Hey all! TGIF! I think this might be something you'll enjoy! Xx
Thank you to the beauties who help make this beautiful: Brie, kitchmill, Jenn, Kelly, and Kim.
Your Hollywood mingle today comes from smudgenbuster just because of who she met…Mr. George Clooney aka the man I love sharing my birthday with! It's a twofer too. lol
"I worked in a cigar bar in a five star hotel, and many celebrities came in. I didn't recognize George Clooney because he had a full beard for Syriana. I thought the guy with him was a cute college kid, until I realized he was Matt Damon. They were so nice and polite, and they left a huge tip.
I also met Shirley Jones. She was having dinner with a gorgeous younger man. They ordered two martinis. When I brought them, I placed them in front of each of them. Shirley winked at me as she pulled gorgeous guy's drink to her side of the table. "Oh, nooo," she said. "They're both for me.""
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Edward was shocked that I'd been thinking about his sister and her husband, but I wasn't a vengeful or spite-filled person. Though I was wary about what Alice's problem, especially since my father knew and I didn't, they'd been a happy family long before I ever entered the picture. The divide I'd seemed to have somehow caused—if even in the smallest capacity—had broken up a family I'd come to love.
"I don't like the fact that I've caused a rift in your family."
Edward shook his head and clasped my hands in his. "You haven't done anything wrong. This was all Alice's doing. She's the one who has caused this distance with her secrets and lies, whatever they might be." It was then I decided to find out Dad knew just so I could offer Edward the comfort of knowing, but I still needed to ask.
"But—"
"No buts. I won't allow you to question your place within our family. Now come on. You've got to taste Dad's ribs. His skills on the barbecue are just as good as his skills in the operating room." His stomach growled which caused us both to laugh and lightened the mood before I allowed him to drag me back up to the poolside table where everyone was already preparing their plates.
I piled my plate high with food and then sat and dug in. Edward had been right about Carlisle's grilling techniques—the ribs were fabulous, almost as good as Rosie's.
The rest of the night was spent laughing and enjoying the company of my newly expanded family.
Life was changing, starting new again, and I was excited to see where it would go. I was closing a few chapters in my life, but I would soon learn it was only the beginning.
~o~o~o~
It had only been a few weeks since graduation, and today was the morning of my last shift at the coffeehouse and the weight of the information my father gave me sat stewing in the back of my mind. I had a job to do and so I focused on that instead.
It started the same as all of the other shifts before: the aroma of freshly roasted beans filling my senses and I inhaled deeply. It was a bittersweet feeling—to know that I would only ever be walking in as a customer after that day.
Angela was in the back, training my replacement, and I was going about the daily duties. I hummed along with Sara Bareilles' 'Love Song' as I ran the test espresso shots. It made me laugh because it talked about writing a love song. Edward had started to become the driving force for my writing. Love inspired sappy songs poured from the deepest recesses of my soul.
I couldn't the help the smile that graced my face. I was even dancing through the chores. I was floating with joy. Happiness suited me.
The pastries we displayed were out and the morning samples were cut and ready for customers to grab. Coffee was brewing, and I was just waiting for the time I could open the doors. It seemed as if I had been moving at a faster speed than ever that morning without even realizing it.
Kelly Clarkson's 'Catching My Breath' was now playing and I sang along. I loved the words and her breathy tones when she sung the chorus.
You helped me see
The beauty in everything
Those lines, they did something to me. I felt everything that had happened between Edward and me could be summed up in those two short lines. He opened my eyes to so much more. It was magical and I felt like a princess whenever we were together.
I didn't think anything of it when the music changed, or when the songs that began to play took on a similar meaning. I just continued on, helping customers once I'd unlocked the door. I never noticed when the song changed from 98 Degrees' 'I Do (Cherish You)' to Etta James' 'At Last' or to Keith Urban's 'Making Memories of Us.'I was completely clueless to their theme, but then again, I'd been that way for most of my life because all music spoke to my soul more than it ever did my head.
I continued to smile and laugh with the regulars and just went about the day-to-day activities that had become second nature to me for the last few years. I still couldn't get over the fact that it was my last shift, that I wouldn't be schlepping coffee for a living anymore. After the end of the first rush, I took my first ten minute break.
I'd made myself one of my au laits and then removed my apron before I headed out to the lobby to just take everything in one last time. I was chatting with one of the regulars when I felt a very familiar warmth grow deep within me. It was a feeling that I only felt when Edward was close by. I quickly began scanning the room for him, but I couldn't see him. It was strange.
I excused myself from the conversation when my timer beeped, still trying to figure out where Edward was because I knew he was here…somewhere.
I sighed and began cleaning up the trash in the lobby and then I went over to the condiment bar to check the supplies before going back around to the other side of the counter to continue my shift. It was mind-numbing work, but it needed to be done.
The music had cut off again and then rifts on a guitar began to strum. I immediately recognized the song as John Berry's 'Your Love Amazes Me.'What I hadn't been prepared for was the man who began to sing the words live.
It was shocking, and I was completely overwhelmed in the best of ways.
I've seen the seven wonders of the world
I've seen the beauty of diamonds and pearls
But they mean nothing baby
Your love amazes me
I've seen a sunset that would make you cry
And colors of the rainbow, reaching cross the sky
The moon in all it's phases
Your love amazes me
I couldn't stop the tears from falling as he closed the distance between us. This was so out of the norm for him—for us. We were such private people.
