After breakfast he dressed Mason and I dressed Elizabeth. Once they were dressed it didn't take me long to get dressed. Once they were dressed it didn't take long for me and Edward to get ready. Edward packed the diaper bag. When we were all ready to go Edward got Elizabeth in the car and I strapped in Mason. It didn't take long for Edward to drive into town. On the way I received a call from a detective in town. He wanted me to come by and pick up some paperwork. That was where we went first. Edward stayed in the car with the kids.
"How may I help you?" The lady behind the desk asked.
"I'm here to see detective Janson."
"I'll let him know you're here. Please take a seat."
It didn't take long for the detective to call me back, "How are you doing?" He asked after I sat down at his desk.
"I'm okay" I brushed a piece of hair out of my face, "What did you need me to come by for?"
"I had your death certificate revoked. This paperwork verifies it." He handed a packet, "Just take it down to the Secretary of State. You will have to retake the written portion of the driving exam. Once you have done that you can get a new license. It will take about a week to come in the mail." He smiled, "Any questions?"
"What about the lady in the car? The lady that everybody thought was me."
"Unfortunately this station doesn't have the time or the resources to look into it. The gravestone will be replaced with one that says Jane Doe. That's the best we can do. I wish we could do more."
"Thank you for everything"
I walked briskly away from his desk without waiting for him to escort me. When I got into the car I was near tears. It wasn't right that they weren't going to do anything. That woman had a family who was probably looking for her.
"Bella" Edward reached over and grabbed my hand, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing" I looked up at him and forced a smile, "Let's just go enjoy our day."
"Okay" He smiled back at me, "If you need to talk, I'm here."
We first drove to a furniture store. We wandered around looking at beds for a while. We figured we would get both children a new bed. We got them both identical beds. They were slightly larger than a toddler bed but smaller than a twin size. The children would fit in them until they were ready to start school then we would have to get them a new bed. The bed that we decided on was a loft bed. It was a dark wood. There was a small cubby on the side that served three purposes. It would prevent the children from rolling off, serve as a nightstand, and held a curtain that covered the small cubby below. The small cubby below the bed also had some shelves. There were 5 built in drawers too. It was low enough that me and Edward could lift the kids into bed until they could climb the ladder.
By the time we left the store it was lunch time. I headed across the street to a restaurant with the kids while Edward and a worker from the store loaded the boxes in the SUV. I sat in a booth. I put Elizabeth in a booster seat next to me and Mason in a high chair at the end of the booth. They were both coloring when Edward came in. Lunch was really nice. After lunch we went to a toy store down the block. We got Elizabeth a deluxe doll house and Mason a new car set. The doll house came with a family of dolls, furniture, and the house. The car set came with a carpet and several cars including community cars.
After leaving the toy store we went to a park. I sat on a bench next to Edward and watched the kids play in the sandbox. After they got bored with that they wanted to swing. Edward pushed Mason and I pushed Elizabeth. They got bored with that quickly too. After that Edward and I watched as they played on the small play structure. By the time we left the park they were exhausted. I carried Mason to the car and Edward carried Elizabeth.
We drove to the mall after leaving the park. We put the kids in the double stroller. It was a side by side. We got new shoes for me, Edward, and both of the kids. I also got some new clothes, toiletries, and some other items that I needed. Once we got home I started dinner while Edward unloaded the car and the kids played in the living room. It was late so Edward and I bathed and tucked the kids in right after dinner. Once the kids were in bed, Edward and I went and sat on the couch.
"How are you adjusting?" Edward asked as he poured me a glass of wine.
"It's hard but the kids are great." I took a sip of wine, "I'm just glad that you're so understanding about all of this."
"To be perfectly honest, I'm kind of enjoying making you fall in love with me all over again." He smiled, "Only this time I can avoid all the stupid mistakes."
"Like what?"
He stood up and walked over to a book shelf next to the entertainment center. He knelt down and looked at several books for a minute before grabbing the one he was looking for. He walked back over and sat down next to me. He opened it to the first picture. It had me and Edward in it only we were much younger. We were sitting surrounded by grass and wildflowers. There were trees in the background.
