Some nice light, fluffy chapters coming up for our two! Enjoy!
As always thanks to CoppertopJ for keeping me right and putting up with my constant mistyping of that/than, which really bugs me so she definitely must be sick of it!
As I began to stir the next morning, I snuggled further under the covers, not ready to leave the warmth of the bed. Edward breathed a quiet laugh, as he wrapped his arms around me.
"Not ready to wake up, love?" he whispered in my ear.
"Uh uh," I muttered, keeping my eyes closed as I melted into his embrace. I knew we had a busy day ahead. A lot of our guests were arriving today, so there were a few trips to the airport to pick them up and while I was excited to see them, it just meant that we were that bit closer to the wedding.
"Well, we have a few minutes, but then we need to get up so you have time for breakfast before we head to pick up your mom and Phil," Edward said.
I rolled over so I was facing him, keeping my eyes closed, and leaned in to kiss him. My hands roamed his bare chest as my lips moved with his. As much as I tried to deepen the kiss, he kept it chaste, pulling back much too quickly for my liking.
"No time for that, I'm afraid," he sighed, laughing quietly as I huffed my disappointment.
"Fine," I pouted.
Still laughing quietly, he got out of the bed, dressing quickly, "I'm going to make your breakfast, before you tempt me too much," he muttered, the door closing behind him.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, before jumping out of bed and heading to the bathroom for a shower. I stood under the showerhead, as the hot water ran down my body, relaxing all of my muscles. Squirting some strawberry shampoo onto my hands, I began to massage it into my hair, as I thought of the day ahead.
My mom and Phil were arriving in a few hours, with my dad, Leah, and Seth arriving later that evening. Edward and I were picking them up from the airport and then they would all be staying in a hotel in the city, not far from the house. We had decided that it was best for them to stay at a hotel, rather than in the house with us to make it easier on the Cullens, who would have to keep up pretences in front of the humans.
I stepped out of the shower, drying off quickly and dressing in a comfortable outfit of jeans and a pale grey sweater, before heading downstairs for breakfast.
Esme had been teaching Edward to cook, something he said he wanted to be able to do for me while I was still human, so he had taken over making my breakfasts each morning. He wasn't quite as good as Esme, not that I would ever tell him that, but I loved that he wanted to do something to look after me. Growing up, I had always been more of a parent than a child, looking after Renee and, to a lesser extent, Charlie, and it was nice to be taken care of for a change.
When I had finished my plate of scrambled eggs and toast, I washed up my dishes, insisting that I was allowed to do something around the house and then we jumped in the Volvo, heading to the airport for the first pickup of the day.
The journey was fairly uneventful, and we arrived in plenty of time for my mom and Phil's flight landing. We even stopped by a coffee shop, picking up some takeaway drinks for myself, my mom, Phil, and even one for Edward, though he emptied most of it out, just carrying it for appearances sake.
As we stood at arrivals waiting for their plane to disembark, I was becoming excited to see my mom again, though I still felt some trepidation at knowing that this was likely the last time. Despite standing on my tiptoes, I heard her before I saw her, as she excitedly shouted my name over the crowds of people.
"Bella! Edward!" she exclaimed, wrapping us both up in a hug, as Phil stood awkwardly to the side.
We greeted each other quickly and began making our way out of the airport, with Edward taking my mom's bags. We were soon back at the car and heading back towards the house.
When we reached the house, Esme and Alice were standing outside waiting for us. They were both excited to meet my mom, having spent a lot of time talking to her on video chat and over email as we planned the wedding. We headed into the house and, after introducing the rest of the family, Esme and Alice took my mom to show her all things wedding related and Emmett, sensing that Phil was a little uncomfortable, chatted about baseball with him and put a game on the flat screen.
Edward and I just looked at each other, having been left standing in the entrance hall of the house, and smiled at how easily his family was welcoming mine. So that was how we spent the afternoon until it was time to head back to the airport to pick up our guests from Forks. We dropped my mom and Phil off at their hotel on the way, letting them get settled in.
The airport reunion was a little more subdued this time around as Charlie was not one for public displays of affection, though Leah talked excitedly about the wedding all the way along in the car. When we reached the house and made all the introductions, Emmett did the same thing as he had with Phil, making Charlie feel more at ease. Edward followed as I brought Leah and Seth into the kitchen as I started to make dinner for the humans in the house, though the vampires would have to at least pretend to eat it as well.