Don't you ever doubt this love of mine
You're the only one for me
You give me hope
You give me reason
You give me something to believe in
Forever faithfully
Your love amazes me
I held my breath for beats at a time as Edward poured his soul out to me with such a moving love song. I could see he felt each and every word that he sang and he sounded amazing.
I prayed for miracles that never came
I got down on my knees out in the pouring rain
But only you could save me
Your love amazes me
He slid the guitar behind his back and dropped down onto his knee but never stopped singing.
Don't you ever doubt this love of mine
You're the only one for me
You give me hope
You give me reason
You give me something to believe in
Forever faithfully
Your love amazes me
I stared into his mossy green eyes, love so evident and pure. It was overwhelming, exciting, and frightening all at the same time. I honestly never thought something like this would ever happen to me. And I sure as hell never imagined it would be happening with Edward Cullen.
Your love
But only you could save me
Your love amazes me
He took my coffee stained hands in his and kissed the top of each of them. You could have heard a pin drop, or maybe a coffee bean because of how quiet everyone was. Not that I noticed—I later found out on YouTube with the rest of the world that it had really been that silent in the coffeehouse. I didn't try to wipe away my tears. I couldn't anyhow because Edward still had my hands in his and the tears weren't stopping.
There were no words that I could express, and it was a good thing, too, because Edward wasn't done. He was only just beginning.
"It all started here, you know." I nodded, remembering my epic failure of a fall. "Your big coffee colored eyes were shining with embarrassment, but it was your sharp tongue that hooked me. Well, that and your secret ingredient filled café au lait."
He paused, almost as if he was afraid I would or could get mad at him for revealing some of our more sacred moments, but at that moment—right then and there—I couldn't have cared less. This was perfect. He was perfect.
"Go on."
Edward shook his head, his signature smirk playing on his lips at my words.
"Always so impatient, but it's one of the many things I love about you." I let out a completely unladylike snort which caused him to chuckle.
"I love that you lose yourself in music. That whenever you think no one is watching, you start singing along. You feel every single word in the song. Happy or sad, angsty or joyful. It doesn't matter, they own you just as you own me.
"I've spent every single day of the last nine months in love with you. Scared that I might frighten you off because of how quickly you became the center of my world. That you would walk away from me because of the baggage that I come with, but every day you proved how much you loved me in return by standing up to the paps. By ignoring all the nasty and false rumors and the lies that people spread because they were jealous of our happiness. The unconditional love that flows between us is not something I will ever take for granted.
"People spend their lives searching for what I've found here—with you and your killer au laits."
I was vibrating with so many emotions that I couldn't nail down what I was feeling to any single one. Exhilaration, bliss, joy, delight—pure unadulterated elation rushed through me as everything he was saying fell into place. He hadn't asked the question yet, but I could feel it coming.
"I've told you from the beginning that you are my forever. I knew I wouldn't let you go. Fighting with you and for you is better than anything I ever thought it could be. It's worth all the drama in Hollywood and all the coffee beans in the world."
Edward released one of my hands and reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. Though I knew it was happening, I gasped and so did the women around me. I honestly think any woman who has ever been proposed to will tell you the same thing: even if you know it's coming, it's still a shock to the system. But it is the happiest shock you will ever feel…at least until you have children.
It was a stunning ring and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. A large, oval chocolate diamond surrounded dozens of smaller round white diamonds all set in a platinum band. It was bigger than a coffee bean, but that was what it reminded me of. The symbolism wasn't lost on me, nor was the cheesiness, but I appreciated the extra thought he put into it.
The mirth in my watery eyes was evident and Edward shrugged. "It seemed fitting."
"Obviously. It's pretty, but I think you're forgetting something."
His expression changed from wonder to complete comprehension in seconds. "Ahh, yes, the question." He took one last deep breath and I once again held mine.
"Our lives are just beginning, but I know that I don't want to spend one more day without the world knowing how much I love you. How much I want to spend the rest of my life with you. The highs and the lows and everything in between. Be my wife…please, say you'll marry me."
I bobbed my head up and down, the whispered words flowing from my lips. "Yes. Yes, I'll be your wife."
He slid the ring on my coffee stained finger, and it fit perfectly, before he stood up and my feet left the ground. The kiss he gave me was full of promises, none of them empty. My fingers tugged at his hair as I deepened the kiss. I felt on top of the world as happy tears continued to pour from my eyes.
I hoped everyone felt like I had in that very moment—the one where their future begins. One part of my life closed that day in the coffeehouse, but the biggest part had just begun, too.
"She said yes!" Edward shouted out to the crowd that had gathered once he tore his lips from mine.
The cheers around us were loud and I couldn't help catching Angela's eyes over his shoulder.
Congratulations, she lipped. Thank you, I returned.
I knew this moment wouldn't have been possible without her. I may not have been working there anymore, but I would be a customer for life. After all, it was where our story began.
BTW, I totally sobbed while writing this. I hope you all liked what I did with the proposal. It seemed fitting when the idea came to me.
To the person who said they were moving too fast: I moved in with my now husband three months after we began dating and we were engaged less than eight months after we met. We married after knowing each other for just over a year…it's been more than fifteen years now, so no, I don't think they've rushed anything.
To the person who said Bella was getting on their nerves in the last chapter: they spent six weeks apart, and though I hadn't written about their conversations, know they'd talked and all marriage talk had stopped. Wouldn't you find it strange that once you were on the same page as the one you love, the one who has been hinting all along that that want to marry you, stops talking about marriage?
IDK, I can't please everyone, but to those still reading and enjoying the story: thank you. Your reviews always bring happy tears to my eyes. To the new readers: You all rock!
See you Monday with more. xx Dee