"This is our meadow. The story behind it is one of the many stupid mistakes I made. You and I had grown up in the same town and you were best friends with my sister. During my junior year I wanted to go out with you but I was terrified. You had already turned down almost every boy in our graduating class. I convinced my sister to help me out. She told you that you and her were having lunch but she left you at the door with me. You were pissed. You stormed out of the restaurant and walked home in the pouring rain. You wouldn't even look at me after that." He chuckled, "I went to this meadow a lot growing up. I would go there whenever I got mad or was just having bad day. It always fixed my problems. I thought it would fix this too. So a week later I left class 10 minutes early just to make sure I would beat you to your truck. I ended up with two detentions but I didn't care. I convinced you to go for a drive with me. I drove you to the trail. When we got close to the meadow I made you sit down on a rock and close your eyes. I threw a blanket on the ground and pulled out a bottle of wine and wine glasses that I stole from my parents. I also pulled out some chocolates that I had brought. I picked some flowers and tied them up with a small flowery vine." He smiled, "You were so surprised. A year later I did the exact same thing and took this picture. From the first time I took you there, it was our meadow. I proposed to you there and took you there every year on that day."
"Can you tell me more?"
"Sure, what do you want to know?"
I smiled, "Everything"
He stood up, walked over to the bookshelf again, and came back with another photo album. When he sat down and opened it, I saw me in a wedding dress. I was standing next to Edward and he was in a suit.
"This was the day we go married. I was…" He paused as if looking for the right word, "terrified. I was so scared that you would call the whole thing off." He turned the page and I saw me and a man walking down the aisle, "I will never forget when I saw you come down the aisle. You literally took my breath away. I felt like I was dreaming." He turned the page again and I saw Alice and Rose standing in identical dresses. On the opposite page Emmett and Jasper stood in identical suits, "During the planning Alice fought you on those bridesmaids' dresses. She thought you needed sparkle and flare. Then you picked out a simple navy blue one shoulder dress. She was pissed. But Emmett and Jasper loved that color on those girls." He flipped through several more pages quickly without an explanation. Most were of the ceremony but a few were of the reception. He eventually stopped at a picture of me and him dancing. He had something strange strapped to his face. "Do you remember our first song?"
I looked down sadly, "No"
He set down the album and stood up. He left the room and came back a minute later with his guitar. He started strumming and started to sing.
Well I know there's a reason
And I know there's a rhyme
We were meant to be together
That's why ...
We can roll with the punches
We can stroll hand in hand
And when I say it's forever
You understand ...
That you're always in my heart,
You're always on my mind
But when it all becomes too much,
You're never far behind
And there's no one that comes close to you
Could ever take your place
Cause only you can love me this way
I could have turned a different corner
I could have gone another place
Then I'd of never had this feeling
That I feel today, yeah..
And you're always in my heart,
Always on my mind
When it all becomes too much,
You're never far behind
And there's no one that comes close to you
Could ever take your place
Cause only you can love me this way
Ooooh...
And you're always in my heart,
You're always on my mind
And when it all becomes too much,
you're never far behind
And there's no one that comes close to you
Could ever take your place
Cause only you can love me this way
Ooooh...
Only you can love me this way.
He took a deep breath, "We picked out this song. Then I surprised you when I sang it to you while dancing." He leaned the guitar against the couch and then sat back down.
"I thought that you said you only recently got into music."
"I only recently started to write my own songs but I have been playing and singing for years."
"You keep mentioning my father. Is he still alive?"
"Yeah, lives in the same house where you grew up."
"I should call him."
"You can do that in the morning. It's getting late."
I looked at the clock and realized it said 1:39 am, "The time is just flying by. I should go to bed."
"Okay, night"
"Night" I wandered upstairs and crawled right in bed. I didn't even bother changing.
There was a knock at the door. I opened it up and saw James. I panicked. I took a couple steps backwards as he stepped towards me holding a knife. He just smiled and started to swing the knife around.
"It's time to come home, Victoria" He lunged at me.
The song in this chapter is Only You Can Love Me This Way by Keith Urban.