"So, Seth, how are things?" I asked, looking at him pointedly. I couldn't ask him outright how he was coping with his transformation into a werewolf with my dad in the house, but I knew he would get what I meant.
"It's awesome, Bells!" he exclaimed, and I chuckled at his enthusiasm. Most of the other wolves had accepted their fate, but I didn't think any of them embraced it the same way Seth did.
"It doesn't bother you?" Edward asked quietly.
"Nah," he snorted, "I love the speed and strength!"
Edward smiled at his exuberance, obviously hearing no contradictions in his mind. Seth had always been an easy-going kid and he didn't seem in any way ill at ease at being in a house full of vampires.
We all chatted easily as I cooked, catching me up with the things that had been going on in Forks and on the reservation since I had left. When dinner was ready, I brought Charlie's into him in front of the TV. We decided against sitting at the dining table as that would make it more difficult for the vampires to fake eating.
Once everyone had eaten, I sat with Charlie as he watched the TV and we chatted a little. It was nice to spend some time with my dad and, even though we were just sitting in front of the TV, it just reminded me of when I lived with him in Forks. Then Edward and I dropped Charlie, Leah, and Seth off at their hotel and headed back to the house, where I fell into bed, tired after a long day.
"How are you doing?" Edward asked as he pulled me close to his chest.
"Okay," I replied, stifling a yawn, "It's been a long day, but it was nice to see my parents again. I'm determined not to let myself dwell on the fact that this is likely the last time I'll see them, but instead focus on making amazing memories with them."
"How are you doing?" I asked when he didn't say anything for a while. I knew he would be worried about me, but I worried that he was slipping back into his old ways of overthinking about all the things I would be losing.
"It's not really about me," he muttered.
"It's about both of us," I responded, turning in his arms so I could look up into his eyes, "I don't want you worrying about what I am giving up. I have thought long and hard about this decision and I know that I am doing the right thing. That doesn't mean it'll be easy, but as long as I have you I can get through anything."
"I just hate that you have to give everything up for me," he said in a small voice, looking down away from my face as he spoke, "I hate even more that I want it." He said the last part so quietly that if I hadn't been cuddled up with him, right next to his face, I wouldn't have heard it.
"Oh, baby," I said, tilting his head up so he would look me in the eye, "It's okay to want it. It's okay to be selfish sometimes. You are allowed to be happy."
"I wasn't for a long time, you know. Happy," he sighed, "I spent almost a hundred years alone. I mean, I had my family and I love them all, you know that. But I didn't have what they had. A mate. Someone to share my life with. I spent most of those hundred years, certain that I would never have that. That a monster like me didn't deserve that."
"I know, but you do deserve it," I said, "You are not a monster and you deserve happiness."
"Thank you. For seeing that in me and helping me to see it too," he whispered, "I can't wait to marry you."
"Alice!" I whined, drawing out her name and not caring that I sounded like a petulant child, "Do we really have to do this?"
"Yes!" she cried, leading me over to the mirror in her room, many lotions and potions already laid out on the table in front of it, "It's your rehearsal dinner. You have to look amazing!"
"But it's only an informal buffet dinner here at the house," I said, "It's not like it's at a fancy restaurant or something. Besides, you're going to get to do all of this in a couple of days for the wedding. Can't I just go as I am?"
Alice's eyes widened, as she looked me up and down, her mouth forming a perfect 'o' shape. Her eyes then glazed over, as I'm sure a vision of me attending the rehearsal dinner in my jeans, green checked shirt, and Converse trainers crossed her mind.
"Oh, Bella, please?" she pleaded, "I promise no more than half an hour in the chair. Besides I've gotten you an amazing dress that I've seen you wear and you actually love it." She looked at me with her puppy dog eyes, something that worked on every member of the family and I was no exception, apparently.
"Fine," I said, flopping down in the chair and giving into my fate, "But I swear, one second over thirty minutes and I'm out of here. I don't care if I've only one eye done or my hair is half curly, half straight, I'm gone!"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she trilled, pulling the band out of my hair and running her fingers through it.
