One night while I sat on Edwards sofa I found myself wanting to talk to him about my daughter. I closed my book and sat it down beside me. I stared out the window into the dark night.

"When I found out I was pregnant I was terrified. I had never wanted to be a mother and wasn't sure I would know how. But the minute I felt her first kick I was so desperately in love with the her. When Charlie and I saw her the first time on the sonogram I had never wanted anything more than I wanted her. The first time I held her was the most wonderful moment of my entire existence. Her tiny little hand firmly gripped my finger and I hoped that she would never let go."

Edward silently moved to sit beside me.

"That blissful moment was so short lived. She was sick from the start and there were so many surgeries and hospital stays. The last 6 months of her life she was at home with us. She was so happy and we worshipped her." I pulled her last picture out of my book and handed it to Edward.

"Bella she is so beautiful."

"The last night with her was the hardest. I wanted to hold her and never let go. If I had known that would be the last time I would hold her I would have held her longer. I would have told her I loved her one more time." I felt the panic seize my chest. My body started shaking, my hands clinched into fists and I tried to fight against it. Edward knelt in front of me. He took my hands and unclenched them.

"Bella, look at me. Open your eyes."

I obeyed and watched my pain mirror itself back to me in his eyes. "I am here with you Bella, you aren't alone. That's it, take a deep breath."

Slowly the panic faded and I let Edward hold me.

"I miss sleeping." I whispered softly.

"Sometimes it would be nice to be able to close my eyes and escape into dreams." He agreed.

"Yeah. I remember how safe and content I felt when I would fall asleep in your arms. It felt like nothing else mattered or existed. It was just you and me sharing our thoughts and dreams."

"Can I try something?" Edward asked softly.

"Ok." He pulled me towards him and stretched us out on the sofa. I laid by his side with my head rested on his chest. His arms wrapped around me.

"Close your eyes and clear your mind."

I closed my eyes and relaxed instinctively in his arms. It was surprisingly easy to shut my mind off for a few moments. I would never sleep but this was almost as good.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?" He sounded just as relaxed as I felt.

"You really never stopped loving me?"

"Not for a single second."

"It was so easy for you to walk away."

"Bella it nearly killed me. It was the hardest thing I have ever done."

"Didn't you ever think of coming back before that night of my graduation?"

"I started back to Forks many times. But then I would remember you broken and bloody after James attacked you or the cut on your arm from the night of your birthday. Bella I really did think I was doing what was best to protect you from me. But I see now that in me trying to protect you I hurt you in the worst way possible. I hope that someday you can forgive me."

"I have already forgiven you." I sighed softly.

"What?"

"I think I was ready to forgive you the first night I came in here to read with you. I just needed to work through all the other emotions. Everything got so twisted and confusing. I couldn't tell what I felt about anything. But now laying here with you like this I can finally see everything clearly and file it all into the appropriate areas. When I am with you everything feels right. I feel right for the first time in years. I still have so much grief but when I am with you I feel hopeful that Alice's vision of my future will actually come true."

I pushed away from him slightly and softly brought my lips to his. He was hesitant at first but the instant my lips touched his a fire that I thought was forever extinguished burned like wildfire inside me. My fingers buried themselves in his hair and I pulled him even closer to me. His responding growl spurred me on and I moved on top of him. My legs straddling him as our lips moved together. His hands ran down my back and snaked their way under my shirt. At the touch of his hands on my stomach my mouth opened in a soft gasp and he slipped his tongue into my mouth teasing my tongue. I moaned softly and he growled again flipping us over so that he was on top. He lifted my shirt up and over my head. My back arched towards him as he trailed kisses down my neck and shoulder.

Afterwards I lay satisfied in Edwards arms.

"That was better than I ever fantasized it would be."

Edward chuckled. "Did you fantasize about it a lot?"

"More than I should admit to probably."

"Something else we have in common."

I grinned against his chest. "Do you think Esme and Alice would mind if I added something to my room?"

"It's your room Bella. You are free to do what you want with it. What are you thinking of adding?"

"I think I want a bed. I know we don't sleep but it would be easier to snuggle like this in a bed."

Edward kissed the top of my head. "I like how you think. I think we should get dressed now."

I groaned causing Edward to laugh. "Alice is on her way up to show you some beds that you might like."

I jumped up and had my clothes on just as Alice knocked on the door. It didn't take long to find the bed I wanted. A king sized bed with a heavy wood canopy. Alice wanted to take care of the canopy covering and I was all to happy to let her. Edward took me out hunting after that and on our way back he was unusually quiet.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

"I have something I want to ask you but Im not sure how you will react."

I stopped walking and stood in front of him. "What is it?"

He looked at me for a moment and then seemingly worked up enough courage.

"Bella, I don't ever want to be separated from you again. You are my life and I want to tie my life to yours in every way humanly possible. Would you do me the honor of agreeing to marry me?"

I stood speechless in front of him. Marriage. I had failed at that so miserable with Jacob. Could I be a better wife to Edward? Did I want to get married again? While I contemplated his question Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it and placed it in my hand. It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen.

"I know your first marriage wasn't the most happy but I think that had more to do with who you were married to rather than your ability to be a wife. You were never meant to be married to him and he was never meant to be married to you. You were always meant for me and he was always meant for someone else, which means that relationship was doomed to fail before it even started."

I watched as he slipped the ring on my ring finger. I held up my hand and watched as the sun reflected off the diamonds. I had been a part of the Cullen family for almost a year. During that time Edward had given me whatever I needed with no argument. If I needed space he willingly complied. When I needed a friend or just someone to sit with he was there. We had both grown as people during our time apart but our love for each other had never diminished. He was who I wanted to share the rest of my existence with. "Yes, Edward. Yes."

