I do?"

"It's not a contest," she clarified, "but think about it: not only does he have the standard male concerns about pleasing you, but he also has the vampiric fear of losing control and hurting you."

The notion of a sad Edward in our honeymoon bed sobered me. "And he's going to need me to help him get past that."

Esme nodded. "Just as you will need him to reassure you of his total satisfaction with whatever happens, whenever it happens. In this and everything else that comes your way, you and Edward will learn how to support one another. And you will continue to learn every day of your married lives."

"You and Carlisle seem to have the perfect marriage," I sighed. "I can't imagine you ever do anything but coo and purr at each other."

Esme's sudden laugh was sincere and strong. "Then we must really have you fooled! Carlisle and I do our fair share of cooing and purring, yes. But we also disagree and infuriate each other quite well." She winked. "My husband and I are far from perfect, but we are perfect for each other, just as you and Edward are. Always trust that and never forget it."

I reached for her again. "Thanks, Mom," I said for the first time.

"I love you, my darling daughter," she whispered as she rocked me. My fears were abated, but I just wanted to be still and enjoy the gentle comfort of Esme's love.

Shortly thereafter, there was another knock at the door.

"Come in," Esme called as she wiped my face.

Alice, Rosalie, and Renee filed into the room. "It's time," Rosalie said softly.

"Okay." Esme clapped my shoulders and smiled. "Let's get you ready to marry your Edward."

Next up: the wedding of the century!