"Rose," she shouted, "Help me with Bella's hair, please."
Rose swanned into the room only seconds later, grabbing the curling iron and quickly getting to work. I lay back in the chair, closing my eyes and drifting away to my happy place, which was anywhere with Edward.
"We're done!" Alice sang, after a while. I rolled my eyes when I looked at my watch and saw that exactly twenty-nine minutes had passed. I glanced in the mirror to see that I actually really liked what they had done. My eyes were soft and smoky, my cheeks had a light blush to them and my lips were a slightly deeper shade of pink than usual. Rose had curled my hair, pinning a few strands back so that it wouldn't be in my face.
"Thanks, guys," I said, genuinely, "I really like it."
"See," Alice said, sticking out her tongue, "Now, for the dress. It's hanging on the back of the bathroom door."
When I re-emerged a few minutes later, Alice walked me straight to the full-length mirror to see myself. I stared at my reflection, shocked at the beauty staring back at me. The white dress was tight fitting, coming to just below my knee, though there was a split up the left-hand side that came halfway up my thigh, a little higher than I would have liked. My right shoulder was covered, the other left bare, and a small ruffle of material gathered at my left hip. With my hair, makeup, and small white heels, I had to admit I looked stunning.
"Just wait for Edward's reaction," Alice whispered, Rose giggling as she imagined it, "Come on. You're going to blow his mind!"
I walked down the stairs, keeping my eyes fixed on the ground, I took each step carefully, whilst silently thanking God that Alice seemed to have given up on making me wear very high heels. When I reached the bottom, I looked up to see Edward standing frozen in place, except for his eyes that were roaming down my body. I watched as they stopped at the slit at my thigh, his eyes almost popping out of his head. I chuckled to myself as I walked towards him, always amazed that I could make him react that way.
"Wow," he whispered, swallowing hard, trying to compose himself as I reached him.
"You don't scrub up too bad yourself," I smirked. He was wearing a pair of dark charcoal grey chinos with a crisp white button-down shirt, with one button open at the collar. His hair was in its usual state of disarray that I loved.
I turned to see the rest of the family gathering around us. Rose and Alice both looked stunning, as usual; Rose was in a tight-fitting red dress that showed off all her curves, and Alice was in a flouncy, deep green dress that contrasted beautifully with her pale skin and dark hair. Esme looked very elegant in a lacy off-the-shoulder navy dress, her caramel-coloured hair hanging softly around her face. The boys were all very handsome, wearing chinos and button-downs of varying colours.
A short while later, the rest of our guests arrived, all looking equally beautiful in their attire. My mom was wearing a floral dress in a variety of colours, that really matched her colourful personality. Leah was wearing a deep purple dress that just reached her knees, showing off her russet skin beautifully. Again, the men were all dressed in chinos and button-downs, Charlie pulling at the collar of his and mumbling under his breath.
We had opted for a more informal buffet style dinner to make it easier for the Cullens to fake eating, though they still had to eat a few bites. For the wedding in a few day's time, we had hired caterers, but for this, Esme has insisted on preparing it all. The dining room table was filled with every dish imaginable. Steaming pots of pasta, curries, and stews, along with finger foods and salads, plus there were desserts galore in the kitchen waiting to be served. I could never understand how a vampire, who doesn't eat human food and can't even taste it as she's cooking, was able to cook such delicious food, but she managed it.
The whole evening went without a hitch. Both of my families and my friends mingled and everyone got along well. I was able to spend plenty of time with my parents, allowing them to get to know Edward better and see that I was truly happy. Phil and Emmett really hit it off, talking constantly about different sports, occasionally joined by Charlie, Seth, and Jasper. Esme and my mom also got on really well, talking all things motherly and gushing about how beautiful the wedding was going to be. Even Alice and Leah got on brilliantly. I had worried a little that they might be jealous of each other, worrying about my friendship with the other, but they had clicked instantly when Leah had stayed with us after the incident with Victoria a few months ago.
Overall, the evening went spectacularly and I was so happy watching both of my families and my friends mingling and enjoying each other's company. It made me more comfortable and relaxed about the actual wedding day. Whilst I still had some nerves about being the centre of attention, I was mainly just excited to become Mrs. Cullen.