He smiled broadly and lifted me up into his arms. When we got back to the house Alice already had a stack of bridal magazines waiting for me. She whisked me away from Edward and thrust pictures of dresses in front of me. Unlike my first wedding I wanted to make this one more traditional. I had dreamt about what a wedding with Edward would be like.

"Alice, these dresses are really beautiful but I was hoping for something more… old fashioned?"

"Something from the early 1900's perhaps?"

I grinned. "Yes. I always dreamed that if Edward and I got married it would look like a wedding out of a different time period. His time period."

Alice pulled out a book of dress designs from different eras. I knew the minute I had found my dress. It was a perfect mix of cream colored satin and lace with delicate bead work. The dress fit snug to the waist and then flowed loosely, with multiple layers of satin stopping at different lengths, to the ground with a short train in the back. The bodice was fitted with an open lace overlay. The back of the bodice sat just under the bottom of the shoulder blades. The dress was simple and elegant.

Alice enlisted Esme's help to get my measurements and then went about ordering the dress from the designer. We picked flowers, a cake which was for the non vampire guests that Carlisle and Esme wanted to invite. When Alice started talking about location Edward suddenly appeared.

"Come take a drive with me?" Edward held out his hand. I placed my hand in his and he led me out to his Volvo. He drove us through the city and then we passed into a rural area like the one where the Cullen's house was located. We pulled into an overgrown driveway that wound around several large trees. And then we pulled up in front of a well maintained Edwardian looking manor house. The lands around the house were very nicely groomed. Edward turned off the volvo and appeared at my door instantly. He helped me out and walked me around the grounds before leading me up the steps to the house. He pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. When I step inside I felt like I had gone back in time. He let me wander from room to room on the first floor quietly.

When I had finished with the first floor he led me up the stairs to the 2nd floor. We passed several doors before he finally opened the door at the end of the hall. I stepped in and looked around for a minute. It looked like the room of a child, no, a teenager, of the time. There was a desk and a book shelf with some of my favorite books. On another shelf there were model planes. A twin sized bed sat in the far corner by a window. I turned towards Edward who was watching me thoughtfully.

"Edward what is this place?"

"This was my family home."

My hand caressed the desk in front of me. "This was your room." I whispered. I walked around the room touching the books he had read as a teenager and inspecting the model planes he must have played with as a child. He walked silently to the book shelf and pulled out one of the dusty books and handed it to me. There was no title. Curiously I opened the book and found pages and pages of neat writing that I instantly recognized as Edward's. I looked up at Edward. "Is this your journal?"

"Yes, my very last one. Turn to the last page." I carefully flipped to the last page.

It was the last entry he ever wrote. He must have gotten sick after this and then of course Carlisle had turned him.

Mother introduced me to another of her friend's daughters today. Like all the rest she held no interest to me. She wasn't well read and didn't know any of the more influential authors of our time. I could have had a more interesting conversation with the neighbors yorkie. Maybe after I return from the war I will search more diligently for a wife. She will have to like to read and have a love of music. I also prefer brown hair to any other color. Most of all she would need to care about others more than herself. Most of the girls mother introduces me to, are so self absorbed. I can hardly stand to be in the same room with them.

When I do get married I want it to be here at our house. Father let one of our neighbors hold his daughter's wedding on our property and it was a wonderful sight. Now that father is gone it would mean even more for me to have my wedding here. I can still feel fathers spirit here and I know he would watch over the ceremony if it were here. It would feel like he was still here with us.

My fingers traced the words on the page.

"It would mean so much to me if you would agree to have the wedding here."

I looked up from the journal and into his pleading eyes. I could no more deny him this request than I could cut off my own hand. "Edward, I cannot think of a more appropriate place for our wedding than your family home."

His grin took my breath away. He took the journal from my hands and set it on the desk. His lips crashed into mine and we soon lost ourselves in each other.

We lay naked together on the small twin bed. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Whats so funny?"

"Edward, we just made love in your childhood bedroom. I hope your parents don't come in and catch us." I teased him.

"Mother would be pretty disappointed and she would think you were a terrible influence on her innocent angel of a son."

"You innocent? That's funny, you just proved you are far from innocent. Taking me to your bed before we are wed. Whatever will everyone think of you?"

"Well then I guess I should marry you before the gossip starts."

"Well I don't know. I kind of like being a little naughty and sneaking around with the threat of being caught always hanging over our head. It's exhilarating. Maybe we should hold off on the wedding a little longer." I grinned up at him mischievously.

Edward quickly flipped us so he was hovering over me. I felt his desire pressed against my entrance. His eyes smoldered at me. "I swear I wont touch you again, except for a chaste kiss if you postpone the wedding." He lightly kissed my cheek and I felt the pressure of him just outside my wet center. He smiled knowingly at me.

"Now that I think about it. I think we should get married as soon as possible. I cannot bare for you to withhold your affections from me." I gasped as he quickly plunged himself into me again. "Oh yes, we should marry immediately." I murmured between his thrusts. I clung to him as we climaxed together. "Edward, I love you."

"I love you my beautiful bride."

Alice, of course, had already seen our wedding location in a vision and had gone full steam ahead with wedding planning.

Our wedding was a true family affair. Emmett had gone online to become ordained and performed the ceremony. Alice was my maid of honor, Rosalie played the music during the ceremony, Jasper was Edward's best man and Carlisle walked me down the aisle in place of Charlie.

I knew that I still had rough days ahead of me but the moment Emmett pronounced Edward and I husband and wife I felt comforted in the knowledge that I would never have to face the rough times alone. Edward would always be by my side and Alice's vision of my future was well on it's way to becoming reality.